Page 22 of Fighting Happily Ever After

Faith spun around. “I thought she needed to stay on bed rest?”

“It’s not strict.” Levi nodded seriously. “At least not yet. She’s supposed to spend as much time resting as possible to keep her blood pressure down, but if we make sure she has comfortable places to rest down here, I think that will probably help with morale so she doesn’t go too stir-crazy upstairs alone.”

“Makes sense.” Stephanie nodded. “A friend of mine…well, she was more of a costar, I guess…was on bed rest with her last pregnancy, and she had a receiving room set up in her house so guests could come and…” She drifted away, not finishing the thought. “I realize how pretentious that sounds. I mean, her house in Hollywood was…never mind.”

Faith offered her new friend the kindest smile she could. “It’s okay,” she said. “That’s your life. Don’t feel bad for it.”

“The thing is, it’s not my life.” The ever-present smile on the other woman’s face was gone, replaced by a sad frown. “It kind of became my life,” she continued. “But it still doesn’t feel right.”

Faith noticed Levi slip from the room. No doubt he recognized a deep female conversation in the works and took the moment to make his escape. His instincts were right, because only seconds after he’d left, Stephanie dropped her head to the table and started to cry. Faith sat frozen, unsure of what to do, but only for a second before jumping up and fetching the box of tissues. She slid it in front of the other woman and pulled up a chair so she was sitting closer.

“I’m sorry.” Stephanie lifted her head and grabbed at the tissues, wiping her face and blowing her nose loudly. “I’m not sure what just came over me. I barely even know you and it’s not fair to dump my drama on you. I’m just…” She dissolved into tears again.

Faith sat quietly, waiting her out. She’d never been much of a crier, but Hope had been, especially when they were younger, and the best thing she could do was sit with her and let her cry out her feelings.

It took a little longer than she thought, but soon enough, Stephanie sat up and wiped her eyes again. She shook her head and apologized again and again, but there was no need.

“Honestly,” Faith said gently. “It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize. Sometimes we get emotional. It’s totally normal.” Stephanie gave her a look and Faith smiled. “Really. It’s totally normal to have an emotional spillover sometimes.”

“Does it happen to you?”

Faith hesitated before she answered. She didn’t break into sobs, the way Stephanie had, but that didn’t mean she didn’t deal with her own emotional boil-overs from time to time. The only difference was that hers looked different. She didn’t cry—she got mad. Or worse, she closed down. “It does,” she said finally. “In fact, can I show you something?”

Stephanie nodded and blew her nose once more before Faith led her outside into the warm summer morning.

They didn’t speak during the short walk through the trees at the far edge of the yard. In fact, they didn’t say a word until Faith led the other woman to a small clearing by the river. It wasn’t the little island that was her special spot with Hope growing up, but a different spot. It was only accessible by one path because a large rock outcropping blocked access from any other way. Through the thick trees was a small grassy area just large enough to sit and pick the daisies that grew at the end of summer, listen to the river run over the rocks, and let all your worries drift away. It was where Faith had always come to think and be alone.

It wasn’t until both women were sitting in silence for a few minutes, doing just that, before Stephanie finally spoke again. “Thank you.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. “Sometimes I feel really alone,” she continued. “It’s a strange feeling to be surrounded by people, but still be alone.” She crossed her arms over her bent knees and lowered her head to rest. “It’s strange, because I know that I don’t really know you very well, Faith. But in only a few days, you, Logan, and your friends have made me feel more at home in Glacier Falls than anywhere I’ve ever been.” She looked at Faith then. “And that includes my own hometown.” Her smile was tentative. “Thank you for this. I really needed it. And thank you for being a friend.”

Friend.

Was that what she was? Faith liked Stephanie. She also felt a profound sense of sadness for the woman. Never before had she met anyone who had so much, but also seemed to have so little.

“You don’t need to thank me, Stephanie. It’s been really nice getting to know you. And I want you to know that you’re welcome to stay in Glacier Falls as long as you want.” Faith meant what she said.

“Thank you.” She looked as though she might cry again. But this time she was smiling. “You have no idea how much that means. I don’t really have a lot of friends, Faith. And…well, I was talking to Dax last night, and we had a thought. Well, I guess I had a thought.”

Faith tipped her head and looked at the other woman. Something in her voice told her she might not like what Steph was about to say.

“Everyone here in Glacier Falls has been so welcoming and lovely, Dax and I have decided to have a really small, private wedding ceremony right away instead of the big traditional wedding in a few months. Can we make that happen?”

No big wedding. No big press for Ever After. Small private ceremony.

Everything they’d been doing to get the wedding of the century would be for naught.

The bet.

Her…Logan…

Faith swallowed hard. Stephanie looked so happy, so hopeful. There was only one response.

“Of course.” She smiled. “We can make anything happen. Especially if you’re okay with a middle of the week wedding. But what do you mean by right away?”

Stephanie bit her bottom lip and giggled. “Thursday?”

“As innextThursday? OrthisThursday?”

“Um…thisThursday.”

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