He Thought I’d Stack One More Stone, I Threw the Last One Away Chapter 02

He Thought I’d Stack One More Stone, I Threw the Last One Away Chapter 02

Julian snatched my stone and tossed it aside.

“A little drama’s cute the first few times, Hazel. After this many, it just gets old.”

“Do you really have to embarrass Chloe in front of the whole town?”

“Hazel, you’re better than that,” Chloe said, stepping in quickly. “I know you’d never hold this against me.”

“Before my parents died, the one thing they wanted was for me to finish my cairn. Won’t you let Julian help me?”

Julian cradled her hand like it might break. “Of course I’ll help you build it.”

“You can wait,” he said, turning to me, his face gone cold. “Just one more time.”

There it was again. That same line.

Whenever it came down to me or Chloe, I was always the one left waiting.

I once ran a dangerously high fever and needed the ER, but Chloe said she wanted her favorite takeout, so he told me to wait.

I was racing to turn in my final project at school, but Chloe didn’t want to be late for her movie, so he told me to wait.

After all those years, you’d think I’d be used to it. But that day, for the first time, I didn’t want to.

“Go on,” I said, stepping back. “Chloe needs you.”

“Knew you’d be the reasonable one,” Julian said, giving my shoulder a quick squeeze.

“Sit tight and wait right here. I’ll be quick.”

“I’ll have someone set up the party for tonight.”

I stepped aside, calm, and let him sling his arm around Chloe and steer her toward the courtyard next door.

The whole town drifted after them to catch the show, and my yard fell still.

With my mom watching, heartbroken, I set the last stone in place myself. The cairn was finished.

Julian, I’m getting married.

Just not to you.

When Julian walked Chloe back and saw my finished cairn, he didn’t say a word. He just made a call to arrange the night’s celebration.

That was the rule in Stone Creek. Finish your cairn, and you hosted a feast for the whole town.

A way of telling everyone you were getting married.

Half an hour later, a swarm of cooks and servers poured into Chloe’s courtyard.

“Chloe’s all alone out here,” Julian murmured, catching the look on my face. “She doesn’t have parents to celebrate with her, but you do, so you’ll be fine.”

“Soon as I get Chloe’s party squared away, I’ll come help with yours. Okay?”

“Don’t bother,” I said, almost gently. “I’ve already got it handled.”

Julian frowned, looked me over a few times, then muttered a flat “suit yourself” and walked into Chloe’s place without looking back.

That night the whole town packed into Chloe’s house to celebrate.

My yard sat empty, save for one table and two glasses of wine.

“Mom, I’m getting married tomorrow. I can’t stand the thought of leaving you.”

“You’re staying right here in Stone Creek,” Mom said, her eyes going red. “We’ll still see each other every day.”

“If your daddy were still here, he’d be so happy…”

All those years I dug my heels in, and my mom was the one who took the brunt of the gossip for it.

She wasn’t even fifty, and her hair had already gone half gray, the lines around her eyes etched deep into her skin.

A tear dropped into my glass. I tipped my head back and downed the whole glass.

Mom and I drank together that night, finishing the vintage bottle my dad had saved for my wedding day.

At midnight, once I’d gotten her into bed, I went back to my room and picked up the wedding dress again.

I’d been sewing and altering it for eleven years, reworking it more times than I could count. Tonight it would finally be done.

That was when Julian came through the door, reeking of liquor and Chloe’s perfume. His eyes raked over me and stopped on the dress.

“That eager to marry me?”

“But let’s get one thing straight. I’m bringing Chloe home tomorrow.”

“You know how hard it is for her to be alone. Even my mom’s scared she’s too fragile to live on her own…”

I said nothing. I didn’t even look at him.

Julian’s patience thinned. “There you go again, Hazel.”

“Every time you’re mad you clam up, like the whole world owes you something.”

“Why can’t you be more like Chloe? More gracious about things?”

“Every time we go on dates, she’s stuck at home waiting for us to get back. Would it kill you to be patient for once?”

That word. Wait.

It still cracked something in my chest. Just for a second.

I drove the needle through the last stitch and snipped the thread.

I folded the dress, laid it in the closet, and finally looked up at him.

“Julian. We’re done.”