One Lavender Ribbon (40 page)

Why hadn’t she insisted Sara go to the doctor this morning? She’d seen how pale Sara was, saw her struggling to maintain her strength. If Adrienne had spoken up, maybe things would be different. She looked at her watch, a gift from Pops and Sara for all the help on the wedding. Her fingers toyed with the gold band as tears blurred the numbers.

If it weren’t for the deep love she felt for this family, especially Sara, she’d leave. Leave right now before Will got a chance to shred her with his words. They were right—they were all right, including Eric: All she did was cause trouble. Sure, she had good intentions. The very kind that paved the road to hell. Now she understood why.

But she didn’t leave. Wouldn’t run. Maybe she was a coward, but she wasn’t heartless. Alone in the chapel as the
family
huddled in the waiting room. She was an outsider who had forced her way into lives already recovering from one tragedy. Now she’d brought another.

Adrienne closed her eyes when she heard the chapel door close behind her. It was him. She steeled herself. She could hear his footsteps on the soft carpet as he made his way to her.

She was in the first pew, and instead of towering over her, he knelt.

When he gently cradled her hands in his, she slowly looked up to meet his gaze.

She’s gone
, she knew he was going to say.
Sara’s dead
. The words rolled through her before he could speak. Scenes flashed through her mind of a funeral, Pops sitting by a grave, alone once again. Grief and regret flooded every inch of her body.

He gently squeezed her hands. “Adrienne?” he questioned, soft as a whisper.

She must be gone, why else would he not be screaming at her? Adrienne began to tremble. It started in her chest, her heart, the center of her being, and rippled outward. “Tell me,” she finally managed through gritted teeth.

He flashed a moment of puzzlement, then answered. “We . . . we don’t know anything yet.”

Relief engulfed her as the tension in her muscles released.

His eyes were green velvet, tender as a petal on a flower. “But you need to know something.”

She blinked, causing her vision to clear. Such softness from Will she couldn’t fathom. Maybe she was losing her mind.

He made tiny circles on her hands with his thumbs. “I wanted to find you to make sure you’re not somehow blaming yourself for this.”

Confusion spread through her system. “What do you mean?”

One hand slipped up to cup her face. “Listen to me. No matter what happens to Sara, you gave her and Pops a beautiful gift by bringing them together.”

When she tried to look away, his hand held her face steadfast.

“No matter how long or short that time might be.”

She stared at him, uncertain if he was really the Will Bryant she knew. He couldn’t be.

“Adrienne, no one is guaranteed a tomorrow. Life is a precious and delicate thing. At the very best, it’s a vapor. Pops spent a lifetime with the woman he loved. Now he’s had a chance to love a woman from a lifetime ago.” He moved from in front of her to the seat beside her and turned her to look at him. “Adrienne, you did the right thing.”

She shook her head, closed her eyes. Tried to get the disjointed pieces to fall together, but they didn’t. He was wrong. She hadn’t done the right thing at all. Pops and Will had had a good life before she came along with the letters. She should have left those letters in the box in her attic.

His voice rose. “Do you hear me? You did the right thing.”

She nodded absently in an attempt to make him stop talking. This wasn’t right. Wasn’t
normal
. He
should
be yelling at her. And
she
should learn her lesson.

“I want to hear you say it.”

Say
it? No. She tried to slide away, but he wouldn’t let her. “I can’t. I can’t because I can’t believe that this much pain could be right.”

He took her hand and placed it over his heart. “Love is always the right thing. I’ve learned that now. I trust you, Adrienne. And I think you were right. Sometimes love isn’t enough alone. But love and trust together? You can’t walk away from that.”

He had to stop talking. Had to stop saying these words because though everything else was chaos, the words made sense.

“Sometimes love comes with pain. But you can’t just stop loving. You might as well be dead if you do.”

Her eyes were dry now, burning. “So love
isn’t
enough.”

He smiled and despite her fear, his warmth found a crack into her and forced its way through.

Will squeezed her closer. “No, love isn’t just enough.
Real
love is everything.”

His lips made their way to hers, and he kissed her. When he drew away, she tried to smile.

A glorious new sensation stormed through her system like rain in a desert, removing old scars of anger and mistrust. It gathered speed and force as wave after wave of dirt and cobwebs washed away in the tide of this new power. Strength settled in her bones, encircled her heart, and rejuvenated her limbs. For the first time in years, Adrienne tasted freedom.

They made their way from the chapel back to the rest of the family. Pops was sitting in a corner chair, elbows on the armrests and long legs stretched out in front of him. His fingers were laced together, one thumb making small circles around the other. It was interesting enough to hold Charles’ attention who sat in the chair next to him.

When the doctor came into the waiting room, everyone stood. He was young—didn’t look old enough to be a doctor—but Adrienne knew that was common in the ER. For a brief second, she wondered about his credentials, wondered if he was capable of treating a treasure like Sara.

He pulled the glasses from his face and rubbed them against his white coat. “Sara is suffering from acute dehydration.” He slipped them back onto his nose. “She’s stable and resting comfortably, but we’re going to continue to pump fluids into her for the next couple of hours. After that, she should be fine to leave if she’s feeling up to it.”

The entire room breathed a collective sigh of relief. “Dehydrated? That’s all?” Pops said.

The young doctor nodded. “Yes, it’s not that uncommon in older people in stressful circumstances.” His head tilted from one side to the other, no doubt a posture he’d practiced in the mirror a thousand times. “Sara told me she’d been burning the candle at both ends.”

“Sweet Sara,” Pops said. “Just try to slow her down.”

The doctor chuckled. “Yeah, I can see why that wouldn’t be easy. She’s low on iron too. She said she’s been dieting to get ready for the wedding, but I’m not allowing that anymore. I’m sending her with a week’s worth of B-12 shots. They’re simple to administer and will help boost her body’s immune system and energy level.” He pointed to Pops. “Plenty of lean, red meat for her over the next week or so will help her regain full strength.”

Pops nodded. “We can postpone the wedding until she’s feeling stronger.”

“Actually,” the doctor corrected, “you can’t.”

Pops questioned him with a look.

“Sara is adamant about the wedding going on as scheduled tomorrow.” The doctor crossed his arms in front of him. “I think that would be in order. She should be feeling good by then . . . as long as she rests today.”

Charles patted Pops shoulder.

The doctor’s eyes narrowed on Pops. “I’m actually only worried about one thing.”

Pops put his hands up in surrender. “We’ll do anything so Sara can have her wedding day.”

The doctor shook his head, but his mouth quirked in a smile. “I’m not worried about the wedding. I’m worried about the honeymoon.”

A bright stain colored Pops’s cheeks, as others in the group stifled snickers. Pops’s mouth hung open.

“I’m just kidding, Tiger. She’ll be fine.” He shook Pops’s hand, then Charles’s and after throwing an appreciative look to Adrienne and ignoring Will, he left.

Pops scratched the back of his head. All eyes were on him. He opened his mouth to speak but changed his mind. Instead, he forced his hands deep into his pockets, grinned, and shrugged.

In a room next door to the bride’s dressing chamber, a trio of men tugged at their collars and stared at their hands, wishing the time would move along more quickly.

“Are you scared?” Will stood to adjust Pops’s tie.

Pops’s gaze focused behind Will to an indistinct point. “No,” Pops said, and the calm and serenity in his single word echoed that. His eyes locked on his grandson’s. “I feel as though I’m on borrowed time. Life is best when you find someone to love, and you pour your heart and soul into it. Into
her
. Everything is sweeter. Everything is new, fresh. I got to do that not once, but twice. How could I be scared of what lies ahead when the whole world has been given to me and then given to me again?”

Will put his hands on Pops’s shoulders. “You really are a poet, Pops.”
Find someone to love and pour your heart and soul into it.
Will had fulfilled the first part. He loved Adrienne. Loved her more than life. She deserved someone who would pour his heart out for her. She deserved a man who could give her wings.

Some people were like pottery. They had been tested in a fire just hot enough to make them capable, but perhaps not durable. But Adrienne was fine porcelain. Delicate, yet purified in white-hot flame reserved for those who would stand every test thrown at them. He was fortunate to even know her. And more fortunate to love her.

She was the person he would pour his heart and soul into. But not just for him. For her. Because she deserved it. She deserved nothing less.

Pops lifted his hands so they rested on Will’s arms. “But don’t let the moment slip by,” he said, tightening his grip.

Will frowned. “What moment, Pops?” He searched the older man’s face.

Pops released a long breath and whispered, “You’ll know. You’ll know when it happens. You’ll know when the time is right, and don’t you dare back away from it. No matter what. You hear me, boy? No matter what or
when
.”

Will nodded, and hugged his grandfather, the man who’d taught him how to love. Then he turned and hugged his father, the man who had taught him how to sacrifice. And now, Will was capable of letting Adrienne soar, but also catching her if she fell. For the first time in his life, Will really, truly knew what it was to be a man.

Cinderella’s ballroom awaited the princess with an intimate gathering of thirty people. Will and Pops stood at the front of the room, wearing attractive dark suits, which caused each to stand a little taller. Adrienne walked down the aisle first, looking at Will, only occasionally leaving his approving gaze. His mouth had dropped open a little when she stepped in. She tried to hide a smile. Glancing around the room, she’d never felt more collective love than at this moment.

Taking her place opposite the two men, she pivoted and waited for Sara.

When Sara stepped in, there was a gasp that rippled through the crowd. A bouquet of white gardenias was clasped firmly between her hands. She drew in a shaky breath. Pops nodded admiringly, coaxing her forward. His face beamed with pride as he basked not only in her beauty but in the happiness emanating from her.