Three years after his mother's death, Noah Reed is lost once again. Unsure of where to go after running from his problems for so long, he ends up back home, wanting a place to finally settle down. He's ready to tie up loose ends and to try and corre...
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I hadn't been surprised when Mia and Thorne had decided to ditch a traditional wedding venue and instead opt for a more personal and secluded setting to tie the knot: the river Thorne's mother used to take him to when he was a kid.
I think the two had unconsciously always known this would be the spot they'd choose to have their wedding from the moment Thorne proposed, as it holds a lot of sentimentality to both of them. This is the place Thorne feels closest to his mother, and this very riverside has always been a place of sanction for him. He even has a tattoo dedicated to it. As for Mia, this is the place Thorne tore down his last guard for her, allowing her to get to know him completely. Their relationship took on a new meaning in this spot, and it's going to do so once again in a matter of days when they officially get married.
However, nobody else here knows that this riverside is important to me as well.
The day I left Magnolia Heights three years ago, I'd hopped into my truck and drove with no destination in mind. All I knew is that I wanted to get away. Away from my father, the only parent I had left, who I'd felt like I hardly knew at the time. Away from the reminder of my mother's death in the town I'd lost her. Away from Blake, the girl I loved, wanting to remove myself from her life before I could destroy her just as I was myself. I needed to run; to temporarily escape my problems and ease my mind with the satisfaction of knowing that if I was alone then I couldn't turn anyone into collateral damage when I self-destructed.
So I drove mindlessly. And, for some reason, I ended up here.
I hadn't been thinking of Thorne, or anything really, at the time. I'd just bene driving in this direction, barely paying attention to the road. I'd blown through my last pack of cigarettes in less than an hour and had nothing else to take my mind off of all that had recently happened. I just . . . broke down. The tears welling in my eyes had started to blur my vision, so I'd pulled my truck over before I could cause an accident. Not so much because I actually valued my life, but because I could hear my mother's voice in my mind, whispering that it wasn't time for me to join her quite yet. My business here on earth was unfinished, and all sons have to learn to let go of their mothers one day. I guess I just hadn't known that day would come so soon for me.
I'd pulled over and when I looked up—through my tears—I'd realized that I was parked by the trail that led to this very riverside. I don't know what came over me that made me get out of the truck. I just remember walking down the trail, tears streaming down my cheeks as I approached the waterside. I cried for what felt like forever, sitting in the sand as I stared out at the tranquil water, feeling more alone than I've ever felt before.
I don't know how to explain what happened next. I just know it was my mother. That sounds crazy, yet it's something I can't explain as otherwise. A sudden calm had come over me as I stared out at the clear water, and my tears vanished instantly. I became all too aware of my heart beating, as if everything around me had stilled to focus my attention. Instantly, I knew it was the presence of my mother, reminding me in her own way that my heart was still beating. I was still alive. I had purpose. I was going to get past the hard times, even if it seemed impossible at the time. There was a reason for my existence. If there wasn't, I wouldn't exist.
