Take Your Time (Fate and Circumstance #2) (35 page)

Bentley

“Are you sure this is what you want? It’s not too late. We can turn around and do this the right way.” We sat in my truck in the parking lot of an attorney’s office in town.

Her deep-brown eyes lit up as they found mine, and her smile grew wider on her pink lips. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. My sisters will be there, my dad will be there, and I’ll have my mom with me. I’m good.” She tugged on the blue sweater that she wore wrapped around her, despite the heat outside. It had been her mom’s, so I didn’t question it. She needed a piece of her mother with her, and I understood that. But she had no idea about the ring that sat in my pocket, waiting for her finger. Wayne had given it to me, and promised to keep it a secret.

A quick tap on my window forced my attention away from her face and the thoughts of her ring. When I noticed my parents standing outside the truck, I turned the ignition off and got out. My dad shook my hand and my mom pulled me into a hug, preventing me from walking around to open Sarah’s door. But she climbed out on her own and met us on the other side of the truck.

My mom took one look at her and her eyes immediately misted over. “Aren’t you hot in this?” she asked after pulling out of their hug.

“A little, but I don’t mind. It’s everything I need all wrapped up in one.”

My mom quirked an eyebrow at her, the same as I’d done when Sarah had explained it to me. But I simply smiled and waited for her to go through it all over again with my mom.

“Well, it’s blue…so there’s that. It was my mom’s so it’s old—she technically never gave it to me since it was one of the things I’d taken from her closet after she passed away, so it’s borrowed.”

“What about something new?” My mom’s glistening eyes made me sigh. I knew that look, and it might not end well. I felt certain we’d be late to our appointment due to blubbering women in the parking lot. But that was okay, because I knew they both needed it.

“It’s new to me…kinda.”

My mom grazed Sarah’s cheek with her fingertip and smiled. “Well, I have something new for you…if you want it.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that. You’ve already done so much.”

“Please, Sarah.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a small black box, and then placed it in Sarah’s hands. “You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to, but I wanted you to have it.”

I watched in fascination as Sarah slowly opened the lid to the velvet box. She immediately gasped and covered her lips with the tips of her fingers, her eyes shining bright with unshed tears.

“I want you to know that we love you, Sarah. In the short amount of time you’ve been in our lives, you’ve become a daughter to us, and an invaluable piece in our lives.”

“I love you, too.” Sarah wrapped her arms around my mom and held her tight, and then whispered something into her ear. I couldn’t hear what she said, but the way my mom’s eyes squeezed shut, releasing her tears, I knew it was something meaningful.

My mom pulled away and nodded, wiping Sarah’s face.

“Thank you, Mom,” Sarah said, and I have to admit, hearing that caused my eyes to burn, threatening my own tears to surface.

But they didn’t, and I stood next to my dad, admiring the moment the two most important women in my life shared.

My mom then took the box and removed the thin chain. I still had no idea what it was until after she had it clasped around Sarah’s neck. The bright sun reflected off the tiny diamonds that surrounded one heart. Wound through it was another heart, only made of gold. They both sat together on Sarah’s chest, and it felt so perfect it rendered us all speechless.

After an emotional hug between both my parents and Sarah, I quickly grabbed Sarah’s hand and headed inside before we all became too emotional to continue our plans.

Sarah and I had recently purchased a house together, and had asked her family to meet us at the lawyer’s office for the closing. They had no idea that they were about to witness us getting married. But I had to tell my parents the truth because they wouldn’t have made the trip if it were only to congratulate us on buying a home.

Once we made it to the front of the small brick building, we found Wayne, Bree, Axel, Clarissa, and Joel waiting for us just inside the door. Luke stood alone at the other end of the waiting room, away from Sarah’s family. He hadn’t wanted to come, but once I told him what it was for, he gave in and reluctantly agreed.

“You must really be excited about buying a house if you’ve invited the entire family to celebrate.” Clarissa hugged Sarah, her eyes narrowing as if suspecting something.

“We actually just closed on it. We came straight here after signing the papers and getting our keys.” Sarah’s eyes shone with pride, excitement, and love.

“Then what are we doing here?”

“We came to see the notary of the public.”

“Why?” Her dad’s hopeful tone revealed his suspicions.

Sarah glanced up at me, our hands held tightly between us, and she smiled. It eased something I felt inside, something I hadn’t even realized was there until that moment. After I’d officially proposed to her almost two months ago—the day after I came back to her—she wanted to keep it a secret. She explained that she didn’t want a wedding, and I agreed with her, both of us wanting to keep it intimate and personal. But somewhere along the line, apprehension set in at the thought of her changing her mind, knowing if she kept it quiet, no one would be the wiser. But standing here, moments away from making it official, my nerves finally calmed.

Realization hit everyone at once, and it became a struggle to calm down the excitement enough for us to do what we had come for. We were literally moments away from our forever, and impatience pumped through me. I would’ve made her my wife the minute she asked me to marry her, but I knew I’d only have one chance to do it the right way. So I waited until the next day, asked Wayne for his blessing, and then went to work on my proposal while Sarah was at the salon. When she came home, she found me in our bedroom on one knee. I didn’t have the ring, wanting to wait until she officially became mine before giving it to her, but she didn’t seem to care that my hands were empty. She fell into me, crying as she kissed me, whispering, “yes” between every kiss.

I would’ve married her right then and there, but she wanted to wait until we had everything in order. She wanted to buy a house, and said I needed to focus on getting this business with Bree set up first. I only agreed because she was naked when making that suggestion. I would’ve said yes to anything at that point.

We barely heard the receptionist call for us over the excitement. Instantly, we all calmed down and followed her back to a small room, everyone squeezing in shoulder to shoulder as we filled the tiny space. The notary seemed shocked to see us all there, but she didn’t object. Instead, she smiled and proceeded with the short and to-the-point ceremony.

When it was time to exchange the rings, she pulled mine from her sweater pocket and pushed it over my knuckle. It was the first time I’d seen it, but I didn’t have to ask what it stood for. Three small diamonds were embedded into the black metal, symbolizing an ellipsis. It stole the breath from my lungs as I held her gaze captive with mine.

“There will be times we find ourselves drifting, trailing off, getting lost in our heads. But during those times…just look to the ring I’ve placed on your finger, the ring that symbolizes my promise to you, and remember why we’re here.”

I knew it wasn’t time to kiss her yet, but I couldn’t help myself. I grabbed her face and pressed my lips to hers, causing the room to light up in laughter. Once I realized that I’d interrupted our vows, I pulled away and reached into my pocket for her ring.

It had been Robin’s from her first marriage, from Sarah’s biological father. Wayne had held onto it, knowing one of the girls would want it at some point. I hadn’t even allowed him to finish offering before I accepted it, knowing the meaning behind it all. The stone was small, and although I would’ve liked to have given her something larger, I knew there was no ring more perfect for Sarah than this one. It had nothing to do with the size, and everything to do with the meaning.

Her mother brought us together. And now, in more ways than one.

I didn’t have to say anything as I pushed the ring—along with a gold band—onto her finger. Her tears said everything. The sniffles in the room echoed it. And the love that filled me solidified it.

Our journey had started long before we met.

But here we stood, on the steps of our forever. Broken, wounded…healed because of each other.

More Than Anything

Coming Summer 2016

Prologue

Watching my cousin marry the love of his life was…supposed to be good. I mean, shouldn’t you be happy for your loved ones, especially on such a monumental day? And I was. I was genuinely happy for him, and his new bride. But you would’ve never been able to tell by the way I’d cowered in the corner, or by the permanent frown that had been etched on my face. That had nothing to do with Bentley or Sarah—I’m glad they had found each other. They truly deserve every bit of happiness they can get. My somber mood, however, had been dedicated to the bride’s sister. The one with the permanent grin etched on her face from ear to ear as she stood there with her husband’s arms wrapped around her waist.

It sickened me.

It sickened me because that should’ve been me with my arms around her. Her hand in mine. My lips on hers. Clarissa should’ve been mine.

But she wasn’t.

And she never would be again.

The bartender set a shot glass in front of me carefully to keep the amber liquid from spilling over the edge, breaking me from my thoughts of earlier today. They knew me here—I frequented Dixie a lot. But this time, instead of ordering my usual Jim Beam, I’d asked for Wild Turkey. Eyebrows rose with that one. But I needed something to quickly do the job. I promised myself one drink, and then I’d go home and wallow in my own self-pity…the same pity that enveloped me every time I saw Clari. And that seemed to be more and more often ever since my cousin fell in love with her sister.

I stared at the shot glass, twirled it on the bar top, and thought about
her
. The one who’d gotten away. The one who’d ripped my heart out—multiple times. The one who’d loved me, then broke me. But just as I tilted the glass, ready to choke down my pity and feel it burn all the way to my gut, something caught my eye.

Black hair. That’s all it was. A woman sitting at the end of the bar with short, pin straight black hair. It reminded me of someone I once knew. Someone I once cared for a lot. Loved, even. But it couldn’t have been her. She’d moved away fourteen years ago and never returned. I could honestly say she had been the very first girl to break my heart. Clarissa had been the last.

I choked down the shot.

Thinking of Terryn made memories flood me as the harsh bourbon lit my insides on fire. I thought back to more than twenty years ago when I’d seen her for the first time. She’d transferred schools because her parents had passed away, and she moved to town to live with her grandmother. She’d walked into my class and sat next to me. I didn’t know it at the time, but she’d become my best friend for the next ten years.

I thought back to middle school when Robbie Jenkins had called her fat. He’d made her cry, and no one got away with that. I’d punched him in the mouth, and then got suspended for a week. Terryn had come over to my house every day after school and hung out with me until dinnertime when her grandmother would come pick her up.

In high school, I’d spent all four years dating her best friend. Well, not all four years. We’d break up as often as most people changed underwear. But whether I’d been with her friend or not, Terr and I were inseparable. You’d either find me with her, or me with her and her friend.

Another shot glass was set in front of my eyes. Even though I told myself I’d only have one, I couldn’t turn it away. If I thought having Clarissa on my mind was worthy of a shot of strong bourbon, having Terryn on my mind was worthy of an entire liter.

I hadn’t thought about her in years, probably because the outcome was always the same. I’d remember the good times, the times when she was my best friend and I’d do anything for her. But my memories always ended with the same one.

Terryn Castillo was never meant for our small town. For the first eight years of her life, she’d lived in New York. But after her parents’ tragic death, she’d been shipped to the country, and she had never truly fit in. That never changed no matter how long she lived there. And after high school, she had big dreams to move away. She wanted to be on TV—more accurately, on the news as an anchorwoman. I couldn’t wait to tell everyone that the woman on the television screen was my best friend.

But then everything had changed the night before she left.

I’d thrown her a big going away party, full of all my friends. She’d had friends, too, but most of them were mine that had accepted her because she was always around. The party had been meant for her to let loose—because she rarely did—but it ended up with her driving me back to her grandma’s house to sober up. I knew she thought I’d had so much to drink because her friend had broken up with me again, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. I’d had so much to drink because I had a horrible feeling in my gut that she’d leave and never come back…and I’d lose my best friend.

As the bourbon lit my insides on fire, I thought back to that night, letting the memory take me away. I thought about the way her hand felt in mine as she led me to her room. The way time stood still when she had come back to her room after changing into a T-shirt, ready for bed. The way the air became stifling when my hands came down to her waist—a waist I’d touched plenty of times throughout the years, but never like this. I thought back to how her steely eyes had lit up like a flashlight just as my head lowered enough to press my lips to hers. The gasp that came from her. The way her hands ran up my chest and then locked behind my neck.

I thought back to how it felt to have her beneath me on her bed, and not in the usual fun way we’d done so many times before. Instead of tickling her until she cried from laughing, I’d carefully roamed her bare skin with my fingertips until her breaths were short and erratic. Instead of laughter, there were moans and soft whimpers. I thought back to how her legs had widened, allowing me to settle between them moments before she gave herself to me.

How she’d given me the one thing she’d never offered anyone before.

I thought back to the winces of pain as I broke through her barrier, and how I’d kissed away every crease next to her eyes. The way she had stared up at me with her slate-colored orbs. The way her fingernails dug into my shoulders as her body acclimated to me and to the pain I knew she’d been in.

But the memories that held the power to tear me down and suffocate me, where the ones after that. When we held each other in the darkness of her room. The words she’d uttered just before falling asleep… “Tell me to stay.”

In that moment, I knew I was just one whisper away from altering her entire life. More than anything, I’d wanted to tell her to stay. I’d wanted to tell her that and more. I didn’t just want her to stay…I wanted her to stay with
me
. I’d always known she was important to me, but that had been the moment I realized just how much. And as my lips fell to the soft skin of her shoulder, just before telling her how much I didn’t want her to leave, I thought about how selfish that would be. I couldn’t do that to her.

So…I didn’t.

I held onto the hope that she’d come back to me.

“You can’t stay, Terr,” I’d whispered against her warm skin, and felt her body deflate. But I’d wrapped my arms around her tighter, and then fell asleep with dreams of our future, of her coming home after college and us picking up right where we’d left off.

I’d never forget waking up alone in her bed with my keys on her nightstand. No note. Nothing. The bags she’d packed were not next to the door where they’d been the night before. And I knew…I just knew she was gone.

I glanced back to the end of the bar. It couldn’t have been her. Terryn’s hair was always super long. This woman wore hers short, meeting her jawline. My best friend had been on the pudgy side, but from the looks of it, this look-alike was thin. There was no way that after all these years, Terryn had come back.

But then her eyes met mine.

And the color of steel shone bright.

Looking back on this moment in future, I wouldn’t remember the song playing through the speakers, the amount of people around me, or the way my feet shuffled along the wooden floor as I made my way to her. The only thing I’d remember was the way she said my name… “Luke.” Like a desperate plea, a fulfilled hope, a dream come true.

I wouldn’t remember leaving the bar, but I’d remember the warmth of her hand in mine as I led her to my bike. I wouldn’t remember getting back to my house, but I’d remember the intense pounding in my chest as we stumbled to my room. It wouldn’t be the taste of liquor on her tongue that would come back to me, but the warmth of her lips on mine. No matter how hard I tried to lock every piece of that moment into my head, I knew the only things that would remain would be the feel of her skin beneath my hands, the heat of her breath on my neck, and how being inside her felt more right than anything else in the world.

But then I woke up.

She was gone, and on my bedside table sat my keys.

A lot had happened over the last fourteen years, but as I lay in bed, staring at a scene from my past, I couldn’t remember any of it. All I could think of was how I’d been transported back in time, and forced to relive the nightmare all over again.

I’d been forced to lose my best friend all over again.