Heart of Stone - Book 2: Hearts Collide
Chapter 18 - Aubree (Part 1)

Aubree stared at the space between her and him. “I’m sorry, Dan. I wish it didn’t have to end like this. I-I wish—”

Head in his hands, Dan sobbed and it nearly tore her in two. On one hand, she knew she had to leave, and on the other, she felt inclined to stay and comfort him.

How could she do this to him?

Turning to walk away took every ounce of strength she had. One step forward, and then another.

“How?”

His voice made her pause, gripping her purse tightly to her chest.

“I waited for you,” he said. “How could you do this to us?”

His voice was hoarse and strained. The sound of it broke her resolve and she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears sprang to her eyes and she squeezed them shut as she locked her jaw.

“How could you—”

She cut him off as she whirled back to face him. “I didn’t ask for this!”

The tears were flowing uncontrollably down her cheeks now and as much as she wanted to hold herself together, she couldn’t.

Dan sprang to his feet and glared down at her. “Then why, Bree? Why would you do this? You agreed to marry me even though there was already someone else?”

I didn’t have a choice! She wanted to scream, but all she could do was sob loudly and hold herself. She couldn’t tell him that she did it because she loved him. How could he understand that?

I did it to save you. To protect you.

I love you enough to let you go.

“Because,” she began as Dan stepped in front of her, “I won’t be happy without him.”

It was true, or at least partially true. She was sure that over time, Stone, and only Stone, would be the one capable of making her truly happy. That was their bond, was it not?

“Really?” he asked, an inkling of doubt evident in his voice. “Then why are you crying, Bree? If you love him and not me, then why are you crying?”

She couldn’t answer him, but she knew she had to get out of there immediately before she lost her nerve.

Suddenly, her face was in his hands and his lips on hers. Shock rendered her immobile as his lips moved over hers in desperation.

He pulled away when she didn’t kiss him back and hung his head, his hair falling in his eyes. “I know you still love me.”

Her feet picked her up and carried her out of there before she could even fathom what had happened.

Dan loved her. He would have given her the world and anything she had asked for.

Stone wouldn’t give her the family she had always dreamed of. He could barely even touch her.

As the night wore on, Aubree’s mind replayed the scenes of her break-up with Dan over and over again. She couldn’t help questioning whether or not she’d made a mistake.

She had loved him. A small part of her still loved him.

Her body wracked with sobs for an hour until she was so exhausted and her stomach was bunched up in so many knots that she couldn’t take it any longer. She drew herself a bath to relax her muscles before returning to bed and falling asleep for a few more hours.

When she woke up, early morning sunlight was streaming through the window, but she couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed. She didn’t want to see anyone—especially Stone.

Soon, an hour passed and still no sign of him.

Despite the gnawing of anxiety in her stomach, Aubree couldn’t stave off her hunger any longer. She was glad Stone hadn’t come up to bed, and she couldn’t help wondering if he came home at all—not that she wanted to see him. The fact that he didn’t want to have children with her stung. She understood, but it was still painful to accept.

Hunger growled as the pain in her heart lessened to a dull ache. She couldn’t ignore her body’s need for sustenance any longer.

Creeping down the stairs as silently as she could, she didn’t want to wake anyone with super-sensitive hearing to come and check up on her. She wanted to slip into the kitchen, replace something to eat, and slink back into Stone’s room to be alone again.

When she reached the main level, she looked around and listened, but could hear nothing and there was no one in sight.

Where was everybody?

She went into the kitchen and started making herself some coffee. As the coffee brewed, she grabbed a muffin from the store-bought plastic tray on the counter and headed to the sunroom.

She liked the sunroom and the openness it had, especially in the morning since it faced the east and the morning rays shone in and made it bright, warm, and cozy.

With the muffin in hand, she walked in and stopped in her tracks.

Squished together on the wicker loveseat was Stone sleeping between Gwen and Gavin. Gwen was sleeping with her chin tucked in and her head resting on his left shoulder, while Gavin slept on his right shoulder. Stone’s head was resting on top of Gwen’s, their faces reflecting the peaceful state of sleep.

Her heart squeezed at the intimate sight. Her thoughts flitted to what Stone told her about losing his previous soulmate and firstborn son at the same time. Her heart twisted at the bittersweet scene before her.

These were his babies. They were all he had left in this world. He loved them so much and it couldn’t be more obvious. He may not want to have children with her, but he still had children that she could love as her own, even though they were three hundred years old. He was still their father and always would be for as long as they lived.

As she took in the scene before her, her eyes prickling with tears, Gavin opened his own deep blue ones. A knowing sadness reflected in his gaze as he stared back at her with a small, reassuring smile.

He looked so much like his father. His hair was slightly darker and cut short, but his eyes startled her with their brightness. They had seen so much and yet were still kind.

Blushing, she felt like an outsider intruding in on something private that she shouldn’t have witnessed. Carefully, she backed out and returned to the kitchen. The smell of brewing coffee welcomed her, but she couldn’t get the image out of her memory as she sat down at the table and looked out the sliding glass door. Her muffin sat before her, forgotten.