The Winter Wedding Plan--An unforgettable story of love, betrayal, and sisterhood Read online

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by Megan Leavell

  Excerpt from One Week to the Wedding copyright © 2017 by Megan Leavell

  Cover photograph © Shutterstock.

  Cover design by Brian Lemus.

  Cover copyright © 2017 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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  Hachette Book Group

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  First Edition: September 2017

  Forever is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. The Forever name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Control Number: 2017942516

  ISBNs: 978-1-4555-6726-3 (trade pbk.), 978-1-4555-6724-9 (ebook)

  E3-20170830-DANF

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  About the Author

  Also By Olivia Miles

  Acclaim For Olivia Miles

  Reading Group Guide

  A Preview of One Week to the Wedding

  Newsletter

  To my darling little girl, Avery

  Acknowledgments

  When I finished writing this book, I knew that it had become one of my favorites. I’m so grateful to my editor, Michele Bidelspach, for connecting with this project and understanding my characters and giving me an opportunity to share this story with my readers, just as I had envisioned it.

  Thank you, Paige Wheeler, agent extraordinaire, who has been an invaluable resource and friend to me from day one, and who gave me the confidence to send this manuscript to my editor in the first place.

  I’d like to thank to my copy editor, Lori Paximadis; my production editor, Carolyn Kurek; and everyone at Grand Central who has a hand in polishing my books and making them shine.

  And thank you, as ever, to my readers.

  Chapter One

  Perhaps it was the laundry pile, which had grown so high that only two choices could be made—do it or wear yesterday’s clothes. Or perhaps it was the stack of unpaid bills, tucked under a pile of picture books and nearly forgotten until the baby discovered them and used the credit card statement as a teething ring. Or perhaps it was the call from her landlord, reminding her about the rent check. Charlotte couldn’t be sure. But one thing she could be sure of was that today things were going to change in the Daniels residence. Sure, it was only Thanksgiving, and typically big resolutions didn’t come about for another five weeks, but she didn’t exactly have five weeks at the rate things were going, so today would just have to do.

  First up: She’d organize her apartment. Get the closets in order and make the bed every morning before work—in other words, customary adult responsibilities that she just didn’t seem to have time for these days, but would make time for, starting today! Next (and this was a big one), she’d get her finances together and pay back that loan her parents had so generously given her for a security deposit on an apartment when she’d moved back to Misty Point last summer. And third, she’d focus on the future, not the past with all its icky mistakes, and start building the life that her daughter deserved.

  It started today. About a month before Christmas. Baby’s first Christmas, she thought with a smile as she walked into her parents’ dining room and tucked Audrey into the nicked wooden high chair that had been passed down from her sister, Kate, to her, and now to her seven-month-old daughter. Charlotte felt her eyes begin to mist when she thought of how her family had opened their arms to her surprise baby girl. It was more than Audrey’s father had ever done…Not that any of them would be discussing him today. Or any other day for that matter. No, he was part of her past. Not her future. And she wasn’t going to be dwelling on her past anymore, was she?

  Nope. It was on the list. A resolution. One she was sticking to.

  “Doesn’t Audrey look sweet in her new Thanksgiving dress!” Charlotte’s father grinned as he carried two bottles of wine into the room and set them on the table her mother had covered in an orange linen cloth just for the occasion. The moment his hands were free, he reached for the camera that was within arm’s reach at all times, and began snapping some candids of Audrey, who was happily chewing on her fingers, a habit she’d picked up when she started teething. Charlotte stifled a sigh and leaned in close, smiling into the lens and hoping that the dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep weren’t accentuated by the overhead lighting.

  “It fits perfectly,” Charlotte commented once Frank had reluctantly turned off the camera and positioned it close to his place setting. There was no denying that Audrey was the best-dressed baby in their small Rhode Island town, not that Charlotte could take any of the credit. Any money she had went to the necessities, but soon that would all change. Soon she hoped to give her only child all that she deserved. She’d already started by giving her the gift of family. Next it would be a nice home. And after that…Well, some might say that a father figure would benefit Audrey, but Charlotte wasn’t taking any risks in that department any time soon. If ever.

  Charlotte’s mother came into the room with a bowl of roasted squash. “Before you leave tonight, remind me that I have a few more things to give you.”

  “Mom.” Charlotte felt her face flush. She darted her eyes to the doorway, happy that the friends and family who had gathered for the day were still in the kitchen, snacking on appetizers. Her mother was forever buying gifts lately, and while the clothes and toys were understandable, things like
paper towels and laundry detergent made her always feel a strange mix of gratitude and humiliation.

  Maura winked. “Just a few little things I couldn’t pass up. On sale for a steal. I couldn’t resist!”

  Charlotte inwardly cringed. It wouldn’t be exactly easy to ask for yet another favor tonight when her parents were already offering up so much.

  She wrapped a bib around Audrey’s neck—another gift, this one from her sister, Kate, and her fiancé, Alec—and snapped it closed. Her stomach felt funny as she mentally rehearsed the speech she would give. It had all seemed so much easier when she’d practiced in the shower this morning while Audrey took a brief nap.

  “Turkey coming through!” Kate cried out now as their uncle Bill carried the large bird into the room and set it down on the center of the table.

  Her cousin Bree, a strict vegetarian, hovered in the doorway, her top lip curling slightly. “Please tell me I will be eating more than mashed potatoes today.”

  “There’s bread.” Her mother, Charlotte’s aunt Ellen, handed Bree a basket of rolls and disappeared back into the kitchen.

  “Yum. Bread.” Bree’s older but considerably less mature brother, Matt, snatched one and took a large bite, causing Bree to swat him on the arm.

  “It’s a good thing I had the sense to bring a salad,” Bree muttered.

  “Out of curiosity,” Alec said as he came into the room. “Would you ever date a carnivore, Bree?”

  Bree’s cheeks turned pink at the question. “Why? Did you have someone specific in mind?”

  Now it was Alec’s turn to look uncomfortable. “Just curious is all.” He pulled out a chair and quickly settled himself into it.

  Bree pinched her lips as she dropped the basket onto the table. “Good. The last thing I need right now is to be set up.”

  Charlotte quietly seconded that sentiment as everyone took their seats, which wasn’t an easy feat this year with so many people tucked around the table. This year Alec’s brother, William, and his wife, also Kate’s best friend, Elizabeth, had joined with Elizabeth’s parents and brother. The two families were merging in a way, expanding the holiday cheer, and Charlotte was happy for it. She liked William. And she’d always liked Elizabeth. Even if she did make her feel a little uncomfortable these days.

  She slid into the chair next to Elizabeth, feeling out the situation. Sure enough, Elizabeth’s smile was a little strained. Well, who could blame her? She was a loyal friend. And Charlotte…well, Charlotte hadn’t exactly been the most loyal sister in the recent past. And rectifying that was her top resolution.

  “I think we’re ready to eat!” Frank said, his eyes shining as he practically licked his lips. Charlotte glanced over at Bree to see if she’d caught the gesture, and the horror widening in her cousin’s eyes told her that she had.

  “The potatoes!” Maura suddenly cried as she started to push back her chair.

  Charlotte, who had bent to pick up the spoon Audrey had dropped, stood and set her hand on her mother’s shoulders. “Allow me.”

  It was the least she could do, considering that the pumpkin cheesecake she’d baked that morning had inexplicably curdled in the oven while the graham cracker crust had burnt to a crisp, causing the smoke alarms in her apartment to go off until she’d been forced to open the front door for thirty straight minutes and then sit with Audrey in the car to stay warm. The one thing she was asked to contribute, and she’d managed to ruin it. She’d brought a bottle of wine instead. Nice. Traditional. Perfectly acceptable once she’d wiped off the dust and checked the label, hoping that the age of it was a good thing, since it had been sitting in the back of her pantry for months and might have belonged to the former tenants.

  She walked into the kitchen, her eyes coming to rest on Kate’s magazine-cover-worthy apple tart, complete with a perfect lattice crust and no doubt homemade vanilla bean ice cream to accompany it—something Kate had whipped up when it was announced that Charlotte wouldn’t be bringing the dessert after all.

  Charlotte grumbled under her breath. Then, because she couldn’t resist, she flung open the freezer door and narrowed her eyes on the simple white carton that rested primly on the second shelf. Suspicion confirmed.

  “I forgot the cranberries, too!” Her mother sighed as she came up behind her, but she paused when she noticed Charlotte’s frown. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

  Charlotte closed the freezer with a guilty shrug. “Nothing.” Yet so much all at once. “I just feel bad about my cheesecake.” It was the first thing that came to mind, but she was horrified to realize a single hot tear had slipped down her cheek.

  “Honey!” Maura’s laugh was good-natured as she brushed the tear away with the pad of her thumb. “It’s the thought that counts. Besides, we have this apple tart to enjoy. It looks beautiful, doesn’t it?”

  “Hmm.” Charlotte felt her lips thin. She had spent Audrey’s entire morning nap carefully following the recipe she had printed at the office yesterday. She’d even made a special trip to the grocery store for the ingredients last night, which had cost a pretty penny. By the time she’d pulled the mess from the oven and stared at it in complete bewilderment, wondering where exactly she had gone wrong, Audrey had started crying again, needing to be changed and fed. And then the smoke alarm started to blare…

  Now Charlotte set a hand to her forehead. She was just tired, that was all. Running on interrupted sleep for months on end could do that to anyone. She was crying over a cheesecake, of all things. A curdled, inedible, burnt-to-the-edges cheesecake.

  But she knew from the ache in her chest that it really was about so much more.

  “I guess I just wonder if I’ll ever get anything right,” she said as she spooned the mashed potatoes from the pot that was still warm on the stovetop into one of her mother’s best serving bowls.

  “We all make mistakes, Charlotte. Don’t let them define you.” Her mother’s hand on her shoulder was kind, but her words were firm, and ones that Charlotte knew she should heed.

  She finished filling the bowl slowly, wondering if now was the time to ask about moving back home for a while, just until she landed on steadier ground. No need to admit the extent of her mess. But even though she knew she had to ask—today—she couldn’t bring her mouth to form the words. To admit that she’d tried. And failed. Again.

  “I have the cranberries,” Maura announced. “All set with the potatoes?”

  The moment now lost, Charlotte nodded briskly and took a deep breath before following her mother back into the dining room, where everyone was clutching their forks, eager for the meal to begin.

  As they did every Thanksgiving, each person went around the table and said what they were thankful for as her father carved the massive bird, which was a bit larger than usual this year.

  “I’m thankful for the new additions to our Thanksgiving table,” Maura said, giving Audrey a little kiss on the head. “We don’t just have this precious little baby with us this year; we also have a fine young man and his parents. Alec, we’re so happy to welcome you to the family.”

  Charlotte raised her glass to toast the happy couple on cue, but she couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy at the turn of events. Her sister was engaged (for the second time, but no need to harp on those details just now), and Charlotte was sitting pretty all alone. No man was waiting for her at home tonight. No man had gotten down on one knee and popped the question.

  Jake Lambert hadn’t even met his daughter, much less acknowledged that she was his. Not that Charlotte would be admitting that to anyone. They all assumed he was contributing something, and she let them all think so. It was easier that way.

  Alec’s turn was next. “I’m grateful for a short engagement,” he said with a mischievous grin.

  “Oh, isn’t that sweet,” Maura said, tilting her head as she smiled wistfully.

  “It’s not for the reason you think, Mom,” Kate corrected. She held out her plate as their father piled turkey onto it. “It’s not that he can�
��t wait to be married. It’s that he knows he only has to tolerate all my wedding planning for another eight weeks.”

  Alec held up his palms. “Guilty as charged. Who knew there were so many varieties of roses?”

  From beside her, Bree raised her hand, eliciting a laugh from the table. “Alec, I could tell you just how many varieties of roses there are, but I don’t think we have enough wine to keep you from panicking. Besides, I am happy to let you know that Kate has already been into my shop and she has narrowed down her choices to two different looks. Two very different looks, I might add, but all the same, two.”

  Really? Charlotte frowned, wondering why she hadn’t been let it on this earlier. So Kate had gone to Bree’s flower shop, chatted about colors and arrangements and all that fun stuff, while Charlotte was either filing paperwork at the office they shared or sitting in her apartment with Audrey. Either way, she hadn’t been invited.

  She glanced at Elizabeth, who was nodding along casually. Sure enough.

  “Well, if it were up to me, we’d have gone to city hall last month when I proposed,” Alec said ruefully.

  “That’s what Frank and I did, and I’ve always regretted it,” Maura said.

  “That’s what I try telling Alec.” Kate shook her head. “But he’s too practical.”

  “Aw, now…” Alec roped an arm over Kate’s shoulders and gave her a peck on the cheek. “You know I want you to have the wedding of your dreams. I just don’t want you losing sleep over it while you’re planning it!”

  Kate gave a resigned smile. “It’s true that I have been losing some sleep. There are just so many hours in the day, and with client weddings to plan and Christmas parties, too, there’s always something to take my attention away from our big day.” She poked at her plate. “Maybe we should have planned for something for spring. But I had my heart set on a winter wedding.”

  “January is a wonderful month to get married,” Maura said. “A new year. A new beginning. And Misty Point is so pretty when it’s covered with snow.”

  “I can help,” Charlotte offered, eager to make herself useful, and not just because she wanted to preserve the good standing she had with her sister. She’d been working part-time in Kate’s new event planning company since August, and every extra assignment would go that much further to bettering her circumstances and, from the sound of it, Kate’s, too.