Page 68 of Before Forever
Her eyes widened with bewilderment. “You have?”
“Mmm-hmm. I was thinking I’d stick around for a while. And maybe as long as I’m here, you and I could spend more time together?”
She had a quiet excitement building up inside of her, like this was what she wanted, but if she got too worked up over it, it might run off from her like a scared rabbit. So instead, she just wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly.
“Things have been a lot more fun with you around,” she whispered in my ear. “Daddy’s way happier when you visit with him.”
“Hey, what are you two whispering about over there?” Derek asked suspiciously.
Em shot up, swaying innocently as she slipped her hand into mine. “Nothing, Daddy.”
“Nothing at all,” I added in the same tone.
He playfully squinted his eyes at us and returned to his cooking.
“What do you say we go set the table?” I told her.
A while later, we all sat down to eat. Derek had cooked a delicious pot roast with potatoes and carrots. Em told us all about her day at school, and Derek talked about his plans at work now that the renovations on the lake house were complete.
“What will you do for work now?” he asked me as we sat back and let our food digest.
“That’s a great question,” I chuckled nervously. But truthfully, I had a few ideas rolling around in my brain. Nothing concrete. Just hopeful possibilities.
“I was thinking of going to the antique shop and asking if she needed any help around the store. It’s my favorite shop in town,” I explained. “But also I had the thought that this town really could use some better clothing options for younger women. No offense to Daisy, but her clothes aren’t exactly to everyone's taste.”
“Sure they are,” he smirked. “If you’re over the age of fifty and you like cats on your sweaters.”
“Don’t forget the cheesy cowboy hats and boots,” I laughed. “But I do know some buyers in New York. If I selected everything carefully, I just might be able to curate a nice collection of clothes that people around here would want to buy. Oh! And I noticed how there are no art galleries in town. That’s another thing I considered looking into.”
“So, you’ll be opening your own business,” Derek replied.
“Yes. That much I’m certain of.”
“Silver Point is lucky to have you,” he said, tipping his glass to me.
“And so are we,” Em added, sliding out of her chair to run over and hug my arm.
I flashed a look to Derek. I was so full of love for both of them at that moment I felt like I might burst.
Maybe he and I had to take things slow, and there was never any way to know for sure how it would all turn out. But I knew at the very least I could stay a part of Em’s life. Though I had a feeling, we didn’t have to worry about anything. What we found in each other was something special. Sure, we never knew what tomorrow held. But it felt like if we stuck together, we’d always find a way.
After dinner, Derek gave Em a bath, then we both read her a bedtime story and tucked her in. It was turning too cold to enjoy the customary beer on the porch, so we cozied up by the fireplace instead. I loved sitting in his lap in his big old recliner with my head resting on his shoulder.
Hank was snoring in the corner, and Em was sleeping peacefully. For the first time, I didn’t have any plans to wake up to the next day. The lake house was finished, and I could finally just relax. Of course, there were plenty of other things to do and figure out, but I kind of liked the idea of taking a few days off…doing absolutely nothing. Doing just that was a new skill I had acquired, and I was ready to put it to good use.
We watched the flames crackle and talked while our hands and fingers mindlessly interlaced and danced out in front of us. We stayed like that until our eyes grew heavy. I let out a huge yawn, and Derek took it as his cue to carry me to his bed.
“I could get used to you carrying me around like this,” I quipped.
“It’s what we trained for in firefighter school, you know.”
“I like it. Just so long as the fire stays in the fireplace.”
I crawled under the sheets and blankets, and he slid into next to me, pressing his chest to my back and spooning me from behind. My body fit so perfectly into his. With his arms wrapped around me, I felt safer and at peace than I could ever remember feeling before.
I kissed his hand and closed my eyes to drift off to sleep, knowing that tomorrow would be the first day of the rest of my life. As I took stock of what that meant, I had a feeling my mom would have been proud of me. Maybe I didn’t do anything to earn what Silver Point held for me, but then again, I did. I had to have the courage to let go and embrace what life had to offer me. More importantly, I had to have the courage to love and start all over again.
The one thing I didn’t have to do was let Mom go. Not really. Because she was all around that place. Every time the wind blew or the sun shined down on my face, or when life felt so happy and full that my heart swelled with happiness, I knew she was there with me. I may not have made it to Silver Point when she was alive, but I made it just in time and found everything she always hoped I would find there. Love, acceptance, and an easier way of life.