Beautifully Broken

by Christa Simpson

  Felicia passes the gown to her friend. “Try it on. We may have just found your wedding dress, Miss Saunders.”

  Destiny squeals as she slides it over her head. Then she does a spin, kicking up a pile of dust. “This is amazing. I love it!”

  Natalie and Kyla are now standing in the door.

  “You look gorgeous,” Natalie says with admiration.

  “Whoa. Look at this.” Felicia pulls out the other dress, hung snugly behind the hidden door. It’s long and gold and shimmery. Obviously the fair maiden who’d owned this chest had hidden her most alluring gowns where no one could find them.

  Felicia holds it in front of her and drapes it over her body.

  “It’s beautiful,” Natalie answers, as she and Kyla turn away to find their own extravagant gowns.

  “This is going to be the most amazing night ever. One more night, Destiny. Can you believe it? You’re getting married!” Felicia chimes.

  Now she’s feeling as excited as Destiny looks. Destiny pulls the gown over her head and lays it over her arm. “I can’t wait to marry Sky. I love him so much.”

  Felicia smiles at her. “I know you do. I’m happy for you.”

  As the four of them head for the stairs, Destiny bumps Felicia’s hip. “What about you? Are you in love?”

  “Who, me? Uh, no. My date is more of a requirement than a pleasant addition to my life right now. I’m actually wishing I hadn’t invited him. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “I do,” Destiny says with a smirk.

  Kyla and Natalie make quick work of the stairs. Destiny stays back to laugh at Felicia. “I was talking about Matty, by the way. Don’t tell me you’re that blind, girl. Everyone knows you like him.”

  “So what if I do?”

  “Why won’t you give him a chance? He shoots from the lips, but he's a good guy.”

  “He plays the good guy really well, but I wonder if he’s all that wholesome.”

  Destiny shakes her head and escapes the dusty old staircase. “You had one scandalous weekend. From what I recall, you enjoyed it immensely.”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  “Not really.”

  “That was before,” Felicia finally admits.

  “Ah. The accident. You’re going to let it dictate your life? You’re as bad as him.”

  “Huh?”

  “Nothing,” Destiny answers softly, choosing to keep the rest of that conversation to herself. “But you can hardly hold him accountable for what happened that weekend. I say, give the poor guy a break. He’s a really good guy. Don’t let his piss-poor attitude distract you. He’s been through a lot.”

  “I don’t know, Destiny.”

  Destiny blows out the candle and rests it where they’d watched Laurina retrieve it from. “You two made a connection all those months ago. You’re still attracted to each other—that’s as plain as day to everyone. Do you want to live a lifetime of regret for ignoring that? Think about it, before you lose him forever.”

  Chapter 15: Don’t Cry

  It’s the eve of the wedding and Matt manages not to cross Felicia’s path the entire day and night. The preparations for the wedding have Matt feeling exhausted. Skylar had put him to work in the library. Matt had underestimated how much effort was needed to make the table decorations. It was a labor of love and he had completed the job whole-heartedly. He might not have been able to help move any tables, like the other men did, but he’s worked tirelessly, all day, making sure everything is perfect. If he’ll do one thing right this weekend, this will be it.

  Dinner goes off without a hitch, which is the first thing to go right for the couple this week. But everything from Matt’s perspective sucks. He’s sore, for one thing. He doesn’t moan and groan, so others might not realize it, but he’s in a lot of pain. Just breathing hurts some days and today’s starting to feel like one of them.

  Felicia’s with that blond guy again and that jerks his chain more than anything. Jensen takes her hand and seats her at the opposite end of the long dining table and, with her sitting on the same side as Matt, neither of them are able to share a single glance over the entire meal. All the other guests seem to enjoy a glass of wine after their meal, but Matt’s not feeling all that celebratory. Sky and Destiny are cutesier than ever, sharing kisses and sweet nothings that make each other smile enthusiastically. Their long, loving gazes and pleasant smiles have his stomach in knots.

  It’s obvious they’re anxious about having to part ways until their nuptials tomorrow, but what does he care? He’s always been happy for Sky. But tonight their happiness bothers him. When a few of the guests bid their farewells for the evening, he gladly takes that as his opportunity to leave.

  “Thank you for dinner. I’m going to call it a night,” he says, without glancing in Felicia’s direction. He rolls to the door and sneaks in front of one of the couples, hoping to make a quick escape.

  The couple in front of him gets in his way and causes him a heap of stress. His heart feels heavy and vomit burns in the back of his throat. The woman standing there, one of Destiny’s relatives, has a serious meltdown.

  “Sven!” she shouts. “He’s not with me. I thought he was with you! Sven?” she shouts again, in between glaring at her absent-minded husband.

  Her voice echoes through the halls, like it’s meant to. Matt leans against an arm rest and tries to calm the frantic woman. She’s either really dramatic or about to suffer a panic attack. Either way, he doesn’t want to sit around and see which one it is.

  “Sven!” she cries out hysterically.

  The husband isn’t doing anything to comfort the woman, but he looks just as worried.

  “Relax, okay,” Matt says in his most soothing tone. “How old is Sven?” he asks the woman. “Maybe one of the staff has seen him. Did you check your room?”

  The husband looks extremely worried, but he remains calm. “I just came from the room. He’s not there.”

  “Check again,” Matt tells him. “Kids like to hide. Is it possible he’s playing a game?”

  “He’s two years old,” the mother cries. “He doesn’t go anywhere on his own. He must be so scared.”

  She howls with an agony only a parent can understand.

  “We’ll find your boy, but you have to remain calm. Where did you see him last? Is there a place you’ve shown him that he might have snuck back to?”

  Matt is good at dealing with frantic women. He has a bit of a history with it. Usually it’s because they’ve realized he’s moved on to a new girlfriend, but still that experience is enough to know that this woman will not rest until her boy is in her arms.

  Family frantically assembles in the library. All agree that splitting up into smaller search parties will get them to cover the most ground in the least time. Matt agrees and lifts himself to his feet.

  “Not you,” his father states sternly, pushing him back into the chair. “You can stay here. You shouldn’t be walking around on that thing.”

  Using the cane again, Matt returns to his feet. No one, not even his father, makes decisions for him.

  His old man swats at the cane—the only thing responsible for holding him upright—nearly taking him out in one swipe. Matt falls back into his seat helplessly.

  Destiny is the only one who steps in. “Maybe it is best that someone stay back in case Sven shows up here. Do you mind?” she asks Matt sweetly, before smiling confidently at her asshole father-in-law.

  I like that girl more and more every day.

  His dad smiles at her. “Thanks, Destiny. I’m glad someone sees things my way.”

  She glances intermittently at Matt, with apology written in her brows. “Is that okay with you?”

  She’s only trying to keep the peace and she’s managing just fine. “Sure, leave the cripple behind. I get it. Whatever. Just go find the kid.”

  Destiny rests a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks, Matty. We will.”

  With that, she leaves the room with the last of the
search party until Matt is sitting silently by himself, alone again. He keeps finding himself this way lately. It’s like he’s riddled with illness and people are constantly trying to avoid him, because just looking at him acts as a depressant.

  Felicia has even been treating him like he’s more of a nuisance than a human being. She hasn’t even made eye contact with him over this entire ordeal, although her boyfriend hasn’t had any issues glaring at him every chance he gets. Matt glances around the room filled wall to wall with books. Ordinarily he might pick one up and thumb through it, but he’s only injured, not dead. He’s perfectly capable of searching for this boy and he wants to help look for him.

  Do they actually expect me to sit around the library and wait?

  He’s not a waiter. He’s a doer. When he sits still for too long, he falls asleep. Besides, what two year-old heads to the library when he’s lost?

  Tired of this mistreatment, Matt stretches an arm up and yawns. Has anyone thought maybe the boy doesn’t want to be found? He feels that way some days. Dwelling on that fact, he moseys outside until he reaches the garden. When he finds a solid bench, he lifts himself out of his chair and sits there to take in some fresh air.

  The air is crisp, but it feels nice. It cuts into the new aches he’s suffering thanks to the strain his father has put on him. Matt looks up at the sky and breathes deeply. Felicia would probably enjoy it out here. It’s so peaceful and bright. Stars light up the country sky. It’s not like it would be where she comes from, the cement jungle. He turns his eyes down to the cobblestone ground and smiles.

  City girl.

  He rests his eyes for just a minute, but images of Felicia take him into a dream. When Matt opens his eyes, he’s pinned. But this time there’s no snow and no sirens. His angel is sprawled out on the ground. She’s bleeding badly. If he doesn’t get to her to compress that wound, she’s not going to make it. He tries to move, but he’s stuck there, with a stream of his own blood muddying the ground.

  “Help,” he shouts. His voice echoes into the distance. “Help,” he hollers again. But there’s no one there.

  When he realizes he isn’t going to get to her in time, he starts to panic. “Hold on for me, Felicia. I will not forgive you if you leave me.”

  He watches when the rise and fall of her chest stops entirely. “No! Somebody, please! Help me!” he shouts out, fighting his immobility with a cold sweat.

  He is awakened from the nightmare by a small voice and an even smaller hand. “Wake up.”

  Matt’s eyes flash open. He wipes the sweat from his forehead as his eyes adjust to the darkness. “Who’s there?”

  No one answers, but he hears a rustling in the bushes next to him. Someone has awakened him. He’s sure of it. But who?

  “I can hear you there. Show yourself.” There is no sign of panic left in his voice. Now he’s just annoyed.

  Matt struggles to get to his feet and slowly approaches the trembling bushes. He is visited by a pair of small, terrified eyes. He awkwardly crouches down onto one knee, leaving his injured leg stretched straight.

  “I thought that was you,” he says to the boy, who’s now near tears. “Come here. I won’t hurt you.”

  Matt reaches his arms out to the boy and the little guy dives into them, squeezing tightly. Matt pats the boy’s back, regains his footing, and returns to the bench.

  “You helped me out, did you?” Matt knows it was him.

  The boy silently nods his head.

  “I wasn’t crying like a girl, was I?”

  He shakes his head frantically.

  Matt smiles at the boy and rustles his hair. “That’s a good boy, Sven.”

  His eyes light up at hearing his name.

  “You’ve caused quite a mess tonight, little guy. Everyone’s out looking for you.”

  The boy starts to whimper, but still he doesn’t speak.

  “No. No. No. Don’t cry, little buddy.”

  Matty gets back to his feet and starts to rock the boy, even if he’s going to pay for it later. It seems to be a temporary fix, so he resorts to humming him a tune he remembers from his childhood. It seems to soothe the kid. After a few minutes pass, so does the whimpering. Soon after, the toddler starts to feel like a bowling ball.

  Matt slowly takes his seat, being careful not to wake the tired child. Felicia appears at the edge of the garden. She’s standing there cautiously.

  “How long has she been watching us, Sven?” he whispers softly, knowing she can’t hear him.

  The boy is asleep.

  When he lifts his eyes to reach hers, she begins to approach him. Felicia doesn’t say anything, but the soft smile on her face speaks volumes. She sits rather close and brushes the boy’s dirty blond hair behind his ear repeatedly.

  “He looks good on you,” she finally whispers.

  Matt gazes into her eyes. They are much too close not to do something about it, but the small boy conked out on his shoulder poses a bit of a dilemma, and the fact that Felicia is taken by some loser who calls himself Jensen is another problem that needs fixing. She smiles, knowing exactly what Matt is thinking, and inches closer to his lips.

  What is she doing?

  “The boy! I’ve found him!” a man shouts, out of nowhere. It sounds like Felicia’s boyfriend.

  Just what I need.

  Felicia quickly puts some space between them and even washes the smile from her face.

  So much for that.

  In a flurry of activity, when the boy reunites with his family, Matt gets separated from Felicia. He slinks off into the shadows and rests against the castle wall, watching from afar. He’s in so much pain it’s more comfortable to stand, which goes to show how inept he is.

  Felicia appears like magic next to him. “Hi.”

  Matt raises his eyebrows. He’s surprised to see her so soon. “Hiding from someone?”

  She leans against the castle wall right next to him. “He’s not really my boyfriend.” She turns to her side and smiles at him. “It’s true he’s an ex, but it never worked out. He’s more like a hired date.”

  Matt turns to face her and boxes her in, with his arms flattened next to her head.

  She closes her eyes, which only causes him to dip in closer to inhale her scent. His nose brushes across her throat and his lips inch closer to that soft, luscious mouth. He whispers over her lips. “That explains a lot. But it only poses another question: why?”

  She’s staring into his eyes, but she’s not going to answer him. He has another thing in mind, anyway.

  He gives her plenty of time to retreat before closing his eyes and stealing a single, slow kiss. He’ll deny that it takes his breath away if anyone asks, but the kiss is phenomenal. It has his heart beating fast and momentarily takes all his pain away.

  It’s very hard for him to stop there, but he has to. “Good night, Felicia.”

  He pulls away and relies on his cane to get into his chair before taking off, leaving her with the sensational touch of his lips. He only hopes she feels half as floored as he does.

  The night is a long one. The next time that blissful sensation returns is the following day, shortly after noon. The women had insisted that they remain with the bride, and since Skylar wasn’t allowed to see Destiny on his wedding day, it meant Matt wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of Felicia that morning either.

  Matt smiles at his brother and slaps him on the shoulder out of pride. “You’re actually going to do this. I never thought I’d see the day.” He lowers himself into his wheelchair.

  Skylar is very sure of himself. “Destiny is worth it.”

  “Save it, Sky. I’m not Mom,” he teases, but he has to admit it. “I’m happy for you.”

  Skylar pulls him into a masculine hug. “I’m lucky to have you standing up with me. Err . . . you know what I mean. I could have lost you this year.”

  Matt brushes that off. “Could have. Would have. Should have. Story of my life. You’re doing it right. I’m here. It’s just a shame gr
amps couldn’t make it.”

  They both bow their head momentarily, recognizing the man who’d raised Skylar right. They pat shoulders again.

  Skylar smirks. “We’re worse than the women.”

  “Don’t think so. I’m sure they’re freaking out about their hair right this very minute. The hairdresser was late.” He smirks. “Did the dresses work out?”

  “I haven’t a clue. I thought you were taking care of that.”

  “I thought I had. Time will tell.” Matt checks his watch. “Sooner than you think. We should probably get out there. They’ll be waiting for us.”

  Grant and Carter are already conversing in the hall when Matt opens the door to them.

  Carter is wearing his usual smirk. “You’re actually going to go through with this?”

  Skylar slaps his brother on the shoulder. “Jealous? I bet you thought you were going to tie the knot first. This probably has your woman hounding you to set a date.”

  Matt adds his two cents. Anything to piss his brother off. “You’ve been engaged for a lot longer than them.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Carter admits sheepishly. “The date has been set.”

  Matt notices the way he clams up when they start talking about his life. Sheepish is not an expression he recalls ever seeing on Carter’s face before. Something is obviously going on. But today is Skylar’s day. He’ll have to leave it alone, even though he’d love nothing more than to rub Carter’s failures in his face.

  “Excuse me, gentlemen,” the priest says. “Will you please join me inside? It’s time we get started.”

  The groomsmen follow Skylar, until they’re all standing at the front of a glamorous narrow church. At the far end of the aisle, Matt sees the bridesmaids lining up. He clings to his wheelchair and lifts himself to a standing position.

  “Skylar rests a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I want to.” Matt stands to his feet and shoves his wheelchair away. He clings to his cane and slowly shuffles his way down the aisle.

  The week has taken a toll on his body. He knows he’s pushed himself too hard. Still, this has been his goal since the day Skylar announced his plan to marry Destiny.