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This wasn’t right. Not right at all. Liberty had never wanted to get married. She wanted to run a successful business and make loads of money and grow old in a Galveston beach house. With Belle. Not Jesse.
The door opened and Liberty stepped out.
Belle had always gone along with every plan her sister had ever come up with, but she couldn’t go along with this one. “What are you thinking, Libby?”
Liberty shrugged as she joined Belle. “Believe me, I’m just as surprised as you are. I never thought I’d be one of those sappy women to fall head over heels for a man.” A dreamy look spread over her face. “But I love him, Belly. I love him so much it hurts. When he got down on one knee last Saturday, this overwhelming joy at just the thought of spending the rest of my life with him hit me and I couldn’t say no . . . I didn’t want to say no.”
Belle stared at her sister. “Last Saturday? You’ve known for over a week and you didn’t say a word?”
“I thought it would be better to tell you in person.”
“You could’ve come to Houston. It’s not that far away.”
“There’s a lot going on with the renovations at the bed-and-breakfast. Jesse needed to be here.”
“And you couldn’t come without him? What happened to my sister who claimed she would never become one of those women who couldn’t do anything without a man?”
Liberty smiled sheepishly. “I fell in love. And just to be clear, I can do things without Jesse. I came to help you pack up our business, didn’t I? It’s just that being apart from Jesse for too long is like missing half of my heart.”
Belle felt like she’d been punched hard in the stomach and couldn’t catch her breath. It was Liberty and Belle who were two halves of a whole. The ones who couldn’t be apart. Their names said it all. Liberty Belle. Liberty Jesse didn’t even go together. They hadn’t shared a womb. The same crib. The same bottles and pacifiers. They weren’t sisters who could finish each other’s sentences. Or a team that complemented each other perfectly.
Whether it was the decorations for the homecoming dance or the Halloween costumes they wore for trick-or-treating, everything they did together turned out spectacular. Liberty was the vivacious decision maker and Belle was the soft-spoken worker bee. Liberty sketched out the plan and Belle brought it to life. Liberty saw the big picture and Belle took care of all the little details to make that picture a reality.
Which was why Holiday Sisters Events was so successful.
Liberty and Belle were the dream team.
Jesse didn’t complement Liberty. They were too much alike. According to what she’d learned about him from family members, he was as much of a leader as her sister. There was no way he and Liberty could ever work as a team. Leaders needed followers.
What kind of a spell had Jesse placed on her sister? Liberty had never based any of her decisions on a man. In fact, she had barely dated after college. Her entire focus had been on making their business a success. Now her entire focus was on Jesse. In the last week, she had barely mentioned their upcoming events when she’d called. All she’d talked about was Jesse and his ridiculous idea to turn a house of ill repute into a bed-and-breakfast.
“I know you’re upset, Belly,” Liberty said.
That was the thing about being a twin. You couldn’t hide anything from your sister. Or at least Belle couldn’t hide anything from Liberty. Obviously, Liberty had been hiding a lot from her. Belle had thought Jesse was just a spring fling. Someone Liberty would get over. She had never thought her sister would marry him. She had never thought he would become Liberty’s other half.
Liberty pulled her into her arms. “I’m sorry, Belly. You’re right. I should have come to Houston and told you in person. I guess I’ve just been feeling as broadsided by everything as you do. My plans never included falling in love. But I promise you that Jesse is not going to come between us.” But that was a lie. Jesse had already come between them. As if reading her thoughts, Liberty continued. “I swear, Belly. Just because I’m getting married in July that’s not going to change what we have.”
Belle drew back. “July? This July?”
Liberty sent her a sheepish look. “Jesse doesn’t want to wait and we’ve always planned on getting married on the Fourth of July.”
“We planned it. You and I planned to get married in a double ceremony on the Fourth of July.”
“I know, Belly. But you’re not getting married.”
Belle’s temper flared. “You shouldn’t be either! I’ve gone along with every idea you have ever come up, Libby. Even the bad ones like stealing Daddy’s truck when we were only fourteen and tearing up the Remingtons’ alfalfa field. And sneaking into the boys’ locker room and painting Girls Rule in lipstick on their mirrors. But I’m not going along with this one. I won’t stand by and let you make a mistake that could ruin your life forever. I won’t do it, Libby. I know you think you love Jesse, but no one can love a man they barely know. I get that Sweetie and Cloe married quickly, but they have known Decker and Rome for most of their lives. You’ve only known Jesse a few months.”
Liberty smiled softly. “It doesn’t feel that way. It feels like I’ve known him forever.” She hesitated. “You might not think I should marry Jesse, Belly, but I’m doing it.”
Belle knew if she opened her mouth bad things would come out. As angry as she was, she didn’t want to sling hurtful words that would put an even bigger chasm between her and her twin. She also knew her sister well enough to know that no matter what she said it wouldn’t change Liberty’s mind. In fact, like Mimi, the more you argued with Liberty, the more she dug her feet in. For now, it was best if Belle went along with her until she could come up with a plan. And she would. She wasn’t about to let her sister get married to a man she barely knew.
“Then I guess there’s nothing to say but congratulations.”
Liberty hugged her close. “Thank you, Belly. I know you’re going to need some time to get used to the idea, but I know you’re going to love Jesse when you get to know him.” She drew back. “Now let’s go inside. Mimi popped open a bottle of her elderberry wine.”
Belle shook her head. “I just need a minute.”
“Belly—”
