The Wright Mistake(54)

I kissed her shoulder, feeling more secure with her pressed against me. What had happened to Sutton was unthinkable. I’d had a lot of loss in my life. More than the average person, but losing the love of her life…that was a loss I had no idea how she’d endure. I felt broken for my sister, yet my feelings for Julia had never been clearer.

Tragedy had sharpened my resolve. I was not going to let this woman go for anything. The scariest part was that Sutton had felt the same way, and look where that had gotten her.





Twenty-Two



Julia


The Wright family was dressed in black.

Black suits. Black dresses. Black heels.

A black hat with mesh to obscure Sutton’s swollen red eyes.

Black gloves that did nothing to obscure her shaking hands.

Normally, this would have suited me. Black was my favorite color. But today was a day of mourning. Black, a color of death. And the funeral for Maverick Wright was under way.

I still couldn’t believe it had all happened. Sutton had found a man she loved beyond words. Sure, it hadn’t been easy. She’d gotten pregnant too soon, had the wedding too soon. By societal standards, she and Maverick should have never worked in the first place. I’d been at the wedding. I’d heard what everyone had said.

But they’d defied those standards. They’d laughed in the face of everyone’s judgment. They’d lived and loved. Then, it had all been destroyed.

So quickly. Without warning.

Austin put his arm around my waist. “You okay?”

I shook my head. “How could anyone be okay?”

“I know.”

He squeezed me a little tighter. The week since Maverick had died on the Fourth of July was somber but, in some strange way, perfect for our relationship. I’d been completely out of it, but Austin had been there the entire time. It was as if he knew exactly what I was feeling and anticipated all my needs.

It felt a little wrong that things were so right with Austin and me when Sutton had lost so much.

The service itself was short. Sutton hadn’t wanted anything big. She’d insisted on a small affair with family and Maverick’s closest friends. We stood outside, around a closed casket, on a Wright plot in the local cemetery. It was a West Texas sunny day without a cloud in the sky. Heat beat down on our black attire and soaked up the tears on all the faces.

Jason was too young to really know what was going on, but he seemed as quiet and restrained as the rest of us. He kept reaching up and touching his mom’s face, as if to stop the tears. But she couldn’t contain them. She whispered something into Jason’s ear and hugged him against her.

“Sut, I’ll take him,” Morgan whispered.

Sutton nodded and handed her son to her sister. Morgan held Jason firm. Sutton stepped forward and set down a calla lily on top of the casket. She laid her palm flat against the casket, speaking to her husband one last time.

We all watched on helplessly as final prayers were said. Then, it was time to say good-bye.

No one was ready to leave Sutton alone here on this day. The past week had been hard enough. And there was still a wake to account for this afternoon.

Jensen finally approached her. “Sut.”

“Just go,” she said hoarsely.

“Sutton, come on. I’ll drive you home.”

“I said, go.”

Jensen nodded for everyone to go ahead on to the house. Morgan passed Jason into Jensen’s arms. They shared a look of sympathy, and then Morgan was herding everyone away.

I really wanted to say something to Sutton. But I knew that she needed to be here, alone, to mourn. Nothing I said could change what had happened anyway. Still, I had a profound need to be there for her during this.

Austin slipped his hand into mine. “Come on, Jules.”

I took one more fleeting look at the scene before my heart broke all over again. Sutton fell to her knees before the casket. Jensen held her son in his arms, so she didn’t have to be alone. Jensen was a better father to her than their own father. More of a father than a brother to all of them. It killed me to know that Sutton had lost both her parents and her husband before the age of twenty-three.

No one should have to endure that. It was even worse than my parents, and that was saying something.

I followed Austin from the cemetery and to his parked car, which looked ostentatious in the parking lot.

“I wasn’t looking forward to that,” Austin admitted.

“I’d imagine not.”

“The world sure isn’t fair to the Wrights, huh?” He shook his head and leaned his arms against the top of his car as he stared at me over the roof. “Sutton lost our mom when she was only one year old, just like Jason. She grew up without a mom, and he’s going to grow up without a dad. Then, our dad died when she was only eleven.”