Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Finally, a light is shining at the end of the tunnel. After leaving Texas and my past behind, I've started a new life journey in Estes Park, Colorado. I have a second chance and don't plan to waste it.I found work as a live-in nanny for a darling little girl named Hadley. Her father, Aiden, is a single dad with a troubled past he is desperately trying to move on from.
When I find myself drawn to Aiden in a way I've never experienced before, I long to help him see what a wonderful father he is. But Aiden's past keeps him from forgiving himself and moving on with his life. If I can help save him from a dark road of torment, my journey will have been worth it.
My name is Emma, and this is my story. Love alone, sometimes isn’t enough.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PROLOGUE
Emma - Eight years old
“Why is he leaving?” I asked, gazing up at my mother as she stared out the window. Her eyes were red and swollen.
“Because he doesn’t love us anymore, Emma.”
My gaze swung back to the window, to the suitcase at my father’s side. A car pulled up and a woman got out. She walked up to Daddy and kissed him. My mother sobbed next to me, then turned and walked away.
“It’s okay, Emma. We’ll be fine without him.”
Placing my hand on the window, I called out to him. “Daddy! Daddy, don’t go!”
I watched as he placed his stuff in the back of the woman’s car, then looked back at the house. I rushed to the front door, screaming out to him.
“Daddy! Wait! Please don’t go!”
Stopping, he bent down and caught me as I ran into his arms.
“Why, Daddy? Why are you leaving me?”
He gave me a hug, pushed me back from his embrace, and looked directly into my eyes.
“I have to, Emma. I love Isabella, and I want to be with her.”
My eyes looked past him to the woman sitting in the car, who had the same light blonde hair as I did. Her blue eyes looked directly at me and she smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile and it made me shrink back. I’d never forget that smile for as long as I lived.
“Don’t you love me and want to be with me too?” I asked, looking back at my father.
He swallowed hard and looked away from me as he whispered, “I do, Emma. I love you very much. But you’re not my daughter. And I can’t stay just for you.”
Then he stood and looked at my mother who had followed me outside. “I can’t lie to her anymore.”
“Daddy no! Please don’t go!” I cried out as tears streamed down my face. The feel of my mother’s arms around me caused me to cry out harder. I tried to pull away from her, but I couldn’t. She held onto me tightly.
Turning, he walked toward the car, got in, and drove away.
I didn’t know it at the time, but he wouldn’t be the first man to break my heart.
CHAPTER ONE
PRESENT DAY EMMA - AGE THIRTY-THREE
My Secret
The moment the plane touched down on the runway, I felt like I could breathe once again. I took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Finding myself between two bookends, my past behind me and the unknown in front of me, I wasn’t sure if I should be excited or nervous. Maybe a bit of both.
I took another deep breath before letting it out. The woman next to me placed her hand on mine. She was an older woman, early sixties, maybe. Her silver hair was pulled up in a tight bun and she had kind, blue eyes.
“Do you not like flying, sweetheart?”
With a smile, I replied, “I don’t mind flying. It’s just that I’m leaving my old life behind and starting a new one. It’s a bit…scary.” I let out a halfhearted laugh at the last word.
Her eyes looked into mine and she gave me a knowing smile, as if we had something in common. As though she could peer into my soul and see my ugly past. Like she somehow knew I’d packed a single bag and left quickly before Ben could stop me. Left before he could cause me another ounce of pain. Emotionally or physically.
“I’m sure it is, but know this, God does not give us anything we can’t handle.”
I nodded. Oh, how I’ve heard that a time or two.
It might as well have been stitched onto my mother’s forehead. It was her mantra. The thing she would say to try to make herself, as well as me, feel better about the blows life had thrown.
“My mother would say that to me often.”
A sad expression moved over her face. “Have you lost your mother?”
That same weighted-down feeling in my chest hit me. “Six months ago.”
“I’m so sorry, dear.”
“Thank you.”
The seat belt signs went off when the plane came to a halt at our gate. Quickly standing, I reached for my small bag above and grabbed my purse. My eyes stayed focused on the line of people in front of me.
I felt a tap on my arm. When I turned to look back at the older woman, she handed me a card. Glancing down, I silently read it.
New Hope.
“New Hope?”
She nodded. “We work with a lot of women who are…starting over.”
A rush of panic washed over me. The familiar feeling when it felt like someone was getting too close to the truth. To the dirty little secret I’d worked so hard to hide. I was honestly exhausted from all the lies.
“You misunderstood me.” The line in front of me started to move. Handing her the card back, I smiled. “Have a nice day, ma’am.”