The Rest of My Life

by Sheryl Browne

  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

  Read about Sheryl and her novels next ...

  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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  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 …

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