“You look tired. Are you about ready to go?”
She finished her yawn and then dropped her hand to her lap. “I don’t want to miss the finale, though.”
“Yeah, I know, but it’s only going to upset him more. Plus, you’re cooking another human; you need the rest.” We had found out this morning that she was expecting again.
She really needed to find a different kind of birth control.
“You’re right.” She pushed herself onto her feet and then stood with her arms out. “Here, I’ll take him.”
After the handoff, I got up and followed my insanely sexy wife to the golf cart just up the hill from the dock. But before she could take a seat in the front, the finale began to pop in the distance, its colors bright and visible even from beneath the trees.
I kissed my son’s temple and whispered into his ear, “I love you, Andrew.” Then I drew circles on Kenny’s belly with the tip of my finger and said, “I love you, too, little one.” Then I held Kenny by the back of her head and pressed my lips to hers with such desperation. Even though we’d been together nearly two years, I still couldn’t believe she was mine. Every day felt like the first day all over again. “And I really, really love you, Mrs. Wheeler.”
“Yeah? Well, that’s good to hear, because I am beyond in love with you, Mr. Wheeler.”
Andrew chose that time to cry, reminding us that we were meant to head home.
Leddy’s Notes
This is going to get personal, so please bear with me…
I started writing A Crowe’s Song (the title had changed several times) four years ago. There’s even an interview from early 2017 where I was asked about what I was working on, and I talked about this book. But after losing over ten thousand words (and I couldn’t get them back or rewrite them), I beat the crap out of my laptop and decided to work on something different. I needed a change in scenery, so to speak. I had even told a friend “I feel like God is telling me to put this away and work on this other idea.” That other idea, you ask? I Do(n’t). So of course, the fact that my “other idea” broke Amazon’s top 20 and hung out in the top 50 for about a month only confirmed my previous “God wants me to” belief. I still believe that to this day. Except, I know now that it had nothing to do with I Do(n’t) or any other book. There was a very different reason this story had to wait to be told.
If you’re reading this, I can assume you’ve already read the book. And if so, then you know that it’s all about soulmates. Well, at the time I had originally started this book, I didn’t believe in soulmates. I believed there were people more suited for each other, but not that we all have one person who completes our soul (that probably should’ve been a red flag, but I digress). However, over the last four years, I had some success, went through a divorce, lost two of my best friends, did a whole lot of work on myself…and found the love of my life. He taught me what a soulmate was, not by telling me, but by showing me.
I wasn’t meant to write this story without understanding what it feels like to meet the other half of your soul. So yes, I believe fate had stepped in four years ago and made me put this one to the side, knowing that there was a much bigger plan for me, for both my book and my personal life.
So really, I couldn’t have written this book without you, Kev. I love the marrow of you.
Thank You…
Before I get into thanking everyone who had a part to play in this journey, I need to mention my family. My girls, you three are my whole world; you make me strive to be my best self. And Mimi, your unwavering support keeps me going. I love you.
Now, onto everyone else…
Kev: I’ll never forget the first time you told me that you’re proud of me, and the unimaginable happiness I felt at hearing those words. I’ve heard them before from other people, but it had never had the same impact. Your loud faith in me and my writing has given me more confidence than you’ll ever know. And I say “loud” faith because, baby, you are very vocal about how much you believe in me. I’ve never experienced that type of support before, and I can’t ever thank you enough. I love you so much.
Marlo: I honestly couldn’t have done this without you. I feel like you’ve held my hand through it all (four years is a long time to hold hands lol). You believed in this story from day one. You even tried many many times to get me to pick it back up, and I told you hell no every single time. And I know you think I told you no but as soon as Kev said it, I jumped at it, but that’s not it at all. I truly do believe that it just wasn’t the right time. And now that you’ve finally read the end of their story, I hope you agree. I love you, Lobs. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life, and I’m a better person for having you in it.
Crystal: You’re probably wondering why I’ve included you in this one. The truth is, I don’t think I can publish a book without mentioning you, whether you had any part in it or not. You were there before Leddy Harper, reading my (very horribly written) love stories and supporting my hobby. To you, I’m just Best Friend. Always have been, and I know I always will be. You’ve got to be the most supportive person I know, and I love you to death for that.
Amanda: New plan…we win the lotto and live out our days on a private island doing whatever the crap we want to. This way, neither of us will have to work. Just as long as we have air conditioning. And SPF 100. I’ll need those two things. Unless our private island is in a cold area, in which case, I’ll need heat. And a fireplace. And fuzzy socks. You in?
Sarah: I know that we’ve both gotten busy and we don’t talk as much, but that doesn’t mean I need you any less. In fact, I think I need you more now than ever before. I’m trying to do this on my own…and I’m pretty sure I fail more than succeed, but hey, what can I say, we all can’t be Sarah. Team Harpickles!
Lisa: Who’s the patron saint of Amazon? Whoever he is, I need to thank him for bringing you into my life. I know you say how grateful you are to have me in your corner, but that’s a two-way street, my friend. I’m very grateful that you offered to review for me, without that, I wouldn’t have met such an amazing person. Oh, and thank you so much for being my one and only beta reader lol!
Stephie: You were there at the beginning of this book. I worked through this incredibly complicated plot with you, and when I lost all those words, you were the one I called to cry to. You listened to me bitch and freak out, and then supported (reluctantly) my decision to set this one aside. And while I fully understand the purpose of your entrance and exit from my life, it doesn’t mean there aren’t days I miss that relationship. But I’ve accepted that it’s over, and that’s just something I have to be okay with. I think this book was my final tie to you, and now that it’s finished, I can finally put it behind me.
Ana Rita: You’ll never know how much it meant to me that you still remembered the prologue after four years. Honestly, the fact that you asked about it for years after reading it is what convinced me to give it another go. Your excitement over it made me believe that it was worth finishing. Thank you so much for that!