All the trouble was in an effort to put my psychotic stepbrother, Adam, away for life.

“Hey, there,” a familiar voice said, calling me from the depths of my mind.

I looked up to find Caroline smiling down at me.

“What are you doing here?”

She sat next to me. “I had a feeling you’d be beaten down and in need of a friend.”

My bottom lip quivered and tears filled my eyes. Caroline wrapped her arms around me, drawing me close.

“Thank you.”

She ran her hand up and down my back. “How was it?”

“Bad. Really bad.” I sniffed and sat back. “I had to retell the whole thing—answer questions.” I let out a hard breath, trying to settle myself.

She ran her hand up and down my back. “Soon you’ll never have to talk about it again. You can push it all away and live your life.”

I nodded. “I know, but I’m still not looking forward to telling it all again at the trial and all the time in between then and now.”

“You should be.”

I looked at her, questioning her sanity. “Why?”

She smiled at me, her hand brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Because in two weeks you’re marrying the man you love and who loves you more than anything.”

Her words washed away all the bad as I thought about all the good coming my way. It helped, more than words could say, to be reminded of where my future was going. Adam and his actions kept yanking me into the past, but soon that would be done, and he would be out of my life forever. Soon I would have a husband and be part of a family that loved me. All my wishes I once thought were an unrealistic goal for me were coming true.

“Come on.” Caroline stood and held out her hand. “Let’s go get some lunch.”

“What about work?”

She rolled her eyes at me. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

“Forgot what?”

“Jack told you to take the day off. We’re meeting Sarah and Teresa at the dress shop at two.”

“Oh, yeah.” Only I would forget about shopping for my own wedding dress. My brow scrunched. “Were we meeting for lunch?”

“No.”

“Then why did you come?”

She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Because I knew my friend needed me.”

I pulled her in for another hug. “I’m so happy you’re my friend.”

It would’ve been so much easier on me had I at least considered getting married any time in the last fifteen or twenty years. All that I didn’t know—and had no idea I needed to know—was brought up by Sarah, Nathan’s mom, and Teresa, my foster mother, and had my head spinning. At least we had a venue, and, with that, a helpful coordinator who worked to streamline the process.

Over the years I’d seen movies where the bride had a ton of people with her while picking out a dress. Somehow, that was how it ended up being for me, as well. Caroline, Sarah, Teresa, and Erin were scouring the racks, asking me questions that I had no answer to. What color did I want? What style? Plain or glitzy? Form-fitting or loose?

My impression that all dresses were white was squashed. Even though they all looked the same color to me, they were, in fact, not.

Caroline worked the dressing room, helping me bounce, slip, and slide into each dress. After each one, I couldn’t help but think some gym could market the experience as a workout class, because it was. Some dresses weighed what felt like almost twenty pounds. By the third one of those, we whittled away the heavier fabrics. I finally knew something—I wanted a light dress for my beach wedding. A fabric that flowed in the ocean breeze.

“So, when do I get to repay this favor with you and Ian?” I asked Caroline as she yanked another dress off.

She grunted, and I popped free. “Whenever he gets off his damn ass and asks me.”

My fingers moved through my hair, pulling it back from my face. “You’ve been together for almost three years.”

She sighed. “Yeah, and I’m beginning to wonder if we’re going anywhere. I mean, he never wants to talk about the future.”

“Really? He always seems so glued to you.”

“Yeah, but is it super glue?”

“You live together. Do you love him?” I asked. She nodded. “Then I’d wait to see if the glue dries.”

She smiled at me. “Well, we do have an Aruban vacation coming up. Maybe we’ll find out then. Until then, we have a quest.”

I turned to the mirror so she could zip up the back of the next dress.

Caroline’s eyes popped out before she caught mine in the mirror and smiled. “Yes.”

I beamed at her.

It wasn’t a strapless dress like most seemed to be—it was a lace-covered, v-neck cut, sleeveless top that ended at an empire waist. The skirt was light chiffon and moved with ease—ethereal almost. I turned to see the back. It was mostly sheer, with lace details around the edge.

It was conservative with a romantic elegance. It wasn’t overly done up or covered in beads and fancy fabrics.

It was perfect. It was me.

There was no second-guessing, no “let’s try on a few more.” No, I’d found the dress. The one I’d walk across the sand in to join Nathan so we could finally become a family.

Family. I would be part of a real, loving family.

I deserved one, and so did Nathan.

CHAPTER 5

The countdown was on—three days. We still needed to finish up the workweek before boarding a plane, and my insides felt like a ticking time bomb.

That was probably why Drew, Caroline, Nathan, and I all went out to lunch—to relax. We’d decided on a sandwich shop not far from the office, specializing in grilled subs and fresh-cut fries. Drew drove Caroline and me, while Nathan was a few minutes behind due to a meeting with a client.

After ordering for Nathan and myself, I searched for a table for the four of us. The restaurant was pretty empty, being that it was mid-week, so there were lots of options. I found one and waited for the others to join me.

“So, are you changing your name, hyphenating, or keeping Palmer?” Drew asked as he took the seat across from me. He’d learned fast that the seat beside me was reserved for Nathan.

I shook my head like mad. “Hell, no… Am I keeping Palmer?” I scoffed. It wasn’t hard to imagine where the anger stormed from for a name that’d been mine for thirty years. “As soon as we get back, Palmer is gone. I don’t want to be associated with that man anymore.” I smiled at him, pushing all the negativity away.