Page 136 of From Rivals to I Do

Although the memory of the trip with Rayne was great, I could not help but wonder if I had made a mistake. Does she still have feelings for Reece? After

all, that is Charlee’s father. Does she really like me? Questions start to flood my thoughts. I am supposed to run the company for my dad, and I need to stay

focused. Is this the time for a relationship? In the middle of my thoughts, I am interrupted by my cell phone. “Hello, this is Leonard. How can I help you?” A

strange voice responds, “ Hello Leonard, my name is Ebony. I am the RN taking care of your father. He has been admitted to ICU and has taken a turn for the

worse”. Speechless, searching for words, I instantly say, “What's wrong? What happened? Is he OK? Is he alive”? “ Yes, sir, your dad is stable, but his labs are

very abnormal and must be monitored closely. He wanted me to call you and let you know”. I say anxiously and with a sigh of relief, “Please let him know I am

on my way there.” We hang up the phone, and suddenly, I remember the last conversation me and my mom had before she passed. It's only been five years, and

I cannot imagine losing my dad.

I enter the hospital room and find him resting peacefully. I sat in the chair next to the bed, reclined it, and dosed off to sleep, thinking about my mom, dad,

and Rayne.

Chapter fifteen

Chapter fifteen

Leonard gives me a few days off after we get back so I can make a move to the brownstone in Astoria. Thankfully, our belongings have finally arrived, so

they are already boxed and ready to go by the time I am prepared to move.

“He was right,” my mother starts when she walks into the house for the first time. “This place is a mess; it definitely needs to be gutted and redone.”

I roll my eyes at her and kick her in the butt when I walk past her.

“There has to be a catch, right?” she asks after she walks around the entire house.

“I don’t think so,” I reply.

“This house should cost you at least $2500 a month,” she marvels.

I start cutting into some of the boxes and pulling items out. I’ve been waiting for these to arrive for weeks, and I am more than happy to have some of my

things returned to me. Thanks to my job, I have a new wardrobe for work so my clothes aren’t that important. I pull out all of Charlee’s baby books and clutch

them to my chest before opening them to make sure they arrive undamaged. Inside are handprints and footprints of hers from when she was a baby. There are

dozens of pictures of her growing up, her first Christmas, Easter, and Halloween. All of those memories laid out before me, and I can’t help feeling like I am

taking something away from her. Pictures of her and Reece sitting with each other and smiling, her sleeping on his chest, and her kissing his forehead all filled

this album.

I wipe tears away from my eyes before my mother walks back into the room and sees me crying. I don’t miss him. I think I miss the idea of a family and

Charlee having her dad in her life.

The house is mostly furnished already. Leonard told me he visited it now and then and intended to rent it out but never actually did. His apartment in

Manhattan is probably even nicer than this one, too. I imagine he lives in a massive penthouse with a skyline view of the entire city.

With the help of my mother, we unpack all of the boxes in no time, and the place starts to feel like home. One of my mom’s friends from church had agreed

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