Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Dimitri: I can’t tell you. You just have to know.
I make a face.
Me: How am I supposed to know if you’re the first person to make me feel this way?
Dimitri: Janie, you know.
“Austen,” Elli says, pulling my attention from my phone.
I clear my throat. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You ready, love? We’re waiting for you.”
I flush all the colors. “I’m so sorry. I thought I had a second. I had to take care of something.”
I tuck my phone into my bag and grab my things to head out of my office toward her. She wraps an arm around me. “You’re fine. Shea will text me all the time and distract me. Bless him, he’s bored with no hockey to coach.”
I grin. “Shea is your husband?”
Her eyes shine and sparkle at the sound of his name. “Oh yes, my life.”
My lips curve at that sentiment. “I love that. My life. How sweet.”
“Thank you. He is a good man, a loving man, drives me absolutely wild, but has stood beside me through the good, the bad, the ugly, and the great.”
“I think I saw the video on YouTube when you sang for him,” I say. And her face, God, it’s breathtaking.
“One of the best moments of my life, but that’s the thing about finding your person. You experience moments, good and bad, over and over again, and each one leaves a mark on your heart.” She squeezes my shoulder. “I have had the blessing of seeing four out of my five children find their people. Shelli found Aiden, the boy she loved since she was little. Then Boon, he loves my Posey like she invented hockey, I swear. And he just worships her. He’s my favorite, for sure,” she gushes, and I love how she is holding me. Like I’m part of the family. “Then there is Angie—or Angela, sorry. I met that girl when she was maybe five years old, and I knew she was going to do big things. I didn’t realize at the time that big thing was thoroughly loving my son with all of herself, and Lord, does Owen love her. He reminds me so much of Shea, just so protective and loving.”
My grin widens. “I haven’t gotten to meet him yet. Of course, I’ve been meeting with Angela weekly.”
“Oh, just wait. He is a walking hot mess of craziness. But gosh, seeing them together is explosive,” she says, almost like a promise. “Even if this wedding is costing us more than I care to admit to Shea.” I laugh at that since I’ve heard her complain. “Then there is my Evan. He’s my favorite of all my kids,” she whispers, and I laugh.
“Really?”
“I tell them all that, but Evan, he’s my sweet one, my one who wears his heart on his sleeve. I never thought I would approve of a girl for him. I know his struggles, I’ve held him through them, and I didn’t think someone was out there who could love him the way he needs, the way I do, but Callie… How can I describe her?” She thinks for a second, and I notice we’ve stopped short of the meeting room. I can hear all the coaches and Shelli, even Peepaw, but Elli doesn’t seem to care. “Callie is a walking angel,” she says. “She is a very talented gymnast, but her heart is something I feel God truly designed with Evan in mind. Oh, she loves my boy and loves him hard. I adore her. I love her very much.”
I’m breathless at her words, even a bit teary-eyed. “That’s beautiful, Elli.”
She sighs. “All a mom wants is for her babies to be loved and cared for. I know my kids and their partners have issues like any couples would, but at the end of the day, I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to fear they won’t be taken care of or loved.” Her words hit me like a ton of pucks. That’s how I feel with Dimitri. I feel safe, cared for. Still breathless, I hold her gaze. “But then I think that God gave me all these amazing people for my first four because he knew Quinn was going to put me in an early grave.”
“Oh no.”
“Yes,” she says with a laugh. “I already told him he’s not allowed near the stage at Owen’s wedding, and since Emery isn’t coming to that wedding, we should be good. But that’s the thing about being in love. One minute, you’re a smart, capable person, and then the next, you’re crazy with this overwhelming feeling of need for someone. Then you’re doing everything you can to be with that person, even if they’re pushing you away. Screaming in your face to leave them alone. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love Emery. I have loved that baby since she was born, and I know she has feelings for my son. But not everyone is ready to be in love.”