Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Elisa hugged Cassidy and then joined Sabrina. “I’m good. Henry is scary, by the way. Like do not piss him off. I went in thinking I would have to protect him. Nope. The CIA did a good job. He might not have killed a son of a bitch recently, but he definitely remembers how. I drove by the bar this morning. Lark and the others are already working to save what they can. It’s going to be a long haul, but it’s salvageable.”
She wasn’t afraid of some hard work. “And the school? I didn’t even think about it. I didn’t call and make arrangements.”
“You were going through some things,” Cassidy said. “There’s nothing for you to worry about, sweet girl. Del is stepping up. Rachel and Jen and Callie are helping today, and Laura, Nell, and Holly will take care of tomorrow. They hope you’ll feel like you can come back later in the week. And Stef was so freaked out you might leave after nearly getting murdered that he’s giving you a blank check for the library and promises he won’t make a single suggestion. I could have told him our girl is made of stronger stuff, but I thought you would appreciate the check. Maybe if you cry, he’ll throw in a gym. Your dad and I have been discussing how to train the next generation.”
Oh, she hadn’t even thought about the fact that her adoptive parents would view alien hunting as something to teach in public schools. She was going to have to find a way to turn it into a fun PE class. The idea of Paige Harper learning how to use various weapons scared her. “I’ll see what I can do.”
The next few years would be all about building. Rebuilding the bar. Building the school system.
Building her family.
The good news? She wouldn’t be doing it alone. Not even close.
Cassidy started to explain how she made the beet chips to Wyatt and Sawyer, while Mel nodded and agreed with her, looking on with all the love in the world on his face.
And Sabrina’s world went watery. “How did we get here? We shouldn’t be here.”
Her sister’s hand slid into hers. “Because of history? Sure, maybe our history set us up to be too afraid to ever take a chance. Maybe the woman who raised us wanted us to never leave home, to stay stuck in the life she chose for herself, but she made a mistake.”
“She met your bio dad,” Sabrina said quietly. “And it gave you the courage to completely change your life. And you gave me the courage to change mine.”
Elisa’s head shook. “No. You gave me that gift, little sis. You’re rewriting history. You found Mel. You tracked him down. You did it because I was failing. I’d beaten cancer but I didn’t care. I did it because I had to. Because I couldn’t leave you. Today, I would do it because I don’t want to leave any of this. Because I love this life you led us to. I might have been brave enough to follow the thread you passed to me, but don’t ever think I don’t know what it could have cost you. We’ve never talked about this. Were you afraid?”
“Was I afraid you would come out here, find a new family, and I would lose you?” Sabrina asked. “Yeah. I was terrified, but I knew I could also lose you to Mom’s never-ending darkness. I think if we’d stayed in that house, we wouldn’t have left again. We would have lived out our lives there like she thought we should. Instead, you came here and you found Van and Hale.”
Elisa’s eyes were bright with tears as she leaned against Sabrina. “And you found Wyatt and a big, gorgeous asshole.”
“I heard that,” Sawyer said from across the room. And then he grinned. “It’s accurate. Proceed.”
Sabrina realized everyone was watching them.
Wyatt sniffled a little. “I’m glad you got out, baby. And I’m glad I did, too. I’m glad somehow, someway we all found our way to this town.”
“I was born here,” Sawyer added needlessly. “I didn’t have to like take a journey.”
“Well, I was born here, too, son,” Mel said. “But then I was taken to the planet Araxia, and that was quite a journey.”
“I was born in Del Norte,” Cassidy offered. “But I was happy to find Bliss, too. And so happy to share a beautiful family with the man I love. I don’t think you should be so hard on your momma. I think maybe she had a disease she couldn’t deal with. I choose to believe she’s somewhere better, somewhere happier, and no one is prouder of her girls than she is.”
The tears flowed freely now, and she found herself wrapped in a hug from her sister. Then Wyatt joined, putting his head against hers and whispering that he loved her. Mel and Cassidy worked their way into the best bear hug she’d ever received. Only one thing was missing.