Page 81 of Meet Me on Blueberry Hill

“I didn’t think it would be either, but God is good. Always. I’ve come to see Asher as a remarkable young man. Caring and generous with his time. He’s being chased by his own demons and doesn’t need anyone else adding to that race. Forgive him, Sadie. For your sake and for his. Forgiveness doesn’t happen overnight. It can be a process, but once you start, then the healing can begin.”

Sadie nodded as she digested her grandma’s wise words. “His betrayal hurt, especially after what Garrett had done.”

“I know, love. I’m sorry for the pain you’re feeling. Just know, God will never betray you. Or humiliate you. His love will sustain you and give you the strength to move forward. You can always go to Him for wisdom and guidance. He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“Thanks, Gran.” Sadie stood and leaned over her, wrapping her arms around Gran’s small frame. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, and that’s why I want to see you face your fears so you can have the life that God longs for you to have. Did you ever read that letter that Asher dropped off the other day?”

Remembering the envelope she shoved into the nightstand, she shook her head. “I’ll do that now.”

In her room, Sadie opened the drawer slowly and stared at the envelope with her name written in Asher’s handwriting. She removed it and slid her finger under the flap. She pulled out the papers, unfolded them, and started reading.

Sadie,

There aren’t enough words to express how sorry I am. You don’t have to believe me, but I didn’t set out to deceive you. The more I got to know you, the harder it was to tell you the truth because I knew how you felt about Eli Nobleand Phoenix. I tried showing I wasn’t that guy anymore. But it wasn’t enough. I get that. I hope you can forgive me someday. I found this poem in my cousin’s guitar case. After reading it, I realized it belonged to you. Not sure how it ended up there, but I thought you’d like to have it back.

All the best,

Asher

She slid his letter aside and found a worn piece of paper with very familiar words.

Her eyes scanned the words she’d penned so long ago as a memory of Lauren surfaced. Her sister had come into her room as she was writing and jumped on her bed. She’d snatched the paper out of her hands and danced around as she put Sadie’s rough words to music.

Sadie had forgotten about them, but Lauren must’ve kept the paper with the lyrics. But why?

How did they end up in Asher’s cousin’s guitar case? Had her sister hoped to get Phoenix to sing one ofhersongs? Is that why Lauren was on that bus in the first place?

A chill snaked through Sadie.

If she continued to blame Asher, then she’d have to blame herself too. But it was no more his fault than it was hers. A tragic accident, like Gran had said.

The irony sent a sharp pang through her chest.

Burying her face in her hands, she drew in a lungful of air and released it along with a prayer. “Help me, Lord. I don’t even know where to begin.”

As she sat in the quiet of her room, a peace she hadn’t felt in quite a while wrapped around her.

Gran’s words tiptoed through her thoughts, poking at the questions that lingered. As Sadie untangled her knotted emotions, she realized she had two options. She could make a choice to forgive Asher and Dani and choose love and friendship, or continue to allow those seeds of bitterness to take root, destroying what could be.

Each choice came with a cost, and she had to decide which one she wanted to pay.

She picked up the papers again and reread Asher’s words. Then she reached for the poem written during a time when her worries seemed frivolous compared to the burdens she carried today.

She opened the nightstand again, removed the journal Asher had given her, and turned to the page where she’d started writing.

Slowly, letters came together in her head and formed words. Those words stood together and completed some of the lines she’d been missing from the lyrics she’d started a few days ago.

She grabbed a pen and wrote, allowing the words from her heart to flow through her fingers and make their way onto the page.

With her pulse racing and fresh tears blurring the words on the page, she realized she’d written a song for Asher.

And he had to be the one to sing it.

Now it was time to face the music and make a choice…for both of their futures.

Asher had no place to go but no desire to stay where he was.

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