Blissed (Misfit Brides #1) (41 page)

Bliss Bridal. Pepper’s shop.

Just inside the familiar front door, the scent of wedding cake smacked her in the face. It was thicker in the shop than it had been on the street. One of the bridal consultants abandoned a bride to hug Natalie. Three others moved toward her, but Natalie held up a hand. “Where’s Pepper?”

“The office.”

No one stopped her—she’d have to talk to Pepper about propriety and ownership. Until the bridal consultants accepted that Natalie was no longer their boss, Pepper wouldn’t have the authority she needed.

Not that Natalie intended to make a habit of interrupting operations on the floor. Today, though, they needed to talk.

But back in the office, Pepper wasn’t alone.

Dad was there too.

He jumped to his feet when she stopped in the doorway. “Hey, hon.” His tight hug brought tears to her eyes. “Where’s Noah? Miss that little guy.”

“He’s with Lindsey.” Natalie blinked quickly. “I need to speak with Pepper a minute.”

Dad and Pepper shared a look, then he gestured her into his seat. “Of course.”

He propped himself against the file cabinet.

“Alone.”

Dad and Pepper shared another strange look, but then Dad shrugged. With a loaded nod to Pepper, he left.

Nat and Pepper stared at each other for a minute, Natalie to gain courage, Pepper with a sort of fascinated curiosity. “You want to stay at Bliss Bridal?” Pepper prompted.

“I want you to sell my designs.”

Before Pepper could speak, Natalie rushed on. “I don’t have much in the way of a collection yet, but I will. For now, I’d be happy to work on custom alterations and bridal personalizations, and I’m willing to negotiate terms. But I know you recognize the value of an original line of designs from Bliss, so I’d strongly urge you to consider carefully before you make me an insulting offer.”

She was being brassy and bold, but she knew what she was worth. She knew what the Bliss name was worth. And she wouldn’t settle for anything less than what she deserved.

She knew she’d have to negotiate, and she expected Pepper to be tough. What she hadn’t anticipated, however, was for Pepper to laugh.

Natalie’s pulse boiled and her skin burned. She didn’t have much money, but she wouldn’t tolerate being laughed at.

Especially by CJ’s sister.

Natalie turned. “Won’t be so funny when La Belle and Mrs. launch a bidding war over me.”

“Wait, sit, sit,” Pepper said.

“Too late. You know what? I’m done with your whole family.”

“He’s an idiot.”

Mollification seeped into Natalie’s bones, despite her willful resistance to it.

“Honestly, I might be too,” Pepper said.

This time, Natalie spared her a look. Pepper pointed to the chair again. “Have a seat. We need to talk.”

Chapter Twenty-One

“T
HOUGHT YOU WERE headed to Utah,” Jeremy said.

“Had a wedding I didn’t want to miss.” CJ lounged in the doorway of the groom’s quarters at St. Valentine’s. His buddy was getting dressed in a tux courtesy of Bliss Bridal, Natalie’s last thank you to Jeremy for stepping in as the boutique’s sponsored bachelor in last year’s bachelor auction.

“That the only thing you’re here for?” Jeremy said.

Not even close. Although, fear of screwing
that
up had him nervous.

Especially since he hadn’t stopped Pepper in time.

Jeremy quirked a grin and went to work on his bow tie. “Crow don’t taste all that bad, man.”

“Yeah, about that…” CJ rubbed his neck. “I can help you work up a budget so you and Gabby can buy Suckers. If you’re interested.”

“You serious?”

“I’d buy into it with you, but my money’s tied up.” Tied up with his heart.

Or would be, as soon as he found Natalie. Because she had his heart, and she’d disappeared.

He could’ve called. Could’ve called Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. But every time he pulled up her number, he couldn’t dial.

He couldn’t grovel and beg over the phone. He couldn’t use a phone call to prove to her that he had what it took to stand by her side and support her while she soared.

If he wanted to be Natalie’s partner, he needed to be her equal. No way in hell she’d take the chicken way out behind a phone call if she were the one who needed to do the groveling and begging.

Jeremy jerked his head to a chair in the corner. “What kind of budget?”

“Don’t need to interrupt your wedding day. Just wanted you to know I won’t let Huck sell while you’re gone, if you’re still interested.”

“All this is formality, man.” Jeremy plucked at his bow tie. “Sit. Wedding don’t start for another half hour. Tell me what we’ve gotta do.”

CJ sat. Jeremy’s best man arrived—he’d been sent to fetch the rings that had been forgotten at home—followed by Jeremy’s family. Good folks, all of them.

Five minutes before the wedding, Basil poked his head in, the Holy Constipated Look of Exasperation making a lovably familiar appearance. “Both God and I would be extremely grateful,” he said in his long-suffering, Holy Piousness way, “if you people would quit marring the sanctity of my confessional.”

CJ’s pulse skyrocketed. The quaking launched in his stomach. He bolted up, and barreled toward the door.

“Good luck today,” he called to Jeremy.

“You’re gonna need it more than me,” Jeremy called back.

That was the truth.

N
ATALIE STOOD in the small, semi-dark room, sweet scents tickling her nose, and stared at the red vinyl chair.

She shouldn’t be here, but she couldn’t come to St. Valentine’s without taking one last look.

Gabby and Jeremy’s wedding would start soon. Lindsey and Noah were already seated. But Nat was in the confessional, staring at her past.

CJ had sat there. Almost three months ago, he’d sat there, listening to her pour her heart out while she hid from Marilyn Elias.

She lowered herself into the seat, as much to see if she could feel him there as to give her wobbly legs a break. Today was overwhelming. A lot of her life lately was overwhelming.

She’d handle it, and she’d be a stronger person for it.

But she didn’t want to.

Not alone.

The door on the other side of the screen banged open, then slammed shut.

“Natalie.”

“
Ohmigod
.”

“Not even close, Nat. Thought that’d be obvious by now.”

CJ.

Her heart tripped. She squeezed the armrests and shrank back into the chair.

He was gone. He’d flown to Utah. Except there he was, scooting around the screen, so tall and broad he barely fit.

Her chin wobbled. Her eyes stung.

“I lied.” He dropped to his knees before her. “A goat didn’t eat my letter. I didn’t want to read it because it wasn’t for them. It was for you.”

She wanted to touch him. She wanted to touch his cheek, his lips, his hands. But if she touched him, she’d want more.

She already had so much.

Why did she keep wanting more? When would she stop always wanting more?

“I’m sorry, Natalie.” His hand hovered over hers as if he was as afraid to touch her as she was to touch him. “I shouldn’t have left. I panicked. You—you’re one of the strongest, most amazing women I’ve ever known, and I didn’t know—” He blew out a short breath. “Can I read it to you?”

She wanted to hug him and make that scared, broken sound in his voice and that uncertainty in the bend of his shoulders go away.

But she couldn’t move. Because if she moved, if she touched him and he wasn’t really there, if she misunderstood why he was here, she wouldn’t recover.

He pulled a wrinkled paper from his back pocket. It was folded in fourths, the edges bent, the paper wrinkled. When he opened it, she saw smudged writing.

He looked at her.

She nodded.

He sucked in a big, audible breath. “Dear Serena,” he began.

Natalie squeaked an indignant sputter.

He glanced up at her, mild amusement lightening the shadows under his eyes. “It gets better.” He lowered his head to the letter, but he put his hand over Natalie’s, his solid, strong, very real hand, warming her skin and her heart. “I’m supposed to be writing you a love letter to read at the Husband Games. My sisters must’ve helped dream this one up, because this is probably the hardest thing I’ve done since that camel and I had a disagreement in Morocco a few years back.”

A reluctant smile tugged Natalie’s lips.

She missed him. She missed him so badly.

“I’ve spent the last four years wishing I could tell you I was sorry,” he read. “But I’ve spent the last few months learning that I can’t be sorry for the rest of my life. Instead, I need to try to do it better next time. Were our positions reversed, had I made the ultimate sacrifice while you stayed here, I would’ve wanted you to move on and be happy.”

His eyes lifted once more, a question in them. Natalie nodded, and he went on. “God knows we had our problems, most of them my fault. You had a few faults too, though. All that hair in the shower drain, always using the last of my shaving cream without telling me, the way your boots stunk to high heaven… and you know what? If I’d died and you spent the rest of your life regretting that you never got Odor-Eaters to satisfy my olfactory sensibilities, I’d be pretty pissed at you.”

He was cheating, using his unique charm against her.

He shifted on his knees, closer to her, head down over the letter. “I know not supporting you and your career—your calling—are orders of magnitude worse than not leaving enough room for my clothes in the closet. I still wish I could change things, but living in constant regret is an insult to you. In hiding from life instead of living it, I’ve put a shadow on your memory.” His voice went husky. “And so one last time, I ask for your forgiveness, this time for moving on and finding happiness in the life that I’ve been gifted with.”

“I’ve met someone.” He wasn’t reading anymore. He was looking straight at Natalie. “She’s strong. Independent. Stubborn.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “She puts me in my place, even before she knows why I deserve it. She challenges me. She’s been bearing her own grief, but instead of hiding from it, she’s used it to make herself stronger.”

Natalie’s breath wobbled.

He set the letter aside. “A goat should’ve eaten the rest of it, because I really got it wrong after that.”

“Don’t tease me, CJ,” Natalie whispered.

He gripped her chin, held her face while he gazed ferociously into her eyes. “I love you, Natalie. I’ve loved you since the first time I kissed you on purpose, but I was just too slow and scared to admit it. You’ve turned my world upside down, and I like it better this way. I love you, and I want to love you forever.”

He wrapped his arms around her, all warmth and strength and comfort. “I’m gonna mess up, Nat. I’m gonna mess up a lot. But I’m here. I’m here for you, if you’ll have me.”

She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve everything she’d ever wanted, but here he was.

The last piece to make her whole.

She buried her face in his neck, inhaled the scent of his skin, gripped him as tight as she could. “Are you sure?”

“I’m a little terrified. You’re a hell of a woman to keep up with.”

He’d meant to be funny. She could hear it in his voice. But based on what Pepper had told her this morning, he still didn’t know everything he was signing up for.

Pepper and Dad had kept a huge secret. And he needed to know. She pulled back to look at him. “CJ—”

“I cleaned out my retirement accounts,” he said. “I’ll get you the boutique back. Whatever it takes. I’ll buy Pepper a different dress shop, and I will get yours back for you. I’ll watch Noah and all our other kids when you go to Knot Fest meetings, and I’ll play in the damn Games every year if that’s what you need me to do. I know it won’t be easy, Nat, but you were born to shine. And I want to be the man who stands behind you and helps you shine as bright as you can.”

Everything in her world stilled.

No more panic. No more stress. No more fears. She studied the earnest, honest openness in his eyes, the serious bent to his lips, the stubborn determination in the set of his strong jaw.

“I love you, Natalie. All of you. The strong parts and the stubborn parts and the soft parts. The parts that want to fit in and the parts I don’t understand and the parts that drive me crazy. You are my everything. I will never be whole without you, but I don’t deserve you if I ask you to sacrifice the parts of you that make you
you
. I know what Bliss means to you. I know what the boutique means to you. And I want you to have them both.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks while irrepressible laughter bubbled from her core. “I do,” she said. “I already do.”

“You—?”

“Dad only sold half the shop to Pepper. He gave me a business partner.” She understood the words she was saying, but the reality had barely sunk in. She’d earned her place on the Knot Fest committee, overseeing the Husband Games with a full committee to delegate to. She still had Mom’s boutique.

And now CJ was offering his heart. He’d stayed.

He’d stayed for her.

CJ visibly swallowed, and unless she was mistaken, he was thinking at least a quarter word. “So my first challenge is accepting that someone else got to be your hero.”

“But you’re my favorite hero.” Her fingers were shaky when she stroked his cheek. “And since you don’t have to buy me a dress shop, maybe you can think about buying you a bar.”

His lips parted, and the hope springing to life in his eyes told her everything she needed to know.

He belonged at Suckers, and he knew it.

“You need to fit too,” she said. “You can’t just be the person who watches Noah while I work. You deserve your own happiness. And if that’s what will make you happy, that’s what we’ll do. We’ll make it work. For both of us.”

He threaded his fingers through her hair, pulled her close, and he kissed her, right there in the confessional. She didn’t know much about confessionals, but she knew this probably wasn’t what it was designed for.

Still, she kissed him back with all her heart. “I love you, CJ,” she said.