He smiled. ‘I’ll wait for you in bed, but I won’t be sleeping.’
I grinned. ‘Give me five minutes to ring mum back.’
‘Don’t bother getting dressed,’ he said and strode away, his toned arse tensing with each step.
I shuffled down the hallway and took a seat on the lounge, still dressed in my towel. The phone rang in my hand. I clicked answer.
‘Hello.’
‘Oh, Hannah, I wasn’t sure if you’d be awake yet, but I need to talk to you.’
‘I just got out of the shower.’
‘Good. I … I just finished your book …’ She broke off in tears. Sobs. Loud and wracking. ‘I … why didn’t Gran tell me all this? Why didn’t she …?’ Her words were choked by tears and emotion. I didn’t answer. I knew her questions were rhetorical. Gran had tried to tell her, but Mum didn’t listen. ‘I can’t believe I wasted all those years not talking to her. I didn’t go to her funeral. I wasn’t there when she died …’ She broke off again with a loud sob.
Hearing her words played on my own grief and guilt. I had been right there where Mum was now as I read Gran’s diary those months ago.
‘Mum,’ I said gently. ‘Gran loved you so much. You were her last wish. All she wanted was for you to forgive her.’
‘Oh,’ Mum cried into the phone and I had to bite back my own tears to hear such anguish. ‘I forgive her. I forgive her a thousand times.’
I sighed as stress fled my body, to be replaced by relief. ‘It’s so good to hear that. And I think somewhere, Gran would know that now too.’
‘You think so?’
‘Yeah. I do.’
‘Oh, god, I hope so. Your book was beautiful, Hannah. I just finished it and I had to call you.’
‘You should come visit me. We can talk about it. You can meet my boyfriend.’
‘You have a new boyfriend?’
I smiled. ‘Yes. And you’ll love him. His name is Bear.’
‘Bear? What kind of a name is that?’
I laughed. ‘The most perfect name. And I want to show you what I’ve done with the beach house. It’s all finished.’
‘How about I book for the summer?’
‘I’m going to South Africa in the summer with Bear. Book now. Come now. Don’t put it off. Don’t put anything off again.’
Mum was silent for a long moment. When she answered her voice was tight again. ‘I’ll book right away.’
‘Good. I’m glad. I can’t wait to see you.’
‘You too.’
‘Text me your dates and flight times. I’ll pick you up from the airport.’
‘Okay.’
‘I’m glad you called. It’s so good to hear from you, Mum.’ It had been too long.
We spoke for a while longer about what she had been up to. About the life I was making for myself on Mercy Island. Mum said goodbye with the promise of booking flights immediately. I smiled as I ended the call and sat there staring into space as I recalled her words. ‘I forgive her. I forgive her a thousand times.’
I stood and marched to my office. I opened my cupboard and reached onto the top shelf where I knew Gran’s bucket list was. I grabbed it and placed it on the table. I read the last item again as I reached for a black pen.
Have Georgia forgive me.
I clicked the bottom of the pen and made a big tick next to the item. Her bucket list was complete. A life complete. No regrets. I sunk into my desk chair and cried. Not sadness. But happiness. Because there was no better way to live one’s life than to the fullest and Gran had done that. She truly had. A life so full that even once it was gone, still remained and had the power to affect the living.
An easiness washed over me. A sense of completion. I wiped my cheeks with my towel and sniffled.
‘Everything okay, Han?’ came Bear’s compassionate voice from the doorway.
I turned to look at him and smiled. He’s everything I could want in a man, my big, sexy, kind Bear. ‘Everything is wonderful.’
He strode closer, his lips curling at the corners, dimples stamped into his cheeks. He crouched in front of me and set his gorgeous green gaze on mine. ‘You sure?’
I nodded as I drew a peaceful breath in. ‘Yeah. It feels like the start. I can get on with my own life now. We can start our life together.’
He grinned and looked around the room, up to the ceiling. ‘I can feel it too. The lightness. You and me now, Hannah.’
I nodded. ‘Yep. You and me.’
Bear gripped my hand and threaded his fingers through mine. He helped me from the chair and led me out of my office towards the bedroom. He was still naked. I giggled as he quickened his pace.
‘Neanderthal,’ I teased.
He spun, his lips curled into a cheeky half-smile, then grabbed me by the hips. He hoisted me up into his arms and threw me over his shoulder. I kicked and flailed, unable to stop laughing.
He smacked my arse at it peeked out from under my towel and I laughed even louder.
‘I’ll show you Neanderthal,’ he growled.
And I’ll show you me. All of me. Every last piece.
Thanks for reading Pieces of Me. I hope you enjoyed it.
If you’d like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage http://www.jacquieunderdown.com/, follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/authoraire, or like my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jacquie.underdown.10?ref=bookmarks.
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Reviews can help readers find books, and I am grateful for all honest reviews. Thank you for taking the time to let others know what you’ve read, and what you thought.
If you liked this book, here are my other books Unstitched, Beautiful Illusion, Beyond Coincidence and The Paler Shade of Autumn.
This book was published by Escape Publishing. If you’d like to sample some more great books from my fellow Escape Artists, please turn the page.
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Beyond Coincidence
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ISBN: 9780857992901
Title: Pieces of Me
Copyright © 2015 by Jacquie Underdown
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