Conflicted (The Existing Series Book 2)
Page 24
Fatherhood.
But that was just a stop along the way to where I would end up.
The one choice that I almost let destroy me, led me to the journey I was meant to experience.
Delaney and the joy she brought into my life.
We’d forged our own path.
Together.
And something magical grew from the pain we both endured.
She helped me through the loss of Mackenzie and helped me try to explain Heaven and angels to a two-year-old.
I stood by her and helped her raise her son, Samuel Trenton Quinn. And together we had a son and daughter of our own, Faith and Julian, who were now ten and twelve.
It’s funny how time flies and in the blink of an eye fifteen years have passed you by.
Today we gathered on the football field to watch my Grace graduate from high school and start her own journey.
Letting her go would be one of the hardest things I’d do, but I had faith in everything I’d instilled in her.
It helped that Liam would be embarking on the journey with her.
Throughout the years, they’d grown closer, just as we all predicted. And the look in his eyes each time I’d catch him watching her told me he wanted more than the friendship they currently shared.
“You ready to watch our babies walk across that stage?” Magdalena asked as she sat down on the blanket I’d laid down on the grass away from the bleachers. Magdalena and Andrew decided that they both loved her grandparents’ farm so much that they fixed up the house and moved there. Fourteen years ago, they moved to Nelson County and hadn’t looked back.
“Not in the slightest,” I honestly replied.
After the accident, I thought Andrew would never let her leave the house again. But slowly she’d recovered from the broken hip and fractured leg. There was no lasting damage from the swelling on her brain, which went down within forty-eight hours. She walked with a slight limp still, however.
“We’ve gotta let them spread their wings and fly sometime,” she said as she pushed me on the shoulder.
“I get that, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it,” I joked, meaning every damn word.
Andrew, Delaney, Faith, and Julian came to sit beside us a few moments later and we all waited for the commencement to begin.
There was no greater joy than hearing my baby’s name called across the loud speaker, “Grace Marie Corbin,” the principal announced.
We all cheered as loud as we could, me whistling toward the end. A few moments later we heard the next name that made us equally proud, “Liam Andrew DeLuca.”
We screamed just as loud as he took his walk across the stage and turned his tassel to the other side of his cap.
It was official. Our babies had graduated high school. We cheered for other kids that were friends of Liam and Grace’s as we waited for the ceremony to end. An hour later all of the kids threw up their hats and cheered for themselves as they said goodbye to one chapter in their lives.
They wouldn’t understand it now, but this chapter would mean more to them than they realized when they looked back on how their lives began.
We all stood and gathered the blankets so we could meet up with them once they left the field.
Finally, they emerged from the gate. Liam had his arm around Grace’s shoulders and if I didn’t know him so well there’d be a problem. They looked like they were having a private moment and didn’t notice how close they were to all of us.
I heard him ask her, “Just give me the summer to prove it to you, Grace. Three months is all I’m asking.”
I had a feeling I knew what that referred to, and I couldn’t be more proud to have that young man as a part of my daughter’s life. Only she stopped and stood there, not replying at all.
She turned to him, a wary expression on her face and looked to the ground. A few seconds later, she peered back up at him, and I felt bad for the kid. I didn’t know which way this would go, but we were all rooting for it to go in Liam’s favor. We had been for years.
“You have the summer, Liam,” she replied. He leaned down and rubbed his nose across hers, brushing it from side to side with the biggest smile on his face. I just hoped my daughter didn’t break his heart once the three months were up. Only time would tell and she’d have to embark on that journey and make those choices for herself.
To the Reader
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Acknowledgments
You would think as time went on these would get easier, however I believe they get harder with each one I write. Conflicted is my fifth completed novel and there’s so much to be thankful for as I sit down to write this part. I’m going to apologize in advance if I forget anyone and know that I’d never purposefully leave anyone out. So I’m going to take a sip of my wine and get to it.
First and foremost, I have to thank my readers. Thank you for loving my stories. Thank you for every message received for Desolate and expressing how the story touched you and the emotions you felt while reading. I love the excitement you had for the release of Weston’s story and the shock you had at the ending of Desolate.
Bloggers, Thank you for every share, tweet, comment for every one of my stories and for your continued support with each new release. Thank you for your continued support and for everything you do for every author within the book community. Without you, my stories wouldn’t have reached the amount of people that they have.
To my best friend, Annelle. Thank you for all of the talks about sex toys and for lifting me up when I needed it the most. Thank you for every laugh, every moment you listened as I struggled, but most of all thank you for being the best friend a girl could ask for. I will cherish each and every word spoken and every glass of wine drank while we plotted and planned.
To my betas Amy, Kelly, and Annelle. Thank you for every kind word of encouragement and for your love and support. Without you, I’d be lost.
To my editor, Silla Webb. Thank you for loving Weston’s story and for every suggestion and for understanding what I meant even if I didn’t.
To my cover designer, Cassy Roop. Thank you for the beautiful picture that expresses the deep, conflicting emotions this story possesses. Your visions are breathtakingly beautiful.
To my readers group, Amanda’s Adventurous Accomplices. Thank you for all of the laughs and for loving my stories. Thank you for all of the shares and support of my work. I love you guys with all of my heart.
Last but certainly not least, to my husband and three children for putting up with the endless hours spent in the writing and editing cave. For the copious amounts of times I talked endlessly about the characters as if they were real people because I was so excited about the upcoming scene. Thank you for pushing me to follow my dreams and for understanding that writing is a part of me. You guys are my world and without you I wouldn’t be complete.
About the Author
A.M. Guilliams is a romantic suspense and women’s fiction author who currently resides in Virginia with her husband, three children, and fur babies. Books, flip flops, coffee, chocolate, The Walking Dead, and Chicago Fire are just a few of her obsessions. Her love of books began with novels by Stephen King, Mary Higgins Clark, and the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe. When she’s not writing, you can find her down by the river with her family, curled up on the couch with a good book, or watching her favorite movies and television shows.
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