Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters Collection (Eight Fun, Romantic Novels by Eight Bestselling Authors)

by Violet Duke

  “I’m going to call the caterer,” Naomi said, pulling out her phone and scrolling through her numbers. “And ask them to set up a table for two in the gazebo at the reception venue, after all. I told them Jake and I would be too busy with family to have time to sneak away, but there’s no reason you and Maddie can’t enjoy some time alone.”

  “But Jake doesn’t want me at the reception,” Jamison said.

  “I haven’t given up on changing his mind about that,” Naomi said, hitting the contact number and putting the phone to her ear. “But even if he doesn’t, I—”

  She broke off to speak to the caterers, asking them to set up something romantic in the gazebo and to expect two of the wedding guests to be using the table around eight o’clock. She thanked them and ended the call before turning back to Jamison with a smile.

  “There, you’re all set.” She tossed her phone back into her purse. “If Jake can’t be persuaded to get over this, you’ll just sneak around the back of the venue to the gazebo around eight. I’ll find an excuse to get Maddie there, and you two will have a chance to talk.”

  Jamison took a deep breath. “That sounds amazing. Thank you, Naomi. I appreciate it.”

  “Of course.” Her forehead wrinkled as she held out her arms. “Come here, you big sweet thing.”

  Jamison let Naomi pull him in for a hug, refusing to acknowledge that his throat was getting tight all over again. But he could admit how much he needed a hug, and that the sign that not everyone in his life thought he was beyond redemption meant a lot to him. A whole lot.

  “Everything is going to be okay,” she said, patting him firmly on the back before pulling away. “It’s always darkest before the dawn, right?”

  Jamison nodded, not trusting his voice.

  “All right. You head home and get some rest and put some warm compresses on your face,” Naomi said. “That should help speed the healing.”

  “I’ve been icing,” Jamison said.

  “No more ice.” Naomi waved a finger in the air. “It’s been over twenty-four hours, so now you should do warm compresses for fifteen to twenty minutes. I dated a boxer for a while in Miami. Trust me, the ice then warm compress thing is magic.”

  Jamison shrugged. “All right. I’ll give it a try.”

  “Do,” she said, swinging her purse over her shoulder. “Get fresh compresses on there every hour that you’re awake and you should see a big improvement by tomorrow, enough that I should be able to fix you up with some concealer so you won’t look like you’ve been brawling in the wedding pictures.”

  Jamison grinned. “If you can convince Jake to let me be his best man again, you can put as much makeup on me as you want.”

  Naomi laughed and a mischievous look sparked in her eyes. “You know I’ll hold you to that, right?”

  Jamison chuckled. “I know. But a little blush and mascara is a small price to pay.”

  “And lipstick,” Naomi added. “Red, I think.”

  “Red is one of my favorite colors,” Jamison said, laughter fading as he continued. “Thank you again. I’m sorry that this mess with Jake and me has interfered with your wedding. I know you’ve been working hard to make it perfect.”

  Naomi smiled. “I’m marrying the man I love tomorrow. Even if it rains cats and dogs, the flower girl wets herself on the way down the aisle, and the entire wedding party decides to get drunk and throw up on the dance floor, it will still be perfect.”

  He nodded, knowing that he would feel the same way. As long as he had Maddie, everything felt right with the world. The rest of the stuff was icing on the cake.

  Speaking of cake…

  “I have a birthday cake for Maddie in the car,” Jamison said. “You think it will keep until tomorrow night? I could bring it to the gazebo.”

  Naomi unhooked her keys from the side of her purse. “It should, but I’m sure the caterers will have something nice laid out. Why don’t you leave the cake at home and you and Maddie can eat it for breakfast the next morning.”

  “Fingers crossed,” he said, breath rushing out.

  Naomi winked and held up crossed fingers. “Mine too. See you tomorrow.”

  “Bye.” Jamison lifted a hand, watching Naomi cross the lot for a moment before slipping back into Lucy’s car.

  But once inside, he didn’t pull out right away. Instead, he took a moment to pull the chain holding his St. Florian medal out from beneath his shirt and warm it between his fingers. His dad had given him the medal when he joined the department not long after high school, saying that the patron saint of firefighters had never let him down and he knew the saint would protect his son, as well. Jamison had been fighting fires for over a decade, and aside from one nasty case of smoke inhalation and a few minor burns, he had never been injured on the job. He said the prayer to St. Florian on the way to every call, but he was ashamed to admit it was one of the only prayers he could still recite from memory.

  But whether it was intended for men preparing to fight fires or men preparing to fight for a woman’s heart, Jamison didn’t suppose it mattered. He closed his eyes and murmured the prayer to himself, lingering over the line at the end that had always struck him as the most important—

  “Help me to be loyal and true, respectful and honorable, obedient and valiant,” he said, knowing he wanted to be all those things for Maddie, with Maddie, if only she would give him the chance.

  He finished the prayer and let the medal fall against his chest, remembering the way Maddie had slid it over his shoulder that night in the ocean, sending out a final prayer that tomorrow night would end with the woman he loved back in his arms.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  HOPE YOUR BIRTHDAY was lovely. Looking forward to seeing you soon. Wanted to let you know that Jake has asked Jamison not to be in the wedding. I think it’s a mistake, but he’s not listening to me, so…you may have another best man standing across the aisle come tomorrow afternoon. I’ll keep you posted… Love, N.

  Maddie had to read the text from Naomi three times before she finally believed it, and once the reality sunk in, it was all she could do not to jump in the car and drive back to Summerville that very minute to confront Jake. If it hadn’t been ten-thirty at night and tomorrow a day everyone needed their sleep for, she would have seriously considered it.

  “How could he do this?” Maddie asked, pacing across Dawn’s newly cleared living room. She’d spent the afternoon helping Dawn unpack, finding bringing order to the chaos of the apartment a soothing way to spend her thirtieth birthday. “He’s his brother. They love each other. One mistake doesn’t change that, and certainly shouldn’t mean Jamison should be kicked out of the wedding!”

  Dawn nodded smugly from the couch, but Maddie cut her off before she could speak.

  “Don’t say a word,” she warned. “I get it. Boy, do I get it.”

  Maddie lifted her fists into the air and shook them, consumed by the urge to fly into battle on Jamison’s behalf. Jamison wasn’t perfect, but he always had Jake’s back and loved his brother unconditionally. There was nothing Jake could do that would make Jamison withdraw from their relationship. Nothing.

  Once you had Jamison’s love and loyalty, you had it for life. He’d made that clear every time he’d stood up for Maddie on the playground or glared at her high school boyfriend with a silent promise to open a can of whoop ass if the boy didn’t behave himself. Jamison might have made a hobby out of teasing her, even after they were both grown, but he had always been on her side and quick to apologize when he accidentally hurt her feelings.

  Jake was being ridiculous and cruel to punish Jamison like this…and so was she. She should n
ever have run away. She should have stayed and talked through her anger and confusion with the man she loved, because Jamison could handle a tough talk and deserved the same love and loyalty he’d always shown her.

  Maddie stewed all night, barely able to sleep she was so frustrated and upset, and was up and out of Dawn’s apartment by seven a.m. the next day. She pushed the speed limit on the highway and pulled back into Icing’s parking lot as the Saturday morning rush was picking up steam.

  She swung into the bakery, pausing long enough to make sure Lucy and Aria’s sister, Melody—who had volunteered to help hold down the fort at the bakery during Naomi’s absence—had everything in hand, before dashing upstairs for a shower.

  She was clean and her hair set into rollers in less than half an hour. She took a few more minutes to throw together everything she needed for the wedding, and then barreled back down the stairs in shorts and an old tee shirt, her pink rollers covered with a red scarf and her plastic-encased bridesmaid dress in hand. Naomi had a hairdresser coming to the bride’s quarters before the wedding, so she didn’t need to worry about getting pretty yet, and didn’t have to head over to the church until one o’clock.

  But on the off chance convincing Jake to stop being a stubborn jerk took the rest of the morning, she’d decided to bring all of her bridesmaid paraphernalia with her so she could go straight from Jake’s house to the church.

  Maddie gave Lucy and Melody a thumbs up as she swept back through the bakery, and was halfway to the door when Melody called out—

  “Wait, Maddie!”

  —and forced her to stop.

  Maddie turned around with a smile, trying not to let her eagerness to escape show on her face. “What’s up?” she asked as Melody hustled around the counter wearing Naomi’s bright pink apron. The twenty-something blonde looked gorgeous, as usual, but tired, too, as if she wasn’t used to the four a.m. wake-up call opening the bakery demanded.

  “I wanted to let you know Aria won’t be at the wedding,” Melody said. “She had the baby last night, just before midnight.”

  Maddie smiled and would have clapped her hands in delight if she weren’t holding her dress in one hand and a bag of shoes and makeup in the other. “Oh, that’s so great! The baby and I have the same birthday! I was hoping we would.”

  Melody laughed. “Aria was hoping he’d make his appearance a little sooner, but she’s thrilled he’s finally here. They named him Asher James, and he and his mama are doing great.”

  “Wonderful news,” Maddie said. “I’ll be sure to tell Naomi. And feel free to take off after the noon rush. Lucy can close up if you want to get over to the hospital to see your new nephew.”

  Melody grinned. “Thanks so much. My other sister isn’t up to getting out of the house yet since the twins are still so little, so I know Aria would appreciate another visitor from her side of the family. Nash’s family is so enormous it can get a little overwhelming.”

  “Family can be overwhelming, no matter what the size,” Maddie said, smile slipping as she thought about the Hansen family issues she was preparing to jump right in the middle of. “Is there anything else you need before I head out?”

  Melody shook her head before adding in a slightly hesitant voice. “No…but Lucy wanted me to tell you she thinks the guy you’ve been seeing is really nice, and you should give him another chance.”

  Maddie’s brows shot up as she turned to glance at Lucy. The petite brunette had her hair in her usual, springy pigtails and looked about fifteen years old until she finished thanking the customer she was with and turned to pin Maddie with a very grown up look, a judge-y look that said Maddie was making a big mistake.

  “I didn’t tell Melody who he was,” Lucy said as Maddie moved aside to let the old man with his bag full of bread make his way to the front door. She was grateful he was the only customer around to overhear this little chat—or to see her with her hair in rollers.

  “But I know all about it, and I think he’s great,” Lucy continued. “And I can’t stand to see a big, brawny guy with all those muscles looking so pitiful and sad. It goes against nature. You’re disrupting the order of the universe, Ms. Whitehouse.”

  “Call me Maddie,” Maddie said, lips curving on one side. “I’ve told you I prefer it, and if you’re going to lecture me about the order of the universe, I think you should feel comfortable using my first name.”

  Lucy nodded, her cheeks flushing. “Sorry. But he’s such a good guy, and he’s obviously in love with you.”

  Melody cast an intrigued look between Maddie and Lucy. “Who is it? The suspense is killing me! Big and brawny makes me think…body builder? Cop?”

  Maddie shrugged, resisting the urge to tell Melody she was getting warmer. “Hopefully, you’ll see for yourself before long. I’m going to see him today and apologize for running away instead of talking things through.”

  Lucy let out an enthusiastic whoop. “Yay! I’m so glad. You won’t regret it. He’s definitely your spirit animal. I can feel it whenever I see you two together.”

  Maddie bit her lip, deciding not to touch that spirit animal comment for fear she might find out Lucy was even more eccentric than she suspected. “Right, well, I’d better get going. Lots of wrongs to right before the wedding.”

  “Have a wonderful time,” Melody said, wiggling her fingers as she headed back around the counter.

  “Go get ‘em!” Lucy cried, thrusting a fist into the air.

  Maddie headed toward the door with a laugh, but her amusement faded quickly. By the time she spread her dress out on the backseat of her car and headed for Jake’s house her insides were aflutter with nerves. She had mentally rehearsed the things she wanted to say to Jake a million times on the drive from Atlanta, but the closer she got to the confrontation, the more chaotic her thoughts became. She wasn’t looking forward to a showdown with the eldest Hansen.

  Jake was the kind of person who commanded respect, and she’d always given it without a second thought, but now…

  She still cared about Jake, but between almost dumping Naomi over a mistake she’d made over a decade before they’d gotten back together, and this latest bout of rigidity with Jamison, she could feel her respect for him slipping. She was so fed up—and hurt on Jamison’s behalf—that by the time she lifted her fist to knock on Jake’s door her heart was pounding, her tongue felt like it was crawling down the back of her throat, and her hands were shaking.

  She wasn’t sure she’d be able to hold herself together or remember any of her well thought out arguments, but she was determined to try, and to make sure Jake didn’t make a mistake they would all live to regret.

  Jake opened the door moments after her knock, a pleasantly surprised expression on his face. “Hey, Maddie, what’s up? Did you come to—”

  “I came to talk some sense into you,” Maddie said, the words bursting from her lips though she’d promised herself to wait to start the serious stuff until she and Jake were inside the house. “You can’t kick Jamison out of the wedding. It’s not right.”

  Jake stood back, opening the door a little wider. “Why don’t you come in?”

  Maddie shook her head, suddenly not wanting to go into Jake’s house. Seeing him up close—seeing how smug and happy he looked, while Jamison was probably out there beating himself up and nursing his wounds all alone—made her even more angry.

  “No, thank you,” she said, lifting her chin. “I’ll say my piece out here. It won’t take long. I just want you to know that I’m disappointed in you. I’m all for having high moral standards—I have high moral standards myself, and do my best to do no harm—but there’s
a difference between high standards and being a holier-than-thou jerk.”

  Jake’s eyebrows lifted, but he still looked more amused than repentant, which only made the fire burning within Maddie burn hotter.

  “We were both raised not to judge lest we be judged,” Maddie said, tone sharpening. “I know you might think you’re above reproach, but we all fall short of being the best person we can be sometimes. All of us. Even you. And Jamison may not be perfect, but he is your brother, and he loves you. He’s flawed and he makes mistakes, but at the core he’s a wonderful, loyal person who would lay down his life for someone he cared about.”

  The amusement faded from Jake’s eyes, replaced by a look of recognition, but the hint of a smile still curved his lips, making Maddie’s frown deepen.

  This was not a moment to be smiling, not until Jake welcomed Jamison back into the wedding party.

  “Forgiveness is an act of strength, not weakness,” Maddie continued, conviction ringing in her voice. “And so is the ability to admit when you’ve been wrong. Jamison has always been able to say he was sorry, and mean it with everything in him, and I think that is a brave, strong thing. And a rare one, and one of the many things I love about him.”

  Maddie swallowed as she reached the scariest part of The Sermon on Jake’s Porch. “And when I say I love him, I don’t mean in the way a person loves an old friend. I mean that I love him. I’m in love with him, and if he isn’t in the wedding party, I won’t be attending the wedding, either. And then your wife will be so angry with you that your honeymoon will be ruined, but I won’t feel bad about it because it will be all your fault.”

  Jake was quiet for a long moment, his lips pressed together as if fighting a smile. “Are you finished?”

  Maddie stood up straighter, flustered but feeling better now that she’d gotten the words out. “I don’t know. Is Jamison back in the wedding?”

  “He is.” Jake leaned against the doorframe. “He has been since this morning when I realized Naomi and my dad were right, and I called him to apologize for being an asshole.”