Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
“Even after everything I did and said?” she asked me.
I nodded. “Even after all of that, he still loves you. He just wants you to get stronger,” I assured her. “And you will. He’s rooting for you from the outside; I promise.”
She leaned her head on my shoulder and silently began to cry. I hugged her, allowing her to let out all the pain she felt. She sniffled. “It doesn’t feel so dark anymore, Meghan. There’s a little bit of light,” she finally spoke up, her voice hoarse.
I smiled at her and brushed some tears off of her cheeks. “Was Axel a huge part of the reason for all of that darkness?” I asked her, understanding how she felt. Julian had been a huge reason for all of mine, but when I found out he never had hated me, that he still loved me, there was suddenly hope.
She nodded. “I thought I lost him. He was my rock for so long. The thought that I fucked it all up was killing me inside.”
“He’s always here for you, Alli. But you have to learn to be your own rock, too. That will take time, but you have to want to stand on your own two feet.” I drew in a deep breath. “Axel has his own family now,” I reminded her. Her bottom lip trembled. “He will always love you, and he’ll always be there for you, Alli, but you’re not his number one priority anymore, and that’s okay,” I soothed. “Because one day, you’re going to meet someone, fall in love, and have your own family, just like your brother.”
She nodded. “I know,” she whispered. “It hurts, but I know that. I’m trying to come to terms with it.”
I smiled at her. “I want to show you something,” I told her as I stood up. She grabbed my hand in hers, holding her notebook and her dog in her other hand. I silently led her down the path to the bench that Dr. Gresham would always find me at. I pointed to my rose bush. It was struggling to bloom again—always a late one—but just as I requested, the center wasn’t digging it up.
They had seen just as I had that it bloomed beautifully once it was ready.
It was just a late bloomer; that was all.
Alli looked confused. “It’s a dying rose bush.”
“No. It’s just a late bloomer,” I corrected. I took a seat on the bench, and she quickly sat next to me. I rubbed my belly, sighing when my back began to ache. I knew it was a sign that probably not too long after I hit thirty-six weeks, Holden would be coming.
“When I was in this center, Dr. Gresham would always find me here. Sometimes I would be drawing the rose bush, other times I would just be staring at it. I watched it slowly grow leaves, grow a rose bud. The center was going to have it dug up, but I begged them not to. So, they kept it on the terms that it had to bloom.”
“Did it?” she asked me.
I nodded. “It bloomed, and it bloomed beautifully,” I told her. “In fact, when it finally grew its roses, it was the most beautiful rose bush out here. It had the most roses—so many you couldn’t see the other side of the bush unless you walked around it.”
“So, it’s kind of like us?” Alli asked, a tiny bit of hope in her voice.
I nodded. “Exactly like us,” I agreed. “You will bloom, Alli. Just give it time. Don’t rush the process.”
She gave me a trembling smile. “There’s hope for me.”
I nodded. “There is hope for everyone—even those of us that are buried in the darkness,” I promised her.
Dr. Gresham came down the path. “I received a call from Julian instructing me to remind you to eat,” he told me. I rolled my eyes as I looked at my watch since I couldn’t have my phone with me while I was in the center. It was barely twelve o’clock.
I grunted as I stood up. “He’s so overbearing sometimes,” I muttered.
Dr. Gresham laughed. “He said if I didn’t let him know you were eating within the next fifteen minutes, he would be coming to drag you home.”
I rolled my eyes and smiled at Alli when she grabbed my hand in hers again. “You sure you want to have to deal with Axel and Julian again?” I teasingly asked her when we began to walk back towards the building so I could go eat lunch.
She giggled. “They can be overbearing,” she agreed.
I heaved a dramatic sigh of relief, making her laugh again. “Finally!” I exclaimed. “Someone that’s on my side.”
Dr. Gresham snorted as he held open the door for us. “Mrs. Evelyn has a couple of cookies for you, Meghan., Dr. Gresham told me.