She bit her lip. “I—I don’t know if I’m brave enough to do all of that. I think we’ve both been feeling this pull in each other’s direction, but it’s complicated due to our long-standing friendship.” Piper swallowed past the fear clogging her throat. “Ever since he took off from Owl Creek, I’ve been afraid of losing him.”
“The only sure way of losing him is if you don’t clear the air. Words left unspoken tend to lead to missed opportunities.”
Her mother’s words hit their mark. She was right. If only Braden had told her the truth four years ago instead of staying silent out of fear and guilt. Piper didn’t want to make the same mistake. She refused to allow another day to go by without letting Braden know what he meant to her and how she forgave him for withholding the truth about the accident. “You’re right. I have to try and fix things. No matter what, he’ll always be my best friend.” And perhaps if she was truly fortunate, something infinitely more tender.
Piper glanced at her watch. She had a few hours before the Pie in the Sky launch party was set to take place. The truth was it wouldn’t really be a celebration without the one person who had made all of this possible with his vision and heart. It made her sick to her stomach that she’d judged him so harshly. Judge not lest ye be judged. She wasn’t a perfect person, and she’d made a lot of mistakes. She’d pushed him away out of her own hurt and pain. Grief was such a long process, and she was still wading knee-deep in the loss.
Losing Braden in addition to her dad would be way more than she could bear.
Chapter Thirteen
It didn’t take Piper long to track Braden down. She’d stopped at the chocolate factory where Beulah had told her where to find him—at his favorite spot at the Gray Owl mountains. It explained why he hadn’t been picking up any of her calls. Cell phone reception outside of town wasn’t always reliable. She had made one stop before getting on the road. It had been important to pick something up at Trudy’s inn. As she drove nearby the area where Otis lived, she couldn’t help but think of her father and the accident. This area was so pristine and beautiful, yet she’d stayed away from it due to all of the painful
memories related to her father’s death.
Four years was a long time to stay away from a place she truly loved. As of right now she was no longer going to avoid this precious land. All of her life her parents had taught her to cherish her Alaskan heritage and to embrace all it had to offer.
Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Braden. He was standing with a snowboard in his hand, cheeks reddened from the cold, body poised for action. This was Braden at his core. Her Braden. An adventurer. An outdoorsman. It was who he was, in addition to being an incredibly loyal friend and the man she loved beyond measure. She could only hope he felt a fraction of what she held in her heart for him. Come what may, she would soon find out.
Now that she was within a few feet of him she didn’t know what to say. Her words were stuck in her throat. If she said what was weighing on her heart, there would be no turning back. It was so hard to be vulnerable without knowing if she would be accepted or rejected.
“Braden!” She called out to him, drawing his attention away from his next run. He whirled around at the sound of her voice.
“Piper. What are you doing here?” A look of confusion was stamped on his face. “You’re the last person I expected to see.”
“I’d almost forgotten how beautiful it is up here,” she said, her eyes darting all around her. The very air she was breathing seemed different. Cleaner. Purer. It felt like a completely different world from in town.
“It is, but I know you didn’t trek all the way here to tell me that.” He was looking at her warily as if expecting her to unload on him again. Frankly, she couldn’t really blame him. Her words had been brutal.
“Do you remember that time you put the bullfrog in my lunch box when we were in second grade?” she asked.
Braden shifted from one foot to the other. “How could I forget? You didn’t talk to me for a solid week. You really made me sweat it out.”
“And then you came over to my house and told me how sorry you were. You gave me a box and inside was your favorite set of Lego pieces. I knew right then and there how remorseful you truly were.”
Braden scoffed. He placed his palm on his chest. “It was a painful sacrifice for the best friend I’ve ever had.” His voice lowered. “Or ever will have.”
She ducked her head for a moment to compose herself. It was important to get through this without allowing emotion to completely take over. Piper stepped closer toward him, swallowing up the distance between them. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a box. Time had been of the essence so she hadn’t been able to put a pretty ribbon on it. It was no-frills. “Braden, I’m so sorry for all the terrible things I said to you. It’s no excuse, but I think I’ve been looking to blame someone or something for what happened to my dad. It took my mom to point it out to me.”
Piper held out the gift box to him. Braden dropped his snowboard and took a few steps toward her so that they were standing within inches of each other. He took it, then lightly shook it. “Do you want me to open it now? Or is this a wait until Christmas morning type of thing?”
“Now, please,” she answered. The sound of her heart thumping wildly inside her chest echoed in her ears. She’d never felt such an odd sensation as this one. She wanted to throw herself in Braden’s arms and run away at the same time. So much was riding on his reaction to her gift.
She watched as Braden opened the box and pulled out the stuffed red heart. It had a few years of wear and tear on it, but it was one of the most treasured items she owned. Her grandmother had given it to her many years ago, and as Braden well knew, it was a priceless keepsake.
Braden swung his gaze up and locked eyes with her. “Are you giving this to me?”
“Yes,” she said with a nod. “I’m not only giving you something that’s precious to me, but I’m giving you my heart—the one that’s beating so fast right now in my chest.”
“Please don’t tell me you mean just as a friend.” He appeared to be holding his breath waiting for her answer.
Piper let out a shaky laugh. “You’ll always be my best friend, but my feelings for you go well beyond that. I’m in love with you, Braden North.”
Braden reached out and clasped her mittened hand in his. “Say it again, Piper. I want to make sure I’m not imagining things.”
“I love you,” she said, feeling breathless as she said the words once again. It was a freeing sensation to acknowledge the love she held in her heart for Braden.
“I love you back,” he said, letting out a deeply held breath. “I think I’ve loved you for most of my life, but I didn’t even realize it until recently. All I know is that my life is better with you in it.”
