The Summer of Bells: The Essences Saga - Book #2

Summer: Chapter 39 (Final)

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Chapter Thirty-nine

I’d like to say that I shed no more tears that night, and that I left Silas’ house with a smile and my head high…but that would be a lie. Twice, I had to stop my car and let the waves of anguish run their courses before driving down the street again. It was after ten when I pulled into the drive way. The windows were dark, but a flickering light shown through the living room curtains.

All the girls, except Nicole, were watching television when I let myself into the house. Their eyes turned toward me. Mae’s knowing grin slipped as she saw the tear stains on my cheeks and the swollen-red rims of my eyes.

“Sorry I’m late,” I muttered. I turned to hang my purse on a hook. Ashley was the first to reach me. I stumbled a little from her bruising hug, but soon four other pairs of arms enfolded me.

“We’re so sorry, Min,” Mae said against my left shoulder. The others exclaimed the same condolences. I didn’t need to tell them what exactly happened at Silas’ house, but they knew that Silas said something to make me cry.

“It’s okay,” I said, sniffing back more tears. “We’re just taking a hiatus for the rest of the summer.”

“What does that mean?” Melissa asked. “Sounds like more male crap to me.”

“Silas will be gone for the rest of the summer, working on some homes. It’ll give me some time to think about some things.”

“What things?” Melissa demanded. “Either he loves you, or he doesn’t. Don’t fall victim to the crap men say, Min.”

I pulled away from them. Melissa had reason not to trust the male species, but I still felt necessary to defend Silas’ choice.

“He asked me to marry him.”

Five pairs of eyes nearly disappeared as their cheeks perked up from joyous grins, but as the realizations of what it would mean for me to marry Silas filtered into their brains, the grins slipped and apprehension took up residence in their eyes. If I married Silas, how would I still live here in the House and care for all of them?

“Oh,” Melissa said. “Wh-…” She swallowed. “What did you say?”

“I said I needed some time to think about it. I love him very much, but…” I threw my hands up, not sure how to explain. I offered each of them a small smile. “How could I just abandon any of you? With Jennie gone, and now Nicole leaving, I’m only just making a dent in getting you girls ready for the big, bad world. Ashley’s the youngest. That gives me three and a half years with you guys. And six weeks until the end of summer to determine where Silas fits into all that.”

“That’s an awfully long time,” Ashley said, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “We’ll probably get another prisoner next week, and one of these days, a girl will come along that’s younger than me. Then where would you be in your plans? You can’t keep putting off your own life and happiness for us.”

Amber looked at her sister as though seeing her for the first time. Ashley, the oblivious embodiment of happy, go-lucky grins and laughter, seemed to be growing up before Amber’s eyes, and the realization pained her.

Tia spoke up as well, “She’s right.”

That was the cue they needed to start talking over one another, protesting my decision to “wait and see.” I put a hand to quiet them. “Like I said, I have plenty of time to think about it. For now, we need to worry about getting Nicole and her mother settled in. Silas told me they are moving in at his home until they can find a place of their own. During the next few days, we’ll be busy with that. So get on up to bed. I’ll see each of you in the morning, bright and early.”