Page 11 of Cherishing Happily Ever After

“I left Jolene alone,” she said. “And she’s really been a great help but she’s only part time and…” she shook her head and trailed off. For a moment it looked as though she were going to say more. Guilt flashed through Travis. He knew Georgia had a lot going on. Not only with the bakery but also her grandmother. Maybe if things had been different, he could have been an ear for her to vent to. But it wasn’t different, and he couldn’t pretend they were something they weren’t. It wasn’t fair. To either of them.

“Take care of yourself, Travis.” And then before she walked away, Georgia added, “Sometimes it’s okay to change your mind about things.” She gestured with her head to where Stephanie Starz sat. “Maybe you should go talk to her?”

ChapterThree

The way Stephanie saw it,she had two choices.

She could head back to the city, where she could set the alarm on her house and stay locked in and safe. And alone.

Or she could face her fears, which were ridiculous, and return to the place she loved. Lynx Creek.

With the shooting forBombshellwrapped for the last few months and the preliminary promotional work completed, for the first time in a long time, Stephanie had no reason to be in the city or in LA. At least not for a little while. She had nothing but time to be in the mountains and to finish getting her cabins finished up and ready for the grand opening. Just the way she’d planned.

So there was nothing keeping her away.

Except herself.

And Stephanie was way too stubborn to let a few silly fears get in the way of her getting exactly what she wanted.

Besides, she’d talked it over with Nick a few days earlier, and he’d agreed that the alarm system Travis had sourced was top of the line. She’d be fine. Stephanie knew he was right, but it was good to hear it from her best friend. She trusted Nick. And Travis, well…it wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. It was just…it was complicated.

She put the last of her suitcases in the back of her SUV and closed the hatch, slamming shut any thoughts of Travis before they could take hold.

Too late.

She’d seen him at the Knot the other day when she’d met with Nick. She’d done her best to ignore him, but she’d seen the way he’d been all cozied up with Georgia Murphy. She wasn’t blind. She also wasn’t stupid. But maybe she had been naive to think that he was interested in her in any way more than just a client relationship. As far as Stephanie was concerned, she had no reason to be jealous or concerned at all with who Travis was or wasn’t dating.

She’d meant what she’d said to him. She didn’t play games, because there was always a loser. And this time, that loser was her.

Steph inhaled the fresh country air and let it fill her lungs before blowing it out in a huff, along with any thoughts of Travis and whatalmosthappened between them.

“Are you all ready?”

Hope and Faith appeared on the porch, looking every bit the identical twins they were. It made Steph smile to see the similarities between them were strong again. For a while, with Hope’s pregnancy and subsequent postpartum depression, followed up by her cancer treatments, she’d become a shell of herself. But with the surgery to remove the cancer, and her uterus, behind her, Hope was looking stronger and healthier every day. Steph knew the demands of being a new mother on top of the battle she was fighting were still taking their toll, but her sister was doing so much better handling it all and most importantly, letting everyone help her out.

She couldn’t help it. As Stephanie stood there, looking at her sisters, tears came to her eyes.

“Oh my goodness!” Faith ran down the stairs and pulled her into a hug. “Don’t cry, Steph. You’re not leaving.”

“I know.” Stephanie swiped at her tears. “I havenoidea why I’m crying. I’m literally just going to my own house. This is stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” Hope said tenderly. “It’s sweet. We’ve loved having you here so close.”

“And you know you’re welcome anytime,” Faith chimed in. “And maybe soon there will be a little bit more room…”

“What?” Hope spun around to face her twin. “What does that mean?”

“You’re not moving, are you?”

“You can’t leave.”

“Does Logan want to go back to the coast?”

“No.” Hope shook her head. “You’re not leaving. I need you to help me with—”

“Calm down.” Faith held up her hands in defense. “No one is going anywhere. Well, not far anyway.”

Stephanie glanced at Hope, who looked as if she might tackle her sister if she didn’t start explaining herself.

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