Jordan,
I know I hurt you. I’ve seen it in your eyes, even though you’ve tried to pretend everything is fine. Take it from someone who has plenty of experience pretending, none of that will make any difference. It will keep eating at you, keep making your thoughts all twisted up and impossible to let go.
But I was lucky enough to have a husband who understands and cares and loves me unconditionally, friends who push me to get my own head out of my ass, and a wonderful family I feel absolutely privileged to be a part of.
And yet, I know that sometimes all of those things don’t make a difference.
Sometimes your mind won’t let you out of that tangle.
So, I’ve decided to yank you out myself—with a journey. ;) Hopefully by the end, with all the evidence, you will see you are not like them. I hope you will see all you mean to me, how much I love you, how strongly you’ve stitched yourself into the fabric of my soul. Forever.
That’s your first clue. Now here’s your second.
You started with a chain, then a slip, and a single and a double.
—Your love,
A
He sat for a moment, staring in wonder at the email, reading it through again, and feeling his heart squeeze tight.
He hadn’t been fooling her, not for a moment, had he?
Just as she hadn’t fooled him with all of her “I’m fine” nonsense.
Jordan hadn’t been able to sit back and watch her zombie-ing through life all uncertain and lost. Just as she, apparently, couldn’t stand to watch him unravel. Stubborn, the both of them, but also stubborn in the best way.
God, he loved this woman.
And he knew exactly where the first clue was leading him.
He closed his computer and walked into the family room, heading for the basket she used to keep by the couch, but was now kept on one of the built-in shelves.
Tucked in between two skeins—see? He had learned something from his wife’s crochet lessons—of yarn, was a small folded piece of paper with his name written on the outside in Abby’s messy handwriting.
Your clue is a wall we created out of love, one that I insisted upon, but one that you insisted was laid out in crisp, even perfection. Every time I look at it, I feel my heart grow full at what we’ve made.
His gaze flew up, locking onto the wall where Abby had nixed hanging his favorite painting and instead insisted upon hanging family pictures when they’d moved into this house. It had begun small—starting with just the two of them, then the addition of Hunter, then adding Abby’s pregnant belly, then Carter, then another pregnant belly, and then . . . a new addition that hadn’t been there earlier in the day.
The five of them gathered together on the couch, Hunter tickling Carter, Abby holding Emma, who was smiling, and him, his face turned toward his family, love shining brightly in his expression.
His heart thumped.
Then he walked over and grasped the slip of paper tucked under one corner of the picture.
I love you and our family, more than words can express.
For your next clue, go peek in on our newest and find her favorite lovey.
He smiled and quietly went up the stairs.
Then just as quietly, he slipped into Emma’s room, moving to the ugly stuffed dog that had once been Abby’s childhood toy and was now Emma’s absolute favorite thing to stare at. Currently, it occupied the rocking chair, another slip of paper folded underneath its right foot.
He opened it.
Our littlest is trouble, just like her mama, but I know you love us both very much. Now, for your next clue, find little squishie’s favorite book, and further that, his favorite page. :)
Jordan tiptoed over to the crib, brushing a soft finger over Emma’s nose. She frowned, just like her mom did when he touched her while she was sleeping. Laughing softly, he left her room, walked down the hall, and moved into Carter’s room.