Prologue
Jax
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” The priest continues to speak officiating my best friend’s wedding. Totally weird that she’s marrying some doctor dude to save her best friend. I don’t hold any romantic feelings toward Piper, never have, but that doesn’t stop me from watching the woman with her daughter in the front pew. The smaller one dips and I almost stand up to make sure everything is alright when I hear a giggle that calms me. Two blonde heads bobbing, one happily throws rose petals to the floor.
Diana Valentine – my own blonde version of Wonder Woman, a warrior, and a fragile ice queen straight out of a Disney fairytale coos to her daughter and tells her to behave making me smile. I watch her delicate palms push the hair back from her daughter’s face; a shock of pink colors the blonde hair.
I settle back into my seat of the hospital church pew wondering how my life led to being here. How we all got to being here. For years I fantasized about her from a distance, suffering in silence because Piper was the wedge between us. I respected our friendship. I respected the hands off vibe, and by the time I would have been ready to ask her out despite Piper’s interference, it was too late. I was too late. A husband too late. I’m not upset in the least that she’s moved on with her life, if anything, I’ve heard it’s been rough, and that makes me sad. Sad that no one filled me in, except in drips and drabs with only Piper looking out for her. I could have been there if given the chance.
Didn’t matter that Diana was perfect from her golden locks to her rosebud mouth, she was off limits.
Didn’t matter that whenever Piper launched into a story about her, I hung onto every word like a love sick fool, because I knew it was never going to happen.
It doesn’t matter now when Piper’s sister, Johanna barges into the ceremony late causing a ruckus and we all turn to look, my eyes meet Diana’s and I feel a spark between us. The connection fizzles with her daughter clapping and laughing loudly and Diana retreating far away into her role as mother.
It doesn’t matter when the priest says the groom can kiss the bride and I watch Diana rub a single tear from her cheek kissing her daughter on the head lovingly.
She simply doesn’t see me.
For the first time in my life, I don’t even register being worth a second glance, and I have to say it sucks.
So, I do what I’m good at. I think about work and how I’ll be covering for my partner Piper while she’s on her honeymoon with her doctor dude. I think about how we need to hire a new guy to work the front desk for new memberships, and a new cleaning crew to make sure the locker room is spotless. I think about counting my macros and carbs for my lifting competition. I congratulate my best friend on her nuptials and I walk out wondering how I’m so forgettable when all I can think about is her.
One
Diana
“Piper, you are out of your ever loving mind!” I hiss under my breath at my best friend. She doesn’t look the least bit guilty as we watch my four year old daughter run around the park all smiles and pink cheeks. A boy close to her age and a girl slightly older play alongside her climbing the steps to a large slide. It’s a relief to see her bounding with energy while it terrifies me at the same time. I take a deep breath and remind myself that she’s okay.
I’m okay.
We’re both okay.
Her short white blond curls have started to grow in and bounce around her angelic face as if the last two years never happened. My heart melts watching her. If you had asked me where we would be months earlier I never thought it would be here enjoying the sunshine carefree. I don’t think I’ll ever feel carefree.
A mother’s burden, right?
Maisy might not remember these times with the same pang as she gets older, but I’ll remember them always like the shock of bright white hair that sprouted from the back of my own blond head filtering into my ponytail. I haven’t had time to color it yet and I wonder if pink would take in the strands. The silver streak reminds me of all the struggles we’ve faced. Just like the C-section scar on my abdomen, my body is testament to surviving. Honestly, I don’t mind the hair, though I’m grateful it didn’t appear in the front of my face.
“What? Milo and I are the best suited to babysit Maisy.” Piper crosses her arms which barely cover her newly blossomed chest and swollen belly. Piper looks like she swallowed a basketball, an adorably perfect round ball that juts out from her equally adorable perky breasts. Even pregnant, Piper has the perfect body and not a single stretch mark which my own tiger stripes of motherhood envy.
“What? You don’t trust us?” She glares.