He took a deep breath. "That's really easy to say. You'll understand when you have children of your own. See, raising a kid is like growing an oak tree; it takes hours of care and decades to grow. Knowing that he ever made you feel inadequate… it's like he came along and chopped that tree down. The tree your mother and I nurtured into such a strong unwavering thing."
"I don't understand how I let it happen. I'm mad at myself too."
"I'm mad at him," he grumbled.
"I know." I sighed. "I really am doing better, you know. The broken heart is still shattered, but all of the reasons why I left him… those things are repairing themselves." I looked up at the cuckoo clock that had hung above the mantle for as long as I could remember. It was later than the sunlight let on. "Shoot, I need to take a shower!"
"What time are your sisters getting here?" he asked with a smile.
"They're picking me up for dinner in an hour; are there towels in the guest bath?"
"Your mom got it all ready for you," he said standing up and pulling me into another hug. "It's good to have you back, baby sister."
I hugged him back tightly "It's good to be back," I whispered. That wasn't true. Every corner of this house had so many memories of him.
Grabbing my bag off of the entry bench, I made my way to the bathroom. I stepped inside and flicked on the light.
Brown and tan tiles crossed each other in a diamond pattern, meeting up to sand colored walls. The bathroom of the house was so bland when my parents bought it that I wanted to remodel it for them. My ex helped me customize the small room, and it was so much warmer now. I ran my fingers down the walls we had textured with our handprints; it was a quirky texture that you wouldn't expect. When I found a print larger than my own, I rested my hand there.
Maybe I shouldn't have come home.
Table of Contents
Waiting Fate
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
Epilogue
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Waiting Fate Page 18
