When September Ends
by ANDREA SMITH
My name is Jesse Ryan. I'm thirty, single, but not officially divorced...long story...up until the summer of 2010, I was doing just fine raising my only child, Scout. I'm a construction worker--yeah, hard hat, tool belt slung low on my hips--the real deal. But that summer, I was working some out-of-state projects and I needed some help with Scout. That's when my 17 year-old stepdaughter came to Fort Smith to help out. I hadn't seen the kid since her mother had taken off on all of us four years prior.
September turned out to be a very resourceful young woman, effectively ambushing my first budding romance since her mother had left us. But she didn't stop there. Shortly after her 18th birthday--and after Scout asked me if September could stay on with us, I found myself inexplicably drawn to her. Yeah, I get that there's a twelve year age difference, but despite my better judgement and solid resolve, the heart wants what the heart wants.
Our relationship was discreet--not what you think by any means. I prepared to start my own business; September was preparing to start her freshman year of college when we got the news...the news that would jar us back into the start reality, and change our lives.
Libby... September and Scout's mama...my estranged wife that we'd heard nothing from for more than five years suddenly surfaces. She'd been injured and now suffers from total amnesia.
Now decisions need to be made, but how can I make a decision that will be in everyone's best interest?
September turned out to be a very resourceful young woman, effectively ambushing my first budding romance since her mother had left us. But she didn't stop there. Shortly after her 18th birthday--and after Scout asked me if September could stay on with us, I found myself inexplicably drawn to her. Yeah, I get that there's a twelve year age difference, but despite my better judgement and solid resolve, the heart wants what the heart wants.
Our relationship was discreet--not what you think by any means. I prepared to start my own business; September was preparing to start her freshman year of college when we got the news...the news that would jar us back into the start reality, and change our lives.
Libby... September and Scout's mama...my estranged wife that we'd heard nothing from for more than five years suddenly surfaces. She'd been injured and now suffers from total amnesia.
Now decisions need to be made, but how can I make a decision that will be in everyone's best interest?