“Don’t look so skeptical. Gavin made his choices. He was a big boy. He knew the risks in his occupational choices. But you did change his life. But we can’t escape our pasts,” Patty whispered in her ear as she leaned over the couch behind Lanie.

“But I gave up on him,” Lanie remarked.

“No, you gave him a dose of reality. It is tragic. He shouldn’t be dead. But his love for you and yours for him changed him and although I wish it would’ve come sooner, it came. He found his heart again. And he went into the next life having loved again and with the peace that he put safeguards in place to protect the woman he loved.” Patty clasped her shoulders and squeezed them. “Remember him that way.”

* * *

Isit better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all? Such a poignant and provoking question.

Lanie’s answer changed daily. Hourly. All in all, Lanie cherished the love she and Gavin shared. She would never wish it never happened. It hurt. Badly. Often. But it gave her comfort too. They had the real thing. Even if it was tainted. Be it his choices, or her hang-ups, or negative outside influences. Their love suffered.

Because of Gavin, she enjoyed living again. And to honor him, she intended to take advantage of her newfound enthusiasm and live each day to the fullest. And it included David. She believed it’s what Gavin wanted.

After returning to Florida after the memorial service, they couldn’t escape the media. Nothing ever released about Gavin’s escort history. But David and Lanie were constantly bombarded with requests for interviews. Together, they decided to sell the house and move to the west coast of Florida. They bought a beautiful, two-bedroom cottage directly on the beach. She loved it. He took a position with a new real estate development firm. Lanie missed working and decided to use her recently acquired skills as a bartender at another upscale restaurant.

Hunter had a shorter commute to their new residence from school and he took advantage of it. He started coming for a visit every other weekend. And Lanie loved it. Amanda joined him most trips. They introduced her and David to Mario Party on a game system, and they gathered around the television playing and laughing when they came. Her house became a home again.

For now, Lanie appreciated what and who she had in her life. Looking beyond the present freaked her out. She wanted to make the most of every moment. So, she did. And she thanked Gavin every night when she closed her eyes and every morning when she opened them.

Tags: Sheri Lynn Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net