by LYNN, K. C.
Jesus.
My eyes fall closed, unbelieving he just said that.
“Really?” Catherine worries, turning to look up behind her.
John forces her back around, pinning my father with a hard look. “There’s nothing wrong with my damn roof.”
“Actually, there is,” my father argues. “It’s plain as day.”
“Ben,” my mother cautions past a tight smile.
“What? I’m just warning them is all.”
John opens his mouth, ready to blast back but Jesse jumps in before he can. “Why don’t we show everyone to their rooms?”
“That’s a great idea,” Catherine agrees. “Ben and Elise, you can follow me. Sam, why don’t you show everyone else to their rooms? Then we can meet in the courtyard to decorate before the minister arrives for the rehearsal.”
Sam forces a smile and nods before leading everyone inside.
Jake and I are the last ones to follow. My friend’s hand finds my shoulder, giving it an encouraging squeeze. “It could always be worse, man.”
“Oh yeah. How so?” I ask.
His gaze meets mine. “There could be no wedding at all.”
He’s right. That would be a whole lot worse, but if things don’t change fast there might just be a funeral, too.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Sam
The property’s courtyard is nothing short of elaborate. With large white pillars, cobblestone walkways, a pristine marble fountain and all the lush greenery, it’s the perfect location for a garden ceremony and one of the many reasons why I wanted to get married here.
Everyone bustles about, working hard to get the place in order before rehearsal time. While the men do the heavy lifting, Zoey and I tie peach satin bows around the backs of the white chairs. My mother and Mrs. Crawford work on all the pews, decorating down the aisle. Both of them smile and chat excitedly while Grace, Jesse, and the kids set up the signing table.
My heart nearly bursts as I watch it all come together. Unfortunately, that beautiful feeling deflates when my father and Mr. Crawford start arguing again.
“The damn thing isn’t centered, I tell ya,” Mr. Crawford snaps, talking about the round garden arch my father made with his own two hands just for me.
The circled structure stands at least twelve feet tall, decorated with vintage lace, intricate greenery, and tiny peach flowers that my mother added. It’s everything I wanted and more. It’s also ready to tip at any given moment as the two play tug-of-war with it.
“You blind, old man?” my father fires back. “It’s directly in the middle just as my daughter wants it!”
“That’s enough, John,” my mother cuts in with a heated warning.
“You too, Ben.” Mrs. Crawford follows with a sharp look.
Mr. Crawford holds up his hands. “Why don’t we ask her? Sweetheart,” he calls out to me. “What do you think? Do you like how it is now? Or”—he moves the ring further to the right—“like this?”
“Um—”
“Don’t be callin’ her sweetheart. She’s my daughter,” my father shoves out before turning toward me. “What do you say, honey? His way or”—he moves it back to the left—“my way.”
I chew my thumbnail nervously. “I’m good with whatever you guys think.”
“See, ya heard her,” my father bellows. “It’s staying here and that’s final.”
“That’s not what she said!”
Jesse quickly inserts herself between the two, facing my father. “Daddy, can you come help us with the table please? It’s wobbling and I can’t figure out why.”
My father’s disdainful glare remains on Mr. Crawford a moment longer before he grumbles something unintelligible and follows my sister over to the table.
Jesse makes eye contact with me across the way. I mouth a “thank you” knowing she just saved us all from a potential hostile situation taking place.
Jase eventually calls his dad over to help him, the two of them disappearing out of sight with Jake and Cam.
The more time that passes the more I realize all of us staying under one roof was a huge mistake. I knew things would be awkward with Mr. Crawford and my father but I never expected it to be this bad.
Zoey reaches across the chair between us, covering my hand with hers. “You okay?” she asks softly.
I shrug but manage a smile.
“At least Jase and Sawyer are keeping things civil,” she says, trying for some positivity.
“Yeah, well you missed the bloody brawl between them earlier.”
Her eyes flare wide. “No way!”
I nod sadly.
Sympathy masks her expression. “I’m sorry, Sam. I know how much you want this rift between your families to work out. I’m sure it will. Just give it time.”
Time. Everyone talks about it like it’s something we always have, but sometimes we don’t. Sometimes, forever can mean just one more second and all we have is the here and now. Rose and Joshua are the perfect example of that.
Despite the troubling thought, I flash her a smile. “You’re right. I’m sure it will all work out.”
It’s obvious she doesn’t buy the sudden optimism but she lets it go.
“Tell me about you,” I say, switching the subject. “How are things with Austin?”
My best friend gazes over at the man who stole her heart, a look of pure adoration gracing her face. “Perfect. He’s so good to me, Sam. He’s patient and kind. I don’t know how I would have gotten through this last year without him.”
Emotion burns my throat as she talks about her little sister, Chrissy.
“The pain is still there,” she says. “It’s always there but it hurts a little less every time he’s near.”
“I’m glad, Zoey. It’s all I ever wanted for you. For someone to take care of you and love you the way you deserve.”
She smiles. “I guess it worked out for the both of us, huh? Who knew a dating auction would bring us all this?”
I laugh at the memory of that night, something that seems like a lifetime ago. “We definitely got our money’s worth.”
Even if it wasn’t my money.
I remember the day I took that check to Zoey only to find out Jase had already paid it. It was only the beginning of something so much more than I could have ever imagined.
Once we finish tying off the last bow, I stand back and take in what we’ve been able to accomplish in the last two hours.
All fifty white chairs adorned with bows are lined up on either side of the long aisle I’ll walk down. Wooden baskets filled with peaches mark the end of each row while soft flower petals create a path leading to where Jase and I will profess our love to one another. A few more baskets rest on either side of the decorative arch, some even tipped over, the strewn peaches making an artful array.
Add in the Rocky Mountains cutting a jagged horizon and the crystal blue lake spanning as far as the eyes can see, it’s everything I envisioned and more.
My mother comes up on my right, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as she admires it all with me. “Looks pretty good, doesn’t it?”
“It’s perfect,” I agree, feeling overcome with emotion before I quickly tamp it down. “I guess that’s it then, huh?”
“Actually, not quite.” A knowing smile spreads across Jesse’s face. “There is one more thing.”
Confusion grips me as I try to think of what we could be missing.
“You’re gonna love it, Auntie,” Hope adds, looking as excited as my sister.
That’s when I realize that whatever they are talking about must be some sort of surprise. I’m just about to force it out of them when I spot Jase in the distance with his father, Cam, and Jake, all of them carrying something large and heavy.
I squint to get a better look but can’t make out what it is from here. Not until they stand it upright, positioning it next to the round garden arch.
A gasp infiltrates my lungs, all the air becoming trapped at the sight of the old train clock.
&nbs
p; Silence fills the courtyard, everyone watching me as I take in the one thing I searched for but gave up on ever finding.
The black wrought iron antique artifact with intricate Roman numerals that mark each hour is everything I’ve seen in my darkest dreams. It’s so exact that I swear I can hear the final call of the train, a distant memory in time that I can’t explain but feel all the way to my soul.
Tears blur my vision as I turn back to my family.
“Don’t look at us,” my mother says, holding her hands up. “This was all Jase.”
I spin around to find the man I am going to marry wearing a proud grin. “You?”
He nods.
“But how? Where?” I stumble over the question. “I searched everywhere for it.”
That sly smile never leaves his face. “I have my ways, peaches.”
He doesn’t offer more than that and I don’t press because in the end it doesn’t matter. All that matters is it’s here now.
My feet start forward, taking me down the aisle and closer to a lapse in time. A time when a love existed as strong as it does today.
Tentatively, I reach out to touch the warm metal, each scratch and dent marking the lives this clock has lived and all the amazing things it must have seen.
“It was one of the only artifacts that was salvaged from the Great Chicago Fire,” Jase explains, coming to stand next to me.
My gaze meets his. “The Great Chicago Fire?” I repeat, fearing I misheard him.
His response is a single nod.
The revelation has my heart taking off in a sprint, running so hard and so fast it takes my breath with it. I look back at the clock and start to wonder if this is another dream that only feels like reality. I decide if it is I never want to wake up from it.
“Do you like it?” he asks, mistaking my silence.
“Yes. It looks exactly like the one from my dreams.”
“Good. Mine too.”
My head whips to the side, gaze colliding with his again. “What did you say?”
He doesn’t repeat himself but he doesn’t need to. I see it. There, deep in his eyes, lies something that I never noticed before. Knowledge and understanding, as if he too has seen what I have. Felt the devastation that I felt.
A past love that was ripped away by loss, only to be reborn.
Unable to hold back, I leap into his arms, hugging him tight. “Thank you,” I choke out. “Tomorrow was already going to be the best day of my life but now everything is how it’s supposed to be.”
His arms come around me, holding me close. “Forever, Sam. That’s how long we have. In this life and the next.”
A sob crawls up my throat but before it can escape he takes my mouth in a devastating kiss, lifting me off my feet.
It’s in this moment that I know everything is going to be okay. Whether it’s for the next twenty-four hours or a hundred years from now, because nothing wrong could ever come out of a love this right.
CHAPTER NINE
Jase
The formal dining room is set with the finest china that everyone uses as we sit around the long extended table, eating the dinner that has been catered for this night.
Conversation and laughter filters through out, everyone’s excitement palpable for the coming day. For a fleeting moment you could pretend that we are just one happy family with no rifts or divisions.
Sawyer and I stick to our own sides of the table while John and my father act like the other isn’t even here. It might not be ideal but it’s a hell of a lot better than where we were a few hours ago.
Even my girl is beaming from ear to ear. She hasn’t stopped since the reveal of that clock. It took some hard searching and serious money to find it but it was worth every penny, especially to see the happiness on Sam’s face, something that has been missing since we arrived here.
“How are things going with work, Jasiah?” my mother asks, making sure to use my full name.
It’s as unappreciated as Sawyer’s muffled snickers.
I flick him an annoyed glance before answering. “It’s good, Mom.”
“It’s better than good,” Sam adds, her hand finding mine beneath the table. “Jase has been offered the position of lieutenant.” The smile that takes over her face is so proud I can’t even be mad at her for opening her big mouth.
My mother gasps. “Oh, honey, that’s wonderful news.”
“Good job, son.” My dad nods. “Proud of you.”
“Thanks.” I shift in my seat, uncomfortable with the praise and notice Austin staring at me from across the table. “What?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were offered the position?”
I shrug. “It’s not a big deal.”
In truth, I didn’t want to bring it up because then it would drive home the fact that I am not with them anymore at Fire Station Two. I love my station and the guys I work with but I do miss seeing my friends and Cap on a day-to-day basis.
“Of course it is. Congrats, man,” he says, making shit even more uncomfortable.
I nod my thanks.
“Whatever, you’ve always been a show off,” Cam remarks behind a smirk, easing the awkward moment.
It elicits a collection of chuckles around the table.
“What about you, Samantha?” my mother asks. “Are you still teaching at the elementary school?”
Sam swallows her food and wipes her mouth with her napkin before answering. “Not anymore. I was only temporary while the teacher was on maternity leave.”
“She’s been helpin’ Mama and me at the bakery instead,” Hope announces proudly. “We’ve been havin’ a lot of fun, haven’t we, Auntie?”
“We sure have.” Sam confirms with a wink.
She might enjoy teaching but I also know she loves helping Grace out at the bakery, especially since she gets to spend so much time with Hope and Parker.
“I hear your bakery and pies are out of this world, Grace,” my mother comments with a smile.
“Oh, well.” Grace laughs awkwardly, getting embarrassed like always at the compliment. “I’m not sure about that but I do take pride in them.”
Catherine refuses to let her play it off. “She is just being modest. They are absolutely incredible. I’d love to take you the next time you come for a visit.”
My mother beams at the offer. “That would be wonderful. Thank you, Catherine.”
“I hope you will come soon,” Sam says. “I’d love for you to see our new place.”
I get the urge to kick her under the table. Not because I don’t love my mother but the last time she came to visit she not only brought me cookies to work she also made me a lunch. I didn’t live it down for a whole fucking month.
“Well, actually”—my mother shares a look with my father—“should we tell them?”
My gaze volleys back and forth between the two. “Tell us what?”
My dad nods, giving her the green light.
She turns toward Sam and me, barely containing her excitement. “Your father and I have decided to move to South Carolina.”
Shock roots me to my chair, the announcement completely unexpected.
Sam, on the other hand, flies out of hers, hugging my mother. “Oh my gosh, this is such wonderful news.”
The other end of the table isn’t nearly as excited.
“You have got to be shittin’ me,” John spits under his breath but not quiet enough.
My mother misses it but not my father. His angry eyes narrow on the other man from across the table. “You say something, Evans?”
Catherine touches her husband’s arm in warning.
“Nope!” The lie floats past his lips before he drops his gaze to his plate and starts to shovel so much food in his mouth I fear he might choke.
My father lets it go when Sam moves in to hug him. Catherine also gets up to congratulate them while I continue to remain motionless, still trying to process the news.
“Jasiah?” Concern fills my name as my mother gazes back at me. �
�You haven’t said anything. What do you think?”
The question snaps me out of my stupor. “It’s great, Mom. Really great.” I push from my chair and hug her too, feeling bad for the delayed reaction.
“Oh good, I was worried you were upset.”
“Not at all. Just surprised. I know how much you love Silver Creek.”
She nods. “We do but it’s not home without you anymore. Besides, I want to be close when you start giving me grandbabies.”
A choking sound erupts from across the table as Sawyer suffers a coughing fit.
“You all right, Daddy?” Hope asks, patting his back as he suffocates on the beer he just drank.
“Yeah, Shortcake, I’m good. Just went down the wrong pipe.”
I grunt at the lame excuse while Austin and the others muffle their laughter.
“I would be happy to send you some areas to check out,” Catherine offers as she takes her seat again. “I could even set you up with the realtor John and I used, if you would like?”
My mother doesn’t get the chance to respond because John speaks first, cutting off whatever she was about to say.
“Let them be, Catherine. If they want your help they will ask for it.”
Silence drops over the table with a deafening thud. The look the other man gets from his wife almost has me pissing my pants. Not John though, he is too busy staring down at his plate to notice.
The tense moment is broken when a loud creak sounds directly above us, making everyone look up.
“What was that?” Jesse asks nervously.
“Nothing,” John assures her. “Probably just the wind.”
“It’s that slope,” my father says, not knowing when to shut the fuck up. “I’m telling ya. You need to get it fixed or it’s going to cave.”
John’s fork clatters to his plate.
Here we go.
“Daddy.” Sam cautions but it does no good.
“How many times I gotta tell you, Crawford? There ain’t a goddamn thing wrong with my roof.”
Cam quickly jumps in, trying to diffuse the situation. “This is great chicken, Mrs. Evans. Did you make this?”
Catherine doesn’t get the chance to answer because my father talks right over her.
