More Than A Memory

A Cottage Grove Novel

Copyright © 2014 Amber Nation

First Edition

All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of these publications may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the Author. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the publisher.

This book is a works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Cover Design By Najla Qambar Designs

Model Photo By Casey Boyett Photography

Models: Courtney Boyett and Willis Totten

Edited By Jen Akers

To Second Chances…

Other Titles by Amber Nation

Brown County Series

Not Alone

Runaway Love

How To Save A Life

Unconditionally

Prologue

Eden

June 1999

“Today marks a whole new chapter in our lives,” Marcie Vernon, our valedictorian, announced as she was wrapping up her speech. I glanced around at the numerous people that I’d come to know quite well over the past twelve years and couldn’t believe this would be the last time that I would see many of them. With my hand poised on the golden yellow tassel, I leaned forward to look down the aisle at my best friend Baylor as he did the same. His lips curved up as he flashed me his heavenly smile, the one that always seemed to make my knees wobble, and then quickly refocused on Marcie just as she said the words that we were all waiting to hear.

“Please take your tassel and move it from the right side over to the left. Congratulations, fellow graduates of 1999. Make the next chapter in your lives count!”

Massive cheers erupted amongst the one hundred sixty-eight of my peers in my High School gym as we tossed our royal blue caps in the air.

A pair of arms encircled my waist from behind, “We’re free, Edie,” Baylor whispered in my ear as I released a deep sigh of contentment. He was the only person allowed to call me Edie, to everyone else it was Eden.

Did I mention that Baylor wasn’t only my best friend but also the guy who inhabited my thoughts ninety-nine point five percent of the time? He didn’t know the extent of my crush on him, he couldn’t know; it would ruin everything we had between the two of us.

Up until about a month before graduation he was in a relationship with an awful, vile creature, whose given name was Kristina. She was beautiful and popular, everything I wasn’t. The biggest difference was that she was one hundred percent certified bitch and tried everything in her power to keep Baylor away from me. What her logic was for trying to keep us apart I didn’t know. Like I said there was no comparison between the two of us so it wasn’t like she was jealous. I had drab brown hair to her luscious blonde locks; my eyes were again a dull brown compared to her crystal blue irises. Hell, she had boobs, for crying out loud; me on the other hand, not so much. I was basically one of the guys, which was why Baylor and I got along so well in the first place.

When he and Dean, our other best friend, needed another player for touch football, I was your girl. Growing up we climbed trees together, rode bikes until dark and the streetlights came on; I didn’t even mind to get dirty every now and again. I had the greatest childhood with my two best friends-- the three musketeers, my mother would call us.

I didn’t really know the reasoning behind the breakup between Baylor and Kristina, but the small shallow part of me wanted it to be because of me. Because he was finally fed up with her nagging and ultimatums regarding our friendship.

But I definitely wasn’t going to complain; over this past month we’d grown even closer, if that was possible. It was just going to be a sad day when we would each have to go our separate ways for college. He’d stay in Oregon and go to school in Eugene for Architecture while I went to University of Kentucky in Lexington for Radio Broadcasting. Might as well be across the world for as far apart as we would be, but it had always been my dream to go to UK and my nana lived in Lexington so my housing would be covered, which would help out my parents.

“Earth to Eden,” Dean Parker’s voice made me jump, as he waved a hand in front of my face, breaking into my thoughts. That boy’s voice always had the ability to startle me; his deep, authoritative tone did me in.

“I’m here!” I replied quickly, trying to shake off my melancholy mood. A depressed feeling always shadowed over me whenever I thought of what would happen at the end of summer. I needed to focus my attention on that moment, and the fact that I was officially a High School graduate! “Guys,” I flicked my eyes from Dean to Baylor and back again, “we GRADUATED!” A small group hug ensued between us musketeers and I would never forget the feeling of being surrounded by my two favorite guys.

After I tore off my robe and shoved it at my mom, the three of us headed for Baylor’s car. He drove a 1985 maroon Chevy Camaro, and even though it was almost fifteen years old, it purred like a kitten. I loved that car. Dean and I always argued about who would get to ride shotgun and of course I won every time. Dean said that he always “let” me win, but it was just in his nature to always let ladies go first. At least Dean saw me as a woman; Baylor on the other hand may forever have me engrained as one of the guys.

“Eden, I forgot to tell you how great you look tonight,” Dean complimented me while eyeing my teal knee-length dress. He opened the passenger door for me and bent down to whisper in my ear, “I think Baylor likes it too, he can’t keep his eyes off of you.” Dean was about the only person who knew my feelings for Baylor and even with him the information hadn’t come without heavy coercion.

I could feel my cheeks getting heated as I swatted at his arm. He folded his six foot three inch frame into the backseat with some difficulty, proving again what a gentleman he was for letting me sit up front. “Dean, would you hush, I’m sure you’re obviously mistaken,” I said, pushing the passenger seat back into place before I climbed in the front seat and closed the door.

Baylor turned the key in the ignition to start his car and revved the engine before he glanced at me and asked, “Mistaken about what?”

“Oh about,” Dean started to reply before I turned around and shot daggers at him portraying the look of death. You know that look your momma could give you that if you didn’t shut your trap you would be in for one hell of a rude awakening? Evidently I had gotten that look down pat. “Nothing, it was just something silly.”

Baylor craned his neck to look back at Dean then back to me with a raised brow, “Right. So do we agree to stop by Marcie’s graduation party for a bit?”

“I’m in,” I quickly replied. Marcie was one of the few girl friends that I had. While I wouldn’t call us close, we had been known to go shopping a few times. Getting Baylor and Dean to go shopping was like trying to lure a deer into the lion’s den, it just didn’t happen.

We pulled up to the two story brown brick house on the Vernon’s property. If Dean getting into the backseat of the Camaro was comical, him trying to get out was just downright hilarious. “You know Dean, I really should be nice and let you sit up front. You’re so much taller than me, it’d be easier for me to get in and out of the backseat.”