Pierced by Love (26 page)

Brenda looked at her daughter carefully, seeming to search her heart. Noelle smiled wider. Apparently satisfied, Brenda smiled too.

An hour later, Pierce pulled into his mother’s driveway and parked his Explorer. It was half past ten o’clock. He knew that his mother was on a date with Eric, the guy she’d been dating for the past three months. He let himself in with the key she kept hidden behind the potted plant on the porch and turned on the lights to wait. She should be home soon.

He took his stuff to the guest room. He’d grown up in a house twice this size, but since she no longer needed the space—or maybe it was so that she could get away from the memories—his mom had sold that house and moved to a different ward. She was getting on with her life and Pierce was proud of her.

Fifteen minutes later, a car pulled up to the house and hushed voices could be heard as Sarah Logan, wearing a long-sleeved dress, entered with a middle-aged man wearing a suit and tie. He had thick blondish-brown hair and brown eyes that regarded Pierce kindly. From what Pierce could tell, he was a big-boned man. Standing next to his petite mom, with her dark hair, they appeared somewhat incongruous.

She hurried to Pierce and hugged him. “Hello, Pierce. How are you?”

“Hi, Mom.” His mom was just about the only person on the planet besides Noelle whose hugs Pierce looked forward to.

“I’m glad you made it. I want you to meet my friend, Eric Nielson. Eric, this is my son Pierce.”

He shook the man’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Same here. Now I’ve met all three of you.”

Sarah smiled at her son. “Eric and I attended an orchestra concert tonight at Gammage Auditorium. Gage gave us the tickets.”

“He did?” Pierce was surprised by that tidbit, considering that Gage had been openly opposed to their mother dating Eric.

She nodded. “I think it was his way of apologizing for the way he treated Eric in the beginning.” She smiled and looked back at Eric. “But they’ve been getting to know each other better.”

Eric nodded. “Gage is a good kid once you get past the bad-boy image he portrays. He obviously cares about you, Sarah.”

A shadow passed over her features. “He is a good son. I just wish that someone would help him find his way back into the Church.”

“Give him time, Mom. He’s still dealing with stuff.” Looking Eric in the eyes, he added pointedly, “We all are.”

She sighed. “You’re right. I suppose it will happen in the Lord’s timing. I know that you boys had a shock with your father getting married and me dating a new guy. How did it go in San Diego, by the way?”

Pierce would have preferred to have this conversation one-on-one with her, so he chose his words carefully. “Tamara was definitely not what I expected.” He told them about her Southern roots, jovial personality, and not-so-petite figure. “Dad surprised me with his choice, to be quite honest.”

Sarah gave him a knowing look. “It’s because he’s finally mature enough to realize what’s important.” She smiled toward Eric. “I can say that for myself now too, I hope.”

Eric gave her an adoring look. Pierce’s jaw tightened. It was going to take some time to get used to seeing his mom with this man. “Sarah, you have done a remarkable job of pulling your family through the trials you’ve faced. Don’t be too hard on yourself that your marriage didn’t work out.”

Sarah looked at Pierce regretfully. “I tried. But my sons had to come first. We needed a separation so that things could be put to rights again.”

Eric said, “Well, it’s late and I should be heading home. It’s great to meet you, Pierce. Take care.” He walked up to Sarah and kissed her cheek. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Sounds great. Good night, Eric.”

“Good night.” Pierce watched him go, wondering why his life had to be like a soap opera.

“I expected you earlier, son. Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Pierce hedged, knowing that it wasn’t completely true.

Maybe it was her sixth sense kicking in, but his mom gave him the perfect opening by stating, “You didn’t like Eric. I could see it on your face.”

“No, that’s not it. I’m just not used to seeing you with another guy.”

“I’ve been dating off and on for the past four years. But I’ve never been in a relationship that was serious enough to introduce anyone to you and your brothers.”

“So it is serious then?”

His mom nodded thoughtfully. “I think so. Eric is pretty straightforward about things. I’ve met some men in the singles scene who have represented themselves falsely or talked about their divorces like they were of no consequence. Of course, every divorce happens for a reason. I’ve tried to be really careful and ferret out the truth from the men I’ve dated. Some of them were put off by that. But they were generally the ones who were hiding something important.”

Pierce was impressed with his mom’s discernment. He’d worried about her getting stuck in another bad marriage.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question, Mom?”

“Go ahead.”

He took a fortifying breath and began. “Dad told us some things about the time when we were little. Why didn’t you tell us about your miscarriages and strained relationship with him afterward?”

Sarah swallowed, looking sadly into his eyes. “That was such a difficult time in our marriage. I did what I had to do to block out the pain.”

“He said that you kept pressuring him to have another baby.”

After a silent pause, she nodded. “It’s true. I didn’t know that last pregnancy would end so disastrously or that it would do irreparable damage to our marriage. I have to admit, Pierce, that when I saw your dad pulling away from us, I harassed him to the point where a permanent wedge came between us. I just wanted for him to come back to church and be the kind of dad you boys needed. But I made it worse by insisting. If there’s anything I’ve learned from this experience, it is to be more supportive to a husband by being humble enough to wait on the Lord for His perfect timing. Maybe if I hadn’t pushed your dad so much . . . but we can’t change it now.”

Pierce agreed. “Dad knows that you were doing the best you could. He takes his share of the blame.”

Sarah nodded in resignation. “I think that it’s time for all of us to move forward. We’ve suffered enough heartache in the past. We have a bright future before us. Aren’t we fortunate that the Lord gives us second chances?”

Pierce loved his mom more in that moment than he ever had before. And while he didn’t quite feel ready to forgive his parents for the pain they’d caused, he was overcome with the feeling that eventually everything would be all right.

Sarah changed the subject. “I heard that you brought a girl with you to San Diego.” She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly.

“Her name is Noelle Jensen.” He proceeded to tell her about Noelle, omitting the drama that she and Melody were going through.

“And is this the friend you’re visiting this weekend?”

He mumbled, “I’m actually down here to meet her parents.”

The complete astonishment and joy he saw on her face did nothing to allay Pierce’s worries. “Pierce,” she breathed. “Oh, Pierce. That’s wonderful. You’re dating a girl for real this time?”

He tried not to take offense to that. Really. “Yes, Mom. It’s a little early, but . . . ,” he hesitated, “I think I’ve found the woman I want to marry.” There. He’d said it aloud. The roof hadn’t caved in. Everything would be fine.

He hoped.

TWENTY

N
OELLE, WAKE UP. We need to get going. We have a lot to do today.” Melody walked into Noelle’s bedroom after rapping lightly on the door. She sat on the edge of the bed, prompting Noelle to roll over, putting her back toward Melody.

Noelle groaned. “Why do I need to go with you and Mom? Have you considered that it might not be very fun for me?”

As soon as the words came out, Noelle bolted out of her bed and hugged Melody, hoping to erase the shocked look of hurt that she’d put on her sister’s face. “I’m sorry, Melody. My brain is still groggy.”

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “Noelle, I thought we were over all of that.”

“I’m trying, Melody,” she said, placating her. “Come on. Let’s get going. Do I smell bacon and eggs?”

Noelle quickly showered and dressed in a pair of light brown slacks, a green peasant blouse, and high-heeled strappy sandals. She sat in the backseat of her mother’s BMW Gran Coupe, literally feeling like a third wheel while Melody rambled on about lace and bows, ribbon and sequins. Her monologue turned next to corsages and bouquets and the pros and cons of real flowers over silk.

Noelle’s ears were ringing by the time they came to their first stop, the florist shop. After deliberating for an endless length of time, Melody and her mother decided on white roses accented by pink lilies with light blue- and brown-shaded ribbons woven through it. Noelle’s bouquet would be a miniature version of Melody’s. Noelle had learned that she, along with Melody’s grade-school friend, Lori, were the only bridesmaids, and therefore, Melody had chosen not to have a maid of honor.

They made consecutive stops to the print shop to pick up Melody and Chase’s wedding invitations and to the caterer’s shop to confirm a few more details. Their last visit was to All In White Bridal Boutique. Sharon, who catered to temple-ready bridal fashions in the LDS community of Mesa, Arizona, met them serenely in the lobby. Melody introduced Noelle, explaining that they were here to have her dress fitted. When Sharon left to retrieve the gown, Noelle asked Melody why Lori wasn’t with them.

“She came with me last time,” Melody explained. “Her dress is ready.”

A few minutes later, Sharon entered the lobby again, motioning the trio back to the fitting rooms. She indicated a specific paneled partition with a knee-length cap-sleeved dress in a light blue color hanging next to it. Noelle’s eyes locked onto the dress and she fingered it, noting the softness of the chiffon and the bow on one side whose tails trailed and tapered becomingly to the mid-thigh length.

“Do you like it, Noelle?”

“It’s gorgeous,” she breathed.

She took the dress past the panel and quickly changed into it, loving the way the color of it enhanced the blue of her eyes and made her skin glow. Obediently, she allowed Sharon’s assistant to pin the dress in the appropriate places, although her patience began to wear thin by the time she’d finished.

“Melody, are we going to—”

She stopped midsentence, not realizing till that moment that Melody had disappeared momentarily to try on her wedding dress. When Melody stepped forward to the mirror-paneled wall wearing the most beautiful gown Noelle had ever seen, her heart stopped beating. In traditional long-sleeved fashion, the rounded neckline and fitted bodice featured a beaded lace overlay while the slender skirt flared out gracefully to the floor. Catching Noelle’s gaze, Melody turned slowly, allowing Noelle to see the tiny buttons that ran the length of the gown and the flowers that detailed the back waistline. Melody looked wonderfully exquisite.

Melody twisted her engagement ring nervously and asked, “What do you think, Noelle? Is it okay?”

All of a sudden, the room felt too warm. The walls seemed to be closing in on Noelle while she tried to hear Melody’s words over the blood pounding in her ears. Her chest constricted painfully when her mind conjured the image of Chase with his sandy-blond hair and bright blue eyes standing in a white tuxedo next to Melody on the temple steps. The gown might be all right, but she wasn’t. Up to this point, Noelle had been telling herself that she could get through this and that she would stand by the people whom she loved while they vowed to love each other forever.

Now, however, she knew that she’d been lying.

Shameful tears came to her eyes. Turning around to shield them from Melody’s view, she came face-to-face with her mother, who looked at her in concern. “Noelle—sweetheart, are you all right?”

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she smiled tightly. “I’m not sure. I think I need to sit down.” Why was this happening right here, of all places? She’d thought she could handle this, but she couldn’t. There was no way to keep the tears at bay. Searching frantically for the restroom, she entered it and closed the door just before the dam broke loose. She tried to cry quietly and not damage the dress, if it were possible.