The Boy Who Has No Faith (Soulless 5)

Prologue

Derek

The top of the building was lined with white lights, matching the beautiful ambiance of the city as the backdrop. The long table was covered with a white tablecloth, arrangements of flowers all the way down. We’d finished the rehearsal at the church, and now it was time to have the rehearsal dinner.

Tabitha held a flute of champagne, mingling with family members and friends, stunning in a short white dress with her mother’s pearls around her neck. She had fiery red hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and everything about her was perfect.

My hands slid into my pockets, and I stared at her from across the roof, watching the subtle way her fingers tightened on the stem of her glass, the way she delicately pushed her curled hair behind her shoulder. She had the nicest smile, the kind that made all men weak in the knees.

Especially me.

The princess cut diamond ring on her left hand was small, all I could afford right now because I just finished my undergraduate degree and would start my PhD program in the fall. When I told my father I wanted to propose to Tabitha, he told me I was too young, that I should wait.

Why should I wait when I’d found the love of my life?

As I stood there and stared at her, I knew it would last forever.

More guests filed onto the roof, complimented the white candles spread everywhere, the hors d’oeuvres being passed around by waiters. It was the perfect evening, the perfect everything, and I knew my mother was the reason for that.

Anything she touched was magical.

It relieved the stress on Tabitha’s shoulders, and frankly, no one could do a better job than my mom.

A large hand moved to my shoulder and gave me a squeeze.

I recognized the touch before I saw his face.

“Beautiful.” He rubbed my back then pulled me in for a one-armed hug. “I’m very happy for you, little man.”

I was a grown man at his height, but he still called me by the nickname he’d given to me when I was just a boy. “Thanks, Dad.”

He patted me again before he released me. “I was wrong. A man in love should be with the woman he loves, and I can tell you really love Tabitha.”

“I do.”

His brown eyes filled with affection, and a soft smile moved onto his lips. He stared at me for a few seconds, his brilliant mind working behind his eyes, thinking a million things at once. He didn’t always say what he felt, but the look on his face usually did that for him.

My mom came next, Dex and Daisy with her. Dex was about to turn fifteen and would start college in the fall. He was moving to the West Coast because he’d been accepted at his first pick university—Stanford. Daisy was not quite eleven years old.

Mom’s arms moved around me, and she hugged me, holding me close, rubbing my back as she embraced me. “Just yesterday, you were five years old…and fifteen years have passed in the blink of an eye.” She pulled away, her eyes soft and affectionate, her palms resting on my shoulders. “So proud of you, sweetheart.” She pressed a kiss to my cheek.

My mother had all the qualities I lacked, the ability to communicate with someone and share their heart. She’d taught me how to be sensitive, how to enjoy the lessons of a good book instead of the chemical science of the universe. “Thanks, Mom.”

Her eyes softened further before she released me.

“I hope we’re as happy as you and Dad.”

She gave my cheek a gentle pat. “I’m sure you will be.”

People started to settle down at the tables, and it was time for dinner, for my future wife and me to say thank you to everyone for everything they’d done to prepare for this wedding. When I turned to look at the most gorgeous woman in the world, she was nowhere in sight. Neither was Kevin—my best man. “I’ve got to find my girl. I’ll join you in a second.”

My family walked away and took their seats at the end of the table. With all our friends and family combined, there were twenty-five of us, a celebration of two lives coming together like the collision of two stars.

I entered the building and moved toward the restroom, so I could press her into the wall and kiss her while I hiked her leg over my hip. Seeing her in that white dress all evening made me want to make her my wife now—not tomorrow.

I leaned against the wall and waited outside the bathroom.

But then I heard whispers.

“Kevin, I’m not sure I can do this…” Tabitha’s voice was easy to recognize because it was so soft, so kind.

Palpitations kicked in. Blood pounded in my ears. The serenity I’d felt just moments ago was gone—and I had a feeling it wouldn’t come back. My head turned to the railing in front of me, where the stairs began and descended all the way to the bottom of the building. I moved forward, my hands gripping the railing as I looked down.