Two Weeks (The Baxter Family #5)(85)

“Girls.” He shook his head, still laughing. “Carolyn Everly texted me. Her car broke down. Like completely.”

“Her dad thinks it’s the transmission.” Landon chuckled. “So good thing Cole’s SUV isn’t totally full.”

The situation finally made sense. “You’re taking Carolyn to Liberty?”

“Looks like it.” Cole shook his head, a silly dazed look on his face. “We’ll be packed to the roof, but her dad says he’ll make sure we’re safe.”

Landon checked his watch. “We better get this breakfast going. It’ll take you nine hours to get to Lynchburg once you and Carolyn hit the road.”

Ashley’s head was spinning. Carolyn Everly? How had she missed the fact that Carolyn was going to Liberty? She had been one of Cole’s friends all through school. This new development filled Ashley’s heart with possibilities, but she didn’t voice them. There were years for God to shape things with Cole and Carolyn, or whomever He might bring into Cole’s life.

Even possibly Elise somewhere down the road.

They gathered around the dining room table and Cole hugged Amy first. “Look at this! It’s a feast. Thank you, Amy.” Next he gave Devin a hug and Janessa. “Thanks, you two. I’ll always remember this.”

Their three youngest basked in the warmth of Cole’s compliments, as Ashley shared a look with Landon. This was why they were going to miss Cole so much. He was the best big brother, and such a wonderful son. As the others took their seats, Ashley walked to the cupboard over the computer and pulled out the book of letters from her mother.

“I have something I want to share with you, Cole.” She sat at the table and opened the book to the page that held her mother’s poem. “A long time ago, your grandma Elizabeth wrote these letters for me and my siblings.”

The kids were listening.

Landon put his hand on her shoulder. Ashley was grateful. He always knew when she needed his support. This was one of those times. She looked at Cole. “Before she died, your grandma took a poem she had written for your uncle Luke the night before his wedding . . . and she rewrote it. She wanted me to read it to you kids the day you drove away to college.”

“That’s today for Cole!” Janessa didn’t look happy about the reality. She gave Cole a sad smile. “Unless you change your mind, Coley.”

A light round of laughter came from each of them. “So . . . before we pray, before we eat, I want to read this from your grandma Elizabeth. It’s a poem that speaks to a truth we all need to remember. The importance of every day.”

Tears sprang to Ashley’s eyes before she read the first line. Please, God, help me do this. Give me my voice. She took a slow breath and gradually her control returned. “Long ago you came to me a miracle of firsts. First smiles and teeth and baby steps, a sunbeam on the burst.”

Ashley looked around the table at Devin and Amy and Janessa and finally Cole. Then she kept reading. “But one day you will move away and leave to me your past. And I will be left thinking of a lifetime of your lasts.”

The next part of the poem spoke of those very lasts. It was all Ashley could do to get through it. “The last night when you woke up crying, needing to be walked, when last you crawled up with your blanket wanting to be rocked.” Ashley lifted her eyes to Cole and then back to the poem. “Precious simple moments and bright flashes from your past. Would I have held on longer if I’d known they were your last?”

Line after line, the poem walked through the life of a child. The very life Ashley had lived with Cole. The last at-bat in Little League, last soccer goal, last piano lesson. Last vacation to the lake.

“The last time that you need my help with details of a dance. Last time that you ask me for advice about romance.” Ashley could feel the sadness in her smile as she looked at Cole. “The last time that you talk to me about your hopes and dreams.” She hesitated. “Last time that you wear a jersey for your high school team.”

Landon put his arm around her. Ashley glanced at the other kids, as she pictured the moments her mother had written about. Almost as if she’d been there to see them lived out.

The final part was the hardest. Help me, Lord. This is important. Please.

She took a deep breath. “For come some bright fall morning you’ll be going far away. College life will beckon in a brilliant sort of way. One last hug, one last goodbye, one quick and hurried kiss. One last time to understand just how much you’ll be missed.” She held her breath. “I’ll watch you go and think how fast our time together passed. So let me hold on longer, God, to every . . . precious last.”

She closed the book and returned it to the spot in the cupboard. When she faced the table again, everyone was standing. “Mom.” Cole held out his arms. “Breakfast can wait.”

And with that, they formed a group hug and Cole led them in prayer. “Father, You know how much I’m going to miss this.” He had his arms around Ashley and Landon, his siblings tucked into the middle of the circle. A smile filled Cole’s voice. “But You also know that this family always has held on longer. Every precious last was something we appreciated. Because that’s what love does.” He took a breath. “So thank You, God, for this family. And thank You for the good times ahead. This isn’t an ending. It’s a beginning. In Jesus’ name, amen.”