Tears shimmered in Kylie’s blue eyes—eyes that were so much like her sister’s. She reached out for me, and I wrapped my arms around her. “Thank you,” she murmured into my ear. After I pulled away, she gave me a sad smile. “He loved you, too. I don’t think he ever gave up hope that you would patch things up with Lily.”
Kylie’s words caused the ache in my chest to grow. The memory of going to him and asking his permission to marry Lily flickered through my mind. The emotions were so strong that I staggered back from the pain. To try and get a hold of my emotions, I asked, “How’s Lily?”
Kylie grimaced. “Not well. She hasn’t slept or eaten since we got the news. She’s refused to see or talk to anyone.”
The enormity of Lily’s grief didn’t surprise me. “Where is she?”
“Holed up on the back porch in Daddy’s favorite rocking chair.”
“I need to talk to her.”
“Good luck with that,” Kylie replied. She then motioned me with her hand. After we got into the house, we started weaving our way through the maze of mourners. I spoke to a few familiar faces. When we got to the kitchen, Kylie led the way over to the door that led to the back porch. Kylie took a key from her pocket and unlocked the door.
“Hey, sis, there’s someone here to see you,” Kylie said.
Lily’s body shuddered. “Not now. I don’t want to see anyone,” her voice, hoarse from crying, croaked.
Glancing at me over her shoulder, Kylie gave me a look like she had tried. When she started to push me back into the house, I shook my head. I’d come too far not to see her.
“Lily,” I said softly.
Her gaze jerked from staring out at the yard to mine. Her hand flew to her mouth. The range of emotions that went through her face ran from agony, to hurt, to anger, to elation.
Scrambling out of the chair, she then raced down the length of the porch to meet me. She threw her arms around my neck, burying her face in my shoulder. Her body shook so fiercely with her sobs that my body trembled as well. I wrapped my arms tight around her, cocooning her against me.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so, so sorry,” I whispered into her ear. I said the words for so many reasons. For the loss of her father just as much for the asshole I was to let her go. As she continued to weep, I couldn’t stop feeling so helpless. I didn’t know what to say or do. I just knew I needed to do something to ease her suffering. “Lils, I want you to know if there was anything in the world I could do right now to take your pain away, I would.”
“I know,” she murmured against my chest.
I rubbed small circles across her back, anything I could think of to give her some comfort. Her crying slowly started to ease. Then she slowly lifted her head to stare into my eyes. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”
“I had to come. Your dad was always so good to me. I considered him a good friend who was taken too fucking soon.”
“It would have meant a lot to him. You know, that you came so far just for him.”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t just for him. I came for you, too.”
“You did?”
“Of course, I did.”
Her brows lined in confusion. “Even after all this time?”
“A lifetime couldn’t erase my feelings for you.”
The sound of voices behind us made Lily tense in my arms. “There she is. Lily, honey, why don’t you come over here and speak with some of these people?” a woman said. I thought I recognized her as one of Lily’s aunts. Maybe her dad’s sister.
Lily’s anguished eyes met mine. “Take me away from here, Brayden. Please.”
Without another word, I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her tight to me. Then we bypassed the waiting people on the porch and headed down the steps. “Lily? Lily, where are you going?” the woman questioned.
But Lily didn’t reply. Instead, she kept her head down as I steered her around the back of the house. When we started for the woods, she glanced up at me. “You’re taking me to the treehouse?”
“Is there somewhere else you wanted to go?”
Tears pooled in her eyes. “No,” she whispered.
“Look, if it’s going to upset you, I’ll take you somewhere else.”
“Some of the happiest memories I have of you are at the treehouse.”
Her words felt like a dagger tearing through my chest. I had just been trying to get her away as fast as I could from well-meaning but irritating family members and mourners. I didn’t stop to think that the treehouse probably wasn’t a trip down memory lane that we should be taking.
The sounds of bird calls and squirrels scurrying around filled the silence between us as we tromped through the overgrown brush. When I saw the treehouse in the clearing, I exhaled a relieved breath. I had feared it might be gone by now.
“Wait here and let me check it out,” I instructed. Lily nodded as I started gingerly up the ladder. The wooden rungs appeared pretty sturdy. When I got to the top, I pushed on the trapdoor. I did a few steps along the floor to test it out. I walked back over to the hole. “It looks fine. Come on up.”
Lily came up the ladder, and then I helped pulled her inside. Wrapping her arms around herself, she gazed around the room. “I can’t believe how nothing has changed.” My gaze fell on the table with the melted candle stubs and lantern. We had them lit each and every time we came here to make love. The air mattress had long since deflated, but blankets still covered it. I spread one out and motioned for her to have a seat.
Once she sat down, her hands ran along the grooves in the floorboard—the grooves I had made with a pocket knife where I etched the date of all the times we had snuck away to have sex. Two teenagers so desperately in love. It seemed like another lifetime.
“What are you thinking about?” she whispered.
“What we used to do here,” I answered honestly.
“So was I.” With a sad smile, she said, “I’m sure this looks like a real dump to you now.”
I shook my head. “I could never think that.”
“But you’re a millionaire now. You have all the finest things in life. Surely it would be an embarrassment if anyone knew you were hanging out here in some piece of shit treehouse with your inadequate ex-fiancée.”
“I sure as hell never said you were inadequate.”
“You didn’t have to verbalize it. There at the end, I felt it whenever I was with you and from your label’s minions.” A mirthless laugh came from her lips. “I can only imagine how thrilled they were when we broke up. I bet you’re dating some supermodel now, aren’t you?”