He Thought I’d Stack One More Stone, I Threw the Last One Away Chapter 05

He Thought I’d Stack One More Stone, I Threw the Last One Away Chapter 05

The wedding procession stretched long and grand. At the head of it, a man rode a white horse, dressed in a sharp, dark suit with a mountain bluebell pinned to his lapel, every inch the groom.

He held his head high, proud as a man who’d just summited the highest peak, glowing like he’d won

the hand of the mountain’s own daughter.

The Stone Creek kids trailed after him, whooping.

“Oooh, the bride’s getting married!”

“Cake! There’s gonna be a huge wedding cake!”

“The Keeper finally came down from the mountain!”

ossed to the white horse one step at a time, through all that noise, and looked up at him.

ou came.”

Whatever calm Elias had been holding onto fell away, and color rushed up his face.

He rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish. “Sorry, I haven’t ridden this road in years. You’re not

upset, are you?”

I shook my head, smiling. “Of course not.”

He let out a goofy laugh and just sat there, at a loss for what came next.

The crowd cracked up and gave him a push. “Get your bride up on that horse!”

Elias went red to the ears, then swung down fast, caught me carefully around the waist, and lifted

me up.

He moved quickly, but so carefully. Like I was something that might shatter if he held me wrong.

I took his big hand and settled in front of him, and a deep calm spread through me.

All those years of waiting, and this was the first time I’d ever ridden in a wedding procession. So

this was what it felt like.

As the procession passed the town line, I saw Julian still parked right where I’d left him. He sat dead

still in the car, eyes locked on me.

Chloe came running out of the house and yanked the car door open. “Julian, come on, let’s go!”

But the engine didn’t start. The door flew open instead, and a hand shoved her out.

Chloe hit the ground hard, scraping her knee.

She sat there stunned as Julian gunned the engine and tore off after the procession. Then it hit her.

“Mom! Look at Julian!”

Ms. Sterling caught on in the same instant, and her face twisted with anger.

She closed the distance to my mom in a few strides. “What kind of family are you people? Your daughter’s been my son’s girlfriend, and now she’s marrying someone else?”

“I’ve heard of cold feet, but stringing two men along at the same time? Never in my life.”

“Is your Hazel that desperate to get married? Julian told her he’d marry her the second he’s back from Opal Island.”

“She couldn’t wait even that long? What, did she get knocked up and now she’s scrambling to pin it

on another man?”

My mom shook with rage, but she held onto what I’d told her to say.

“Hazel set her last stone yesterday, and no proposal came before she did. By the rules of Stone Creek, that means she marries the Keeper.”

“Those are our rules, and they don’t bend for anyone.”

Ms. Sterling scoffed. “Rules, my foot. She was my son’s girl for eleven years. She doesn’t go marrying anyone else.”

“Go on, drag her back here. I’ll let it slide this once, and I’ll still take her as my daughter-in-law

when the time comes.”

That same generous, doing-everyone-a-favor act. Exactly like Julian.

And just like I’d stopped paying Julian any mind, now no one spared her a glance either.

My mom turned and called for the whole town to come celebrate at the Keeper’s house.

Chloe called out to the neighbors, one after another, but of all the people who’d always doted on her, not one slowed a step.

She watched the crowd thin around her until there was nobody left at all.

Chloe sniffled. “Mom, why did Julian leave? Doesn’t he want me anymore?”

“Wasn’t the plan to teach Hazel a lesson these few days, so she’d know her place once they were married?”

“Did Julian forget all that? Mom, what do we do now?”

For the first time, Chloe’s spoiled, whiny voice grated on Ms. Sterling.

This whole disaster was Chloe’s bright idea. Without it, none of this would be happening.

Ms. Sterling thought of her son tearing off down that road, and a cold flicker of dread ran through

her.

If he couldn’t catch up to Hazel, how bad would his temper be when he got back?