Beautifully Destroyed (Beautifully Broken)

I keep strumming lightly while I try to think of a song.

My eyes flit over Quinn, and putting my own feelings aside, the song starts to take form as I play Darker Things by Lily Kershaw.

Clearing my throat, the words drift over my lips, and a peaceful feeling wraps around me. I find a moment of relief as I lose myself in my passion and sing to my cousin.

A smile wobbles around her mouth, her eyes fixed on me as she listens.

When I end the song, she scoots closer and hugs me tightly. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me,” I whisper against her hair.

“You’re here now. It’s all that matters.” Quinn pulls back, her happy smile back in place. “Do you have it in you to play something else?”

I let out a chuckle, then tease her, “It’s going to cost you a cupcake.”

“I’ll bake you anything you want,” she says, settling back into a comfortable position.

“Let me think.” I take a deep breath and stare down at my hand resting over the strings. Sticking with Lily Kershaw, I grin at Quinn. “Here’s one for you and Eli.”

I start to strum the chords to Always & Forever, and the smile on Quinn’s face makes me feel like I used to before the attack. For a moment, I’m just an eighteen-year-old girl with dreams of making music my entire life.

I feel excitement trickle into my veins, and my heart skips a beat, then I lose myself in the song.

I don’t stop and immediately let the tune bleed into Everywhere I Go by Lizzie.

The way Quinn looks at me, her features relaxed and peaceful, encourages me to keep going.

ETHAN

I hear music coming from the hallway as Eli and I set the couch down.

Then someone starts to sing, and I freeze. My eyes snap to my brother’s.

“Probably Finlay. Quinn said she has one hell of a voice.”

Holy shit.

My eyebrows lift, and I stand rooted to the spot as I listen to the hauntingly hoarse tone of what’s easily the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard.

“Fuck, she’s good,” I breathe, goosebumps spreading over my skin.

David walks by us, and popping his head into his daughter's bedroom, he says, “Do your old man a solid and sing Go Your Own Way next.”

When the song starts, it sounds familiar, but with the passion and strength in Finlay’s voice, I feel it in my fucking soul.

Everyone forgets about carrying stuff in, standing still and listening to her voice climbing, the song taking on a life of its own.

Christ, she’s amazing.

It feels as if life is breathed into my heart. It starts to beat faster, climbing at the same pace as Finlay’s voice. She stirs an emotion in me I’ve never felt before, and it makes the attraction I feel toward her grow.

David smiles at his daughter until she switches to another song, the words filled with so much pain it reflects on his face.

Eli taps my arm. “Come on. Let’s get back to work.”

I follow my brother out of the house and head to the U-Haul, Finlay’s voice drifting to us through the open bedroom window.

Wow. My mind’s officially blown.

I glance at Eli while we each grab a box. My brother grins at me. “Finlay’s something else, right?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

Before we walk back, he says, “You need to wipe that look off your face. It’s clear as day you’re interested in her.”

“What? No,” I exclaim, protesting a little too much. “I just like her voice.”

“Yeah.” Eli chuckles. “Right.”

I can’t hide anything from my family. “She doesn’t like me, so there’s no use in trying to pursue her,” I grumble as I walk next to him.

“What makes you think she doesn’t like you?” Eli frowns at me. “She just moved here.”

I shrug, adjusting my hold on the box. “She’s skittish.”

“So was Quinn. Just take it slow. Become friends with her.”

I almost let out a snort, the memory of the fear in her eyes every time she sees me a stark reminder that something as simple as friendship is not a possibility. “I don’t think that’s going to work.”

“You won’t know if you don’t try.”

We head up the stairs, pausing the conversation as Finlay’s voice grows louder.

I could easily spend hours listening to her.

Her song choices are filled with emotion, as if she’s giving us a hidden message through them.

As soon as everything’s carried into the house, I glance at Josh. “Can we start unpacking?”

He grins at me. “Sure. Thanks, son. I appreciate you giving up your morning.”

“Should I fire up the grill?” David asks.

“Sounds like a plan,” Josh replies. He glances at Eli and me. “With the boys’ help, we’ll have you settled before nightfall.”

Eli gestures at the skirtings pulling away from the wall. “I can grab my toolbox and fix that.” My brother turns his attention to me. “You check all the cupboards and closets’ hinges.”