Unraveling of Avery Snow, The (12 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Stargazers

Landon’s driving was reckless and wild
, but it thrilled me to be in such a fast car. He did handle it quite well. He liked to have fun; that was apparent. While I was with him I felt like a kid again. He helped me to see the not so serious side of life.

“So what kind of flowers are we getting?” he asked as he took off at the green light with high speed. I looked out the window to see kids on the street setting of
f for school, all of them pointing at his fast car. I giggled. I was the cool girl in the hot car, with the hot guy.

“We
aren’t getting them. Not today. I just have to check on the order,” I answered. I couldn’t expect him to understand the duties of being a Maid of Honor. Heck, I didn’t even know what it meant. All I knew was when Kerri needed something she called me.

“Okay, so then where to after flowers?”
It shocked me that he wanted to spend the day driving me around. I didn’t really need to go anywhere else, but there was one spot I wanted to go with him.

“I think you should take me somewhere you like to go,” I said shyly. I was hoping he would get the hint.
I wanted to see the ducks he fed.

He smirked.
“Okay then.” We arrived at the florist and he held the door open for me. I walked in and the scent of lilies overpowered the shop. Landon walked around like he was really interested in the flowers. Maybe he was.

“Hi, how can I h
elp you?” a short woman asked me. I asked her to check on the order and she found Kerri’s list. All of the flowers were in fact ready to go for the weekend. I thanked the woman and we left.

Landon opened the door for me to his car. “Thanks, where to now?” I asked him. He smiled mischievously as he closed the door behind me.

Not long after, we pulled into the entrance for a state park. It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but I could not complain. The state park was beautiful. I was sort of hoping he would take me to feed the ducks. I thought that if he let me in on his life it would help him be happier.

“Welcome to the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, my favorite part of this whole state,” he said as he opened my door for me. I had hiked up here many times before
, but it had been a few years. I was not exactly opposed to seeing anything stunning today; in fact, I welcomed it. We started out on a footpath near the road, and as we walked further in, we started to become engrossed in the redwoods. They surrounded us on all sides and the ferns tangled around our feet. The dark mud caked around my shoes but I didn’t mind. The walk was worth it; to be surrounded by the avenue of the giants. It was engrossing and I applauded Landon on his excellent choice. “Thank you.” He bowed. “I wanted to bring you somewhere I thought you needed to be.”

“You thought I needed it how?” I asked as we continued to walk on.

“I can see the struggles you and Dallas are facing. I am not blind. Trust me, I get the other end of it.” My cheeks flamed red with embarrassment. He knew Dallas and I were fighting. “Want my take on it all?” he asked.

I nodded and pushed on into the woods.

“He loves you so much that he doesn’t know how to balance you and his career. You see, he loves his new job, but not as much as he loves you.” He paused to tie his shoelace before looking me in the eyes. “You’re not someone he wants to lose, but he can’t help screwing up every once in a while.”

“I don’t need to be told tha
t he loves me, I need to see it,” I answered. I didn’t feel too comfortable talking about this with Landon, but I think he wanted to help us both. His love for us as a couple was apparent, but his love for his cousin blinded him to the mistakes Dallas made.

“He’s trying. Dallas has been really good at putting Band-Aids on things. Tha
t’s what the trip was, really.”

“The
trip was a Band-Aid? For what?”

“The colossal mess of Valentine’s Day.
He thought he could win you back with the trip, but things didn’t work out so well.” That was the truth. I laughed at his admission. He laughed along with me until we found ourselves surrounded by some of the most massive giant redwoods I have ever seen. My feet squished into the mud. I wished then that I had worn sneakers instead of sandals.

“There’s a river around here somewhere,” Landon said as he kept walking. We came out to a small
, quiet river that glimmered in the sunlight. He pulled off his shoes and rolled up his pants.

“What on earth are you doing?” I asked him.

“Baking a cake. What does it look like I’m doing?” He jumped into the river, splashing me. I started to run in the other direction, not wanting to get wet today. He came over and scooped me up before throwing me into the cold water. I screamed so loud it echoed through the trees and back again.

“Landon!” I hit him hard on the shoulder and he p
ushed me down into the water. I fell right on my butt. He lost his balance and fell next to me. I laughed my ass off at his clumsy mistake. So much for being the jokester.

I laid my head back and gave into the water. I was soaked already
so there was no sense fighting it. I opened my eyes and he leaned over me, watching me in awe. His blue eyes held mine and wouldn’t let go. He fell next to me into the water. His hand grazed mine. Without even realizing it, I clasped onto his. He wiggled his fingers and entwined them with mine. Now we were both floating, side-by-side, holding hands.

I could see him with me but my vision was beginning to blur. He was there and then he would fade. I felt myself breathing, but I struggled to take each breath. The cancer had won its battle with my body. Now I was paying the dire consequences. I thought about my life with Adam. He was ever faithful and patient with me, even after the cancer started to take over his wife.

“Our father who art in Heaven,” Adam began his prayer. I listened to the rhythm of his voice. I tried to focus on only that
, but I couldn’t see him anymore. I could only see a bright light above my bed. My eyes felt heavy and I tried to fight them. Stay open!

“Amen,” he finished.
“Elsie, let go baby. Don’t fight it anymore. I will see you again. I love you.”

T
he white light spread over me with the warmth of sunshine. I didn’t feel my breath; I didn’t even feel the pain. I was now comfortable. I was dead.

“Come this way, Elsie.” I opened my eyes to see a woman with wings holding her arms out to me. She stood in my doorway with bright white wings
, her arms open, wanting me to join her. So I did.

“You are al
l right now, Elsie. You will come Home,” she said as she held me, cradling me in her arms as if I was a child. I let go and allowed her to carry me Home.

He broke the grasp on my hand first. I pulled away and swam to shore, feeling foolish for holding onto him like that. It was surprisingly intimate. Especially the vision that came with it. I fought hard to not see the angel’s face. I didn’t want to remember what it felt like to die. I had seen my Deliverer. She was the angel who brought you home and now I had her face etched in my mind, along with the ease of death.

“I am sorry,” Landon spoke. “You’re not mad at me
, are you?” I looked at him and he was ringing out his shirt. I diverted my gaze towards the tree line, ignoring his shirtless body.

“No, why do you ask?” If I acted like I was clueless to what
happened. Maybe it would be nothing.

“No reason.” Good
, it seemed to have worked. I pulled my short hair into my hands and squeezed. Then I started walking back towards the car. He followed behind me, staying quiet the whole time. Once we reached the car he opened the door for me.

“I can get my own door
, Landon,” I said harshly.

“I know
, I am just being a gentleman,” he responded. As I sat down I saw a Stargazer Lily on the seat. I picked it up and looked it over. He eyed me and gave me a quick smile. “I got it to cheer you up.”

“Thanks,” I said. I didn’t even see him buy it for me. “Did you steal this?”

“Of course not! While you were talking to the flower girl, I bought it.” He shook his head like he was shocked I would ask such a thing. I smelled the flower, memorizing its sweet smell. I loved Stargazer Lilies. They were so unique, just like Landon and I were.

I held it the whole drive home, smelling its perfume as it filled the car. Landon and I stayed quiet. I was too embarrassed to talk no
w. While he may have thought that holding hands was not a big deal, it was to me. I shouldn’t have let myself let go like that with him. I had done it once before and it almost cost me Dallas. Maybe being around him wasn’t safe at all.

Chapter Twenty

Bliss

The day of the wedding the stress almost made Kerri implode. We had pulled her outside three separate times to make her get some fresh air. She was freaking out about everything, from hair and makeup, to things she couldn’t control. I tried to tell her that if the photographer is ten minutes late, it’s not a big deal. She didn’t want to hear it. The girl was being a major diva … but it was her special day. What she says goes and we were all on the ride with her. So Ianni, Astrid, and I held on tightly.

“Avery
, where are my pearl earrings?” she asked me as I was strapping on my shoes. I had no clue where they were.

“I’ll look for them,” I said with a reassuring smile. I forgot my shoe and started to search through the mess that surrounded her bedroom. I found them in a blue box and handed them to
Ianni.

“Ugh, I don’t ever want to get married,” she
whispered. I giggled and went back to my shoes. Once I was done I checked the time, noticing that we had one hour until the wedding started. I stepped outside to call Dallas. He was in New York with Sarah, his chef. He had gotten there last night and we talked briefly. We talked long enough for me to know that he and Sarah were not rooming together, which made me one happy girl. I had been avoiding Landon like the plague. Although he was not home all week, he was sleeping at some girl’s house. I didn’t ask any questions. I just heard Dallas talking to him on the phone. It made me mad, but I fought the jealousy monster about it daily. He wasn’t mine. I had to keep thinking that way.

“Hey, p
rincess,” Dallas answered. “How is the bride?”

“You mean
bridezilla?” I laughed. “She’s fine. She looks beautiful. I took tons of pictures of her stressing out to use as evidence later.” He laughed and then told me about the property they were looking at today. I listened intently as he told me how perfect it would be for a restaurant. I was really happy for him, but I didn’t want to move to New York, nor did I want a long distance relationship.

“So what do you think about it?” he asked me
, catching me off guard. He was asking for my thoughts. That was something he hadn’t done lately.

“I think you should focus all your energy on one place and revisit New York later.” It was an honest answer without sounding like a total snob. He took a deep breath. I could feel his
unhappiness through the phone; it wasn’t the answer he had wanted. “Did you want me to say something different?” I asked bravely.

“Yeah
, I wanted to hear your support. Sarah’s right, you don’t support my dreams right now. It’s all about you.”

The feelings I
experienced at the moment were unlike any I had ever had in my life. I was mad and tired of this crap. Who was this girl? She didn’t know me or my support for Dallas. Sure, I didn’t want him to move out there, but backing up his visions wasn’t the issue. The way he was acting was costing us our relationship. Now he was including her in it.

“Dallas, listen to me carefully. I have been here
, supporting you since the beginning. If you don’t like my answer then don’t ask me for my advice. Ask Sarah instead.” I pressed end and hung up on him. Then I shut my phone off. I didn’t want to think about him right now. I had enough of this Dallas. When the old Dallas came around I would be here waiting for him.

“You okay?” Kerri asked as she met me outside. “Something’s wrong
, I can tell.”

“Nope
, all is good,” I lied. She put her hand on my shoulder. She knew it wasn’t okay. “Dallas again?” I nodded.

“Apparently I don’t care about his goals now. He is asking that girl
Sarah for relationship advice,” I told her. She shook her head in disappointment. She, of all people, knew the changes Dallas had been going through and knew this was unlike him.

“Avery, I promise you two will get through this.”

“Yep, now let’s focus on getting you married,” I said, not wanting to talk about it any longer.




I helped attach her veil to her headpiece and draped it down her back. Her gown looked even more stunning today
than it did at the dress shop. She gazed into the mirror, at the woman that stood before her, and a single tear fell onto her chest. Then she beamed; she was happy and sad. I could see the fear of the future in her eyes, but also I saw that the future made her hopeful. She was ready to become Mrs. Justin White. She turned to face us and then I lost it. My tears fell and so did Ianni’s. Astrid kept her cool and helped Kerri get her shoes on.

“Okay,” Astrid said. “You’re ready to go.” We all walked to the limo that waited outside
of her house. We piled in first and helped Kerri get seated. Her curly brown hair draped over her left shoulder and her makeup stayed on despite the tears. I snapped more pictures and then held Ianni’s hand.

She squeezed it and whispered, “Maybe marriage
isn’t that bad, huh?” I laughed. She was new to all of this, but I didn’t want her to think that a wedding wasn’t in her future. She was sure to meet Mr. Right someday. Heck, maybe she already had. Beau was her date today. I didn’t have one, but neither did Astrid. She sat next to me and I looked at her silky blonde hair that flowed down her shoulders. Landon would scoop her up in a minute flat. He did say he liked Washington and that’s where she lived. Maybe they would move there together and have beautiful blonde babies.

“Avery!” Kerri said sternly.

“Huh?” I asked her, trying to pull myself back out of my visions.

“I was asking if you got the rings.” I nodded and held them up for her to see. She breathed a sigh of relief and we drove on towards the park.

They picked a beautiful location to have their ceremony; a little park right by the forest. Their gazebo was made from redwood trees and adorned with white roses. The whole scene reminded me of the carving I had gotten them last year from the store, Angels and Air. I had picked it out as an engagement present. It seemed to fit their ceremony perfectly. I had tried to forget what happened in that place, but once in a while it came back to me. The abuse by Benjamin and watching Katherine get taken Home. I believed that Katherine was in a better place. And even though I only knew her for a brief time, I wished I had known her longer.

The limo driver had us parked near a large building so Kerri was well hidden. I saw Justin at the gazebo
, waiting for his new bride. He looked so handsome. Soft music was being played by a harpist who sat off to the side.

“Well, you look quite beautiful today
, Ms. Snow,” Landon said behind me. I turned around and my heart skipped a thousand beats. To say he looked handsome as well would be a lie. He looked downright adorable. His blond hair was combed back and his face was clean-shaven. His piercing blue eyes caught the sun as he checked me out. He wore a black tux with the same matching tie as my dress.

“I hear I am walking down the aisle with Aster.”

“No, her name is Astrid, and she is right there.” I pointed to her as she looked around Ianni at the dashing Landon. She smiled at me and I waved.

“Oh, okay. Astrid. Got it,” he said with a laugh.
He glanced at her once and then his eyes were back on me. “You’re walking with Jeff, Justin’s brother. He’s not as handsome and funny as me. So you’re missing out.”

“
I am sure he is charming. You’re not jealous, are you?” I dared to ask. He shrugged and tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear.

“Nah, I don’t get jealous.”

He turned away and walked towards Astrid. She perked up her boobs and sauntered over to him.
I get jealous though,
I thought to myself. Damn evil green monster.

The sounds of the wedding march got louder and that was our cue. I was up first with Jeff and he took my arm in his. I looked back towards Ker
ri and blew her a kiss, “Knock ‘em dead, Kerri!” She smiled and I knew she was ready to make this change. She was ready to become a wife.

As I watched them exchange their vows I couldn’t help but be fo
rced to think about Dallas and me. Would we get married? Would we survive this bump in the road? Kerri cried and Justin wiped her tears. Who would do that for me?

Ianni
must have sensed my feelings because she grabbed my hand. She would be there for me. We had each other. Who needed boys?

Kerri and Justin kissed and they were now blissfully married. I clapped and hollered for my friends. It was time to celebrate for them. I glanced at Landon
, who applauded for them too and he winked at me.

We
descended the aisle and I helped Kerri get into Justin’s limo. She grabbed my hand before I shut the door. “I don’t know how to thank you for this day.”

“What do you mean
? I didn’t do anything really.”

“You were here for me all along. You helped calm my mother down and she is actually being nice to me. Thanks
, Avery,” she said as she pulled me into a hug. I closed the door and they drove off. Now all of the groomsmen and bridesmaids were to pile into the other limo. We had a bit of a drive to the Inn where the reception would be held. I was not looking forward to sitting in the packed limo, but I headed over to it. All of a sudden Landon’s arm grabbed me and spun me around.

“Nope
, we are not going in that car,” he began. “I’m driving.” I followed him to his car. He helped me get in with my dress and flowers.

We headed towards the Inn
and he blasted the music. Again he drove fast, but I didn’t mind. For some reason being with him made me feel trusting.

We hit the freeway and he took off even faster than before. I squealed in excitement and he laughed at me.

He made me feel carefree. I liked to feel like there were no worries in the world. Like Dallas and I weren’t fighting, or there was no crazy Dark Guide after all of my friends and me. I felt free, like I did in the water that day. Free enough to hold his hand again. But I fought the impulse this time.