Page 21 of Splintered Memories
Ignoring me, he leaned over, reaching to set the glass back on the side table next to me. The heat of his body enveloped me, stifling whatever retort I prepared to throw at him as his firm, muscled chest pressed against my arm.
He pulled back as quickly as he came, his heat vanishing, but my skin tingled where we’d touched.
Get a grip, Emersyn.
“It’s not that I’m better than you.” August’s eyes twinkled with lingering humor. “But I think you’ve forgotten that my sister was Lark’s best friend for a long, long time. I’m not better than you…I’ve just had a lot of experience. Lark is basically my family.”
I stared at him. I supposed that made sense. But at the mention of his sister, that grief I’d swallowed down creeped back up, swimming just below the surface like a shark ready to sink its teeth in.
August and I shared a horrible tragedy. He knew what it felt like to lose a sister, too.
As our eyes locked, something changed in his expression. The glimmer of humor dissipated, replaced by something softer. I wondered whether he saw the threatening grief in mine.
His hand moved, his fingers curling around my shoulder and squeezing.
He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Melanie strode out from the dressing room, throwing open the curtain and beaming at both of us.
“I think,” she said, her eyes bright, “that we’ve finally found a winner.”
8
Emersyn
August’shanddroppedfrommy shoulder as Lark stepped out from the dressing room. The bubble of intimacy between the two of us disintegrated as quickly as it had formed.
Lark was absolutely beaming.
Her teeth caught her lower lip, fighting an excited smile as she stepped up onto the platform. She looked stunning.
The dress was everything all the others had been lacking. The base was a smooth, cream-colored silk with a fitted bodice that flared out into a long, flowing skirt. Over the silk was blush-colored lace embroidered with bursts of gorgeous, colorful flowers. Reds and pinks and yellows covered the dress, adding life and color and a uniqueness that fit Lark perfectly.
A low whistle broke the stunned silence. August leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees as he gazed wide-eyed at Lark. “Wow, Meadows,” he breathed, a smile curling his lip. “My brother’s gonna be in trouble when he sees you in that.”
Lark lost the battle with her lips as they broke into a full-blown grin. A blush dusted her cheekbones as she glanced down at the dress. “I hope it’s the good kind of trouble,” she murmured.
August let out a low chuckle. “You look beautiful.”
Her brown eyes snapped up to mine, a hopeful question in her expression.
“Lark.” I matched her smile. “It’s perfect!”
Her eyes glistened. “I think so, too.”
Seeing her standing there, in her wedding dress, looking so unbelievably happy, had my chest burning. If anyone deserved this—the fairy-tale love of a lifetime—it was Lark. She had been through so much, and still, she was nothing but herself. Unapologetically. Maybe that’s what drew me to her all those months ago when she came back to town. It was that spark in her. That bravery to wear her heart on her sleeve without fear of what other people were going to say or think about her.
She made me believe that if someone could survive the tragedy that she had, then maybe there was hope for me too.
“Emersyn?”
Lark’s voice brought me back from my thoughts. I stifled a gasp, horrified to realize my eyes had gone watery.
“You okay?”
I blinked away the threatening tears, waving a hand. “Yeah, of course.” I cleared my throat. “I’m just…really excited for you.”
She and August shared a pointed glance. I pulled in a deep breath, about to defend myself and my uncharacteristically melancholy mood, but Lark spoke before I could.
“August, could I have a minute alone with Emersyn?”
