by Gina Azzi
“Just a sprain.” I wave a hand, trying to hobble out of Aaron’s grasp. Trying to absorb that tiny detail that landed like an anvil: his wife is not in the picture. Where is she? Shaking my head, I manage a smile. “I’m Everly.”
Aaron’s grip on my arm tightens, his fingertips like embers. Finn’s eyes narrow, catching the movement and he glances at Aaron.
“Everly and I attended the same uni that semester I was in America.” Aaron supplies.
A flicker of recognition sparks in Finn’s gaze, and he rolls his lips together, pinning them between his teeth. Rocking back on his heels, he crosses his arms before chuckling softly. “Good to meet you.”
“Likewise,” I reply. “Anyway, y’all enjoy the festival. I’m sorry to intrude on your time like this.” Pulling my cell phone from the back pocket of my cut offs, I wave it around, chuckling at my misfortune. “I’m going to call my ride. Good to see you, Aaron. And good meeting y’all.” I offer Livvy a genuine smile and she beams back. She’s freaking adorable. But, of course, Aaron would have a cute kid.
“So, I’m going to take her to the hospital. You don’t mind keeping Liv?” Aaron talks over my head.
“Aaron, really, I’m fine.” I yank on my arm, exasperated.
Why do men always think that they have to fix things? And that the way to do so is by ignoring the woman’s wishes? I’m not exactly a damsel in distress. I’m more than capable of —
“Lee, please. Let me make sure you’re okay.” Aaron’s voice is firm, unyielding. I open my mouth to explain that I already am okay, but he cuts me a look that forces me to swallow my words.
Not because I’m scared of standing up to him. He’s not Corey.
But because his look is fire hot, heady and blazing, unbalanced and desperate.
It’s needy and my entire being jolts to life as his gaze caresses me the way I wish his hands would.
Be still my heart.
Stay strong, Everly. Stay the course.
“’Course not. We’ll have a blast. Roger called, and he’s swinging by with Gerry in a bit.”
“Thanks, mate.” Aaron slides his hand down my arm, his fingers clasping my wrist, as he crouches down in front of his daughter. He speaks to her quietly and she nods, her braids bopping up and down. Balancing on my good foot, the trail of Aaron’s fingers down my arm cause jolts of electricity to shimmy through my veins, and I close my eyes, reveling in my body’s reaction to him and hating it at the same time.
Aaron is supposed to be in the past.
But God does it feel good to stand beside him again.
“Feel better, Ms. Everly,” Livvy says, waving as she disappears into the swell of festival-goers with her uncle.
Aaron shifts his weight next to me, his fingers lacing with mine so naturally, it aches that it’s not an everyday occurrence. “God, it’s good to see you, Lee.”
Nodding, I step closer, automatically pulled toward him. Completely forgetting about my ankle, I yelp as the pain from my fall washes over me and both legs give out. Gravity pulls Aaron and I to the ground where we land in a heap, surrounded by hundreds of people, in the middle of the Royal Mile.
3
Aaron
Her body is pressed against mine in all the right places, and I swallow back a groan.
Why the hell am I still acting like a twenty-two-year-old uni student around her?
And how has she not changed at all?
Shapely, athletic legs with shorts that barely cover her ass, a slim waist framed by wicked curves, and a smile that could melt a glacier. My body begins to respond to her heat, her presence, her goddamn sunshine, and I curse, angry with my traitorous limbs and wayward thoughts when Everly is clearly in pain.
But Jesus, if she doesn’t look like salvation and sin procreated. Her chest heaves, drawing my attention to the perky firmness of her breasts. One of the tiny straps of her shirt slips off her shoulder and I nearly groan again. Looping a finger around the material, I drag it back up her arm, painfully aware of how damn soft her skin is.
Standing quickly, I reach down again and help her up.
We pause, staring at each other, as a loaded pause colors the space between us.
“Everly —”
“Aar—”
Both of us chuckle as Everly shakes her head, her long hair brushing across the tops of her attention-stealing breasts.
Pull yourself together, mate.
You need to get Everly to the damn hospital.
Stop thinking about her incredible breasts and how they would taste if —
Everly winces, the color seeping out of her cheeks and I shut down my desperate thoughts and focus on the woman in front of me. Drawn to her brilliant green eyes, a pang cuts through my chest that I can’t read them anymore.
“You don’t have to do this. I can call my ride.”
I shake my head, hanging onto her elbow as I guide her toward my car. “How’s the pain?”
“Manageable.” She murmurs, the toe of her moccasin snagging on a dip in the pavement. “Shit.”
“Here.” I shift, wrapping an arm around her waist, my hand palming her stomach. “Put your weight on me.”
She stops abruptly, her entire body locking down.
“Everly?”
She doesn’t move, her body stiff and unyielding. Her eyes are unfocused, like she’s in a trance and her breathing stutters.
“Lee?” I say louder and she glances up. Wariness rings her irises, and a flicker of unease zips through me. “I’m just trying to help you. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
She nods again, her eyes growing shiny in the sunlight. An unexpected layer of moisture collects in her eyes, surprising and concerning the hell out of me. “I know.”
“You’re in pain, babe.” I swing her up into my arms, hooking one arm under her knees, the other cradling her against my chest.
“Aaron! What? Put me down.”
“It’s faster this way.” I stride forward, taking a shortcut down a side street.
“I’m too heavy.”
I snort, glancing down at her.
“I’m serious,” she protests, a small smile fluttering over her full lips, even though she seems anxious.
“I forgot how serious you can be. We’re almost to my car.”
Sighing, she closes her eyes and rests her head against my chest. A small smile flits across her mouth as she listens to my heartbeat, and the realization that that’s what she’s doing only accelerates it.
When we arrive at my car, I place her down gently, opening the passenger door, and helping her slide inside and buckle in. Rounding the back of the car to the driver’s side, I steel myself for being in such a confined space with Everly. Everything about her is effortless. She’s the only woman who ever tied me up in knots and cut them free at the same time.
Starting my car, I glance over to find her staring directly at me, her shoulders squared, her eyes curious.
“How are you doing?” I flip the ignition.
“Hanging in there.”
“Are you just in town just for the festival?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Why are you here, Everly?”
“Just hiding out.”
My hands slide from the steering wheel as I turn the ignition off. Unease unfurls in my veins as irrational thoughts trickle through my mind. Hiding out? From who? Did someone hurt her? “What?”
“Just taking a breather, a time-out from my life.”
“Why?”
“It’s complicated.” She shrugs, but the way she averts her gaze, letting her hair fall forward and creating a barrier between us, bothers me.
Opening my mouth to ask more questions, I bite back down on my tongue when Everly angles her body closer to the window, away from me.
“Well, if you need anything while you’re in Scotland, call me, yeah?”
She nods, the silky strands of her hair rippling against her back, but she doesn’t turn her head. “Sure.”
/>
“What are you looking at? Do I have something on my face?” She wrinkles her nose, sitting next to me in the hospital waiting room, her fingers gripping the arm rests.
“No, it’s not that.”
“What is it?”
“Just surprised, I guess. That it’s really you.”
“It’s just lil’ ol’ me.” She lifts her hands and flutters her fingers.
“Just lil’ ol’ you, huh? You seem different.”
“It’s been almost fifteen years, Aaron. Of course I’m different.”
“I know. It’s just strange. In so many ways, it’s like you haven’t changed and yet, so much time has passed.”
“I know what you mean.” She grins at me. “You look good, Aar. Like you’ve barely aged at all.”
Laughing, I shake my head, pointing to my temples. “Have you missed my grey hair?”
“It’s distinguished.”
“It’s being a full-time dad.”
Everly’s face falls. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that —”
“We divorced. Six months ago.”
“Shit, Aaron. That sucks. I’m sorry things didn’t work out.”
“Me too. Mostly for Olivia.”
“She seems incredible.”
“She is.” I scrub a palm over my chin. “She’s the most important person in the world to me.”
“I bet you’re an amazing dad.” Her voice sounds wistful and she’s watching me with a longing that stirs old memories, forgotten emotions, to life.
“Everly, I —”
“Everly Pierce.” The receptionist calls out.
I stand beside her, my hand on her elbow as I guide her toward the receptionist. “I can come with you.”
She freezes, her eyes widening as she looks up at me.
“You may need the support,” the receptionist throws out helpfully.
Finally, Everly nods, and we follow the receptionist into an empty unit in triage.
Everly slides onto the hospital bed and stuffs a pillow underneath her ankle, elevating it. I take the chair by her bedside.
For a handful of long seconds, the only sound between us is our breaths mixing, feeling each other out, separating the past from the present, hurt from possibility.
“Why here?” I ask, breaking the silence.
“Edinburgh?”
“Aye. You could have taken a break from your life and gone anywhere. What made you choose Scotland?”
“Someone I used to know once told me it’s magic,” she quips, her look meaningful.
God, I remember the night she’s referring to, the Tennessee bourbon we drank on a rooftop, the stars that seemed bright enough to touch, falling down around us like a dream.
“Someone you used to know, huh?”
“Yeah. He was an exchange student. Gorgeous blue eyes and a smile bright enough to rival the sun. His accent was the talk of my entire dorm floor, only second to his ripped body.”
I chuckle, knowing she’s messing with me. “What happened?”
“He made me believe in beautiful things. And then he broke my heart.” Her voice cracks and my eyes jump to hers, but I can’t read them. Can’t read her and it pisses me off, serving as another reminder of my failures.
I never should have let her go.
Inhaling sharply, my chest tightens at her lost expression. Raking my teeth over my lips, I yank the back of my neck.
What the hell do I say to that?
I did break her heart. I knew it before I did it, and I had to live with it afterwards. But the hurt flaring in her eyes is as unexpected as seeing her at The Fringe.
“I never meant to hurt you, Lee. Not the way I did,” I confess, the binding in my chest growing unbearable. In a way, it’s a relief to know my heart isn’t permanently damaged after the blender Kate’s had it in for the past year.
She offers me a sweet, sad smile, her fingers playing with the strands of gold and silver at the base of her throat. “I know.”
“But you still came. Here. To my city.”
“Maybe I’m searching for some magic.”
“You going to write a song about it?” I joke, desperate to lighten the atmosphere and cut the undercurrent of tension between us. Because if Everly doesn’t perk up soon, I’m going to be forced to fist the hem of her shirt and drag my lips across hers.
My fingers are already itching to reach out and touch her. The realization scares me as much as it soothes.
“Maybe.”
I shift forward in my chair, dropping my elbows to my knees. “You really did it then? You’re a famous singer?”
Her mouth drops open, an adorable snort slipping from her nose. “Aaron, at the risk of sounding completely self-absorbed, do you not know who I am?”
“Know who you are?” Olivia’s declaration that Everly sings a song Daisy likes flickers through my mind. “You’re Everly Pierce, treasurer of Vanderbilt’s freshman class, aspiring singer, soulful songwriter, and lover of mac and cheese and Tennessee bourbon.”
A real laugh bursts from her mouth as she grins. “Fair enough. I once was all those things. And look, I know country music isn’t a huge thing over here but… have you not followed me at all?”
“Not really.”
“Why not?” Her cheeks redden, embarrassed, and I see her again, the tempest I once loved. God, I’ve missed her without ever knowing just how much.
“I followed you in the beginning. I knew you signed with a label and were going to give music a shot. I don’t know much beyond that. Seeing you living a life—a different one than what I envisioned for us—it hurt too much.”
“You do remember that you broke up with me, right?”
“I remember.” My words are soft. I remember everything with so much goddamn clarity it aches to recall. They say hindsight is twenty-twenty, but I didn’t need hindsight with Everly. I already recognized the treasure she was as a drunk twenty-two-year-old under a starlit sky.
She snorts, tapping on the screen of her phone. “I pursued music.” She hands me her phone and this time, my mouth drops open, my chin pretty much scraping the floor.
“Holy shit.”
4
Everly
“You’re famous.”
Snatching my phone back, I shrug. “Kind of. I mean, obviously not here.” I squint at him through one eye, still miffed that he had no idea that I’ve become a country singer and songwriter.
He laughs. A real one. One of those belly laughs that expels pent-up emotions until the laughter turns into something else entirely. It’s the most real he’s been with me since I ran into him, and for a fraction of a second, it’s like I see him again. The boy I fell in love with.
“Lee, you were nominated for a fucking Grammy.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t win.”
“Everly,” he chides me.
“Aaron.” I love playing with him, mainly because his frustration always turns to amusement. At least, it used to.
“How the hell did I not know this?”
“Once again, at the risk of sounding totally conceited, I have no freaking clue. I mean, even I know you went on to take a pretty big leadership role at Anderson Marketing and PR.”
“How’d you know that?”
Rolling my eyes, I duck my head, embarrassed that I just threw myself under the bus. “Your company website.”
“You stalked me.” He points a finger at me, his voice pleased.
“I would hardly call it stalking.”
“You were curious about my life?”
“Of course I was curious. After you ended things with us, I just, I wanted to make sure it was worth it.”
“If what was worth it?”
“If you, you know, did all the things you planned to do. Work for the family company, have a leadership position, all of it. And you did. I’m proud of you.”
Aaron clears his throat, ducking his head.
When he glances back up, his eyes swirl with emotion, regret heavy in the lines
of his face. “Everly, I —"
A nurse moves the curtain separating the space from the rest of triage and pops her head inside. “Everly Pierce?”
Seriously? She chooses now to interrupt? When Aaron is finally going to share some insight on why he broke my heart when I was a fresh-faced and eager nineteen-year-old? “That’s me.” I raise a hand.
“I’m here to take you for X-rays.”
Standing slowly, my body aches as my joints click into place, my muscles stretching. I’m sure my ankle is just sprained, and this entire trip to the hospital is unnecessary.
Aaron stays behind as I’m escorted for my X-ray.
“Try to stay still,” the technician, a middle-aged woman instructs, placing the X-ray coat over my chest and stomach.
“Sure.” I lie back, my body perfectly still, and close my eyes.
A shudder rolls through me but the memory doesn’t give a shit, and his face fills my mind the way it always does.
Unbidden and unwelcome.
Pain explodes in my ribs, traveling into my chest and squeezing my heart like a vise until I’m sure it’s stopped beating altogether.
Bruises mar my wrists, encircle my neck. Ugly, purple blotches that resemble fingertips too closely to play it off as anything else. Coldness sweeps through me, shutting everything down, numbing out the pain, blocking out the hurt.
“Stay still.” The X-ray technician’s voice is quiet, soothing, but I hear the sympathy in her tone, read the pity in her eyes.
And realizing that this is how people will see me now shatters me all over again.
“Ms. Pierce. Try to hold still for one more, okay?” The woman pops her head into the room, startling me as my eyes fly open, and I seek out her kind smile, her unknowing eyes, devoid of pity.
“Sure. Sorry about that.” My voice sounds scratchy and I clear it, wanting to wash away the dread mixed with fear clinging to my skin like a sticky film.
Shuttering my eyes closed again, I block out the memories of my last trip to the ER. It was a little over a month ago, and yet it seems like it was both years past and seconds earlier.