He Waited for Fifteen Years Chapter 07

He Waited for Fifteen Years Chapter 07

At the party, Shepard kept touching the cufflink.

His thumb traced over the engraved letters. The smile never left his face.

Madam Lombardi watched and couldn’t hold back a sigh.

“This son of mine rarely smiles. Today, from the moment he saw Verona, the smile hasn’t stopped.”

My mother picked it up immediately.

“I’ve begged my daughter to design me a dress for years. She never did. This time, for her engagement to Shepard, she drew up her own gown. Designed his cufflinks herself. I’m her mother and I’ve never gotten treatment like that.”

The elders at the table all laughed.

I smiled along.

At the edge of my vision, Shepard shifted his chair a little closer. His shoulder was almost brushing mine.

“Why aren’t you wearing the bracelet?”

He kept his voice low.

I kept mine low too.

“It’s too precious. I want to save it for the wedding day.”

He smiled again. The way he looked at me was gentle.

But in that moment, something tugged at me. He looked familiar.

In my last life, I didn’t remember ever having real contact with Shepard Lombardi. When I chose him this time, I only felt like I might have seen him somewhere. I couldn’t place it.

As if he could read my thoughts, he reached into his suit jacket and handed me his driver’s license case.

It was custom leather.

I flipped it over. There was a photo tucked into the back.

My third-grade school picture.

“Isn’t this me?”

I looked up at him. A very old memory surfaced.

Third grade. There had been a transfer student from Montana in our class.

He was quiet. Never really spoke. Always kept to himself. During recess, he used to sit alone at the edge of the playground with an astronomy book open on his knees.

Once, some older boys threw his book into the mud. I walked over and picked it up. Wiped the cover clean. Then I went and told the teacher on duty.

Back then, I still believed that getting an adult involved would fix things.

After that, he went even quieter. Not long after, he transferred out.

I had been sad about it for a long time.

“You’re that boy. The one who never talked.”