Page 3 of Chasing I Do
Oh God, she couldn’t breathe.
Her unexpected hero wore slacks and tie fit for wall street, a leather jacket that added a touch of bad boy to the businessman, and a pair of electric blue eyes that she’d recognize anywhere. They’d always reminded her of a calm, crystal clear lake. Today they were tempestuous, like an angry summer storm.
The change wasn’t a surprise given the last time they’d seen each other. But the deep ache of longing it brought on was.
“Gage,” she breathed, her heart pounding so loudly she was certain he could hear it thumping in her chest.
It was the first time she’d seen him since the funeral, a thought that brought back a dozen others—some sad, some of the best moments of her life, but all of them a painful reminder of what had been lost.
“Hey, Pink,” he said in a tone that implied had he known it was her he would have let her drowned.
She swallowed back the disappointment, hoping he didn’t notice that she was shaking. “What are you doing here?”
“It looks like I’m helping you find your wedding ring.” He took her hand in his and slid the ring on her finger. The sensation was so overwhelming she jerked back.
Gage Easton was over six-feet of solid muscle and swagger. He was also sweet and kind and, at one time, one of the few people she thought she’d always be able to count on. If things had gone how Darcy had dreamed, he would have made for one heck of a brother-in-law.
An even better uncle.
A swift shot of guilt mixed with the swelling panic in her throat, her reckless secret pressing down until she was choking. But Darcy swallowed it back, and refused to shoulder all of the blame.
Life was filled with hard choices. While Gage’s twin had chosen to be unfaithful, Darcy had chosen their daughter’s happiness.
She would always choose Kylie.
Gage looked at her bare feet then aimed that intense gaze her way. “I would have thought that after jilting Kyle like you did, you’d have started wearing running shoes to these kinds of events.”
Although Gage had a big heart, he was still an Easton. And when someone messed with one brother, they messed with the whole clan. The only way to survive was hide your fear and never stand down.
Shoulders back, chest slightly puffed, Darcy made her body appear bigger, the way she had when she’d been a young girl and encountered a stranger at her breakfast table. She’d walk into the kitchen and pretend she was big and strong—someone not to be messed with.
Her mother had a thing for rot-gut whisky and bottom-shelf men—and made a habit of bringing both home. Sometimes they stayed the night, sometimes they stayed the year, but Darcy never knew who—or what—she’d encounter in the one place that should have felt safe.
But this was her home now, and she’d do whatever was necessary to protect it.
“After five years, I would have hoped you’d realize your family weren’t the only ones who were hurting,” she said. “I may have walked out on your brother, but I wasn’t the one who let him drive that night.”
???
Gage Easton felt the truth of that statement hit hard, the power of it nearly taking him out at the knees. Darcy wasn’t a confrontational person by nature, but she knew how to stand her ground. No doubt a trait she’d picked up from dealing with his family.
He hadn’t seen her since the funeral. Nobody had. Not that he’d blamed her. His family had still been reeling from the aftermath of the wedding that never happened, when tragedy struck again, tearing a chasm between Darcy and the Eastons that could never be fixed. His brother, Kyle, was gone, and with the overwhelming and sudden grief that had been thrust upon his family, most especially his mom, a lot of the blame had been unfairly placed upon Darcy.
There were so many times he wanted to reach out, make sure she was okay, but he’d spent the majority of their relationship keeping his distance, certain that no good could come from letting himself get too close. And he wasn’t looking to test his theory.
Not today.
“Are you okay?” he asked, waving a hand to her elbows, which were scraped and he was certain smarting.
“Nothing that won’t heal,” she said, and he knew she wasn’t talking about the gravel burn. “I just have to change my skirt and shoes.”
“You might want to change the top while you’re at it.” He grinned. “Not that I mind the view, but it might cause some heart problems with the older guests.”
Darcy’s gaze dropped to her shirt and the two beautiful buds peeking through the translucent fabric, and she gasped. Hell, Gage was in his prime and her top was causing some serious gasping and heart palpitations on his end.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t peek. Much.” He leaned in and whispered, “Although, if you know you’re going to take a swim, you might just consider skinny dipping. You’d get the same effect, only you wouldn’t have to hang-dry your lace bra and panties.”
“You can’t see my panties.”
