A Mother's Love

How do you bounce back from losing the love of your life?

For Tess, it has been an overwhelming difficult two years of trying to cope with the death of her husband, Don. She also has to contend with a sixteen-hour work shift and a boss that makes her blood boil. Add to that, the barrier erected between her and her children, especially her daughter who she is certain that wishes her father was still here rather than her and you have a woman barely hanging on to her sanity.

When Diane accuses her of being selfish, not honoring Don’s wish, and trying to control her life, Tess is just about ready to accept that she should have been the one this life altering event happened to and not Don.

Diane is exasperated and unsure. Infuriated with her mother for withholding what is rightfully her’s— something she needs to expand her business and unsure whether or not she wants to walk down the aisle come December. Meeting an unlikely friend at her bistro, puts many things in perspective for her.

Can these women work out their issues and find reconciliation? How will the decisions they have to make affect their future?

Lose yourself in this new women's fiction series that includes friendship, love, and loss among the Hamilton family & friends. A heartwarming cast of characters that has the backdrop of Oak Harbor’s coastal serene landscapes and crystal blue waters.

Two Years Ago
“How could you do this, Don? We needed that extra income to be okay.” Tessa’s hands balled into fists at her sides, and she glowered at her husband.
Don sighed as he unraveled the tie around his neck before throwing it on the bed. “I said I would give it a try for a while, and I did. It just wasn’t working out.”
“You spent a whole year at that place!” Tessa threw her hands in the air as disbelief spread across her face.
Don released a heavy sigh. “Tessa, listen to me. If I had continued at McLennon and Sons, I would have been miserable because I’d be just another faceless cog in the machine with no real sense of purpose. That's not something I'm capable of doing. I refuse to be like them.” His eyes burned with determination.
Tessa’s mouth set in a grim line as she hit him with a fierce look. “Are you even listening to yourself right now?” she asked. “This was supposed to be a partnership, Don.” She continued pointing from herself to him.
“It still is,” he rushed to say. His hands traveled over his face before his fingers raked through his dark-brown hair. “Tessa, I didn’t do this to hurt you, but going to that place day after day made me feel like I was betraying everything I believed in, and I just couldn’t do it anymore…I couldn’t lose myself in that job— my real authentic self,” he stressed, eyes pleading for understanding as he gazed at her.
Tessa stared at him with incredulity. “Do you even realize how selfish you sound right now? Diane and Jake are both in college, we have a mortgage to pay off, and don’t get me started on the other bills that come every month like clockwork.” Her voice rose with each word as her frustration bubbled over. “How will your authentic self help pay for all of this?” She threw her arms wide as her eyes cut from him and flitted around the room. Her gaze finally steadied as it fixed on a spot on the wall above the bed, and her lips turned down. “I really thought you were finally taking things seriously, that the weight of responsibilities wouldn’t rest solely on my shoulders anymore, but clearly, I was wrong.” Her chin dropped while her head gently swung from side to side, and her eyes fluttered shut as disappointment settled in her chest.
“Tessa, look at me,” Don implored, stepping closer to her.
Releasing a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes, and her head came up slowly until she looked at her husband. Angst swam in his emerald-green gaze before it transformed into uncertainty. He slowly unfurled his lips, and his palms flipped up before he spoke. “I gave up my dreams to raise our children. I did that because I loved you so much, and I knew how much it meant for you to get your career started. I don’t see that as being nothing.”
“That makes only one of us,” Tessa huffed, her arms coming up to fold across her chest.
Tessa quickly averted her eyes at Don's hurt expression while guilt surged through her like an electric charge. She hadn't intended for those words to roll off her tongue, but her wrath and fury had long since prevailed over her ability to think logically. Her eyes studied the patterns of the rug beneath her feet as the silence became deafening. When nearly a minute had passed without either of them saying anything, she finally lifted her eyes to meet his once more.
“I keep thinking about how our lives turned out…all the struggles we’ve faced…the choices we’ve had to make. I don’t know. Maybe Dad was right all along. Maybe we got married too young and didn’t think about how our lives would fit together.” Her eyes clouded with doubt, and her lips drew in on each other. “Maybe we made a mistake,” she repeated in a whisper.

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