Piece of My Heart (Fostering Love 4)

“Has she been to church yet?” Ani asked.

“Nope.” I shook my head slightly. “Just long conversations with Rabbi Stevens at a coffee shop for now.”

“Well, good for her. Baby steps, right?” Ani said seriously. Then she grumbled, “I can’t believe she made me wear a bridesmaid dress when you didn’t even have an actual wedding.”

“Why are you over here harassing Alex?” Bram asked as he brought Ani a drink. “It’s his wedding reception—give the guy a break.”

I tuned them out as they argued, and watched as Sarai spun in a circle, her wedding dress floating out around her. The dance floor was full of friends and family, but I knew that somewhere in the crowd Clover was doing his damnedest to woo Hailey. After we’d left Missouri, they’d formed a friendship that was as close as that of any couple I’d ever seen, but my old buddy was holding a torch. It would be interesting to see how that all played out.

“What are you guys doing over here?” my little sister, Kate, asked as she came to stand beside me. “You’re like a bunch of wallflowers.”

“Just enjoying the show,” I said, pointing with my champagne flute at her son, who was currently wiggling his eyebrows at Sarai.

“Oh, good grief,” she said with a laugh. “He can barely speak to girls his own age, but when he gets around older women, he thinks he’s Mr. Smooth.”

“The boy’s got game,” Kate’s husband, Shane, said, joining us. “Gets that from his dad.”

“Oh, you’re so full of shit,” Ani barked, laughing.

“You wish you had game,” Bram said to Shane, grinning.

“He does,” Kate argued. She turned to Shane. “You totally do.”

I chuckled. “Do you guys mind?” I asked. “I’m trying to ogle my wife.”

“You can ogle your wife at home,” Ani replied with a wave of her hand.

“And so can everyone else,” Morgan said as she and Trevor walked up. “You need to get some blinds on your windows. Me and Trev stopped by the other night, and we could see right into the house.”

“That’s because we live in the middle of nowhere,” I said in exasperation. “We shouldn’t have to put blinds on the windows.”

“You built your house on the family property,” Bram replied, reaching past Ani to shove good-naturedly at my shoulder. “That’s just asking for family members to show up whenever they want.”

“Sarai wanted to be close,” I murmured as I watched her raise her hands above her head and clap. The smile on her face was so bright, I swore it lit the entire room.

We’d come a long way from the two broken people who’d shown up on my parents’ doorstep looking for a place to heal. Our counselor said that people were a constant work in progress, and I guessed that was true, but I didn’t think I’d ever feel happier than I did in that moment.

She turned toward me, grinning, then raised her eyebrows as her gaze moved over our group. When she strode toward me, I pushed myself away from the wall.

“Is this a private party,” she joked, “or is anyone invited?”

“I guess you can hang with us,” Morgan joked as I pulled Sarai toward me for a kiss.

“Kind of you,” Sarai murmured, glancing at Morgan right before our lips met.

“Picture!” my mom called out, interrupting us. “You’re all in one place! Don’t move!”

We all laughed as we turned toward her.

“I want one, too,” Sarai’s aunt yelled, lifting her camera in the air. She hurried toward us.

Sarai giggled as she turned toward them and leaned back against my chest. After months of conversations and a couple of trips out to see us, I finally got to witness the loving relationship Sarai had with her aunt—free of hurt feelings and arguments. It was awesome.

“Okay, Shane and Trevor, scoot in,” my mom ordered, making the guys grumble.

“No, scoot,” she ordered again. “Closer.” She looked through her camera lens. “Ani, I can’t see you. Why are you behind Morgan?”

“I can crouch down,” Morgan said questioningly, turning her head to look at Ani.

“Bram, you’re stepping on my dress,” Ani grumbled. “Move.”

“Crap, sorry, baby,” he replied.

“Mom, my face is starting to hurt,” Kate said through clenched teeth.

“Then stop smiling,” I said, shaking my head. “Wait until she’s ready.”

“I can’t,” she muttered, still smiling.

“She’s afraid she’ll be making a weird face,” Shane said. “It always happens.”

“You’re fine, Kate,” I said as the couples on my other side shifted around some more. “Stop smiling.”

“No,” she ground out.

“Okay, we’re ready,” Ani said. “Wait! Bram, you’re on my dress again!”

“Shit,” Trevor said. “Sorry, Ani, that was me.”

“Move, Trev,” she barked. “You’re pulling it down!”

I laughed at the chaos surrounding me and leaned down to kiss Sarai’s bare shoulder. Leaving my lips there for a minute, I slid my hand over her belly.

Later, when all the reception photos were developed, that photo would be the one we chose for our wall. From left to right, Shane smiled happily; Kate frowned as she lost the struggle to keep the smile on her face; Bram grinned proudly, his eyes on me; Trevor grimaced, looking at his feet; Morgan stared at Ani in horror; and Ani glared at the camera as she clutched at the top of her strapless dress. And right in the center, Sarai beamed while I kissed her shoulder and pressed my hand against the spot where our son was growing.