Page 32 of A Wedding in the Bay

“Pretty well, I think. Well—I mean, on a surface level, it went great. She said she understood why I was asking for the boundaries I laid out, and she said she’s going to be there.”

“Good. I’m proud of you for calling her and telling her your boundaries, Josie.”

“Thank you.” Josie felt glad that she had her sister to lean on—Paige understood just what she was feeling and knew how to be sympathetic.

“I hope it works out,” Paige said, sighing. “I really want to see her. And I really want her to be there for you.”

“I hope so too,” Josie said.

Neither of them said it out loud, but they’d both learned that it was better to not get their hopes up in relation to their mom, so neither of them felt too certain that she would actually come to the wedding. But Josie let herself be fairly hopeful—after all, her mother had said yes on the phone, and she said she was doing better after rehab.

The two sisters continued to talk for a while. They talked about their mom at first, and then their conversation turned back toward Paige’s studies and the fun things she had planned with her college friends. After that they talked about how the remainder of the wedding preparations were going, and Paige was touched by Josie’s story of how her friends had banded together to help her fix the wedding invitation typo.

Finally, Paige said she needed to go, and they said goodbye and hung up. Josie smiled down at her phone after the screen had gone dark, feeling better. She was grateful to have a sister like Paige—someone who understood and supported her.

After sitting quietly by herself for a few minutes, she stood up. She stretched and made her way into the living room, where Wesley was sitting on one end of the couch, reading a book.

He looked up as soon as she stepped through the doorway.

“Hey,” he said, reaching for her as she came to sit next to him. “How did talking with your mom go?”

“Pretty good,” she said, nuzzling up against him and resting her head on his shoulder. “It went as well as I could have expected it to go.”

He stroked her hair, seeming to notice the way she was frowning a little. “What did she say?”

“She says she’ll be there. So hopefully it does all work out.”

He nodded, not needing her to say out loud what was between the lines of her words. “That’s good, sweetheart,” he said. “That’s awesome that she said yes.”

He wrapped his arms around her, and they sat there together quietly for a while. She felt a sense of peace and happiness, thankful that he was there with her, and that she got to spend the rest of her life with him.

“Hey, Wesley?” she asked after a little while.

“Yes, Josie?”

“Thank you for loving me.”

He squeezed her tighter. “I always will.”

She took a deep breath and snuggled up closer against him. Outside, snow began to fall in twirling patterns.

“I love snow,” she whispered. “It seems like a promise that everything can be made new again.”

He kissed her head. “I like that. That’s a good thing to think about.” He paused and was quiet for a few moments. “And even if things don’t work out with your mom for our wedding—and I bet they will—it doesn’t mean she isn’t going to continue to heal and make progress. You can always be hoping for that.”

“You’re right,” she said, feeling a glow of reassurance from his words. She smiled and closed her eyes.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Johanna waved as she walked across the wharf toward Everett’s boat. She was on her way to spend time with him for their second date, and she felt as giddy as a teenager.

Maybe it’s the sneaking around that’s making me so giddy, she thought cheerfully as she saw his burly form wave back. But maybe it’s just how much I like him.

She smiled, feeling eager to spend more time with him and get to know him better. She had been thinking about their date ever since they’d decided to have one, and now that the moment had come, she felt as though she was practically vibrating with excitement. Even though going on board a fishing boat meant that she would definitely be out of her element, she felt ready for the adventure as long as Everett would be there beside her.

“Welcome aboard,” he said, grinning at her as she climbed the rickety gangplank. He laughed when he saw her make a nervous face as the gangplank swayed. “Don’t worry. It likes to move but it will hold.”

Sure enough, she made it onto the boat without incident, and he gave her a warm bear hug. “Thanks for being here.”

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