Now And Always (Crown Creek)

by Theresa Leigh

  I nodded, my eyes filling with tears, but she was wrong. I wasn't okay. Gideon was in that box. My second chance at a father figure, my mentor at the school, and he was gone now.

  I knew people thought it was strange that a twenty-three year old woman and a forty-six year old man could be such good friends. Good friends without a trace of the weirdness that usually plagues male / female friendships. Gid said it was because I was an old soul and he was a big kid. I told him he was right, then admonished him to sit up straight before he threw his back out.

  He always roared with laughter at that.

  He was never going to laugh again, and that was the part that hurt the most. How a man like him could just...end. How was I supposed to do anything now?

  I dragged my eyes away from that box where Gideon lay silent and still, and back up to the podium.

  Mr. King cleared his throat. "Thank you all," he said into the small mic, voice catching before growing stronger. "I am glad to see all of the people here today. My little brother was a hard guy to get to know." His voice caught again. "But an easy guy to love all the same."

  Mrs. King was nodding in front row. Claire rested her head on her mom's shoulder, letting her muss her blonde hair absently. Of course my best friend needed to be up there with the rest of her family, rather than sitting back here with her friends. After all, Gideon was her uncle and lived on their property. But if always made me feel unstable when we got together and one of the four of us was missing. Like a bench with only three legs.

  Next to Claire, her brother Beau was listening to their father, his spine very straight and tall. Finn, his twin brother, was leaning forward so I couldn't see his face. But I could see their brother Gabriel's face all right, and I had to look away because I knew exactly why he looked so angry.

  It was because the seat next to his was empty.

  "I know Gideon wouldn't want us to let our sadness cloud the good memories," Mr. King said. His voice was fading and he had to strain it to get to the end of his eulogy as the wind picked up outside. I touched my cheek, feeling the tears start to track their way down. Willa silently handed me another tissue. Sadie blew her nose quietly. "We all loved him," Mr. King went on. "And I know he loved all of us." His eyes glanced up towards the back and stayed there for a moment.

  I held my breath, wondering if Jonah King had finally arrived.

  But Mr. King just shook his head and looked down again, disappointment flickering across his face. "We're gonna miss you, Giddyup," he said, gruffly patting the casket. "I hope the angels can handle your singing."

  A small ripple of nervous titters came up from the crowd. There was a sound of shuffling and then coughing. I looked over to see that everyone was looking at Isobel Tanner, but she showed no sign of moving, only staring straight ahead with a dazed look of disbelief on her face.

  Dizzy Izzy, as she was known throughout town, was Gideon's long-term girlfriend. At twenty-eight, she was eighteen years younger than him, much closer to my age than his. I felt a burst of sympathy to see her hunched shoulders, suddenly frail looking without her man at her side. They'd been together ten years now, the only love she'd ever had, and to hear Gid tell it, the only one he'd ever had too.

  A hot knife of anger at the unfairness of this all twisted in my gut again as I looked at her. Izzy was fragile, Gid was always saying so. Izzy was the kind of sweet, innocent person the world rushed to protect, to cushion from hurts as deep as this. She should have been selling her herbal tinctures at the Winter Market right now, smiling at all the bundled up kids and touching their heads. She should have been waiting for Gid to pull up in his van to collect her, ready to leap into his arms like their separation had been years instead of hours. This shouldn't have happened to her and it made me so angry that it had.

  Izzy was wearing this light blue dress, totally inappropriate for a funeral, like she had no idea where she was. Her legs were bare, even though it had been sleeting freezing rain this morning when we arrived and...

  "Oh shit," I murmured.

  "What's wrong?" Willa hissed, leaning in.

  "Izzy's barefoot."

  Willa looked over and rolled her eyes. "Oh lord. Where are her shoes?"

  "No idea." I shook my head. The priest had stepped in and was now talking about eternal rest, which sounded like something Gideon would have hated. I tried to look anywhere else, but those bare, dirty toes seemed seared into my retinas. "I have a pair of sneakers in my car," I whispered to Willa. "I'm going to go grab them for her."

  "Don't worry about it, honey," Willa whispered back. "I'm sure she just left them in a corner somewhere."

  I glanced at Izzy again. "Maybe, maybe not. I want her to have the option, though."

  "Don't try to adopt her now," Willa warned. Which was pretty rich coming from a girl who tucked seven packs of tissues into her purse before coming this morning because she thought Sadie and I would forget. Never mind she was right.

  "I'm just getting shoes for her," I said, a little too loudly. Willa's mouth twitched and I knew what she was thinking and she was wrong. I wasn't trying to take care of Izzy just because Gid was gone now. I just...

  I had shoes. She needed shoes. Seemed like a no-brainer. It was the right thing to do.

  "If it ends before I'm back, tell Claire I'm coming," I told Willa. She shook her head, but Sadie snapped out of her daydream and nodded, still wiping her nose.

  I ducked past Willa into the aisle and scooted towards the doors in the back, pausing to rest my hand on Izzy's shoulder as I did. My threadbare woolen coat was hanging in the vestibule. I never wore the thing, but my usual practical bright purple puffy jacket seemed the wrong attire for a funeral.

  I was still buttoning up my coat when the car screeched in to the lot of Lowry Funeral home. It had the shiny glaze of newness on it, and the plates were from out of state. I tracked it as it circled slowly before it finally, almost begrudgingly, shoved its way into the last spot in the row.

  My heart was already racing. Grief and worry spun around in my head, crashing into each other until a new emotion was born.

  Fucking rage.

  I threw open the funeral home door, ignoring the slam that ricocheted like a gunshot off the low rolling hills, and tore down the stairs to stand guard. Fuck him if he thought he was going to rush in and interrupt the service like some hero. He could wait til it was all over and live with the fact he'd missed it. Like hell was I going to let him make Gid's funeral all about him.

  The car sat silent at the end of the row for a moment. Leaves skittered across the pavement in the chilly breeze, but anger had me warm enough that it may as well have been a blazing hot day in June. I took a breath, ready to storm down to the car and confront him right then.

  But finally the door opened and Jonah King leaped out.

  His haircut wasn't a surprise. The tabloid that covered it was still sitting in the dentist's office six months after the fact. I'd seen him, even as I pretended to avoid him. He was still working, honing his solo career after the King Brothers broke up two years ago. He'd opened a leg of Wreckage's US tour, played festivals, and showed up for bit parts and cameos in B-movies. His face was as familiar to me as my own at this point. So I knew exactly how upset he was right now.

  But anger tightened in my chest all the same. "You missed it," I called.

  He stopped short. "Ruby," he exhaled, taking me in. "You cut your hair."

  There was a brief flash of pleasure tinged confusion that he would have noticed that, but I crossed my arms over my chest all the same. "The priest is giving the blessing," I went on as if he hadn't interrupted. "Your dad already gave the eulogy, so..." I trailed off. He was fifty yards away from me, across a bitterly cold parking lot, but I could still feel it.

  That magnetism. The thing that made him a star at fourteen and had kept him in the limelight all this time.

  I fucking hated it.

  "So yeah," I went on, stepping into the lot. "You basically missed it all."


  Jonah threw up his hands. "West Ridge was closed!" he complained, distress written in every line of his body. "I had to go all the way up to Johnson Bridge to get across."

  "It's been closed two years now," I said pointedly. "Ever since the flood."

  He pressed his lips together in frustration and hissed out a low breath of pissed off recollection. "Right."

  "If you'd come home since then..."

  "I got it, Ruby," he interrupted, raking his hand through his dark hair. For one moment, his face was pure heartbreak, but as quickly as it came, he smoothed it away and forced his face back down into its usual arrogant smirk. He shook his head. "Anything else you want to say or can I go in and be with my family now?"

  "Yeah I have something to say." I crossed my arms. "You should wait."

  "You said it was almost done, I don't want to miss it." He stepped to the side.

  I stepped right into his path. He was a full head taller than me now, something I never remembered about him until I saw him face to face. Or rather, face to collarbone.

  He glowered a second and stepped to the right. I countered him.

  "We should have had you in the band," he muttered. "You're a good dancer. But let me by."

  "No."

  "Ruby, he's my uncle."

  "And he was my best friend!" I blurted.

  He paused and looked down at me. "I thought my sister was your best friend."

  My voice broke. "She was. I mean, she is." It was hitting me. Tenses were fucking me up. My words got ahead of my brain, coming out in a desperate, angry flood. "Gid is... he was a different kind of friend, like more of a mentor and I can't believe this! Like, he was working on the school play just last week and telling me about the music he was writing for it and now he's gone and.."

  The sobs I'd been holding back all through the service suddenly broke free, which pissed me off because the last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of Jonah King. I wanted to rage at him for too many reasons to even count right now, but instead of quailing under the force of my righteous fury he suddenly pulled me into a hug.

  I froze. His arms were around me, my nose pressed into his chest. "It's okay," he breathed. "I know. My uncle was a special guy, for sure."

  I stiffened but for some reason I couldn't push him away. I hated that I didn't start hitting him. I hated that I wasn't yelling at the top of my lungs for him to let go, that didn't need his comfort.

  Apparently I did. Because as he pulled me to him, my tears came harder and faster. I gulped great breaths, trying to stop my sobs and in the process filled my lungs with the smell of Jonah. He smelled fancier somehow, but I still could detect a little bit of something familiar there, the same scent that lingered in the air when he would pass through the room where Claire, Willa, Sadie and I were playing. I knew that scent and I knew him too, which was why my body sagged into his and I allowed myself to soak his shirt. But I hated him, and hated myself, the whole time I was doing it.

  "It's okay," he said again, more hesitant this time. I felt his arms tighten around me, his fingers sinking into the wool of my coat. Clinging, even. Like he needed my comfort as much as I needed his.

  His familiar scent was playing havoc with my memories, steeped in tender nostalgia. My body didn't feel connected to my brain anymore.

  To my shock, I felt my own arms reach up and squeeze him.

  He exhaled in a rush and pulled back. The corner of his mouth tugged into that same studied smile I'd seen on posters and magazine covers my whole fucking life. "Thanks, Ruby. I think I needed that." And in one smooth motion he stepped around me and bounded into the funeral home.

  I watched him with my mouth open, wanting to say something but not knowing what the hell it was.

  He was such a fucking asshole.

  Crown Creek is a small town. Too small to fit something as big as Jonah King's ego.

  My best friend's older brother is a huge rockstar now. If he believes that lets him get away with screwing over his family the way he did, he's wrong.

  I always hated what he did to them. I always hated him.

  But then he shows up again. A different man from the one I remember. He's humbled. Grieving.

  Lost.

  And suddenly I’m singing a different tune.

  Instead of shouting, I’m saying, “touch me.” I’m saying, “kiss me again.” I’m saying, “please… please.” I’m saying, “I had you all wrong. And I’m sorry.”

  But I want a future and there’s no future with Jonah King. I’m a small-town kindergarten teacher and he’s a big time celebrity. We come from different worlds, but the music we make together is too beautiful to ignore.

  Two pages in and I knew - what you ask?

  I knew this new book would be an all-consuming, maddening, impassioned romance I would be blocking out reality to digest. - Jackie, Amazon reviewer

  Download for FREE now!

  Books by Theresa Leigh

  The Crown Creek Series

  The Kings:

  Sweet Crazy Song

  Jonah and Ruby’s story

  READ IT FOR FREE!

  Cocky Jonah never wanted to come home to Crown Creek. But a chance meeting with kindergarten teacher Ruby has him wanting to stay forever.

  Lost Perfect Kiss

  Gabe and Everly’s story

  A risk taking bad boy. A girl-next-door nurse. And the kiss that never should have happened. Gabe has to convince Everly to take the biggest risk of her life. Him.

  Soft Wild Ache

  Beau and Rachel’s story

  Growing up in a repressive religious cult meant that Rachel always believed the outside world was evil. But when sensitive rocker Beau opens her eyes to life outside the compound walls, she learns that he’s the sweetest sin she’s ever seen.

  His Secret Heart

  Finn and Sky’s story

  Sky was certain she knew everything she needed to know about volatile, unpredictable bad boy Finn King. But when her world turns upside down, she realizes everything she thought she knew is wrong.

  Now and Always

  Claire and Ethan’s story

  Ethan has always kept his love for Claire King a secret. They are best friends, nothing more. But what happens now that his best friend is pregnant with his worst enemy’s baby?

  Crown Creek Standalone:

  Last Good Man

  Cooper and Willa’s story

  Willa hates Cooper. But when she wakes up in a hospital room, he’s the one who’s there waiting - rumpled, frantic… And swearing she’s his fiancee.

  The Reckless Falls Series

  Fool Me Once

  Autumn and Cole’s story

  READ IT FOR FREE!

  Eight years ago, Cole broke Autumn’s heart. But now he’s back in town and asking her to take a second chance on her first love.

  Take Me Away

  Aria and Derek’s story

  After escaping her abusive ex, Aria flees back to her small town and the house left to her by her grandfather. But it she’s not the only one claiming her inheritance. Her rival? A reclusive bad boy from Aria’s past. He’s not leaving his home without a fight…

  and he fights dirty.

  More Than Enough

  Harper, Callum, and Grayson’s story

  Harper knows kissing Callum was a mistake. And kissing Grayson was an even bigger mistake. Now she’s falling for both of her older brother’s best friends. She can’t possibly choose between them.

  But what if she doesn’t have to?

  Hold Me Tight

  Brynn and Everett’s story

  Brynn likes her uncomplicated life as a single girl in a small town. But when a stalker has her fearing for her safety, she finds comfort in a surprising place - tied up in Everett’s bed.

  All Of Me

  Bee, Jackson, and Finn’s story

  Bee risked everything to leave her hometown and open her dream bakery. When her store is targeted by vandalism, she finds surprising support from owners of t
he four-star restaurant next door. Finn and Jackson are best friends and business partners. And they both want to taste of the little baker’s… buns.

  At Any Price

  Charlie and Jameson’s story

  Single mom Charlie is convinced her luck ran out long ago. After all, she just plowed her car right into billionaire Jameson Tellar’s.

  But he claims it was a stroke of luck that brought them together. And he’s willing to do anything to keep his lucky streak going…

  Visit theresaleighromance.com for more.

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  Theresa Leigh is a romance author whose love of reading is so intense, she sometimes injures herself by walking around with her nose in a book. She loves writing stories that have you feeling every emotion... sometimes all on the same page.

  Theresa lives and writes in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York State (not the city) (that distinction is important to her), where she lives with her twin sons and twin orange cats, Pumpkin and Jackie O’Lantern. When she's not writing or reading, she enjoys scouring thrift stores with single minded intensity, making a mess with her collection of over one-hundred houseplants, and pretending to tackle her teetering TBR pile but really just wasting time on Pinterest.

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