Trust Again

Trust Again by Christy Newton Page B

Book: Trust Again by Christy Newton Read Free Book Online
Authors: Christy Newton
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Happy, curled up in front of the fireplace, Ellie felt like she’d just stepped into a picture perfect holiday.
    “That smells delicious!” Jacob told her.
    “It does.” Ellie nodded.
    Maisie smiled. “Thank you.” She kissed Milo’s head. “Dinner is ready, everyone is here. Let’s go eat.”
    Ellie slipped Milo out of his thick jacket. “Thanks for having us.”
    Mr. Oliver nodded. “You have a lovely home.”
    Ryan walked into the room. “We’re glad you could spend Thanksgiving with us. Maisie’s been cooking all day. Come on back.”
    They all followed Maisie and Ryan back to their kitchen and exchanged hellos with Maisie and Ryan’s families. Bowls of mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing and pies surrounded a perfectly browned turkey.
    Maisie pointed to the empty highchair next to her daughter. “We already bought another highchair for the baby, so Milo can sit next to Blossom.” The little girl dressed in a pink sweater dress and striped multi-colored tights was already finger painting her tray with mashed potatoes.
    Ryan pulled out a chair for his pregnant wife while Jacob fastened Milo in the seat and sat down next to him. Ellie took a seat between her dad and Jacob.
    Ryan cleared his throat. “Everyone is here. Welcome. A little tradition we have is to go around the table and say what we are thankful for.”
    Ellie had missed too many Thanksgivings with her dad. A sense of fulfillment filled her chest. She had so much to be thankful for. They all did.

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
     
    “Just a minute.” God, it was nice to hear a knock at the door and not panic. She glanced at the clock. Jacob wasn’t supposed to be there for another hour. She smiled and opened the door. “You’re earl—” Her smile faded as the woman she hadn’t seen since she was four stood in front of her. “Mom?”
    The tall redhead with lips much larger than Ellie recalled, grinned. “Oh, good. You remember me.”
    Ellie was speechless. Her mom had taken off when she was a little girl without so much as an explanation or a goodbye. Her dad was heartbroken. She could hear him crying in the middle of the night sometimes. Yet, he never said one bad word about her mom. He just told her that she was confused and maybe someday she’d be back. That she still loved them no matter what. Ellie had given up hope by the time she was ten. Now that someday was today. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words didn’t come out. Instead, she stood there with her mouth open.
    “You’re so pretty. Can I come in?”
    She stepped aside without a word. Her mom walked past her and sat down on Ellie’s sofa like it was the most natural thing in the world to do.
    Ellie walked over to the chair beside the sofa and sat down. “What are you doing here?” she finally managed.
    Her mom crossed her long legs and folded her hands on her knee. “I guess I owe you an explanation for why I disappeared when you were little.”
    Ellie swallowed the large lump in her throat. “Let’s start with why you are here now.”
    Her mom let out a breath. “Fair enough. I missed you.” She reached out to touch Ellie’s arm, and Ellie moved away.
    “You missed me?” Anger and disappointment had replaced her surprise. “Did you miss me when I lost my first tooth? Or when I had my first dance? How about when I graduated high school?” Tears stung the back of her eyes, but she widened them and blinked. She would not shed a tear for this woman. This stranger.
    Her mom nodded and hung her head. “I was sick, El.”
    Ellie pressed her lips together. “Don’t call me that. My name is Ellie. You have no right to call me anything but.”
    “Okay, Ellie. I was sick.” She licked her plump bottom lip. “I was an addict.”
    Ellie looked over at the lamp on the end table. “An addict? What are you talking about? Dad never said anything about that.”
    “It’s true. What did he say?”
    Ellie narrowed her eyes. “I’ll

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