For my family. You know who you are.
Prologue
It was meant to be a romantic weekend for the four of them. One during which all would celebrate their accomplishments and forget, even for just a few days, the real world to which they would soon return.
Abby Lewis sighed softly as she stared at her best friend, standing just in front of her. Hayley was a beautiful girl—with honey colored-hair that almost matched Abby’s, and a naturally-tan complexion. The two had often been confused as sisters—and many times, they had made believe they were. They may as well have been, for as close as they were.
Hayley stood in front of a mirror, taking in her own appearance—lost in a world of her own fantasy. She wore a thin white dress that reached down to her bare feet and her hair hung in loose curls.
She was a vision of perfection.
Abby watched as her best friend took a deep breath, turning to meet Abby’s eyes. Hayley’s shined brightly, her excitement impossible to contain. She was radiant with glee.
“So you’re really going through with it?” Abby asked quietly after a few moments of smiling at one another, hating to even risk bringing the mood down. Hayley nodded her head happily, not even the vaguest glimmer of doubt visible in her appearance.
“In less than an hour, I will officially be Mrs. Blake Walker.” Abby couldn’t help but admire her friend. She was so certain—so confident about her future, in spite of the fact that she no longer would have any idea about what to expect. Hayley was completely aware of what she was about to sacrifice.
“And you really don’t care about anything that happens?” Abby questioned, imagining herself in Hayley’s position. What if she were about to marry the man of her dreams, knowing how much it would cost her? Abby was fairly certain she wouldn’t be quite as composed as her best friend was.
“I love him, Abbs.” Hayley shrugged her shoulders in a slow, graceful way. “If my dad can’t see that, then…well, that’s his loss, I guess.”
It was that easy for Hayley. She could give it all up in the blink of an eye.
Abby and Hayley came from the same world—they’d grown up together, both daughters to wealthy, powerful men, surrounded by an elitist society.
“He’s never going to speak to you, Hayl. Ever again.” There was a sense of alarm in Abby’s tone, almost pleading with her best friend.
“I can live with that.” Hayley shrugged again. She was so sure of herself —so willing to accept anything that came her way. Abby sometimes found herself a bit envious, though she would never admit it to anyone. Hayley smiled broadly, stepping forward and taking Abby’s hands.
“It’s different for you, Abby. You love your dad—you guys are actually a family. I don’t have that at home. Those people who are willing to turn their back on me simply because of the man I choose to spend the rest of my life with…they’re not important now. You, Logan, and Blake—you’re all I care about. You’re the only family I need.”
Abby swallowed at the lump in her throat, pulling her friend into an embrace. Her heart swelled with affection within her chest, knowing that Hayley meant every word of it. She was letting go of the life she’d come to know and taking very few things with her—but one thing was for certain: Wherever she went, Abby was sure to be at her side.
Abby couldn’t help but admire Hayley’s bravery. It was something she never really thought herself capable of.
An image of a dark haired man conjured in her mind—tall, usually disheveled in appearance—but beautiful, and her heart panged slightly.
Correction. She hadn’t thought herself capable.
Until she’d met Logan Sheppard, anyway.
As if arriving on cue, a knock sounded on the door before the very same unkempt visage appeared, peeking his head around the corner. “You girls about ready?” His voice was smooth as velvet, sending Abby’s pulse into overdrive the instant she heard it.
“Logan! You don’t rush a girl on the most important day of her life!” Hayley scolded. He grinned his perfect grin and Hayley rolled her eyes at him. “You were just hoping to catch the lovely Abby in a state of undress, weren’t you?”
“Well, I can’t say the thought hadn’t crossed my mind…” This time it was Abby’s turn to roll her eyes and she did, turning so that she was facing the doorway. She was amazed how, even after nearly three years, he could still send her heart fluttering wildly about. She braced herself between the door and the wall, reaching out to touch her lips to his.
“There will be plenty of time for that later,” Abby hinted, her voice low and suggestive. Logan used his shoulder to open the door just a bit wider as he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against hers.
“Good, because as amazing as you look in that dress, I’m certain you look much better without.”
“Well, the sooner you let Hayley and I get back to finishing up, the sooner you’ll get to take it off.” She enjoyed the way his gray eyes roamed over her body—the way his hands felt as they rested on her hips. It was so natural, as if they were made to fit together.
“You’re beautiful, Miss Abigail Lewis. Beautiful, amazing, incredible…you know that, right?” And she could tell by the look in his eyes that he meant it. Her heart fluttered in her chest, feelings of warmth radiating through her. She held his eyes for a moment, almost forgetting that her best friend was standing behind her, preparing for the wedding that was going to take place within the next hour.
But the moment passed and Abby’s smile began to slip, reality sinking in.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she told him, trying to maintain her mood. She reached up and touched her lips to his once more before breaking his grasp and ushering him away.
But, deep down, Abby couldn’t help the sadness that was beginning to unfold within her. Because as amazing as Logan was, she wasn’t sure he would ever realize it.
Maybe that was why she couldn’t imagine herself in Hayley’s shoes.
Logan had always considered himself so lucky to have her in his life. She made everything brighter, he had once told her. But she doubted that he knew what kind of an effect he had on her.
“You two will be here before you know it,” Hayley spoke, interrupting Abby’s thoughts and she turned, her cheeks reddening.
“He wants to wait.” Abby’s mood dampened just a bit more as she shrugged her shoulders. She and Logan had already had that conversation. “I don’t deserve you, Abby. One day you’ll see that.” He told her.
Abby and Hayley both came from wealthy families. They had been expected to go off to college out on the east coast and find themselves respectable young men of similar stations in life. Instead, they’d fallen for a pair of best friends from Boston who had not a cent to their name.
Blake was going to school to become a doctor while Logan had pretty much given up on college, instead spending his nights as a bartender and summers in construction. He’d taken classes for the last two years simply to placate Abby, but she knew that he had no sense of direction. He wasn’t happy tending bar and doing hard labor every summer, but, in his mind, he wasn’t cut out for anything better.
Abby and Hayley’s parents had insisted the relationships wouldn’t last—that they were only flings, and that the girls would come to their senses. But three years later, and both girls were more in love than ever before.
It had been an easy choice for Hayley. She’d never really gotten along with her parents—mostly because she’d never really cared about what they thought or felt the need to please them. They had always frowned upon her wild child ways—Hayley had, after all, rebelled nearly every opportunity given. Abby, on the other hand, adored her dad. Her mother had died when she was just a girl and she’d always felt the need to make her father proud.
Abby was aware that, like Hayley, she would more-than-likely be disowned if she were to choose to spend her life with Logan. Logan was aware of this as well—and it had always been their biggest source of conflict. Every time the future was discussed, it would always come back to the same thing: In Logan’s eyes, Abby deserved better.
But Abby also knew that Logan had no idea how special he was. He had no idea how much he had to offer—no sense of his own potential. And until he did…
“You ready?” Abby asked, pulling herself away from her thoughts. This was not the time to dwell, she told herself. She was here to celebrate.
“I think so,” Hayley responded, her smile bright and natural. Hayley took Abby’s hand as they gave themselves one last once-over.
Hayley looked absolutely radiant—beautiful in a classic sense. Even when she dressed casually, she was stunning. Now, however, she was literally glowing.
Abby glanced at her own reflection. The fair yellow of the simple summer dress she wore brought out the natural tones of her hair and the brightness of her pale green eyes. Her hair was held up in a messy array of curls and waves. She knew she paled in comparison to her best friend, but then again, hadn’t that always been the case?