The Year I Met August

by Renea Porter

  Lee leaned into him to whisper, “That’s my mommy,” she told him about me.

  Then he leaned to whisper in her ear. “And I’m your daddy,” he told her. She covered her mouth in shock.

  The remainder of the party was fun, as we watched Lee blow out her birthday candles and opened presents. She loved all her gifts. I was glad the Iversons let us share such a special moment.

  Catherine appeared by my side. “That girl idolizes you.”

  “Oh, please. She has the best parents in the world.”

  “August seems like a good guy,” she said.

  I smiled. “He is. And I appreciate you allowing him here to see her. It was so unexpected. But I’m glad he’s clean and proving himself.”

  “If he thinks of you the way he looks at you, he’ll do the right thing. I can see it in his eyes. I know you haven’t told me much about the past, but maybe you can one day.”

  I nodded and smiled. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

  The guests started to leave, and wished Lee happy birthday again before they walked out the door. She thanked everyone.

  “Well, we should get you a bath and then bed,” Adam announced. “Say goodnight to Murphy and August.”

  I bent down to hug her. “Goodnight.” I squeezed her tight before letting her have a moment with August.

  Catherine waved while we insisted on helping Adam clean up. Then we bid him goodbye. I thanked him again before leaving.

  “What do you think?” I took August’s hand while we walked to the car.

  “I think she’s an amazing kid, and smart like her momma.”

  “She has your good looks, though. So we are in a heap of trouble when she gets older and starts breaking hearts,” I admitted.

  “Definitely. The Iversons are good people. I can see why you chose them. Lee has a great life, and a lot of people that love her and look out for her.”

  I nodded. “That’s what Adam says. He says it takes a village to raise a kid. And there’s so much love to go around. Who wouldn’t want that for their child?”

  “Exactly. Come here you.” August pulled me into his chest, and I breathed him in. His scent got me every time. “You did good, Murphy. I hope one day I can make you as proud as I am of you.”

  My arms reached around his middle and up his back. I locked onto him. “Don’t worry I’m never letting you go,” I stated.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  Epilogue

  FOUR YEARS LATER

  AUGUST

  “Eleven months ago, I relapsed for the last time. I got up one morning, left the house, and got high. All I could think about was getting that fix. I didn’t even tell my girlfriend, Murphy, where I was going.”

  Looking out into the crowd, my eyes found Murphy’s. She didn’t deserve this life. She deserved so much better. Better than what I could give her. But even now, she had remained at my side through three relapses. She offered a slight nod.

  I stood in front of the crowd, telling my story. When Murphy asked me to figure out something I was passionate about, I looked into counseling people with drug addictions, even battling my own demons. I crossed the stage slowly as I continued my speech.

  “I’m here to tell you no one is perfect. Everyone has a flaw. Anyone that says different is a liar.”

  How Murphy has stayed with me this long was beyond me. Maybe it was for our two little girls. All I knew was that Murphy’s love and devotion had never wavered, even on the worst of days. Without her, I would be lost. And she refused to marry me unless I’d been clean for a solid twelve months. Every morning, I asked her to marry me, and every morning she told me how many days I have left. It was a running joke between us.

  “We all have our ups and downs. Our good days and our bad days. Maybe you haven’t hit rock bottom yet, or maybe you have. If you haven’t, I can promise that you will.”

  Stopping in the center of the stage, I took a drink of my water, and for a brief moment met Murphy’s gaze. She smiled, and I continued talking.

  “I can tell you that eleven months ago, I hit rock bottom. I was gone for twenty four hours. I’d never been gone that long. But my sneaky girl here had a tracking device through our phones and the car, so she always knew where I was. I got so high; it was more than what I normally did. And here came Murphy to get me. I don’t know how she managed, but she got me out into our SUV. I deserved the lecture she was giving me. On the way home, I begged for her forgiveness. Do you know what her response was?”

  I paused while everyone pondered the answer to my question.

  “She said, ‘I forgive you. But will your children?’ Talk about a reality check.”

  Looking at Murphy in the audience, she was dotting her tear filled eyes as I spoke of our two little ones. We had two vibrant beautiful girls, and Lee.

  “Looking at my children as they slept, everything came into perspective. My girls deserved to have a dad that was normal and able to play with them. They deserved so much. Not only was I hurting myself I was hurting my family, too. And before my girls were old enough to understand. I wanted to be there every single day, because those days deserve to be cherished. I’m lucky that Murphy sticks by me. She knows every day is a struggle. And the next day is never promised.”

  I paused briefly to take another sip of my water and cleared my throat.

  “So I stand before you, eleven months clean. And in one month, that girl,” I pointed, “will let me make an honest woman out of her.” Tears threatened me this time. Murphy blew me a kiss. “And that moment will be the happiest moment, aside from my babies being born.”

  Taking a cloth from my pocket, I wiped my eyes. “It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, as long as you get back up. And I hope you are as lucky as I am to have someone to catch that fall.”

  Everyone clapped as I ended my speech by walking out into the crowd and kissed Murphy hard. Leaning back, she giggled against my lips. I got down on one knee and presented an opened black box. “Murphy Lee Tanner, will you marry me?” I asked for the thousandth and last time.

  As she held her hand out, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Yes. I’ll marry you. In thirty days.” Everyone laughed and clapped for us.

  Sliding the diamond ring on her finger, I rose up and kissed her again.

  “That was the longest damn proposal in history,” she joked.

  I hugged her again and whispered in her ear, “The only thing I’m addicted to is you.”

  The End

  *If you or someone you know suffers from drug addiction there are various sites on the internet that will guide and help you. Please seek guidance. It could save your life.

  A Note from the Author

  If you enjoyed this book, please share with your friends. And the author loves receiving fan mail via Facebook.

  I want to thank my beta readers, Lindsay, Paula, Andrekia, and Maari. This book would not be what it is without your support and feedback throughout the process.

  And Jen, you were a lifesaver. Thanks so much!

  Author Bio

  Renea Porter is best known for writing realistic stories with realistic characters. Her stories may even cause you to shed a tear or two. She mainly writes New Adult and Contemporary Romances. However, she's not afraid to venture into other genres, like Paranormal Romance.

  She enjoys spending time with her husband of fourteen years, and step son. She calls Pennsylvania home, but loves to travel and try new things. In her free time, you can catch her reading books, watching reality TV, and baking.

  Links to follow & Contact:

  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7072981.Renea_Porter

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorReneaPorter

  Instagram: @renea.porter

  Twitter @Renea_Porter

 

 

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