Page 97 of Meet Me in the Vines
“Violet?” I whimper. Her kind eyes smile at me as she pulls me into her arms.
“Hi there, my sweet boy,” she croons, holding me like she did so many times that summer when my heart was broken. I missed her so much. I tower over her, my eyes flitting back and forth between Wren and Violet. Two beautiful pieces of my Audrey. I pull them both into an embrace as the half-heaven sun peeks through the wooden frame of the gazebo.
“I was shot. Kellan shot me. He tried to kill Audrey, and I jumped in front of her. I—I tried to protect her,” I choke out. They hold my hands as I let the tears fall in defeat.
“Donovan, youdidprotect her. You saved her life, honey. You saved our girl,” Violet says with a softness to her tone. The tears stop, but the heaviness in my chest lingers. A weight that I don’t know I’ll ever be able to lift. The three of us sit back down on the bench and hold each other’s hands without speaking. Quiet. Stillness. Violet and Wren have their eyes closed, breathing in the pure air around us.
A buzzing energy builds in the atmosphere, when suddenly my eyes close and my mind travels to a memory of Wren, pregnant with Audrey. She is sitting in a rocking chair, her pointer finger poking different parts of her swollen belly.
“Where are you, my honey tulip?”A tiny kick hits her hand. She smiles.“There you are, baby. I love you so much, Audrey Wren. You are my legacy. I will love you forever, my honey tulip.”
My eyes fly open, my breath rides on a shudder. Wren and Violet still hold my hands. Their eyes remain closed. Something tells me to close my eyes again, so I do. My vision tunnels behind my eyes; it streaks of neon colors and bright flashes until another memory greets me. This time, it’s Audrey looking in the mirror in what I assume is her old room.
There’s my beautiful girl.
She groans in frustration and changes out of her clothes into a sleep shirt. She lies on her bed and stares at her ceiling, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.
I’d kiss them away.
Violet comes into the room, sitting beside a very frustrated Audrey. Violet’s voice is warm like a freshly baked batch of cookies. She looks at Audrey with wisdom and knowing eyes, giving her advice about living for today, and that she is beautiful no matter what. The admiration in Audrey’s eyes for her gran is bright, giving off the shade of green that sets my soul on fire.
“Wait, Gran. What if I show up and he pays no attention to me?”
The realization hits me. She’s talking aboutme.This was the night. Our night. She was nervous about whether I’d pay attention to her? She’s always had my attention. Every ounce.
“And don’t think I didn’t miss him practically running to you after the ceremony today. A boy with a look in his eyes like that can only mean one thing…”
I grin, thinking about picking up Audrey’s graduation cap and how our eyes met, how our fingers touched and the spark was so tangible between us, tethering us together in that moment. I keep my eyes closed—I want to live in this memory a little longer.
“And what’s that?”Audrey replies with the cutest expression on her face, like she’s hoping for the exact answer she wants to hear.
“That you will be the center of his night. Trust me on this, sweetheart.”
And she was the center of my night. She was the center of mylife.
I open my eyes. Wren and Violet follow as they smile at me, giving me a gentle squeeze around my fingers.
“H-How did you do that?” I breathe. I’m met with silence as they stare at each other, a grin tugging at the corners of their mouths. I give them a breath of a chuckle, grateful for a moment to see Audrey, even just for a moment.
“Thank you for showing me. I don’t know what else to say,” I murmur. Violet leans over and kisses my temple while Wren pats the top of my hand with hers.
I look toward the vineyard that surrounds us, remembering my night with Audrey.
Her dress flowing in the wind. The sound of her contagious laugh. Her hair flying wild. Her electric touch on my skin. Her heart-stopping smile. Her delectable kiss. Her comforting voice. God, I want to hear her voice again. I let the memories take me to that place. Over and over.
Heat spreads throughout my chest and up my neck. The tips of my ears are hot to the touch, and this overwhelming sense of loss hits me like a devastating tsunami. My throat constricts as I try to gain control, having a visceral realization that the reason I’m able to see Wren and Violet’s memories is because I’m in half heaven. My future with Audrey on earth died the moment I got here.
A movement stirs in the distance. There’s someone on the hill, but I can’t make out who it is. I stand up and walk to the edge of the gazebo, squinting my eyes to focus on whoever is walking toward us. Wren and Violet trail behind me, placing their hands on my shoulders. I look at both of them and their gazes soften.
“Go to him, Donovan.” Wren says softly.
Him?
I see the figure coming closer into view, and I step down the stairs, putting my hand over my brows to shade my eyes. As I walk closer, my bare feet wade through the grassy hills, squishing the ground below. A peek of brown hair, tall and lean. He jogs towards me, and I take one step closer to see his face emerging over the hill.
“James?” I whisper.
I turn to face Wren and Violet, who are beaming and holding hands in the gazebo, nodding in my direction. I whip my head back around, my breathing erratic and wild. The flutters in my stomach nearly lift me off the ground as I run.
