by Holly Jacobs
I was your mother when I put your needs first and I gave you up to the parents who raised you.
I was your mother with each child I held as a nurse.
I was your mother with each child I fed through Amanda’s Pantry.
I was your mother through each story I told.
I’ve started my next book. It’s called, The Naming of Things, and the dedication for this one is different than the rest. It reads, To Siobhan . . . and Ned. You are my heart.
And in this one book are the three things I treasure most. You, Ned, and writing.
Love,
Your Other Mother
Piper
From Ned:
Dear Siobhan,
After I read the notebook and your story—Pip’s story—she asked me if there was anything I wanted to add in the last few blank pages before she tucks the notebook into that trunk along with all those letters from people she’s helped in your name.
I had a friend who’d seen the two of us together ask how it could have taken so long for me to realize I loved her when it was so obvious we were two halves of a whole.
I said maybe that’s why.
I never bought into the idea of a soul mate—I thought it was just the tagline of romance novels. But I’ve changed my mind.
That day when I moved in and Pip was on her porch typing away at her computer as she drank from one of those fancy teacups she loves, she smiled at me. And in that instant, I knew that she was going to be a good neighbor.
Later, I realized she was a good friend.
And then finally, I realized that I loved her.
Why didn’t I recognize that last part at first? It seems that I should have known it a lot sooner.
Josiah said it was as obvious to him as the nose on his face.
I’ve thought a lot about that and realized that I didn’t realize it sooner because she was a part of me. Pip was a part of me before I’d even met her. So there was no shock of recognition, no moment when I thought, there she is. I’ve found her.
She’d always been a part of me, and when I finally realized that, I realized what that meant. She never filled a void in my life because she’d always occupied that space.
Sort of like a nose.
You have one. You see it every day in the mirror, but you’ve probably never really stopped and looked and thought, that is my nose. You never ask, Where would I be without it? because it’s always been with you and you know that it always will be with you. You’re used to seeing yourself with it. It’s simply part of your reflection.
I’m pretty sure that’s where the expression originated. And my loving Pip was as obvious as the nose on my face, it was harder to see because it was like a nose.
Do you follow me?
If not, don’t worry. I’m not the writer in the family.
But here’s what I’m saying, Siobhan. It’s like that with you. I am not your birth father, nor am I the father who raised you, but you are part of me. And when you find Pip, you’ll find me.
You’ll find us.
And when you do, there will be no shock of recognition; there will only be a welcome home.
For wherever we are, you have a home with us . . . you are part of both of us.
And we’ll be waiting for you.
~Ned
From the Author:
September 2014
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Pip and Ned’s story. It’s not a traditional romance. There’s not some huge obstacle keeping the heroine and hero apart. And while it’s as plain as . . . well, plain as the nose on your face that they’re meant to be together, it takes them both some time to discover it. I think there’s a truth in that kind of relationship, one that’s built on a friendship that was always destined to be more, even if it took both parties some time to discover it.
As for Piper and Ned waiting for Siobhan to find them . . . I’m sure I’ll hear from readers about that, so for the record, they do meet. But as Ned said, it doesn’t matter when Siobhan finds them. They’ll both be there, waiting for her together. And when she does find them, she’ll find another home she didn’t know she had.
That Ned is waiting with Pip, that he’ll be there for her no matter what, is what makes this a true love story for me—the knowledge that you’ll always have someone at your side through the tough times and through the joyous ones is true love.
After Just One Thing, my editor (the awesome Kelli Martin) and I were discussing what I would write next. We both decided that I’d try to find something that was the same but different from Just One Thing, which was a romance that was a little different. It was a story that walked the line between women’s fiction and romance. I’m so glad I got to tell this story that’s a little of both. This story of Pip, of her friendship with Ned . . . and a love that was meant to be. I hope you enjoyed it. And I hope that you’ll be watching for my next same-but-different story next fall.
As always thank you to all my readers who’ve followed my career from romantic comedies, to romantic dramas, to comedic mysteries, and now to these new books that explore life and love from a woman’s perspective. And thank you to all my new readers, too! I’m so very fortunate to have you all supporting me and cheering me on! Like Pip, there are three ways to describe me that I treasure the most. Wife, mother, and writer. Thanks for sharing part of that with me.
Holly
About the Author
Award-winning author Holly Jacobs has sold over two and a half million books worldwide. The first novel in her Everything But . . . series, Everything But a Groom, was named one of 2008’s Best Romances by Booklist, and her books have been honored with countless other accolades.
Holly has a wide range of interests, from her love for writing, to gardening, and even basketweaving. She has delivered more than sixty author workshops and keynote speeches across the country. She lives in Erie, Pennsylvania, with her family and her dogs. She frequently sets stories in and around her hometown.