A Home for Her Baby

by Gabrielle Meyer

  “My father is paying you for the impossible, right?” Carrie asked. “This is my one and only wedding, shouldn’t it be exactly what I want?”

  Liv glanced at Piper and Piper knew exactly what she was thinking. By the time the wedding came, Carrie would probably change her mind about a dozen more details. The bride had no idea what she actually wanted and Liv and Piper had spent the past year trying to give her all the options, while steering her in a semirealistic direction.

  “I’ll see what I can do about a band,” Liv said to Carrie. “Any particular band you have in mind?”

  Carrie shrugged. “When I hear them, I’ll know.”

  “Hear them?”

  “Of course. I need to listen to them before I choose which one to hire.”

  “As in a live performance?” Piper asked.

  “Preferably.”

  “There’s not enough time to set up live auditions,” Liv said. “I’ll send you some links to the bands I contact.” Liv didn’t ask her if that would be okay. They were at the point where they simply had to tell the bride how it was going to be.

  “Well,” Carrie said on a sigh as she looked over the folder she had brought with her to today’s meeting. “I suppose that’s all I have for today. I’ll call or text you if I have any other ideas.”

  Piper hoped and prayed she wouldn’t have any other ideas. She had already changed the menu, the centerpieces and the DJ just today.

  Liv and Piper stood, indicating the meeting was over.

  “Thanks for all your help,” Carrie said as she gathered her things together. “Can you believe the wedding’s only two weeks away? The time has flown by.”

  Maybe for the bride-to-be, but for Piper, it felt like an eternity since the day Carrie had contacted them about the wedding.

  “Ta, ta,” Carrie said with a wiggle of her fingers. “I’ll show myself out.”

  Piper and Liv sat back down at the table and waited until the door was closed behind Carrie before they both let out a sigh of relief.

  “I cannot wait until this wedding is over,” Liv said as she lowered her forehead onto her forearms. “This woman is going to be the reason I never coordinate a wedding again.”

  Piper smiled and pulled together the notes she had taken while visiting with Carrie. “It’s been a challenge,” she conceded, “but it’s almost over.”

  Liv pulled herself up and put her chin in her hand. “How are you feeling?”

  “Great.” Piper smiled. “I had my appointment with Dr. Meeker on Wednesday and she said everything looks stable. She told me she doesn’t want me doing housework or exercising, but she lifted the other restrictions. She said I’m free to be on my feet and go about my normal routine, as long as I don’t do anything strenuous. If something changes, I need to let her know immediately.”

  “And have you been listening to her advice?” Liv lifted her eyebrow, clearly skeptical of Piper.

  “Max and Mrs. Anderson aren’t giving me any choice.” They’d been like mother hens to her all week. “Max even suggested that going up and down the stairs to his apartment more than once a day is too much for me.”

  “Have you been going up there often?” Liv pretended to be innocent, but Piper heard the hidden question.

  “Yes, but only to arrange the baby’s things.” She had been up there every day since Sunday, folding and refolding the baby’s clothes, organizing the drawers, setting up the nursery. Max had helped hang a couple of shelves and hauled up all the gifts. He helped her put together all sorts of things she would have struggled to figure out on her own. They’d assembled the swing, wrestled with the hamper, put together the diaper pail and rearranged some of the furniture to make it all fit.

  “How are things going between you?” Liv asked gently. “From the outside, you two look as close as you used to be.”

  Piper shook her head. “To be that close, there would have to be a level of trust and intimacy that’s no longer between us.” How could there be when Piper still held him at arm’s length when it came to her heart?

  “Is that his choice or yours?”

  Liv was one of Piper’s dearest friends and they’d been through a lot together. Piper trusted her completely and knew that sharing her heart about Max would be safe—but she still hesitated because she wasn’t even sure how she felt. She was afraid if she talked about it, she might come to some conclusions that terrified her—but maybe she was ready to face the truth.

  Maybe.

  “It’s my choice,” she said as she toyed with a piece of paper.

  “Has he asked for more?”

  “He asked if I might give him a second chance.”

  Liv sat up straight. “And you said no? Why?”

  “Why?” Piper frowned. “You know why.”

  “Are you going to hold his sins against him forever?”

  Liv’s question felt like an arrow to Piper’s heart. “I forgave him a long time ago—that doesn’t mean I should open myself up to being hurt again.”

  “Do you think Max is the same man he was at the age of eighteen?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then what makes you think he’d hurt you again?”

  Piper couldn’t look Liv in the eyes. “I’ve been hurt far too many times in the past to give him the opportunity.”

  “So you’re holding your parents’ faults and Nick’s faults against Max?” Liv put her hands in her lap and shook her head. “That’s a lot of guilt for Max to shoulder that he’s not responsible for. Do you think that maybe you’ve saddled him with their mistakes because they’re not here to blame?”

  Was that what she was doing? Placing all her hurt and blame on Max because her parents and Nick weren’t there to take it upon themselves? The very thought of it made Piper’s stomach turn.

  “Maybe you’ve forgiven Max,” Liv said, “but until you forgive your parents and Nick, you’ll never be able to move forward with anyone.” Her voice was sad. “And you might miss the one opportunity in your life to love and be loved unconditionally by a man who has always meant the world to you. I know Max has his faults, we all do, but I’ve never met two people who were better friends or more suited to one another than you two. It would be the greatest travesty of your life to let that go a second time.”

  Tears gathered in Piper’s eyes and she put her hand on her tummy. “What if he hurts me again?”

  “He might,” she admitted. “No one is perfect. But love is perfect, and when you love someone, you offer and receive forgiveness over and over and over again. You don’t try to hurt the people you love, but it happens, and when it does, the Bible tells us that love is there to cover a multitude of sins.”

  Piper’s heart rate started to speed up as Liv spoke truth to her. “I’m scared,” Piper said quietly. “There’s just too much at stake.”

  “Maybe.” Liv shrugged. “But that’s life in general. If we don’t take the risks, we never succeed at anything. You took a risk starting a business, and buying this house and having a baby. But aren’t those risks worth all the hard work and pain?”

  Both of them were quiet for a moment, and then Liv asked Piper the one question that could answer all the others. “Do you love him?”

  A tear slid down Piper’s cheek and she nodded, unable to lie to her friend, or to herself, any longer. “I never stopped loving him. He’s my best friend in the whole world and always has been, even when he was gone those ten years.” Guilt washed over her and she quickly added, “I loved Nick, too, and when I married him, I truly believed my love for Max had died—but now I realize it only went dormant. Now that he’s a part of my life again, it’s suddenly reemerged, like a tender new plant, reaching toward the sun. I tried so hard to keep it from growing, but it’s almost impossible.”

  “What will you do about it?”

  Piper shrugged. “Nothing.”r />
  “Nothing?” Liv frowned. “Why?”

  “Because he’s taking a job in California and I have no wish to leave Timber Falls.”

  “Tell him how you feel.”

  “I can’t.” Piper shook her head. “I can’t ask him to turn down such an amazing opportunity.”

  “Shouldn’t that be his choice?”

  “Maybe—but it’s my choice, too, and I love him too much to let him toss everything away for me.” She thought about their senior year in high school and the night before he went to Minneapolis for the championship game. She knew he had a good chance to play professional football, but the truth was, she had no desire to leave Timber Falls then, either. She couldn’t explain it other than the fact that she’d moved a lot as a kid and Timber Falls had been the only place that felt like home.

  Max had told her he’d give up his dream to play professional football for her, but she knew it would never work. He’d eventually resent her and she couldn’t live with herself if he did. But if she gave up her dream to have a simple life and own a bed-and-breakfast in Timber Falls, and had to move to a big, impersonal city to follow him, she might grow to resent him, too.

  Ultimately, Max had cheated on her the very next day and she’d broken up with him, but she always suspected that one of the reasons she hadn’t given Max a second chance was because both of them wanted different things.

  Not much had changed. She still wanted to stay and he needed to go and live his best life.

  * * *

  The sounds of the Lumberjacks celebrating in the locker room still rang in Max’s ears as he left Timber Falls High and walked out to the parking lot. They had won their first playoff game and the last game they would play on their own field that season. In one week, they would head thirty miles south to St. Cloud State University where they would play in the Huskey Stadium. If they won that game, they would head to Minneapolis to play in the Vikings’ stadium for their semifinal game. And, if they won that game, they’d return two weeks later to play the championship game. Only three games stood between Max and the state championship title he should have earned for Timber Falls ten years ago.

  The early November air was cold as Max smiled at several people waiting for the team to come out and celebrate. But it was Piper, who waited with Liv, bundled in their winter coats, that made Max’s night complete.

  “Congratulations!” Piper said to him with a grin on her pretty face.

  “Were you at the game?” he asked.

  “Liv and I stayed huddled together on the bleachers, out of the wind.” She held up a large thermos. “And we brought hot chocolate to help keep us warm.”

  “It was a great game,” Liv said to Max, putting her hand up for a high five. “Tad did an amazing job out there tonight. You must be proud of him.”

  “I am. He has such a natural instinct on the field. Some things can’t be taught.”

  “Reminds me of his big brother.” Piper smiled. “Sometimes, when I’m watching him play, I have to remind myself he’s not you.”

  “I just hope he goes farther than I did.” Max didn’t regret retiring from the NFL. If anything, he felt free for the first time in over a decade. But, just like everything else, if he could go back, he would make better choices. Maybe he wouldn’t have been such a disappointment to himself or the NFL.

  “He has the advantage of your advice and experience to help guide him,” Piper said.

  “Hopefully he takes it.” Nothing had changed since homecoming, though now that Max knew why Tad resented him, it was a little easier to understand where his brother was coming from. He could only hope and pray that in time Tad would forgive him and they could heal their relationship.

  “Well,” Liv said, “as much as I like to stand around and feel like a Popsicle, I think I’m going to head home.” She shivered. “I’ll talk to you two later.”

  “Bye, Liv,” Piper called out to her.

  “Bye,” Max echoed.

  “What about you?” Piper asked Max. “Are you heading home?”

  Max took a deep breath, allowing the cold air to fill his lungs. “I’m too amped up to head home now. I kind of feel like celebrating.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Remember what we used to do after a football game?” he asked.

  “Go to Benny’s Pizza House.” Piper’s grin was broad. “Have you been there since you came back?”

  Max shook his head. “And now, it’s all I can think about.” Benny’s had the best pizza in town and was one of the oldest restaurants in Timber Falls. It had been a favorite hangout place with two separate dining rooms. One for the quieter crowd and one for the teens and families with a game room close by. “How would you like to join me?” he asked Piper.

  She nibbled her bottom lip as she gripped the thermos with her mitted hands. “I don’t know. Mrs. Anderson was kind enough to let me leave with a full house, but I should probably get back to see if she needs anything.”

  It was a weak excuse and they both knew it. After being in business for two months, it was clear that there was little need for two people to be on call on a Friday night. The guests rarely needed anything, and if they did, one staff member was more than enough.

  If Piper didn’t want to join him, though, he wouldn’t force her. Yet—he didn’t know how much longer he would be in Timber Falls. If the Lumberjacks didn’t win next week, he’d be here for only seven more days. After that, there would be no reason for him to stay. “I’m sure Mrs. Anderson can take care of our guests.” He nudged her playfully. “Let’s go. For old time’s sake.”

  “Well,” she sighed. “Now that I have pizza on my brain, I don’t think this baby will let me sleep until I’ve satisfied the craving.”

  He smiled and took her free hand to walk her to his car. “I’ll drop you back off here when we’re done.”

  Benny’s Pizza House was on the north end of town. The pizzeria had been owned for over forty years by the same family and when Max and Piper entered, they were given a hearty greeting by Benny and his wife.

  “Max Evans!” Benny said, coming out of the kitchen to give Max a hug. He pointed to a wall dedicated to local athletes, and there was Max in the center of them all in his first professional football uniform. “I’ve been waiting for you to come home and sign my pictures. Would you?”

  “Sure.” Max smiled at Piper who was gracious and patient. No matter where they went, when people showed him attention, she just stood to the side and let him shine. She had done it since they were kids and it made him appreciate her all the more. In his mind, she was the shining star and he would never compare, no matter how much people singled him out.

  Max took the permanent marker from Benny and signed his picture, then he and Piper took a seat at one of the small booths in the quieter part of the restaurant. He took his cell phone out of his back pocket and set it on the table.

  The smell of pizza crust, marinara and spices filled the air and made Max’s stomach growl.

  “Wow,” Max said as he looked around the dim interior. “This place brings back a thousand memories. Do you remember what it looked like before it was remodeled?”

  Piper smiled and nodded as she, too, looked around the restaurant.

  There were a few other tables full and several people looked their way, whispering excitedly back and forth.

  “Do you ever get tired of all the attention?” Piper asked.

  “I didn’t really have to put up with much of it before I came back to Timber Falls.” He didn’t bother to look at the menu, since he already knew what he wanted. “For the most part, when I was in the NFL, people only recognized me when I was out at large events. On a day-to-day basis, I could go about my business with little bother.” But here, in Timber Falls, where people had known him his whole life, he couldn’t go anywhere without being recognized. The same was true with Piper, though. Eve
ryone knew her, too, they just weren’t as curious.

  The doors opened and a loud crowd of teenagers came into the building. Tad was among several other football players, their girlfriends and other friends. One of them noticed Max and they all turned to wave—all except Tad who led Shelby into the game room on the other side of the restaurant.

  Piper watched Max closely. “Anything better with Tad?”

  Max sighed and shook his head. “He still thinks I’m a phony. Doesn’t want to take any advice or correction from me. Not only is he mad because I abandoned him and Mom, but he thinks I’m pretty much a loser who has nothing to contribute to his life.” Max shrugged, trying to act like it didn’t bother him, but then he remembered he was with Piper and she’d see right through his bluffing. “He thinks he’ll do a better job with the talent he’s been given, and maybe he will.”

  “He’ll eventually mature and realize that life is hard and there were pressures you had to deal with that he didn’t understand as a kid.” Her cheeks were rosy from the cold and her eyes were still glowing from the excitement of the evening. There were a couple small creases at the corners of her eyes that hadn’t been there in high school, but she had only grown more beautiful over the years.

  “I hope you’re right.”

  Rita approached. She’d been waitressing at the pizza house for decades and used to wait on them when they were in high school. Her skin was wrinkled and her hands were gnarled and worn from years of carrying trays, wiping tables and filling orders. She must not have heard the commotion when Max entered, because her eyes opened wide. “Max!” She looked at Piper, just as excited to see her. “And Piper! Look at you two. Just like old times.” Her gaze slipped to Piper’s midsection and she noticed the pregnancy. “And a baby, too? What a surprise. It’s been so long since I’ve seen the two of you. How are you?”