Page 62 of A Heart to Find
“I don’t think so. I’m riding with you.”
Before she could protest too much, he climbed aboard the sled, wrapping his arms around her waist—for safety, of course. He closed his eyes as her sugary-sweet scent enveloped him. This would be a challenge. But the best kind of challenge.
Her squeal of delight warmed him as they cascaded down the hill, the fresh air nipping at their cheeks. She gripped the side of the sled tightly, as if she were in imminent danger. He laughed in her ear, and she screeched as they approached the bottom of the hill. He threw a foot over the side of the sled to slow their momentum so they wouldn’t crash into the makeshift wall. He stood and held a hand out to her, feeling like he might burst with joy at the sheer innocence and happiness dancing across her face.
“That was amazing. We have to do it again.”
And they did. Over and over again. And each time, her delight warmed him more and more.
Standing in line at the top of the hill, he soaked in the beauty of the view and how magical it all felt.
He was ready to tell her about his daughter. He wanted to tell her that Hailey loved sledding, too, and that together as a family, they could go on adventures like this and never stop smiling. Together.
“Keira, I?—”
“Oh my goodness,” she whispered, slapping her snowy gloves over her mouth and looking over his shoulder. “Don’t turn fast, but there’s a deer at the edge of the woods over there. Just staring at us.”
Following her advice, he turned slowly, though he preferred to watch the excitement on her glowing face.
“Do you believe in signs, Jared?”
He nodded. “Sometimes.”
“I have to tell you. You know I’ve been hesitant about all of this. But something about today has really shifted my way of thinking. Even though I’m devastated that I lost my grandmother’s necklace?—”
“We’ll find it, I swear.”
She nodded.
“But even so, I feel like maybe my grandmother didn’t want me to give up hope. That maybe she’s kicking it up a notch. Her intervention, I mean. And I think seeing that deer there, so calmly watching us, is meant to reassure me that I’m on the right path even though I never dreamed you’d be on the same path as me.”
“I’m honored your grandmother would lead you to me.” Now would be a good time to mention Elizabeth…
“I want to tell you something, Jared. Something I left out of our earlier talk about my family drama.”
He waited.
She sniffled.
“I was engaged. I won’t go into all the ugly details right now, but I wanted you to know that. We were together for about two years, and I was really close to his little boy. He, uh, had an affair with my sister, which is the big catalyst for my family drama. Don’t get me wrong, my sister and mother and I had our underlying issues, but that’s the whole story. I didn’t want to tell you because… I guess I was ashamed. Embarrassed. And I’m not really ready to talk to you about it more, but it’s been bothering me that I haven’t been fully open and honest with you. I didn’t think I owed it to you when there was no chance that we’d see each other after these two weeks, but now that…”
He tilted her chin to look him in the eyes.
“I understand. Something changed with us. And it’s a good change.”
She nodded, her chin quivering slightly.
“My mother sided with my sister for a number of reasons, but one of the things she said was that I was so strong and self-sufficient, and Kyla needed him more. That they each had kids and could help each other out. Sounds ridiculous that a mother would feel that way or say those things, but that’s the truth of it.”
“Keira, I am so sorry you went through all of that. Though I can’t pretend to be unhappy your engagement didn’t pan out.”
His admission made her burst into frenzied laughter, typical of Keira after an intense emotional moment.
When her laughter subsided and tears streamed down the sides of her face, he wiped the trails away.
“Thing is, I didn’t feel strong and self-sufficient. On the surface, yeah, sure. And I mean, I can obviously make life work for myself and my family. But it hurt a lot that my own mother would side with my sister over something so egregious. I could have forgiven them and overlooked almost anything. But my sister turned into someone I didn’t recognize, and my mother didn’t even try to stand up for me. Not even a little. I don’t know if I’ll ever move past that.”
“Family ghosts can haunt for a long time.” He knew that well. Having been abandoned by his mother at a young age and then having a father who couldn’t seem to see anything good in him had created wounds that continued to fester.
