Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
His declaration was so unexpected that it took a few seconds for it to penetrate my brain. When the meaning sunk in, I wanted to jump up and down like a preschooler.
“Do you really mean it?” I asked softly, a feeling of vulnerability coming over me.
“Every word. I love you, Willow. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but whatever it is we can work it out,” Rex said earnestly.
Giddy joy filled me. I took a step forward then threw myself into his arms. Rex wrapped his hands around me.
“I love you too,” I cried, holding him as tightly as I could.
“So, you came all this way to find me, huh?” I asked, overwhelmed by emotions.
“That was nothing,” Rex said. “I would do it a thousand more times.”
I had no idea how long we stayed locked in each other’s arms whispering how much we loved each other.
“You haven’t answered my question?” Rex said, drawing back to look into my eyes. “Are you sure you want me to enter?”
“Now you’re making yourself sound like Dracula,” I joked.
“I mean it, Willow. All or nothing.”
“All.”
He grinned.
But we hadn’t entered just yet. I had to kiss Rex to be sure that my mind was not playing cruel tricks on me. I touched his lips with a finger first, trailing it along the outline of his lips. He stayed still as I took in every bit of his face.
Then I went on tip toe and my mouth was on his. So much was said in that one kiss. I’ll never let you go. I’ll love you forever. We are a family.
“Willow, Daddy, are you ever coming in?” Kayden moaned, and we were so lost in each other his voice made us jump, then we looked at each other and burst out laughing.
53
WILLOW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lwDLjO-V7I
“Yeah, we’re going tobogganing,” Kayden shouted enthusiastically to the other people climbing the gentle slope of the hill with us.
“It’s his first time,” Rex explained.
They smiled back.
“You’re going to love it so much. It’s great to feel the wind in your hair,” I said.
There were already many people sliding down the snowy slopes as we reached the top.
“You’ll go with Daddy,” I said.
“No, I’ll go with Daddy, then I’ll go with you, then I’ll go with Daddy, then I’ll go with you,” Kayden shouted breathlessly in the bracingly cold air.
I laughed. “Okay.”
I made sure his helmet was securely on, then I lifted him and put him between Rex’s legs.
“Ready?” Rex asked.
“Ready,” he screamed, and off they went. I watched them hurtle down the slope and my heart was so full of love, I thought it would burst.
They came back up. “Quick, Willow. It’s our turn together,” Kayden said bossily.
I got onto the sled and Rex placed him between my legs. Once I was sure he was secure, we were off. Kayden was screaming with joy and even I couldn’t help but laugh at how infectious his joy and exhilaration was.
Suddenly, I heard Rex yelling, his voice urgent and full of panic. My hackles rose as my head swung around. I saw the runaway sled with the teenager sitting inside. His face was white with terror. He was on a collision course with us. There was no time to think. No time to act. He was going to ram into us. There was no way to stop it. All I could do was grab Kayden and hold him tightly with my body as a shield.
The impact when it came was like a crack of thunder. I felt nothing, just a jolt and then Kayden and I were thrown into the air. From that moment on, time ceased to work properly, everything happened as if in slow motion. I held Kayden tightly and let myself take the brunt of the fall. A sharp pain went through my shoulder, but I didn’t let go of Kayden. My body slid along the slippery surface. I tried to stop our progress down the hill with my heels, but the momentum was too strong. All I could do was wait for the bottom of the hill. I could hear shouts from the people.
When we got to the bottom, I turned Kayden around to face me and raised him up in the air. His face was white with terror. He stared at me with fear in his eyes.
“Your jacket is torn, Willow,” he whispered in a strange, shocked voice. His face was crumpling, and he looked like he was going to cry.
And in my head, I heard my mother say, “A stitch in time saves nine. Nothing is torn forever, my darling.”
I knew what the dream meant. My love for Kayden was the stitch in time, the thing that was going to heal me. I was not going to be torn forever.
I began to laugh.
Watching me laugh made Kayden stop in his intention to cry. He must have thought colliding with another sled and being thrown out of our sled was part of the sport of tobogganing, because a smile trembled onto his lips, then he too began to laugh with me. We were still laughing when Rex and everybody else came to find us.