Page 83 of Passing Notes
Sasha wiped away her own tears as she passed me a bigger box. Inside was a tiny potted plant and a watering can. “I couldn’t decide,” she said. “So dad said I could get you both.”
“I love them. All of them, and I love all of you too. These are the best gifts I’ve ever received in my entire life.”
I no longer had any words left in my brain to say, so I held my arms out, wiggling my hands for them to come to me so I could hug them.
“I’m going to be the best stepmother ever,” I finally managed to squeak out as I kissed their cheeks one by one. “I swear it.”
“We know you will, Miss Clara. You’re already the best neighbor we’ve ever had,” Ethan said.
“Just Clara, now. Please,” I murmured. Would they call me something stepmother-y in the future? I couldn’t wait to find out.
“You’re always so nice to us, Clara,” Sasha added. “And you’re fun to talk to, and you’re also my best plant friend. We can garden together all the time now!”
“And you’re funny too, and you always have Dr Pepper.” Ethan tried to one-up her, and it was adorable.
“But most of all, you love our dad a lot,” Sasha finished. “That’s the best part.”
“I do. I so do, ” I sobbed as I squeezed them close. “I love him more than the whole world and I’m going to love you both that much too, I promise.”
Nick pulled all of us into his arms, laughing when we tipped over and fell against him.
“How are we ever going to top this morning?” I mumbled into his chest.
“Wait and see, baby,” he told me. “It’ll only get better from here.”
CHAPTER 26
CLARA
One day I’m going to marry you in the middle of one of these lavender fields, Clara Jean Hill. - Nick
“You made the right choice,” Momma whispered to me as she fluffed up my veil in the back. “And I’m honored to be here with all of you right now.”
My sisters and I, along with Sasha and Molly, were crammed in my old bedroom at the farm. They were helping me get ready.
Leo was in the kitchen putting the final touches on the food before he’d head down to the wedding site. He and my mother had been bonding and cooking all day. I’d seen the cake; it was adorable, with two tiny houses side by side on top.
It was my wedding day. Nick and I were getting hitched in the exact spot we’d discussed: the one where we’d had our first time.
My dress was a simple silk sheath, strapless and cut on the bias. It was knee-length and trimmed in beaded lace. I was wearing my favorite pale pink cowgirl boots—not only would regular heels sink into the ground outside, but these boots were lucky. I wore them when I had my first time with Nick. No one knew the significance of the location and these boots except for the two of us.
I guess I have one secret left after all, I laughed to myself.
My eyes drifted around the room that was almost the same as it had been when I’d left it, like a little time capsule from my past: same twin bed, covered in that old purple quilt Momma had made so long ago; same wooden bureau with the mirror on the back and old books and baubles littering the surface.
I traced a finger down the glass and smiled at what I saw shining back inside its dusty wooden frame. For the first time, I didn’t feel the same when I looked in the mirror. I was no longer that lost little girl who’d left this place so many years ago. I’d found myself, and more importantly, I liked what I had discovered.
“I love you, Momma,” I said to her reflection at my side.
“I love you too, sugar.” She pulled me into a sideways hug and smiled at me in the mirror before saying to the room, “None of you go givin’ her a hard time now. I’m going to go check on everything and make sure Leo stops fussin’ over that gorgeous cake and doesn’t miss the ceremony.”
“We won’t,” Gracie told her. “We think it’s the best choice too. It’s sweet.”
“I think it’s brilliant,” Sasha announced with a giggle. She was my maid of honor and would be walking with me down the aisle.
Ethan was the best man and he’d be waiting with Nick at the end.
It was like the four of us were creating our own little family today.