Wake My Heart (Jasper Falls 1)

“Do you like it?” Her sister twirled in front of a wall of mirrors, white taffeta swishing softly.

“You look like a princess.”

“It’s not too much, though, right?”

“Not at all.” Maggie couldn’t stop staring. “I might cry.”

“No crying. Today’s a happy day. Drink your champagne.”

Maggie did as she was told. “You’re the boss.”

She’d taken the day off to do wedding stuff. As the maid of honor, she had certain responsibilities. Basically, she had to be at Perrin’s beck and call for the next month and a half. Making herself available seemed easier than remembering all the trivial things she had to do as the bride’s right hand. And Perrin was a list queen, so her sister’s endless checklists made the job especially easy. Today’s objective: find the dress.

Maggie glanced at the itinerary her sister had printed out. “Next we have a tasting in town. Shouldn’t Bran be there for that?”

Her sister tried on various veils and tiaras. “He’s too busy with work. Last night he was at the office until midnight. Besides, he told me to get whatever I thought the guests would prefer.”

After the bakery, they had lunch. Perrin asked how things were going with Ryan, and Maggie couldn’t hide her happiness.

“You’re really into him, aren’t you?”

Maggie’s cheeks warmed. “He’s fun. And he gets me, even when I don’t make it easy.”

“He seems like a great guy. I’m happy for you.”

Maggie smiled. “I’m happy for me too. And you. I’m happy for both of us.”

Perrin lifted her glass and tapped it to Maggie’s. “To us both finally being happy at the same time.”

That Saturday she and Ryan returned to the mountain for the first official baseball game of summer. They each wore green O’Malley’s shirts, and she was ready to crush the competition.

“I mentioned I have a bit of a competitive streak, right?”

He laughed. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

“And who are we playing today?”

“The post office.”

“Oh, they’re going down.”

She pulled her hair into a ponytail and fed it through the back of her baseball cap. The field was a private diamond with actual bleachers, all owned by the McCulloughs.

Maureen, Colleen, and Rosemarie had a table full of snacks for the kids and coolers filled with water for the players. There were people in the stands she didn’t know, and a few she recognized from around town.

This time she was prepared for the kids, and when she saw little Lennon, she was sure to slip him a piece of chocolate. Having candy moved her up to the top of the scale as far as cool points went with the little ones.

“This is so awesome,” she said, taking in the field. “You guys have actual dugouts.”

Ryan grinned proudly. “Yeah, our dads worked on it a lot when we were kids. The aunts insisted we needed a place to get out our extra energy.”

His relatives waited in a dugout that looked well-worn. The entire back wall was graffitied with marker. Each couple’s name hid somewhere in the mess, adorable and tucked in a heart. She looked for Ryan’s name, wondering if it might be with some important ex of his, but she didn’t see it. Maybe one day she’d add it for him, with hers.

His relatives filtered in, some ready for a game, others looking like they partied a little too hard the night before. Mariella arrived and Maggie moved to her side of the bench to ask how she was.

“Did you guys talk? You look better.”

The woman drew in a big breath and huffed it out with a smile. “I’m wonderful. I dumped him.”

Maggie smiled, proud of her. “Good for you. You deserve better.”

“I’m finally starting to realize that, but he’s not making it easy on me. He keeps calling and showing up at my house. Last night, he wouldn’t leave until I heard him out.”

“Did it change anything?” Maybe they might actually make it work after all.

“No. He wants to have his cake and eat it too. But I’m not settling. I told him he either decides that I’m it for him and we try a committed relationship, or I’m out.”

“I think it’s good you’re standing your ground.”

She glanced at the bench where her phone vibrated. “That’s him. He’s been calling all day, asking me to give him some time to think things over before I cut him off completely. I’m not answering.”

Maggie couldn’t understand why a man would want more time when a woman like Mariella was offering him everything. It made her appreciate how much Ryan devoted himself to their relationship.

“Well, you can take out your frustrations on the field. We’re going to kick some postal worker ass today.”

Mariella laughed. “I’m down.”

The game started and Maggie was impressed with how official and organized everything worked. Their team batted first and took the lead, but in the next inning the postal workers tied up the score. It was a good match and a lively competition. By the sixth inning, she was sweating the score.