A Trip Back to Snowy Pines (Book II in the Christmas Village Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page B

loved her. I still love her
dearly, and I know she’s always got my back. But I was never safe
with her because she makes bad choices… men, drugs, finances. But
with you and Josh I was safe. I learned what I wanted. I learned
about the kind of love and the kind of family I wanted to be a part
of and I was always different after that. I was different than the
other girls in my neighborhood; set apart somehow. And so was
Chris. And that’s the kind of family we have, like yours.”
     
    Kellany smiled and nodded, but watched as
Lola’s face dissolved into tears. “So what are you thinking?”
     
    “I know what I’m supposed to learn this time
around. I just don’t want it.” She said, looking down and then
taking a deep breath before launching into her story. “Chris and I
got married young but I was in nursing school and he was in his
last year of college and already accepted to law school. I was
going to go to school part time and work full time and support him
through school. We had plans… but I got pregnant and he postponed
law school so I could work part time instead. I finished school
finally and I’m working full time and Ethan is in school now. So a
few months ago I was doing laundry and I found a letter in Chris’s
pocket where he’d gotten the acceptance back from the dean of
admissions and they were reinstating his application for law school
and prepared for him to start in January.”
     
    “And that’s not a good thing?” Kellany asked,
guiding her to a table at the coffee shop.
     
    “I’d found out that morning that I was
pregnant again. So I told Chris that I was leaving him because he’d
lied to me about law school and I took Ethan and we moved in with
my mom.”
     
    “You’re fifteen weeks pregnant. You can’t
hide that… at all. When I was fifteen weeks with my second one I
was showing by the time the stick turned blue.”
     
    “I’ve been careful. Mama knows. We’re not
talking about it, but she knows.”
     
    “So what do you think is going to
happen?”
     
    “He starts class the fourth of January. On
his own he can afford to work part time and go to school part time.
I’ll keep working full time until maternity leave and stay with
mama and take care of the kids.”
     
    “I don’t see how that helps anything?”
Kellany asked.
     
    “The morning I realized I was pregnant again
I told myself that we’d be fine. That life is what happens while
you’re busy making plans and we’d just work our jobs and raise our
kids and law school was a kid’s dream… just like my dream that I’d
see you again someday. And then I found that letter and I realized
that he still wants that dream. I can’t hold him back again.”
     
    “Lola honey it takes two to make a baby. You
didn’t do this on your own.”
     
    “I know that, but… I’m their mother. I made
the decision long before they were born that I’d never be the kind
of mother that I had; my kids would always come first no matter
what else was going on in my life. I’m in this with them… but Chris
deserves to have his dreams come true.”
     
    “And you think that’s why you’re here. You’re
supposed to learn that you’re supposed to leave your husband?”
     
    “It’s not that simple, Kellany. I was
completely sure of my decision and then I saw Chris a few days ago
and I’m hormonal and there’s a sick little girl at work and I was
wavering… big time. And then I woke up here and he’s living that
dream and he’s so happy and he’s so good at it. This is the life we
were supposed to have. Chris can still have it!”
     
    “No he can’t! He’s a father just as surely as
you’re a mother. He’s not going to be able to just walk away and go
to law school and forget you and your kids. If he can then he’s not
the man you think he is.”
     
    “Kellany, you don’t know the situation. You
don’t even know me! Not really, not in real life.” Lola said,
standing up to go, but Kellany grabbed her