“I just want everything to be perfect,” Chloe said.
“It will be perfect,” Nate said confidently. “And even if it isn’t, you will still be my wife and we have the rest of our lives together.”
“Is that what happens when you find your mate,” Joshua said, slapping Nate playfully on the side of the head. “You get all soppy.”
“Get off, Josh, I mean every word of it.” Nate slapped Joshua’s hand away.
Chloe sat giggling. “It’s a shame you and Olivia aren’t mates.” Both men were silent, and she looked from one to the other and then said, “Oh, really? Why don’t you say something to her?”
“After the wedding,” Joshua said, and then went to bed to dream of Olivia. The wedding couldn’t come around soon enough, because afterwards he wanted to have his own honeymoon, with his mate.
His bear roared in agreement.
Chapter Five – Olivia
Olivia left work early the next day and decided to catch up with Chloe before she met up with Joshua and Nate. She hated that she had an ulterior motive, like trying to find out if Joshua had said anything about her to Chloe, but she also wanted to make sure her friend was OK. She had seemed a bit emotional last night and it was Olivia’s duty to find out if there was a problem. Especially if it was one she could help solve.
“Hi,” Chloe said, opening the door to Olivia. “Come in, my wicked stepmother is in the kitchen and I am packing up the last of my things. So come upstairs.”
Olivia followed her upstairs to her bedroom, which was organised chaos. “Wow.”
“I know; I’m having a hard time with it all. I’ve packed everything that was in my room, and now I’m sorting through my stuff from the attic.”
“Is there anything I can help with?” Olivia asked, going over to Chloe’s bed and picking up a scrapbook which was full of old photographs. Next to each photo was a caption, written in a child’s handwriting.
“A trip down memory lane,” Chloe said, brightly, although her sadness was tangible.
“Want to talk about it? You and me?” Olivia said quietly, sitting down on the bed with the scrapbook on her lap.
“I feel so stupid; my mom has been gone for ages now.” Chloe sat down next to Olivia and took the scrapbook from her, opening it to show a picture of her mom and dad on their wedding day.
“You look so much like her,” Olivia said, looking at the picture closely.
“My dad says that. I think he’s worried how he’s going to get through the day too.”
“I bet it will bring back all kind of memories. For both of you.”
“I just wish she could be there.”
“Isn’t there something of hers you could wear, to make her seem close, or would that make it worse?” Olivia asked. “Like this pearl choker?”
“I’d love to wear it, but my aunt has it.”
“Can’t you ask her to bring it with her to the wedding?” Olivia said looking closely at the choker in the picture. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”
“She’s not coming to the wedding,” Chloe said, hiccupping as she swallowed a sob.
“Why not?” Olivia asked gently, worried Chloe’s aunt had passed away.
“She hasn’t spoken to my dad since he married Charity. She thought it was too fast, which it was, and cut us off,” Chloe said sadly.
“And you are sure she has the choker?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, positive. The choker was my grandmother’s; my mom wore it for her wedding and then she passed it back to my aunt so she could wear it at hers. She has two daughters too, so my aunt kept hold of it.”
“And there’s no way you can call her up and tell her how much it means to you to wear it?” Olivia asked.
“No, how can I? We haven’t invited her,” Chloe stroked the photo, as if she could conjure it into her life with her touch.
“I’m sorry,” Olivia said, giving Chloe a hug. As she did so she noticed the time. “Oh, I have to dash. Listen, try not to get too upset over it.”
Chloe wiped her eyes. “I won’t. There’s no point.” But as she got up and placed the scrapbook in a box, she looked at it with such longing Olivia nearly erupted into tears too.
“I will send Nate over once we’ve finished with suits.” Olivia grabbed her purse and headed for the door. “I will call you later.”
“OK. Thanks, Olivia.”
“And I’ll make sure they don’t choose pink vests or something ridiculous.”
“I’m glad you are going with them,” Chloe said, a smile flitting across her lips.
“Later.” Olivia ran down the stairs, already running late, but happy she had visited Chloe and now knew what was bothering her.
“Bye, Olivia,” Charity called from the kitchen.
“Bye,” Olivia said, and then slid to a halt. “Charity, can I ask you a favour?”
“Of course,” Charity said, looking surprised that Olivia had spoken to her. This made her feel awful. They had always treated Charity as if she was the wicked stepmother, but she wasn’t; she simply had no maternal instincts, and that wasn’t exactly her fault. Was it?
“Do you have the address of Chloe’s aunt?” Olivia asked.
“You mean that old battle-axe Yvonne?” Charity asked, rolling her eyes.
“I might,” Olivia said. “Is she the one that hasn’t spoken to you since the wedding?”
“You mean the one who made out I was a demon from hell when we married?” Charity said. “Talk about putting a dampener on things.”
“Sounds like she’s the one I’m looking for,” Olivia said.
“I don’t know her address, but I can see if I can find it for you. If it’s important,” Charity said, wiping the surfaces down. “The maid never makes it shine like I want it to.”
“Could you? It would mean a lot to Chloe,” Olivia said.
“This isn’t going to cause trouble, is it?” Charity asked. “Only I can’t bear it when there is an atmosphere in the house, not that there isn’t one already with the wedding and everything.”
“No, no trouble. I want to see if I can borrow the choker Chloe’s mom wore on her wedding day,” Olivia said.
Charity snorted. “Good luck with that! That woman won’t let you have anything. She hates me and she hates Chloe’s dad.”
“But surely she doesn’t hate Chloe,” Olivia said, not seeing how any of this could be Chloe’s fault.
“Who knows?” Charity began buffing the surface of the counter.
“So will you get it for me?”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Charity looked up from where she was angling her head to look for smears. “When I have a moment.”
And with that Olivia left, realising why they found Charity such hard work, but if she could get the address of Chloe’s aunt, it would mean Olivia had a chance of finding her and borrowing the choker, and maybe that would cheer Chloe up.
“Right. Suits.” Olivia drove as fast as she dared into town. There she parked and headed to the store where she had arranged to meet Nate and Joshua. Pushing the door open, she rushed in, to be met by the sight of Joshua in a morning suit, with a grey vest, which made his eyes appear even bluer.
The breath caught in her throat and she stood as if in awe of him. He grinned widely and looked very satisfied with himself, which made her annoyed. Not with him, but with herself: she might just as well have stood here drooling over him.
“What do you think?” Nate asked, coming out of a fitting room in a matching suit. “Do we pass?”
“I think so.” Olivia wanted to fan herself to cool her flaming cheeks. She was so obvious, and then she panicked. What if Nate thought she still had a crush on him?
“You don’t sound too sure?” Nate asked, looking at himself in the mirror.
“No, you both look very handsome,” Olivia said, snapping her attention back to the wedding. She was getting far too caught up in making this about her, when it was about Nate and Chloe.
“We don’t clash wi
th the bridesmaids?” Joshua asked, with a twinkle in those blue eyes.
“Not at all. You really have chosen well,” Olivia said. “In fact I don’t really think you need me here at all.”
“Yes, we do,” Nate insisted.
Olivia looked down at her phone, as it began to ring. “Hold on, it’s Charity.”
Olivia walked a little away from Nate, who was looking at her quizzically. But her attention was now fully on Charity and the address she was reading out. “Can you text it to me?” Charity sighed audibly down the phone. “That would be great. Thank you so much, Charity.”
Charity hung up and Olivia stared at her phone, hoping that she would go the extra effort and text Yvonne’s address to her. And then it came through.
Looking up excitedly, she was met by the faces of the two men in front of her, and she knew she was going to have to give some kind of explanation. In fact, she was going to need their help to cover for her while she was away.
“Since when are you BFF’s with Charity?” Nate asked, his voice holding the hint of an accusation.
“I’m not. Look, I’ll explain, and then I’ll need your help.”
“Go ahead,” Nate said.
“You know how upset Chloe was yesterday about the wedding and her mom not being here?”
“Yes, she’s been trying to hide it, but it’s obvious. I can feel how upset she is,” Nate said.
Olivia carried on, trying to avoid Joshua’s eyes as they watched her face intently. Why did he make her feel as if she were naked in front of him? Or was it that she wanted to be naked in front of him? Not helpful!
“I went to see her today, that’s why I was running late, and she said she would love to wear the same choker her mom wore on her wedding day. It’s beautiful, pearls with a diamond in the centre.” She looked at the two men’s faces. “It seems an aunt has it, and this aunt hasn’t spoken to Chloe or her dad since he married Charity.”
“Right, so she can’t ask for it?” Joshua said nodding.
“No.” Olivia took a deep breath and blurted out the next part of her plan, hoping it didn’t sound as insane as she thought it did. “Charity gave me the address. It’s a three-hour drive; if I leave now I can be there before it’s dark. Then tomorrow morning I’ll go and visit the aunt and be back with the choker before the wedding.”
“And if she doesn’t give you the choker?” Nate asked.
“Then Chloe won’t even know I tried. If I get it, it will be a wonderful surprise. If she doesn’t know I’ve gone, then it won’t be a disappointment. Does that make sense?” she asked.
Nate nodded. “I can see now why Chloe chose you to be the maid of honour. You really don’t have to go to all this trouble.”
“Yes, I do. If it will make things easier, I’ll be happy to. But can you two cover for me?” Olivia asked, her body reacting to the way Joshua was looking at her.
“No.” Joshua shook his head.
“Why not?” she asked indignantly.
“Because I’m coming with you.”
Chapter Six – Joshua
He felt Nate’s eyes on him, and noted the shocked expression on Olivia’s face. But he wasn’t taking no for an answer. If she was going to go dashing across the country, he was going to go with her.
“We can split the driving,” he said.
Nate sparked into life. “That’s a great idea.”
“It is?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, you can blame it on Josh.”
“Blame what on Josh?” Olivia asked looking confused.
“Having to leave town. I can tell Chloe it’s because of something Josh needs.”
“Like what?” Olivia asked.
“I don’t know. I’ll think of something, though,” Nate said confidently. “This will mean so much to her, and I know I’ll be happier if you have some company. Because you have to get back in time for the wedding.”
“We will,” Olivia said. “Although I would be OK on my own.”
“I know you would, but it will be quicker; we can take turns driving and that way you won’t have to stop so often.”
“Josh is right, Olivia. There is no way you can drive hundreds of miles cross-country without plenty of breaks. I would worry if you went alone. You two go, I can handle things here,” said Nate.
“If you are sure,” Olivia said, still sounding uncertain.
“You know, it might be good, we can spend some time alone. It’s been so hectic sometimes, I worry we’ve drifted apart,” Nate said.
“She’s your mate,” Joshua said quietly, “that is never going to happen.”
Nate’s eyes flashed up to Olivia, and once more Joshua reminded himself Olivia did not know about fated mates and he had to be more discreet. When he looked at Olivia, she had picked up on it too.
“This that Alaska thing again?” she asked.
“Yep,” Joshua said. “Now, let’s get going, while there is plenty of daylight.”
“I’ll go pack an overnight bag,” Olivia said and left the two men standing in their suits, with Joshua watching her walk away.
“She’s a good woman,” Nate said.
“Tell me, Nate, is there something between you and Olivia?” Joshua asked.
“There was. Not anything sexual, it never got that far. We were more friends, but she did want it to go further,” Nate said honestly.
“I see,” Joshua said, not knowing how to take the news. “I could see by the way she looks at you.”
“Hey, she’s your mate. And she knows I am spoken for. She backed off straight away once she realised I was in love with Chloe.”
“But she doesn’t know that you are bound to Chloe for eternity. She doesn’t know about the mating bond?” Joshua asked, although he figured he knew the answer.
“No, we keep it to ourselves pretty much. But you are going to have to tell her,” Nate said. “She deserves to know the truth.”
“After the wedding,” Joshua said, looking down at the suit he was wearing. “I need to get this off and go and get my stuff together.” He went into the changing room and stripped off the suit, hanging it carefully on the hanger. He wished it was him getting married to Olivia, that all the hard stuff was over and she knew everything and had accepted his story and agreed to marry him.
Instead, by the time he had arrived back at Nate’s place and packed, he was wondering if he would end up frightening her off when he told her he was a big polar bear.
Only one way to find out, his bear said.
Agreed.
“Take care of each other,” Nate said as they got in the car. “Call me when you get there. And thank you both for this.”
“We’ll be back, I promise,” Olivia said.
“Try to relax,” Joshua said as he took in Nate’s strained expression. “We have it all under control.” But he sounded more confident than he felt. They might have the wedding under control, but if he couldn’t find a way to let Olivia know how he felt about her, and that he was a bear, then his life would spiral out of control.
“See you tomorrow!” Nate called as they drove away from his house.
“Tomorrow,” Joshua called back.
“We had better make it back tomorrow, and with the choker, or Chloe will fall apart,” Olivia said. “I’m beginning to think this was a bad idea.”
“No, it was a good idea. And whatever happens we will get back in time.” Joshua wanted to reach out and touch her, to comfort her, but he didn’t want to risk it. Not yet, this wedding was important to everyone and he didn’t want to ruin it. Or was he just scared?
“Thank you,” she said as they hit the main road out of town.
“For what?” he asked.
“Coming with me. At first I thought it was a bad idea, but now I think it’s going to make the trip easier.”
“I am here to help,” he said and then tempered it with, “Isn’t that what the best man and maid of honour do?”
“Yes, anything for Nate and Chloe,” Olivia said.
>
Did she still have feelings for Nate? Or was she over him now? He longed to find out, to get her to open up to him and tell him her feelings. But he couldn’t ask.
Because he was afraid of what her answer might be.
Chapter Seven – Olivia
A little awkward at first, it had taken them about fifty miles to slip into the easiness of friendship. Their conversation had shifted through music and movies, none of which Joshua was current on, but then they ended up on books.
“So, is that all you do in Alaska?” Olivia asked. “Read?”
“Not all, but there are a lot of long, dark nights and a book is something you can carry anywhere.”
“How long are the nights?” she asked, fascinated by the world he lived in; it was so very different to her world.
“Some days in winter the sun barely comes up. And then in the summer the days are endless.” He spoke with a wistful air, and she wanted to make him promise to take her there one day and let her see it all for herself, but she didn’t think he was interested in her.
“Do you have family?” she asked, wanting to know every detail about him.
“I have four brothers. They range about the landscape; we get together every once in a while to catch up, but we don’t live in each other’s pockets.”
“My family live about a two-hour drive away. I love going and visiting, but I like having my freedom.”
“Do you have brothers and sisters?” he asked,
“One of each. They both have families of their own, I guess that’s why I don’t visit often,” she said, turning onto a road heading north.
“Because you don’t like kids?” he asked and sounded disappointed. Her active imagination was in full flow, it seemed. He was just making conversation, she reminded herself.
“No, it’s because I am bombarded with questions about when I plan to settle down, as if I can give them some kind of time frame.” She smiled at the many interrogations she had undergone by her concerned family. “It’s not as if I’m avoiding it.”
“They want you to be happy,” he said.
“I know, but I don’t need a man for that,” she answered. “When I meet the right man, I want to be sure.”
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