Bring Me Back(98)

I cut everyone a piece and finally take a seat myself between Ryder and Ivy—who’s newly married to that guy she liked at work, Jeremy. Casey, Chloe, and Hannah are there too. Cyrus is glued to Hannah’s side. I’m pretty sure he thinks she walks on water. Casey has a boyfriend now too, and I have a feeling this is the one but she’s too stubborn to admit it.

“Hey, gorgeous, you have some cake just there.” Ryder points.

“Where?” I ask, about to frantically wipe at my mouth.

He grasps my face in one hand, holding Wyatt in the other. “Right there.” He kisses me. When he pulls away his eyes are lit up with mischief and our son coos in his arms, kicking his legs wildly.

“I love you,” I say.

I’m still in love with Ryder Cooper as much today as I was all those years ago. He stole my heart, and I don’t want it back. Not ever.

“Mommy?” Ava prompts.

“Yes, baby?” I look over at her, bouncing on her grandpa’s knee.

“How twill I know if my wish came twue?”

“You’ll know, baby girl.”

Her nose wrinkles. “I dwon’t tink I twill.”

“What’d you wish for?” I ask, my brows drawing in.

She opens her mouth to tell me.

“Wait,” Cole cries. “You can’t say or it’ll never come true.”

“Is dat wight, Mommy?”

“It is,” I say sadly, “but you can come tell mommy quietly and it’ll still come true.”

She hops off her grandpa’s lap and scurries over to me. I bend down so she can whisper in my ear.

“I wisheded fowr my daddy in hweaven to know I wuv him.”

My breath catches. I think I stop breathing altogether.

From the moment I found I was pregnant with Ava that’s all I wanted—for my child to love Ben even if he’s not here.

I hug Ava to my chest, fighting tears. “He already knows, Ava. I promise you that.”

“How dwo you know?” she asks, her blue eyes wide.

I smile. “Because, he’s here.”

“He wis?” Her eyes brighten.

“Yes,” I whisper, poking her stomach lightly. “You see these paper cranes?” I point to the ones on the table and there are even more hanging in the tree. She nods. “Every single one of those is a piece of your daddy’s love left here on this Earth.”

“Wow,” she breathes. “He weft a wotta wuv.”

I swallow thickly. “That he did.”

Ben may be gone, but his love and heart certainly isn’t it. He lives on in The Paper Crane project—which completely took off, becoming a sensation. Now, wherever we go, we always seem to find a paper crane. Each one brings a smile to my face and reminds me to cherish every single day. Life can be cut short in an instant, so make sure to live with no regrets and love with all your heart.





This book. This book has been ten years in the making. Ten years of starting, stopping it, deleting, and questioning whether or not I’d ever actually tell it. But in that ten years Blaire, Ben, and Ryder stayed with me. They waited patiently until I was ready to tell this story and then they burst forward and demanded that I finally do it—that I take that step out of my comfort zone. I know this book isn’t for everyone—in all honesty, as a reader, it’s probably not something I’d want to read (is it bad for me to admit it) but it’s a story I had to tell. Over the years this story took on many different shapes and forms—in most of them Ben wasn’t a main figure early in the story, but in my mind I knew him and it hurt me that readers wouldn’t know him. You can’t fall in love with a character you’ve never really met. So I knew that I’d have to build his character up before his demise and I also knew that it was going to crush me. I hope I’ve done my job right and that the emotions are there, that you feel everything I wanted you to feel as a reader. …And I hope you don’t hate me too much.

Regina Bartley, you are my partner in crime. Thank you so much for all the writing sprints and always being there for me to talk to. Your friendship means so much to me—more than you’ll ever know.

Hang Le thank you for creating the most beautifully artistic cover I’ve ever seen. It’s exactly what this book needed and I think it truly speaks to the feel of the story, which is what I wanted.

Wendi, formatter and editor extraordinaire, when I say I don’t know what I did before you I mean it. It’s such a relief to have someone I can rely on so completely. You’re a rock star. Don’t forget it.

To the girls in my Facebook group, Micalea’s Minions, thank you so much for all your kind words and help whenever I need it. Creating this group was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. This group has become my happy place and I’m so thankful for each and every one of you.

To my beta readers (you know who you are!) I can’t thank you enough for all your help in making this book, and my others, what they are. I value your opinions and input so much, and I love that you guys love my characters as much as I do.

Haley Douglas I don’t know what I’d do without you. I love our talks and how excited you get when I send you chapter. It always puts a smile on my face. And thank you for being my kinda-sorta-assistant since…you know…I suck at giving you things to do. Sorry. Haha!