The New Ever After (The New Ever After Series) (21 page)

Peter and all five kids went to the book signing with Heather. The rest of their crew, including Tom, Mary, Janie and Jenny, met them at the bookstore. Heather’s family and friends were enough to pack the bookstore. When they arrived it was already standing room only. The owner greeted them and showed Heather to the podium. All of her peeps scattered across the back of the bookstore. Peter held George and Jenny held Emily. Heather set herself up in the front, and the owner of the story introduced her.

"We’ve
had a tough week, as you probably have heard, so I hope you don’t mind if I do something a little bit different. I'm not going to read from my book. I'd like to read something that I wrote yesterday. I think it probably sums up how I'm feeling and how I've felt over the last few days." Heather paused and caught Peter's eyes. His blue eyes held onto hers until she had to look down to read.

"I guess I'm one of those girls who is luckier than most
. My first happily ever after was with the boy I met when I was six. Honestly, we had disagreements over the years and said things we both regretted, but I only ever dreamed of him. I dreamed of marrying him, buying a house with him and having his children. And I did it all. But Hank didn't get to have as much time with us as we all wanted, and he left us without even saying good-bye. I stopped dreaming about knights on white horses because mine had disappeared. My happily ever after was gone, but not before giving me three beautiful children." Heather took a break and saw Hayes rolling his eyes and Gracie holding Peter's hand.

"But just when I thought my luck had run out again, it
appeared like an elusive rainbow that you keep searching and searching for. My happily ever after reappeared in a way that I had never imagined. Never in a thousand dreams did I imagine falling in love with Peter. For the universe to give me two great loves, that was more than I could have asked for. My love with Peter has been fast and furious and everything that my thirty-two years with Hank wasn't. Peter pulled up in his shiny blue Lexus and rescued us all. His love helped us heal our broken hearts, and he showed us, especially me, that we could be happy again. And of course he gave me two of the biggest surprises that turn each and every day upside down and right side out, our twins. We've become this dysfunctional family that has more love than it deserves. When I first met Peter he did something that no one had done for me since Hank had died, he hugged me. He gave me one of those hugs, the kind you can only get from someone who is so much bigger than you are, the kind that makes you feel secure and like you're protected from every worry in the world. The kind that let's you take a deep breath and relax your shoulders for the first time in 18 months." Heather looked up at Peter and smiled and then turned bright red. "His kisses make my stomach do somersaults. His touch gives me goosebumps. I love the spicy salty smell of his sweat after he's come back from a run. And I love the way his arms feel around me any time of the day."

There was an audible "Gross," whisper that u
nmistakably came from Henry.

"And then, on Monday, I thought we
had lost him. I thought I had lost my second happily ever after. I thought I had lost the only thing that made me feel whole again. I didn't want to lose my knight in shining armor. I cried and I screamed a little and I even threw up. I put my feet in the water. I turned on every single light in our house making it a beacon in hopes he would come back. I prayed and wished to every single thing I could imagine. And I waited. I waited for any word. I waited for any sign of hope. I waited for someone to put their arms around me again." Heather wiped away a tear. The audience was filled with sniffles. Peter was still. Still because he just wanted to hold Heather.

"And on Tuesday, I got a gift that was greater than anything I could have imagined
. I got Peter back. I got his arms with the tattoos that make him just enough of a bad boy. I got his five o'clock shadow and his blue eyes. We, the five kids and me, got this guy back who takes care of our every need. I realize that some people move through life without ever meeting their soulmate, and I have been luckier than most. I have a soulmate who adores every inch of me whether I spill wine on his food or burp during one of our first dates. He makes me be a better me. He's the glue that's holding us all together. And when you even have to contemplate for a second that you're going to lose the person who is welded to your soul, you change your perspective. When you get him back, the sky looks a little bluer, the water a little fresher, the wine slightly sweeter and the tick of the clock even more precious."

Peter couldn't stay in the back anymore
. He had to wrap his arms around Heather. He passed George over to his dad because all of the women were crying too much to help. And he walked slowly to the front. He took Heather in his arms and kissed her in front of the audience, which unbeknownst to Heather and Peter included Kelly. Everyone wiped their tears, stood up, and clapped and cheered. Heather let Peter's tongue linger in her mouth for another second and then pulled away.

"I love you, Mrs. Adamson," whispered Peter.

She couldn't imagine sitting to sign books now but knew she would have Peter by her side the whole time. The owner of the bookstore came up and thanked her adding with a tear that her speech was one of the most beautiful things she had ever heard. She led them to the signing table and Peter and Heather sat down and signed books for the next hour. Kelly stood in the long line and held out her book for it to be signed.

"I underestimated you, Peter
. I didn't know you were capable of being so in love. I wish the best to both of you."

Peter and Heather smiled and said thank you but moved right on to the next person. After the signing
, they went out to the infamous Fountain Cafe and had lunch with the gang. Heather was determined to go and get each of them the bracelets made out of sailing rope that she used to buy each summer as a teenager at the beach. They walked around town and got a hero's welcome everywhere they went. Peter was inundated with high fives and hugs. They were all thoroughly worn out when they got home.

Jenny, Heather and Pet
er sat on the couch with their i-devices after the twins went down for a nap.

"You are all over the 'net, Heather," announced Jenny.

"Oh no," replied Heather.

"Someone must have recorded your little speech
. It's even on You Tube."

Heather went to check Facebook.

From Elizabeth: I'm in tears
. That was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. I'm going to write a speech like that for Todd for our anniversary. Thank you.

From Tanya: Nice speech. Your boobs looked great in that SUPER low cut shirt.

Heather laughed
. Peter and Jenny looked up. It was not the reaction they expected.

"I
don’t want to care anymore. When I thought I was about to lose my husband again, I realized how stupid it was to care. I’m going to try to ignore it all."

It had taken 41 years and almost losing another husband to make Heather realize she didn't
want to care what anyone else thought.

"Something else I realized, I want to write more
. I loved sitting down to write that piece yesterday. My heart and my mind miss it. I didn't realize how much it helped me after Hank died, and I know it will help me navigate life now too."

Peter smiled
. For once, he was at a loss for words with Heather.

The rest of the
trip was like one big fat Maine party. It was filled with lobster and crab, sand and shells and lots of sun and smiles. After Jenny and Janie left to head back to the 2-3-1-1-3, Peter insisted the big kids try sailing in Sunfish. His boat couldn’t be retrieved but he wasn’t ready to sail again either. Not that Heather would have let him anyway. He hired certified instructors and had lessons for each of them. He didn't want them to be afraid of sailing because of his experience. Peter was happy to spend some quality time with his parents. As a single man, he popped in and out of Maine for quick visits but hadn't had this much time with them in years. He knew it was important and he cherished it. When the time came to head back down South, he had made up his mind that they would spend a good portion of each summer in Maine from now on. He told the kids and they all seemed to agree.

F
eeling that all was right in their world, with her friendship with Jenny almost back intact, a fabulous vacation behind her and her parenting batteries recharged, Heather felt like she could take on the 2-3-1-1-3 again. All of the kids went to sleep in their own beds peacefully after the 13-hour return trip. Peter suggested she head up to the tub after their drive, and he stayed down to go through the mail. She soaked in a luxurious bubble bath and decided not to question her life but to enjoy it.

Peter went through his mail and the family mail quickly. He found a letter addressed to him in a handwriting he recognized but couldn't place. As soon as he opened the envelope, he smelled the familiar scent and knew the letter was from Kelly.

Peter,

I made the biggest mistake of my life when I walked away from you. I'm not sure I'll ever get over it. I knew what you wanted. But I was too involved in my materialistic side. I couldn't see what was good for me or who was good for me. I thought I was picking someone who would give me everything I wanted. I chose the path to the easiest success. I chose the path to the greatest failure. If I had stuck it out with you, if I had listened to what you wanted, it would have all been different. We would have been living in Maine with our family. You wouldn't have gotten mad at me and gone out on that boat. You wouldn't have been lost if we were together. I'm still here...waiting for you to realize we would still be good together. I will always love you, Peter Adamson. I will always love you like I did all those days on the beach lying in the sand together losing the innocence that we had.

Love,

Kelly

Peter put the letter down and shook his head. He knew he had to show it to Heather. He didn't want to hide anything from her. But Kelly was bat shit crazy. He had never had the feeling that they would stay together forever. First loves rarely do. Although if he had met Heather in his twenties, he was certain they would still be together. He walked upstairs and found Heather just out of the bath.

"Read this." Peter handed her the letter
. Heather looked at it, read it and rolled her eyes.

"What is it with you and psycho girls?
Let's introduce her to Aiden."

Peter laughe
d. He was shocked that she was blowing the letter off like that.

"Are you going to respond?"

"No. I want her to leave me alone. I think ignoring her is best."

"Me too. Now go get in
bed so I can show you how much I adore you. I still haven’t gotten you back for tying me up."

"I like the sound of that."

Heather really had no idea what she was going to do to Peter. She scanned her brain to try and see if she remembered anything from all of the romance novels she had read over the years that might be appealing to either of them. But since she had never been the adventurous type, or even ever gone to a sex shop, she had no idea what to do. She thought about blindfolding him or running ice all over his body but truthfully it all felt like a lot of work. So she decided to take a page out of Peter's book. She was going to boss him around just like he did to her.

"Lie down,
” yelled Heather from the bathroom.

"Don't move.
I'm in charge," she said as she walked out and found Peter sound asleep. After driving all thirteen hours by himself, he must have been exhausted. Even too exhausted to let Heather boss him around.

Jenny was afraid to move about the 2-3-1-1-3 on her own in fear of running into Victoria. As soon as Heather returned from Maine, she went with her to the grocery store and to Target. Peter even went with her to Lowes in the unlikely event that they might run into Victoria there. They made sure she was not alone and never had to face Victoria.

Jenny felt like she could handle seeing Matt when he came to pick up the kids for dinner. She was fine discussing the kids with him but she couldn’t imagine forgiving him and didn't really care what he had to say. Matt was also very predictable, and Jenny knew he wouldn’t want to create a scene in front of anyone, especially the kids. Victoria was a wild card. You never knew what she was going to say or do, and she wasn't afraid of making a scene and then turning it around on you. That's what Jenny was afraid of.

A few days after they all returned from vacation, Jenny asked Heather if she and the older kids would come to ACAC, the
local athletic club, with her. Jenny's kids had been asking to go, but she had been hesitant because Victoria was a member who frequented the pool. Heather still felt guilty that she had not told Jenny about the affair right away. She also felt eternally grateful that Jenny had driven to Maine to help her, so she said she would go. Heather picked Jenny and the kids up. It was August and a typically hot day in Richmond. Heather knew there was no way she could sit on the lounge chair the whole time. She would need to get in the water. Her kids were thrilled to go because ACAC had water slides. The kids scattered into the pools and Jenny and Heather put their things down at some of the chairs.

Heather spotted her first
. Victoria was sitting next to the beach entry pool with her kids. After they got settled, Jenny suggested going over and sitting in the water at the beach entry pool. Heather looked at her quizzically. They would be dangerously close to the enemy, but she didn't dare question Jenny's motives. She just followed her. They didn't acknowledge Victoria. They both pretended as if they didn't see her. Victoria sat in her beach chair and started to get twitchy. Her head had a nervous shake, the same nervous shake Heather had seen a dozen times right before Victoria took an opportunity to cut her down. Much to Heather's surprise, Jenny started talking.

"I went to the doctor this morning."

"You did?" asked Heather wondering why Jenny had gone to the doctor.

"Yes, I asked her to give me a thorough check
. And she did."

"Good idea." Heather said
still not knowing what Jenny was talking about but realizing she must have something up her sleeve.

"She checked and checked and did not see any genital warts and didn't see any signs of them."

Heather had to bite her tongue to stop from laughing. "Thank goodness. I bet that was a relief after all the other tests she ran."

"God punishes evil
. I'm just glad the evil wasn't passed onto me."

"Me too."

Victoria called her kids in a high pitched, nervous voice. She started packing her bags and kept staring at her bikini line. Heather and Jenny had their lips inside their mouths biting as hard as they could to keep from laughing. Victoria left the pool deck within three minutes.

"I’m sure she’
s calling her doctor right now," said Heather. "Priceless. How did you think of that?"

"I’
ve had plenty of nights sitting up thinking about what I would do if I ran into her. I felt like that was the perfect thing to freak her out and I guess I was right."

"Hope not too many other moms heard us."

"I don't even care if they did. That was awesome."

Heather and Jenny stayed at the pool for another hour or so
. Without Victoria and with a little bit of revenge, Jenny was relaxed and it felt like old times to Heather.

When they left
, they all went back to Heather's for a barbecue. Heather could easily stay in her house and not venture out many places other than to get food or necessities. In hindsight, she was glad Jenny had suggested ACAC as the change of scenery had done her good.

When they got back to the house, they couldn't wait to tell Peter all about their little trick on Victoria.

"You two did that?" He was incredulous but proud. "You guys deserve a drink for that one. Go sit on the patio and it will be my pleasure to serve you."

And they did
. The kids were already in the pool. The twins were toddling around next to Jenny and Heather. Peter brought them one of his special margaritas and some tomatoes with mozzarella and basil. Heather took this chance to look around and examine her life. This summer had forced her to realize, once again, how precious every moment of her life was. She spent so much time caught up in the mundane details of everyday life and it brought her down. She put too much emphasis on those who were not important in her life. She was ready to be a mom, wife and writer and ignore the noise in the form of Aiden, Kelly or Victoria that invaded her space. She finally felt ready, after her summer filled with unfortunate incidents, to completely enjoy her new ever after.