Page 2 of Choosing Happily Ever After

She did.

“But you love me.”

“I do.”

“So do it for me. To help me out.” She knew it was pointless, but she tried anyway. “Besides, it will be fun. We can be the wedding sisters again, like when we were kids.”

It was one of Hope’s favorite memories, when their mother would dress them up in frilly dresses and give them baskets of flower petals to throw on the newly married couples. Guests had loved the identical blonde-haired, little girls. Hope had loved it too. Faith, not so much. But even so, there had been a handful of times when Hope had managed to convince her sister from time to time to dress up and reenact their own weddings, taking turns with who got to be the bride and who had to play the groom.

“If you’re trying to convince me, that’s the wrong way to do it.” Faith laughed and then added, “Seriously though, if you need help, Hope, hire someone. Because as much as I love you, I’ll be staying in the city. Sorry.” She actually did sound a little sorry this time. “Put an ad on the town’s Facebook page or something. You’ll get someone.”

“Yeah, maybe. But hey, you can’t blame a girl for trying. Let’s talk tomorrow, okay?” Hope smiled into the phone. Distance and lifestyle may separate them, but they were still close. “Love you.”

“Love you too, Hope,” Faith said. “And Hope? Get some sleep. You sound exhausted.”

She hung up the phone and tucked it away before going to gather up the rest of the things that couldn’t wait until morning. Hope fell heavy into her golf cart and checked the time. There was still at least two hours before she could announce last call. And then she got to start the process of cleaning up.

Hope closed her eyes, but only for a moment. She couldn’t risk falling asleep. Maybe Faith was right; maybe she really should hire someone. She was exhausted already and the wedding season was only just beginning. Before she could talk herself out of it, Hope opened the Facebook app on her phone and typed up a quick help wanted ad.

After all, it couldn’t hurt.

Levi

“I’m not saying it’s not good to have you back…”

“It’s just strange,” Levi Langdon finished for his cousin, Logan. “I get it. It is strange.” Levi lifted the bottle to his lips and let the cold beer slide down his throat. As strange as it was to be back in his hometown after almost ten years, it also felt good. Really good. Like putting on an old sweater. Or in this case, an old pair of work boots to help Logan out on his family ranch. The ranch he’d grown up on and couldn’t wait to leave.

“But I’m not complaining.” Logan grinned. “I’ve missed you and it was good to be out there today. When was the last time we rode the fence line like that together?”

Levi chuckled and shook his head because they both knew the answer. He’d been twenty years old, Logan a year ahead of him, and they’d both been caught drinking Logan’s dad’s beers. Both were of legal drinking age in Canada, not that it mattered to Uncle Harold. They werehisbeers. An already hard man got even harder when someone took his beers. Especially his dead sister’s kid. For whatever reason, Uncle Harold had a special place in his heart for Levi. And it wasn’t a good one.

Their punishment had been to ride the fence line and repair some downed wire in the middle of the night. Of course, Levi’s punishment had also included a punch in the face that only narrowly missed breaking his nose, but he’d sported the shiner for weeks. It was the last time they’d rode the fence together, because it had also been the last time Levi had spent the night under his uncle’s roof.

He’d had enough. Besides, he was already living on borrowed time on the Langdon ranch. A fact Uncle Harold had no trouble reminding him of on a regular basis. He should have left years ago but he’d been trying to save up enough money to get an apartment in the city. Or at least enough to set him up. But leaving early couldn’t hurt. Hell, it would probably hurt a whole lot less.

At least that’s what he’d thought at the time.

Levi blinked hard and shook his head. Coming back to Glacier Falls was hard enough. He didn’t need to relive every goddamn heartbreaking moment.

“Right.” Logan lifted his own beer, obviously remembering that night as well. “Hey, about all of that.” He wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve. “I’m really sorry that my dad treated you like that back then. I don’t—”

“Want you to worry about it,” Levi answered for him. “It wasn’t your fault and you can’t own the actions of your parents. Hell, we’d both be in trouble if that were the case.” He hadn’t known his dad, but all accounts were that he was a deadbeat asshole who’d left his mom knocked up and alone. Levi didn’t even know what his last name was, having been given his mother’s family name. And it didn’t matter; he’d never cared to know who the man was.

Levi had nothing but love for his mother, what he could remember of her anyway. She’d died when he was only ten and he’d gone to live with her brother’s family in Glacier Falls. It had been a mixed blessing. Logan had been a cousin, best friend, and brother all rolled into one. Katie had been like a little sister to him, and Auntie Deb had done her best to love and protect young Levi from the unexplainable anger of her husband that only got worse the older he got.

Leaving them had been just as hard as it had been easy leaving Uncle Harold. But now Uncle Harold was gone, having died three months earlier from a heart attack. And Levi was back.

“Still,” Logan said. “I’m sorry he was such a dick to you. He never could explain it, and I know you don’t want to hear it, or you wouldn’t believe it anyway, but he really wasn’t like that with Katie and me.”

“That I do believe.” He took another long pull from his beer. “It doesn’t matter now,” he said again, meaning it. “I’m looking forward to catching up with you all. I’ve missed all of you.”

“Just us?”

If he hadn’t been on the other side of the shop, Levi likely would have punched his cousin or at least given him a shove. He hadn’t even been back for a full twenty-four hours. There was no need to stir the pot. Logan knew damn well that his family wasn’t the only thing he’d missed about Glacier Falls. Far from it.

“How is Hope?”

Hope Turner, the love of Levi’s young life. Or at least he’d thought she was at the time. With her long blonde hair and innocent blue eyes, he’d been completely wrapped around her little finger. He would have done anything for that girl.

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