Page 35 of Wanting Happily Ever After

No.

She pushed that thought out of her head for at least the millionth time since Sunday. A relationship? That was one thing. Maybe,maybeshe could let herself entertain the idea of such a thing. One day. With the right man.

But the right man was definitelynotLogan Langdon.

No way.

Which was why it was maddening that he kept creeping into her thoughts. All. Of. The. Time.

It didn’t help that they worked together every day, all day in the barn setting up and preparing for the next big wedding event. She couldn’t think with him around. Even when he wasn’t talking to her, or teasing her, he was…there. He was watching her. Or maybe he wasn’t. But it sure felt like he was.

And she couldn’t think properly that way. She needed space.

Which was why she’d made an excuse to slip into town to finalize her ad campaign plans. She still hadn’t told Hope about what she was thinking of and she didn’t plan to. Not until it was well underway. And hopefully successful. Hope and Levi were due to be home in a few months so they could monitor the later stages of the pregnancy carefully with Hope’s doctor. The last thing they were going to want to worry about upon returning home was keeping up with the bookings at Ever After. If this marketing strategy was successful, Faith would be able to keep the ranch fully booked up, even through the winter months, which would be a huge stress relief for her sister.

And her.

She hated to admit it. But more and more, Faith was actually starting to enjoy the business of planning and executing happy-ever-afters for couples. It made her feel good in a way that she couldn’t begin to describe, deep in her soul. And every time she heard the words, “I do,” it was as if something inside her rearranged a little to make space for love.

Was that why Hope had loved this business? Because of the way it made her feel inside?

Hope had always been the romantic twin. The one who believed in forever. But that was only because it had been Faith who’d discovered the truth about their parents, not Hope. And she’d never tell her twin sister about the day that she’d overheard her parents arguing. She’d crept down the stairs and eavesdropped as her mom cried and her dad said terrible things that only made her mom cry harder before she, too, started saying things that made her father wince in pain.

She couldn’t hear all of what they were saying, but the little she did hear had changed everything. She could see it on their faces, the pain they were causing each other with every word spoken. The scene had hardened something inside Faith that day.

How could the two people who professed to love each other more than anyone else in the whole world hurt each other in such a way? Faith was only fifteen, but it was easy to see then that only the person who you let into your heart and loved the most could ever have the power to hurt you in such ways.

If that was love, she didn’t want a damn thing to do with it. Even worse to Faith was the fact that they pretended to love each other deeply when in reality they were just like everyone else, just as capable of hurting the one they loved the most in the worst possible ways. With such hurtful words. All because of a terrible secret that had finally come out.

And just like that, Faith made the decision to keep love away. It wasn’t worth it. Opening herself up to that kind of pain? No thanks.

It had been many years ago, and despite the fact that she had never again witnessed anything like that between her parents again, it had stuck with her and the vision of the scene had clouded everything else. Her young teenage brain had completely changed her idea of love in an instant. With a sigh, Faith shook her head in an effort to clear her head.

Had she gotten it wrong?

It wasn’t a thought she’d ever had before, but she wasn’t too proud to consider it.

Maybe she’d gotten it wrong all these years?

Faith cleared her throat and packed up her things from the little table in the corner of Sweetie Pies. She needed some air to think.

The idea that she could have been wrong about something that had been so influential in shaping her entire adult life had shaken her. The moment she was outside, Faith closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and filled her lungs with the heavy air and the sweet smells of summer.

She counted to three and opened her eyes, just in time to see Brody Morris waving at her while he crossed the street.

“Hey,” he said when he got close enough. “Just the person I wanted to see.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” Faith opened her arms to greet Brody with a quick hug. He’d quickly become a good friend since he’d been in Glacier Falls. It was always good to see him, but at that moment, she particularly welcomed the distraction from her own thoughts.

“I had a proposition for you.”

She wiggled her eyebrows and burst out laughing. It was no secret that it wouldn’t be her who Brody was making any kind of proposition to. She bit back the urge to ask him about Sarah and what had happened after their blow-out at the lake.

He blushed and shook his head before continuing. “I’ve catered a few weddings for you, now.”

“You have,” she said. “And the food always gets rave reviews.”

“Of course it does.” He laughed. “Which is why I want to cater more.”

---