Chapter 41
Lark
When we arrive at the graveyard, Tristan puts the truck in park and looks over at me. “Take as much time as you need.”
I feel so silly leaving him in the truck. “Tristan…”
“No, sweetheart, I’m serious. I’ll wait here. You say whatever you need to say to her and then come back to me.”
I sigh and grab the flowers I picked out of my garden and lean over to kiss him. Before I lose my nerve, I exit the truck and make my way to where she’s at rest. Today is a weird day—it’s windy, sunny, and that rich, end-of-summer smell is in the air.
To get to where she is, I have to go through the pampas grass, the beautiful wheat color swaying as my dress blows out behind me. Thankfully my hair is tied low on my neck as I move through the tall stalks.
Today I woke up thinking a lot about the past and what my future will be. So many people will have something to say about Tristan and me, but there’s only one person I feel I need to talk to about it. To maybe have a sense of peace before we tell even more people.
Emmy Jo.
A little way away, I see the headstone that faces to the east. I haven’t been out here since the day she was buried.
I stood with her sister, did my best to be as invisible as I could, not wanting to disrespect the Stone family with my presence, but needing to say my goodbyes as well as support my best friend. So I was quiet and small, and I grieved the best way I could.
While I asked for Tristan to come, I’m glad it’s just me, because this is just between us girls.
I exhale, feeling the weight of this moment. So heavy that it’s hard to breathe.
I place the bouquet of flowers down, and there are several bundles already here. I know Mary Lou comes out each time she visits town.
I drop down and let out a sigh before inhaling the warm air and the hint of lavender from the wildflowers to the right.
“Hey, Emmy Jo, it’s me, Lark. Although I’m sure you know that because…
well, I’m talking and you know me, and I like to believe that when we pass, we can kind of look in on people.
So maybe you’re watching now.” Although now I’m feeling a little weird, because if she can look in, I hope she’s only looking when we want her to, but… I need to focus.
“Anyway, I came because I had some things to promise and maybe even a little bit of forgiveness to ask for from you. See, I know that what you had with Tristan is something that I never will. I would never try to. The love you shared was yours and his, and it created Sadie, who, by the way, is just fantastic. Seriously, there’s so much of you inside of her, it’s beautiful.
She has a big heart, is always kind, and she loves her family, just like you.
Back to the point.” I let out a soft laugh.
This is much harder than I expected. “I’m in love with him.
I’m sure you understand just how easy it is to fall for him.
He’s pretty amazing. It happened without either of us really thinking it would.
I’m sure I’m the last person you expected to be here, saying any of this aloud, but he’s my heart, and I felt I needed to explain. ”
I sit on the grass, touching a petal in the bouquet.
“I promise that I will never try to replace you. It’s not possible, and I don’t want to.
I promise that if Tristan and I work out, and I hope we do, that when it comes to Sadie, I will always include you.
She’s yours, but I’m hoping that as time goes on, she can be a little bit mine too.
I think you’d want her to have someone who will be what you’re not able to be, but also know who you are to her.
I swear that I will love Tristan the way he deserves to be loved, in the best way that I can.
” I fall silent as a tear slips down my cheek.
“Thank you for loving him and helping him be the man he is. I hope that when you do look in, you see how much we love each other.” I wipe at my face and get to my knees, touching the etched name in the stone, and as I do, the wind softens a little and a rush of calmness sweeps over me.
I smile, feeling as though she just sent me a sign. “Bye, Emmy Jo. Thank you.”
“Stop fidgeting,” Tristan says as he squeezes my hand.
Fat chance of that happening.
I’m pretty much shaking like a leaf. I had hoped we could prolong this lunch for a few years, but Momma is actually the one who thinks me going to meet Tristan’s family on their turf is necessary.
I’m starting to think my mother has a few screws loose and I should look into putting her in a home or something, because how anyone thinks that lunch with Tristan’s entire family is smart is beyond me.
They hate me.
I did my best to protest over the last two weeks, claiming a mild headache, or reminding her the doctor advised I should avoid stress. Our families bought it—until now.
Today is the day of reckoning.
I look up at Tristan as we’re walking closer to the house and closer to the final showdown. “Like you weren’t nervous going into my house?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
I roll my eyes. “Right. I’m sure that was because you and my brothers already had your standoff in the hospital.”
“I’m sure that’s true too,” he agrees—unhelpfully. I want him to argue with me, so I have my suit of armor on prior to going in.
I’m praying it’s not a battle but, yeah, who knows how this will go.
Right as we approach the front of the house, Sadie opens the door and comes running out.
“Lark!”
I smile and open my arms to give her a big hug. “Hey!”
She squeezes me back and stares up at me. “Did you watch the show I told you about?”
“I did. You’re so right—she should never have picked that brother.”
Sadie, Tristan, and I have had several outings together. We went to dinner twice last week, and then earlier this week, I took Sadie for a mani-pedi, just us girls. One of the things I told Tristan was important to me was having my own relationship with Sadie.
We share a love of chickens and horses, but I want her to know me, and I have a lot to learn about her.
However, if there’s anyone in this house who is completely on board with our relationship, it’s her.
“Seriously, I hate him.”
I agree. He’s selfish and stupid, but then the heroine just couldn’t help herself. I wonder if I was ever that dumb. Then I remember—I definitely was that dumb.
“Can we not talk about this again?” Tristan asks. “The two of you are driving me batshit crazy with this show.”
I grin. “Listen, you like football. We like complicated teenage drama shows.”
“That’s right, Dad. This is your lot in life,” Sadie says, backing me up.
He must hate the two of us together.
I know he’s really going to hate when I finally have the conversation about Sadie getting back on Cloud. Lord knows he’s going to lose his mind when I reveal I’m riding him tomorrow.
Which is probably why I haven’t told him.
He knows I’ve been cleared to work with the horses again, and I did some groundwork today, which he was so not excited about, but he’s learning he can’t protect everyone he loves from life.
It’s baby steps.
Tomorrow I plan to take a big one.
“Yeah, yeah,” Tristan says with a sigh. “Let’s go inside and have lunch.”
Sadie glances at me. “Don’t worry. Dad threatened them all this morning. Everyone will behave. Well, with Grandad, we can never be too sure.”
I imagine him sitting his sisters down and how that must’ve gone.
I know all the Stone girls. I’ve grown up around them—you can’t live in this town and not run into each other—we just were never friends.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I nod once, take Tristan’s hand, and smile. “Let’s go.”
We walk in, and Tristan’s house is so much like mine it’s almost funny.
The layout is similar, there’s a living room right past the entryway, and it has a huge cathedral ceiling with windows on the entire side.
There’s even an old recliner that sits in front of the television and a couch to the left.
We walk farther into the kitchen, where his sisters are all standing around the island. Where my house hasn’t been touched in a million years, it’s clear they recently upgraded at least this room.
The stove is huge and sits against the back wall beneath a beautiful range hood with intricate scrollwork along the top.
The island seats at least six, to the side is a breakfast nook area with a round table, and where we have a wall that separates our dining area, they tore it down and brought in more formal seating.
The conversation stops once they see us, and then Fallon puts down the vegetable she was holding and comes to me. “Lark, I owe you an apology.”
I shake my head. “No, you don’t.”
“No, please,” she pleads. “I was wrong. I blamed you, and you definitely didn’t have anything to do with the situation. Please accept my apology.”
“Of course,” I say quickly. “No harm done.”
She glances at her brother and then back at me. “There was, but I appreciate the forgiveness. Welcome to our home.”
“Thank you.”
After Fallon steps back, Harper and Veronica approach. We say an awkward hello, they ask about how I’m feeling, and we do our best to make small talk. The three of them go back to cooking, and Tristan wraps his arm around me, pulling me to him. “You’re doing great.”
I look up into his brown eyes and grin. “They’re all being very kind.”
“They don’t want to find themselves without a house.”
I snort a laugh. “Tristan, you can’t make them like me.”
“No, but I can make them be nice.” He is completely out of his mind.
Still, they are being nice, and I appreciate it.
“Where’s Pop?” Tristan asks after a few more minutes.
Honestly, he’s who I am the most concerned about meeting.
The stories my father has told about Clyde Stone are enough to make me want to run.
He’s ornery, once punched my dad—allegedly—and has undercut my farm in so many instances that my family often blames him for our struggles.
Sadie, on the other hand, paints a very different version of him.
I’m hoping he’s like she describes.
Veronica looks over. “He said he was going to get the eggs.”
“We got the eggs this morning,” Sadie explains.
Tristan lets out a long groan. “Harper…”
She huffs. “I’m going, I’m going. I don’t know how this is my damn job.”
“Because you volunteered,” Veronica says as she stirs the pot and then turns to me. “When we knew Pop couldn’t run the farm anymore, everyone got a job. Harper was to manage Dad as well as the accounting and front office.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure that will end up being my role too.”
There’s not a chance in hell I trust Deacon or Ryan to take care of my father or mother.
“Can I show Lark my room?” Sadie asks.
Tristan nods, and she pulls me along. We go down a long hallway, and she points out each of her aunt’s rooms and shows me her dad’s, and then we get to hers. It’s so cute. Clearly, her father did not decorate it.
“This used to be Aunt Harper’s room, and she loves pink, so I kept it.”
I walk over to the huge photo on the wall. “Cloud looks handsome here.”
She smiles. “That’s the closest I could get to him for a long time.”
Yeah, I’m not sure how much closer she’s going to get for a bit, but I’m going to work on her father.
She shows me her collection of books, which range from young adult romance to stories about horses to a few mysteries. On the top shelf of her bookcase are little figurines and photos.
The one of Emmy Jo causes my chest to tighten. “May I?” I extend my hand and then stop to ask, not wanting to upset her by touching her things.
Sadie nods.
“You know, I have a photo of your mom, your aunt Mary Lou, and I right before my senior prom. I’d love to show you. I have a few photos, actually, that you may never have seen before.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” I laugh, remembering how much Mary Lou and I would drive Emmy Jo crazy.
“One time she was in a bad mood because of something, I can’t remember, so your aunt and I got her Polaroid and took probably fifty photos of her when she wasn’t looking, and we made a photo book out of it.
We thought she’d be so mad, but she laughed instead. ”
“Dad said that Mom loved to smile.”
“She did,” I agree. “She was so kind to everyone.”
Sadie sits on her bed, listening to each word. “I like that you knew her.”
“Why is that?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. It just makes me feel like she would be okay with me getting to be around you.”
I place Emmy Jo’s photo back on her shelf before I sit next to her on the bed. “I like to think that too.”
“Are you going to marry my dad?”
Well, that escalated quickly. “Right now we’re just dating, but who knows what will happen.”
Sadie stares off for a second and then back to me. “Thanks for being so cool, Lark.”
I grin. “You’re pretty cool yourself.”
There’s a knock at the door, and Tristan is there. “Am I cool?”
Sadie and I look at each other, then turn to him at the same time. “Nope.”
And then we all laugh, and it feels so damn good.