Counting Stars (A Donnelley Brother's Novel) Read Online Free Page B

thing. One
day, I think I’d like to try. I’m kinda feeling envious of your
lifestyle right now . . . sigh . . .
    Reese
     
    To: [email protected]
    Subject: Getting to know you . . . getting to know me . .
.
    From: Gracie Donnelley
    Oh,
Reese . . .
    If I
were there, I’d give you one big squeeze. Now, I’m not going to
apologize for your loss. I’m going to congratulate you on finding
someone you loved so deeply at such a young age. The things you
learned with Derek are things you will carry with you for a
lifetime. But know that it is possible to love more than one soul.
You don’t need to let go of Derek—not when he made you so much of
who you are today. You simply need to heal yourself. You need to
find your way—a new path. And you will. I have faith in
you.
    You’ve
already taken the first steps in finding a new pace, a new path. In
contacting me, you’ve taken your first steps toward healing. I
would like to congratulate you on that very large and difficult
step. I am honored that you’ve chosen me. I have faith that our
journey will be an emotionally enlightening one. I don’t find it
coincidental that you contacted me on the anniversary of Derek’s
death—or that you want to spend August healing. I think you’ve
chosen significant times in your life for a reason and I also
believe, that because of the impact those times have had on you,
you’ll be in the right frame of mind for healing. I want you to
know I am neither intimidated by your grief nor uncomfortable with
it. Rest assured, I very much look forward to our time
together.
    And my
boys . . .
    They
have been exhausting at times (both mentally and physically)! But
they are great. Actually, I think they keep both myself, and John,
young. Every day that goes by one of them will say or do something
that inevitably makes my head spin. But that’s how I raised them.
Strong willed with an even stronger mind. Boy, my boys are
determined. When one of them wants something—they go for it with
everything they have inside of them. (Imagine that in the
sandbox!)
    Speaking of children—do you think you might someday want
kids? I understand this may be a sensitive question, but know that
children make the world a brighter place. And watching them grow
into adults with the values you instill, well, there isn’t much in
life that’s more fulfilling.
    Wild
Land Tours. Well, both John and I have always been active. After
school we would hike the mountainside, climb rock, and swim in
sometimes dangerous waters. We lived for it. We were best friends
before we were anything else and we decided that this was how we
wanted to live our life. Shortly after getting married, we started
a small touring business that had more success than we ever
dreamed. When I got pregnant with my first son, Logan, we knew this
was the life we wanted to give our children. So, we started
building a little retreat so I could remain home with the kids
while John handled the tours. For a while, we hired others to tour,
but when the boys became old enough, they began working the tours,
as well. We all love what we do. I thank the heavens a thousand
times over that none of my boys wanted to go off and become some
high class city lawyer. I don’t know what I would have
done.
    So,
that’s how Wild Land Tours became what it is today. We’re a family
and we all love to share our love of the land with those who seek
to know it.
    Gracie
    Gracie’s email made me
cry a river—before it made me laugh almost uncontrollably. Her
outlook on my grief made me see it differently. I was so thankful
for her not apologizing. An apology for a loss is a weak way of
skirting the uncomfortable. She made me feel like living
again—without Derek—was a possibility. She made me feel hope.
    And then she made me
laugh. I swear I sounded like I belonged in the loony-bin. As my
tears of grief bloomed into tears of laughter over imagining this
amazing woman raise four hellions in the sandbox, I felt