Someday (Canyon Bay Series Book 1)

by Liz Lovelock

  She gets up from her seat and walks straight to me wrapping her arms around my waist. I catch her and hold her. Right now, in this moment, it’s only us. She’s all that matters.

  “Let’s do something today,” I whisper into her long locks.

  “I can’t; I need to get things finalised. Dad’s not with it, and I don’t know if I have the strength to keep trying with him right now.”

  “Come on. Let me do something special for you, and I’ll talk to your dad.”

  “You’d do that for me?”

  “I’d do anything for you.” As I speak it, I know it rings true. She has taken a hold of my heart and now steers it.

  Standing on her tiptoes, her lips meet mine. We become lost in the sea of each other.

  Reluctantly, I pull away; the loss of her lips pains me. “I organised something for you yesterday.”

  “Me?”

  “Yep, so you get to spend the next three hours worrying about yourself at the day spa, and I’m going to look after your dad.”

  She leaps towards me, grinning. Her arms fly around my neck. “Thank you!” she squeals, “I’m so grateful to you for being here, not only for me, but Dad as well.” She leans up placing a kiss on my lips.

  I send her to the day spa here at the hotel for the next couple of hour. Now my job is to seek out her father. I know the exact place he’ll be.

  When I step into the dimly lit bar, I spot him right away. After I lost my parents, even though I was underage, only a few months off turning eighteen, alcohol became my close friend. Not to the point where it became a problem, but enough to help me deal with the open wound of my pain at the time.

  I weave my way through the tables and sit myself down beside him.

  “What do you want?” he asks, his words beginning to slur. He takes another shot of the bottle that sits before him, then orders another glass for me from the bartender. I shake my head towards the bartender to decline. He’s already beginning to smell like too much alcohol has passed through his system.

  “I’ve just come to talk.” I place an order for a Coke with the bartender.

  Mr Saunders scoffs at me. “Whatever. So, you’re an orphaned child? Hell, I don’t even know what to do anymore. I’m not sure if she’s really my daughter, but I still love her like my own. Do you love Chloe?”

  It’s a sucker punch to my gut. “I’m not an orphan. Sherri is my grandmother, and, yes, I love your daughter, so that’s all that matters to me.”

  He opens his mouth to responds, but stops.

  My hand goes up, stopping him in his tracks. “I understand you’re hurting. Believe me, I know what it’s like to lose someone you love. I lost my mum, dad, and sister on the one day. It’s taken me years to finally accept things how they are.” He remains silent, staring down at his empty glass. “The thing is, whether Chloe is your daughter by blood or not, she thinks of you as her real father. She loves you and cares about you. Don’t ever forget that she is here, right here, right now. Love her, support her, and don’t ever forget she’s your family. She needs you.” I feel nothing more needs to be said.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry about the orphan question. Thanks for putting things in a different perspective for me.” He finally smiles after days of not showing any emotion. Hopefully things might be different from here on out.

  “Hey, that’s what I’m here for. Not just a pretty face.”

  “You’re a good man, Seth. Thanks, and I’m sorry about your family.”

  I shrug. “It’s okay. I’m happy now.” I am.

  “Well, I guess I better stop downing these shots and start helping Chloe.”

  “Chloe will be happy.” Taking the final gulp of my drink, I stand. “Let’s go and get started.”

  “Where is Chloe?” He glances around.

  “I sent her to have a spa.”

  “You’re good for her, and apparently for me as well. Thanks.” He stands and we go out and begin finalising things.

  A few days later, we stand on the lookout at Thomas Point, the cool salty breeze swirling around us. It’s been a week since Chloe’s mum passed away. There are heaps of people here, not as many as we expected, but she was a very loved woman. It’s wonderful to see how many people made the trip this far north. She made an impact on so many lives. Chloe has been sharing lots of stories with me about her mum. Some bring her to tears, and some are tears of laughter. We feel her here. My family is here, as well, watching over us.

  Today is the perfect day to give Chloe’s mum something beautiful. Chloe and her dad will take turns releasing her ashes into the wind at the same spot my family’s were. I know my mum, dad and especially Olive, are waiting right here to welcome her with open arms.

  Chloe releases my hand and steps forward, closer to the edge. Releasing the cap off the urn, she stops and ponders for a moment before she shakes some ashes into the strong breeze. They swirl around momentarily before taking off into the open sky. Handing the urn to her dad, he follows suit.

  After replacing the cap, he walks back towards Chloe, wiping a lone tear away. She opens her arms for him. Placing the urn on the ground at their feet, he quickly wraps her in his embrace. They share a moment of sadness. Tears fall, including my own.

  “I love you, honey,” he says.

  “I love you too, Dad.” They step apart and there are some friends there who open their arms to Chloe’s father. She quickly bypasses them and comes directly to me. I take a step towards her and her fruity scent engulfs me, capturing me. I don’t hold back; I gently press my lips to hers, savouring her taste.

  After a moment of desire, she pulls back, gazing into my eyes, and smiles. “It’s as though Olive put you in my path. I’m so grateful she did. I love you.”

  My chest feels like it might explode with the amount of happiness I feel coursing through me. It’s the first time she’s said it. I knew she had a lot going on and didn’t want to pressure her.

  “I love you too,” I breathe before I take her lips and make them mine once again.

  After the storms we’ve both been through, there’s a rainbow.

  We finally found our someday. A new day. A new beginning. For both of us.

  A week later, I take a day off from the café to give Dad a hand. He quit his job in the city yesterday because he didn’t want to keep driving back. I’m so glad he’s here. Seth has offered him work at the garage; surprisingly enough, Dad took it. He’s taken over my job doing the paperwork. He’s a lot happier.

  Things between us have improved. We had a massive talk the day after Mum’s funeral. He apologised for how he’d acted and said that he should have cared about how I was feeling as well. We cried and shared happy memories of Mum for the rest of the day. It was wonderful to feel love from him again. I don’t know what Seth said to him—I didn’t ask. But I’m grateful for whatever it was.

  “Mildred?” Dad’s unimpressed face tells me he’s not keen on his possible future grandkids having the middle name Mildred. Well, at least not the boys.

  “Yeah, tell me about it.”

  “So, are you sure you want to stay with him?”

  What a silly question. “Umm … yes. It’s only a name, and plus, there won’t be any kids for a long time yet.” At least, I hope there aren’t any kids in the near future.

  “Alright then.” Dad seems unsure. He comes to the table with another box. Today, we’re going through Mum’s stuff. It’s been fun looking through photos of her and Dad when they were younger, about Seth’s and my age.

  I open the box he’s placed on the table. It is full of paperwork. I shuffle through, until I came across an unopened envelope addressed to Mum. It’s from the hospital I stayed at after the motorbike accident.

  “Dad, what’s this?” I ask, waving the envelope at him.

  “I’m not sure. Just open it.” He keeps shuffling things around and throwing things out. I hesitantly tear open the letter. Why would Mum not have opened this? It’s dated a few weeks ago.

&nbs
p; As I open it and begin reading the words, my breath escapes me. Everything around me pauses.

  “Dad, you need to read this.” My eyes don’t leave the letter. Inside, I’m so bloody excited, I want to scream about it from the rooftop, but I want to surprise him.

  He stops what he’s doing and takes the letter. I watch his reaction as he reads the same words I just did.

  “Wha—you really are my daughter!”

  I scream with excitement and leap into my father’s arms. “You are my dad even without this piece of paper. Did you know she had this done?”

  Shaking his head, he answered, “No, she must have organised it with the doctor. I had given my blood the day you had your accident, just in case something happened with you. We do have the same blood type. She must have spoken to the doctor when I wasn’t around. This document says you are my blood and it doesn’t change a thing. I love you, Chloe.”

  I squeeze him tighter. “I love you too, Dad.”

  After I find the letter, I go straight to Seth, who’s at the garage. “Seth!”

  I hear a bang and a curse from Seth. “What?” he snaps, rolling out from the front of the car he’s currently working on.

  “Oh, sorry.”

  He rubs his head. Once his eyes connect with mine. He gets up from the ground. “What’s got you all excited, pretty lady? I’m a little sad; it’s not me that’s put that smile on your face.” He winks, placing his lips to mine briefly.

  The flutters in my tummy go crazy. “I just found a letter amongst Mum’s stuff that tells us that Dad really is my dad. No question about it!”

  His embrace tightens around me. “That’s so good, beautiful.”

  I know I love Dad, no matter what, but to find this letter is the confirmation we needed.

  I think Dad and I needed to know to put our minds at rest. This proves I am his daughter, and I’m so bloody stoked about it.

  That night, we decide to have a get-together at the café for dinner and drinks. We could have gone to Catfish’s, but I’m not in the mood. I just want to be around family.

  “I have a toast to make,” Dad calls out.

  “Come on, old man. You’re holding up the food,” Chance calls out. I hear Janie hit him and tell him to shut it. Dad laughs it off.

  Ava is here as well; she’s made some delicious food for tonight, and, of course, we have Sherri and her amazing desserts. I think I might need to take up running or something to stop myself putting on more weight.

  “Alright, alright. So, here’s to family and new beginnings!”

  “Family and new beginnings!” we all chant.

  Seth turns to me. “And to you, my beautiful lady. I met you screaming at your flat tyre, and since then you’ve done nothing but fill my heart and soul with love. I can’t wait for our future and to see what it holds for us.” He pulls me in ever so slowly. Pure love pulses in my veins.

  “I love you. Thank you for not giving up on me.” I look into those amazing steel blue eyes that captivate me completely.

  “You have no idea how much I love you. You’re my daily drug, I need a dose of every day,” he says.

  With my stomach in a million knots, I kiss him as though my life depends on it.

  He is my life. The air I breathe. He’s my now, not my someday.

  My new beginning.

  Another day of work is finished. I told Seth, Sherri, Janie, Chance, Dad and Ava to meet at the beachfront around the corner from the café and garage. No one should have a long way to get here. The sun has gone done, but there’s a bright full moon lighting up the sky for us.

  Waves crash and the wind blows. There was one story Seth told me about he and his family playing glow-in-the-dark cricket that’s stuck with me, so I went searching for the things I needed. It wasn’t easy because they aren’t as popular as they were back then, but I found a glow-in-the-dark cricket set.

  As I get it sorted, I can hear the laughter of Janie coming down the stairs to the beach. I know Seth will be with her. I stop what I’m doing and look up to see six familiar faces.

  “What the hell? You didn’t,” Seth calls over the waves, then comes running towards me.

  I want him to take his shirt off and do the whole Baywatch run. Now that would be a sight. “I did.”

  He picks me up, spinning me around. Laughter bubbles out of me. Putting me down, he kisses me, hard and passionately. I give it all back in return. My love for him has only increased over the last few months. Yes, we have arguments, but the making up is so much fun.

  “You’re amazing,” he says. I receive another kiss of appreciation, then pulling back he calls, “Come on, all you slow pokes. We have some glow-in-the-dark cricket to play.”

  He continues setting everything up. I spy Sherri making her way down to the beach. I race over to her, greeting her with a hug.

  “This was their favourite game.” Her bright eyes glisten with happiness in the moonlight.

  “I know. He told me.”

  “You’re such a blessing in our lives, dear.”

  “You both are blessings to me. I don’t think I’ve been this relaxed and completely happy, except probably when I was a little girl.” I laugh.

  “Thank you for everything.”

  “You’re very welcome, and thank you for opening your arms to me and welcoming me into your family.”

  “That’s okay. Dear, you better get going or these boys will become angry at you for holding up their game.”

  I shrug. “They can wait. Do you need anything?”

  She holds up a blanket. “Nope, I think I’m set to sit and watch.” She smiles.

  I turn and run back towards the rest of the group. Turning my gaze towards the set up, I see Dad placing the wickets and preparing to be first batter. He’s so happy here.

  Canyon Bay is full of new beginnings. New beginnings are endless opportunities for you to stand out and make yourself shine. I’ve learnt to not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone. Making the decision to pack up and begin somewhere new was the best decision I’ve ever made.

  “Come on, pretty lady! Catch the ball!” Seth calls me out of my thoughts. Of course, I miss the ball and trip over. The beach fills with laughter. It brings music to my ears and puts a song in my heart.

  “Are you okay?” Seth runs over, worry in his tone.

  “I’m completely fine.” I sigh.

  He helps me up, and I dust myself off. “Just want to let you know I love you, pretty lady.”

  “I love you, too.” My smile is as wide as is his. “Now get back out there.”

  With one last passionate kiss, he turns to begin the game. Our lives are now intertwined together as one. I was looking for a someday, but I found my future. Who knew a day from hell would have led me all this way to him?

  I hope you enjoyed the story.

  Click on the links below to add my books to your Goodreads TBR list.

  Lost Series

  The Lost One—Book One

  The Missing One—Book Two

  Unforgiven Series

  Dangerous Love—Book One

  Forbidden Love (Unforgiven Series, #2)

  “Come away with me,” he whispered as he pulled me closer. Those words are as clear in my mind today as they were back then, and a constant reminder of what I let go.

  Summer Jenkins made a choice, but she always wondered if she made the right one. She holds regret in her heart for letting go of the one man who held it. But how could she let her family down and disappoint them? They never approved of her choice.

  When one day she spies those deep brown eyes burning back into hers, will she open her heart again and let their love bloom or will her family forbid it?

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  I’m a wife, mother, reader, blogger, and now an author. I’m always busy doing something as I have so much going on, and my three little ones keep me on my toes regularly.

  I’m from bright and sunny Queensland, Aus
tralia. I have always been a reader. When I was little, I would be up late reading Garfield and Asterix comic books and also Footrot Flats. When I hit high school, they gave us Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden, and from there my love of books continued to grow.

  My debut novel The Lost One (Lost Series #1) just came to me one day, and with the help and pushing of some wonderful friends I decided to sit down and write. Let’s just say that it changed from the original idea I came up with in September, 2013, but I can’t wait to share more stories with you all in the future.

  I keep a notebook and pen beside my bed for when those late-night ideas pop into my head, plus I’m a stationery addict and love pens, notebooks, and, well, anything stationery.

  I’ll say sorry first in case I miss anyone. I’d like to thank my editors Karen Harper from Purple Orchid Editing and Lauren McKellar from McStellar Editing. Without you girls I’d be thoroughly lost, you’ve pushed me with this one. Thanks for all your advice and guidance and for putting up with my timing problems. Thanks Fiona from Fiona Dreaming—Proofreading and Formatting for your wonderful input with proofreading Someday.

  Special thanks to Tami from Integrity Formatting for helping make my work look beautiful.

  To my fantastic team of betas: Tracey, Donna, Amanda, and Rachel, your input is valuable. Thank you for all your feedback, you’re all amazing.

  Thank you to Cassy Roop from Pink Ink Designs for designing the perfect cover. It is everything I wanted it to be. It’s stunning!

  Thank you to Give Me Books for your help with the cover reveal and release. A MASSIVE thank you to all blogs who participated in Someday’s release. And to everyone who shared anything, I truly appreciate it. We authors would be lost without your assistance.

  These next mentions are my other halves of the author world. Without their constant support and pushing, I may have given up a long time ago. They’re my cyber sisters spread far and wide around Australia and America, so thank you to Jemma Brown aka JB Heller, Stephanie Smith, Emma Fitzgerald, Felicia Tatum, and Belle Brooks. These ladies are truly amazing. I’d be lost without our chats.

  To my Luscious Ladies group, I love you, girls. Your support is truly nothing short of amazing. I know I have a safe place in my group with you all. Thank you.