ALLUSIVE AFTERSHOCK (36 page)

I laughed.

Court turned toward me.
“Adela, I asked Big Blue how he felt if I became part of
his
family
because he is part of
your
family.”

“Oh.”

“Adela, I love you. Will
you marry me?”

I blinked. I didn’t
know what to say and just stared at him.

Then he added, “In a
few years, when we’re older … if you want to wait.”

“I don’t want to ...”

“Oh.” He nodded and lowered
his head. “I see.”

“No, you don’t. I love
you and marrying you would be the most wonderful thing in the world, but I
don’t want to rush into this.” Court held my hands in his, and stared into my
eyes waiting for me to explain further. “There are things I want to do. I want
to help my mom rebuild our lives and I want to finish high school.” I smiled.

“And then?”

“And then go to
college.”

“And then?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Get a
job?”

“And then?”

“Then I’ll marry you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“And then?”

“Jeez, what more do you
want?” I laughed.

“You want to have my
baby?”

“You’re pushing your
luck here, mister.” I teased, but I couldn’t stand the look of disappointment
on his face. “But yes, I’ll have your baby.”

Court picked me up and
spun me around. “Holy crap. I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

I closed my eyes and
snuggled into his neck as we twirled.
Reaching into my pocket, I stroked the soft fur of the little rabbit’s
foot Court made for me.
It’s funny how numerous aftershocks of an
earthquake can change the course of so many lives. If you asked me, it was the allusive
aftershocks that changed us so much and made us grow stronger.

~~
Acknowledgments ~~

Writing a book is no
easy task and without the people in my life and the support they give me, I
wouldn’t have been able to do it. Acknowledgments are also difficult to write,
making sure everyone I love is included and not forgotten.

My first thanks is
always to my husband, Bud. Thank you, honey, for giving me the opportunity to
do what I love and for reading everything I write, without making a face. I
also appreciate your mentioning my books to every complete stranger you meet,
which embarrasses the heck out of me, but I love it and love you. You are my
rock. To my daughter, Traci, thank you for putting up with my scatterbrained
mind when you visit or during a phone call. A huge thank you to my sons, Brodie
and Michael, for helping keep this country safe, I love and miss you—you are my
heroes in combat boots. To my daughter-in-law, Stephanie, thanks for reading my
books and giving your awesome support. Thank you, Jacob and Spencer for all
your support and understanding. I can’t tell you how much it means to me. I
can’t forget to mention the grand angels, Shane, Maddi-B, Lukas, Ethan, Elijah,
Eva and Avery. Thanks, Mom, for telling everyone you know to buy my books.

Thank you, Michelle, my
editor, you are the best. You make me laugh at some of your comments and most
of all you make me think! Love and hugs to my beta readers and awesome writer
friends, Rachael Wade, Don Martin and Amber Garcia, thank you for your
insightful suggestions, you helped this book make sense. Thank you to my good
friend and blogger Anna Dase, without you, I’d still be left on the outskirts
of the social media.

Susan Griscom was born
in a small town in Pennsylvania. She enjoys writing about characters living in
small quaint towns and tends to lean toward the unusual and spooky elements.

Today, she lives in
Northern California with her very romantic husband, her small yippy dog, and
humungous black cat. Her family consists of his and her children: four
wonderful sons and one beautiful daughter, seven grandchildren. Her greatest
love in life is her family and those large and ever growing holiday dinners.

When not writing, Susan
enjoys traveling. Hates running, but does it once in a while. Reading and
writing are her favorite pastimes.

To learn more about
Susan Griscom visit

www.susangriscom.com