Chapter Thirty-One
Pepper
Oak Falls is home to horse farms, coffee shops, and quaint restaurants where customers are greeted like family and treated like treasured guests, whether or not they’re from the area. That’s one of the things I love most about my hometown. The people might be nosy and spread gossip faster than the wind, but as we drive through the town where I went from being a curious child to a careful teen, and finally to the woman I am today, a funny thing happens. I realize I didn’t become the woman I am today in Oak Falls. I found her in Paris with Clay, and she took root with him in Charlottesville.
As we near the festival grounds, my nervousness about seeing my family in our newfound coupledom morphs into something else. I’m proud to be with a man who adores me for who I am, with all my meticulousness and overthinking. A man who has shown me that life is so much bigger than proving to the world I’m more than just a smart person or a scientist. A man who has helped me overcome my fears and insecurities. But that doesn’t stop butterflies from swarming in my belly when we reach the crowded fairgrounds.
We’re blessed with a sunny, almost-sixty-degree day, and it looks like the whole town came out to enjoy it. Hordes of people are milling about the lawn and moving in and out of white tents decorated in pinks and reds, selling arts and crafts, jewelry, clothing, and other wares. The scents of barbecue and popcorn carry in the breeze. Bells and chimes ring out in the distance from carnival games, and heart-shaped red balloons with #teamplay printed in white on one side and #Love printed on the other dance from ribbons tied to tents and tables.
As we make our way through the crowds, parents chase after sticky-faced children eating cotton candy and ice cream. Couples sit on blankets listening to Sable’s band play on the stage. Surge came together for one last hometown event before Tuck and two other bandmates leave for LA. Couples hold hands and take pictures beneath a giant oak tree that has red streamers wrapped around its trunk, and dangling from the branches by red ribbons are large red hearts with sweetheart , love , kiss me , love you , be mine , and other sentiments written across them in white.
I know my mother and Amber are running a booth for my mother’s service-dog training business, and Morgyn has a booth for her eclectic and repurposed jewelry, clothing, and home goods. I scan the crowd looking for my other family members and notice people glancing our way, recognition lighting up their faces.
Clay lifts our joined hands and kisses the back of mine, giving me his full attention, as usual. “This reminds me of home. Ridgeport has festivals for every holiday.”
“Charlottesville has quite a few, too, but I try to come home for them when I can.”
“Do you ever miss living here?”
I wrinkle my nose.
He chuckles. “Not so much?”
“I miss my family, but a day or two every now and then is enough. I could never move back like Grace did. She was a playwright in New York City, and after she and Reed got a second chance at love, she moved back, he renovated the local theater, and now she does what she loves with the man she adores. But I need a bigger city, without the craziness of it being too big. Do you ever miss Ridgeport?”
“I’ve never thought about it. Like you, I miss my family, and there’s that sense of comfort when I go home to see my parents. But I usually get edgy staying in one place too long.”
“ Oh . You’ve been in Charlottesville a while. Are you getting itchy to leave?”
“Not yet.” He stops walking and pulls me into his arms with a playful twinkle in his eyes. “You getting sick of me, Reckless?”
“Not even close. You?”
“I never get sick of myself. I’m a fun guy.”
I roll my eyes.
“I’m in no rush to be away from you, babe.”
He kisses me, and as we start walking again, I see my father coming away from a funnel cake vendor with a plate full of the powdered-sugary treat. He spots us, and a smile stretches across his handsome face. He heads in our direction. My father is the most stable man I know, and that trait carries over to every aspect of his life, from the way he wears his fair hair short and side parted to his khakis and navy sweater.
“Hungry, Dad?” I ask.
“This is for your mother. You know how much she loves funnel cake.” He draws me into a one-armed hug. “I missed you, princess.”
“I missed you, too.”
“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. M.” Clay extends his hand.
“You too, Clay.” My father glances at his hand and shakes his head, drawing him into a one-armed embrace, too. “I think you’ve earned the right to call me Cade.”
“A’right. Cade it is. This is quite a turnout.”
“The sunshine brings everyone out. How was your drive?” my father asks.
“Not bad. We didn’t hit much traffic,” I say as a child runs by wearing a red sweatshirt with #teamplay on it. “What’s team play?”
“Oh, that’s just something the town’s doing to encourage people to think like a team and support one another,” my father says.
“That’s nice,” I say. “Where is everyone? Did Axsel make it home?”
“He didn’t make it, but Grace and Reed and Brindle and Trace are around here somewhere. Morgyn and Graham, and Amber and your mother, are manning their booths, and Dash is running that football throwing game again this year, raising money for the youth football league. Everyone’s looking forward to seeing you guys. Clay, now that you’re dating my daughter, I look forward to getting to know you better.”
“Maybe we can chat over a boatbuilding lesson sometime,” Clay suggests. “I could use a few pointers. Pepper and I had a boatbuilding contest a few weekends ago. We took the boats out to a lake to race them, and she kicked my butt.”
My father looks at me, surprise shimmering in his eyes. “You made time to build a boat and race it?”
“Yes.” I glance at Clay. “This guy has me making time for a lot of things lately.”
“I like the sound of that.” My father eyes Clay. “You must be pretty special. She only makes time for the people she cares about.”
“Dad, I’m standing right here,” I remind him.
“Don’t worry,” Clay says to my father. “I know how unbelievably lucky I am to have roped your daughter into spending time with me.”
“Hey, Braden!”
We all look over toward the games to see who is calling Clay, and through the crowd, I see Dash waving him over. Clay lifts his chin in acknowledgment and holds up an index finger.
“It’s okay. Go on over,” I say. “I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes.”
“A’right.” He kisses my cheek, and then he points at my father and says, “I’m serious about the boatbuilding lesson. I can’t let her one-up me for too long. It’ll go to her head.”
My father laughs. “I guess she failed to mention that by the time she was a senior, her boats blew mine away.”
“Well, hell . I guess I’m crazy about a woman who’ll always beat me at something.”
Clay winks at me, and then I watch him make his way across the lawn toward Dash.
“I like that smitten look in your eyes, princess.”
I take a deep breath. “Is it that obvious?”
“Honey, I could feel the difference in you from ten feet away.” He holds up the plate of funnel cake, and I take a piece. “It’s been a few weeks since the news of you two came out. How have things been? Does he come see you often?”
Why is my heart racing? I break off another piece of funnel cake. “Actually, he’s been in Charlottesville the whole time.” I pop the sugary treat into my mouth.
His brows lift in surprise. “When Clay called to ask if we’d mind if Hawk came out to photograph us, we assumed things were going well, but we had no idea he was staying in town. How’s that going? You usually like your space.”
I like my space better when he’s in it is on the tip of my tongue, but a voice of caution whispers to keep it there. “Can I ask you something?”
“Always, honey.”
I nervously brush the powdered sugar from my fingers. “How did you know Mom was the one?”
“That’s a big question. Has Aunt Roxie been sending you body lotion?”
My mother’s sister, Roxie Dalton, lives in Upstate New York, and she’s famous for making personal products with love potions in them. “No. I’ve always used them, but not because I believe they have secret powers.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“Dad, this is hard enough to talk about. Can you just answer the question, please?” I eat another piece of funnel cake, trying to catch a glimpse of Clay, but there are too many people walking by to catch more than a flash of the back of his head as he talks with Dash.
“In a second. Why is it hard to talk about?”
“Because it’s big and new and scary, and we’re moving fast, which you know is not my norm.”
“Yes, but love is supposed to be big, and for many of us, it has to be scary.”
“ Why? Why can’t it just be easy and not make my heart race and my mind follow?”
“Because some of us are too busy to see what’s right in front of our faces. If it wasn’t scary and didn’t feel bigger than anything else we’ve ever experienced, it wouldn’t rattle us to our bones, forcing us to give it the attention it deserves.”
Ravi’s voice tramples through my mind. Any guy who can get you to blow off work and rattle the unflappable Dr. Montgomery must have rocked your world.
“This is a big change from the girl who spent so much time running from him,” my father says, bringing me back to the moment.
“I didn’t run from Clay.”
He gives me a pointed look. “Are you saying I don’t know my daughter? Because every time he showed up, it sure looked like you were skipping town faster than the Road Runner running from Wile E. Coyote.”
I pop another piece of funnel cake into my mouth. “Okay, fine . Maybe he did rattle me.”
“That’s a good thing, honey, and maybe it’s moving fast because that’s what your heart wants.”
I mull that over, nervously eating the funnel cake as we make our way toward Clay. When we break through the crowd, nearing Dash’s booth, it’s swamped with kids. I spot my mother, Grace, and Reed talking with Clay, who’s holding Emma Lou. I’m pretty sure my ovaries are going to explode at the sight of my sweet little niece in his strong arms.
“That’s quite a sight, huh?” my father says.
Realizing I stopped walking, I wince inwardly. “Yeah.”
“He looks good with a baby in his arms.”
“Yeah, he does.” I look at my father, and it suddenly feels important that he hear the truth from me. “Dad, I like my space better with Clay in it.”
He gives my hand a squeeze. “I know you do, princess. Otherwise he wouldn’t be here. For what it’s worth, we all really like him, too.”
I nod, relieved that my family is supportive of us. “You never told me how you knew Mom was your one and only.”
He glances at my mother with the same depth of love I’ve always seen in his eyes, and then he turns that loving gaze on me and says, “I liked my space better with her in it, too.”
My throat thickens.
“Gwampa!” Emma Lou shouts, breaking the moment. She’s beaming at us, with red hearts painted on her cheeks. “Auntie Peppa! Clay’s he ah !” She wriggles from Clay’s arms and runs to us, adorable in red-and-white striped leggings and a white sweater with a big red heart on the front.
I scoop her up and hug her. “Hi, sweets. Are you having a fun day?”
Nodding energetically, she pats my cheeks with both hands and presses her tiny lips to mine. “Love you!”
“I love you, too.” I catch Clay watching us with a new expression I haven’t seen before. It’s warm and enticing in a different way than all the others, and I like it.
Emma Lou leans toward my father, her arms outstretched. “Gwampa!”
“Here, let me take that plate.” Clay takes the empty plate from my father, and I hand Emma Lou to him.
“Pepper, honey. It’s so good to see you.” My mother looks pretty in a V-neck wine-colored sweater and jeans. She embraces me, and her brown hair tickles my cheeks, her familiar scent enveloping me.
“Sorry I ate your funnel cake.”
She waves her hand dismissively. “There’s plenty more where that came from. Clay was just telling us how you helped come up with the idea for his new foundation, and you hired someone new to work in your office, and you’re close to getting funding for another project. Honey, it sounds like you’re on fire .”
“There’s been a lot going on.” I look curiously at Clay, surprised he’d say so much about me.
“I was just catching them up on how hard you’ve been working,” Clay says.
“Bragging is more like it,” Grace says teasingly, moving her thick brown hair over her shoulder before hugging me. “It’s good to see you.” She lowers her voice, whispering, “He adores you.”
“I adore him, too,” I whisper, and boy does it feel good not to hold it in. I step back, taking in her rosy cheeks and bright eyes. “You look beautiful, Grace. How are you feeling?”
“Amazing, and the doctor says everything looks good.” She holds up crossed fingers.
“I’m so glad.” I hug her again.
“But she’s still going to take it easy,” her strappingly handsome, renovations expert husband, Reed, says, and opens his arms. “Get in here, Pep.”
I hug him. “Thank you for taking such good care of her.”
Reed drapes an arm over Grace’s shoulder. “Gracie’s my world.”
“These Montgomery girls have some kind of magic, don’t they?” Clay takes my hand, pulling me to his side, and kisses my temple.
“You can say that again,” Dash calls over from behind Clay.
“Ready for my help yet?” Clay asks.
“No, I’m good. We just needed you for that photo op,” Dash says. “Hey, Pep. Want to take a shot?”
“I think I’ll save myself the embarrassment and skip it. Thanks, Dash.”
Clay arches a brow. “You don’t even want to try, babe?”
“No, and there’s a pack of kids heading his way.” I nod to a group of teens hurrying toward Dash.
“Trust me, she’s doing the right thing,” Grace says.
“He knows I’m not great at sports,” I say. “But I did kick his butt in bowling.”
“You are an excellent bowler,” my mother says. “Cade, remember when we signed Pepper and Sable up for soccer?”
I groan. “Do we really have to relive this?”
“Now we definitely do,” Clay says.
“You two were adorable,” my father says with Emma Lou in his arms. “When Pepper got the ball, Sable would tear down the field, knocking kids out of her way so her sister could make the goal.”
“Now, that’s loyalty,” Clay says.
“Sable is loyal, but our sweet, smart Pepper would get all the way down the field and stop ,” my mother explains. “Then she’d stand there trying to figure out the best angle to kick the ball into the goal.”
Clay hugs me against his side. “My girl just wanted to do it the best way possible.”
“Yes, but then kids would try to steal the ball from me, and Sable would push them out of the way. She got kicked off the team because of me.” I look up at Clay. “She was my own personal defender.”
“She still is,” Grace says. “Needless to say, unless it’s bowling, Pepper’s not great with anything that requires a ball.”
The guys stifle laughs.
“What’s this about my sister handling balls?” Sable asks as she struts over with Kane, causing more laughter. “Hey, sis, is Braden giving you a hard time about something? Because I’ll set him straight.”
“ No , he’s not.”
Sable points at Clay. “You and I need to get better acquainted.”
“Here we go.” My father shakes his head.
“ Sable ,” I warn.
“It’s all good, babe,” Clay says. “Sable, you and Kane should come visit us in Charlottesville. You can do a polar plunge with us.”
The shocked look on my family’s faces makes me laugh, and come visit us makes me swoon.
Sable scoffs. “Yeah, right. Pepper doesn’t do polar plunges.”
“I do now,” I say, grinning as Sable’s jaw drops. “Clay’s opening my eyes to a lot of things I’ve never done before.”
“I bet he is,” she says with a smirk.
Hours pass with laughter, stolen kisses, and fun with friends and family. Clay and I play games, and we run into Ravi and his family, and they join us for lunch. We visit every available booth, and Clay buys his mother a necklace from Morgyn. He takes pictures with eager fans and signs autographs when asked, and I’m surprised to realize I no longer feel uncomfortable by that attention. It feels good to see him appreciated for his hard work.
By midafternoon, we’re having so much fun and I’m on such a high, I don’t want to wait another minute to give him his gift. “Are you ready for your Valentine’s Day present?”
His gaze turns seductive. “I’m always ready, baby.”
“It’s not that . Come on.” I take his hand, hurrying toward the exit.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see!”
Soon we’re running and laughing, sharing a kiss here and enduring a swat on my butt there, which makes me squeal and run faster. When we reach Main Street, I’m out of breath. We slow to a walk, taking in the banner hanging above the road announcing the festival and the big red bows tied around the old-fashioned streetlights. Shop windows are decorated with reds and pinks and boast signs that say Oak Falls Supports #teamplay .
“Don’t ever say you’re not sporty.” Clay hauls me into a kiss. “You can haul ass when you want to. Where to?”
Butterflies swarm in my belly again. I can’t believe what I’m about to do, but I refuse to chicken out. I pull open the door to the Stardust Café and wave him in.
“Pepper Montgomery,” Winona Hanson, an effervescent redhead, says from behind the counter, drawing the attention of a few customers sitting on red vinyl stools by the counter and a couple sitting in a booth. “I was wondering if I’d see you this weekend with your famous beau.”
“Hi, Win.” I wrap my arm around Clay’s. “This is Clay Braden. Clay, this is Winona Hanson. She runs the café.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Clay says. “I bet you’re privy to all sorts of juicy gossip.”
“They don’t call it Gossip Central for nothin’.” She grabs a plate from the counter and holds it up, offering us heart-shaped sugar cookies that have #teamplay written on them in red icing. “Cookie? They’re on the house today.”
“Thanks.” Clay and I each take a cookie, and he says, “I love how the community is supporting teamwork.”
Some guy at the end of the counter yells, “Go team play!”
“Oak Falls always pulls together,” Winona says. “Do you want to take a seat, and I’ll be right with you?”
“Thanks, but we’re not here to eat,” I say. “I just want to show Clay the Let It Out wall.”
“It’s quite a sight,” she says. “Let me know if you need anything.”
I take Clay’s hand, and we head to the back of the café.
He eyes the graffiti wall. “Does this mean I get to see what you wrote on here?”
“Yup.” We stand in front of the wall as he looks it over. “This café is legendary. Nearly every kid who ever lived in Oak Falls has worked here for some period of time, and anyone who’s lived in the area has probably written on that wall.”
“Did you work here?”
“Yes, for one summer. It was fun, but it was a lot of hard work keeping up with everything. Did you ever work as a waiter?”
“No, but I worked in a sports store one summer. The customers drove me nuts, but it was great for meeting girls. If you came into the store, I definitely would have asked you out.”
“That would never have happened,” I say lightly.
“What are you talking about? I would have asked you out.”
“I have my doubts about that, but that’s not what I meant. I meant I would never have gone into a sports store.”
He cocks a grin. “You would’ve if you knew I worked there. You wouldn’t’ve been able to resist me.”
He tugs me into a kiss, and I can’t help teasing him.
“I think I know why your shoulder hurts. It’s from carrying around that big head of yours.”
He laughs. “You like my big noggin. Now, stop distracting me so I can figure out who was special enough to be on this wall with you.” He moves along the wall as he reads the graffiti for a solid fifteen minutes before pointing to a heart with partially occluded names inside in the upper-left corner. “Is that your parents’?”
“You have eagle eyes.”
“Not good enough, apparently. I don’t see your name or your initials.”
“Keep looking.”
While he scours the wall, I worry with my hands, mustering my courage to push past my insecurities, past my need to stay behind the emotional walls that have protected me for so long. My heart races, and I feel like I might puke, but I want to give him this more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I grab a permanent marker, pull a chair over to the wall, and climb up on shaky legs.
“Careful.” Clay hurries behind me, putting his hands on my legs to keep me from falling. “What are you doing?”
I can’t answer. It takes all my focus to keep my hand steady enough to draw a big heart and write Reckless Loves Mr. Not So Perfect inside it. I know he can’t see it from where he’s standing, and as he helps me down off the chair, I touch his cheek, keeping his attention on me. “The reason you can’t find my name is that I’ve never written on the wall before.”
“Not even about you and Ravi?”
I shake my head.
“Why not?”
“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “I never really knew why I didn’t write on the wall like everyone else. I just never wanted to. But now I think maybe it’s because my heart was waiting for you.” That last part comes out shaky and quiet, sounding as nervous as I feel.
He holds my gaze for a long moment before stepping back and looking up at the wall. I can barely breathe as he stares at it, then turns slowly toward me, his eyes serious.
“You don’t need to say it back” rushes from my lips. “I just wanted you to know before you go back to your real life, whenever that is.”
“My real life?” he says low and a little gruffly.
“You know what I mean. When you’re practicing or in season or whatever you call it.”
His jaw ticks, and silence stretches between us. Just as my insecurities start to get the better of me, he steps closer and runs his fingers down my cheek. “Reckless,” he says earnestly, his eyes searching mine as the warmest, most loving smile crawls across his face. “You are my real life. Don’t you know I’ve been falling for you since day one?”
Relief swamps me, tears threatening. “You have?”
“How could I not? You know how much I love a challenge.”
The tease in his voice is overshadowed by the emotions pulsing between us as he lowers his lips in a kiss so lovingly tender, it roots him deeper into my heart.