Page 1 of Cherishing Happily Ever After

ChapterOne

What was she doing here?

She didn’t belong.

It had been a long time since Stephanie Starz, super mega-celebrity, had felt like an outsider. A very long time.

In fact, she couldn’t actually remember a time in her adult life when she’d ever felt so uncomfortable and out of place as she did at that moment. A feeling that was made even crazier considering the fact that she was surrounded by family and friends and people who loved her.

Still.

She had no business being at a Mother’s Day brunch. None.

She wasn’t a mother, or a stepmother, or an adopted mother, or even, for that matter, a prospective mother.

Sure, shehada mother. And that was the reason she’d booked the table at Birchwood. Stephanie had been so excited that her adoptive parents had finally accepted her invitation to come to Glacier Falls, the town she’d recently fallen in love with and made her hometown. She had big plans for her parents that included showing them all the sights, but mostly touring them around Lynx Creek, her newest project of a grouping of restored and renovated cabins down by the river, just outside of town, that she was getting ready to offer as exclusive bungalow retreats. And of course, Faith and Hope. Steph had been talking nonstop about her identical twin half-sisters, who she’d discovered almost by accident when she’d come to town almost a year ago to plan her own wedding.

The wedding hadn’t worked out—thankfully—but she’d gained something much greater in her sisters. And all the extended family and friends she’d found in Glacier Falls. The only thing missing were her parents. Steph couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that her mom and dad were avoiding her new town and coming to visit her there.

Which felt even sharper today. Mother’s Day.

She’d really been looking forward to seeing them. The cancellation had come in the form of a text message the night before.A text message.She’d immediately picked up the phone, but her call went unanswered.

She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly while looking around the room. Birchwood was the nicest restaurant in town—in most towns, really. Brody, the head chef and owner, was a genius and everything he created was delicious. Stephanie had eaten in some of the best restaurants in the world, and she could safely say that Birchwood was right up there with the best of them. Which was why it wasn’t surprising that the place was packed.

Stephanie sipped at her tea and picked at the croissant in front of her, her face a carefully practiced mask honed from years in the spotlight. She smiled and nodded at Sarah, Brody Morris’s wife, who sat in the corner close to the kitchen, where Brody could periodically pop out and join her and her daughter, Rory, for their celebration. Sarah had been a single mother for years after her first husband, Rory’s father, died tragically. She deserved to be spoiled by her new husband Brody and of course her sweet daughter Rory, who was currently regaling her mother in some sort of story that involved large arm gestures.

Steph let her gaze travel to Charlotte and Nick Newton and their newly adopted daughter Amelia. Nick was one of Stephanie’s best friends, and when he’d discovered that Stephanie’s parents had cancelled their visit, of course he’d invited her to join them for brunch. But there was no way Steph was going to crash Charlotte’s very first Mother’s Day. After what they’d been through with the adoption process of Amelia, and almost losing her because the system was just so broken—never mind the fact that Amelia’s birth mother was a troubled addict who’d put the baby in great danger before Charlotte scared her in a very dramatic turn of events—yes, Charlotte deserved to be celebrated today. And not only for Amelia, but for their unborn baby as well, as they’d just announced their pregnancy. Stephanie was thrilled for her friends.

Sharing a table with Nick, Charlotte, and baby Amelia were her parents, Darlene and Dwayne, and Charlotte’s brother, Jeremy, along with his fiancée, Bella Burton.

Bella and Stephanie had become close friends over the last few months, working closely together on the upcoming blockbuster film,Bombshell. The movie released next month and it was going to change Bella’s world. Stephanie just knew it. Bella was going to become a massive star. But she knew her friend, and she knew that her focus was also on her relationship and her family. She wasn’t going to let fame go to her head.

Bella turned, as if sensing Steph was watching her. Her pretty face turned down into a frown as she excused herself from her table and joined Steph.

“I can’t stand this.”

“I’m fine,” Stephanie said. “I told you. I didn’t want to—”

“Not you, silly girl.” Bella said. “I meant this whole Mother’s Day thing.” She laughed and Steph joined in. “I mean, I love Jeremy’s mother,” she continued. “I really do. But…”

“You’d rather be with your own mom?”

Bella nodded. “Right?”

Stephanie couldn’t disagree.

“Please join us,” Bella said. “I can’t stand seeing you sit all by yourself. It’s not right.”

Stephanie laughed despite the fact that there was nothing funny about it. “I actually was just going to get going,” she said. “I’m not even hungry.”

Bella eyed her suspiciously.

“I’m not,” Stephanie insisted as she stood. She left a small stack of bills on the table even though she didn’t eat anything and gathered up her purse. “Go enjoy your family. I’m just going to say good-bye to the Langdons before I head out.”

“I’ll call you later.”

Stephanie blew her a kiss and headed over to the largest table in the room. She already knew that it was a tough day for Faith and Hope, her half-sisters, as they had lost their mother, Stephanie’s birth mother, years earlier in an accident. But this Mother’s Day was different because of baby Cole. Stephanie’s eyes went straight to her nephew. He was only a few months old, but the sweetest baby boy she’d ever seen.

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