Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 308(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Pushing the envelope into her hands, I said, “Will you open it? I’ll lose my nerve.”
She took it from me and broke the seal. Reaching in, she took out a large stack of papers. The very first paper on top said what I most wanted to know.
My mother, Kelly Graham, was deceased. My father was unknown.
Devastation slammed through me. My mother was dead and my father, whomever he was, I’d never know.
Flinging the papers down onto the floor, I uttered, “Is that it? Is that all the information I’m going to get?”
Mia scrambled to her feet and searched through the papers. “There has got to be more information than that!” She held up a paper with a bright smile on her face. “You have a grandmother! Still alive. In Tennessee! There’s an address!”
In surprise, I took the paper from her. Reba Graham. Maryville, Tennessee.
I wiped my tears from my cheeks. “You want to go on a trip?”
“I’ll go anywhere with you,” Mia said kissing me on the lips.
I was so happy to have found Mia. She was the perfect woman for me. If she hadn’t been there, I would have never opened the envelope and found out about my grandmother.
17
Mia
After finding out about Theo’s grandmother, we took a flight to Tennessee the very next morning. I floated on air and felt thrilled to be there for Theo when he really needed someone. The exciting prospect of one day being Mrs. Theo White became more real every day. Of all people in the world, Theo wanted me by his side as he met his only known relative.
In our rental car, Theo was unusually quiet. I didn’t want to interrupt his thoughts. We were the same in that way. If something was on our minds, it was best to let us linger in our meditative states.
Instead of saying anything, I put my hand over his on the stick shift. We shared a meaningful look full of understanding and support. Theo could count on me for anything. With just that look, I conveyed that.
The quiet car ride gave me an opportunity to think about my own family history. My father was an enigma to me. Always had been. Since my mother had told me very little about him, I wondered if she knew where he was or if she’d had any contact with him in the last nineteen years. It was such a touchy subject. We never had an actual conversation about him.
Theo thought I’d be mad at him for finding information about my dad. How could I be mad? It was incredibly sweet and thoughtful, but my desire to know about the man who abandoned me was next to nothing. At least, for now it was.
The trip to Tennessee was my first outside of California. The Great Smoky Mountains stood majestically on the horizon. We drove past the metropolitan cityscape of Knoxville to the small town of Maryville twenty miles south.
The GPS led us to a dirt road between a thicket of trees that we followed for ten minutes. We’d both been holding our breath on the drive through the woods and finally exhaled in relief when a cute ranch style house appeared. The dirt turned into gravel as we slowly drove up.
Before we got out of the car, I grabbed Theo’s hand and squeezed. He gave me a grateful smile and kissed me on the lips. “Thank you for being here for me.”
I spotted a little boy peeking through the curtains in one of the windows. Suddenly, people began to stream out of the front door. As we walked up to great them, a tiny elderly woman with white curly hair smiled at us and waved.
Theo walked right up to her with his hand extended in greeting. The woman, standing at about five feet tall, raised her arms up and pulled Theo down into a hug. With tears in her eyes, she cried, “I wish I would have known about you sooner.”
Theo closed his eyes and burst into sobs in his grandmother’s arms. She withdrew to look at him closely in the face. Putting a hand on his cheek, she said softly, “You look so much like Kelly.”
The other family members crowded around them. A man with Theo’s nose, holding the little boy I’d seen in the window, said, “I’m Anthony, your uncle. This is Bobby.” The little boy smiled quickly before burying his face in his father’s neck.
Anthony put his arm around Theo. “We’re so happy to meet you.”
Theo wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. Taking my hand, he said, “This is Mia. My fiancé.”
It felt amazing to hear him say that especially during this significant occasion.
Other family members began to introduce themselves to us. Cousin Peter. Aunt June. Cousin Erin. Cousins Oliver and Owen, twins. Aunt Fiona.