Page 26 of By Your Side

Dad comes in, sees us in near tears, and halts. “I, uh, I think I need to go work your driveway up some more. I think I missed a couple of spots.” His voice is gruff as he turns on his heel and heads outside.

We laugh, wiping our tears.

“You know, sweetheart, now that the house is underway and you’re feeling more settled, you might consider what you want the rest of your life to look like.” Her voice is cautious as she turns back to the counters. “Nora and the dogs are lovely. And I’m glad you’re making friends—but have you thought about companionship beyond friendship.”

Brows furrowed, I look at her. “Why would I do that?”

She turns to me, her expression matching mine. “Because you deserve to feel loved, and I know Scott wouldn’t want you to miss out on someone wonderful because you feel bad about the fact you’re alive and he isn’t. Freak accidents happen all the time. Life isn’t meant to be spent alone.”

My heart hurts at the mention of Scott.

Shaking my head, I’m vehement when I say, “I’m not ready.”

Mom gives me a small smile. “Life doesn’t wait for you to be ready. Sometimes it just happens. And I hope when it does, you don’t ignore it.”

A knot forms in my throat, so I nod. My voice is hoarse when I say, “I will keep that in mind.”

fifteen

Adeline

October rolls around and the weather is gorgeous, another heat wave coming in with the beginning of the month making it unseasonably hot.

The visit with my parents was wonderful and over too quickly. I wish they could’ve stayed longer, but they left with a promise to return for the anniversary of Scott’s passing.

It was hard to say goodbye when they left, but work picked up quickly and we completed my bedroom renovations and the bathrooms. It feels good to almost have an area of the house complete.

“Knock knock!” I hear Raelynn call from the front door.

“Hey! Thank you so much for coming to help!” Drying my hands, I toss the dish towel onto the counter and turn to smile as she walks into the room.

She does a dance. “You know I’m always happy to help, plus now I can see your new bathroom and the updates to the other ones.”

Grinning, I lead her upstairs. The work on the bathrooms just finished yesterday and I spent late last night scrubbing them from top to bottom and painting the first coat. I finished the painting this morning before I even had my morning coffee.

Raelynn looks in the renovated bathroom, her jaw dropping as she turns to me. “Adeline, it’s stunning! It’s hard to believe this is the same house. The work you’ve done, it’s just incredible.”

Pride fills me. I never really considered myself savvy when it comes to designing anything, but with my mom and Owen’s help, I love the way the plans for my house are coming together. “Just wait until you see the primary ensuite. It’s incredible. I can’t wait to enjoy it for the first time.”

Leading her into my room, the left wall has been shifted into just inside the door to make room for the bathroom. It stretches along the entire wall. Sliding the barn-style door, I lead her into the large room. Hearts practically form in her eyes as she takes in the walk-in shower with a massive rainfall showerhead and dual wall showerheads. Next to it is a gorgeous, freestanding soaking tub. The dual sink vanity is on the other side of the room. It has a ton of storage, and a white and rose gold quartz countertop complements the forest green cabinets.

I painted the entire room a relaxing blue-green. And finished it with oval mirrors with a rose gold frame. The new light fixtures are subtle, but they complete the space.

“I couldn’t have imagined how this would look, but it’s stunning. I’m so jealous!” She turns, her smile so big. “Adeline, seriously, this is just—wow.”

“I’m thrilled with how it turned out. There was a lot of work to get the plumbing just right, but Owen hired some amazing plumbers to come in and help get the job done on time.”

We head downstairs and smile at Kane and Stella sitting outside on the deck, waiting patiently to come in.

“And the property is fenced now as well, I hear. I guess the bathroom excitement made it slip your mind during all our coffee dates,” she teases.

Nothing goes unnoticed in a small town, something I’m still getting used to. “Oops.” Grinning, I shrug. “I think because it didn’t disrupt my day-to-day life, I didn’t really think about it aside from feeling more secure about the dogs being outside unsupervised.”

“They’re definitely quite the welcoming committee.” Raelynn grimaces, recalling the first time she came over after Owen brought them. They had trapped her in her car just inside the gate.

We laugh. They adore her now, but it made me happy to see how diligent they were in protecting the property. They weren’t aggressive, just vigilant.

We sit down and I show her the plans for the main floor. I want to redo the kitchen completely and give the fireplace a significant upgrade. The rest of the space doesn’t need too much work.

---