Page 2 of Give Me a Reason

Finn chuckled without any humor. “She wouldn’t. She doesn’t like to talk about it.”

“I’m sorry you went through that.” I shifted on my feet, feeling bad that I’d argued with him about it. I’d grown up with parents, who’d been deeply in love.

Finn stiffened and waved a hand in the direction of the chairs and arbor. “What they do doesn’t affect my life anymore. I just wanted to tell you why I don’t believe in all this.”

“If you say so,” I murmured, but he’d stalked past the rows of chairs until he came to the one set up for him. He unsnapped the case and pulled out his guitar.

He probably wanted to tune it, making sure he was ready to play in time for the bride’s walk down the aisle.

I mentally shook my head. I had work to do too. Gia was counting on me, and I needed to prove that I was reliable and invaluable to her and her business.

I needed this job. My parents might have had a great relationship, but money wasn’t something that came easily to them. They’d always struggled financially, so college hadn’t been an option for me.

I’d worked as an instructional assistant in a local school district until they’d made budget cuts, and my job was the first to go. Losing my job was the scariest thing I’d ever experienced.

I was thankful when I saw Gia’s posting for an assistant wedding planner. It seemed like the perfect job for me. I loved talking to brides and grooms and making their dream days come true. But I didn’t plan anything myself; I mainly helped Gia. I needed to prove my worth before she’d trust me with her clients.

There was this push and pull between me and Finn. He drew me in and irritated me at the same time. But I couldn’t afford to be distracted—not when my job was on the line.

I was currently living in a low-income apartment, and if this job worked out, I could move to a nicer one. One in a safer neighborhood. My goal was to save enough money to move my younger sister in with me too.

When I reached the neatly arranged rows of wedding chairs, I opened my tablet to Gia’s list of things to do before I checked in with Harrison and then the florist, Lily. My job at these events was to make sure things ran smoothly and to report any issues to Gia.

I was only an assistant, but maybe one day, I’d be the head planner, in charge of a wedding on my own. If only I could ignore Finn’s gaze when it landed on me.

The notes of the guitar drifted around me as I made all the necessary check-ins and reports to Gia.

I loved when Finn played. I got caught up in the way his fingers moved with confidence over the strings. It made me wonder if he’d be good with other things too.

Needing to get away from Finn and his music, I walked the short distance to the main house and the smaller buildings that had been renovated. One was a garage for Lily’s and Jake’s vehicles, and the other one housed the bridal party suites and the guest bathrooms.

I found Gia outside the bridal suite, so I made sure the bridal party had drinks and food to eat while fixing any wardrobe mishaps. There was this mad rush to get everyone ready but still allow room for the photographer, Abby, to get the perfectly serene pictures of the bride interacting with her friends and mother.

Adding to the sweetness of the event was Remi and Colton’s daughter, Willow. She was passed from one person’s arms to another so that everyone could get ready. She was causing most of the wardrobe issues, but no one complained.

At one point, Willow was placed in my hands, and I reveled in the feel of her chubby arms and legs. I breathed in her scent, marveling at the way a baby could make you melt all over. She fisted my hair and pulled, but the pure delight in her eyes outweighed the sting of pain.

When it was almost time to put on her dress, Remi led her bridal party in a meditation with her daughter, Willow, in her lap. When Remi asked us to join her, I sat on the floor with everyone else, my palms facing up on my knees as I sat cross-legged. I listened to Remi’s direction to clear my head and dismiss any thoughts that popped up.

That was easier said than done because every time I closed my eyes, Finn’s flashing eyes filled my head. He was irritated with me more often than not, and I wanted to kiss him. To distract him from whatever negative thing he was going to say about love and weddings.

I wanted to shut him up, but I wanted to feel his hard body against me more. I wanted to let go with him, ignoring my responsibilities for once in my life. I didn’t want to worry about how I’d pay the rent this month, or whether I had enough money to buy groceries.

When Remi gently brought us out of the meditation, I didn’t feel like I’d been successful in clearing my head. I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about anyone at all, much less the man who got under my skin.

When we stood, Remi asked for her dress, and Gia and I left to give her some privacy with her sister, Delilah, and her mother. Abby would stick around to take the photos of her getting into her gown, but we wouldn’t be needed unless there was a dress emergency.

“Why don’t you head over to the ceremony space and make sure everything is ready to go,” Gia said to me.

“Whatever you need.” I turned to go, and Gia’s hand touched my arm. “Thank you for your help. It’s been invaluable having you and Ireland around.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” I smiled because I was truly grateful for the job and the pay, even if I wanted so much more. I needed to learn to be patient.

On the walk across the lawn and through the woods, I reminded myself of what I wanted: enough money to help my parents, to move to a nice apartment so that I could invite my sister to move in with me, and maybe even some extra to pay for community college classes for her. I loved my family and would do anything for them.

I ignored the voice in my head that asked what I wanted for myself. I’d grown up in a trailer park and learned early on that I needed to take care of my sister and find any way I could to make my parents’ lives easier.

As soon as I was old enough, I took babysitting jobs in the nicer area of town while my parents worked multiple jobs to put food on our table. I always brought Iris with me to work, and if we were lucky, the family would put enough money on the counter for us to order pizza for ourselves, too. I did whatever I could to ease my parents’ burden and ensure my little sister had food.

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