The Heart (38 page)

THE END
...Well almost...

I’ve lived a life that I would be jealous of. If someone would have told the twenty-one-year-old homeless me that I would meet, fall in love, and lose the man of my dreams and eventually reconnect and marry him fifteen years later as a wealthy business owner, have children, and remain happily married to him for over thirty years, I would have laughed in that someone’s face.

That girl so lost in that park years ago, confused and completely alone, caught the eyes of the man who would spark that exact chain of events. A man both so loving and infuriating he could still bring me to my figurative knees. And still, I loved him like that lost girl did so many years ago... fiercely, unconditionally, and forever.

That man was now walking our youngest daughter down the aisle toward a man so similar in character, I wondered if she’d even thought of it.

The strawberry curls I’d dug my hands into endless times were now cropped short and tinted gray with age. His strong build still remained along with the jade green eyes that had captured me heart and soul what seemed like several lifetimes ago.

And by his side, looking more beautiful than anything I’d ever seen, was a woman in love. A woman created from our love. A woman who we’d cherished and raised and could never let go of. Rose, dressed in white satin, my finest and most carefully picked yellow roses in her hands, dark red hair cascading down her shoulders, looked for me and found my eyes. Her smile was breathtaking, and I hoped with all my heart she could see the elation and the pride in my eyes.

My baby.

Her father gripped her tight, his smile just as filled with contentment as he led her to a man he had every confidence would make her happy. I followed them both as my heart overflowed and heard Seth’s proud declaration that we together gave our daughter to Jack.

Jack overflowed as well. The only way to describe him would be beautiful. With my daughter by his side, he was absolutely gorgeous as he beamed at her, his eyes filled with wonder and enchantment.

I stay glued as they took each other’s hands and professed their love and promised to one another with tears in their eyes, their precious son asleep on my shoulder. I looked briefly at Tucker, whose perfect lips were parted, his breath sweet, eyelashes resting on his cheeks. He was a perfect mix of them both, but as he slept in my arms, I saw more of his mother than ever.

And he belonged to her in a way that she never saw coming. That’s the thing with children. Upon their arrival, they surprise you by fully bringing out the amount of love you are truly capable of giving. Rose had barricaded herself in the idea that love only came to you once.

But even I knew different.

And Jack had taught her so, and her son... well, he had made her even more of a believer.

Seth sat next to me, our hands clasped tightly, fingers laced. I could feel the current of pride racing between us. As if we both thought of it at the same time, we faced each other and soaked in one another. I almost gasped as I sat next to the club kid I’d met all those years ago, his smug grin telling me he was so far past his twenty-two years, and that I belonged to him. I inhaled as I saw the reflection of the dark headed hell raiser I’d once been. For one brief moment, we were back there. We were those kids who had fallen head first in love with so much life to live. Tears surfaced in our eyes as he gripped my hand tighter and I nodded. He was with me, as he’d always been.

No one had a right to be this full, this happy. I could not have dreamed it better.

“By the power invested in me by the state of Louisiana, I now pronounce you man and wife,” Jack’s Uncle Spencer announced with unshed tears in his own eyes.

“Yay,” Grant shouted as he clapped his hands and jumped up and down. The wedding guests laughed in unison as Rose leaned down and whispered, “I love you, baby blue.” Grant smiled at her briefly before he ripped his sisters flower basket away and ran down the aisle, tossing them in huge clumps all over the floor. The laughter grew as Rose and Jack looked on, and Dallas quickly gathered a crying Annabelle.

And it was still perfect.

Jack took Rose’s hand and she beamed up at him with the glow of a bride. He stepped forward and enveloped his sleeping son from my arms and gave me a wink as they passed.

I know you’ve got them, Jack.

I looked on and soaked in every moment before I tucked it safely away in my memory.

“Thank you,” Seth said at my side.

I turned to see a look I lived for. His eyes so intense, I had to brace myself.

“For?”

“Are you kidding?” He pulled me to him and held me tightly against his chest. “This life, baby. Our life.”

Reveling in the moment, I broke in his arms the way I always did where Seth was concerned. “All the worthy memories of my life are with you,” I whispered to him as he gripped me tighter.

“Mom, Dad,” our son Paul said as he approached us.

“Walk away, Paul,” I said with love and menace. “Walk away before I beat you like I never did when you were young.”

Paul laughed, as did Seth, as he took immediate leave and left us standing in the park—our park—while the rest of the wedding party and guests scattered to their cars to get to the reception. Seth and I embraced as days of wedding related stress fell away from me.

“How long do we have?” he asked as he looked down at me.

I raised a brow. “Not that kind of time.”

“No, baby,” he said with a sly grin. “I was thinking of a walk.” He held me to his side as he led me to the far side of the park, straight to the place we met over forty-five years ago. Seth stood in front of me, his eyes filled with the same priceless memories as mine.

“What was your favorite part?” I asked in a hushed tone as the sun set beneath the trees.

Seth stood silent for several moments as he looked down at me. For a second, I thought he might not have heard me until he answered.

He cupped my face and leaned in close as his breath hit my lips. “You, you were my favorite part. It was always you and it’s not over yet.”

I smiled as I thought of the years ahead of us. “I know.” He leaned in and placed a soft, slow kiss on my lips. When he pulled away, the awareness was back.

“Can you feel that?” I asked in awe.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? You always seemed so surprised and I’ve been pointing this out for over thirty years.”

“Remember when I told you we got back together for a reason? It was right here when I said it.”

He nodded. “You said maybe we were supposed to be together for them, for Rose and Dallas.” He looked down at me, his eyes wide. “Wow.”

I nodded as the excitement raced through me. “I said maybe I gave birth to a future president or peace leader and you said—”

“Which one?” he added. “I remember that. It’s crystal clear.”

“God, Seth, we sure got our answer.”

“Both,” he mused as he still held my face. “We did that.”

“Yes, we did,” I said, amazed.

I watched Dallas and Dean as they slow danced at the reception, eyes locked and full of love. My oldest daughter had taken a similar road to love as I had. She had also inherited my heart and stubborn will. I was completely enamored as Rose and her new husband danced a few feet away from them, locked in embrace as they whispered to each other.

This night was special and everyone could feel it, but for Seth and me, it was laced by the inner workings of fate and its confirmations. We had stumbled into love, screwed it up, fell back together, and at one time grew apart, and yet we remained.

As champagne glasses were passed out and toasts were made, our secret celebration was further confirmed as our youngest daughter lifted her glass to Seth and me.

“When I was ten years old, I saw my parents kiss,” Rose said wistfully as she stood next to her husband who looked on at her with adoration. “But this kiss wasn’t just any kiss. It was filled with more love than any two people should be able to hold. It inspired me to want the same thing. So, I began to kiss everything,” Rose said with a chuckle and the room laughed. Rose stood silent for a moment and her lips began to tremble as she looked at us. I heard Seth take in an audible breath.

“I can’t tell you how beautiful it was to watch the two of you. I had no choice but to want the same for myself, and thank God I did.” She looked over at Jack, who kissed her temple as she held her glass up higher to us. “You two were my guiding light, my hope, my wish for my own future. You were the foundation of the woman I’ve become and the heart I hold. I owe everything to you.”

Silent tears fell down my cheeks as I felt Seth tremble beside me with just as much emotion.

“I am a romantic and I owe this heart to my inspiration. So please, everyone, raise your glasses to my parents, Laura and Seth. To the romantics.”

Look for Kate’s
FIRST
romantic comedy

Anything but Minor

Coming Summer 2016!

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****

PROLOGUE

I took a seat at the small table next to the window unit. I lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply, letting my eyes drift to the bed. It had been years since I’d felt smoke cloud my lungs and the rush of nicotine. The sheets were still a tangled mess. The room was untouched. I knew today was the day I should clean Room 212 and leave the memory of him behind. Still, there I sat at that small table, staring at the bed, trying to recapture the devastating effect it had on me the day before. I was a glutton for this punishment. I was trying to force myself to come back to my senses quickly. It was the smart thing to do. I hadn’t done one smart thing since he had shown his face. Out of weakness and a reluctance to face the literal bed I had made for myself to lie in, I refused to move from my chair. I heard the window unit come on and tiny goose bumps spread across my skin. The whirring sound of the air flowing into the room took me back to the last time I had heard it. I was lying on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. I felt a rush of tears and let them fall. I was alone after all. No one could see me. No one ever really saw me, until he saw me. I pulled on the last of my cigarette and tapped it out in the ashtray. A wave of nausea took hold and I ran to the bathroom and emptied my stomach.

Gathering all my strength, I walked over to the bed and let myself fall into it. I grabbed the closest pillow and inhaled deeply. It smelled like a mixture of beer, sweat and soap. Indulgence was mine. I was entitled. After the last six months of my life, I was entitled to love him just a few minutes longer, before I resumed my life as it was before he came and ruined it again.

There was no erasing Seth Whitaker. There was no erasing yesterday. And tomorrow, I was sure I would be clinging to this pillow for dear life if I didn’t do something about it now. I picked up the closest thing to me—an ice bucket—and smashed it into the wall, shattering the handle. Nothing. It did nothing for me. I glanced at the stupid fool staring back at me in the mirror. Her green eyes were swollen and glaring at me. Her menacing stare was full of hate. Her jaw was tight and her lips were barely visible due to her pressing them together firmly in a thin line. She was the ugliest woman I had ever seen. But beneath the surface of that pale skin was something far worse…a heart that was still beating for him.