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“No ‘buts.’” He put his finger to her lips. “Okay?”
She nodded and leaned her head into his shoulder. Cam kissed the back of her neck. She trusted them with everything, even her heart.
Chapter Seventeen
Cam hated seeing the pain on Erica’s face. Dylan had left ten minutes ago to attend the annual memorial.
He looked at the time on his cell. The service would be starting in five minutes.
“Would you like something to drink, sweetheart?” he asked.
She shook her head.
He still wasn’t sure why Dylan had agreed to go. His brother definitely was up to his old ways, working on a plan no doubt. What? He wasn’t sure.
God, how he wished there was something to say to her to take away her pain. But there were no words. All he could do was be there for her.
He put his arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head into his chest.
Next year, I’ll make sure we aren’t in Destiny. He knew it wouldn’t take away all her suffering, but he hoped it would lessen it.
* * * *
The sun had dipped behind the peaks and the sky’s hue above the cemetery was deepening to purple.
Almost every citizen of Destiny was gathered around the graveyard, as they were every year at this same time. The tragedy of September 28, 2001 had changed the whole town, but especially the ones who had lost their parents. Dylan’s mind was on the only missing orphan. Erica.
Holding an unlit candle, he stood by her parents’ graves with her brothers, Reed and Sawyer, and their fiancée Nicole.
To the right of the large ceremonial candle, which was the only lit one in the entire cemetery, stood Patrick O’Leary. He had a microphone in his hand. His brother Sam and their wife Ethel were right behind him.
“We will never forget the plane crashing on that terrible September day,” Patrick said solemnly. “The innocent ones we lost left an emptiness…”
As the speech continued, Dylan looked at the rest of the orphans. The Stones stood by their parents’ graves. Emmett had his arm around Amber. Cody and Bryant had their hats in their hands. Megan was between Scott and Eric, who were next to the headstone of their parents.
Erica hasn’t been here since that first service in 2001. The void that he felt in his heart for her absence was clearly felt by others, too. He could live with that, but he couldn’t live with the agony she continued to carry.
“…each person was a friend, a family member, a light. As has been our practice since that horrific day on this anniversary, let us light our candles and take a moment of silence to remember our fallen.”
As was always the practice, the orphans were the only ones to light their candles from the center one. They lit all the other candles.
After Reed lit his candle, Dylan moved through the many headstones, looking for the one he’d asked the location of from the caretaker earlier. A couple of rows from the rest of the crowd, he came to another grave. As the lighting of the candles and silence continued, his plan to help the orphan who he was madly in love with came into focus.
* * * *
Erica sat in Cam’s car. She’d missed the memorial service again this year, unable to face the monster buried near her parents.
Although time had lessened the painful memories of that day twelve years before, it was still always hard for her. Today had been somewhat easier than the ones before because Cam had stayed by her side.
“Where are we meeting Dylan?”
“You’ll see.” Cam’s demeanor had changed since getting the call from Dylan. Something was up, but she wasn’t sure what.
They crossed over Silver Spoon Bridge, leaving the city limits of Destiny. Trying to tamp down her curiosity, she looked out at the moonlit peaks that had surrounded her all of her life. Destiny was home to her now more than it had ever been. Cam and Dylan were much like these mountains—tall, majestic, and beautiful.
Cam turned on Whispering Oaks Lane.
That road led to only one destination. She tensed, finding it odd that Cam was driving her there. “We’re meeting him at the cemetery?”
