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Shauna nodded. “Okay.”
“You shouldn’t talk to him either.”
Shauna’s expression became fierce. “That’s my choice, Carter, and I’m not done with him yet. I’ve only just begun saying what I needed to say to him. You need to trust me on this.” She stood, walked to the doorway, and spun toward him. “I’m sorry for upsetting you. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I just wanted you to know that I’m going to get through to Dad.”
She wagged a finger at him. “And don’t you ever say you’re broken again. There’s nothing wrong with you, Carter. You’re my brother and my family.” Then she turned and trudged down the stairs.
***
That same evening, Darcy bounced up the stairs while humming “The Keeper of the Stars.” She flounced into her bedroom and twirled around as the memory of Carter holding her close filled her mind. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been so happy. Not since...
A vision of Jace’s handsome face came to her, and she froze with her arms outstretched. As it often did, her happiness evaporated as sorrow dragged her back down to earth.
Crossing the room, she opened her jewelry box once again and pulled out her engagement ring. She sat down at her vanity and turned the ring over in her hand, recalling the night she had received it. Jace had taken her out for a fancy dinner on Valentine’s Day, and the server had brought them two glasses of champagne. The ring was in the bottom of her glass, and when she looked up with surprise, she saw Jace had gotten down on one knee.
Plans for their November wedding took over her life that year. Haven would be her maid of honor and walk down the aisle wearing a gorgeous navy-blue dress. Derek would serve as Jace’s best man, and Haven would walk back down the aisle with Derek after the ceremony. Darcy planned to throw the bouquet straight to Haven in hopes that Haven and Derek would be the next couple married.
And just as Darcy had predicted, Haven and Derek’s engagement day had come. They were the next couple to be married, and Haven was planning her wedding.
Actually, they would be the first to be married since Darcy and Jace never got their day. Their life together was not to be.
Darcy could still see Jace’s face and hear his voice, his laughter, in her mind. She slipped the ring onto her finger, and it still fit like a glove. She sniffed as she placed the diamond ring back in her jewelry box next to the wedding bands she and Jace never got to wear, gently tucking them into their special spot at the bottom of the box. She closed the lid, wiped her eyes, and curled up on her bed.
When Darcy closed her eyes, Haven’s mother’s words from the day before at the bridal shop echoed in her mind.
Jace would want to see you move on and find happiness with another man who loves you.
Darcy shook her head. It was so easy for people to tell her that Jace would want to see her happy, but how could she be happy when she was the reason he died?
Darcy lifted her phone. When it automatically unlocked, a selfie of her and Carter at the concert filled the screen. She scrolled through her photos, finding more of her and Carter at the concert, at his birthday party, at her parents’ beach house.
Darcy set her phone on her nightstand, and tears pricked her eyes. Would she ever find true happiness with Carter—happiness without guilt?
As her sorrow and regret spiraled, she found her mind shifting toward a new fear. What if something happened to rip Carter from her life? She couldn’t imagine losing him like she’d lost Jace. Just the idea of another loss nearly broke her heart in two.
Chapter21
A week later in Flowering Grove, Darcy sat on a camping chair in Vet’s Field. She scanned the clusters of people sitting on chairs and blankets awaiting the July4 fireworks. Although Darcy’s parents had invited her to join them at the beach house, she had thanked them and instead chosen to enjoy a small-town July4 holiday with friends.
In the morning she had sat in the Barton Automotive parking lot with Carter, Haven, Derek, Shauna, Gage, Glenda, and Ernie for the traditional parade. She had loved every moment of it, especially the Flowering Grove High School marching band. Local children had also decorated their bikes and ridden along the parade path. Afterward, they all went to Shauna’s house for a barbecue and spent the afternoon eating and laughing together.
Now they waited with the rest of the town for the fireworks to begin. The appetizing smells from the food trucks selling baked pretzels, nachos, popcorn, and funnel cakes filled the air while a buzz of conversations rumbled through the crowd. Children with glow sticks danced around as darkness began to take over the sky.
“I can’t believe it’s July already,” Haven said as she popped open a can of Diet Coke. “Our wedding will be here before we know it.”
Darcy looked up at the stars beginning to dot the sky. The air was humid and still. The fireworks would start any minute now, and anticipation seemed to crackle in the air.
“My parents and I booked a caterer and a DJ this past week, and we signed the contract for the Flowering Grove Country Club,” Haven continued. “It’s all coming together.”
“That’s amazing, Haven.” She glanced over at Carter, and her senses fluttered. She hadn’t told him yet, but she knew for sure that she loved him.
“Your brother is going to be my groomsman, right, Havey?” Derek took his fiancée’s hand in his. “He hasn’t gotten back to me.”
“Of course he will be. We’ll have to get the family together for dinner to work out the details.”
“Hey.” Carter’s voice was right next to Darcy’s ear, sending waves of goose bumps down her arms. “You look beautiful tonight.”
Leaning over, she kissed him. “Thank you.”
