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You’re not being fair! A voice buzzed in his ear. Rafferty wasn’t to blame for Shayla’s bruised heart. He was simply being an overprotective brother. With regards to matters of the heart, a person couldn’t control who they loved or didn’t love. Sadly, it was a lesson his baby sister was learning at the moment. Just because you loved and adored someone, it didn’t mean they would love you back.
The ding of the doorbell cut through the silence, providing a nice diversion from all the tension.
“That’s probably the food delivery from the Blue Bayou,” Caleb said, referencing his award winning bistro. Caleb and Addie had offered to provide the food for tonight’s party, for which Micah was extremely grateful. The Blue Bayou was a highly-rated establishment that offered a wide range of mouth-watering cuisine. It was one of Micah’s go-to restaurants, along with his parent’s place, the Silver Spoon diner.
“Thanks again for supplying the food. It means a lot,” Micah said.
“We’re happy to do it. Let me go open the door,” Caleb said, hurrying off down the hall toward the front door.
Shayla stood up from her chair and clapped her hands together. “Okay, so where should I jump in? What do you need me to do?”
Micah took a step toward her and reached for her hands. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re an amazing woman?”
The sound of her laughter rang out in the room. “Well, daddy tells me all the time. But he’s sort of obligated to say nice things about me. Does that count?”
“Of course it does. He loves you. We all love you, Shay. And if you ever need someone to listen or a shoulder to lean on, I’m here. Rafferty’s my best friend, but you’re my sister. I’m with you. Unconditionally. Unequivocally. Completely.”
“I know, Micah,” sh
e said, blinking away tears. “You’ve always been there for me. And I know you always will be. Now, let me help. It’ll be a good way of distracting myself from the love of my life celebrating his engagement to someone else.”
Micah nodded in agreement. “Okay, let’s kick into high gear.” He glanced again at his watch. People would be arriving at his house in less than five hours. “I could use your help setting up the table. There’s some flowers in the kitchen sink that need assembling as well. Then I would love you forever if you dash out to Party Town and pick up the balloons I ordered.”
“I’m on it,” Shayla said, heading off toward the kitchen with a grin on her face.
Micah’s heart threatened to overflow with love for his kid sister. It was hard for him to accept it, but she was now a woman. A teacher. She was in love with his best friend and her heart was bleeding all over the place. And other than providing comfort and a strong shoulder to lean on, there was nothing Micah or Caleb or anyone in their family could do to shield her from the bumps and bruises of life. He’d seen the look on her face when she was talking about Rafferty. It still stunned him that he’d been so oblivious to her feelings. It was written all over her face. It radiated like the sun. The love she felt was palpable.
Shayla wanted Rafferty to be happy, even if it wasn’t with her. Frankly, he admired her. Micah yearned to feel a love so strong, so true. He had never felt more than puppy love with any of the vast number of women he’d dated. He was beginning to think something might be wrong with him. Was he detached? Too picky? Immune to love?
Or was he simply too scared to give his heart to someone? Micah shook off the question, determined to get back to work. Regardless of Shayla’s feelings for Rafferty, he was still engaged to Pamela and Micah was still hosting his best friend’s engagement party this evening.
He inhaled a deep breath and prayed tonight would go off without a hitch.
“The past can be a deterrent to our future. It’s not always easy, but sometimes we just have to let it go, to forget the things that damaged us. It’s the only way to move forward.” Rafferty Fitzgerald
Chapter Two
Faith O’Connell let out a huge sigh. Her nerves were absolutely fried. She’d lost count at the number of time she had looked herself over in the full-length mirror in her bedroom. The red lace dress was gorgeous and it brought out the blue in her eyes. Even though it was May she’d selected a dress with long sleeves, as she usually did. Thankfully the material was light so she wouldn’t be sweltering in the warm Florida weather. The nude-colored sling back heels were the perfect accessory for her ensemble.
She was walking out on a limb of faith by attending her cousin’s engagement party this evening. She let out a giggle. Faith. Her parents—Deb and Byron—had named her Faith because of the many years they’d tried to conceive a child. Countless treatments mixed with endless prayers had resulted in a successful pregnancy and delivery. If they were still living, Faith was certain they would be happily attending this celebration this evening alongside her.
Faith wasn’t particularly close to Pamela, but lately they had been trying to reconnect. Pamela had let her know how important her presence was at the party this evening. Faith had a hunch that it was because her parents and brother were out of the country and Pamela wanted to portray herself as family-oriented. After the death of her own parents, Faith had gone to live with Pamela, her cousin, Stewart, Aunt Millie and Uncle Ed. She had been sixteen and recovering from the worst tragedy a person could endure. Although her Aunt and Uncle had been great, as well as cousin Stewart, Pamela had always treated her like an unwelcome guest. And she’d made it clear to Faith that her burns were hideous. Pamela had always been so perfect, so serenely beautiful. Faith had paled in comparison.
Faith knew she was pretty. She’d been told so dozens of times. Her parents had filled her head and heart with self-esteem but not an ego. But in the aftermath of the fire, Faith had struggled to find herself attractive. To have twenty percent of your body marred by brutal scars was a lot to deal with on an emotional level. Ten years later she was still struggling to view herself as appealing. It wasn’t easy going out on dates or to social gatherings such as engagement parties.
There was no way she could wriggle out at this juncture. Pamela had been insistent.
As usual, her cousin was determined to get her way. That was how she always was. She wouldn’t rest until Faith had agreed to attend the party. Truthfully, she should have told Pamela to take a flying leap. She couldn’t think of a single time her cousin had been supportive of her.
Although Faith was reluctant to attend, she was curious about the man her cousin was engaged to marry. Pamela was a bit high-maintenance. It would be interesting to see the man who wanted to spend the rest of his life with Pamela. She didn’t know much about this Rafferty Fitzgerald, but Pamela had told her he was a fireman. A noble profession. And one that was very meaningful to her due to her past.
Faith took one last look in the mirror. She raised her collar up on her neck, making sure none of her scars were showing. No matter how many times she examined them, they were still raised and thick, like twisted vines. For so much of her life, Faith had felt defined by the burns. She’d endured dozens of surgeries, all in the hopes of making her situation better. Granted, the scars weren’t as bad as when the fire first happened, but she would forever be branded by the flames. The whole thing had been her fault—and that too would never change. There was so much guilt and shame.
The burns were nothing compared to losing her parents in the deadly house fire. Each and every day, Faith asked God why He had taken them from her world. Debra and Byron O’Connell has been the best parents a girl could ever ask for and yet their lives had been snuffed out by a vicious fire. When Faith had been recovering in the burn unit, she had asked God to take her to heaven so she could reside with Him and her parents. But that wish hadn’t been granted. Faith had been forced to endure painful treatments that left her crying out with pain. Looking in the mirror at her burned skin had been shocking and brutal. She had utilized every ounce of strength she possessed to make it through the ordeal. And Faith had endured. She had survived. And even though her life was far from perfect, she’d reached a point where she was happy.
Faith was a second-grade teacher and she loved her job. Ever since she’d been a little girl Faith had dreamt of becoming a teacher. She also had a part-time job as a choir instructor which helped supplement her teaching income. Faith loved singing and it was an honor to lead such a wonderful group of singers at church. Now, if she could only get her love life in order. It had been a long time since Faith had gone out on a date. Not that she wasn’t asked from time to time. Men were attracted to her, although things always got awkward when her scars were revealed. It was hard to wear turtlenecks year-round. And even when she strategically tried to dress in a way in which her scars weren’t visible, it was nearly impossible.
She cringed at the memory of how several of her boyfriends had looked when they’d laid eyes on her scars. Their expressions had been filled with horror. And even though a few of them had been jerks, some had truly been nice guys. They just hadn’t been able to deal with her reality. Faith couldn’t really say that she blamed them. What man wanted to see his significant other marred by burns?
