“Those beautiful words we said to one another are hidden in the secret heart of heaven. One day, like the rain, they will pour our love story all over the world.”
—Rumi
It’s been a year since my mother passed away and six months since we moved back home. Life is slowly getting back to normal. Eddie is enrolled in the same school as the rest of his cousins and is even learning the language. I work part time now, three days a week to attend board meetings for both my grandfather and my mother’s businesses. The rest of my days are spent doing what I have always loved to do. I’m almost done with my first manuscript and am getting ready to submit it to my critique partner. She knows I’m doing it more for therapeutic reasons, and it’s helped a lot to get everything written out on paper.
Alex is in full swing with his father’s business and still making sure that his travels don’t take him away from his family for very long. I think about my mom every single day. Even if she was never really a permanent fixture in my life, her persona influenced who I became and what I wanted out of life. Somehow those moments, despite being brief episodes, left a mark enough to inspire me to change the course of my family’s history. I truly believe that it takes a concerted effort to thwart some tendencies to make the same mistakes your parents made, and I was just lucky to find someone like Alex to inspire me to make the right decisions. Evie and Alicia were not as fortunate, but they too, are embarking on new beginnings. Sometimes, people take for granted the closeness that they share when life is good and there’s no need for friendship or support. The four of us sisters share a love because of what we went through during our childhood. Another reason to be grateful for my mother.
I’ve run into Jesse at public events a few times since our meeting at his office a year ago. He’s kept his promise — no matter where we are or how far we are from each other, his eyes search for mine and he holds the stare just like he’s sending me a message. This time, it’s different though. After a few seconds of that, his face breaks out in a warm and genuine smile. And I hold his gaze and smile back. We both get it now. It’s not so much an acknowledgment of love but a kindred knowing that we once shared a beautiful past together. He’s engaged to be married and he’s going to love her more than he’s ever loved anyone before. Life isn’t perfect. You take things one day at a time.
Today, I’m celebrating what it means to be in love. And yet once in a while, when I think of thunderstorms and barns and empty baseball fields, I’m not afraid to admit that my heart will always remember. Whether it was the right way or the wrong way, I’ve been loved more in my life than most people can ever dream to be.
My heart is bursting with love for Alex. I’ve built a friendship with the man who loved me from the day he met me. With full-blown careers under our belt and raising our child, we come together at the end of the day and laugh about it all. This is love. This is what I’ve been looking for. I’d like to think that a love that develops and grows is the love that lasts a lifetime. I am sure of it. I’m living it. I now have the kind of love that manifests itself in the quietest of moments. There’s no intensity, I’m not swept off my feet. But in the still of the night as I watch Alex sleep, I give in to the urge to touch his face. I touch his face and breathe in his scent as if it’s the last thing I ever want to feel on this earth.
It’s a warm night in May and Alex and I are sitting on one of the couches in the patio by our pool. He has just pulled me into his lap and we’re talking about our day. I’m giddy with love for him and I know we’re about to share another special memory together.
“So, what else happened? Did you get some writing done today?” He holds me by my waist as I wrap my arms around his neck. I kiss him.
“I’ve got a surprise for you,” I say, “but you have to promise not to freak out or throw me into the pool.”
I beam at him with tears in my eyes as I pull out a thin white stick I had previously hidden under one of the throw pillows. He blinks once. Twice. Three times and then tears fill his eyes.
“You’re pregnant?” he whispers.
I nod my head.
“But how? We’ve been trying for years after Eddie!” he gasps, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I guess God wanted to wait until we got everything straightened out.”
He slowly pushes me down on the couch and kisses me. “I guess so,” he says as he takes me in his arms and lies next to me.
“I love you, Alex.” I smile as I wrap his arms around me tighter and revel in his embrace.
“I love you, Isabel. Always and forever.”
Hopefully, you are now at this page because you’ve finished reading my book. I want you to know first and foremost, how grateful I am that you have taken the time to listen to my story. THANK YOU to all my readers who have allowed me into their Kindles.
I am indebted to so many people that I want to name them all despite the risk that you will know who I am by the time this is all said and done. I walked into the Palmer House Hilton in September of 2012 as an avid reader in love with Indie Books. The people I met there have inspired me and coached me, but most of all, they have accepted me in their lives as their friend. No matter what happens, future books or no future books, I hope you are all here to stay.
To my Critique Partner, Rebecca Espinoza. You saw it first and still you stuck with me. It starts and ends with you. Thank you for being my friend.
To Tosha Khoury, my book cover artist, therapist and friend. You poured your heart into making the cover of this book and the outcome of our project has bonded me to you forever. To Lori Sabin, beautiful person, editor and friend. You know I don’t trust my heart to just anyone. Thank you for looking for a parking spot. To Tarryn Fisher, my inspiration, my friend, my confidence coach. Three words to describe what the three of you have done: You saved me.
Lindsay Sparkes and Janna Mashburn. You have been with me every step of the way. Thank you for being real in every sense of the word. There is no way I could have survived this without you. The posts, the website, the teasers, the trailer. All the time and effort you have given me straight from your hearts. I am forever grateful. I love you.
To my A Team Beta Readers – Erin Dauer Roth, Melissa Brown, Lindsay Sparkes, Janna Mashburn, Natasha Tomic, Lisa Rutledge, Angela Cook McLaurin, Calia Read, Tosha Khoury and Luisa Hansen. Look at this list! How lucky can I be? Thank you for the time and effort and endless support you have given me throughout this journey. Each one of you brought something so special, I just want to mention it here. Erin, your humor and attention to detail, Melissa, your constant encouragement and your friendship, Lindsay, your insight and genuine concern for me, Janna, your spunk and loyalty, Natasha, your kind words and ardent advice – I will never forget the emotion in your voice as we discussed this book, Lisa, you trusted your heart to me, Angela, you stopped at nothing to try to get me to a 5, Calia, my twisted, smexy scene advisor, the prologue is for you, Toshy, no words, just hugs and kisses … and Luisa, late breaking reader and new friend. My heart belongs to all of you.
Brandee Engle Veltri – I don’t know how you pulled it off but you managed to get the best blogs on this tour! I owe you so much for your time and effort, and I hope I am able to repay you someday. Thank you for everything. I feel so privileged to have worked with you and consider you my friend.
Trisha Rai and Kristie Wittenberg, the FIRST two bloggers who reached out to me when I only had 100 likes on Facebook. THANK YOU for giving me a chance.
To my friends at the Indie Bookshelf, Melissa, Stephenie & Leslie, your support and friendship mean so much to me.
For my Street Team – Happy, Tressa, Jaime, Liz, Jennifer, Cris, Fred, Stephenie, Beth E., Beth R., Courtney, Trisha - I am so thankful to all of you.
For authors and friends who have given me advice along the way - Kerri Williams, Michelle Mankin, Crystal Serowka, Jenn Sterling, Willow Aster, Andrea Randall - the list goes on and on - I couldn’t have done this without you.
To all the Bl
ogs on this tour, for your kindness and support, THANK YOU.
Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews, Kaidans Seduction, Tamara's One Stop Indie Shop, The Book Avenue, Novel Seduction, Book Addicts Not so Anonymous, Always a Book Lover, Three Chicks and Their Books, Bookworm Brandee, Storey Book Reviews, Angie's Dreamy Reads, Madison Says, Devoured Words, Beauty Brains and Books, The Indie Bookshelf, The Boyfriend Bookmark, Book Crush, Natasha is a Book Junkie, Crystal's Many Reviews, Group Therapy Book Club Blog & Review, Book Bitches Blog, Into the Night Reviews, Book Geeks Unite, Bridger Bitches Book Blog, Love Between the Sheets, Flirty and Dirty. Books Unhinged, Me, Myself & Books Blog, Sandwich Making Book Bitches, Little Library Muse, A Love Affair With Books, Christina's Book Reviews, Candy Coated Book Blog, My Secret Romance Book Reviews, The Rock Stars of Romance, Brianna Lee Book Reviews, Nose Stuck in a Book, Smut Book Club, Whirlwindbooks, and many others who didn’t make this publication.
Thank you, Angela McLaurin from Fictional Formats – you don’t know how invaluable it is to have a friend you trust package your heart for the world to see.
To my sisters, Gerri, Tessa and Sandra. You are my real-life heroes and I am so proud of you. To my three work friends who knew my secret, helped pick up my slack at the office and nudged me along as I walked around the halls in a zombie-like state: Jennifer, Ellen and Debbie.
And most of all, to my husband, Bill, and our three children, Raymond, Aurora and Eduard. I thank God every single day of my life for you.
Connect with Christine Brae:
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Brae/251960864949578?fref=ts
The Light in the Wound Page 27