Page 11 of Splintered Memories (Ember Hollow Romance #2)
Emersyn
A ugust’s hand dropped from my 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? ”
A crease formed between his brows as he glanced between the two of us. “Sure,” he said hesitantly, rising from the couch.
I hadn’t realized how much his body heat had been surrounding me until a shiver vibrated through me in his absence.
“I’ll be right outside.”
He walked toward the door; a bell chimed as he opened it and settled himself outside. He was visible through the large front window of the bridal shop.
I glanced back at Lark, my brows raised.
She sucked on the corner of her lip as she stepped down from the platform and sat on the couch next to me.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you something.” The nervousness in her tone had my anxiety spiking.
“Okay?” I said, unsure.
She sucked in a big breath. “I was wondering, would you be my maid of honor?”
I blinked at her, shock making my mouth gape. Maid of honor? No one had ever asked me to play such a significant role in their wedding before.
When I didn’t answer right away, because I was still trying to process what she said, she blurted out, “Please, don’t feel pressured to say yes if you don’t want to.
I won’t be offended. And I swear you won’t have to do anything special.
I won’t expect you to plan anything or do anything.
I just…I don’t have a lot of friends and—”
I held up a hand to cut her off, my mouth pulling up into a wide smile. “Lark.” That burning sensation returned to my chest, making my throat feel thick. I swallowed. “Of course I’ll be your maid of honor! ”
She let out an excited squeal and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing so tight my ribs ached. “Thank you. I just really want you there, standing next to me.”
I hugged her one last time before pulling back. “Well,” I said, trying to chase away the emotion that was too close to the surface for my comfort, “I think we should celebrate.”
Lark tilted her head. “Oh? How so?”
I grinned. “Let’s sneak next door and get some coffee and chocolate croissants.”
Latte Pages was the local coffee shop and bookstore. I hadn’t been there in way too long and right now, a big cup of coffee sounded like the best thing to wash down all the champagne.
Or maybe I was a little bit tipsy and bad ideas sounded like good ones.
“Sneak?” she said. “Why would we need to sneak?”
My eyes bounced toward the window. August was still standing outside, arms crossed over his chest. “I want it to be just the two of us.”
Lark followed my gaze, understanding flitting over her expression. She, of course, knew everything about what was going on between August and me. I hadn’t told her much about my family, but I’d needed to vent about this and we’d had a couple of long phone calls the past couple of days.
“I don’t want August to get upset.” She pursed her lips.
“It’ll be fine. It’s literally right next door.” I rolled my eyes. “Nothing is going to happen.”
Her nose scrunched. “Why don’t we just ask him if we can go by ourselves, then? ”
“He won’t go for it.” I shook my head. “He’s surprisingly rigid when it comes to this whole bodyguard thing.” I cringed at the sound of it. Bodyguard . Like I was someone important.
“August takes his work seriously.” Lark shrugged. “Most of his brothers depend on him. On Hearthstone.”
Reid, her fiancé, depended on August. That’s what she was saying.
I huffed out a sigh, stealing one last glance at August. “Please,” I said. “I just need one moment to take a freaking breath without him in the vicinity. Then we’ll come right back.”
Lark’s forehead furrowed. “Is he really that hard to get along with?” She seemed confused.
“It’s not that…” I looked away, smoothing a hand over the long braid over my shoulder. “I’m not used to people being around me so much.” I shivered. “I need my space, and suddenly not having that really sucks.”
Her face softened. After a short pause, she grabbed my hand. “Okay.” She nodded. “Let’s go.”
I regretted nothing.
Lark and I managed to sneak out the back door of the bridal shop while August was still standing outside. For the first time in days, I was able to relax.
Something about knowing that August was mere feet away literally all the time made me feel like I was constantly on guard. As if he’d see too much of the things I’d carefully hidden away inside myself .
I leaned back in a soft leather armchair with a sigh. My hands curled around my coffee, soaking in the warmth. I’d already devoured my chocolate croissant, even though the two of us had only been sitting in the loft area for five minutes.
Latte Pages was the epitome of cozy. The shop was two stories, the second open to the first in a U shape so that even though we were seated on the top level, the cafe at the front of the building was completely visible to us.
I’d had my eye on the front door, just in case a certain marine turned bodyguard came in looking for me.
“Why don’t we come here more often?” I asked.
Lark sipped her iced coffee. No ice, of course.
She lifted her shoulders. “Things have been a little busy for the both of us.”
I nodded my agreement. Lark had only been back in Ember Hollow the last six months after nine years away, which was right around the time everything started to get crazy in town again. Her return had coincided with the Shadow Stalker’s reemergence after a long hiatus.
Lark and her fiancé, Reid, had spent time trying to find the serial killer themselves, only for Lark to get kidnapped and almost killed.
She had survived, but in the process of her investigation, it was discovered that the Shadow Stalker was Lark’s biological father. Unbeknownst to her, Lark’s mother had been one of the Shadow Stalker’s first victims—and the only one who’d gotten away from him.
Yes, things had been a bit of a whirlwind. Lark had been on the journey to healing from her past and dealing with her parentage, all while planning her wedding .
I’d been working my tail off making videos about the Shadow Stalker and his victims, determined to spread awareness so that one day, he’d be caught.
Because no matter how much security I had or how many personal bodyguards, as long as the Shadow Stalker was out there, this town wasn’t safe.
Lark’s phone dinged with a notification. She pulled it out of her pocket, her mouth hardening as she read the screen.
“Oh, no.” Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes met mine. “Reid is home sick. He thinks he has that stomach bug I had.”
I grimaced. “Yikes.”
She stood from her chair, tucking her phone back in her pocket. “I need to get home. If Reid’s feeling bad enough to leave work, it’s got to be bad.”
My bottom lip puckered in a pout. “You’re leaving me?”
“I’m so sorry!” Those big brown eyes widened. “Are you…going to be all right?”
I let out a long sigh. “I’m fine. Go, take care of your man.”
She pressed her lips together, glancing around at the rows of bookshelves that surrounded us. “Maybe you should go find August now.”
I didn’t want to find August. I wanted to soak in my solitude for a little bit longer. But I also didn’t want to worry her. “I’ll find him soon,” I promised, and took another sip of my coffee.
She hesitated, like she wasn’t sure if she believed me. When her phone dinged again, she shook her head and gave me a wave. “I’ll see you soon.” She headed toward the stairs. “Stay safe! ”
I watched her hurry down the steps and onto the main floor. She was running by the time she got to the front door and disappeared behind it.