Read Online Holiday Homecoming by Cheryl Douglas - Free Book Online Page B

didn’t start
overindulging until they lost their baby girl, Callie. “You were
trying to cope with our loss the only way you knew how, Trey.”
    “I know. I
spent years in AA tryin’ to come to terms with the fact that bein’
an alcoholic is just a part of who I am. Some days I still think
about havin’ a drink… like tonight.”
    Sierra’s
stomach clenched. She hadn’t heard him admit to being tempted by
the lure of alcohol in a long time.
    “I was so
scared. I couldn’t get it out of my mind, what happened the night
Callie died. I kept seein’ that look on your face, like you
couldn’t stand the sight of me. I know you blamed me for her death,
Sierra. If we hadn’t been arguin’… if I hadn’t been drivin’ too
fast, we never would have gotten in that argument. I wouldn’t have
lost control, and our baby girl wouldn’t have been born too
soon.”
    In spite of
what Trey thought, she’d never blamed him for their daughter’s
death. It simply wasn’t meant to be, and while it took her years to
come to terms with it, she finally had. The charity she founded
raised millions of dollars to help grieving families who lost their
babies, and immersing herself in the cause helped her to heal. Her
husband never found a way to come to terms with their loss.
    She reached
for his hands. The hands that had loved and comforted her most of
her adult life. The hands that made him a millionaire hundreds of
times over, made millions of people laugh, cry, and sing along with
his songs. He was unlike anyone she ever knew and the fact that he
chose her as his wife and best friend humbled her every day.
    “You will
never know how much I admire you, Trey. You think that I blame you,
that I hold you responsible, but you’re so wrong. My heart aches
for the pain you’ve had to endure because of what happened to
Callie. I just want you to let it go so you can be free. So we can
both be free of it.”
    “I always
thought that letting go of the guilt would be disparagin’ her
memory, but when I looked into that baby’s eyes tonight, I realized
somethin’. Life’s a cycle. Things begin and end when they’re
supposed to. I’ll never know why Callie’s life was cut so short,
but during the time she was here, she taught me to love with my
whole heart in a way that I never had before. Because of her, I
learned to love with no boundaries, and I think in the end that
made me a better husband, father, and songwriter.”
    She leaned
forward to kiss him, smiling against his lips when he held the back
of her head to deepen the kiss. “I’m glad to hear you say that,”
she said, touching her forehead to his. “Maybe your grandson can
help you to find what you need… closure.”
    “I think you
might be right.” He held her hands as she sat on the edge of her
seat waiting for him to continue. “Speakin’ of closure, that’s
another thing I wanted to talk to you about.”
    “Okay.”
    “I think I was
born with music coursin’ through my veins.” He smiled. “For a long
time, I thought football was my passion, my purpose, but when that
fell apart, I realized it happened for a reason, because music is
what I was meant to do with my life.”
    “No doubt
about it. Your music has touched millions of people, probably in
ways you can’t even begin to imagine.” Sierra had read dozens of
letters and emails over the years from Trey’s fans. They told him
that his music about love and loss helped them through a difficult
period in their lives. It gave them hope that things could get
better when they were on the verge of giving up and ending it all.
They’d listen to his songs over and over again, knowing the loss he
suffered, and came to believe that if he could find happiness
again, maybe they could too.
    “That’s been
the greatest gift of all,” he said, quietly. “Sure, the money and
the awards are nice, but knowing that I’ve touched people, that my
music has impacted them in some way, that’s the best feelin’ in