Ever Always (10 page)

E
ver pulled up in front of Rilla's florist shop bright and early the next morning in a pair of black jeans and a plain purple T-shirt. Instead of waiting out front, she walked inside with a white sack full of sugary baked goodies.

“Good morning!” Rilla's bright greeting was the norm, and Ever grinned in return.

“I come bearing scrumptious scones and Danishes.” She thrust the bag at Rilla, who licked her lips in anticipation.

Ever watched Rilla closely as they sat at one of Rilla's worktables. Rilla prepared to dig into Ever's homemade goodness. “You know I think you only like me for my baked goods, right?”

Rilla eyed her, her big blue eyes the picture of innocence. “What are we doing today?”

“We're visiting someone I've been missing for a long time. Can I look through some of your arrangements? I want to bring her some flowers.”

Rilla nodded, her mouth too full of cream cheese and pastry to speak. She gestured toward one of her shelves and then moaned in ecstasy. “So good.”

Ever wandered along the wall of colorful flower bouquets, her eyes seeking, until she found the one she thought would be exactly right to lay on her mother's grave. The beautiful array of pink posies sent her mind soaring, thinking of warmth and light. Everything her mother was to her once.

She hadn't visited the gravesite since the funeral, when she was just a tiny little girl. Her father had never taken her back there, and she knew now it was because losing her mother had completely shredded him. He'd taken it out on her, which she may never forgive him for. But now that he was gone, she had a desperate need to see the place where her mother rested—to visit the place she was buried, talk to her about the things she'd been through in her life. Something told her that wherever her mother was, she hadn't missed a moment of her daughter's pain.

Somehow, she knew that this act would be like a salve for her damaged heart.

Ever and Rilla finished their breakfast and climbed into Ever's clunky truck. Rilla complained every single time she rode in the thing, and it only made Ever appreciate the big old beast more. She patted the dashboard lovingly as Rilla suggested for the umpteenth time that Ever get a car that was more environmentally friendly.

“One day,” promised Ever.

They were quiet on the drive to the cemetery, each girl lost in her own thoughts.

Finally, as the truck pulled through the tall, iron gates, Rilla looked over at Ever. “I've never…”

Ever's eyebrows rose as she glanced at her friend. “You've never visited a grave before?”

Rilla shook her head, the corners of her dainty mouth turning down in a frown.

Ever, taking comfort in her friend's apprehension, grasped her hand over the console. “It's been a while for me. I can do this myself. Are you going to be okay, or do you want to stay here?”

Rilla took a deep breath. “I'm here for you, Ever. Whatever you need. I'm coming with you.”

Ever nodded, squeezing Rilla's hand in hers, and they exited the car. The September sunshine shone a burnished gold against the just-changing colors of the old dogwood leaves shading the rows of graves. In the distance, gray clouds loomed, forecasting a rainy afternoon to come. They walked silently, reverently, until Ever reached her destination.

Her mother lay beneath the shade of one of the largest trees in the cemetery, her gravestone standing stark and alone in the air ripe with the coming fall. Ever stuttered to a stop when she saw it and then fell to her knees on the soft grass beside the gray stone. Rilla hung back a bit, watching.

“Hey, Momma,” breathed Ever. She took a deep breath and reached out a trembling hand to stroke the letters gracing the headstone. The other hand clung tightly to the bunch of posies she'd brought.

Her fingers stroked the words lovingly. A breeze lifted the auburn strands of her loose hair, and she realized as it struck her face that her cheeks were wet with tears.

She looked back at Rilla, a sad smile pulling at her lips. “Rilla, meet my mother.”

Rilla brushed at her own cheeks as she knelt down next to her friend. She wrapped both arms around her shoulders and squeezed. As she leaned her head down on Ever's shoulder, she stared at the beautiful words written on the stone. “You created a beautiful person,” she whispered. Then, to Ever, “And now I'm going to give you a few minutes, okay? I won't go far. There's a bench over there.”

She planted a kiss on Ever's cheek and then stood and trudged about a hundred feet away to the bench, pulling out her phone.

Ever turned her attention back to Elizabeth Allen's grave. “I miss you, Momma. I always have. But now I think I'm going to come visit you a lot more often. I'm healing now, and I want you to be a part of that.”

And then she did something she hadn't done in a long time, too long to remember. Maybe she'd never done it, or she'd stopped after she figured out that no one was listening.

She bowed her head and prayed.

Rilla waited on the bench, eying Ever as she approached her friend's sitting spot.

“All finished?” she asked gently.

Ever nodded. “Yeah. I think so.”

“What do you want to do now?”

Ever stopped in front of the bench and raised her eyes to the sky. Bright patches of blue shone through the now all-encompassing cloud cover. The breeze chilled her bare arms a little more than it had an hour ago, and she hugged herself.

“Let's go get some coffee?” she suggested with a smile.

Rilla perked up even more at the suggestion of caffeine, and pulled out her phone as they began the short walk back to the truck.

“Who are you texting?” asked Ever with fascination. Rilla had the fastest-moving fingers she'd ever seen.

“No one.” Rilla blinked at her, brimming with innocent nonchalance, and Ever knew something was up.

Grumbling about secrets and sneaks, Ever got into the truck and drove the two of them back toward the center of town.

Duck Creek still lacked a Starbuck's, so Ever chose the next best thing: Jivin' Java. She pulled the truck into the parking lot beside the building and sat in the driver's seat, keys still in the ignition.

“I have to call Hunter,” she said suddenly, glancing at Rilla.

“I know.” Rilla stared out the window, not looking over at Ever.

Outside, the clouds that had gathered overhead opened, and a light, steady rain began to fall. Ever reached over Rilla's seat and grabbed her umbrella off the truck floor.

Ever's brow furrowed. “Why don't you sound more surprised?” She tried, and failed, to keep the suspicion out of her voice. Rilla liked to talk through every single decision, because she simply couldn't help it.

“I need a shot of espresso. Ready?”

Ever watched Rilla's curls bounce out of the truck, and then she followed suit, climbing down and moving slowly to stand on the sidewalk on the side of the coffee shop.

She really was ready to call him. She didn't know what she'd say, exactly. Or if he'd even want to hear from her. But she wanted to tell him, first and foremost, what had happened at the cemetery. And how it made her feel, taking that leap.

She didn't have to wait long. Pushing her umbrella up to cover her head and Rilla's, she walked around the corner to the front of the building. She froze when she found Hunter leaning against the brick in front of Jivin' Java.

Oh, holy mother. She hadn't seen him in months, and his blond hair was a little shaggier. The fitted long-sleeved thermal he wore displayed all those hard-worked muscles he earned in his daily life, and his face was…beautiful.

Her Hunter was beautiful.

“Hey,” she said softly as she approached him.

Rilla left the shelter of the umbrella and disappeared into the coffee shop.

Raindrops were dotting his shirt, his face, his hair. She hyper-focused on a single droplet resting on his top lip. He held up both hands, cautiously standing up straighter. “I don't want to upset you, Ev.”

She stepped closer, stopping a few paces away from him. “I was going to call you. Leave it to Rilla to beat me to it.”

“It's just that I got a text from Sam, and I think he's forgiven us. And I miss you so goddamn much it hurts sometimes, Ever. I've given you space—” She smiled, dropping her umbrella by her side, and reached out to place her hands on his damp cheeks. “Wait…what?”

“Three months without you were enough. You were there for me, Hunter, during the absolute worst time of my life, and I'll never be able to repay you for that. It was tough having to experience the hurt that we inflicted on Sam. I wish it had never happened like that. But I'm not sad that it happened. We found our way to each other during the darkest time, and it was messy and complicated, but it was us. We needed each other. I needed you.”

He stared so intensely into her eyes she was becoming dizzy. His gaze could do that to a girl. Her heart was jumping in her chest. He was here, so he wasn't going to reject her, right? He wanted her…she hoped. He hadn't moved on. She just waited while he stared.

She saw his eyes darken and blaze with a fire so intense she thought it could stretch out and burn her. He sighed, a breath from his lips that cascaded across the top of her head. She couldn't pull her eyes from his; she was completely cinched in his scorching visual embrace.

Finally, one corner of his mouth turned upward in the tiniest of smiles. His face brightened and softened.

“Go,” he whispered.

She kissed him. She kissed him harder and fiercer than she'd ever kissed anyone. She kissed him, and it was free and hot and…home. Kissing Hunter was home for her. It was a long, crooked road for her to finally realize it, but now that she did she wasn't going to let him go again. She pulled back and just stared at him.

She stared at the man who held her tightly in his arms during the very worst time in her entire life. And her previous life was filled with bad times. But Hunter held her together so that she wouldn't break. When she was slowly fading away, he reached into the depths and brought her back. He made sure that she was still Ever.

And now, with Hunter by her side, she'd be Ever…always.

Diana Gardin is a wife of one and a mom of two. Writing is her second full-time job to that, and she loves it! Diana writes contemporary romance in the young adult and new adult categories. She's also a former elementary school teacher. She loves steak, sugar cookies, and Coke and hates working out.

 

Learn more at:

DianaGardin.com

Twitter, @DianalynnGardin

Facebook.com/AuthorDianaGardin

Please turn the page for an excerpt of the first book in

Diana Gardin's Nelson Island series

Available now!

Two Months Previously in Duck Creek

E
ver sniffled once, twice, wiping her red nose on her plaid flannel shirtsleeve. Each tear she shed sliced like a dagger through his heart. He hated that he was the one doing this to her. More than once, he'd vowed never to be the one to hurt her. She'd had enough pain from that asshole father of hers. He used her like a punching bag on the nights he came home stumbling drunk. Too many times her nose looked just like this on those nights she climbed into Sam's window long after her father had fallen into a stupor.

But now, here he was, the one making her cry. Like he'd said he'd never do.

Damn it all to hell.

“Listen to me,” he said fiercely as he grabbed both sides of her face in his calloused hands. “I promise I'll be back for you. Don't spend a day missing me. Don't drop your guard. I'll come back, and when I do, we'll go away together and we won't look back at this godforsaken town. You hear me?”

She nodded, and he leaned down to claim her lips. He kissed her long and hard. When he pulled back, her tears were mixed with his on both their faces.

“I don't want you to go,” she said. “You don't have to go, Sam. I can tell them—”

“You tell them nothing,” he insisted. “Nothing. We agreed, didn't we? You let them look for me. They can search 'til the cows come home, but they won't find me. And when things die down, I
am
coming for you. Have I ever let you down?”

She shook her head. “No, Sam. Never.”

“And I'm not about to start now.” He lifted his head sharply as sirens blared in the distance. It always took the county sheriff longer than it should to get anywhere. Sam had the time he needed to get gone.

He stepped backward but stopped at the stricken look on her face. He stepped quickly in front of her again and took her chin in one hand, lifting it up so she would meet his eyes.

“Be strong, Ev. You be strong for both of us. Stick to the story. You'll be safe now. I promise.”

He bent his head to hers, letting the feel of her lips envelop him for the last time. He pulled away too quickly and backed away.

One last look allowed him to memorize her familiar curves and the way her auburn hair fell in waves around her. Then he took off through the woods. Sharp branches slapped his face, leaving burning, angry marks behind. Tiny twigs snapped beneath his feet as they pounded through the brush. He'd keep running until he emerged on the other side where the state highway ran around the outskirts of Duck Creek. That's where his brother, Hunter, had hidden his Harley for him as soon as they'd realized what had to be done. Sam would take off, headed south, and wouldn't stop until he crossed state lines and then some.

Ever would be safe now. He'd made sure of it. He'd protected her most of their lives, and he wasn't going to stop now.

He didn't care that it turned him into a wanted man. Because she was worth it.