Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Well, if you want to take Beckham, I can make sure the girls have everything they need.”
“Done. Come here, handsome.” I take the adorable baby boy into my arms and snuggle him to my chest. He’s sleeping through all of the chaos that’s filled the room. I move to a small table in the back corner and pull out a chair, sitting gingerly so that I don’t wake him up.
“He likes you.”
I look up in time to see Crosby take the seat next to mine. “I think this little angel just likes to be held.” I smile at her.
“Oh, for sure, but that’s not who I was talking about.”
I don’t ask her who she’s talking about because, after our little show a minute ago, there could only be one other “he” that she’s referring to. “We’re friends.”
She nods. “They’re a great family. I’m really lucky that they’ve pulled me into their orbit.”
“I’m pretty sure Rushton wouldn’t allow them not to,” I tell her. I’ve seen the two of them and how they respond to each other. You can see the love they have for one another with a quick glance when they’re together, hell, in the same room as each other.
“You’re right.” She nods. “I know they can be overwhelming, but don’t let them scare you away.”
“I’m just here for my contract,” I remind her.
“You know, my story and yours, they’re rather similar.”
I nod. “Our backgrounds.”
“All of it. I had to take a contract here in Willow River to teach for a year. I immediately fell in love with the town and the people in it. I just didn’t know if my contract would be renewed.”
“See, you wanted to stay. My heart is on the road.”
“You sure about that?”
I give her my full attention. “Yes?” It comes out like a question, and she chuckles softly.
“Are you asking me or telling me, Scarlett?”
“Telling you. Photography was always my thing. I was kind of a loner. No, I was a loner growing up. Trust doesn’t come easy for me. I spent a lot of time hiking with my parents and fell in love with the landscape. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”
“I’ve seen your work. The images from the wedding were amazing.”
“Is that your way of telling me that I can do something different?”
She points at me. “Beauty and brains.”
I shake my head and smile. “One day, maybe. I’m not saying I’ll never put down roots, but the loss of the life that I was gifted when I was adopted is still too fresh. Too raw to settle in any kind of life without them.” I feel myself start to get choked up.
“I understand that too. Trust me. If there is anyone here who understands, it’s me. I didn’t get the adoptive parents, but I can imagine how having that and losing it after losing so much before them would hit hard.”
I nod.
“However, think about them for a minute. They were your parents. DNA aside, they chose you. They chose to love you and give you a life so many of us were not so lucky to have.”
“I know.” I swallow hard and turn my gaze to the sleeping baby in my arms. I don’t know the history of my birth parents. All I know is that they willingly signed their rights to me away.
“They would want you to be happy, Scarlett.” She holds up her hand when I start to speak. “I’m not saying that you’re not. I’m also not saying that chasing your dream across the globe isn’t what’s going to give you that feeling of rightness that we all seek. What I am saying is that they wouldn’t want you to close off your mind or your heart to love. They’d want you to find a love like I’m sure they had. They’d want to know they have grandbabies and that their family history lives on through you.”
“Are you trying to make me cry?” I ask, my voice cracking.
“No.” She smiles. “Just telling you that I’ve been where you are. The difference was that I knew I wanted to stay. I knew this was where my heart was. I just wasn’t sure I could grab onto everything I wanted, everything that was right in front of me. I was too scared to risk the pain to me or to Rush, and in the end, it worked out. However, had I not gotten that contract extension, I think I would have stayed. My heart and his were already too invested for me not to.”
“You would have given up what you’d worked so hard for?”
She nods. “Yeah, I would have. This family, there’s this dynamic. They’re loud and nosy, and they love so hard. It was more than just Rushton that I would have been leaving, and that was too large of a loss. I would have figured it out. Kept applying to local schools and started my own tutoring business… something. I would have made it happen.” She chuckles. “It sounds so easy now,” she tells me. “When I was living it, that’s a different story. I was stressing over how I felt for him and my contract and being able to stay. They say that in life, things tend to work themselves out, and I agree, but I know when you’re close to it, it’s hard to look at things from that perspective.”