“Oh, my goodness,” a woman stuttered, looking at me. She paled over as if she’d just witnessed a ghost.
Boo, bitch.
I must’ve had Daddy’s eyes. Most definitely his grimace.
“Catherine, Catherine, look!” the woman expressed, tugging at the black sleeve of the person beside her. When she turned in my direction, her face drained of color, too. She recovered a bit quicker than the other, stepping toward me.
She stood tall in her petite frame and pushed out an uncomfortable smile. “You must be Damian. I’m Catherine. I was Kevin’s wife. And this”—she gestured to the woman in a state of panic—“is Wilma. My sister.”
I would’ve said it was nice to meet them, but I wasn’t in the mood to lie. I wasn’t there to make nice; I was there to find out information about me, about my past. So I got straight to the point.
I brushed my thumb against the side of my nose and shrugged. “I was told you’d have another letter for me when I arrived.”
“Oh, yes. Yes. Of course. But first, do you want to go give your respects?” she asked as she looked down the aisle toward the casket.
“Nope.”
Wilma frowned as she tilted her head and studied me. “It’s remarkable. Truly. You are Kevin through and through.”
“I’m not him at all, lady,” I coldly shot back. I already knew she annoyed me, and I’d only spent five seconds in her company. I was pretty good at that—not liking people from the jump.
I looked back to Catherine. “The letter.”
“Oh right, I…” Her words fumbled off as she began sniffing the air. Yup. She was sniffing around like a damn dog trying to find a place to shit.
“What is that?” she asked.
“It smells like cigarette smoke!” Wilma expressed in an overreactive tone. “Oh, my goodness, Stella!” she screeched, turning to look at a woman around my age, sitting in a chair with her legs crossed, openly smoking a cigarette.
She was dressed in white.
If that wasn’t enough to give my cock a wakeup call that morning, nothing would.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing, Stella?!” Catherine barked, rushing over to the girl, then snatching the cigarette from between her lips. She quickly exposed of it, and then pulled the rebel from the chair in haste. “What are you thinking? And what are you wearing? I put out a dress for you this morning!” she scolded.
Stella didn’t say a word. She just tilted her head and smirked in amusement.
Catherine stayed flustered as she pulled the woman my way while Wilma tried to fan the smell of smoke away. I should’ve given her a peppermint to put toward her actions.
“I apologize on the interruption caused by my daughter, Stella. She was Kevin’s step-daughter. Stella, this is Kevin’s son, Damian,” Catherine explained. “He’s your step-brother.”
Like hell I am.
Stella’s eyes fell on me, and fuck, did I feel them. It felt like being pierced by darkness. A beautiful darkness at that. Full lips. Long, straight black hair. Curves that made me follow them—step-sister, folks. Emphasis on the word step. Then there were her eyes. Dark, shadowed eyes that seemed to look straight through a person. Straight through me. I wondered what she saw on the other side.
She didn’t speak, but she appeared curious as she stared. Almost as if she was trying to figure me out.
Good luck with that.
I cleared my throat and slid my hands into my pockets. It was obvious she wasn’t going to speak up, so that left the floor open for me to take lead. “Hey, sis.”
Western Waves, the third book in the Compass Series, is coming August 2021! Preorder Today!
The Compass Series
ALL STANDALONE NOVELS! ENJOY TODAY!
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed Eastern Lights, you can go back and read Southern Storms, Jax and Kennedy’s love story. You’ll also get to meet a younger Connor in their book!
You can also Preorder Western Waves today!
Damian’s story. Coming August 26th, 2021.
The Elements Series
ALL STANDALONE NOVELS WITH NO INTERCONNECTED CHARACTERS! ENJOY TODAY!
Looking for some more angst? You will find it right here and you’ll fall in love with the men of the Element Series! You can download the complete Elements Series Collection for free in Kindle Unlimited here: The Complete Elements Series
Or, each of the titles are available separately (All standalones and free in Kindle Unlimited):
The Air He Breathes
The Fire Between High & Lo
The Silent Waters
The Gravity of Us
Also by Brittainy C. Cherry
Art & Soul:
Young Adult Romance
Our Totally, Ridiculous, Made-Up Christmas Relationship:
A Holiday Romance
The Space in Between:
A Contemporary Romance
Loving Mr. Daniels :
A Student Teacher Romance
Behind the Bars :
A Second Chance Romance
Disgrace:
Small Town Romance
Eleanor & Grey:
A Second Chance Romance
Landon & Shay Part One:
A Enemies to Lovers Romance
Landon & Shay Part Two:
An Enemies to Lovers Romance
Acknowledgments
Eastern Lights was a joy to write with many ups and downs. This novel is a story about finding yourself, loving yourself, and opening ones heart to allow more love in—which is something I dived deep into over the past year. I know I couldn’t have taken that dive without the powerhouses who walked beside me throughout this whole experience.
To my family who inspired me daily to fall more in love with my craft—thank you. Thank you for always standing tall in my corner, and I hope you know that I am your biggest fan standing in your corners. You all amaze me day in and day out.
To my parents: thank you loving me on the days I didn’t know how to love myself. Your love soothed the troubled parts of my soul.
To my sisters: Without you two, my heart would never be whole. Thank you for making my heart beat. Thank you for teaching me to stand in my power. Thank you for being
