It won’t ever be Lark Gatlin.
Chapter 2
Lark
After the longest shower I’ve ever taken, I’m lying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling, waiting for some kind of divine intervention to make this one sentence stop playing on repeat.
“You should be with a man who would swim through a flood to get to you.”
His deep voice. The way his brown eyes were smoldering. Yes, they smoldered as he said those words.
Tristan Stone, the man I’m supposed to hate more than anyone else, but I’ve never been able to.
How could I? He was always so cute. Truly, with a dimple in his right cheek, always sporting a smile, with that dark brown hair that looks tousled all the time. Tristan was sweet, especially around the woman he loved back then. It was…sweet and made him cuter.
Only now he’s not cute, he’s freaking off-the-charts gorgeous. He’s growing out his facial hair, which, usually, I wouldn’t think looks hot, but on him—it’s perfect. I’m pretty sure I find him even more attractive because I’m not supposed to, but that’s the whole appeal.
He’s off-limits.
Then he was off the market when he married his high school sweetheart, who happened to be my best friend’s sister.
Technically, he’s always been off the market for me, but…a girl can dream about it, right?
And I did. Oh, so damn much.
Probably more so because of how much he loved Emmy Jo.
I wanted to find someone to look at me the way he did her. Even at the end, Tristan’s eyes never left his wife. She was all sunlight and bright skies, and when she died, the world grew a little darker. I imagine if it weren’t for Sadie, his entire world would’ve gone black.
I roll over and look at the clock.
“You should be with a man who would swim through a flood to get to you.”
Well, I don’t have that. I have a man who wouldn’t brave the rain for me.
My phone pings, and I rush to grab it, hoping it’s Tristan replying to my: I got home safe text—like an idiot.
Jeremy
I hope you made it home okay.
Oh, now he’s worried.
I did, no thanks to you.
Jeremy
I’m sorry, babe. I just don’t see why you’re so mad.
He doesn’t see? Of course not. Jeremy is not like most of the men around here. He didn’t grow up on a farm, raising horses or cattle. He does own a pair of cowboy boots, but he bought them only a few months ago when my brother started making fun of him for the sneakers he had on. He’s…academic. He worksas a land development engineer for his family’s construction company. He makes great money, but he’s not the guy I’d call if I needed help with a fence or anything that’s not engineering related.
Still, Jeremy has always been sweet. He’s the guy who brings flowers to your mother on your first date—which she loved. He’s the one who remembers your five-month anniversary—which I loved.
He’s just not the guy to come when you really need him.
More than that, I don’t get that anxious feeling in my gut when I think about him.
He’s safe.
