Echo

Chapter 15

-------10 years later------

"They are adorable." Alison said.

"We sure think so." I agreed smiling. "I'm glad you came to visit."

"Well who would say no to a trip to Hawaii." Alison laughed.

In the year after after I returned home I had become really good friends with Alison and her wife Rose.

After about a year, I told Luke that I just couldn't live in the same place anymore, there was just to many reminders of the past and people always looking at me like I was damaged.

So we moved to Hawaii and have been here for 9 years. Three years after we moved I gave birth to a baby girl who we named Aleah. Two years after that we welcomed our other daughter, Nayla into our little family.

"How old are they now?" Rose asked sitting in the sand next to Alison.

"Aleah is 6 now and Nayla just turned 4." I answered as I watched the girls play in the ocean with our dog Buddy never leaving their sides.

"So.." Alison said awkwardly "Luke said you are flying Braxton and his family down for a week... Are you excited about that?"

"I'm, a little nervous.. After they were made aware of everything that went down 10 years ago, they wanted nothing to do with me. He's really known since that day but he's 16 now and asking more questions. I guess they finally realized it was over and wasn't the threat." I answered.

"I can understand that, I'm sure it would be hard for adoptive parents when their kid wants to meet their real parents."

"I'm sure it would be, but I'm not here to replace them. I hope they understand that."

"And Karlie is coming to stay for the summer?"

"She is." I said excitedly "her family has always been great about her wanting to know me, for some reason ever since Karlie was found and told them what happened, they've always treated me like I was a part of the family."

"I think that's very nice of them, not many people would do that." Alison said. "I just want to know where you're getting all your money to fly all these people down here." She said laughing. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Haha, ya" I answered. That's one of the few things I hadn't told her.

A while back my therapist had suggested I write my experience and feelings about all that had happened. It ended up turning into something I thought might actually help other people that had gone through something similar. Apparently others thought so to as it was later published and quickly became a best seller under the pen name of London Bailey.