When he pulled back, a single tear fell as she said, “I want you next to me when I do this, please.”
“Of course I’ll be next to you. You tell me whatever you need me to do, and I’ll do it,” he replied before placing one more kiss on her lips. Standing up, he called to Jason outside. “Let’s do this.”
With Mike’s command, the large rolling door to the storage unit opened and bathed them both in sunlight. Making his way to the other side, he opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat next to his beautiful, feisty little woman. Her grip on the steering wheel was strong enough to blanch her knuckles, and he fought the need to rub them and help her relax, but she was processing this, and he didn’t want to interrupt. After another few moments, he felt he had to say something to show her some support. “I love you, sweetheart, and I’m so proud of what you’re doing.”
ALLIE looked over at Mike, sitting next to her. She thought it might feel odd to have him there with her, in Marc’s Camaro, but it didn’t. Having Mike with her—supporting her—felt right. Her world felt right. She just had to do one more thing to put the past completely behind her. It had been a long time coming, and maybe she put it off specifically because she feared losing the last profound piece of her late husband. But now she knew that wasn’t the case. Passing the car on to Jonathan was allowing a piece of Marc to live, and she was so happy to do this. If only she could get herself to start the damn engine.
Moving her hand from the wheel, she moved it to the ignition and paused. Looking out the windshield, she saw Jason smile at her. “You got this, Allie.”
Smiling at her friend, she said, “Hey, you didn’t call me half-pint.”
Jason gave her an adoring look. “There is nothing small about you right now, Al. Now start her up, and let’s go make our nephew’s day.”
She quickly swiped the tears that fell as she grumbled, “Stupid, Jason.” Allie then looked over at Mike, asking, “You ready?”
“Whenever you are, babe.”
Allie saw his love for her clearly written across his face. She latched onto it and held on tightly as she started the engine. It rumbled to life in the dark parking garage where Jason had been storing it for her. He told her that he took care of it routinely, started it weekly, and took it for a drive to keep the engine in shape. He’d told her, “I knew it would’ve hurt you more to see his car fall apart. What kind of friend would I have been if I let that happen?” She truly had the best friends.
The sound of the engine roaring to life made goose bumps spread across her skin. She had always loved the sound of a powerful car, an appreciation she developed as she watched the men in her life work on them as boys. Dropping her hand to the shifter, she glanced over at Mike again. He gave a smile and a wink as she moved the car into drive. Slowly lifting her foot from the brake, she rolled the car out into the morning sun. Turning to the left, she stopped as Jason made quick work of locking up the unit. He then ran up to the driver’s side window and leaned his arms on it and said, “I’m so proud of you.” All she could do was smile at him as he gave her hair a tug. “Meet you guys there, I’ll follow in my truck.”
Mike answered for her, “Thanks, man. Meet you there.”
Jason gave one more nod before walking away. Her courage was growing now that she could feel the life of the car rumbling around her. It was such a big part of Marc’s life, and she was happy she still had it, but she knew it was time to pass it on. As she applied pressure to the gas pedal, she felt all the tension leave her body, and a peaceful feeling replaced it.
She knew that Marc would always be a part of her, a part of her heart. But as she looked to the man who sat beside her, she knew he filled the gaping hole that was left behind after Marc’s death. Her future had been altered, ripped away from her, leaving her suspended in the present, struggling to find her normal. Until Mike. He was her new future—her new normal. And even though she resisted this love for as long as she possibly could, deep down she’d known that he was her new forever.
~THE END~
Playlist
Chapter 1:
I Miss My Friend by Daryl Worley
I Remember by Kenny Chesney
Chapter 2:
Little Wonders by Rob Thomas
Chapter 5:
Young by Kenny Chesney
Every Storm by Gary Allan
Chapter 9:
Treasure by Bruno Mars
Chapter 11:
One of Those Nights by Tim McGraw
Chapter 17:
Beautiful Goodbye by Maroon 5
Chapter 18:
Stay by Rhianna
Chapter 19:
Distance by Christina Perri, featuring Jason Mraz
Chapter 24:
Give In To Me by Garrett Hedlund & Leighton Meester
Chapter 26:
I Never Told You by Colbie Caillet;
When You’re Gone by Avril Lavigne
Chapter 28:
Arms by Christina Perri
Chapter 29:
Life Ain’t Always Beautiful by Gary Allan
Chapter 30:
Who’d You Be Today
Epilogue:
Friends We Won’t Forget by Lee Brice
About the Author
Melanie is an amazing mother of four, an awesome and tolerant wife to one, and nurse to many. If you don’t believe her, just ask anyone in her family, they know what to say. She is also a devoted chauffer, the keeper of missing socks, a genius according to a six year old, the coolest soccer uniform coordinator according to a twelve year old, and the best damn ‘mac-n-cheese-with-cut-up-hot-dog maker in the whole world. Well that last title isn’t really official, but it’s still pretty cool to be called it.
When not being ordered around by any of the kids, you can find her with her nose in a book or on the sideline of a soccer game cheering on one team or another. But that’s mostly because she has a thing for the coach. When she is not doing all of the above, you can find her obsessed with a group of fictional characters all vying for a spot on the page of whatever she’s working on. It’s a fun and crazy life to lead, but wouldn’t have it any other way.
If you liked my book you can keep up with upcoming books, sneak peeks, and more at:
Twitter: @MelanieCodina
Good Reads: http://tinyurl.com/d8bz7mw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelanieCodinaAuthor
Thank you for reading. Please look for other books in this series, as well as more to come. Remember that the best compliment you can pay an author is to leave a review … We love to read them.
The Real Love Series:
Love Realized
Love Resisted
And coming soon…
Love Required
Love Resisted (The Real Love Series) Page 27
