Broken 3: Broken, Forever
Author
Evelyn Miller
Reads
17.6K
Chapters
47
You are not broken, Lily Jane Cooper. You are perfect exactly how you are." Ten years in, Lily and Mason have the kind of love people would kill for. A ring, a date at a flower-covered cottage, and one dream they've finally said out loud: a baby. But month after month the test shows a single line, and the quiet between them grows louder than anything they've survived. Grief pushes Mason into double shifts and Lily somewhere darker, and the life they built starts to crack under the weight of everything they can't control. They promised forever. Forever never warned them what it would cost. Can a love this strong survive the one thing it can't fix?
Chapter 1: Um…Diamond Shaped
LILY
Mason Cooper is the love of my life, but right now he has pissed me off six ways to Sunday and back!
His stupid beeper woke me up at five this morning! But he did promise to make it up to me tonight—no beeper, just us, out for dinner wherever I want.
I also may have threatened that if I hear it go off when he gets home, I will be throwing it in the lake.
I tried to go back to sleep after he left, but I couldn’t, so I thought what better way to kill time than to go for a run?
Which is almost as bad as being woken up at five on a Sunday. I don’t think I’ve actually exercised properly like this since I was a senior in college, six years ago.
My lungs are burning so bad. I stop and take a step off the path and lean over, trying to get the fresh oxygen in.
“Watch out!” a frantic woman’s voice yells, making me stand up straight and look around. I see a woman yelling at a toddler who has climbed to the top of a jungle gym. The little boy is laughing hard and waving at his mom while she is reaching up, trying to get him.
I watch as he crawls across the wooden platform and begins laughing again. The mother shakes her head and laughs as well before she finally scoops him up and kisses him on his chubby wee cheeks.
I can’t help but smile as I watch them, and the sudden desperate need to have a kid overcomes me. I shake my head and try to get the thought out of my head.
Mason isn’t ready for kids. I mean, we’ve been together ten years, and he still isn’t ready to marry me!
MASON
I can’t believe how many different types of diamond rings there are. There are so many shapes and sizes. The way they’re set. The color of the band.
I thought this was going to be a quick and easy purchase. I’d come in, look at the rings, and just know what type of ring Lily would want. I do not just know what type of ring Lily wants. I do not know anything about rings. I’m scared.
“Do you need any help, sir?” the lady behind the glass cabinet asks me for the third time. I’ve been standing here for at least forty minutes, trying to decide.
“I need a lot of help,” I grumble.
“Well, what color does she normally wear?” the lady asks, making me frown.
“She wears a lot of blue,” I reply, wondering how the hell that helps to pick a ring.
The woman’s eyes go wide before she lets out a laugh, then quickly covers it up. “Sorry, I mean, what color jewelry does she wear?”
My frown deepens, trying to remember. “I think silver,” I answer, thinking of Lily’s little silver nose hoop. Other than that, she doesn’t really wear much jewelry.
“Okay, we’ve narrowed it down. This is our white gold section here.” The woman directs me to the cabinet next to the one I’m at.
I scan the rings, still feeling overwhelmed.
“So, what cut are we thinking?” she asks.
“Cut?”
“What shape would you like the diamond to be?”
“Um…diamond shaped,” I say, knowing how dumb I sound as soon as it leaves my lips. “Please forget I said that. I need to make a call.” As much as I don’t want to, I’m going to need to call in reinforcements. I step away and dial.
“Hello?” Brittany answers.
“Hey, it’s me, Mason,” I say.
“This isn’t the nineteen fifties. I have caller ID,” she replies, making me roll my eyes.
“I need help,” I say, sounding more desperate than I mean to.
Brittany doesn’t say anything for a few moments. I actually pull my phone away from my ear to make sure she hasn’t hung up. “Britt?” I question, wondering what the hell is going on. She’s never quiet.
“What’s wrong? Where are you? Should I call Lily? Liam?” she says so quickly I almost don’t catch it all.
“No! Don’t call Lily. I’m at the jewelry store on Fifth,” I say, running my hand through my hair and pulling it slightly. This is the most stressed I’ve been in years.
“Are you there to buy what the fuck I think you’re there to buy?” she nearly yells. I can practically hear the smile that I know is plastered on her face.
“Yes. I’ve been here for forty-five minutes and am stressed the fuck out.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Brittany says. “Do not under any circumstances make any decision without me.” Before she hangs up, I hear her squeal in delight.
True to her word, Brittany is here in exactly ten minutes. It seems no matter where we are, she’s always ten minutes away.
“Don’t say anything,” I say as I hold my hands up. “The shit-eating grin is enough.”
“I’m not even allowed to say it’s about damn time?” she asks.
“I can call Liam and get him to help me,” I warn, even though I know he’ll be just as clueless as me.
“I’ll behave.” She smiles as she steps up to the counter. “If I left it to you and Liam, Lily would probably come out with a yellow gold ugly-ass ring.”
As Brittany scans the rings, she says, “All right, we are wanting a round, brilliant cut diamond in white gold, possibly a pavé band.”
“A what?” I ask. I swear I didn’t understand a word she just said.
“Do you have a budget?” she asks, ignoring my question.
“Not really,” I answer with a shrug. “Whatever it takes to get Lily the right ring, I guess.”
“Oh, Mason. I might actually cry,” she says, looking at me with tear-filled eyes.
“Why?” I screw my nose up. Brittany doesn’t cry like this. This is turning into the weirdest, most frustrating day.
“Because you know Lily deserves the best, and you’re actually giving it to her,” she says, wiping her eyes.
“Also, it’s crazy to be here. Back in high school, Liam and I thought you would be single forever, and now here we are, just a few years out of college, and you’re about to get mother-fucking engaged!”
“Can I help you?” the same saleswoman asks, suddenly appearing in front of us. She looks happy to see Britt, probably glad she no longer has to deal with just me.
“Can we please look at this ring, this ring, and this ring?” Britt asks, tapping the glass in different places, leaving behind her fingerprints.
“Sure,” the woman says with a smile as she grabs out the rings and places them on some fancy-looking board with black velvet. “How long have you two been together?” the saleswoman asks as Brittany inspects a ring.
Britt lets out a snort and then checks her nametag. “Sally, never in a million years would this guy be good enough for me.”
“Ouch,” I reply, picking up another one of the rings and looking at the sparkling diamonds. It’s simple. A plain band and one diamond. It’s too plain for Lily. She deserves better. I put the ring down and pick up the other one.
The diamond is bigger and somehow sparkles even more than the other one. There are diamonds going down the sides of the ring, adding more sparkle. I can see this on Lily’s finger forever.
“I like this one,” I tell Britt as we swap rings.
“Oh my God,” she whispers. “Lily is going to love this one.”
I narrow my eyes at her. She’s never like this. Compliments are always sarcastic and followed by name-calling. And now she’s not speaking. This is scary. I actually didn’t think it is possible for Brittany to be quiet this long.
“Are you crying again?” I ask.
“I’m just really happy.” She sniffles. “It’s like you and Lily are made for each other. She calms you; you give her everything she deserves. It’s just so, I don’t know. Magical! I swear people would kill to have a love story like yours.”
I smile at Brittany. She is right. Lily and I are made for each other. We fit together perfectly in every way, like yin and yang.
“But…,” she draws out. “You seriously can’t be like one of those dickheads that buys the ring then takes six months or longer to propose, because I can’t wait that long. You better hurry up and do it. Do you have a plan?”
“For sure I have a plan,” I half lie.
My plan is to figure out a plan before six months.
