Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
She slipped her hand into mine, and I squeezed her fingers.
“I’m sorry too. I’m sorry for my accusations and anger,” she whispered.
I waved her off. “You had every right to feel angry. I get it.” I huffed out a sigh as I yanked on my hair. “The question is, where do we go from here?”
I met her gaze. She was watching me closely.
“I do that,” she said.
“Do what?”
“Pull on my cowlick when I’m upset. I noticed Grace and Heather do the same thing.”
Katy leaned forward. “All of your siblings do. You also have his frown lines when he’s upset. His eyes. You wave your hands, expressing your emotions the same way he does. You are really very similar.”
Ashley let out a shaky breath. “You want to know where we go from here? I would like to get to know them.” She paused. “And both of you.”
Katy’s eyes filled with tears, and she met my gaze. “We’d like that.”
“I’m not the terrible person you must think I am,” Ashley murmured.
I shook my head. “We don’t think that at all. We know how hard this has been.”
“It has been for you too, but I didn’t make the same allowance for you,” she pointed out honestly.
I shrugged. “You’re not old and wise like me.”
She laughed, covering her mouth at the sound. I shook my head and pulled her hand away.
“Laugh. Smile. Cry. Whatever you need to do, it’s okay.”
“Really? You–you’re not mad at me?”
“How could I be mad, Ashley? You were defending your mother and her memory. I can’t possibly be angry over that. She did what she thought she had to do to protect her child. I can’t fault her for that.”
“So, how do we do this?” she asked.
“I think a do-over is in order,” I replied
“A do-over?” she questioned.
“Yes, we do those in our family. Sometimes you need one. You replace a bad memory with a good one.”
“What do you suggest?”
Katy leaned forward, smiling. “Are you working on Sunday? Do you have an event?” she asked
“No. I have one Friday and Saturday, but I’m free Sunday,” Ashley said.
“Gracie and Heather are coming for brunch on Sunday—with Jaxson and Reed, of course.”
“And Kylie,” I interjected
Katy chuckled softly. “Of course Kylie. Why don’t you come and join us? Bring Luc. Quite often, Penny or Gavin or even, on occasion, Matthew drops in via Zoom for a chat. It will give your father a chance to introduce you properly, and we can get to know one another.”
“Will Luc be back?” I asked her.
“I hope so,” she said with a sad smile. “It’s amazing how much I miss him, and he’s only been gone for a couple of days.”
“That’s what happens when you love someone. You miss them when they’re gone,” Katy said, glancing at me. “I always hated it when your father went away on business.”
“Is he all moved in?” I asked.
“How did you know?”
“Heather,” I said simply.
“Yes, he didn’t have a lot to move in. We’re gonna find things together. I was just going to put his extra clothes in the guest room closet when I knocked the picture off the table.”
“Are you all right now?” I inquired gently. She seemed calmer, but I didn’t plan to leave until I was sure she was okay.
She inhaled, letting the breath out slowly. “I’m better. There is so much to take in, so many feelings I have to sort through.”
“Why do you think she never told you about the letter? Or told you in person?”
Ashley picked up the envelope, her fingers tracing over her name. “I think she planned to tell me. When she was ill, she started to say something a few times and stopped. Her cancer progressed very quickly, and her passing was sudden. I was there at the hospital in the morning, and she was awake and talking. She said she wanted to tell me something, but she got tired and I told her she could tell me after she’d rested for a while.” Ashley’s lip trembled. “She slipped into a coma and never came out. She died two days later. I was holding her hand and talking to her when she passed.”
Katy stood and sat beside her, wrapping her arm around her. “I’m sure she knew you were there.”
“I hope so,” Ashley replied.
“You were the person she loved the most on this earth. She would feel your presence,” Katy assured her, meeting my eyes.
I knew she was thinking of the day her aunt Penny passed. How she mourned her. How we both mourned her. Ashley had had to go through that alone. She had gone through a lot of her life alone.
If I had my way, that wouldn’t happen again.
I watched as Ashley accepted Katy’s gentle ministrations. She spoke quietly to her about Aunt Penny and Juliet, all the while stroking her hair in a maternal gesture she always used with our girls. I had a feeling Ashley needed that motherly affection at the moment.