He heard Taylor's voice a beat before she poked her head around the row of grapevines. "There you both are. Everyone is wondering where you disappeared to." Her voice was deliberately light. She walked up to his father and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I can't believe I haven't had a chance to say hello to you all night. It's so nice to see you again."
"And I haven't had a chance to congratulate you both on your engagement." Drew and Ashley had asked everyone to raise a glass to them during dinner, but though Michael had joined in with everyone else, Justin hadn't been convinced his father's heart was in it.
He wasn't convinced now either.
Hating how uncertain, how fragile Taylor looked as she stood before his father, Justin put his arm around her and pulled her close. "You must be exhausted from our all-nighter. We should head home and get some much-needed sleep."
She sent his father an apologetic look as she explained, "A couple staying at my B&B had car trouble in Calistoga last night. Justin and I went to help and weren't able to make it back until early this morning."
"It sounds like an awful lot of work, running your B&B," Justin's father said. "Are you sure you're up to it?"
Justin watched as Taylor's shoulders instinctively went back. "Oh yes, I'm sure."
"It's just that Justin told all of us about your diagnosis," his father said, digging the hole deeper with every word. "I'm so sorry to hear it."
"Thank you for your concern." She didn't sound at all like herself. It was as though she was talking to a stranger now, rather than the man she'd treated as a surrogate father for so many years. "I have great doctors, and it's my understanding that dialysis can be a viable solution for many years if necessary." She forced her lips to curve up at the end, even though there was no accompanying light in her eyes. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be okay."
Justin felt as though a two-by-four had just slammed into his stomach. In not so many words, had Taylor just told his father than she wasn't going to let Justin donate a kidney to her? She kept saying everything was going to be okay--but how could it be if she wouldn't let him help her?
Before he could push past the ache in his gut to set everyone straight on the fact that he was going to be her donor, damn it, come hell or high water, Taylor told his father, "I really should get home for some sleep. I'm looking forward to seeing you at the wedding tomorrow." And then she tugged Justin out of the vineyard.
Ten minutes later, after saying good night to his siblings, they were back in his car and on their way home. Justin was deeply torn. On the one hand, he wanted to shield Taylor from his and his father's emotional stalemate. But on the other, he hated keeping anything from her.
Before he could get out so much as a word, however, he realized she was curled up in the passenger seat, fast asleep.
His heart turned over just from looking at her. He would never let anything happen to her.
Never.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It was the perfect day for a wedding. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the sky was blue--and Taylor felt confident that nothing could possibly spoil Ashley and Drew's big day.
Her side had ached a bit when she woke, but she'd made sure to drink extra water and pop a couple of anti-inflammatories once she'd had breakfast, which helped.
"Wow." Justin took her breath away when he walked into her bedroom in black tie and tails. "Can I just say how glad I am that you're already wearing my ring?"
"I feel exactly the same way." His eyes held both heat and admiration as he pulled her into his arms, and his kiss was warm and sweet and deliciously sexy.
The last thing she wanted was to spoil the moment, but though they hadn't yet had a chance to discuss what had happened last night, there was no hiding from it.
"Your father doesn't mean to hurt anyone," she said softly. "He's doing what he thinks is best for you because he loves you. You can't be angry with him for that."
"If he could just think straight for one second and put himself in my shoes," Justin argued, "he'd change his mind and give me his support."
"What if you put yourself in his shoes?" This was a horribly difficult discussion to have, but she couldn't shy away from it. Not when Justin's relationship with his father was on the line, and she couldn't stand the thought of Justin holding his dad's feelings against him. "What if you're a man who has lost your wife, and then your son tells you that he's going to have major elective surgery?" There were no clear, easy answers here, no absolute right or wrong. "I can only imagine how hard it would be to feel okay with that if it were my son or daughter."
Justin was silent for several moments, long enough that she knew he was listening. Or, at the very least, trying to listen.
"Look," she said, "we don't have to make decisions right away. It seems to me that if all of us just let things percolate for a bit, it might help. And this way, we can put everything but Drew and Ashley on the back burner today and really enjoy ourselves at their wedding."
She knew it wasn't what he wanted, that getting everyone on board the donation train was his ultimate end game. But she also knew Justin wasn't the kind of man who held a grudge. His mother had taught her children by example to love unconditionally and to always look for the best in other people.
He didn't reply for a long moment. Finally, he said, "When Drew and Ashley are up there saying their vows, I'm going to be wishing it was you and me."
It was the most beautiful thing he could have said. "I will too."
*
Thank God there were tissues beneath every seat--Nicola and Marcus Sullivan, and their wedding event staff, had thought of everything.
Just seeing Ashley appear on her father's arm beneath the rose-covered arch was enough to make Taylor gasp. But when she looked at Drew and saw the tears of joy streaming down his face, there was no point in even trying to keep it together.
Everyone stood as the bride made her way down the aisle. Taylor relished having Justin's arms around her as they bore witness to true love. "Ashley is such a beautiful bride, isn't she?"
"She is," he whispered into her ear, sending thrill bumps through her. "I can't wait to see you coming toward me in a wedding dress."
She could so easily see herself walking down the aisle in a long, white gown, with Justin waiting for her, arms wide open.
She wouldn't walk to him--she would run.
Turning in his arms, she looped hers around his neck. "I love you."
He answered her with a kiss that almost had her forgetting they were at his brother's wedding. Fortunately, she remembered herself in time to sit down with everyone else as the vows began.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered in beautiful Napa Valley today to celebrate the union of Ashley Emmitt and Drew Morrison."
The officiant looked like Santa Claus, with a full white beard and a big belly, which was what Ashley and Drew had told them had clinched the deal when they were interviewing people for the job. "I kept thinking he was going to stop and say ho ho ho at any second," Ashley had said at dinner last night, making them all laugh, most of all her husband-to-be, who clearly thought the sun rose and set on her.
"In the time that I have had to get to know this wonderful couple," the man said, "I have been happily surprised again and again by their generous spirit, positive outlook, and unconditional love and support for one another. But you don't have to take my word for it--they have each taken the time to write vows, which I will step aside to let them share with each other, and you all, now."
Ashley was first, her eyes big and her cheeks flushed as she held tightly to Drew's hands. "The first night I met you, your music was the most beautiful poetry I had ever heard. I knew that anyone who could create something so wonderful had to be just as wonderful himself. But I was scared. Absolutely terrified of breaking the rigid rules I'd lived by for so long, rules I swore had kept me safe. Until I realized that the person who made me feel the absolute safest--and the happiest--was you. I love you, Drew, for everything you've
been, everything you are, and everything you will be. And I can't wait to keep living this adventure with you as your wife."
"Everyone thought I had it all," Drew said in a voice rough with emotion. "But until I met you, Ashley, nothing felt right. And then, suddenly, everything did. All because of you. You're the bravest person I know--there's nothing you won't do for someone you love. I still can hardly believe that you love me. I would move heaven and earth for you. You're my heart. My soul. My everything."
They were already in each other's arms, already kissing, by the time the officiant said, "By the power vested in me by the State of California, it is now my great honor to pronounce you husband and wife."
Taylor couldn't wait for the day when she would seal her vows to Justin with a kiss. When, she wondered, would they possibly be able to arrange their wedding amidst the demands of her B&B, his new lab in a nearby town, and her doctor visits?
It wasn't simple, but when was life ever simple? She just needed to remember that everyone had challenges and conflicts to deal with. All that mattered in the end was that they had each other.
Cheers rang out as the newly married couple made their way back down the aisle. As Taylor joined in the applause, her side twinged. It wasn't, she decided as she took a moment to assess things, much worse than the low-grade pain that tended to be her fairly constant companion these past several months.
She couldn't imagine anything worse than collapsing in the middle of the wedding festivities. Everyone in Justin's family knew about her diagnosis, but she'd hate for them to get so deep into the nitty-gritty that they'd be worried about her all the time. It would be far better for them to see her laughing and dancing, to know that she wasn't letting anything stop her from enjoying life.
Most of all, she didn't want Justin's father to see her looking anything but hearty and healthy. Michael Morrison had nothing to feel guilty about, and she was confident that she could help Justin understand that over time.
She took a deep breath of the air that held the faint scent of crushed grapes. As she put her hand in Justin's and headed into the throng to congratulate Ashley and Drew, she was pleasantly surprised to see Michael coming toward them.
She gave him a big hug, knowing it must have been incredibly hard to watch one of his children get married without his beloved wife at his side. "Ashley and Drew's vows were beautiful, weren't they?"
"They were." His voice was a little hoarse from the tears he'd shed during the ceremony. "Lisa and I wrote our own vows back before it was really the thing to do. She would have loved to have heard theirs."
Justin, who hadn't yet spoken, enfolded his father in a warm hug. Everything was going to be all right between them, Taylor was certain of it. Because if anything did happen to her, he was going to need his family more than ever...
Soon, the three of them made it to the front of the receiving line. And as Taylor hugged Ashley and Drew, though they were Justin's family and not hers, she still felt the pull of an extra strong bond.
A bond that strengthened even further when, fifteen minutes later, instead of standing to one side and chatting with the other guests while family pictures were being taken, they insisted she be included in the photographs.
"You're family, Taylor," Drew said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
It really was the perfect day, not only for the bride and groom, but for her too. Dinner was delicious, and then the dance floor beckoned. The Morrison clan certainly knew how to bust a move, and it was tempting to watch from the sidelines, but Justin clearly had other ideas.
He guided them into the middle of the dance floor where the bride and groom were holding each other tight and slow-dancing despite the upbeat tempo of the music. He twirled her and dipped her and made her laugh like crazy. She'd never had so much fun, never felt so carefree and happy.
After all these years of longing to be with him, it felt so incredible to have her dream come true. Okay, so maybe it was more complicated than she'd planned, but they were managing all right so far, weren't they? Whatever happened next, they'd figure it out together.
Taylor was flushed from dancing when the DJ announced that it was time to cut the cake. She felt a little lightheaded and hoped some cake, and a glass of water, would help set her to rights.
The bride and groom were adorable as they first sliced the delicious-looking three-layer chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet cake. Drew made his new wife laugh, then blush, at whatever he whispered into her ear. They fed each other pieces of cake...then kissed off the mess they made.
"I'm so glad they found each other," Taylor said, even as she blushed at the heat currently being generated by Justin's brother and his new wife.
"I used to worry about Drew," Justin told her. "Especially once his music career took off--that's just such a crazy world. But once I met Ashley, I knew she was exactly what he needed. And I also knew I didn't need to worry about him anymore."
It was how she wanted his family to feel about her--to know that they didn't have to worry about Justin anymore because she would always take care of him. Unfortunately, her diagnosis meant they were more worried about him.
She sighed, and of course Justin picked right up on it. "I know what you're thinking," he said. "But you're wrong. My family knows I'm nowhere near whole without you, because you make my life better in every single way. That's why they sent me to you in St. Helena, remember?"
She laid her head against his chest. "I think I'm still just overtired from the all-nighter."
He didn't poke holes in her excuse as he stroked her hair. She'd slept well last night--she couldn't actually remember Justin carrying her to bed from the car--but she still felt as though her body was running on fumes.
Since her diagnosis, she had tried to be extra careful about eating right and getting enough rest, but it had been an absolutely crazy week. She wouldn't have wanted to give up any of the time she'd spent with Justin, nor would she have wanted to miss Drew and Ashley's wedding festivities.
"Taylor--" Maddie grabbed her hand and pulled her into the center of the dance floor, where the other single women were assembling. "It's time for the bouquet toss. And you too, Olivia," she added, ignoring her older sister's protests. "I mean, odds are that Taylor will get married first since she's already engaged and all. But you're always a dark horse, Olivia, so I suppose anything is possible."
Only Maddie could get away with saying such things to her sister. Taylor had meant to ask Olivia if there was someone special in her life, but Justin's eldest sister was a slippery one. It was almost as though she could read Taylor's mind, and every time she thought she finally had a chance to ask some gently probing questions about Olivia's love life, the other woman found a reason to escape the conversation. Olivia hadn't brought a plus-one to the wedding, but she had spent quite a bit of time smiling into her phone as she texted someone.
In any case, though Taylor was quite tall, she'd never caught a bouquet at a wedding. Then again, she thought as Justin gave her the thumbs-up, she hadn't been with Justin either. Now, she could almost feel her fingertips tingling, especially when Ashley looked straight at her and winked before turning to fling her bouquet over her head.
Taylor stood perfectly still as she watched the flowers sail through the sky as if in slow motion, heading right toward her. She lifted her hands to catch the bouquet, but it slid between her fingers...and hit her on the head.
She scrambled to grab it before it fell to the ground, and when she did, instinct took over. She lifted it above her head like a victor with her spoils, and soon, Justin was there too, spinning her around in circles while everyone laughed and cheered.
And then, as a wonderful surprise, Drew took the stage, pulling Ashley up with him. Never one for the spotlight, Drew's new bride blushed as he kissed her in front of everyone. "I've vowed never to keep secrets from you, Ash," he said, "but I hope you'll forgive me for keeping this one." He picked up a guitar. "The song is called Beautiful. And every wo
rd of it is from my heart to yours."
They were so wonderful together, and so in love, that Taylor was already tearing up before Drew played a single chord. And when he did begin to sing, it was no exaggeration to say that every woman in the room wished for a love like theirs.
Warm all over in the knowledge that she and Justin already had just that, Taylor settled into the circle of his arms as they listened.
The most beautiful song I've ever heard
Is you
Your voice is the melody
Your heartbeat is the rhythm
And when you whisper, "I love you"
They're the lyrics of my dreams
You're my heart
My soul
My one true love
The most beautiful song I've ever heard
Is you
"That was incredible, wasn't it?" Taylor said to Justin once the last notes faded and everyone in the crowd was going wild, yet again, for the newlyweds.
"I'm not normally jealous of my brothers," Justin said, "but I wish I could write you a song like that."
"You've already given me everything I could ever want." She brought her mouth only a breath from his. "You."
They might never have stopped kissing had the bride and groom not come to say good-bye before heading off to the airport to catch an overnight flight to the beaches of Thailand for their honeymoon.
By the time they'd seen the happy couple off, Taylor realized she was well and truly pooped. Justin knew her so well, thankfully, that she didn't need to say a word.
"Ready to head home?"
"It was the most magical wedding ever, but it probably is time for me to hit the sack." She couldn't wait to crawl under the covers with Justin and make some magic of their own. But by the time they said their good-byes to the rest of his family and got into his car, she could hardly keep her eyes open. "I don't want to fall asleep on you again tonight," she said, her words sounding like one huge yawn. "Promise me you'll wake me when we get back."