We’re all still laughing and eating when Iris yells, “Look at me!” We all look up just as she snaps a series of pictures.
****
The best one of the group is what now hangs over our fireplace. South Carolina winters aren’t terribly cold, but there are some days where the fireplace is mighty nice. Natalie will be leaving us in the fall for college. She’ll be a legacy, attending Brent’s and my alma mater, BCU. I’m so incredibly proud of her, but scared shitless that my baby will be all the way in Louisiana without me. Mom stayed, so at least she’ll have her granny nearby. They’ll be good for each other. Mom can use the company, while Natalie can use the guidance and wisdom of my mother. And of course there are Iris and Howard, too. Ever since the stork made a surprise visit to their household, they’ve become quite the homebodies. She’s a great mother, and she attributes a lot of it to watching me. I tell her it’s because she got practice being such a great aunt to our kids.
Grace has grown into her looks and lands a great modeling contract. Brent is very protective of her and makes extra sure that every shoot is on the up and up. She’s already saved a large chunk for her education, as was the deal, and the rest she gets to spend pretty much as she likes. She loves rubbing it in Natalie’s face that she has better clothes and a nicer car. I do scold her for teasing her sister, but truth be known, Natalie tormented her enough in her lifetime that a little bit of turnabout is fair play.
My boys. My sweet, rotten, and energetic boys. They have pretty much become a fixture with the football team to the point that they are now crowd favorites. The sold-out stadium buzzes with chants for the “Bucky Boys.” That’s when Brent props one boy on each shoulder and carries them around the field as the boys cheer for the Bucks. They’re growing so quickly though that Brent will soon have to figure out some other way of letting them stay involved in the celebrations. They’re pushing for motorcycles. I’m pushing for their dad to drive them around on a golf cart.
They have befriended the guys on the team, and fetch balls, towels, water, pretty much anything the players need. They each have their own whistles that match Brent’s, and they are quick to blow them when one of the players is slacking. They’ll be great coaches one day.
That leaves my man. My everything. My Brent. We’ve learned to talk to each other and to really communicate rather than assume and talk at each other. We are sure to include special time for ourselves each day, and I now know that I missed Brent more when he was living with us back then than I did when he separated from me. He had checked out, and so had I. We were shells of ourselves, stuck in a rut of complacency and the mundane drudgery of daily life. By taking time apart, we found ourselves and then we reclaimed each other. Never will we allow ourselves to take one another for granted ever again.
We’ve learned that the road to forever can sometimes be broken, but it doesn’t mean it won’t get you where you need to go. You have to work at it. You have to appreciate each other. You need to have faith, hope, trust, and love. If you have that, you have everything, and life will simply take care of itself. All you have to do is enjoy it.
The End.
OTHER TITLES BY L.K OWEN
SUCKER PUNCHED
RESILIENT HEARTS SERIES
BOOK ONE
ETHAN: A RESILIENT HEARTS NOVELLA 1.5
RECLAIMING BEAUTY
RESILIENT HEARTS SERIES
BOOK TWO
OTHER TITLES BY
RHONDA R DENNIS
THE GREEN BAYOU NOVELS SERIES,
SECOND EDITIONS
GOING HOME
AWAKENINGS
DÉJÀ VU
UNFORSEEN
DECEIVED
VENGEANCE
MAGNOLIA BLOSSOMS
YOURS ALWAYS
BROKEN BAYOU
The Broken Road to Forever Page 25