“The last time I spoke to him we got into a fight. He wanted me to leave Micah and I fought him tooth and nail and told him it was my life.” The tears started to flow once more. “He told me that I was going to have to live with the consequences and I left. Gabe, I was so cruel to him.”
“I know about the fight, but you know what? He still loved you. He missed you and we both know he had forgiven you. You are his little girl and he spoiled you rotten. You meant the world to him and despite that fight he knew you loved him.”
Though Gabriel tried to comfort me, I still felt terrible. I felt I had let my father down. I allowed myself to believe the lies Micah told me. I believed everything and it was my weak mind which allowed me to miss out on saying goodbye.
I sobbed uncontrollably and my brother embraced me. He had been an amazing brother growing up and now he was here protecting and comforting me again.
I finally got to say goodbye to my father, hoping that the healing would begin.
* * *
Chapter 8
It was three in the morning and my mother and I were wrapping presents in the living room. The tree was decorated beautifully. Even the kids had chipped in and done a marvelous job. Josie had helped Emma make their own decorations and I saw them hanging from the tree.
“So are you and Daniel an item?”
“We really like each other but will be taking everything slow,” I told her. “Mom, he gives me butterflies,” I giggled.
“I’ve never seen you this happy before. Your eyes light up every time you see him.”
Mom was right. Something was happening to me and I was slowly forgetting my past. I knew it was too soon to be in love but I felt like my heart was slowly filling up again. It was only a few days but it felt like we had months of courtship because he never left my side.
“Remember how you acted when you got your first coloring set? You were four and you would color on everything but the paper. You were quite the artist though.” She was wrapping a coloring set similar to the one she gave me when I was a child.
We both laughed at the memory though mine was a little vague. We finished wrapping the presents when Hilary walked in and smiled at us. “Good morning,” she said and then stopped abruptly. The look on her face told us that something was wrong and as she looked at the floor we saw that her water had broken.
“Go get Gabe,” Hilary said. “I need him.”
I ran down the hall just in time to see my half-asleep brother staggering towards me, “Hilary’s water broke!”
Mom had turned on the news channel to get an update on the weather. Our road was buried in two to three feet of snow. “There is no way we can get to the main road,” my mother said sadly.
By this time Hilary was in pain and groaning loudly. “What are we going to do?” she said in between breaths.
“Go get Victoria.” I paused and looked at my mother quizzically.
“She’s a mid-wife. Go wake her up!”
I quickly forgot my resentment and followed orders. After sprinting down the hall I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I hammered loudly and the door swung open with Victoria standing there; curlers in her hair. “What?” she barked.
“Hilary is in labor and we need your help,” I hissed.
She quickly made her way downstairs and I followed close behind. I saw the pain Hilary was in and remembered how it was for me as well. She was holding on to Gabriel’s hand and each time the pain hit her she squeezed. Daniel and the girls heard the commotion and rushed into the living room.
We were all waiting for Victoria to tell us what to do but she went about her business in silence. Feeling helpless I took Emma from Daniel.
“The military never trained us for this,” Daniel whispered to me as he looked at Hilary. “I am so happy I have a penis.”
We both laughed at his attempted joke. “Merry Christmas” I said to Daniel and my girls. Emma was dressed in her Christmas outfit with a red bow in her light blonde hair. Josie looked up at me, furrowed her brows and asked. “Mommy what’s happening?”
“Hilary is having a baby.”
I knew she didn’t understand, but then she asked. “How did it get in there?”
I had no idea how to answer that but Daniel did. “When a woman eats a watermelon seed it stays in her stomach and grows,” he replied to Josie.
That was the first time Josie didn’t have a comeback. She looked at me blankly and then asked, “Can I go play?”
I nodded, watched as she ran to the games room and then I turned to Daniel with a grin. “She is never going to eat watermelons again.”
“They grow seedless watermelons, don’t worry.”
After three hours the ambulance still hadn’t arrived. Hilary, exhausted and red-faced, was holding her newborn baby boy who was wrapped in warm blankets. Victoria was on the phone with the hospital trying to figure out when the ambulance would arrive. Despite appearing to be a healthy baby, he had to be checked to make sure everything was okay.
“Well, at least he is alright. What are you two going to name him?”
“Jack Sheridan Preston Junior,” Hilary said proudly. “And we will call him J.J. for short.”
She glowed as she looked at her son. Cassandra was in Gabriel’s arms holding her stuffed bear and she kept staring at her new brother. Then we heard the sirens outside, signaling the arrival of the ambulance.
Victoria let the paramedics in. They bundled the baby to keep him warm and placed Hilary on the stretcher. The medics worked quickly and in a few minutes mother, baby and daddy were in the ambulance and on the way to the hospital.
We all breathed a sigh of relief as we reflected on the morning’s events. “This was the most eventful Christmas Eve we’ve ever had,” my mother announced.
“No kidding,” Victoria responded. “This was the first time I’ve ever helped with a home delivery. I am just so happy everything was alright.”
“This is one of those Christmas miracles.”
We all nodded in agreement.
An hour later Gabriel called to let us know that Hilary and J.J. were fine. They were being released and would take a taxi home. The roads were much clearer than they had been in the morning.
Our family traditions were slightly different. Instead of having everything prepared for Christmas Day we prepared it on Christmas Eve. All the presents were opened and in the morning the gifts from Santa were found in the stockings and under the tree. We would also devour the left-over cookies that morning. My mother always made extra because “Santa has a lot of helpers to feed.”
Getting everything done was easy; as most of the people in the house were women. The men would go into the man cave and play pool and drink beer and the children would gather around the television and watch cartoons and the parade.
As we were nearly done getting everything together when Hilary walked through the door with J.J. and Gabe. They all looked so happy.
“Hilary is going to be in bed for a few hours, Doctor’s orders.”
She rolled her eyes; that was one of the reasons why Gabe loved her so much; she was just as stubborn as he was. She took J.J. with her and disappeared in her room. Gabriel went to sit in the living room with the kids.
As I kneaded the dough for the pies, Victoria stood next to me. “I’m sorry for the things I said,” she apologized. “I know I say things that ought not to be said, but I just needed someone to blame. Jack was fifty-five and I know he had so much more to give the world. I know it broke his heart with you not being there. No one blames you honey. You’re here now and that’s all that matters.”
I was shocked. I didn’t know what to say and as I looked at her she smiled lightly. “I will never abandon my family again. I promise.”
Victoria nodded in agreement and the rest of the day went without any issues. It was the way everything was supposed to be; peaceful and perfect. That was why winter was my favorite of all seasons. It was serene and gorgeous; it brought people together in ways
you would never have imagined.
* * *
Chapter 9
I found myself being drawn more and more to Daniel and I was finally starting to relax and know that Micah would not risk coming near me. The divorce had been hard on my girls and I and he knew I didn’t love him anymore, but I was shocked at how quickly I was falling for Daniel. I had always had a huge crush on him but this felt like falling in love.
I would get flustered whenever he was near and it was hard living with him in the guest house. My heart would do summersaults whenever he kissed or touched me.
It was New Year’s Eve, two weeks after Daniel and I reconnected. Most of the guests had gone except for Victoria, her husband and aunt Flo. We were all in the drawing room together and the kids were in the playroom with Gabriel when Daniel took my hand and led me to the guest house where a bottle of champagne and a number of candles awaited. It was only eight o’clock so it was a bit early for celebrating the New Year.
“What’s this?” I asked with a smile.
“A date,” he replied, still holding my hand. “We haven’t had the chance to spend some alone time since that night and I really wanted to take you on a date.”
We sat on the same rug we’d shared before. I could tell that we were both trying to control our urge to be in each other’s arms. He poured us both a glass of bubbly and we rested our backs on the couch as we watched the flames flicker in the fireplace.
“I want us to be together, Sarah,” he started to say, “I know it’s early days yet but I’ve been waiting for you a long time and it’s not like you’re going back to Micah, are you?”
“No, never!” I was adamant about that.
“So can we make this official?”
“What do you mean?” I asked. My heart was beating so loudly that I was sure he could hear it.
He took my glass and placed it on the coffee table along with his. Then he drew closer to me and wrapped his arms around me, “How about a pre-engagement promise?”
“What’s that?”
“We promise to engage by a certain time if the relationship works out.”
I made the promise with a kiss.
The Winter Solstice – 1 Year Later
I looked at myself in the mirror and could not believe it was me. The lace gown that my sister-in-law had made was gorgeous and I was happy but also a little nervous. My blond hair was braided back and a few strands still hung loose. I looked at my reflection and touched my tummy. I was happy, finally. I had the man of my dreams, and I was getting married.
We were getting married in the church where I had my first communion and where I met Daniel for the first time. Both of us were raised Catholic, and though we weren’t exactly “by the book”, it was still important to us to get married there.
Josie was wearing a gorgeous red dress and she had ribbons in her hair. She had grown so much it was heartbreaking, I wished she could stay little forever. Emma was walking now and her hair was thicker and pulled into a ponytail. She and Josie were wearing identical dresses and they looked so gorgeous.
My mother was in tears. “My baby is growing up,” she sobbed. “I am just so happy.”
I was no longer living in the guest house. Daniel and I had built our own family home a quarter of a mile away. My mother and I were closer than ever and my entire family was happier. I was home and I was surrounded by people who I loved dearly. I had no worries in my life and that was the way it was meant to be.
White and red rose petals lined the aisle and candles illuminated the room. The power had gone out earlier, a few things had to go wrong, but I liked the candles more than electrical lighting.
Josie and Emma were sitting in the front row and as I walked down the aisle all I could focus on was Daniel. He looked dashing; his brown hair had grown out and was curly. His brown eyes watched me carefully and I felt it as my heart began to flutter. The boy I had a crush on as a kid was the man I was marrying.
As I sidled up to him, he took my hand in his and it was this moment that marked the beginning of a new chapter in my life.
Bonus Story 1: Jenna and Trey
Chapter 1
Jenna Baxter stepped off the bus and then thanked the driver kindly as he unloaded her battered suitcase from underneath the bus. “Here you go, hon. You be good now,” the kindly driver suggested before climbing back aboard and driving off with a wave.
She waved back and gave the man a small smile of gratitude. After dropping off his passengers in Montrose, Colorado, she’d been the only remaining passenger left on the bus. When the driver had struck up a conversation with her and found out that she was headed to Cathedral Hills, he had offered to take a small detour from his normal route to deliver her to town. Her only other option would have been to walk the twenty miles between the Ridgway bus stop, and Cathedral Hills, and Jenna had jumped at his offer.
Twenty miles on open highway in good weather wouldn’t have phased her much, but twenty miles of mountainous terrain, in late autumn in Colorado - with a storm on the horizon, was another story all together. She’d been planning to spend the night in Ridgway, and then hitchhike the remaining twenty miles the next day. There was enough traffic between Ridgway and the other mountain towns, she figured it would be easy to snag a ride into Cathedral Hills, but if she was going to hitch a ride, she’d much rather do it in the daylight. One could never be too careful these days, and she didn’t relish having her human remains found by hunters a month or two from now!
However, she didn’t have to worry about that. Now, due to the generosity of a complete stranger, she was standing on one of the four street corners in Cathedral Hills, Colorado – population 1200. Well, 1201 with her arrival, but she didn’t expect one more body would make much difference.
Looking across the street at the Diner and wishing she’d taken a bus south instead, the questions and doubts rushed through her mind in a frantic jumble of confusion and self-doubt. What am I doing here? No one cared when I left before. Not a single one of my so-called friends had tried to get in touch with me! Not one! My father sure hadn’t cared that I’d disappeared, nor had he wanted me back!
Jenna straightened her shoulders, hefted her purse up a little higher on her left one, and then took her battered suitcase in her right hand. The scarred leather of the suitcase told of wear and tear, the various stickers telling the story of many trips the case had been on during its lifetime. None of which had included Jenna. She’d purchased the suitcase at a second hand store three days prior, needing something other than a plastic grocery bag in which to carry her meager belongings.
She’d finally graduated from the rehab facility’s program, a program that had been her only saving grace these last six plus years; on and off. Her latest twenty-two month stint was hopefully going to be her last. A new counselor had finally helped her pinpoint several areas of her thinking that had kept her cycling through the destructive patterns that had started her tenuous trips through various rehab facilities, starting only three months after leaving Cathedral Hills. Six years and five month later, she was ready to put the past to rest and find out what the future had in store for her.
She looked across the street, glancing at her watch, which read 7:24 in the morning. She smiled as she realized the diner was probably the only business awake at this hour. Small town living was different from living in the city, a difference that Jenna embraced whole-heartedly. She’d tried fitting in with the crowded city people, and each time she had reverted back to her destructive habits in an attempt to tune out what was happening around her. No more! I’m going to take care of business and then find some small town to settle down in and make a new life for myself.
Stepping off the sidewalk, she headed across the asphalt paved main road, Center Street, towards the place that had once been a major fixture in her life. The Diner held so many memories, but as she’d discovered, memories and reality rarely lined up once a few years had passed. Six years, five months, and three days to be exact! But who�
�s been counting? Shaking her head, she looked up and focused on her destination.
Her most recent counselor, Teresa Martinez, had strongly suggested she return to her roots. After numerous counseling sessions, she had finally helped Jenna pinpoint the exact moment when she’d lost her own identity and allowed the opinion of others to dictate how she handled her life. Just gaining that insight had been so helpful, but then she’d picked up the paper and seen her father’s obituary!
She hadn’t been able to attend the funeral, and only after several more months of meeting with Teresa and purging herself of all of the negative feelings she had towards her father, had she been able to finally gain some peace in her life. Or so she’d thought! Teresa had helped notify the attorney handling her father’s estate and Jenna had been relieved to handle all of the paperwork long distance. Until now!
She’d been receiving messages from the bank in regards to the mortgage on her father’s house, and the final letter had basically demanded she come to Cathedral Hills and take care of things personally or risk defaulting on the loan. A situation that had become more puzzling when she sat down and put pencil to paper in regards to her father’s life insurance and the directions she had given them in regards to the proceeds.
Teresa had suggested she take this opportunity to return to Cathedral Hills and visit her father’s gravesite. He wouldn’t hear her words, but she wouldn’t be saying them for his benefit anyway, so she was still expecting to find closure during this visit. She’d taken Teresa’s advice and her generous offer of a one-way ticket back to the western slope of Colorado. Teresa had taken a new job as the director of a rehab facility back in Missouri, and since she was really the only person Jenna considered a friend, she had no reason to stay in Denver. Besides, she’d had enough of Denver to last her a lifetime! She finally felt strong enough to deal with some of the things she’d allowed to stagnate in regards to her prior life and Cathedral Hills was a large part of that.
A New Start Page 5