Two Weeks (The Baxter Family #5)(86)

Ashley replayed Cole’s words through breakfast and as they walked him out to his SUV. How wise was her son? And how faithful was God to let this be how this chapter of Cole’s childhood came to a close?

Landon was beside her again, his arm around her. Strong, reassuring. Always there for her. He smiled at Cole. “We’re all coming for family weekend.”

“That’s right!” Devin punched his fist in the air. “We get to see a football game!”

Amy laughed. “We get to see Cole. That’s all that matters.”

“Right.” Janessa stood by Amy. She still looked a little confused. Like Cole couldn’t really be moving away. “And you’ll be back every Sunday for church, right, Coley?”

“No, sweetie.” Cole bent down and kissed her cheek. “But I’ll be home for breaks. Thanksgiving and Christmas. And a really long one every summer.”

Janessa relaxed a little. “Okay.” She didn’t sound quite sure.

It was time for goodbyes. Cole started with Devin and then Amy, Janessa and Landon. He saved his goodbye for Ashley till last. “Mom.” He searched her eyes. “It’s going to be okay. I can FaceTime you.”

“True.” Ashley ordered herself not to cry. Not now. “I’m happy, honey. You know that, right? Liberty is the best place for you.” She smiled at Landon. “Your dad and I have always thought that.”

Cole nodded. “It is. I can’t wait.” He pulled her gently into his arms, her tall son, and for a long time he held her. The way she had held him when he was a baby or when he skinned his knee when he was a toddler or a hundred other times.

“Bye, Mom. I love you.” He looked at her once more.

“I love you, too.” She stepped back and held up her hand. “Call us when you get there.”

“I will.” He climbed into his Explorer and gave them all a final wave.

Then he drove off.

Ashley waited until Landon and the kids had gone in the house before finding her favorite chair on the porch and letting the tears come. She wasn’t crying because she was sad this part of Cole’s life was over. The two of them—all of them—had enjoyed every single day. There was nothing to be sad about. Rather, they were happy tears. Yes, that’s what they were. Happy tears because she’d been blessed to ever have Cole at all.

Because God had spared him and because in all His goodness, the Lord had allowed her the privilege of being his mother. Ashley Baxter, of all people. And because even this morning her son had showed all of them his maturity and confidence. He was ready for this, ready for all that was ahead. And most of all her tears were happy because like Cole said this wasn’t an ending. It truly was a beginning.

The most beautiful beginning ever.

? ? ?

COLE HADN’T SPENT much time thinking about what this moment would be like, watching his home fade away in the rearview mirror. But now that he was living it, he could understand what his mother was feeling.

What his grandma Elizabeth must’ve felt when she wrote the poem about the lasts. He understood a little better now. Tears stung his eyes, but he didn’t cry. He was too excited to be sad.

He didn’t want to think about the past as he drove to Lynchburg today. He wanted to think about the future. The new beginning. Classes he was going to take and the tryout next week with the baseball team. And catching up with Carolyn Everly, a friend he’d nearly lost track of this year.

Yes, he would miss his family every day, and he would look forward to the time in the not so distant future when he would come home again on break. But things would be different. Because he would never be a kid again, never have that first day of middle school or the years when he’d played baseball for Clear Creek High.

Those were gone.

And so were the days of his final semester and the weeks of this past summer. Cole leaned back and kept his eyes on the road. The radio was tuned to a love song channel. Something he’d listened to for the last few days. And as Cole turned right on the highway on the way to Carolyn’s house, a pretty melody began.

He glanced at the console. Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were.” The tune was familiar, so Cole turned it up.

Memories . . . light the corners of my mind . . .

The song continued, every line speaking to the hurting places in Cole’s soul.

As the music played on, a thousand beautiful moments filled his heart. Beautiful and tragic and deep. The bowling and bike rides and ice cream. And other crazy intense moments. Times that had taken him to possibilities he never would’ve considered otherwise. Marriage. Being a father to another guy’s baby. Giving up Liberty.

Every moment anchored around the first girl he’d ever loved.

A breathtaking girl with long dark hair and piercing blue eyes and a laugh that sounded like summer and sunshine all mixed together. Even on the coldest winter day. A girl with a song on her voice and a heartbreaking past. The girl who would forever be his first love, his first crush. His first kiss. The girl he would never forget as long as he lived.

Elise Walker.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


No book comes together without a great deal of teamwork, passion and determination. That was definitely true for Two Weeks! Weeks of debate were spent over whether the title worked, and if it would resonate with you. Same with the cover image. We knew something great was going to happen with this book because it took so long to pull together what you now hold in your hands.