Page 13 of Saving Stella
A pang of something hit Stella in the chest. What, she wasn’t sure, but from the warmth pooling in her chest, it was definitely a positive response.
But anyway, I’m really glad you reached out.
Me too.
And she truly meant it.
Sorry if it’s a bit late, I should have waited until the morning,
Nah, it’s fine.
But you probably want to get some sleep?
Yeah, I should.
Early day tomorrow, we go back on the road. But text me anytime, okay? I might not be able to reply right away, but I’ll always answer back. Feel free to ask me anything.
She bit her lip.
All right. I will. And you too. Ask me anything, I mean.
Haha.
All right, good night then.
Goodnight, Stella.
She continued staring at the phone until the screen turned dark. Smiling to herself, she thought, that wasn’t so bad. Text messaging with Devon felt oddly comforting, and there was no pressure at all.
Still, so many questions buzzed through her brain.
What about their parents? Were they still alive? Did they want to meet? Did they have a good reason for giving them up?
However, there one question that was deeply ingrained in her mind.
Did she even want to find out the answers?
Chapter 2
For the next three weeks, Stella exchanged text messages with Devon, though they were mostly casual ones. He would tell her about the various cities he was playing, sending her photos on the road of himself and Charley, who apparently accompanied him on his tour. There was nothing in the news about them nor were they photographed together, which likely meant they were keeping their relationship under wraps. Stella was honored that he would reveal something so personal to her without even knowing her that well.
Perhaps that was why she had felt comfortable sharing things with him about her daily life, though mostly it was work-related since she didn’t exactly have a social life. She would tell him stories about her students and her love of teaching, and even her frustrations with her job—mostly the demanding administration and even more demanding parents. They had a laugh at their shared affinity for music, though Stella had been exposed to church songs when she sang in the choir that Momma had led. Her voice wasn’t spectacular, but she quickly picked up music theory and piano, along with violin and the flute. It was watching Momma patiently teach songs to the children’s choir that made her want to pursue education.
Devon
Can I tell you a secret?
Stella sat at her desk at work one afternoon, grading some tests, when she got Devon’s text.
Sure.
One sec …
Stella chewed at her lip, waiting for the next message to pop up. This time, another photo came through, but it was of Charley, fast asleep in bed in the background. In the foreground was a black velvet box where a huge diamond ring nestled inside.
You’re also going to be an aunt, by the way.