Page 111 of Full Circle

Wesley

Punching a woman didn’t sound like the worst form of rock bottom. Some would argue that hitting Desiree didn’t even count since she was half-woman, half-spawn-of-Satan.

I was livid at this turn of events. Phillip and the sheriff both assured me on the way back to River’s Run that there was enough evidence to lock Desiree away for a long time. Usually that meant bail would be set too high for her to afford, especially since all her bank accounts were frozen. Dear old Dad intervened one last time on her behalf, however, and fronted the money for her to get out. Since even Desiree wasn’t stupid enough to believe there was anything other than an orange jumpsuit in her future, she decided it was worth it to find one last way to make Celeste pay.

Only she didn’t have the balls to do all the dirty work on her own. Jeremy Stanbrooke was found a few blocks away, badly burned from his escape. They both wanted to ensure the fire caused total devastation; there would be no chance to rebuild. So Jeremy lit everything internally while Desiree set fire to the exposed wood on the exterior of the building in order to spread as much fire as they could in the least amount of time.

I could have strangled both of them with my bare hands and smiled in my mug shot.

By now, half the town stood on the sidewalk, gawking at the crumbling ruin and the ensuing chaos. Nana was absolutely beside herself. Iris and Marla were doing everything they could to console her, but the loss of her deceased daughter’s restaurant really did a number on her. There was nothing any of us could do or say in that moment to make it better.

That was why it took me so long to realize I didn’t know where Celeste was. When Nana began her heartbreaking wails, I assumed Celeste went to get something from Marla’s to help comfort her. However, it had been almost an hour without any signs of her, and I was starting to panic. What if Jeremy and Desiree had a third person acting out with them? We had no idea where Hillary was or if she had any involvement.

I didn’t want to cause the others the same panic, so rather than voicing my concerns, I simply started whipping my head around to scrutinize the faces of everyone lining the street. Iris noticed, though.

“She went to her special place,” Iris called over to me.

“Her special place?”

My daughter nodded. “I’ve never gone with her, but she said it’s the perfect place to go and think. It has to be nearby because she doesn’t drive there.”

I hugged Iris, still awestruck over this perfect miniature of me that Celeste created. “I’ll be right back,” I assured her.

Following the dirt path, I walked past the playground, behind the baseball diamond, and into the foliage on the creek bank. The path was as worn as always, like time hadn’t actually passed. I suppose time never really did pass in a place like River’s Run.

My girl sat on the lowest climbing branch of our old tree, her shape barely visible in the dim light of the morning. Everything was darker this morning as the world mourned with her. Celeste would never be the same after this. I already knew that, given the gravity of the situation. It wasn’t fair. But then again, nothing Celeste dealt with had ever really been fair. That was what made her kindness so much more beautiful.

Neither of us said a word as I climbed up and settled in beside her, one leg dangling over each side of the branch so that I could lean against the tree trunk and watch her. Her long blonde hair was different, but otherwise she was exactly the same as my first meeting with her in this very spot. What was that saying Celeste always credited to her mother? “Life always comes full circle” or some damn thing.

When I met her, I was a scared, angry teen who wanted nothing more than to watch the world burn. My father never taught me what love was or how a family was meant to treat one another. Although Celeste had been sad over the loss of her mom back then, she also still had so much joy and love in her heart. She was the first person to show me what life could be.

Celeste Hendricks took that scared, angry teen and welcomed him into her heart. She forever changed my life.

It was jarring to see us on the other side right now. I was fully prepared to be a man worthy of her father’s blessing, taking care of Celeste and Iris—hell, even Nana and Marla, if they’d let me, because this was our family. Right now they all needed me to be strong. Everything was about to change.

“I’ve measured my life inside that restaurant,” Celeste suddenly said, her voice cracking from her tears. “It was all I had left of Mama.”

“I know, sugar bee,” I whispered. Wrapping my arms around her, she settled in against my chest and continued to stare down into the creek, numb and lost.

We sat like that for a long time before either of us found words to say. Celeste needed to find some way to accept the situation, and I would set up shop in that tree with her until she did.

“So what happens now?” she mused.

I kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair. “Now we build the life we always wanted. We learn to love each other again in the ways we need. We teach Iris what a real family is, and watch her grow. This next part of life is where we get to be happy.”

Celeste turned her face towards me, the hope apparent in her watery eyes. I couldn’t believe how beautiful she was, the same as the day I met her right in this very tree.

“Really?” asked Celeste.

Her lips, even dry and cracked as they were, tasted like heaven. It reminded me of the Kane Brown song because I truly didn’t think I could dream up a more perfect soulmate if I tried. I wanted to love her and protect her for the rest of my life, starting with this kiss.

I tried to give her my full “megawatt” smile as she always called it when I promised her, “For my whole life.”

And she smiled back…because she knew.

EPILOGUE

FIVE YEARS LATER

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