3. Chapter 3 #2
He missed his best friend, missed spending more than a few passing moments with each other in the school halls.
Plenty of moments had come and gone where he simply wanted her there, by his side as she had been since they were children.
He longed to speak with her, to lean into her when his father had reached new lows, tossing his mother’s ashes to him in a cardboard box, no better than garbage.
He wished she could have stood by him as he took a shovel from the shed and buried that box in the most peaceful place he knew, right beneath that towering oak tree.
Skye was graduating today, the decorated princess of the town. Rabble chose not to attend, despite the principal’s look of disappointment. Nothing new there. He wouldn’t walk across that gymnasium floor, the local charity case and a loser to be gawked at.
He rose from his seat beneath the tree and tucked the tri-folded packet of papers he held between two of the sturdy, unfeeling vinyl planks. Swallowing back his sorrow, Rabble turned from the fence and walked away.
Rabble’s spine went ramrod straight as he passed that welcome sign, a bit faded with age but still the same. The town itself looked almost exactly as he remembered.
Deep-red brick buildings, the color of blood and chalky rust, lined Main Street and bordered the courthouse town square on three sides.
Beyond the main square, the oldest homes stood tall and proud, a testament to when craftsmanship mattered more than convenience.
Each street beyond that featured a mix of brick ranchers and cottages, until the very edge of town—where he’d grown up.
Lost inside a town established by the same five families who still ran things, Rabble was an outsider.
Always had been. Always would be. Even the moments when he felt like he’d belonged were now wrapped in the same dark memories that haunted his every step.
No matter how much regret and pain he had in abundance, they wouldn’t carry him through life, not anymore.
Driving down Main Street, Rabble noted the subtle yet vital changes made during his absence.
As people strolled by and customers entered and exited shops, a sort of quiet tranquility and eager, barely controlled excitement danced together to create a strange feeling of youthful age.
It sang in the breeze that blew through the red, white, and blue banners hung outside several storefronts.
Rabble took a deep breath and let the feel of the town settle over him. Just a job. Just a job. Just. A. Job.
Parking his truck across from The Wild Bride, he took a moment to assess Elyza’s renovations.
The shop, built of traditional brick and aged wood, displayed large glass windows and antique double doors at the entrance.
Behind the glass, mannequins in an array of poses wore varying lengths of white fabric.
Perfectly placed bright lights made the crystals and beads shimmer.
The cynic in him wondered how Elyza’s security system held up as he mentally calculated how much money sat exposed in those huge front windows.
He let the truck door fall open, propelled by the light shove he’d given it, and took a moment to assess the strange feeling that welled in him when his boots touched the ground.
An odd mix of disquiet, relief, and anticipation.
The first he expected, the other two took him by surprise and set him on edge.
His eyes drifted toward the southside of town, as if he could see clear passed the buildings, beyond the trees, to the outskirts of polite society, where the privacy of the high-browed met the poverty of the riff-raff.
Scrunching his eyes shut, Rabble pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.
Those old memories awakened a thrum in his chest, one that felt an awful lot like regret.
He strode to the bridal shop, pushing open the door and let the pleasant jingle of a bell announce his arrival to Elyza.
He arrived earlier than his friends. While Declan picked up Bekah from the airport in St. Louis, Dash had gone to the rental cottage she’d be using and installed an assortment of security measures to keep Bekah safe in the event her psycho ex-husband decided to show up.
Elyza came running from behind a rack of white dresses hanging from rolling carts, “You’re finally here!”
Rabble straightened his shoulders, willing his negative mood to roll off him. He gave her a crooked grin and winked, “Of course I am, and you’ll notice, the cool brother showed up first.”
She giggled, a girlish laugh that brightened Rabble’s mood just a bit. Rabble had the pleasure of meeting the twins’ sister only a few times, despite that, they still considered each other family. Several months had passed since he’d last seen her, and he studied her with a brother’s watchful eye.
Her rich mahogany hair, a shade or two darker than her brothers’, fell in thick waves down her back, held away from her face loosely by some sort of clip. Her eyes, emerald green to her brothers’ hazel, tended to shine and sparkle when she smiled.
“How’ve you been?” he asked, accepting her embrace as she raced toward him, her long tanned legs eating up the distance.
The strength in her arms as she held him with genuine warmth impressed and reassured Rabble. Her hug settled into him, easing some of the tension that coiled there.
Before she could answer, the bell above the door jangled again, admitting Declan, Dash, and a pretty young woman with straight light-brown hair.
Elyza repeated the exuberant welcome she’d given Rabble with both of her brothers, ribbing them good naturedly for taking so long to visit.
She shook Bekah’s hand, her genuine smile seemed to loosen something in the other woman’s shoulders and she relaxed ever so slightly.
Rabble suppressed the desire to lift his brows in surprise.
Elyza’s quiet welcome showed a level of restraint he hadn’t known she possessed.
“I’m Elyza,” she introduced herself to the young woman, whose eyes held a weary type of watchfulness Rabble recognized all too well. Behind that though, a flash of curiosity, of interest in her surroundings.
Good. That interest meant surviving and overcoming. They could work with that curiosity
“Cath—Bekah. I’m Bekah,” the woman hurried to correct herself, her cheeks going pale and pink all at once.
Elyza smiled reassuringly, no stranger to her brothers’ work, “It takes some getting used to.”
Rabble noted the way Bekah’s shoulders relaxed a bit more, how her eyes conveyed a type of gratitude for Elyza’s gentle understanding.
Pride welled in his chest, for Elyza’s easy acceptance, for Bekah’s terrified determination. Maybe he didn’t have a right to feel anything for either of them, but here were two strong as hell women. They reminded him so much of another strong individual who haunted his sleeping and waking dreams.
Declan and Dash took turns bumping the side of their fists against Rabble’s in acknowledgement.
“All good?” he asked, curious how Bekah’s initial home visit had gone.
Declan had already shown Bekah her rental cottage where Dash played the dedicated technician and explained every instrument at work on the property, from locks to sensors.
The rental cottage and Elyza’s home were only a block from the bridal shop, an added security aspect they hadn’t bet on, but appreciated nonetheless.
Having grown up with brothers like hers, Elyza herself was a force to be reckoned with when necessary.
Elyza’s green eyes caught on Bekah’s wary chocolate brown gaze as she cast them toward the ground, “Bekah, how’re you feeling about all of this?”
Bekah’s head whipped up, a startled expression marred her face, “Oh, this is wonderful. It’s all wonderful.”
Rabble’s bullshit detector pinged, but it was Declan who stepped nearer to her.
“Bekah,” he said, his face gentle and open. They waited in the quiet for her to answer truthfully.
“No, it really is wonderful. The sensors alone are a welcome relief. I just—.” Bekah frowned, searching for words she couldn’t quite conjure.
“It’s going to take some time,” Declan said and Bekah nodded, withdrawing slightly from them.
Rabble frowned, knowing Declan was right.
What she’d been through wasn’t something people just recovered from overnight.
He hoped that the brothers’ expertise and Elyza’s steady optimistic nature would eventually provide a sense of ease and reassurance to Bekah.
Already her shoulders dropped from around her ears, inch by inch.
Declan’s flash of a bright white smile contrasted with Dash’s quiet peace in their sister’s presence as she babbled, the drone of her steady voice a comfort all on its own.
Rabble sat back, observing the three biological siblings, enjoying their banter and only inserting himself when asked a direct question.
With watchful eyes, Rabble saw the way Bekah’s gaze darted between the siblings as well, taking in their conversation, the air they exuded, and measuring it with her own subdued aura.
The three MacAlister siblings looked enough alike that no one could mistake their relation to each other.
As the youngest sibling, Elyza still lived at home with their mother when the twins enlisted in the military, but that hadn’t damaged the strength of their bond.
If anything, the twins’ absence made their connection stronger.
Rabble’s chest constricted with gratitude for their family’s acceptance.
They welcomed him without a second thought, creating the kind of familial bond he’d always dreamed of having and never believed he would.
“—had a favor to ask,” Elyza smiled winningly at them, including Bekah. No matter what she was going to ask, she already knew they wouldn’t tell her no, especially not Declan or Dash.
Rabble refocused on the conversation and raised an eyebrow. This ought to be interesting.
Elyza exhaled, hurrying to finish her sentence in a single, long-winded breath. “I sort of volunteered to be the lead for organizing the town’s floats this year.”
“Sort of volunteered? How do you even do that, El?” Dash scoffed.
“What does that entail?” Rabble cocked his head to the side, trying to dislodge the slight pounding that started behind his right temple.
Elyza picked up three folders from the counter behind her. “Well, clarification: It’s not the whole parade exactly. There are just three floats, and only two of those are technically for the town.”
“Do none of the council members do anything?” Declan grumbled. He already knew they didn’t, but Rabble appreciated his refusal to give up hope.
Elyza handed Declan the folder labeled Historical Society in bright pink gel pen.
He flipped the manilla folder open and waded through illustrated examples of her visions and small samples for each part of the float.
Dash got the folder for the library, and he too opened it to review the internal documents, while Rabble took the last folder.
His eyes skimmed over sketches and pictures of bouquets and faux floral samples.
Rabble made a note not to underestimate Elyza’s creative prowess. He could clearly see what she had planned for each float and was positive the final product would be nothing short of spectacular.
“Please help me.” She pouted and clasped her hands together as a mock plea for their assistance.
Rabble considered his options. Elyza would rope the brothers in no matter what. As an honorary family member, Rabble was likely already on the hook too, and the thought made him break out in a cold sweat. His eyes shot to Elyza’s pleading ones and he swallowed roughly.
Her eyes studied him, no doubt he had become as pale as he felt, the thought of standing on display in front of the entire town spurred the same reaction that being in an enclosed space did.
The same people he’d stand before were the ones who judged his mother for staying with an abusive drunk but did nothing to help.
They were the same ones who watched him fall apart at the seams after his mother’s passing and sneered at him instead of extending a friendly hand to a destroyed teenage boy.
The thought of performing for them now, he’d rather face a firing squad at point blank range.
Elyza must have read between the shadows in his eyes and the lines around his mouth because she backtracked quickly, “On second thought, I think I really only need two grooms and the center bride will shine all on her own.”
Rabble contemplated picking her up and twirling her around in his relief but his knees felt a bit unsteady and he settled on a strained smile that he hoped conveyed his appreciation for her subtle ability to read him and the fears he despised.
Declan and Dash shared a deep groan, their eyes rolling in unison.
Elyza took their reaction as an answer and did a little jump before pulling each one in a tight hug.
To his surprise, she came up to him and squeezed her arms around his middle again.
Two hugs in one day; Rabble was going to end up with a complex.
“I have the perfect person already lined up to help you work on the float, Rab!” She practically vibrated with energy.
He envied her ability to see the bright side in almost any situation, to turn rainy days into opportunities for fun. He wanted to learn that trick. Maybe someday.
“Who is it?” he asked, tilting his head skeptically.
Elyza grinned back at him. “Oh, you’ll love her!”
At Rabble’s side Declan’s amused snicker filled the air. To his other side, Dash smirked quietly, his eyes conveying his mirth.
Great , she’s playing match-maker.