Hope Burns

by Jaci Burton

  She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.

  Well, hell. Taking her keys out of George's ignition, she slid them into her purse and went back inside, figuring it wouldn't hurt to just check.

  Maybe he was meeting someone here, like a date, and she could just duck out, satisfied that some woman would be driving him home.

  She spotted him sitting at the end of the bar--alone--nursing a drink. He did not look sober at all.

  Indecision made her chew on her lower lip. She could call Luke and have him come pick Carter up, but the guy was getting married tomorrow. The last thing he needed was to come fetch his drunk friend.

  Damn Carter for putting her in this position. She wanted minimal contact with him until she left town, which was only a couple of days away. And now . . .

  She walked with purpose down the bar and stopped in front of him.

  He lifted his gaze toward her and frowned. "Molly?"

  "Are you drunk?"

  "Yes. I don't know. No. Yeah, probably."

  She rolled her eyes and held out her hand. "Give me your keys."

  He gave her a drunken half smile. "Are you going home with me?"

  "Not on your life. Give me your keys, Carter."

  He dug into his pocket and put the keys in her hand, then closed her fingers over them. "Your hands are still soft." He turned her hand over. "And you still bite your fingernails, Moll."

  She jerked her hand away from his grasp. "Come on. Let's go."

  He slid off the barstool. "Okay."

  Grateful that at least he was cooperative and not belligerent, she walked out to the parking lot and opened the passenger door of the Mustang. The delicious smell of leather greeted her. "Get in."

  He got in, then frowned up at her. "You're driving?"

  "Yes. You've been drinking a little too much tonight, Carter."

  "Right. Shouldn't drive Rhonda."

  She slammed the door a little forcefully, then went around to the driver's side, experiencing a slight thrill as she slid into the seat and adjusted it.

  When she started it up and felt the rumble, she couldn't resist a smile. Oh, yeah. The Mustang was a beauty, all right.

  She shifted Rhonda into first and pulled to the end of the driveway, carefully looking both ways before pulling out into traffic and heading for the highway.

  "I assume you still live in Hope."

  "Yup." He gave her his address and was at least coherent enough to provide directions to his house. "Thanks for driving me home."

  "Not a problem." The problem was going to be coming back to get George tomorrow amidst all the wedding stuff going on. But she'd deal with that tomorrow.

  She took the exit leading to Hope, then followed Carter's directions to his house.

  Carter was quiet on the ride back to town. Thankfully, because she had absolutely nothing to say to him.

  Surprisingly, he had a nice house with a sizeable yard and a big driveway. She pulled in and put on the emergency brake, then shut off the engine. Then she got out and came around to the passenger side and opened up the door.

  "Come on. Let's go inside."

  Carter got out of the car, then laid his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Molly."

  Not the first time she'd heard that, and she wondered exactly what he was apologizing for. Tonight, or for twelve years ago. She decided to ignore the warmth of his hands on her. He was drunk, and at least he was nice about it, so tonight he got a pass.

  "It's okay. Let's go inside."

  She fumbled around on the key chain and found what looked like the front door key, so she opened the door, then flipped on the light. From what she could see, it was a nice, spacious house.

  But that was as far as she was going. "Are you okay?"

  He turned to her and gave her a nod. "Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks."

  "I need to take your car with me so I can get home. You think you'll remember that in the morning?"

  He gave her a goofy smile. "Of course. I'm drunk, not shitfaced."

  She shook her head. "Good night, Carter."

  "'Night, Molly."

  She pivoted and walked away, then got in his car and drove off.

  Their interaction had been so civil.

  And so much had been left unsaid.

  She felt worse now than ever.

  Chapter 5

  MOLLY'S BREATH CAUGHT as she stood in the back of the church with her sister.

  Emma had always been beautiful, but today she was the most gorgeous woman Molly had ever seen. In a cream-colored off-the-shoulder gown with a slight train and tons of intricate lace, Emma was a vision.

  Luke was going to go crazy when he saw her.

  Their mom had already shed copious tears, and they'd had to fix her makeup twice, until Emma told her if she cried one more time and made Emma tear up one more time, she was going to make her go sit in the car until after the wedding. Mom had straightened up after that and promised no more tears, at least until during the wedding. Emma had cast a pleading look at Molly, who held up her hands in surrender.

  "I can't make her not cry."

  Emma sighed. "It's a good thing I'm wearing waterproof mascara. I don't want to look like a raccoon in the photos."

  "You're going to look breathtakingly beautiful in every picture," their mother had said, which had made Emma tear up again. And then Mom had started blinking back tears.

  "Mom," Emma said. "You're supposed to be the rock here."

  "I know. But one of my babies is getting married today. I don't know where all this emotion is coming from."

  Fortunately, Reverend Barry had showed up and told them it was time to start. They all lined up and Molly smoothed down any imaginary wrinkles in her deep purple dress, then picked up her flowers and stood in front of Emma. She turned and blew her sister a kiss, so very glad she was here.

  At least for today, she was happy to be home.

  It was time to walk down the aisle.

  As the music started up, she was suddenly transported back twelve years, when she and Carter had made plans for their own wedding. Of course, it had been kind of a rush. They hadn't anticipated getting married that quickly. But things had happened, and when it had, they both decided they wanted to get married right away.

  They were in love, after all, so why wait? They knew they wanted an eternity together.

  Until disaster happened. And then her world had been crushed, and everything had fallen apart after that.

  That's when she realized that someone saying they loved you meant nothing, and she'd gone dead inside.

  She shook it off. Now wasn't the time to think of the past, but the future. Namely, her sister's future. She followed Des down the aisle, trying to remember Reverend Barry's instructions about keeping the appropriate pace.

  The church was filled with people, but she kept her focus on the altar, making sure to not look in the direction where all the guys were lined up in their tuxes. There was no way she was going to make eye contact with Carter.

  Instead, she looked straight ahead and made sure to smile, because pictures were being taken, and she wouldn't ruin Emma's day by scowling.

  She made it to the altar and turned, watching cute little Tabitha all dressed up, smiling broadly and sprinkling flowers across the carpeted aisle. Then everyone stood as Emma and their dad started down the aisle. Everything else was forgotten as her beautiful sister and Luke stood together and made their vows to love and honor each other forever. And after Reverend Barry pronounced them husband and wife and they kissed, Molly's heart squeezed.

  Despite her views on love and marriage, she felt right about this ceremony. It was so obvious Luke and Emma belonged together, and watching them seal the deal with a passionate kiss only confirmed that. Molly sighed in contentment.

  They exited the church, but stayed behind for photos. Fortunately, she was paired up with Logan, though she was conscious of Carter nearby, who looked utterly, devastatingly handsome in his black tux with white shirt and purp
le flower tucked in his lapel.

  She tried her best not to notice him, but it was difficult as they all shuffled for photos, and then she had to sit in the pew while Logan, Luke, and Reid took a photo together and they all sat and watched as the bride and groom took one spectacular picture.

  "They look perfect, don't they?" Carter asked.

  He was sitting behind her. She nodded, not looking at him.

  "You look beautiful today, Molly."

  "Thanks." She got up and made her way over to her parents, then stood for the family picture with them and with Emma, then with Emma and Luke. It seemed to take an eternity at the church, and it felt like Carter's gaze stayed on her the entire time, but when she happened to glance his way again, he was huddled up with Bash and Will and not even looking at her.

  Likely it was all in her head, tension and nervousness at his proximity getting the best of her today. She'd known she'd have to spend the entire day with him, and she'd built it up that she'd be shoulder to shoulder to him for the duration, when it was anything but.

  She could survive today. She could put up with anything, because after tomorrow, she'd be on her way back to Austin, and she'd never have to come back to Hope again.

  After they finished up the photos, they climbed into the limos. This time, the bridesmaids and groomsmen rode together, and the bride and groom rode alone. Which meant more time in a confined space with Carter. Des and Logan snuggled up together, as did Will and Jane, which made sense since they were couples. She chose a seat over in a corner of the limo, and didn't it just figure that Carter ended up sitting next to her. Bash and Chelsea were preoccupied arguing about something, leaving her and Carter alone.

  It was a good-sized limo, but there were quite a few of them in there, so it wasn't like they could all spread out. Which meant Carter's thigh was pressed alongside hers.

  It had been twelve years since he'd touched her. Since she'd touched him. In those last moments before she'd walked away from him forever, they'd shared tears and words neither of them could take back. Now, silence stood like an impenetrable steel wall between them.

  "The wedding was good, huh?" he asked, obviously reaching for something, anything to say.

  "You don't have to talk to me."

  "We have to talk, Molly."

  She lifted her gaze to his. "No, we don't."

  "There's a lot that needs to be said."

  "No, there isn't." She purposely kept her voice low so the others wouldn't hear their conversation. But damn if she'd smile at him.

  Instead, she looked straight ahead, wishing she were seated near the window so she could focus on the scenery, and not the partition separating them from the driver. She couldn't eavesdrop on everyone else's conversations, because that would be rude, which meant her only recourse was to either talk to Carter, or stare ahead like a zombie.

  And it was a twenty-five-minute drive to the reception venue.

  Great. Maybe she should close her eyes and take a nap. Or maybe Carter would, since he'd had so much to drink the night before.

  "Shouldn't you be tired or something?" she finally asked him.

  He frowned. "No. Why should I be tired?"

  "You drank a lot last night."

  "Oh, that." His lips curved, drawing her attention to the fullness of the bottom one, something she definitely did not want to look at, or remember. "Nah, I'm fine. Had a whopper of a headache this morning, a minute of panic when I couldn't find Rhonda."

  "Rhonda is just fine, and parked in Luke's garage."

  "Thanks for the rescue and the ride home, by the way."

  "You're welcome." She looked away again, but then shot her attention back on him. "You wouldn't have really driven home in your condition, would you?"

  "No. I'd have either called a taxi or one of the guys to give me a ride. I am a responsible adult now, Molly."

  She snorted in disbelief, louder than she'd intended to, which caused nearly everyone in the limo to look her way.

  Great.

  "What's so amusing over there?" Chelsea asked.

  Searching for something . . . anything . . . she finally blurted out, "Oh, nothing. Carter told a joke."

  "Well, now you have to share," Logan said.

  "Was it a dirty joke?" Will asked, causing Jane to poke him in the ribs.

  "Thanks a lot," Carter whispered to her.

  She clasped her hands together in her lap. "You're so welcome."

  Now that everyone's attention was focused on Carter, she could relax. And she could tell he was squirming, which made her even happier.

  "Let's see," Carter said. "What was that joke again? Oh, right. I remember now. A husband and wife came back from their honeymoon, and they weren't speaking to each other. The best man asked what was wrong.

  " 'Well,' the groom said. 'When we made love the first night, I forgot what I was doing and left fifty bucks on the pillow.' "

  " 'Ouch,' said the best man. 'I'm sure she'll forgive you, though. Surely she couldn't expect you to save yourself for marriage.' "

  " 'It's not that,' said the groom. 'The problem was, she gave me twenty bucks in change.' "

  Despite herself, Molly snorted again, and everyone else laughed as well. She lifted her gaze to Carter, who winked at her.

  Damn him. She wasn't going to like him ever again. She was a lot more comfortable hating him. He'd been in that dark place in her heart for twelve years, and that's where he was going to stay.

  They arrived at the reception hall and there was a decided chill in the air. She was glad Emma had thought to have the matching long-sleeved shrugs added to their gowns, because she might need hers before the end of the night. October could be so unpredictable in Hope, and while the day had dawned warm and sunny, it was growing cooler in the evenings and these skimpy dresses weren't going to provide much in the way of warmth.

  They made their way into the reception area, and Molly took in all the beautiful decorations. Emma and their mom had seen to all the planning, with a lot of help from Martha and the bridesmaids as well. It was gorgeous, with abundant fall colors, including eggplant and burnt orange as well as deep yellows and browns. Champagne was flowing and the bar was open. People were filing in and the deejay was already playing music.

  Molly made her way to the bar to get a glass of wine. She met her dad there.

  "How's it going, sweetheart?"

  "Fine, Dad. How about you?"

  "Happy to have one of my baby girls married. And how about you?"

  "Happy to not be one of your baby girls who got married today."

  He laughed, then put an arm around her and tugged her close. "Plenty of time for that. You just haven't found your knight in shining armor yet."

  She didn't want to tell her father she didn't believe that knight existed, so she just nodded. "Right."

  "I'm glad you're here."

  At this moment, with her dad kissing the top of her head, so was she. "Me, too."

  She didn't miss a lot about Hope, but she did miss her parents and her sister. If she could have packed them up and had them travel the country with her, life would have been perfect. But she couldn't, so she made do without them. At least her mom and dad visited her a couple of times a year, as did Emma when she could. She was grateful for that.

  She rounded up the wedding party and got them to stand at the entrance to the ballroom so they could flank Emma and Luke when the deejay announced their arrival.

  The doors opened, and the deejay called for everyone's attention.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together and direct your eyes to the open ballroom doors while I introduce Luke and Emma McCormack!"

  Luke and Emma entered, their smiles wide, clasping their hands together as everyone cheered.

  Her sister was married. Wow. That was kind of surreal.

  She grinned.

  They made their way to the head table and sat. Champagne was poured, and Logan got up to make his toast.

  "I know my brother well, and
if anyone was ever against marrying--again," he said, to much laughter, "it was Luke. Until he met Emma, the one woman he couldn't live without. When you find that right person, that one person who you're meant to be with no matter what happens, then you know. And with Luke, he's always known it was Emma. So raise your glasses and toast to Luke and Emma."

  Everyone toasted and drank.

  Molly had been preparing a speech, but it was going to be hard. Still, she knew as the maid of honor it was her duty, so she took the mic next.

  "I haven't lived in Hope for a very long time, which means I wasn't here to witness Luke and Emma's love story. But I know love when I see it. It's a palpable thing. Something you feel, like instinct. It's just . . . there. And when it happens between two people, it can't be denied."

  She felt Carter's gaze on her, saw him out of the corner of her eye despite her attempt to focus only on the smiling bride and groom. She retrained her attention and concentrated on the simmering tears in her sister's eyes.

  "So when Emma brought Luke to meet me, their love hit me instantly, and I knew he was the one for her. She had changed from this focused, driven individual, to someone who was part of a couple. She became a lot less 'me' and a lot more 'us.' And that's what love is, when it becomes less about what's best for the one, and more about what's best for the whole. Because love is not a singular thing, It's not about what's best for me, but about what I can do to make you happy."

  She raised her glass. "To Emma and Luke. May you spend a lifetime making each other happy. I love you both."

  Glasses clinked, and people drank to the couple. Emma got up and wrapped her arms around Molly. "I love you, too. Thank you for that. And you made me cry, dammit."

  Molly blinked back the tears that she hadn't wanted to shed. She laughed. "Sorry. And you're welcome. I hope you're both happy forever."

  "We will be."

  After Emma returned to her seat, Molly looked over to find Carter staring at her. This time, there was no clever wink, no smile.

  She saw the hurt, the realization that the speech hadn't been entirely intended for the bride and groom.

  She'd spoken from the heart and the words had just spilled from her. And if he'd gathered some truth from them, there wasn't anything she could do about that.

  Their love was in the past. They'd had their chance, and they'd blown it.

  There was no future for them, no happily-ever-after.

  The thought of it made her ache all over.