AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Noah," Micah says, voice thick with emotion.
"Noah Collins James," Hollys says, smiling up at Micah.
"Colin? As in...Collins?" I ask.
Holly nods. "Evie saved me. Without her, I wouldn't be here. We wouldn't have met. And Noah wouldn't have ever been born." Well that's about the most perfect thing I've ever heard. Giving the baby Evie's last name for a middle one is beautiful.
"How did Evie react?" Cara asks.
Micah grins. "Tears. Snot. Hugs."
Laughing, we drift into silence. Holly's eyes travel between Cara and I, and I brace myself.
"So," she says quietly, "heard you and Nick are a couple. Congratulations. He's a wonderful man."
"Thank you. And yes, he is." She's the first person to actually congratulate me in front of Cara. To be happy for us right out loud and I have to take a few deep breaths to settle myself. I really needed to hear that someone was happy for us.
Cara's tension ratchets up, and out of the corner of my eye I see her lips pressed together. Holly doesn't miss it either, gaze arrowing in on Cara.
"You're not happy about this? Why?"
Cara, so full of reasons why this wasn't okay, seems to have settled on one between then and now. "It's too soon."
"Too soon since they met? You and Declan circled each other for years, so I guess I can see how you might think that."
"It's not about that," Cara replies, fingers clutched tight to the purse on her lap. "It's only been six months. It's too soon."
Holly nods, looking thoughtful. "I see." She turns to me, studying my face. "You've been going to counseling?" I nod. "You're feeling stronger?" I nod again. "You're making this decision from the clearest, most knowing part of you?"
I haven't heard it put that way, but now that she has, it all clicks. "Yes, I am. When I'm with Nick, I'm more me than I have been in a really long time. When we're together, I feel...peaceful, but also really energized."
"That all sounds really good," she murmurs, bringing her son's tiny hand to her lips, pressing a soft kiss there. "Cara, what's the problem, then? Sounds like Bree has made a very clear choice. Why can't you get behind it?"
She just came out and flat out asked her. Little Holly is a badass. Of course, I already knew that. She just pushed that baby out, and looks like she could do it again. Women are tough.
Cara seems at a loss for words, but her face speaks volumes. The worry, fear and pain in her eyes is hard to look at. She doesn't let me see it very often, and I want to reach for her, to hold her. But I can also see the big neon 'stay away' sign flashing above her head.
Holly sees it all too. "There's no expiry date on trauma, Cara," Holly says softly. "Everybody is different. I was away from my husband for years before I felt like me. It wasn't until Becca’s class that I started to feel stronger. And when I met Micah, all my pieces came together." She and Micah are reaching for each other at the same time, their connection so powerful I can feel it. "There might be bumpy spots, but that's life. And we get through them together."
"Together," Micah echoes, pulling Holly's hand to his lips, pressing a kiss there. It echoes Holly's kiss on her son's hand, but it's also so much more. It's a remembrance of the tough times, and a promise for the future.
Cara's voice cracks, waves of emotions pouring out. "I can't lose her. I can't. I won't survive it."
I reach for her, pulling her into my arms. She hates breaking down, so she resists, but I yank her into me. "Stop being so stubborn, stupid. I'm right here. And every minute you spend worrying about losing me, you're pushing me further away. It's stupid and sad and you're making me crazy. I am right here." Tears are pouring down my face, too. I don't bother to wipe them away. "Be happy for me. That's all you need to do. I miss you Cara. I miss the way we used to be. The way we were in Miami."
"I miss us too," she chokes out.
I push her hair back, and use the sleeve of my sweater to wipe her cheeks. "You need to talk to someone Cara. Someone who can help you work through all these fears. It helps, I promise it does. Because I can't take the weight of your fears anymore. I have too many of my own to deal with. But I can give you the name of a really good counselor."
"I have one," she mumbles, resting her cheek on my shoulder.
"Have you been ghosting them?"
"Yeah," she admits with a sigh.
I laugh and drop my cheek to the top of her head. "So how about you call them and make an appointment?"
"Okay," she says tiredly, not moving from her spot on my shoulder.
