The Moments Between
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And I finally released the breath I had been holding for the last three months.
Epilogue
The church bells rang as I lifted my hand to my eyes, shielding them from the bright sunlight. Wisps of hair blew into my face as the fresh spring air swirled around me. Ben stood close to me in his tuxedo. Handsome as he’d ever been.
I couldn’t believe it had been year since I had that awful dream. The memory of it long past.
I stood at the bottom of the church steps in a lavender gown and smiled as the bride and groom appeared.
Jonathan and Sheila came down the steps together, eyes bright with joy, caught up in love and the promise of happily ever after. The crowd showered them with birdseed as they ran to their getaway car. I smiled and waved as they passed by. Jonathan winking in my direction.
They waved out the window with the crowd cheering as the car pulled away, trailing tins cans and streamers.
We watched until they were long out of sight.
Ben turned and kissed me, long and deep, as the crowd began to disperse. Warmth spread all the way through me, down to my toes. He never ceased to have that effect on me.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around. Mandi stood behind me, smiling and holding baby Sarah, now just five months old. A beautiful strawberry-blonde haired girl with brown eyes and yellow flecks. Chubby fingers reaching out to Ben.
A few seconds later, Oliver and Grayson came running up with my mom and dad in tow. A look of exhaustion on my parents’ faces, but their eyes full of happiness.
The leaves rustled in the trees overhead as the wind rushed through them, making Bradford pear blossoms float down all around us.
Ben and I looked at each other with a knowing smile.
I closed my eyes and let the sun warm my face. My heart overflowing with the love for life.
And I was thankful. So very thankful.
Thankful for the good days and thankful for the bad days.
I knew I didn’t always make the right choices, but I always lived from my heart. Each day that the sun rose, I gave my all. Focusing on every moment in the present tense. Not living in the past—or the fear of tomorrow.
I came to realize that my life, even with all of its twists and turns, in the end was truly a gift. And that even the terror of that dream had been a gift to me. It gave me the gift of insight and a chance to learn how to really live life the way it is meant to be lived.
It also helped me to learn and to grow into a better human being. I learned to let go of expectations and to just embrace life, with all of its beauty and imperfections.
None of us on this Earth are promised a tomorrow. All we can do is learn to live and love in the place right where we are at. To appreciate the ones we love while they are here with us. And to live our lives to the fullest that we can.
Because in the end, all we really have in this life to hold onto…are the moments between.
Dear Readers,
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Until next time!
Love,
Natalie Banks xoxo
Other titles by Natalie Banks:
The Water Is Wide
The Canary’s Song
The Dark Room
The Moments Between
That Year by the Lake coming Spring 2020
Connect with Natalie:
www.nataliebanks.net
Instagram: @officialnataliebanks
Facebook: @nataliebanksnovels
nataliebanksnovels@gmail.com
About Natalie Banks
Natalie Banks is an award-winning international author and a previous recipient of The North Carolina Governor’s Writing Award. She weaves characters with relatable humanity and stories that touch the heart and soul. She has quickly become a favorite among readers. When not writing, she spends time on the beach in North Carolina with her husband and children.
For more information or to schedule an interview please contact Natalie at:
nataliebanksnovels@gmail.com