By Way of Accident
Page 20
I love you because you’re a dreamer like me. Even though you don’t know it yet, you are. I love you because you think I’m fearless even though I’m not. I love you because you’re not afraid to be afraid. I love you because you’re beautiful and you have a sweet heart. I love you because you think I’m pretty. I love you because you showed up. And I love you because you made me feel like I was home for a summer. But mostly, I love you just because you’re you...and because it’s Tuesday. But I understand if we can’t write anymore. I understand you lose things in the move. I understand it’s hard to love something you can’t see. I understand, River, which is why I’m letting you go. So, don’t think about me anymore. Don’t waste another thought on me. You’re free, River. Go and make dreams with someone else...that you can hold. But know that every time I think of love, I’ll think of you.
Love always,
Brooke
My eyes burn. I feel the moisture building behind my eyelids, threatening to escape down my face. I can’t tell if I’m in awe or heartbroken over this letter I never got from the girl I’ve always loved. But I do know I’m glad I never got the chance to read these words back then. I’m glad I never had to hear her say good-bye. I’m thankful I always had that ounce of hope to hold onto. And while I didn’t get prom or that first date in my old truck with her, like I had hoped I would, I’ll gladly take the rest of this beautiful life with her.
“River.”
I shove the letter back into the envelope and the envelope into my back pocket.
“There you are.” She smiles her sweet smile and steps out onto the porch as I make my way over to her.
“I just got Moirae down...” She stops abruptly and looks out onto the black night, as if all of a sudden it just jumped right out in front of her. “Oh, the stars are so...”
“Pretty,” I finish.
She stares into my eyes and just smiles. And then she opens her mouth, but before she can get anything out, I wrap my arms around her, and I pull her close. “You are and will always be my dream come true.”
I hear her breathe out a happy sigh as her shoulders lift and then fall in my arms. “I love you too, Riv.”
I hold her then for longer than I usually do because there’s a part of me that just can’t believe how it all fell into place—how I’m standing here holding the only dream I ever had worth dreaming. True love has a habit of coming back.
I pull her body closer to me still, and at the same time, I catch two familiar stars hovering in the night sky. Immediately, my eyes go to finding the rest of them. It’s Aquarius. And somewhere I hear a quiet voice ask me if I see it.
Yes, Grandpa, I mouth. I see it.
Then my eye catches on a bright star in one corner of the constellation. The Star of Hidden Things. I smile. And right then, I know. I know what Grandpa had meant when he uttered those words while staring out his living room window those last days of his life—so many years ago. He meant that in life, there are no accidents, but instead, only things we cannot see, only hidden memories—later disguised and made to look as if they merely came to us...by way of accident.
There once was a river, who came upon a brook,
And with all his strength,
His current was no match for the brook
For the brook hid her strength in her gentle touch,
Carving her memory slowly over time into his,
Making her path so etched in that fate dared him to forget
That the brook who once changed the river’s course...
Will always hold his heart
And that time would only strengthen
What the river already knew—
he would never be the same without her.
And to think a little brook could overtake a river so...
The End
“What’s meant to be will always find a way.”
~Trisha Yearwood
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are so many people to thank, and I’m indebted to so many more beyond who are specifically mentioned on this page. So many of you have touched my life and writing career. But first, I would like to thank God, my greatest inspiration, for giving me the opportunity to write for you.
And thank you to my amazing editors, beta readers and sources for all your time and contributions. I could not do this without you! Thank you especially to Calvin, Donna, Kathy, April, Sharon, Jon and Jesse. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping to make River and Brooke’s story what it is today.
I would also like to thank, as always, those wonderful readers and those amazing bloggers who are also readers for their enthusiasm and loyal support of all my novels. I will be forever grateful for your continued support and love of fairy tales. Thank you! Thank you! It means the world to me!
I would also like to thank my family, who continues to be my biggest fans and greatest supporters. And thank you also to my friends and mentors, who are ever inspiring me. Even if it has been many years since we’ve spoken, chances are I still think of you or remember something you’ve said or done. So, thank you!
And lastly but definitely not least, I would like to thank my husband, Neville, my true love. Thank you for your constant encouragement from the very beginning of this whole, grand adventure. Honey, I love you. And you and I both know that true love does have a habit of coming back.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Marc Mayes
LAURA MILLER is the national bestselling author of the novels, Butterfly Weeds, My Butterfly, For All You Have Left and By Way of Accident. She grew up in eastern Missouri, graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked as a newspaper reporter prior to writing fiction. Laura currently lives in the Midwest with her husband. Visit her and learn more about her books at LauraMillerBooks.com.
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OTHER BOOKS BY LAURA MILLER
Butterfly Weeds
My Butterfly
For All You Have Left
“This is pure romance at its best.”
~Romantic Reading Escapes on My Butterfly
“5+ ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL & TOUCHING STARS!
A MUST-READ!”
~Nancy’s Romance Reads on For All You Have Left
“An incredible love story.”
~Justin’s Book Blog on My Butterfly
“UNPUTDOWNABLE!”
~Southern Belle Book Blog on For All You Have Left
“This is certainly one of my favorite love stories ever.”
~A Novel Review on For All You Have Left
“Completely and Utterly Beautiful.”
~Back Porch Romance Book Reviews on Butterfly Weeds
“Everyone should have the experience of having someone love you as much as Will loved Julia.”
~A Novel Review on My Butterfly
“5+ of the BIGGEST Diamonds! This is a journey you will never forget!”
~Bestsellers & Beststellars on For All You Have Left