Knitted Hearts: A Small Town Romance (Poplar Falls Book 6)

by Amber Kelly

  I bet he danced a jig in heaven when she came through the gate.

  That thought makes me smile, and then I realize that they left me. Both of them left me. Neither will be there when I have children of my own.

  Foster leans in and tugs me into his side.

  “They left me,” I mutter, and all of a sudden, I can’t breathe.

  “What was that, sweetheart?” Foster asks.

  “I’m an orphan now. They both left me,” I say again. My voice is trembling.

  “No, you’re not,” he says as he tilts his head. “Look behind you, sweetheart. There is a wall of motherly love at your back.”

  I turn to the pew behind ours and see Doreen, Ria, Madeline, Dottie, Beverly, Elaine, and Edith.

  Doreen reaches her hand to my shoulder, and they all join hands.

  “We’ve got you, dear.”

  Then, she looks out the window. “We’ve got her, Kathy. You can rest easy, my sweet friend.”

  Foster

  I’ve kept my promise to Kathy. I haven’t given up, and I’ll never give up.

  The days following her death, I stayed close to Sonia. I held her while she mourned. I stood by her at the funeral and the graveside. Then, I gave her time to process. It wasn’t the time to talk about us. It was a time for her to grieve and heal. Although she’ll never stop feeling this loss, she has to find a way to move on and continue to live. I can’t do that for her. All I can do is be here.

  Wendy has kept her word and not used her pregnancy against me. She’s actually been pleasant and easy going. We’re both looking forward to the birth of our child. It’s a glimmer of light in the darkness that has been hovering over us all.

  I’ve spent a lot of time with Don, helping him sort through Kathy’s things, make donations, and even clear out the shops. Sonia didn’t want to pick over her mother’s belongings, which I could understand.

  Don sends her the things he thinks she should have or save for her children. Jewelry, a few hand-knitted blankets, an antique hope chest.

  Kathy left the stores and apartment to Sonia as well. The properties held clean and clear titles, and she wanted her daughter to have them as an inheritance.

  I’ve given Sonia all the time and space I can until I am done giving it to her.

  Then, I pick her up and take her to the orchard. To our tree. And I tell her that she can push me away all she wants, but I’m not going anywhere.

  “I know you’re scared and you feel like you’ve lost your anchor and you’re adrift, but you’re not. I know exactly where you are, and if you let me, I will always be your anchor,” I tell her.

  She sniffles. “That sounds like something Momma would say.”

  “I might have stolen it from her,” I admit.

  She presses her head to my chest. “I’m sorry I ran. I was just in such a bad headspace. I was going to call you the night I found Momma,” she says.

  “You were?”

  She nods. “I love you, Foster. I love you, and I’ll love anything and anyone that’s a part of you. I’ll be the best damn stepmom, and I’ll be there for your child, just like Don has been there for me,” she says through her tears.

  Then, her eyes widen.

  “I mean, not that you want me to be your child’s stepmother. I can be Dad’s cool-ass girlfriend or something,” she stumbles over her words.

  Instead of correcting her, I kiss her. I kiss her with everything in me.

  When I release her mouth, I look down at her beautiful face.

  “I think you’re going to be the best stepmomma a little girl could ask for,” I tell her.

  She smiles. “It’s a girl?”

  “Yep.”

  “Wow, a baby girl,” she whispers.

  It takes another minute for the rest of what I said to sink in.

  “Wait, you did say stepmomma, right?” she asks.

  “I did,” I clarify.

  “So …”

  I kiss her forehead. “So, when you’re ready, we’ll talk about that more.”

  “Okay.”

  And that is how we become engaged. On the side of the mountain amid the apple trees.

  It is simple. It is perfect, just like her.

  Sonia

  Six Months Later

  “What do you think? Can you see us living here?” Foster asks.

  We’ve been looking at houses since the birth of his daughter, Gracie. We don’t want anything huge, just something with a yard for children to play in and a home with room to grow.

  “It’s perfect.”

  He wraps his arms around me. “I agree. I think we are home, Mrs. Tomlin,” he says as he kisses me on the nose.

  We married in a simple ceremony at Poplar Falls’ town hall on New Year’s Day. It was just us with Truett, Elle, and Bellamy in attendance as our witnesses. Doreen and Ria hosted a small reception for us at Rustic Peak afterward. It was intimate and exactly what I’d wanted. We had both been married before, and with my momma gone, I had no desire to have a big wedding. So, I wore the dress that she had worn the day she married my daddy and her pearl earrings, and I gave myself to the man of both my dreams and her dreams for me.

  The house we are currently touring is a quaint stone cottage. It has three bedrooms, two baths, a wraparound porch, and five acres of land, and it’s half a mile from Walker and Elle’s house, which is perfect because Elle announced to all of us last week that she is expecting their first baby. Her child and Gracie can grow up together, riding bikes, playing in the woods between our homes, and carpooling to school, just like we did when we were kids.

  There is even a guesthouse in the back for Don. I’ve been subtly hinting that he should sell the home he shared with Momma because it is too much for him to keep up himself. He might be my stepdad, but he’s mine forever. Momma loved him, and now that she’s gone, I’m his family. He’ll be my children’s grandfather. He’s already head over heels for Gracie. He calls her his itty bitty ray of sunshine.

  And she is a ray of sunshine for us all. I couldn’t love that baby girl any deeper if she were mine by blood. Wendy allowed Foster and me in the delivery room when she was born, and it was the most surreal moment of our lives. Dallas was right. It doesn’t matter if it’s your first or second or third time watching a new life come into the world; each one is precious. And someday, when we make Gracie a big sister, it will be the same.

  Foster and Wendy agreed to joint custody with Foster being the primary caregiver for their daughter, so she’ll be living with us and spending every other weekend and two weeks every summer with her mother, who moved to Denver after her birth. So far, it’s been an amicable situation, and we will do all in our power to keep it that way for her entire life.

  After holding on to Momma’s shops for a few months, I decided to sell. It made me sad to see her storefronts on Main Street deserted, especially with the influx of visitors Poplar Falls had been experiencing with the opening of the cider mill at Henderson’s Farm and Apple Orchard. Downtown is flourishing.

  Who would have thought when Sophia Lancaster landed in Colorado that she and her crazy friend from New York City were going to come in and turn our sleepy little town on its ear? Life sure is full of surprises.

  Foster and I are using the proceeds from the sale of the shops to purchase the house. It’s just like Momma to still be taking care of me and my future from heaven.

  Brandt’s mother, Elaine, purchased one of the shops for her homemade soap and lotion business, and the other side was sold to a lady who is keeping the name The Cottage Boutique for her specialty clothing store. It warms my heart to still see the sign hanging proudly above the door.

  I kept the apartment because I couldn’t let it all go. I’ll rent it out or let Truett live there, so he’ll stop trying to bring his dates to our house. Maybe I’ll keep it as an office or workspace, so I’ll have an excuse to go there and feel close to my mother.

  I miss her every day, and I always will, but something I know for sure is tha
t family isn’t made up solely of the people you’re related to by blood.

  Like Myer always says, all it takes to be family is love. And I sure do love my extended family of friends.

  There is no place on earth like Poplar Falls, Colorado.

  The End

  We’ve finally come to the end of our time in Poplar Falls. It sure was a spectacular ride.

  This book was written during a time of great heartache for me personally. Covid-19 spread through our family. My husband was very ill for weeks, and my momma lost her fight on May 11, 2021, just two days after Mother’s Day. It was the hardest and darkest day of my life. She was my best friend.

  I wasn’t sure I’d be able to finish this story. The outline had already been done, and I knew what was ahead for Sonia. Ironic, I know. I wasn’t in the headspace to write about these friends who were like family. Like my family. See, so much of me, my mother, my cousins, my friends, and of course, my wise aunts are sprinkled within the pages of these six books. It hurt to think about my mom, who was my biggest fan, not being the first person to read this story or any of the others she was looking forward to, to think that she didn’t get the last HEA. But then I heard her voice telling me that I’d better get back to writing and that she’d be disappointed if I stopped doing something I loved because of her. So, I pulled up my big-girl socks, let the tears flow, and did just that. I hope I did the end of this series justice. I hope Momma and Aunt Doreen are up in heaven, proud of the way I represented them.

  I lost an entire month from being sick and caring for David and saying good-bye to Mom. Getting this book out on schedule was nothing short of a miracle, but it was done with the understanding and extra hard work of my team. I genuinely have the most supportive and badass team in the business standing with me.

  Autumn Gantz, as always, thank you for keeping me on task and helping keep all the balls in the air for me when I just couldn’t.

  Jovana Shirley, you went out of your way, and I am sure you lost sleep to make this work. I am eternally grateful. You are a blessing and a faithful friend, and commas are still the devil.

  Judy Zweifel, I appreciate your eagle eyes so much. You catch all the things and help make me look good.

  Sommer Stein, it will be hard to ever top this series. I can’t wait to see what we do together in the future. Thank you for your creativity.

  Stacey Blake, thank you for making the inside formatting of this series so beautiful.

  Michaela Mangum, all I can say is, wow. You’re an artist.

  And as always, last but not least, a big thank you to my poor, neglected, amazing, and patient husband, David. I love you infinitely. You are my anchor.

  Cross My Heart Duet

  Both of Me

  Both of Us

  Poplar Falls

  Rustic Hearts

  Stone Hearts

  Wicked Hearts

  Fragile Hearts

  Merry Hearts

  Crazy Hearts

  Amber Kelly is a romance author that calls North Carolina home. She has been a avid reader from a young age and you could always find her with her nose in a book completely enthralled in an adventure. With the support of her husband and family, in 2018, she decided to finally give a voice to the stories in her head and her debut novel, Both of Me was born. You can connect with Amber on Facebook at facebook.com/AuthorAmberKelly, on IG @authoramberkelly, on Twitter @AuthorAmberKel1 or via her website www.authoramberkelly.com