Page 63 of Reclaimed Roots

"You knew too, didn't you?"

She nodded, her shoulders sagging. "She told me. She was trying to protect you all. She thought she could fix it."

"Yeah, well, lot of good that did. Now we're in deep shit, and she's run off again."

"She's not running, Jasper. She just needs time to?—"

"To what? Come up with more excuses?" The bitterness in my voice surprised even me. "Face it, Marie. This is what she does. When things get tough, she bails."

She sat up straighter. "That's not fair, and you know it. Natalie's been through a lot."

"And I haven't?" I realized I was shouting and took acalming breath. "Sorry. It's just that I thought we were past all this. That we were finally on the same page."

Marie patted my knee. "Love isn't always easy, dear. Sometimes it takes work."

"How can we work on anything if she never sticks around?"

We lapsed into silence, the ticking of the old grandfather clock in the hallway seeming unnaturally loud.

"Have you tried calling her?" Marie asked.

"Went straight to voicemail."

"Give her some time, Jasper. She'll come around."

But what if she doesn't?

"I should go," I muttered, pushing myself to my feet. "Got work to do."

"Hang on a second. I have something for you."

Marie stood, hurrying out of the room. When she returned a few moments later, she was holding a sealed envelope.

My name was scrawled across the front in Edward's familiar handwriting. I took it and smoothed my thumb over the letters.

"What's this?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"It's a letter Ed left for you. He asked me to give it to you when the time was right."

My chest constricted.Why now? Why didn't he tell me himself?

"Did you read it?"

Marie shook her head. "No, honey. Whatever's in that envelope, that's between you and him."

I broke the seal with fumbling fingers and pulled out a single sheet of paper. Edward's handwriting, once so crisp and precise, wavered across the page:

Dear Jasper,

If you're reading this, my time has come, and I'm gone.

It pains me as I write this to know that I am leaving behind my little girl and the love of my life. But I feel a sense of peace knowing they have you.

You have always been like a son to me.

But that's not why I'm writing. I have something more important to tell you. Something I should have said years ago.

Get her back, Jasper.

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