It was because of how happy I have been that I decided it was time that we visit Sheila. It was not fair of me to keep Belle from her and she lost her son a long time ago, not knowing who he truly had become. So now, we sit on a plane to take us on this long flight, that is why we are going now because it was the last month that I would be able to fly. I said that we could wait until after the twins were born but Maggie was all over that, “Nice try Gracie girl, but you are going, you need this and so does that poor woman,” Maggie said.
My best friend…always right, Belle could also not wait to meet her new grandma; she had been talking about it all week. She had been calling Gloria grandma since the third day after we had moved to town so it was not that big of deal for her to find out that Gloria really was her real grandma because as far as she was concerned she already was. I saw how Gloria’s wounds began to heal slowly each day, and I think that Belle is a huge part of it, but I think finally knowing the truth and knowing the fate of the child she left behind helped give her some closure.
When our plane landed, we rented a car and went straight for Sheila’s house instead of the hotel. I was exhausted but I wanted to do this and I was tired of putting it off, once we finally found her house Belle could barely contain her excitement. We parked and walked up the long brick driveway. Belle rang the doorbell and Sheila’s caretaker I assume greeted us.
“Grace, oh Grace, darling thank you so much for coming here. You have no idea what this means to me. Is this Annabelle?” Sheila asked.
“Hello Sheila, it is nice to finally meet you in person, and yes this is my Belle,” I said smiling proudly.
“Well hello Belle, you sure are pretty, just like your mommy!” Sheila winked up at me. “Yes, I look just like my mama, everyone thinks so, but I have my daddy’s lips. Don’t I mama?” I smiled at her. “Yes baby you do,” I said. “Sheila looked over at me again and smiled. “Well you sure do Belle. I am your daddy’s mother, my name is Sheila,” Sheila said to Belle.
“Grandma Sheila this is a super pretty big house, can I come back again?” I could see Sheila’s eyes fill up with tears and I knew that I had given her the most precious gift that Max never did, getting to meet her only granddaughter.
“Grace, I am so sorry I feel like I have to say that, I know that I am not responsible for my son’s actions or behavior and it has taken me a long time and a whole lot of therapy to forgive myself for what has happened to him and you. I just want you to know that he wasn’t always so angry and was actually a pretty incredible young man at one point,” she said reaching for my hand.
“Thank you Sheila, and your right you are not responsible for your son’s actions, and I am still haunted by his memory and I do not think that much will ever go away, but I have moved on finally and I have made peace with a past that I cannot change and I guess now I do not wish to because it led me to Oli and it led me to happiness in the end and for that I am truly grateful,” I said to her.
We stayed for a few hours while Belle and her new grandmother got to know each other and when it was time to leave Belle gave her the longest hug and told her she loved her and I think now it was all worth it
2 weeks later
I was beginning to feel like a whale out of water, I was waddling everywhere I went and I could not stop the swelling in my ankles. My doctor said I was not really progressing so they would let me go about three more weeks and then induce labor. I could make it three more weeks, I hope.
I rolled out of bed…literally, reached for my robe, and headed to the bathroom and I was walking into the bathroom I felt a gush of something wet trickle down my legs. Holy Crap! “Oli, Oli come quick! “I could hear Oliver running down the hall and he slipped before making it to our bedroom. “What, what is it Grace?” his face fell worried.
“Um not much, but I think my water just broke,” I said frantic.
24 hours later…
I had labored for 14 hours, no joke 14, I went as far as I could but these stubborn little girls must be like there mama, because they were not coming out. The doctor finally said that we had to do a C-section and I agreed for my girls. 15 minutes later, we had two beautiful and healthy little girls. I let Oliver name them and he chose Ellison Grace and Emilee Margaret both weighed in at 6 pounds 1 ounce and 6 pounds 3 ounces. Tiny little beauty queens Belle called them, she also said that we had to call them Elli and Emi and Oliver and I both loved it. I looked down at my sleeping girls who are so tiny and perfect. I then looked over to my wonderful and incredible husband and smiled. “How did we get so lucky Olli?” I asked my husband.
He turned to me and grinned from ear to ear, “No baby, it is us that is lucky, all of us who have you,” He bent down to kiss me and then reached over to kiss our girls on the tops of their tiny heads.
I do not know what would have become of me if I had not made the decision to run when I did, I became good at running and it took the kind hearts of some friends and my now family to help me plant my roots in this town. I often sit and wonder what kind of life Belle and I would have had and I cannot picture anything but darkness. I just had a feeling that day to get off of that bus and when I did I could finally let go of all of my fears and my troubled past finally letting myself be happy, let myself be saved.
The end
H.M. Waitrovich is a lover of all books, mainly romance novels. She spends days and nights engulfed in a good racy, romance novel. Her husband hates it and makes fun of her most days. She spends her days as a Medical Assistant where she loves to see patients leave happy. By night she is a wife, and mother of two little girls. Once dinner is done and baths and homework have been completed she sneaks off into her layer where she writes to all hours of the night. One secret about her that most people know, so it’s not really much of a secret is that she loves teen drama, she watches The CW and ABC family religiously. One of her favorite shows being The Vampire Diaries. She is a total Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and Divergent fan girl and proud of it. You can visit her at her website to check for updates on her newest novels.
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