Ever Caring by Carolyne Aarsen

Author:Carolyne Aarsen [Aarsen, Carolyne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Misty Ridge Publishing
Published: 2020-03-04T06:00:00+00:00

Renee wanted to stop the tears and grief pouring out of her like waves. But it washed over her, mocking the self-control she had struggled to shore up from the moment she’d found out about her mother’s injuries. From that moment, she’d known she had to choose between her mother or her baby.

Tate’s arms around her created a haven and, as the sorrow subsided, a shelter she didn’t want to leave.

His voice murmured into her hair; his hands stroked her arm, soothing and comforting. Strength and security.

Her head felt hot and achy, and slowly she became aware of the dampness of Tate’s shirt. From her tears. She made a token effort to pull away from him, but his arms tightened around her.

“It’s okay,” Tate whispered, his hand pressing her head back into the crook of his neck.

So she kept her eyes closed, letting herself drift against him and the sanctuary of his arms. Just a few more moments, she promised herself. Just a few more seconds of letting someone else be strong for her. She’d had to carry so much in the past years, it was a blessed relief to just rest against the solidity of Tate’s comfort. To let someone else offer their strength, their support.

To feel a man’s arms around her.

Tate’s arms.

Even as her heart yearned to stay in this refuge, her practical mind told her that letting him hold her like this would complicate her life and cloud her decisions.

She curled her fingers against his shirt, her eyes closed.

Just a few more moments. A few moments of support and comfort.

But finally she drew on the self-control she had clung to all these years, wiped her eyes one more time, then pulled away. She pushed her hair back from her face, her eyes swollen and sore from shedding tears she had suppressed for so long.

Tate kept his hand on her arm, clearly as reluctant to let her go as she was to leave.

“When was the last time you cried?” Tate asked finally, his fingers making gentle circles at the back of her neck.

Renee wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand. “When the nurse walked away with Addison in her arms.”

“All that time.” Tate’s voice held a note of wonder. “All that time you’ve been strong, and held in your sorrow,” he continued. “Was there no one to comfort you?”

Renee swallowed down another sob, wrapping her arms around her waist. “Mom was unconscious in the hospital, and my friends all had their own difficulties.”

Mia was dealing with a shaky marriage. Evangeline had been dealing with a broken heart. Renee couldn’t burden them with her sorrow. Her aunts and uncles and grandparents had come to visit, but they all lived far away and couldn’t offer ongoing support.

Her guilt over what had actually happened, over how her mother had been injured had kept her from telling them the truth.

Tate trailed his hand along her arm, creating a light shiver that danced down her spine.

“It was during that time that I returned to my faith,” Renee continued.

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