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"Hi," April said, barely giving him a glance before turning back to interrogate Piper. "When did this happen? You were engaged to Clark ten months ago!"
Clark. Now Declan had a first name. He wanted more information on this guy.
"I know." Piper leaned forward. "This is what I wanted to talk to you about. When I walked out on Clark, I didn't know why I was doing it."
Lie. She's just lied. Interest shot through Declan. Piper knew exactly why she'd walked out on her wedding. Why was she hiding that?
Piper continued with her story, not aware that she'd just revealed a secret. "All I knew was that as I stood there across from him, I couldn’t do it. I imagined the next fifty years with him, and this voice inside me said 'No. Run.'"
That was the truth. Fight or flight. What kind of situation had she been in with Clark that her nervous system had put her in fight or flight mode?
"So you ran," April said.
"I did. And then, a month or so later, I was talking to Declan, something inside me came alive in a way I'd never been alive before."
April glanced at him, and Declan leaned forward, absorbed by Piper's story.
"We'd only been friends before that, but in that moment, something shifted. For both of us. We went out on a date, and I realized that the man who'd been my friend all this time was actually the piece of my soul that I'd been missing."
Well, damn. That was impressive.
April's eyes widened, but before she could speak, Piper continued her story.
"I'm happier than I ever thought possible. I feel loved in a way I didn't know existed. Being with Declan makes me realize that the reason it didn't work with Clark was because I deserved more. He wasn't my one. And I'm so grateful beyond words to have found that out before I married Clark."
Declan decided it would be helpful to interject, so he put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "I'm so grateful every day that Piper had the courage to walk away from what wasn't right. She's the most incredible woman I've ever met. She lights up my life and makes me a better man."
The words felt fake to him, but at the same time, they awoke something inside him. A yearning. A desire. A need for them to be real, to be a truth he was actually living. The yearning shocked him to his core. He'd thought he was done being in a relationship.Over with love. With marriage. With wanting more. But the way those words resonated inside him felt absolutely compelling.
Fuck.
He was not happy with that little discovery.
Piper gave him a tender smile that strengthened the yearning inside him. "Bitsy's wedding got cancelled because her fiancé was cheating on her. She can definitely do better than that, right? Think how happy she'll be when she finds the man who treats her the way she deserves to be treated."
Bitsy. Who had a name like Bitsy? That was freaking hilarious.
April shrugged. "I mean, yeah, I guess."
"And Tricia? She realized she deserved more, just like I did. She'll find her Declan."
Declan lifted her left hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. "Piper isn't a wedding killer, April. If anything, she's a bride protector, keeping her from marrying the man who isn't right for her." Damn. That was good. He liked that.
April looked back and forth between them. "Bride protector?"
"Yeah," Declan said. "Piper casts her net of protection over all her brides. Most of the time, it means the perfect wedding. But sometimes, maybe she gives the bride the clarity to realize she's making a mistake, and a bigger diamond from a better guy is waiting for her."
He tossed out the ring thing because he had to. Because it was funny as hell.
April's gaze predictably went to Piper's ring, then she looked at Declan and Piper. They both beamed at her, and he suddenly wanted to laugh. The expression on April's face was as hilarious as the one on his mom's had been. Shock. Confusion.
Piper leaned forward. "I'mgoodluck, April, not bad luck. It's the loser dudes who are the ones being cranky because they're losing the women who are too good for them."
April started to smile. "That's true. I never liked Bitsy's fiancé."
"Right? And, I'll be honest, your Wendall is a treasure. You'vegot a wonderful man. My only job will be to make your wedding perfect, trust me."
April's smile widened. "He is great, isn't he?"
