Sophia’s petite frame and baby face deceived those who didn’t know her well enough to see her tough-as-nails backbone and take-charge attitude.
And Allie… Her eldest held her youngest babe, a tired motherly smile on her face with her oldest and middle child in front of her, husband beside of her.
Mary Elizabeth and Adam were on either side of them all, ever the proud parents smiling for the camera while waiting for the timer to go off.
But now Mary Elizabeth looked at the image and wondered how much would change if her belief about Bryson’s identity was true.
Not only with her family but between her and the stranger who would be her son.
If Bryson was hers, could they ever recover from the forty-eight years and the lies that had kept them apart?
Bryson had agreedto be Hadley’s date for Isabel’s upcoming gallery show.And since she needed more than the shorts and tank tops she’d picked up on a whim the evening of the funeral, Hadley packed Hershey in her car and made the two-hour drive to Raleigh.
She hoped that seeing the house would confirm her thoughts and feelings about her decision to move home to Carolina Cove permanently and finally give her closure on a painful past.
Hadley let Hershey into the fenced backyard to potty and explore while she gathered and checked the stack of mail that had come through the slot at the door.
There were a few condolence cards, a few bills, catalogs, but nothing urgent.Hershey scratched at the glass door beyond the kitchen, and Hadley smiled at the dog’s nose art left behind.The moment she opened the door, the dog scrambled inside and made herself at home, checking things out with periodic sniffs and quiet investigation.“So?What do you think?”
Hershey’s tagsclinkedas she padded across the floor and sat on her haunches, lifting one paw toward Hadley.“Aww, sweet girl.I love you, too.Let’s get this this done, shall we?”
Hershey followed Hadley up the wide staircase to the master bedroom.Hadley dug out her suitcases and overnight bags and began filling them up.She’d take the clothing today and call to get some estimates for movers to do the rest?
Frowning, she paused halfway between the closet and bed where she’d started packing.
Reality set in.Why bother moving anything more than her personal belongings?Where would she put it?
Nan’s home was packed to the gills with furniture.Furniture that better suited the house once it was painted and thinned out.
She looked at the massive king-size bed, the oversized wardrobe, and nightstands too modern for the house at the beach.
Hadley dumped the clothes on the bed and left the master, moving through the large house and looking at the furniture purchased with such care and at great expense.
The kids might want their bedroom furniture, but as she moved room to room, she realized there was absolutely nothing she desperately wanted to keep or couldn’t live without.
Every piece held memories, and she realized…she was ready to let them be just that.Apparentlythiswas a step toward closure as well.
The furnishings were beautiful, but she wanted a fresh start with things that didn’t remind her of her life here with Kyle.While her heart had been true, his actions had tainted the beautiful things that made up their home.
By the time she went through the entire house and made her way back to the bedroom with Hershey following her every step, Hadley felt as though a weight had lifted from her.
She’d gathered a few framed photos of the kids, the scrapbook albums she’d made of each of them from birth to now, and packed those in one of the suitcases along with the shoebox full of kid-made Christmas ornaments spanning the years.Those she’d pulled from the storage closet on the landing, leaving the rest of the Christmas items behind, even though Christmas had always been her favorite, and she normally decorated the house top to bottom.
She now stared at the bins and baubles, wondering how something she’d once thought so necessary and special could turn into something that now felt shallow and distant.
Once Hadley filled two small suitcases, she carried them down and left them at the foot of the stairs before going back to load up more.
Hershey ran up and down the stairs ahead of her, keeping track of Hadley as she packed her shoes and purses and clothing.She’d just walked into the kitchen for a bottle of water and a brief rest from the many trips when Hershey tipped her head and released a low growl.The dog took off so fast she skidded into the wall during her race across the tile floor toward the front door.
Hadley hurried after the dog, grasping her harness and stepping in front of Hershey as she peeked out to see Kyle on her doorstep—his mistress in the passenger seat of his car parked behind him.
Hadley braced herself and opened the door just wide enough to speak.
“Uh, hey.You’re home,” he said.
Hershey issued a low, dangerous-sounding growl unlike any Hadley had ever heard the dog make.Hershey tried to nudge her way past Hadley, and she struggled to control the large dog.“You act surprised.”
He held up a key.“Abby told me where the emergency key was.She forgot to take her noise-cancelling headphones and wanted me to get them and bring them to her when we go to see her this weekend at school.She said you were in Carolina Cove.”