Parker reached over and took her hand. She studied Amy’s face. “You’re holding up well. I’m very proud of you.”
“Thank you. Having you here has been a big help. You’ve done so much for me. You fixed my mother’s house, you got me through the hoarding nightmare.” Amy chuckled at the memory of the vacuum cleaners. “Boy, what a mess. If you and Millie hadn’t been there for me, I’d have been lost.”
“I don’t know about that. You’re stronger than you think.”
“I’ve decided I’m going to sell Mom’s house. I’ll miss having Millie as a neighbor, but to be honest there are so many memories there and I can’t face them. I don’t want to live with ghosts. You know what I mean?”
“Yes, I do. That’s why I built my house. I couldn’t see myself knocking around my grandmother’s old house either.”
“I’ll have Millie’s friend Beverly put it on the market. Millie says Beverly could sell the pants off a preacher.”
Parker chuckled. “Yes, she can. She sold my grandmother’s house. She’s a fair dealer, too.”
“That’s what Millie said.”
Parker grew quiet. She gazed out at the yard. Finally, she spoke, “I know this isn’t a real good time to talk about the future, but I really need to know where I stand in all this. Are you going back to New York?”
“It’s one option,” Amy said.
Amy studied Parker’s face. She looked distressed.
“So, you are leaving,” Parker said.
“Do you want me to?”
Parker’s face flushed. “Of course not.”
“What do you want?” Amy asked. Her heart pounded. What if Parker viewed their relationship as a temporary thing, a nice little fling until it was time for Amy to return to her other life?
“What I want, Amy, is the chance to love you forever,” Parker said.
“You really mean that?”
“Of course I do.”
“Have you thought it through?” Amy asked.
Parker smiled and shook her head. “I’m tired of thinking. I’ve decided to stop following my brain and follow my heart for once.”
“Me too,” Amy said.
“And my heart really likes having you around.”
Amy took a deep breath. If there were one thing she’d learned recently, it was to not choke back words. It was better to say things than it was to not say things. “I love you,” Amy announced.
Parker didn’t respond.
Amy continued, “My heart told my brain to say that. I’m sorry if you think it’s too early in our relationship to say that, but that’s how I feel and I’m not apologizing.”
“I love you, too,” Parker said.
“You do?”
“I do. I definitely do.”
Parker rose from her chair and put her hand out for Amy. She took her in her arms, held her close, and whispered in her ear, “I’m going to marry you, Amy Warner.”
“Oh, you are, are you?” Amy teased.
“Yep. Just thought I’d warn you.”
“I consider myself warned.”
“It’s settled then?” Parker asked. “You’re staying?”
“Yes, I’m staying.”
They kissed.
And unseen by either of them, inside the kitchen, Millie nudged Steph. Steph followed Millie’s gaze out the window and saw Parker and Amy embracing. Both women smiled.
“I love happy endings,” Steph said simply.
“Don’t we all,” Millie said.
The End
Thank you for reading Heart to Heart, Book One of the True Heart series. Book Two, Straight from the Heart, will be released this summer!
How would you like to get two FREE books?
Great! Tell us where to send them by clicking on the link below:
http://eepurl.com/O-Rcz
Follow the authors’ blogs at: Laycegardner.com and Saxonbennett.wordpress.com
About the Authors
Layce Gardner is a screenwriter, a novelist, and a playwright. Her plays have been performed around the world and she is the recipient of The Los Angeles Drama Logue Award for Best Playwrighting. She has written screenplays for every major television network and her movie “Prison of Secrets” was Lifetime’s highest rated movie. She is the Goldie award-winning author of the novel, Tats. She is one half of a dynamic comedy writing duo with her wife, Saxon Bennett. Together, they have written over 45 novels and short stories.
Saxon Bennett is the author of over twenty novels and numerous short stories. She has won two Goldie awards, the Alice B. Reader award for body of work, and is one half of the best-selling comedic duo Layce Gardner & Saxon Bennett.
Thank you for being a part of the Square Pegs Ink family. We appreciate you telling your friends about our books!
Heart to Heart Page 22
