Faded Perfection (Beautifully Flawed Book 2) Read Free Page B

followed by two men I didn’t know.
    Adam’s eyes stared emotionless and straight ahead, but I could see the wet lines cascading down his cheeks. His movements were almost robotic as the procession moved forward while Alec was barely holding it together. His shoulders racked with a sob, and his face contorted as he tried to contain his pain and carry the weight of his son. The sea of people echoed the movements of the casket until we were facing the front of the building where the priest stood in his stark white robes. The men laid the casket in front of him and moved back into the crowd. When Adam reached me I pulled him into my arms, and he whispered in my ear, “A part of me is dead.”
    His head tucked in my shoulder as my hands wrapped under his arms and my fingers dug into the jacket at his shoulder blades. Mom’s soft touch on my back let me know we needed to sit, and I loosened my grip on Adam until we were staring at one another again. He nodded and we sat, his fingers entwining with mine. His parents moved to the other side of him, but his eyes remained on the black box in front of us. I watched as Alec’s hand reached for Adam’s knee and squeezed. Adam’s eyelashes fluttered at the touch. He didn’t move otherwise, and Alec’s lower lips pursed as he tried to decipher the reasoning for Adam’s reaction. He slowly removed his hand and let a breath out.
    He’d find out soon enough.
    The priest’s words echoed through the church, but I couldn’t decipher their meaning as I stared at the black casket. I went through the movements, following the people around me without actually understanding what was going on. I stood, knelt, sat and tipped my head in prayer, but my eyes never moved off of that black mass.
    Bobby was gone.
    When the service ended, and Adam moved to go back up to the casket I couldn’t pry myself away from him. Adam didn’t try. His eyes met mine, and he realized just as I did, that I was not leaving his side. Adam moved my hand to his arm, and we walked up together where he stood on his side until the casket lifted and we moved forward. My heart beat slowed as we made our way to the door, but with each step, it felt as though the door was further away instead of closer.
    “You okay?” Adam asked, and his voice brought me back to. Sparks dotted my vision as I inhaled, and my nails dug into his jacket. I stumbled, and Adam’s body tensed against mine. “River?”
    “I’m all right,” I replied, and the door was suddenly opening in front of us. The cold air woke my system as we made our way to the hearse, and I knew I was shaking uncontrollably. I stepped back as Adam helped slide the casket inside. He turned as soon as it was in and pulled me into his arms and his hands pressed my head to his shoulder.
    “I love you,” he said as he pulled slowly away and wiped my face.
    I shook my head, closing my eyes as more tears coursed down my cheeks. I couldn’t control them now. I tried to reply, but my voice caught in my throat. Adam’s chest rose as he looked over his shoulder at the hearse’s engine starting. We didn’t say anything as we walked passed it on the way back to Adam’s car. The silence continued to the cemetery, where Adam helped place the casket over the empty hole in the ground. I stood back, alone, listening to Vickie’s sobs from the car she refused to get out of as I watched. My mind raced through empty thoughts as I tried to keep breathing.
    How they managed to dig a hole in the middle of winter.
    How heavy the casket must be.
    How Vickie cried so loudly.
    How I felt like vomiting into the hole.
    How I felt like crawling into the hole and never coming out.
    Adam’s eyes met mine as he walked up next to me, and the thoughts ceased, replaced by the sound of our breathing as we stood and the crowd began to thicken around us. A man handed us each white roses, and the priest came to the front of the casket, a bible pressed against his torso that he fanned open,