Erin laughs. “Here, put these on. Then start pulling the dandelions.”
She hands me a pair of gloves.
Dandelions. I can do that.
“It’s so bright out here,” I mutter.
“The sunshine will be good for you.”
“Why did I have to take off my shoes?” I ask as I wiggle my toes in the grass.
“Grounding is good for the soul. I could tell you the theories behind the benefits, but I don’t think you are quite ready for that yet.” She winks.
I can’t help but chuckle. She’s not wrong. Erin’s got this whole hippy thing going on, and that’s definitely not my style.
To each their own, though.
“So how have you been?” she asks.
“I’ve been pretty good. Some days are easier than others,” I tell her as I pull the weed.
“How’s your sleeping been? We had previously discussed putting you on some medication to help if you hadn’t figured it out by now.”
I sigh when the weed snaps in half, leaving half in the ground.
“Gentle hands,” she says lightly.
“I don’t want to take anything.”
“Sleep is an important part of healing. If you aren’t sleeping…there’s no shame in admitting you need help.”
“Am I sleeping enough? Probably not, but when I am sleeping, it seems to be better. The nightmares are becoming less frequent.”
What I don’t tell her is that they are completely absent when I sleep next to Asher.
“Good. If that changes, though, you have options. You have nothing to be afraid of.”
I look around the garden. She’s got flowers and plants on one side and fruits and vegetables on the other.
“What’s that over there?” I ask, pointing to what looks like a shed but is made of glass.
“That’s my greenhouse.”
“So many plants,” I muse.
“They make me happy.” She shrugs. “How have things been with your family since you started making amends?”
“Better, I think. Things seem less tense, but that could just be me.”
“Do you feel more at peace?”
I think about it for a moment. “I do. Don’t get me wrong, I know I have a long way to go to prove that I meant it when I apologized to all of them, but it was nice finally saying it.”
“No one realizes how heavy it can make one feel having things left unspoken.”
I nod at her words. “It really does.”
“Have you started to feel worthy of their love yet? You’ve told me before that you don’t think that you deserve them,” she says bluntly.
