Lasting Heartbreak: Unbroken Series, #3

Lasting Heartbreak

Copyright © 2016 Regina Bartley

All rights reserved

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity between actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any use of locales or events are used fictitiously.

Cover Design By: Regina Bartley

Dedication

For the lovers of the Unbroken Series, this book is for you.

I know you’ve been patiently waiting for Waylon’s story,

and I hope you love it as much as I do.

ONE

Waylon

––––––––

I don’t know why I have to wear this penguin suit. It’s so hot. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, and didn’t recognize myself. Travis was a slave driver. He made us get dressed in the sweltering heat of the old out building.

It’s my wedding day Waylon. Suck it up. The sweat was beaded up on Travis’s forehead. He was hot too, or maybe it was his nerves. It shouldn’t have been, because he’d been with Sawyer for years now. He was over the moon for her. If anything he should’ve just been anxious.

It was definitely the heat.

I tucked a finger down into the collar of my shirt so that I could breathe. This whole circus was useless. We should have just loaded up the truck and had a beer in front of the Justice of Peace.

How much longer? I complained again. The heat was smoldering. You could probably fry eggs on my forehead.

Ten freaking minutes, now chill out.

I’d love to, but who can catch a chill out here? I rolled my eyes. Being a smartass came natural to me. It worked like a charm with everyone except Sawyer. That girl was as tough as nails, and could read me like a book. She came into my life in my uncomfortable middle school years, and she’s been the only person who remained stable in my life besides Travis. I love Sawyer like a sister. Hell, she was marrying my brother so I guess it sort of came with the territory. She’d been a constant figure in my life for the past three or four years.

Checking the time on my phone again, I groaned. All I had to do was make it through the ceremony, and then I could take off this stupid suit. I had plans with my best friend Andy at the old railways tonight. He’d stolen a fifth of whiskey from his pop so we could have a little fun. Fun was my middle name.

Come on, Travis said.

Following him out of the cramped up old building, we walked down the wooden deck that attached to the back of the house. I took my spot next to Travis in front of the preacher. Sawyer wanted to get married in the back yard of the house by the lake on the hottest damn day of the year. The sun was scorching down on the back of my neck, and I could feel the sweat trickling down my back.

The few seats that were lining the deck were filled. Between Sawyer and us, we didn’t have a lot of family, but all the faces that were there today were familiar.

I elbowed Travis in the arm. Here she comes, I whispered, seeing Sawyer stand by the back door with her arm linked around Uncle Jake’s. He was the closest thing that she had to a father since her parents passed away several years ago. It was kind of sad thinking about it. She didn’t have her brother Dane either. The only true family she had was Jake, until we came along.

With Sawyer and Travis getting married, it made me wish that I were closer to being out of school, and out of their hair. Or rather they were out of my hair. We’d butted heads a lot lately. It was mostly my fault, but I wanted to do what I wanted to do. Not what everyone else wanted me to do.

Sawyer walked slowly down the wooden deck to the music of a CD player. Classy I know, but it was perfect for them.

Pick up the pace Sawyer. I’m dying out here.

The closer she got, the more nervous I got. It wasn’t even my wedding day, but all eyes were on Sawyer for very good reason. She looked really pretty. Travis shifted on his feet about fifteen times. I thought for a minute that he might run up the aisle to meet her, which would have been really funny to see. But he didn’t. He stayed right where he was, and waited impatiently for her.

She stopped just short of where he stood and smiled big. When I noticed the tears running down her face, I had to look away. Emotions just weren’t my thing. This would be the time where I’d make some smart-ass remark and storm out. I couldn’t do that to them on their wedding day, so I looked away remaining still as a statue.

Looking out into the dark green waters of the lake it took me back. There was a time when I wouldn’t step foot inside the water; a time when I would go weeks without even showering for fear that the memories alone would drown me. Sawyer changed that. Well, some of it. She made me swim again that summer we moved into her lake house. She taught me that I couldn’t be afraid of it my whole life. Turns out, it wasn’t really the water that I was afraid of anyway; it was the memory of the night my mother tried to take my life. For many months after it happened, the thought of it scared me so much that I could barely sleep. I was always afraid that I’d see her face in my dreams. Or I was worried that when I opened my eyes that I’d be back in that bathtub with her hands around my throat. Though the memories faded some, they never fully went away. But when I got a little older, I constantly wondered why I didn’t just die that night. I should have. My mother was right when she blamed me for my father’s death. When he died, I should have died too. Travis ruined it by saving me. He took away my chance to be with my Dad. So instead of dying, I’ve been suffering every day. I would never have the guts to take my own life the way that Sawyer’s brother Dane did. Instead I got to relive that God-awful day in my head over and over. No good would ever come to me, because I didn’t deserve good. So for the time being, I was doing what I needed to do to get by, a little of this and a little of that was just icing on my smashed up cake.

Speaking of cake, could we get this show on the road?

Thirty minutes later, and there was finally a you may now kiss the bride moment. Thank goodness, because I was surely giving a whole new meaning to the word redneck.

Inside the house, I made sure to do my part. After a few pictures, I kissed the bride, I talked to Uncle Jake, and I said hello to all the guests including Wren whom I no longer had the hots for. That’s another story for another time. I grew up, that’s all you need to know.

I ran upstairs and took off the sweaty penguin suit, and slipped on something more comfortable. I hooked the chain of my wallet to my pants, and grabbed my cell. Time to go.

I grabbed the keys to Sally off the hook hanging by the front door, and slowly made my way out. I was creeping silently along hoping that I wouldn’t get caught. I thought I was in the clear.

Wrong.

Where are you going?

Busted.

I’m meeting Andy.

Sawyer crossed her arms over her chest, and I’d bet money she was stomping her foot under that white dress. Really, she said. You’re leaving?

What did she want me to say? All I could do was shake my head.

Waylon, She groaned. Why can’t you just stay? You’re gonna miss the food and cake. It’ll be fun. Don’t go.

She was so good. That last little don’t go almost did me in. For some reason that girl was gifted with the power of persuasion. Hell, she used to be able to make me do homework with a food bribe. She was that good.

I’m sorry, I apologized quickly. You know I don’t like being around a lot of people. I said hello, now I want to leave. I did your stupid little pictures and I wore that hot ass suit.

Don’t say ass.

Well it sounds stupid if I say butt. Now can I go?

She took a step closer and grabbed hold of the collar on my button down shirt. She yanked it hard, so that she could pull my face down in front of hers. Listen to me Waylon Evans, I want you in this house no later then midnight. Don’t be out there acting all stupid. Eventually you have to grow out of this ‘I’m unstoppable’ phase. You understand?

This wasn’t the first time that she’d given me the speech. She still thought that I was going to eventually grow up and be somebody important, or make something good of my life. I’d be lucky if I ever got out of London, and that suited me just fine.

I got it, I lied. I’d been sneaking in past midnight since I was fourteen.

Uh huh, don’t think I don’t hear you creeping in at all hours of the night. I’m not dumb you know. She narrowed her eyes at me. Wear your seatbelt. She smirked.

Yeah, fine. She kissed my cheek and told me she loved me just before I got in my truck. I didn’t say it back though. I never did. She knew that I loved her; there was no need to go shouting it from the rooftops. Good things always came with a price. It was my curse.

two

Isabella

––––––––

I stared out the car window at the two-story lake house sitting off to the right. It was beautiful just like Mom had said it’d be, but I still didn’t want to be there. We drove five hours in the direction away from my friends to spend the summer at some lake where I knew no one.  

Come on sweetheart. Let’s get our bags. My father’s deep voice jolted me from my daydream.

I wanted to say no, and throw a fit, but that wasn’t like me. I wasn’t the type of girl to have a tantrum, because I didn’t get my way. I’d just suck it up and go along. This was about spending some time with my dad before he spent five months in China on business. I’d just have to spend half my time on the phone with my friends hearing about their wonderful summers while I was stuck here, sulking.

Climbing out of the car, I realized that the summer air was a bit different here. It seemed less salty and more humid. I was a summer kind of girl, and I couldn’t wait to get a tan.

At least I had that to look forward to.

I grabbed my bags from the trunk and followed Mom inside the house.

Inside was a nice surprise. It was much more