He was surprised, and pleased, particularly for Sienna’s sake, to note their various neighbours gathered around, giving them a round of applause as they stepped down, the father of the rather better behaved teenagers applauding loudest of all, then giving Adam a wink and a thumbs up.
He was definitely surprised to see the woman he’d thought he might never see again there. His mother? Here? How? Adam watched, stunned, as she turned, obviously intending to slip quietly away unnoticed.
Seeing his shock, Sienna caught his hand. ‘She did keep in touch,’ she said, her wide green eyes looking apprehensively into his. ‘We did a little digging and …’ She looked to Nathaniel, who ferreted quickly in his pocket and produced a wad of envelopes.
‘Letters,’ he explained. ‘All returned unopened. There are more.’
Bewildered, Adam shook his head. He didn’t need to guess who’d returned them. Glancing after her, he felt something shift inside him, years of pent up bereavement, almost, that she hadn’t contacted him, hadn’t wanted anything to do with him, emotions he’d barely allowed himself to acknowledge. Uncertainly, he looked back towards Sienna, not sure what to do, how he went about reintroducing himself to his own mother at his wedding.
‘Go,’ Sienna urged him, stretching to plant a kiss on his cheek.
Glancing after her again, and then back to Sienna, Adam hesitated for a split second and then ran, not wanting her to reach the car park and disappear from his life once more, possibly forever.
‘Mum!’ he called, slowing as she reached the gates. ‘Mum?’ he said quietly again as she faltered and glanced down.
Adam still couldn’t quite believe she was here, that it was her, until she turned. And then he knew. She hadn’t left him by choice. She’d left because her alternative was to stay in an abusive relationship. He didn’t know what those letters contained, but he knew then that she hadn’t abandoned him.
‘Adam,’ she said tentatively, searching his face, a sadness in her eyes that went way beyond anything he’d ever seen as a child.
Too choked to say anything, Adam simply nodded.
‘You look …’ she paused, clearly trying not to cry ‘… all grown-up.’
Adam smiled reflectively. ‘Getting there,’ he said, hesitated, and then took a step towards her. ‘You look … exactly the same.’
‘Flatterer.’ She laughed, and dabbed at her cheek.
‘It’s one of my better qualities.’ Adam took a breath, took another step, and then welcomed his mother into his arms.
‘You have more. Many more, Adam Hamilton-Shaw,’ she assured him, glancing over his shoulder as she squeezed him tight. ‘Thank you,’ she mouthed at Sienna, who’d chosen her moment and was now coming towards them, Lily-Grace’s hand firmly in hers.
Sienna smiled, noting again how striking the woman’s espresso-coloured eyes were, warmth and obvious love shining therein. Adam was definitely his mother’s son. She hung back, giving them a moment, then, once the most important introduction was over and Adam turned, she stepped forward. ‘I think a certain little lady might be anxious to meet someone,’ she said, glancing down at their wide-eyed flower girl.
Adam’s delighted smile was priceless. ‘Mum,’ he said, bending to sweep Lily up into his arms, ‘this beautiful princess is my daughter, Lily-Grace. Lily, this is my mother.’
Lily regarded her shyly over her thumb, then, ‘Adum’s mum.’ She nodded, turning back to Adam. She studied him for a moment and then reached out her free hand to tentatively track a tear down his cheek. ‘Adum’s sad,’ she said, blinking curiously back at him.
‘No, sweetie. Adam’s happy,’ he assured her, causing her little brow to furrow. ‘Come on, we’d better join our guests before they eat all the cake.’
‘Everything all right, mate?’ Nathaniel asked as they strolled quietly back towards them, words somehow seeming superfluous.
‘Excellent,’ Adam replied, working to keep his emotions under control as he handed Lily to Nicole.
‘About time, too.’ Nathaniel gave Adam’s mum a conspiratorial wink. ‘Good luck, Adam,’ he said, reaching out to shake his friend’s hand heartily and then standing back to allow the father of the bride to do the same.
‘From me, too. Be happy,’ David said, over an emotional intake of breath. ‘And make sure my daughter is. Or you’ll have me to answer to.’
Adam laughed. He didn’t doubt it. ‘I will,’ he replied and reiterated firmly what he’d told the man once before. ‘For the rest of my life.’
* The End *
We would love to hear how you enjoyed The Rest of My Life. Please leave a review on the eBook store where you purchased this novel. Reviews on eBook stores really do help the author. Thank you!
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Thank you
Thank you for reading The Rest of My Life. I really hope you enjoyed Adam and Sienna’s journey as much as I enjoyed writing it. There’s nothing quite like that feeling you get knowing that a reader has connected with your characters, laughed with them, cried with them, screamed at them, or even totally despaired of them. I think all authors would agree, that’s why we write, to connect emotionally with people, hopefully leaving them with that all-important feel good factor. All authors, too, really value reader feedback. The road to publication can sometimes be a little bit bumpy and seeing your book finally ‘out there’ is truly amazing. Knowing people are reading it, though, and taking the trouble to leave a review on a book review site such as Goodreads, or the eBook retail site, is equally amazing. Reviews can do so much to up a book’s profile, along with that of the author, but they do sometimes truly inspire the author to keep writing and improving.
If you have time therefore, a one line review, or two, or more if you’d like to, would be hugely appreciated.
Please do feel free to contact me anytime. You can find my details under my author profile. And if you like the book enough to go in search of any of my other books, well, there’s that amazing feeling again. Meanwhile, I’ll keep being inspired and I’ll keep writing!
Happy reading all!
Lots of love,
Sheryl
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About the Author
Sheryl Browne is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and was shortlisted for Innovation in Romantic Fiction. She has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University Anthologies. A further short, written to script, was performed live at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. When she’s not writing, Sheryl can be found doing strange things like skydiving from 20,000 feet or abseiling down buildings, which possibly makes her a little bit mad.
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More Choc Lit
From Sheryl Browne
Learning to Love
Sometimes help comes from the most unlikely places …
Living in a small village like Hibberton, it’s expected that your neighbours help you in a time of need. But when Andrea Kelly’s house burns down, taking all her earthly possessions with it, it’s the distant and aloof Doctor David Adams – the person she would least expect – who opens his door not just to her, but to her three kids and slightly dotty elderly mother as well.
Andrea needs all the help she can get, dealing with aftermath of the fire and in the suspicious absence of her husband, Jonathan. But, as she gets to know David and his troubled son, Jake, she begins to realise that maybe they need her help as much as she needs theirs …
Find out more and purchase from your favourite eBook store or visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
Thrillers from Sheryl:
After She’s Gone
Book 1 – Detective Inspector Matthew Adams series
He’s killed your child and kidnapped your wife. What would YOU do?
There’s evil and then there’s Patrick Sulliva
n. A drug dealer, pimp and murderer, there are no depths to which Patrick would not sink, and Detective Inspector Matthew Adams has found this out in the most devastating way imaginable.
When Patrick’s brother is shot dead in a drug bust gone wrong, the bitter battle between the two men intensifies, and Matthew finds it increasingly difficult to hold the moral high ground. All he wants is to make the pimping scum suffer the way he did … the way Lily did.
But being at war with such a depraved individual means that it’s not just Matthew who’s in danger. Patrick has taken a lot from Matthew, but he hasn’t taken everything – and now he wants everything.
Find out more and purchase from your favourite eBook store or visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
Sins of the Father
Book 2 – Detective Inspector Matthew Adams series
What if you’d been accused of one of the worst crimes imaginable?
Detective Inspector Matthew Adams is slowly picking up the pieces from a case that nearly cost him the lives of his entire family and his own sanity too. On the surface, he seems to be moving on, but he drinks to forget – and when he closes his eyes, the nightmares still come.
But the past is the past – or is it? Because the evil Patrick Sullivan might be out of the picture, but there’s somebody who is just as intent on making Matthew’s life hell, and they’re doing it in the cruellest way possible.
When Matthew finds himself accused of a horrific and violent crime, will his family stand by him? And will he even be around to help when his new enemy goes after them as well?
Find out more and purchase from your favourite eBook store or visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
Deadly Intent
Book 3 – Detective Inspector Matthew Adams series
Tormented to the edge of sanity …
Just when DI Matthew Adams thinks he’s left the past behind him, it comes back to haunt him once again; this time in the form of the Conner family.
Like Matthew, the Conners have lost a child in tragic circumstances – and they’ve also found themselves in the hands of one of the most depraved criminals to walk the streets: ‘Dead-eyed’ Charlie Roberts, a drug addicted low-life with a penchant for extreme violence.
Matthew’s greatest affinity lies with Daniel Conner, the brooding father who still blames himself for his youngest child’s death. But when Daniel’s wife and daughter are tortured and tormented by Roberts, can Matthew prevent him from completely ruining his own life for an act of revenge particularly when, once upon a time, that’s exactly what Matthew would have done too?
Find out more and purchase from your favourite eBook store or visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
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Introducing Choc Lit
We’re an independent publisher creating
a delicious selection of fiction.
Where heroes are like chocolate – irresistible!
Quality stories with a romance at the heart.
See our selection here:
www.choc-lit.com
We’d love to hear how you enjoyed The Rest of My Life. Please visit www.choc-lit.com and give your feedback or leave a review where you purchased this eBook.
Choc Lit novels are selected by genuine readers like yourself. We only publish stories our Choc Lit Tasting Panel want to see in print. Our reviews and awards speak for themselves.
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If you enjoyed Sheryl’s story, you’ll enjoy the rest of our selection. Here’s a sample:
Please don’t stop the music
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Winner of the 2012 Best Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year
Winner of the 2012 Romantic Novel of the Year
How much can you hide?
Jemima Hutton is determined to build a successful new life and keep her past a dark secret. Trouble is, her jewellery business looks set to fail – until enigmatic Ben Davies offers to stock her handmade belt buckles in his guitar shop and things start looking up, on all fronts.
But Ben has secrets too. When Jemima finds out he used to be the front man of hugely successful Indie rock band Willow Down, she wants to know more. Why did he desert the band on their US tour? Why is he now a semi-recluse?
And the curiosity is mutual – which means that her own secret is no longer safe …
Purchase from your eBook provider or visit www.choc-lit.com for more details.
The Secret Kiss of Darkness
Christina Courtenay
Book 2 in the Shadows from the Past Series
Must forbidden love end in heartbreak?
Kayla Sinclair knows she’s in big trouble when she almost bankrupts herself to buy a life-size portrait of a mysterious eighteenth century man at an auction.
Jago Kerswell, inn-keeper and smuggler, knows there is danger in those stolen moments with Lady Eliza Marcombe, but he’ll take any risk to be with her.
Over two centuries separate Kayla and Jago, but, when Kayla’s jealous fiancé presents her with an ultimatum, and Jago and Eliza’s affair is tragically discovered, their lives become inextricably linked thanks to a gypsy’s spell.
Kayla finds herself on a quest that could heal the past, but what she cannot foresee is the danger in her own future.
Will Kayla find heartache or happiness?
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Do Opposites Attract?
Kathryn Freeman
There’s no such thing as a class divide – until you’re on separate sides
Brianna Worthington has beauty, privilege and a very healthy trust fund. The only hardship she’s ever witnessed has been on the television. Yet when she’s invited to see how her mother’s charity, Medic SOS, is dealing with the aftermath of a tornado in South America, even Brianna is surprised when she accepts.
Mitch McBride, Chief Medical Officer, doesn’t need the patron’s daughter disrupting his work. He’s from the wrong side of the tracks and has led life on the edge, but he’s not about to risk losing his job for a pretty face.
Poles apart, dynamite together, but can Brianna and Mitch ever bridge the gap separating them?
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Take a Chance on Me
Debbie Flint
You know what they say about mixing business with pleasure …
When the breakdown of her marriage leaves Sadie Turner a single mum, she vows that she will make it on her own. After all, why would a smart businesswoman with a PhD and the prospect of a life-changing deal on the horizon need a man?
But Sadie’s man-ban is tested to the limit when she travels to Monaco to meet her potential investor. There she encounters Mac, a rough and ready playboy billionaire who lives life in the fast lane – and that’s when the real adventure starts!
But Sadie’s heart isn’t the only thing on the line. There’s also the business she’s worked so hard to make a success; the business that could so easily slip out of her grasp if she doesn’t seal the deal within thirty days …
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Flight to Coorah Creek
Janet Gover
Book 1 in the Coorah Creek series
Winner of 2015 Aspen Gold Awar
d
What happens when you can fly, but you just can’t hide?
Only Jessica Pearson knows the truth when the press portray her as the woman who betrayed her lover to escape prosecution. But will her new job flying an outback air ambulance help her sleep at night or atone for a lost life?
Doctor Adam Gilmore touches the lives of his patients, but his own scars mean he can never let a woman touch his heart.
Runaway Ellen Parkes wants to build a safe future for her two children. Without a man – not even one as gentle as Jack North.
In Coorah Creek, a town on the edge of nowhere, you’re judged by what you do, not what people say about you. But when the harshest judge is the one you see in the mirror, there’s nowhere left to hide.
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