Page 111 of Broken Butterfly
And sang, ‘Marry me, Elizabeth,
And say you’re mine forever.
I’ll love you every day that we’re together.
You’ll wear my ring and pick out a wedding dress,
It’s our love story, so baby, please say, Yes.’”
“Oh my God, yes! Always, forever, yes!” Our lips meet with crushing force, neither one of us caring at all that we’re surrounded by family.Ourfamily.Myfamily.
I pull my mouth from our kiss and nibble my way up to his ear. “I am going to fuck you so hard tonight and we’re going to come so much that neither one of us will be able to walk for a week,” I whisper.
Ryder’s hands clench on my back and he stands up abruptly with me in his arms. “We’ll be right back,” he calls out at everyone and rushes us inside the house to the sound of our friends’ and family’s celebratory hoots and hollers.
Chapter 33
With the celebration of Julien and Elijah’s engagement, I completely forgot to give Liz the Christmas ornament I had made with Elizabeth Ann’s name on it. I knock on the front door of the Cutton home, but no one answers. That usually means they’re in the backyard. I notice a black Range Rover in their driveway and wonder who it belongs to. Rounding the corner, I hear a guitar and I smile. I love to hear Liz play and sing. I’m glad she brought her guitar with her to Seattle and sang to our little girl.
As I round the corner of the house, smile on my face, with the present secured in my hand, my smile deepens when I notice the Cuttons holding sparklers. I used to chase Liz in the backyard when we were kids, the both of us holding sparklers in our hands. Her favorites were the gold ones. My steps slow when I notice Meredith and Trevor next to Liz. My feet stop when I see it’s Ryder singing, not Liz. My heart breaks when I see him kneel in front of her, a ring held in his outstretched hand. And the love that has consumed me for her since childhood twists into a raging hatred toward her when I hear her say, “Yes!”
Chapter 34
“I can see some things never change,” I tease, leaning a shoulder against Brea’s bedroom doorframe. Brea is dressed in her finest Christmas flannel pajamas. She has fuzzy Rudolph chenille socks on her feet, a reindeer antler headband on her head, and a bowl of toffee-covered popcorn in her lap, as she sits on her bed watching the Hallmark Christmas movie marathon that airs every year. It was a tradition she and Hailey would do every Christmas Eve.
“It’s not Christmas Eve without Hallmark,” Brea says.
“Mind some company?”
Brea tilts her head when shouts of celebration can be heard. “Sounds like things are still in full swing downstairs.”
It’s almost midnight but no one is eager to go to bed yet. Faith insisted that Trevor and Meredith stay for the night, which was an offer they easily accepted. Everyone was downstairs playing theExploding Kittenscard game when I noticed Brea’s absence, so I came upstairs to find her.
Brea shifts over and pats the side of the mattress next to her. I hold up a finger, showing her the reindeer antler headband I had been hiding behind my back. Once I secure it to my head, I jump on the bed to join her, grabbing a fistful of popcorn and shoving it into my mouth. My headband has tiny jingle bells attached to the antlers and Brea flicks them a few times.
We’re both lying on our stomachs. Brea bumps my side. “I have to confess, I never knew my brother had it in him.”
“What? Being romantic? Knowing how to sweep a girl off her feet?”
“Yeah.” She giggles.
“Oh yeah,” I sigh. “He definitely has it and then some.”
Brea lays her head on my shoulder, causing our headbands to clash and my jingle bells to rattle. “I’m so glad you’re back, Lizzie. I missed you.” Brea pauses. “I miss her so much.”
“Me too, Brea. Every day. It’s okay if you want to talk about her.”
Brea’s eyes fill and become glassy. “I don’t want to upset you, Lizzie. I don’t want to bring back bad memories for you.”
I rub her arm and kiss the top of her head. Brea has grown up so much since my senior year of high school. She and Hailey were attached at the hip from the moment they first met and shared their love of American Girl dolls.
“The only memories I have of Hailey are good ones, Brea.” I pause. “Brea, I know you have a lot of questions, especially about that night. It’s going to be very hard to hear, so why don’t we leave that conversation until after the New Year and enjoy this cheesy, romantic movie. I’d like to think that Hailey is watching it with us.”
We sit in silence for a while and watch the movie. It’s sweet, sappy, and simple. Classic Hallmark. I play with her hair, braiding it loosely then finger-combing the braids apart. I remember Hailey used to do this to Brea’s hair just like she would brush my hair to soothe and relax me when we talked. Brea’s coloring is similar to Ryder’s—dark hair, light brown eyes a shade darker than his, tanned skin. Brea is gorgeous, like her brother; she’s gentle and kind like him too.
“Do you have a boyfriend yet?”
“Oh my God, no. Boys are douchebags.”
