Page 69 of Unbroken

And I couldn’t look away. Even with everything else happening around us, I couldn’t tear my gaze from Blake. I caught bits and pieces of the short ceremony. When they slipped the rings on each other’s fingers, I felt emotion build in my chest, and when they exchanged vows, I had to clear my throat and wipe my eyes.

But Blakely still stole my attention.

At one point, when the three of them turned back to the crowd and requested that the party continue, Blakely finally glanced over at me. She did a double-take, but gripped the small bouquet she held tighter. I expected hostility or annoyance, but to my surprise, she smiled at me and raised her fingers in a small wave before she followed Ivy back into the house.

She was gone for so long that I had begun to worry. They’d given everyone a glass of champagne, and we’d made it through a round of toasts. One from Josh and Amanda, another from Luke, and finally one from Reed’s parents. By the end, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.

After the toasts and most of my glass of champagne was gone, I was on my way inside to use the restroom when I found her. She was talking to a few people I recognized from the school Amanda and Ivy taught at.

My steps slowed, and I watched as she opened her small, beaded clutch and sifted through its contents. Not finding what she was looking for, she glanced at the ground around her. Then she went back to looking in the bag, only her movements were more frantic than they were a second before. No one else noticed, but I could see her panic rising.

When she absently touched her lips, I realized what she wassearching for. In a few easy strides, I walked the several feet to her and, as politely as I could, inserted myself into their little group.

“Excuse me,” I said to the other women before turning to Blakely. “I think you dropped this.” I pulled the new tube of cherry lip balm out of my jacket pocket and offered it to her.

Her brow furrowed and her eyes dropped to my outstretched hand. Understanding shifted her expression, and when she reached out to take my offering, her hand shook slightly.

It wasn’t smart, but I couldn’t resist shifting my hand, so our fingers brushed for as long as possible. Her eyes lifted to mine, and a grateful smile graced her lips. Every ounce of my self-control was necessary in that moment, because the desire to reach out and touch her was almost too much for me to bear.

But I managed. I considered asking her if she wanted to talk right then, but one of the other women in the group pulled her back into the conversation. So, I let her hand slip away and, with a nod, quickly excused myself, needing the solace and the quiet of the bathroom to calm my racing thoughts.

THIRTY-ONE

Blakely

It had been sucha good day and had included the surprise of a lifetime. Watching Amanda, Josh, and Reed together solidified how perfect they were for one another. And I couldn’t believe I’d never seen it before.

They’d been pretty inseparable in college, but that was common in our friend group.

I was just glad I’d been able to be there to witness their commitment ceremony. I’d missed so much over the past two years, including Hazel and Luke’s wedding. If I’d missed that too, I would’ve been devastated.

I was on the verge of tears most of the day, but the party afterward had been spectacular. I’d even indulged in a glass of champagne during the toast. Amanda had introduced me to all her friends and refused to let me leave the dance floor toward the end of the night.

I was exhausted, but still, I couldn’t sleep. And the reason was in the room next door.

The next day was supposed to be a lake day on Reed’s boat,so we—besides Luke and Hazel, who had to get home to Josie—stayed at the lake house for the night.

I wound up in the room I always stayed in, and it hadn’t changed a bit. The room was mostly white, apart from the dark wood side tables and the touches of olive green in the comforter and the curtains. We’d spent so many summers and holidays in that house that it felt nostalgic and comfortable to slip into the sheets.

Patiently, I waited for sleep to overwhelm me. My muscles were tired, and I was ready to slip into a—hopefully—dreamless slumber. But I knew it was a lost cause when I’d been staring at the ceiling for an hour, hoping against all hope that Devon would appear at my door. Or that I would somehow muster the courage to go to his.

I’d hoped we would have found a second to talk sometime earlier that day, but there really wasn’t a spare moment. Except when he’d given me the ChapStick.

I rolled over and stared at the curtains billowing as the cool night breeze carried the scent of the lake into the room. The second he’d offered it to me, I knew it wasn’t the same one I’d misplaced. The one I had been looking for was well worn and nearly gone. The one he’d given me was brand new.

I didn’t know how he could have known that’s exactly what I needed at that moment. It was a surprise, but the thoughtfulness of the gesture wasn’t. Devon was the most thoughtful and sincere human being I’d ever met. He’d noticed what ChapStick I used and how frequently.

He’d bought an extra, probably more than one, just in case I ever needed it.

That thought made me catapult out of bed. My journal slipped onto the floor, opening to the entry I’d penned earlier about the day. I set it on the bedside table.

In sock-clad feet and nothing more than an old T-shirt that hung past my sleep shorts, I quietly spun the doorknob andpeeked into the hallway. I looked left, then right, and only stepped outside when I confirmed the coast was clear.

I tiptoed over to Devon’s door, and before I lost my nerve, I knocked. Only the door pushed open the moment my knuckles connected with it. Hesitantly, I pushed it open further and glanced around the empty room.

My heart sank. I had no idea where he might have gone—maybe home? But I wasn’t going to stand there and contemplate it where anyone could see. I returned the door to its original position, but rather than go back to my empty room, where I would continue staring sleeplessly at the ceiling, overthinking Devon’s empty room, I headed for the stairs. I knew there were leftover cupcakes downstairs, and although the sugar wouldn’t help me sleep, maybe it would help my heart.

Being careful not to slip on the wooden stairs in my fuzzy socks, I headed toward the kitchen. My mind had wandered to the red velvet cupcake waiting for me, so when I hit the bottom step and turned to the right past the living room, I startled to a stop.

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