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“Not because of the estate?” I tease, knowing it’s the last thing on her mind. She’s been so used to living with scraps of an allowance that I know she can’t be missing a formerly affluent life.
She blows a raspberry and rolls her eyes. “No. I don’t care about that money anymore.”
I kiss her, loving the feel of her smiling lips under mine.
“But hey, if this does work out with that trust fund, I’ll treat you.”
“Oh?” I lower my lids to give her a seductive look. “I thought I would always be the one to treat you,” I argue playfully as I nudge my leg between hers.
“Hmmm.” She arches toward me and kisses me, her tongue dancing with mine. It turns me on, and I dread having to walk away. “I’ll…treat you with a gift. I’ll buy you a brand-new truck.”
“Is that so?” I tease back.
“Uh-huh.” She traces her finger down my shirt, jumping up and passing each button as she moves. “And maybe some new shoes. You know, so you don’t fall.”
I kiss her and chuckle. “Your fall was the way we met.”
“And now,” she says sweetly as our friends call out for us down the hall still. “Now, I can trust that we’ll always be there to catch each other when we fall.”
I can’t help but peck one more kiss on her lips. I’ve never felt this confident before, and with her sweet gaze, as she beams up at me, I know I’m set and focused on my decision, too.
“Sawyer!” Dalton finds us, and he chuckles as he pulls on the back of my shirt to yank me out of the small room with Claire.
“See you tomorrow, baby.” I look back at her, unable to wipe the grin off my face while she fixes her lipstick.
I feel like I’m on top of the world, but I’m glad to head out with the guys. If I didn’t, I’d cave to this need to see Claire tonight and hold her until my heart is imprinted with the beat from hers.
Tomorrow.
Disregarding Jason’s sage words from earlier, I sigh and know every minute that stands between now and the moment when she’ll see me at the end of the aisle will feel like eternity.
Tomorrow cannot come soon enough.
Claire is my future, and I want the rest of my life to start now.
Chapter 32
Claire
That evening, I pace in the small parlor on the first floor of the bed-and-breakfast, unsure what exactly I’m feeling, much less how I can go about it. Nerves fill me, but that’s to be expected. I’m a bride. This is a new day, the mark of a date that will change me from a single woman to half of a married couple. Every year, from here on out, this will be my anniversary with Sawyer, signaling when we both took a chance on each other.
Hope is a close second. I rub my hand over my stomach, trying to quell the tension there. I’m optimistic that this is the right thing to do. I know where my heart lies, and with each minute that passes until I’m beckoned to head outside, I feel more and more convinced Sawyer meant it when he said this is real for him. We’re not marrying to beat my mother to my trust fund. We’re uniting in marriage because we love each other.
The door opens and closes behind me. I hold my breath, realizing the moment has come for me to exit and walk toward Sawyer.
It’s Marian, though. Dressed in a simple but elegant silvery-teal summer dress, she presses her back against the door. Her smile is sweet and encouraging, and I’m grateful she isn’t on the brink of tears this time. Her devotion to Lauren and Aubrey is clear. They are the daughters she wished she could always have. And yesterday, when she eyed me at my cabin when I showed them my hastily made dress, she proved that she considers me the same, crying tears of joy.
I’m not her daughter. My mother is in New York, racing to ruin my life. Little does my only parent know that her nefarious actions have pushed me to find my real love, but she doesn’t care either. Marian does. She’s present. And she somehow knew that I needed advice. Gentle encouragement. Something. I’m not hesitant to walk down the aisle to Sawyer, but…I’m overwhelmed with so many emotions I don’t know what to think, and I want a level head as I go to my groom.
“Nervous?”
I nod, then shrug.
“Excited.”
I give a firmer nod.
“Second thoughts?” She sits in a chair as I approach her.
