by Lara Norman
“You were there first?”
Nodding, Chloe said, “I knew Uncle John had called Daddy, but he needed time to get there. I couldn't stand the thought of you being alone, so I went in your room and sat by your side.”
Hailey settled against Chloe’s side, tucking her body close. “And then you sang to me?”
“That night, and many nights after. I sang this song because it was familiar to me. I didn’t know much about children before you.”
“When did you love me?”
Shifting Jay a little as he burped, Chloe rocked them and asked, “What do you mean?”
“When did you first know you loved me? I knew I loved you when you came every day and made my daddy happy. You brought him drinks and food, and sometimes you held my hand and let me have pudding.”
“That’s true, I did do that.” Swallowing the lump in her throat, she thought about the best answer. “I loved you when you looked tiny and hurt. I loved you when I sang to you and you flexed your fingers against mine, even though you slept. I loved you when we talked about horsey and TV shows and your favorite color.”
Hailey squeezed Chloe. “Then you loved me for a long, long time.”
“Yes. Sometimes it feels like you have always been my daughter.”
“I love you, Mommy.”
“I love you too, bug.”
As she rocked, she felt Hailey’s weight grow heavier against her. After a bit, Devon came into the room.
“I wondered what was going on,” he whispered.
“Just rocking my babies,” Chloe responded with a smile.
As Devon took a sleeping Jay from Chloe’s arms and she stood with Hailey in her arms, the wind picked up outside, whispering its approval for the loving family they’d created.
The End
Thank you so much for reading Devon and Chloe's story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
If you have a moment, please review Shattered Heart on Amazon, Goodreads, or Bookbub. Help other readers by telling them why you enjoyed this book. Thank you, and I hope we meet again between the pages of another book.
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Also By Lara Norman:
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About the Author
Lara used to scribble her fictional characters down on legal pads in high school, and then not show them to anyone. In recent years, she started posting her work in public forums for feedback, which gave her the courage to publish professionally.
She needs copious amounts of coffee and chocolate to survive. She enjoys eavesdropping on the character conversations in her head, which she has been assured doesn’t make her crazy. She always gets the best ideas while in the shower, driving, or about to fall asleep.
Though she’s a Florida girl at heart, Lara currently resides in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband of twenty years and their three children, where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age fifteen.
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