Page 18 of A Forever Love
“And you think the next six months will do the magic that the last four years couldn’t?” Clem doesn’t hesitate and hits right on the bullseye. “Haven’t you heard that distance makes the heart grow fonder?”
“I’m trying to follow that out of sight, out of mind principle.” I shrug.
She smiles a sad smile. “And you’re sure the right thing to do is forget about him?”
“He doesn’t want me, Clem.”
“Don’t you think he should have a say in this?”
What she doesn’t know is that he did have a say, and I heard enough.
“Some things are better left unsaid, Clem, and this is definitely one of them.”
I grab her hands. “I was thinking you would be spilling the beans about some secret party Dad has planned since I returned home after such a long time, but here we are discussing silly things that don’t even matter anymore.”
Indecision flickers across Clem’s face, a blend of concern etching her brows, and a spark of excitement in her eyes. She chews on her bottom lip.
“As you said, it’s a surprise, not just for Keith but for everyone. And when you told us you’re going to Cherrywood, I got you something special.” She rises from the couch, affording me a moment to steady my breath, and then she returns with the most precious thing in the whole world.
“Please tell me this is for me, because I might cry if you take it away now.” The petite Persian kitten instantly settles on my lap.
“She’s yours.” Clem grins. “Now that you have your own place, I want to make sure my pet whisperer has a furry friend with her.”
Snowy, our eight-year-old cat, a white ball of fur, slinks into the room, her eyes fixed on the kitten on my lap. Although Clem and I brought Snowy into our family, she’s through and through Dad’s girl now.
Clem places Snowy on her lap, and as soon as she’s near Miss Sparkles, the older cat hisses, displaying her teeth like Dracula’s fangs. I can’t help but chuckle.
“Don’t worry, Snowy. Miss Sparkles won’t be competing with you for Dad’s love.”
* * *
“Uncle Connor! I didn’t know you were in St. Peppers.” Leaning in, I wrap my arms around the man who has made every attempt to make Kings Security my home since I was five.
“Can you believe I was just as clueless until a few hours ago? The moment Birdie got wind of your homecoming celebration, she yanked me away from my lunch meeting. Straight onto our private jet, and voila, here I am.”
Even before establishing Kings Security and propelling it to remarkable success, Uncle Connor was wealthier than Midas. Unlike many of his friends, including Dad, who gets squeamish flaunting wealth, Uncle Connor effortlessly embraces it—a style that suits him perfectly.
“Where’s Birdie?” I scan the surroundings, expecting his fiancée of several years to pop out from somewhere with all her beauty and glamor. “By the way, none of my friends believe that my favorite uncle is engaged to a famous pop star, or the fact that she’s old enough to be engaged to my uncle!”
Uncle Connor rolls his wheelchair inside the living room and settles at his favorite spot, where he has a clear view of every corner in the room. “Half of the time, I can’t believe it either.” He gives me his charming grin before straightening the cuffs of his jacket, and my heart stops.
Since when did Uncle Connor’s dimpled smile match Carter’s?
Stop looking for him everywhere, dammit.
“I’ve never seen you smile so much,” I mumble and immediately realize how stupid I must sound. “I mean, I’m so glad to see you happy.”
Fortunately, the corner of his lips, which had almost straightened, lifts again. “Thank you, kiddo. And to answer your earlier question, Birdie is with Autumn and Minnie. They’re all getting ready. Lukas and Gavin are in the garden with your dad, setting up the grill. As for Carter, he probably already texted you, but he’s caught up in a stakeholders meeting. By the way, I’m not sure if he told you, but it wasn’t easy for him when you left without a word.”
A sudden realization hits me with force. It’s not just me who searches for Carter in every corner, but it seems everyone sees us as inseparable fragments of the same puzzle, fated to meld together in life’s intricate mosaic.
Then why, despite all this, did he never see you the same way?
God, this voice in my head will kill me someday.
Unaware of my inner turmoil, Uncle Connor presses on. “You two were always there for each other, and when you didn’t show up at Lily’s funeral, it hit him the hardest.”
A quirk in his eyebrows surfaces, and once again, I wonder if Uncle Connor is truly privy to every secret on this campus. But in the next instant, his smile is back, and he fishes out something from the inner pocket of his suit jacket.