Sometimes Moments
Page 28
I’d never thought the feeling of being Peyton’s husband could be surpassed. I was wrong. Being the father of her child did it. The relief of knowing we were going to raise our son together comes close. I prayed to God to save her, but I also prayed to you, hoping you’d influence Fate.
Peyton showed me your last letter to her. You spoke of her experiencing life’s firsts after you, Callum. Those life’s firsts she shared with me. And they have been the best moments of my life. (I also fell in love with her mother’s French toast the moment Peyton introduced me to them!)
Everything you wanted her to achieve, she has. She became someone’s fiancée, someone’s wife, and the mother of someone’s child.
For whatever reason, I was blessed to be that someone.
And for that, I thank you. You played your part in our forever. You brought Graham and Madilynne together. If they had never married, I would have never taken over the farm, never met Peyton, never fallen in love with Peyton, never asked her to marry me, never married her, and never held and loved our son.
She tells me that I am her forever moments and that you were her sometimes. But I think that’s where she’s wrong. In some stages of her life, Peyton never had sometimes. In those moments, she lived and she had forever.
I hope that the man you wrote of was me. I hope I do justice to the man you envisioned for Peyton. I hope you can see that I’ve done my best to be enough for her. I hope that you approve of my love. If not, I’ll love her harder than I already do, although I’m not sure that’s possible.
Thank you for loving Peyton the way you did. I know that she will always love you and I hope one day she tells our son of you.
Thank you for Peyton. Until the day I die, I will never stop thanking you, Callum Reid.
My happiness, my wife, and my son are because of you.
Cooper Hepburn.
Remember me and smile, for its better to forget than to remember me and cry.
Dr Seuss
Sometimes Moments has been a very special book for me. Being my first standalone, it allowed me to write freely. I loved the concept of this book and what ‘sometimes moments’ meant. I’m not going to lie, I was worried and scared. And there were times where I didn’t want to publish it at all. The ending was something I had never written before. But when I sat in class back in my final year of university in 2014, this story began and I knew how it ended from the moment I wanted to write it. I wanted Sometimes Moments to not be about a ‘sad’ story. I wanted it to be about a beautiful story. The story of Peyton. The story of Callum. The story of them. I wanted it to show people the beauty of hope and of there being more. The beauty that ‘The End’ wasn’t something to cause pain. There is always a forever—even if it wasn’t the ideal or wanted forever. Because well, life is a cluster of sometimes moments.
If anything, I hope this story showed you the beauty of the little moments in your life. Appreciate them. Love them. They’ll be the times you reflect on later in life. They will be the times that make you smile or laugh or maybe even cry. They will be the times in your life that you look back on and feel.
Live life one sometimes moment at a time.
Until you have two.
Then three.
Then four.
And then you have a cluster.
That’s when you’re making forever moments.
Sometimes moments are what make your forever memorable and beautiful.
Writing this book was tough but it was also something I loved writing. When I sat and thought about who to thank, I wasn’t sure who to truly thank. In all my books I thank a wide range of people. But for this book, I will thank the ones that made Sometimes Moments what it is.
First and foremost, Jaycee Ford and Alex Rosa. The very first to read Sometimes Moments. They happen to be the people who this book is dedicated to. My best friends. I wouldn’t be the author that I am without you both. I love you both so greatly. Two of the greatest and most important people in my life.
My cover designer, Najla Qamber. You took so many different pictures and made me the most beautiful and perfect cover. Everything I envisioned you made it all the more breathtaking. Thank you for your hard work and the for the love you put into making my covers.
My editor, Michelle Kampmeier. You took this crazy draft and made it beautiful. You added a lot more soul into it than I could. Thank you for not laughing at all my silly mistakes and for the changes. You made this book flow beautifully. And thank you for your friendship and for agreeing to edit Sometimes Moments.
My proofreader, Jenny Carlsrud Sim. You have been vital in publishing this book. You took proofreading to beyond what it is. You gave it love and attention. Thank you for squeezing Sometimes Moments in. Thank you for your changes and suggestions. Thank you for your updates and your enthusiasm and love. Thank you for pointing out teasers and for making this book perfect. I have loved every minute we have worked together.
My beta readers, Danielle, Michal and Veronica. Thank you for reading this story in its first draft stages. Thank you for being there at its weakest and for believing in the story. You’ve all been amazing.
There is someone special I need to thank, Erin Spencer from Southern Belle Book Blog. Erin, thank you for listening to Jenny talk up Sometimes Moments. Thank you for giving it a chance and your time. When I first got into contact with you, you blew me away with you enthusiasm and want to read a book by someone you have never come across. I wanted to be your friend the moment you said that you’d beg to read Sometimes Moments. Your voice message still makes me smile. Has anyone ever told you your accent is the most sweetest thing? I loved it. Thank you for loving Sometimes Moments and for believing in it.
As always, thank you to my family and close friends. For having to put up with me in this whole writing-shin-dig affair. I love you all.
And my readers, thank you for believing me. For still believing me. Third book I’ve published and you’re still here. If this is the first book you’ve ever read by me, thank you for giving me the chance to let my story take up your time. Thank you for the chance to let me enter your lives. Thank you for loving my books enough to let me continue to write more. Your love gives me the confidence and hope I need to continue. I strive to be my best to give you all the best. I’m where I am because of you.
Also, to the many blogs that have supported me. Thank you for writing a status or a post about me and my books. You have no idea how important you are to me. To all the authors I’ve met along the way, friends until the very end!
To Penny Rudge, lonely island FOREVER! Thank you for being my friend in all of this. Our random chats and loves. I just needed to thank you for all your love and support.
You are all never my sometimes—always my forever.
Thank you <3
Last year I asked the public to share their own sometimes moments. The responses have been absolutely beautiful. It is a privilege to be able to read the moments in my readers and fellow authors’ lives.
These are your sometimes moments…
When you held my hand for the first time. You hesitated at first and then you exhaled. It was like a ‘screw it! Now or never’ kind of exhale. And then, you grazed my pinkie and then went for it. You held my hand. And then you started the story of us. And then somewhere along the lines it was no longer us. It was you. And then it was me. We were no longer a we. But I still love that moment and will always treasure that exhale you made.
- Len Webster, author of Sometimes Moments.
I asked him when he knew I was the one, and he replied with, “The moment I laid eyes on you.” I was speechless, so he came closer to my ear and whispered, “And I fell in love with you the moment you said your first words to me.
- Marcella Williams
My husband and I have been together for ten years and married for almost eight. We have our ups and downs, but mostly downs as of late. Exactly two days before our ten year anniversary, I was rushed to the hospital. After surgery and suffering from
complications, we were told that I might have a bloodclot in my lung. We don’t pray as much anymore but he and I prayed before the test. The doctor came in after the test and my husband gripped my hand. The doctor then said no bloodclot. I smiled and turned toward my husband as I saw a tear roll down his cheek. That was the moment that I knew that we were stronger than illness and petty arguments, and we would have a lot more sometimes moments in our future.
- Jaycee Ford, author of the bestselling series, The Love Bug series
I roll the car window down and inhaled deeply.
“What are you doing?”
“I love the smell of wet pavement after it’s been hot.”
“… me, too.”
- Renee Roy
One beautiful day I was cleaning my boyfriend’s and my room. I was listening to music not really paying attention. For some reasons I happened to look out the window and see my boyfriend in the yard with his son. At that moment ‘So small’ by Carrie Underwood happened to start playing on the radio. I sat down and cried because then I realized I loved those two men in my life, no matter what problems we faced. Unfortunately, we ended up not making it together but that moment is forever with me and until the day I die, I will most likely love them.
- Tabitha Borger
The truth is, Len Webster is a romance-loving Melbournian with dreams of finding her version of ‘The One.’ She calls Australia home, but secretly wishes a man with a beautiful accent would whisk her away. She’s been called a hopeless romantic and a firm believer of happily ever afters, which she doesn’t object to.
Having just completed her Bachelor in Business and Commerce, Len can be found daydreaming of her next Europe adventure or swooning over Mr Darcy. Her best friends are a hot cup of tea, red velvet cupcakes, a warm jumper and her MacBook, ready to write to her heart’s content.
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Sometimes Moments
Copyright © 2015 Len Webster
Published by Len Webster
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re- sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Published: Len Webster 2015
author.lennwebster@hotmail.com
Editing: Mickey Reed
Proofreading: Jenny Carlsrud Sims
Cover design: Najla Qamber Designs
Ebook designed and formatted by:
www.emtippettsbookdesigns.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Books by Len Webster
Dedication
Beginning Quote
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Epilogue
End Quote
A message from Len
Acknowledgements
Your Sometimes Moments
About the Author
Copyright Notice