by Diana Gardin
He saw her father towering over her small frame, screaming at the top of his lungs about how worthless she was. It was a familiar spiel, but it would end up so much worse for Ever than it did for him.
He cringed as he saw the big man’s hand come down, and Ever was knocked, sobbing, to the floor.
Sam’s hands fisted beside him, but the door was locked. Even if he busted in, what could he do? He was an eleven-year-old boy fighting a giant. And Ever would get it so much worse if he interfered. It had happened once before when they were nine. Sam came up behind her father and hit him with a stick.
Sam had to take Ever to the Urgent Care that night, pulling her in the wagon attached to the back of his bike. The nurse on call was the sheriff’s wife, a good family friend of Ever’s father. She simply nodded at Ever’s story of falling off her bike and sent them on home.
So he waited. He sat on the porch steps and covered his ears, waiting for the fighting to stop. When it did, he peeked in the window again to see Ever’s father sprawled out on the couch, snoring.
He walked around the house to her bedroom window. He raised it quietly and climbed over the sill.
Ever was curled into a small ball on her bed, tears flowing down her face. A welt was beginning to form just above her cheekbone, and the sight of it fueled the fire that had been burning inside of Sam since he’d met her. This man was evil, and Ever had to live in a house with the Devil every single day.
He lay down behind her, wrapping his arms around her as best he could, and just held her while she cried.
When her tears were dried up, she sat up and nodded. He helped her up and walked her to the window, where he assisted her over the sill.
They walked together, his arms cradled carefully around her, back to Sam’s trailer. Sam thought there should be a trail worn into the grass, as often as they walked this route together. He poked his head in the front door, looking for his mother. When he noted that she was nowhere to be found, he brought Ever inside and towed her to his room.
He closed the door and locked it. Then they curled up on the bed and held each other, like two broken birds, tightly for the rest of the night.
Nine
We need to talk, Prince. Can you come over?”
Aston listened as Princeton agreed, and she hung up her phone. She sighed and closed her eyes, soaking up the morning sun as it burned into her skin.
“What made you finally see the light about Princeton?” Reed asked from the chair next to hers.
“I don’t know, Reed.” Aston imagined taking the sun’s rays and absorbing them into every portion of her body, using them for strength. “It’s just time to move on, you know? Prince and I have been together for five years, and we’re still in the same place we were when we were fifteen. I want to be crazy in love. I want that for him, too.”
Reed nodded. He sent a sideways glance over to his sister. “I never understood what you were doing with him, A. It’s not that Princeton’s this horrible guy. He’s just not your guy. Everyone knew it but you two.”
“Really? Why didn’t anyone say anything?”
“Say something to Aston Hopewell, queen of the Stubborn Fairies? We wouldn’t have dared. You’ve always had to see a situation in your own time for it to be real for you. This wasn’t any different.”
“You’re sounding very wise there, little brother. Are you finally growing up?”
“Hell, no. I just graduated from high school. My wild days are just beginning.”
Aston sighed. She sat up and retrieved the sunblock from her bag. “I hate seeing you act like a man-whore, Reed. You’re better than all of these trashy girls you keep hooking up with. I wish you’d see that.” She began slathering sunblock over her bare stomach.
Reed looked out over the pool. “What? You think I should be in a relationship? So I can end up like you and Princeton? Or…Mom and Dad?”
“Mom and Dad are still together.”
Reed snorted, so she tried again.
“You could end up like Finn and Ash.”
“That’s one in a million. At least I thought it was.”
“What? You don’t think that anymore?” Aston stopped rubbing and glanced over at her brother.
“I think there might be a chance for lightning to strike twice in N.I.,” he answered casually.
“What do you mean?”
Reed took a deep breath. “Aston…after it’s all said and done with Princeton, are you going to admit you have feelings for Sam?”
She laughed and sat back in her chair. “Sam’s taken. He’s not for me.”
“You don’t know what the future holds, Aston. Sam’s honestly the best guy I’ve ever met. And the spark I see between the two of you…well I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Shut up, Reed.”
“Shutting the hell up.”
“Why does Reed need to shut up?” Princeton asked, walking through the gate on the side of the house.
“Does she need a reason?” Reed rose from his chair and walked toward the kitchen door.
“Don’t let me ruin your tanning, Reed.” Princeton smoothed his hair back from his face and grinned.
“Now it’s your turn to shut up,” Reed tossed back as he opened the back door and went inside.
Princeton laughed and claimed Reed’s vacated chair. He looked over at Aston and took her hand in his.
“What’s up, gorgeous?” he asked her.
Aston looked at their hands and her stomach flipped over. She’d spent years with Princeton. She knew his family. They’d spent countless hours together, watching movies, playing games. Hanging out, drinking at Sunny’s. Every major event in her life, from the time she was fifteen, had been weathered with Princeton.
Now it would only take a few minutes to bring everything they had to an expeditious end.
“I just thought we should talk after last night.” For this moment, she kept her voice quiet, but resolute.
“I’m sorry, Aston. I kind of lost it, I know. I never want to hurt you. I never mean to. It’s just…I only have this time before everything starts to get so serious. I start medical school in a year. I just try to loosen up every time we go out, and I always take it too far.”
“Yeah,” Aston said. “You do. And I know you’re anxious about what the next steps look like. But it’s time to grow up. For both of us.”
“I know. I plan on it. But last night…I don’t know, A. I saw how he was looking at you…”
“Who?”
“Waters. He looks at you like you’re the only one in the room sometimes. And it drives me crazy. I can’t hurt a guy for looking, but damn. You’re with me. And he’s got someone back home, right? I just want him gone.”
“Prince…”
He squeezed her hand tighter. “What?”
“Let’s not make this about Sam, okay? This is about us. We’re…we’re not working, Princeton.”
He sighed. “Aston—”
“No, let me say this. We’ve been together a long time. And I’ve loved you since I was fifteen. I know you love me, too. But is this what being in love is supposed to be like? We don’t have that insane, passionate heat between us that Finn and Ashley do. I want more for a relationship than just a best friend. Don’t you?”
His expression morphed as he drew in her words like a breath. “You think I don’t feel heat for you, Aston? Look at you. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. I’m hot for you every time I see you. There’s a time and a place. Someone should tell that to fucking Finn and Ashley. I don’t need to have my hands constantly all over you to know that I want you.”
Aston agreed with that sentiment. But…she wanted the man she loved to have that burning need to touch her. “No, you don’t. But you have to feel it, Princeton. And I think if you’re honest with yourself, you don’t. And I have to be honest with you, too. I just want something different from what we have.”
Princeton’s face darkened. “And what you want…does it look like S
am Waters?”
“I told you this isn’t about Sam. I promise you it’s not. I don’t know where I’ll end up after we go our separate ways, Princeton. I’m ending this because it’s time.”
Prince stood and paced along the side of the pool. “I had a plan, Aston. These were the fun years. This was our time to live a little. Maybe you just need a little more space to do that. Then, medical school and you working at your father’s company. Then we were going to get married and have a family. Don’t ruin the plan, A.”
He stopped pacing and ran both hands through his blond hair. The desperation in his voice hammered her ears and her heart, and her face crumpled. “Princeton. You can’t set a plan for your whole life like that. Especially without letting the other person in the relationship in on the plan. We’re not going to make it that far. We’re just not.”
She stood up and grabbed his hand, halting his pacing. “When you wake up tomorrow, you’re going to realize that I’m right. And you’re going to be glad you have the freedom to go out and find what you really want in a partner. It’s not me, Princeton. It never was.”
She reached up to rest her hand on his cheek.
“I’m glad I got to be with you, Princeton. You’ve taught me a lot about life and about love. You were there for me during the hardest time in my life, and I’ll always love you for it. But now it’s time for me to let you go. And you have to let me go.”
He picked up her hand and tossed it down by her side. “What if I say I don’t want to?”
She took a step back. “You don’t have a choice. I’ve made my decision. It’s over, Princeton.”
Sam paced in front of Gregory Hopewell’s desk as the older man reviewed the agenda for an upcoming board meeting, e-mailed to him from his executive assistant.
“Sam, why are you burning a hole in my floor?”
“Oh, uh, sorry, sir. I wanted to let you know that I’m having guests come into town tomorrow. I was going to let them stay with me in the tack house, but if that’s not okay with you I’ll pay for them to stay in a hotel.”
“Oh, really? I don’t mind if you have guests in the tack house. Do you mind if I ask who’s coming?”
“Of course not, sir. My brother and my girlfriend.”
Gregory studied Sam. “Are you excited?”
Sam had been counting the minutes. Excited was an understatement, but there was also an undercurrent of anxiety flowing through him whenever he thought of what his reunion with Ever would be like. The best-case scenario? She’d melt into his arms like they’d never been apart. He never allowed himself to consider the worst-case scenario.
“Yes. It’s been too long since I’ve seen them.”
“All right, then. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will you be introducing your friends to Reed and Aston this weekend?” Gregory’s tone was casual.
“Probably. I think Reed’s expecting us to all show up at Sunny’s tomorrow night.”
Gregory nodded thoughtfully, still scrolling through the document on his laptop screen.
“Why do you ask?”
“I’ve just noticed how close you and Reed…and Aston…have become.”
“Yeah,” Sam said slowly. “I never expected to feel like I belonged anywhere when I left home. So what I’ve found here…it’s going to be hard to give it up.”
“Why would you need to give it up, Sam?”
“Because I’m going to have to move on eventually, and everyone here is going to forget all about me.”
“Sometimes plans change, Sam. And I’m pretty sure that no one here is going to forget about you anytime soon. Keep your mind, and your eyes, open. You might be surprised at what you see.”
Gregory finally looked up from his computer.
“Have a great weekend, Sam. I hope it turns out to be everything you’re expecting.”
Ten
Welcome to the corporate offices!” Aston couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice on Friday.
This was her world, her livelihood, her future. And although she should have been reluctant, she simply couldn’t wait to share it with Sam.
When she glanced at him, he was staring up at the building ahead of them with focused eyes. He stood silently, just taking it in. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward.
“This isn’t what I expected,” he admitted as they entered the double red doors at the front. The Hopewell Enterprises logo stretched across the front, a windmill fan with the letters H and E emblazoned beneath.
The building, rather than being made of steel and glass, was of the Charleston historic style. Two mansions connected by a shared vestibule housed the corporate offices. The interior was light walls and dark, rich wooden floors. Antique bronze finishes adorned light fixtures and doorways.
“Shit.” Sam breathed. “This is kind of awesome.”
Aston grinned; her face hurt she was smiling so madly. She was home, and she wanted Sam to feel at home here, too.
She led him to the elevators located past the lobby, waving to the lady sitting at a generous front desk as she did so.
Once inside the elevator, Sam leaned his head back against the wall and eyed her. “Where to, Princess?”
“Daddy’s office. He told me to bring you up when we arrived.”
The elevator doors opened upon a traditionally decorated hallway much like the lobby downstairs, and they ended up standing in front of a large wooden door. A small atrium opened up before the office door, and an empty desk sat in the middle.
“Daddy’s executive assistant usually sits here,” explained Aston. “She should be back in a few weeks, when her maternity leave is over.”
She knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open and escorting Sam inside.
“Sam!” boomed Gregory. “Glad you’re here. How do you like the offices?”
“They’re amazing, sir.”
“Glad to hear it.” Gregory stood from his desk, resting his palms on the top. “I’ve been building this business for a long time, Sam. It’s my home.”
The phone sitting on top of Gregory’s desk buzzed. He pointed to the door. “I want you two to pull up the latest projections sent to me by the geothermal researchers. I have to sign off on the final drilling project today for their trip.”
He turned to his phone, Aston and Sam’s cue to exit the office.
As soon as the doors closed behind them, and they were back in the atrium outside the bustling hall, Sam grabbed Aston’s forearm.
“I get it,” he said softly, chocolate brown eyes holding hers.
“Get what?”
“I get why you love this…working here, being a part of it. I think I just fell in love with this place.”
Shuddering slightly at his words, she sent him a small smile. “I knew you would.”
She settled down in the chair behind the executive assistant’s desk, and Sam stood just behind her, leaning over slightly in order to read the computer screen.
His warm breath tickled her neck, and the hairs there stood at attention. She was suddenly hyperaware of his cool, masculine aroma and his hulking manliness in such proximity. She was sure he had no idea what he was doing to her.
And what was he doing to her? He was working, and he was learning, and he was succeeding. It was sexy as hell to watch the progression and forward motion that was Sam Waters. It was as if when given the right tools and opportunities, he was unstoppable. And she just wanted to be a part of it.
They worked side by side until Sam thought he needed to go home and prepare for Ever and Hunter. Aston reluctantly shut down their desk, silently wishing she could somehow extend the workday.
Sam paced in front of the main house. Hunter had called from the gas station just before the bridge to Nelson Island, and he’d given him careful instructions on how to get to the ranch. They would pull up at the main house any minute, and he planned to walk them to the tack house from there.
Anxious didn’t begin to describe Sam’s curren
t state. A thin sheen of sweat had broken out over his palms, and his skin was cold despite the summer heat.
Headlights turned onto the drive from the state highway. The early evening air was alight with fireflies, and crickets chirped noisily in the brush all around him. But as the vehicle approached, the evening noise fell silent within his bubble of existence. The lights crawled forward, and he stopped pacing as Hunter coaxed Ever’s old red Chevy pickup around the curve and slowly stopped close to the opposite end of the driveway.
“I’m guessing I can’t park this old thing here.” Hunter opened the driver’s side door and climbed out, stretching his long legs.
“Leave the keys in the console,” Sam instructed. “I’ll have Reed move it for you.”
“Reed?” Hunter’s eyebrow’s rose. “Is he the butler?”
Sam grinned and grabbed Hunter in a bear hug. They slapped each other’s backs, and then he turned to the passenger-side door and flung it open.
Ever stepped out, her long red hair blowing in the mid-June breeze. She looked exactly like he remembered, only without the bruises. She was a little plumper, healthier-looking, too.
“Ever.” Her name was barely a breath on his lips, and he grabbed her around the waist to lift her off her feet.
As soon as he touched Ever, he rocketed back to life with her in Duck Creek. How they were always desperate; desperate for love, desperate for safety, desperate for more. Hugging her made it all achingly real again, and he immediately released her at the jolt of pain that staked through his chest.
“Sam.” She looked up into his face and gently squeezed his solid biceps.
He held her at arm’s length.
“You look good,” said Sam tentatively.
“You, too,” she answered, glancing around her.
Sam bent down to kiss her but missed her face as she slowly whirled, taking in her surroundings.
“This is where you’ve been living?” Incredulity filled her voice.
“I told you it was big.” Sam offered a wry smile. “But I don’t live in there. I can take you guys down to the tack house where I’ve been staying.”