Broken Pieces (Broken #3)

By Dawn Kliest

It’s been a rough year for Gabby Peterman. Her best friend’s dad died six months ago, her other best friend has leukemia, and her marriage? After three years, it’s more of a joke than a relationship. Despite all the odds, she’s managed to stay strong for the people around her, supporting them through all their trials. But when death strikes again and one of her closest friends disappears, Gabby loses it.
On the verge of a mental breakdown himself, Wolfe Landon will do anything to win Gabby back. But first, he’s going to prove to her just how much he cares and loves her, because losing her again will rip out his heart and soul.

This is a New Adult genre book.
*Due to adult content, this book is recommended for adults 18+*

• Language: English
• Publisher: Madison Publishing Company
• Release date: Apr 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463242490

Book preview

Broken Pieces

© 2019 Madison Publishing

Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without express written permission from the author/publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Broken Pieces

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Epilogue

Chapter One

Gabby

The funeral was dismal at best. Forget the fact that the woman lying in the casket was my best friend, that she lived three months longer than expected, that she was only twenty-two. The only thing that mattered, it seemed, was that she was gone forever.

It was an open casket, which meant when I walked up to the front of the funeral home, I could say my goodbyes to her face. My hands shook, so I gripped them together to hide my nerves. I stood at the back of the room, afraid to walk forward, afraid to see her again. She wasn’t supposed to die; I always thought, in the back of my mind, that the doctors were wrong, that there would be some kind of miracle cure for her. I was wrong.

Rainey had been given until September to live. So in June, she married Baker, and they had a wonderful summer together. When September rolled around, we were all hopeful that she was improving, and Rainey even agreed to more treatments, thinking that the cancer was receding. She got better and better until Thanksgiving. The two weeks following the holiday were heart-wrenching. She went from doing well to being barely able to walk in a matter of a few days. She stopped eating, and when she couldn’t take it any longer, she let herself go.

I wanted to be angry at Rainey for not fighting harder, but I knew better than anyone how many years she’d been fighting, and without any support, at that. She lived out as much of her life as she could.

Mallory, my other, and now only, best friend, stood beside me, just as scared as me. She clung to her fiancé, Luke, for support. He’d popped the question at Rainey and Baker’s wedding, something that had been a highlight of an already awesome day. I looked at their entwined fingers longingly. I remembered exactly how it felt to be comforted by the man I loved. Too bad we would be officially divorced in two weeks.

I pushed the divorce out of my mind. I needed to focus and make my way to the front of the room. I needed to get a grip and accept Rainey’s death. But most of all, I needed a drink.

With a final deep breath and a mind-over-matter mentality, I put one foot in front of the other and kept on until I was looking at the beautiful face of my best friend. This was just a friends and family viewing, so the place wasn’t crowded. Luke was trying to convince Mallory to come up the casket behind me, and Wolfe was seated in the front row of chairs, head in his hands.

I didn’t want him here. I didn’t want him to feel anything for my friend, but I knew he did. I knew he and Rainey had become friends, just as he had with everyone in my group. He was heartbroken by her death, just like the rest of us. It doesn’t matter, I told myself when I felt as sorry for him as I did for myself. He was going to disappear as soon as the divorce was finalized.

Is he? A voice in my head doubted my assumptions. Even though Wolfe’s intentions had been clear almost a year ago when we went before a judge to initiate our divorce, he wasn’t the same guy he’d been last year. At the hearing, he was angry, bitter. And part of me understood. I was the one pushing for this divorce. I was the one ruining his life, or so he liked to claim.

I knew he loved me, and a very small part of me still loved him, too. But we were so different, so set in our own ways. This break was the best thing for us, and although I didn’t want to be twenty-two and divorced, I was well on the path.

* * * * *

After the service, I was a mess. Mallory and I huddled together in a corner of the restaurant where people gathered to celebrate Rainey’s life. Baker made sure to tell everyone it was a celebration; we all got more time with her than we imagined we would, so we should celebrate that.

Mal and I were having a hard time celebrating, though. Our best friend was gone, and we’d never get to see her again. When Mallory started to hyperventilate, I pushed her head between her knees to help her. She calmed after a few seconds.

As she sat up, she looked at me. What are we going to do? There were huge crocodile tears streaming down her face.

I gulped. I don’t know. It was an honest answer. For the last few months, the three of us had become almost codependent. It probably wasn’t a good thing, either. It was still difficult, though, when one of our little group was ripped from us.

Hey. Rainey’s sister is here, Luke explained as he approached. I looked up at him and followed the direction of his gaze.

Ember was a beautiful girl. She was smart and strong, and far more mature than people gave her credit for. She was standing in a plain black dress over by the entryway of the restaurant, talking to Baker. There were tears in her eyes, but she managed not to let them fall as she hugged her brother-in-law.

To his credit, Baker seemed to be holding up well. I hadn’t seen him shed a tear yet, but I knew how macho guys could be, believing they needed to hold their emotions in, or some crap like that. He held on to Ember for a few extra seconds before letting her go, giving her a peck on the cheek. He disappeared through the door behind her and Ember made eye contact with me. I motioned her over.

Hey, I greeted her as she approached. I stood up and wrapped my arms around her, whispering words of how much we all loved and supported her.

She broke in my arms. The sobs started, and then she was sinking. Luke helped me set her on one of the chairs in our corner and I sat down beside her, comforting her. Mallory rubbed circles along the small of her back. With her face buried in her hands, I looked up at Luke.

Can you go get Baker? I whispered.

Sure, I’ll be right back, he promised, taking off at nearly a sprint.

Can I get you anything?

I glanced up at Wolfe, wishing he wasn’t here, but almost grateful he was. I sighed. Yeah. Get her a glass of wine, I demanded.

Gabby, she’s underage, Wolfe started.

I know how old she is, I snapped. Either get it or don’t, but either way, get away from me. My voice was far nastier than I intended, but my emotions were running high and I knew how to soothe Ember. She needed to find at least a little relief from the heartache we were all sharing.

With Ember between us, Mallory and I shared a look. Mine showed my irritation, but hers was compassionate, understanding. I didn’t deserve such an amazing friend. When she smiled at me, I returned it, just as Luke reappeared.

Can I talk to you? Since he was looking at me, I stood up. He made me take a few steps away from Ember. Baker’s gone.

What? Where did he go? I just saw him.

No one knows. He hasn’t been seen since he was talking to Ember. He cast a wary glance at the seventeen-year-old holding her head in her hands.

What do we do? I asked.

I called her mom. She said she’ll be here in a few minutes. We can deal with Baker later. For now, let’s just focus on Ember. She’s the one I’m worried about, Luke replied. He sat next to Ember and put an arm around her. She looked so small and petite, so young, sitting there between two of my best friends.

Wolfe walked up with a glass of wine and handed it to me instead of Ember. I glared at him, giving the glass to Luke, who put it in Ember’s shaking hands. She sipped it slowly, though I was certain it wasn’t the first time she’d had any.

I never expected Wolfe to become a part of this group of people, my own friends, although I suppose I should have. He was so lovable, so in tune with people, that they couldn’t help but love him. That’s what made me fall for him in the first place. Years ago, when I was too young, too naïve to know better. Which was why this divorce was the only thing keeping me from losing my sanity every time he showed up with a helpful hand.

I hadn’t cried for Rainey, not yet. I wasn’t uncaring, I simply didn’t want anyone to see my vulnerabilities or know exactly how effected I’d been by her passing. She was one of my best friends, and in the past year, I’d lost too many people in my life.

The split from Wolfe was clearly the best decision, but then Joe took a turn for the worst, which brought Mallory back from Boston and Rainey back from Los Angeles, but ended with Joe’s death. I never thought Mallory would bounce back, but she managed to come back to us and was actually doing well.

Rainey, on the other hand, had gradually gotten worse, her Leukemia overtaking her body and eventually killing her. I knew she was in a better place, or at least, that’s what I wanted to believe, and she made Baker happy during their short time together. She was sweet and loving, stubborn as hell, but still someone I felt didn’t deserve what life dealt her.

In reality, none of us deserved any of it. Joe’s death followed so quickly by Rainey’s demise… It was all too much. But my own fragility didn’t matter. I had to be strong for the people around me. Had to. I didn’t have another choice. I could tell Mallory was holding back from showing too much emotion, but she was close to losing it. If her incessant hiccups weren’t enough of an indication, the subtle shake of her hands as she patted Ember was. She wanted to comfort the young girl, but she knew exactly what Ember was going through, and knowing Mal, she was probably reliving the day Joe died.

The year sucked, as a whole. Too many bad things kept happening to our little group, and it wasn’t fair. We were all supposed to grow old together, and that wasn’t happening now. Baker’s sudden disappearance didn’t help matters. He’d always been the wild one, the guy to crack a joke and make light of any situation, if only to ease someone else’s pain. I was surprised to hear he was gone, but really, it shouldn’t have surprised me. He was the one who kept Rainey alive, in my opinion.

Baker’s dedication and blatant show of love to my friend were what kept her fighting as long as she did. And she spent her last few months on this earth happily married, which was more than I could say about my own life.

Sure, Wolfe and I were happy in the beginning, pledging our love to one another without a thought as to where our futures might lead us, but now … Complicated didn’t even begin to describe it.

Gabby, Mallory said to me, pulling me away from my distracting thoughts. I looked at her, realizing that she was standing next to me. I glanced over to Ember and saw her mother had arrived and was trying to get the girl to stand up.

Lucas, would you help Ember to the car? Ember’s mom, whose name I couldn’t remember, asked of Luke. He looked sheepish for a second, since no one ever called him by his full name anymore.

Of course, he agreed.

Once they were out of earshot, Mrs.… Ember’s mom, turned a furious glare to me. Who gave my seventeen-year-old daughter alcohol?

I sucked in a breath, ready to own up to the fact that