The Memories We Hide

by jodi Gibson

  Laura and Tom waved Rachel off outside the front gate. They planned to catch up that weekend at the park, so Laura could officially meet Mitchell. They would take things slowly, but eventually Rachel wanted Mitchell to learn more about Ryan. About the good person he was. Rachel wanted Laura to be her son’s godparent.

  ‘Guess I’d best be off too,’ Tom said, placing his Akubra back on his head.

  Laura caught his hand in hers, ‘Tom. Wait,’ she said. ‘I know a lot has happened over the past few weeks since I got back.’

  Tom raised his eyebrows. ‘You’re telling me.’ He smiled.

  ‘I meant everything I said.’ Laura looked up at Tom, his dark curls flicking in the slight breeze, his eyes dark in the night. ‘I love you.’

  He reached out to Laura and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his thumb, causing a warmth to flood through her entire body. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘I’m sure.’

  ‘I don’t need your money, Laura. I don’t need help. I just want someone to love me. Like I love them. Like I love you.’

  Laura’s heart felt like it was about grow arms and jump out of her chest and embrace Tom all on its own. The feeling encompassed her whole body. She wanted to dive into his eyes and get lost in them forever. ‘I can’t keep running, Tom. And even if I did, every road leads back here to you. So much in the past has tried to keep us apart, but I won’t let anything come between us again.’

  Laura lifted herself onto her tiptoes and kissed him. A kiss strong and passionate. A kiss of a new love, but a love with a past. A kiss for the future. Tom lifted her up in his arms and pulled away enough so he could speak. ‘I love you, Laura.’

  Epilogue

  Spring 2019

  Laura swung gently on the old wooden swing, sipping on a steaming cup of English Breakfast, her feet dangling below her. In the distance under the canopy of the peppercorn tree, she watched Tom teasing Rosie with treats. Rosie’s tail was wagging way too fast for her to sit in any controlled manner. The late afternoon sun poked its way through the branches, casting shadows on Tom's face. Her Tom. The Tom she had finally let into her heart, which had since been filled with an overwhelming sense of contentment. Things were good.

  The insurance money covered the flood damage, Tom’s genetics contract had come through, and the bank was happy again, and they’d been spending time with Rachel and Mitchell. Mitchell was a ball of energy and loved visiting Tom and Laura on the farm. He’d help Tom with the calves and then they’d all sit around the bonfire, toasting marshmallows. Tom had planned on checking the swimming hole and affixing a new rope to teach Mitchell to swing off it now that he could swim properly.

  Laura had completed her counseling course and set up an office on the main street. Although there were still a lot of plans to finalize, the farm sessions were coming together too. Laura hoped to begin them early the following year. Gemma had already begun working on the farm with Tom and the other farmhands, and her outlook on life had done a complete turnaround. She still had moments where she slipped back toward depression, but Laura had taught her skills on how to deal with those times. Gemma also made a bunch of friends through volunteering with Greening Australia, an environmental organization that focused on restoring natural habitats and environments. She also had her eye on one of Tom’s farmhands, which Laura was constantly jibing her about.

  Laura smiled to herself. She never would have believed this would be her life. But she was home. And the contentment it brought her made her realize how grateful she was to have found it again. Not only was she happy, but she was also making a difference. For her hometown. For Ryan. This was the first time in so long she felt she was where she was meant to be.

  She blew on her tea before taking another sip and exhaling. The breeze rustled the long grass across the paddocks as the Angus lingered peacefully, enjoying the last few rays of sunshine. She took in another deep breath of country air, filled with eucalyptus and wild rosemary. The air was different out here. So familiar, so full of life, peace, and warmth. To Laura, it was as if they were, in that very moment, the only things that mattered. Everything, everyone, she loved was here. She smiled. It had been right here under her nose for so long.

  Thinking back now, she could see her love for Tom had been there all along. She’d just been attracted to the shiny object she thought was out of her reach. For some reason, she had to take the long way around, but it had brought her back home.

  The past year had taught her to trust her instincts and delivered her closer to forgiveness and understanding. She'd learned to open up the box of hidden memories and sit with them. But to also remember the good memories. The bad memories were only meant to color her life experience, not taint it. Her safe place to fall was where she always ended up—with Tom.

  Tom threw his hands in the air in bewilderment as Rosie slobbered all over his face, before running in circles trying to sniff out the treats in the back pocket of his jeans. Even eighteen months later, she was still a puppy at heart and most definitely Tom’s shadow. Laura felt as if her heart was going to explode in her chest, as if the birds and wildlife would begin singing to her like in Snow White. She felt complete. No longer running from someone or to someone. She was just being. And it felt good. She subconsciously rubbed her hand over her belly, ready for the new experiences life was going to bring.

  She finished the last of her tea and put the cup down on the ground beside her. As she looked down, she noticed a single white feather. She smiled, picked it up, and ran it along the side of her cheek. It was so beautifully soft.

  A glimpse of Ryan's dimpled smile flickered through her mind, resulting in a tear pricking at the corner of her eye. He would always be with them, an intrinsic part woven into their past and forever binding them all together. The tear slowly fell down her cheek, but she didn't brush it away. Instead, she let it soak into her skin, absorbing it back into her body. A memory to hold forever.

  If you enjoyed The Memories We Hide, I’d love for you to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are the easiest way to share the love and help an author, so thank you for taking the time.

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jodi Gibson is an author of women’s fiction and writes across two genres – contemporary drama with a hint of romance, and light-hearted rom-coms. She lives on a min-farm in regional Australia with her husband, daughters and menagerie of animals. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her with her nose in a good book, in the kitchen baking up a storm, or travelling the world. She one day hopes to spend her days travelling and writing. She’s half way there.

  The Memories We Hide is Jodi’s debut novel.

  https://jfgibson.com.au/

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I’d always been excited by the prospect of writing my acknowledgements when I dreamed of becoming a published author. But, now that it’s here, I don’t know where to start!

  Writing a book is initially a very solitary undertaking, but to take that messy first draft and turn it into a novel takes a village. I’m fortunate to have a wonderful village.

  First props need to go to my amazing editor Nicola O’Shea, for without Nicola there would be no book. Her ability to ‘get’ my vision and help direct it into something of a publishable quality, is beyond brilliant and I am so grateful to have her by my side.

  As an indie publisher I have s
o many people to thank who’ve helped me create a real book. Cover designer Stuart Bache who floored me with the very first concept. Jessica Holland and Stephanie Parent who helped me fine tune the final manuscript. And of course, Polgarus Studios who were responsible for formatting. I can’t thank you all enough.

  To my writing mentors Fiona McIntosh, Natasha Lester, Allison Tait and Fiona Lowe, who have helped me transform from aspiring writer to published author. Each of you have helped and inspired me in different ways, but all of you have given me the confidence to believe in myself and my stories.

  A huge thank you to my writing community. How grateful I am to be a part of a vibrant online community of inspiring, talented and wonderfully awesome women. I would not be here without your support and I must name each and every one of you. Vanessa Carnevale, Joanne Tracey, Natasha Lester, Pamela Cook, Louise Allen, Cassie Hamer, Kylie Orr, Cat Blessing, Kylie Hough, Melanie Strangio, Annabelle McInness, Claudine Tinellis, Kirsty Dummin, Leah Vevke, Michelle Barraclough, and Alyssa Mackay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

  To my Super Reader Team who have been instrumental in shaping this book and supporting me every step of the way. You guys are super special and I couldn’t have done it without you.

  It seems odd to acknowledge things such as podcasts and courses, but I would not have reached this point without them. To Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait and the So you want to be a writer podcast and Australian Writers Centre, you helped me begin my journey all those years ago, and you continue to make it a fun and informative ride. To Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn, and Mark Dawson of The Self-Publishing Show, who have taught me almost everything I know about the indie publishing world. And thankfully so. To Adam Croft’s Indie Author Checklist who helped me get my head around the whole process, and to Sarah Painter’s The Worried Writer podcast who continually helps me remember I’m not the only ‘worried writer’ out there.

  And finally, the biggest thanks of all goes to Shane and our girls for putting up with me trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to juggle writing with life. Thank you for allowing to me to make writing a huge part of my life and supporting me following my dreams. And yes girls, they do come true.

  COPYRIGHT

  First published in Australia in 2019

  By Jodi Gibson

  https://jfgibson.com.au/

  Copyright © Jodi Gibson 2018

  Print ISBN 978-0-6485512-0-1

  Epub ISBN 978-0-6485512-1-8

  Cover design Stuart Bache

  Formatting Polgarus Studio

  The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior writer permission of the publisher.