Two Weeks

by Karen Kingsbury

  Landon checked his watch. “We better get this breakfast going. It’ll take you nine hours to get to Lynchburg once you and Carolyn hit the road.”

  Ashley’s head was spinning. Carolyn Everly? How had she missed the fact that Carolyn was going to Liberty? She had been one of Cole’s friends all through school. This new development filled Ashley’s heart with possibilities, but she didn’t voice them. There were years for God to shape things with Cole and Carolyn, or whomever He might bring into Cole’s life.

  Even possibly Elise somewhere down the road.

  They gathered around the dining room table and Cole hugged Amy first. “Look at this! It’s a feast. Thank you, Amy.” Next he gave Devin a hug and Janessa. “Thanks, you two. I’ll always remember this.”

  Their three youngest basked in the warmth of Cole’s compliments, as Ashley shared a look with Landon. This was why they were going to miss Cole so much. He was the best big brother, and such a wonderful son. As the others took their seats, Ashley walked to the cupboard over the computer and pulled out the book of letters from her mother.

  “I have something I want to share with you, Cole.” She sat at the table and opened the book to the page that held her mother’s poem. “A long time ago, your grandma Elizabeth wrote these letters for me and my siblings.”

  The kids were listening.

  Landon put his hand on her shoulder. Ashley was grateful. He always knew when she needed his support. This was one of those times. She looked at Cole. “Before she died, your grandma took a poem she had written for your uncle Luke the night before his wedding . . . and she rewrote it. She wanted me to read it to you kids the day you drove away to college.”

  “That’s today for Cole!” Janessa didn’t look happy about the reality. She gave Cole a sad smile. “Unless you change your mind, Coley.”

  A light round of laughter came from each of them. “So . . . before we pray, before we eat, I want to read this from your grandma Elizabeth. It’s a poem that speaks to a truth we all need to remember. The importance of every day.”

  Tears sprang to Ashley’s eyes before she read the first line. Please, God, help me do this. Give me my voice. She took a slow breath and gradually her control returned. “Long ago you came to me a miracle of firsts. First smiles and teeth and baby steps, a sunbeam on the burst.”

  Ashley looked around the table at Devin and Amy and Janessa and finally Cole. Then she kept reading. “But one day you will move away and leave to me your past. And I will be left thinking of a lifetime of your lasts.”

  The next part of the poem spoke of those very lasts. It was all Ashley could do to get through it. “The last night when you woke up crying, needing to be walked, when last you crawled up with your blanket wanting to be rocked.” Ashley lifted her eyes to Cole and then back to the poem. “Precious simple moments and bright flashes from your past. Would I have held on longer if I’d known they were your last?”

  Line after line, the poem walked through the life of a child. The very life Ashley had lived with Cole. The last at-bat in Little League, last soccer goal, last piano lesson. Last vacation to the lake.

  “The last time that you need my help with details of a dance. Last time that you ask me for advice about romance.” Ashley could feel the sadness in her smile as she looked at Cole. “The last time that you talk to me about your hopes and dreams.” She hesitated. “Last time that you wear a jersey for your high school team.”

  Landon put his arm around her. Ashley glanced at the other kids, as she pictured the moments her mother had written about. Almost as if she’d been there to see them lived out.

  The final part was the hardest. Help me, Lord. This is important. Please.

  She took a deep breath. “For come some bright fall morning you’ll be going far away. College life will beckon in a brilliant sort of way. One last hug, one last goodbye, one quick and hurried kiss. One last time to understand just how much you’ll be missed.” She held her breath. “I’ll watch you go and think how fast our time together passed. So let me hold on longer, God, to every . . . precious last.”

  She closed the book and returned it to the spot in the cupboard. When she faced the table again, everyone was standing. “Mom.” Cole held out his arms. “Breakfast can wait.”

  And with that, they formed a group hug and Cole led them in prayer. “Father, You know how much I’m going to miss this.” He had his arms around Ashley and Landon, his siblings tucked into the middle of the circle. A smile filled Cole’s voice. “But You also know that this family always has held on longer. Every precious last was something we appreciated. Because that’s what love does.” He took a breath. “So thank You, God, for this family. And thank You for the good times ahead. This isn’t an ending. It’s a beginning. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  Ashley replayed Cole’s words through breakfast and as they walked him out to his SUV. How wise was her son? And how faithful was God to let this be how this chapter of Cole’s childhood came to a close?

  Landon was beside her again, his arm around her. Strong, reassuring. Always there for her. He smiled at Cole. “We’re all coming for family weekend.”

  “That’s right!” Devin punched his fist in the air. “We get to see a football game!”

  Amy laughed. “We get to see Cole. That’s all that matters.”

  “Right.” Janessa stood by Amy. She still looked a little confused. Like Cole couldn’t really be moving away. “And you’ll be back every Sunday for church, right, Coley?”

  “No, sweetie.” Cole bent down and kissed her cheek. “But I’ll be home for breaks. Thanksgiving and Christmas. And a really long one every summer.”

  Janessa relaxed a little. “Okay.” She didn’t sound quite sure.

  It was time for goodbyes. Cole started with Devin and then Amy, Janessa and Landon. He saved his goodbye for Ashley till last. “Mom.” He searched her eyes. “It’s going to be okay. I can FaceTime you.”

  “True.” Ashley ordered herself not to cry. Not now. “I’m happy, honey. You know that, right? Liberty is the best place for you.” She smiled at Landon. “Your dad and I have always thought that.”

  Cole nodded. “It is. I can’t wait.” He pulled her gently into his arms, her tall son, and for a long time he held her. The way she had held him when he was a baby or when he skinned his knee when he was a toddler or a hundred other times.

  “Bye, Mom. I love you.” He looked at her once more.

  “I love you, too.” She stepped back and held up her hand. “Call us when you get there.”

  “I will.” He climbed into his Explorer and gave them all a final wave.

  Then he drove off.

  Ashley waited until Landon and the kids had gone in the house before finding her favorite chair on the porch and letting the tears come. She wasn’t crying because she was sad this part of Cole’s life was over. The two of them—all of them—had enjoyed every single day. There was nothing to be sad about. Rather, they were happy tears. Yes, that’s what they were. Happy tears because she’d been blessed to ever have Cole at all.

  Because God had spared him and because in all His goodness, the Lord had allowed her the privilege of being his mother. Ashley Baxter, of all people. And because even this morning her son had showed all of them his maturity and confidence. He was ready for this, ready for all that was ahead. And most of all her tears were happy because like Cole said this wasn’t an ending. It truly was a beginning.

  The most beautiful beginning ever.

  • • •

  COLE HADN’T SPENT much time thinking about what this moment would be like, watching his home fade away in the rearview mirror. But now that he was living it, he could understand what his mother was feeling.

  What his grandma Elizabeth must’ve felt when she wrote the poem about the lasts. He understood a little better now. Tears stung his eyes, but he didn’t cry. He was too excited to be sad.

  He didn’t want to think about the past as he drove to Lynchburg today. He wanted to t
hink about the future. The new beginning. Classes he was going to take and the tryout next week with the baseball team. And catching up with Carolyn Everly, a friend he’d nearly lost track of this year.

  Yes, he would miss his family every day, and he would look forward to the time in the not so distant future when he would come home again on break. But things would be different. Because he would never be a kid again, never have that first day of middle school or the years when he’d played baseball for Clear Creek High.

  Those were gone.

  And so were the days of his final semester and the weeks of this past summer. Cole leaned back and kept his eyes on the road. The radio was tuned to a love song channel. Something he’d listened to for the last few days. And as Cole turned right on the highway on the way to Carolyn’s house, a pretty melody began.

  He glanced at the console. Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were.” The tune was familiar, so Cole turned it up.

  Memories . . . light the corners of my mind . . .

  The song continued, every line speaking to the hurting places in Cole’s soul.

  As the music played on, a thousand beautiful moments filled his heart. Beautiful and tragic and deep. The bowling and bike rides and ice cream. And other crazy intense moments. Times that had taken him to possibilities he never would’ve considered otherwise. Marriage. Being a father to another guy’s baby. Giving up Liberty.

  Every moment anchored around the first girl he’d ever loved.

  A breathtaking girl with long dark hair and piercing blue eyes and a laugh that sounded like summer and sunshine all mixed together. Even on the coldest winter day. A girl with a song on her voice and a heartbreaking past. The girl who would forever be his first love, his first crush. His first kiss. The girl he would never forget as long as he lived.

  Elise Walker.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  No book comes together without a great deal of teamwork, passion and determination. That was definitely true for Two Weeks! Weeks of debate were spent over whether the title worked, and if it would resonate with you. Same with the cover image. We knew something great was going to happen with this book because it took so long to pull together what you now hold in your hands.

  On that note, I can’t leave Two Weeks and the tearful, beautiful experience it has been for me without thanking the people who made it possible.

  First, a special thanks to my amazing publisher, Beth Adams, Becky Nesbitt, and the team at Howard Books. Also to the team at Simon & Schuster—Carolyn Reidy and the rest of her gifted team who bring my books to you! I think often of our times together in New York and the way your collective creative brilliance always becomes a game changer. You clearly desire to raise the bar at every turn. Thank you for that. It’s an honor to work with you!

  This book is one of my favorites ever because of the talent and passion of my editor, Becky Nesbitt. Becky, you have known me since our kids were little. Since the Baxters began. How many authors actually look forward to the editing process? With you, it’s a dream. And always you find ways to make my book better. Over and over and over again. Thank you for that! I am the most blessed author for the privilege of working with you.

  Also, thanks to my design team—Kyle and Kelsey Kupecky—whose unmatched talent in the industry is recognized from Los Angeles to New York. Very simply you are the best in the business! My website, social media, video trailers, and newsletter along with so many other aspects of my touring and writing are top of the book business because of you two. Thank you for working your own dreams around mine. I love you and I thank God for you every single day.

  A huge thanks to my sisters, Tricia and Susan, along with my mom, who give their whole hearts to helping me love my readers. Tricia as my executive assistant for the past decade, and Susan, for many years, as the president of my Facebook Online Book Club and Team KK. And, Mom, thank you for being Queen of the Readers. Anyone who has ever sent me an email and received a response from you is blessed indeed. All three of you are making a tremendous impact in changing this world for the better. I love you and I thank God for each of you!

  Thanks also to Tyler for joining with me to write screenplays and books like Best Family Ever, a Baxter Family Children Story. You are a gifted writer, Ty. I can’t wait to see your work on the shelves and on the big screen. Maybe one day soon! Love you so much!

  Also, thank you to my office assistant, Aurora Galvin. You create space for me to write! This storytelling wouldn’t be possible without you.

  I’m grateful to my Team KK members, who use social media to tell the world about my upcoming releases and who hang out on my Facebook page answering reader questions. I appreciate each of you so much. May God bless you for your service to the work of Life-Changing Fiction™.

  There is a final stage in writing a book. The galley pages come to me, and I send them to a team of my most dedicated reader friends. This team volunteers to read my books first and fast, catching typos or other glitches that still remain. A big thank-you to the test team—Hope, Donna, Renette, Zac, Sheila, my sister Sue, and my nieces Shannon, Melissa and Kristen. Thank you for loving my work, and thanks for your availability to help out down the stretch!

  Also, my books only happen with the help of my family, especially my amazing husband, Donald. Honey, thank you for your spiritual wisdom and leadership in our home, and thanks for talking through books like this one from the outline to the editing. The countless ways you help me when I’m on deadline make all the difference. I love you!

  And over all this, thanks to a man who has believed in my career for two decades, my amazing agent, Rick Christian of Alive Literary Agency. From the beginning, Rick, you’ve told me to dream big, set my sights high. Movies, TV series, worldwide reach. All for God and through Him. You imagined it all, believed it, and prayed for it alongside me and my family. You believed. While I write, you work behind the scenes on film projects and my work with Liberty University, the Baxter family TV series, and details regarding every book I’ve ever written. You are brilliant and driven, compassionate and dedicated. I used to dream of having you as my agent. Now I’m the only author who does. God is amazing. Thank you, Rick, and thank you for praying for me and my family. That most of all.

  Finally, my greatest thanks to God Almighty, who is First and Last and all things in between. I write for You, through You, and because of You. Thank You with my whole being.

  Dear Reader Friend,

  I dreamed up the idea of Two Weeks when my youngest son, Austin, was heading off to Liberty University. When we were on the verge of being empty nesters. It occurred to me—what if Cole met a beautiful, deeply troubled girl, a girl in a situation similar to the one Cole’s mom was in before she had him?

  Not long after, I was on the road at a book signing, and a reader friend stepped up and told me that we had helped inspire her family to adopt an infant. “But,” she told me, “it was a struggle because we couldn’t bring him home for two weeks. In my state, that’s how long the birth mother has to change her mind.”

  Suddenly all I could do was think of those words: two weeks.

  My heart raced at the emotions of those fourteen days and the lives that hung in the balance on a single teenager’s decision. It was from that place that the story took root and grew. Before long it simply had to be told. And what a perfect way to show Cole as the guy giving Elise support during that time.

  A wonderful way to share in Cole’s final semester of high school before moving to college. I tell you, I cried when I wrote this book and through every stage of editing. It’s deep. It holds pieces of my soul.

  You may wonder about the poem Ashley read to Cole as he left for college. The poem is actually a picture book I wrote years ago called Let Me Hold You Longer. It’s available online and in bookstores. Tyndale Publishers brought it to life when it was only a poem I had written for my kids. And they graciously allowed me to use it here, for Ashley and Cole.

  As you close the cover on this book, think abou
t who you can share it with. A friend whose child is grown and heading off to school? A sister who can’t seem to have the baby she’s always prayed for? Someone struggling to make sense of a loss? Or just that person who loves to read.

  A book dies if it’s left on the shelf. So please share it.

  As with many of my other books, this novel gave you the chance to spend a little time with our favorite family—the Baxters. And now you are about to have the chance to watch the first season of The Baxters on TV. Something I only dreamed about back when God gave me these very special characters. The series is expected to become one of the most beloved of all time. I know you’ll be watching.

  You won’t find the Baxters in my upcoming book—Someone Like You. It’s a stand-alone love story that is perhaps the most unique, breathtaking story I’ve written yet. I can’t wait to tell you more!

  Visit my website, KarenKingsbury.com, to find out more about The Baxters on TV and about my other books. At my website, you can sign up for my free weekly newsletter. These emails come straight to you and offer pieces of my writing you will not find anywhere else. Sign up today! You can also stay encouraged by following me on social media.

  Remember, the Baxter family isn’t just my family. It’s yours. And with them at the middle of our lives, we are all connected. Until next time . . . I’m praying for you.

  Thanks for being part of the family.

  Love you all!

  THE BAXTER FAMILY: YESTERDAY AND TODAY

  For some of you, this is your first time with the Baxter family. Please know you don’t have to read any other Baxter books to read this one. Like my other recent titles, Two Weeks stands alone! But if you read this and want to start at the beginning, the starting place is Redemption.

  That’s where the adventure of the Baxters begins.

  Whether you’ve known the Baxters for years or are just meeting them now, here’s a quick summary of the family, their kids and their ages. Also, because these characters are fictional, I’ve taken some liberty with their ages. Let’s just assume these are their current ages.