Good things grow out of pain.The words were out before I even thought about them, spoken from a well somewhere inside me. They give me the confidence that one day, maybe soon, I will fully forgive John for what he did. It won’t happen all at once. It’ll be a small decision every day until eventually, the pain will lose all its power.
There’s no room for grudges in my heart when there’s so much love growing every day.
I resist the urge to tell him that his apology skills need work.
I don’t want to get mired in the injustice of the way he treated me or wallow in the self-pity I sometimes feel no matter how much I deserve to do so.
Not anymore.
I want to look at the beautiful things life has brought me and not focus on what it has cost me. I want to learn from the past without letting it destroy me, to focus instead on all the good that’s coming my way.
Because there’sso much good.
And even in the dark moments, because I know there will be more, I’ll tip my face toward the sunshine and remember that every storm has an ending.
Somehow, my life now is even brighter than before.
I look at John. Someday I’ll forgive him. For now, I’ll choose kindness. Even though he doesn’t deserve it.
But it’s what I want.
Chapter 37
I made this.
A week later, I’m sitting alone in the bakery. I look around at this thing I created. With the help of my friends.
It’s the morning of my grand opening—early, the calm before the storm. I’ve baked all the treats, stocked the display cases, swept the floor three times, folded aprons and towels and T-shirts with The Porch logo on them in our little retail corner, and now I’m going to take a moment to appreciate where I am... and all the things that got me here.
Before he went back to Colorado, John stopped by the space. After giving me a list of things I needed to think about or change, he looked at me, almost like he was seeing me for the first time. Or at least the first time in a long time.
“You’re... different,” he’d said.
I thought about all the reasons why I’m different, and I smiled. “I know.”
He nodded, studying me for a second, and then his phone rang, and when he stepped outside to explain to Misty why he wasn’t on his way to the airport yet, I went back into the kitchen and let out a relieved breath.
Because I don’t care about that either.
My new world? Filled with my new people?
In a word—sweet.
Lennon brought Eve by three different times this week, and while she never stayed long, she always made it clear she’s in my corner. Lorraine interviewed me for her YouTube channel, whichI took very seriously now that I know how influential she is, but also just because she is delightful, and I’m lucky to know her.
And Miles? He’s been an ever-present constant in the chaos.
Every morning before work, he walks me to the bakery. We pick up coffee, and I thank him in baked goods and brief make-out sessions in the pantry, hidden away from the eyes of the employees who started this week.
And after work every night this week, he’s picked up or made dinner, rubbed my shoulders, and kissed me senseless, though not always in that order. Tuesday, the kissing started the second he walked in the door.
I’ve wondered if I could cross out number seven on my list and count kissing him as my new hobby.
On Wednesday evening, Miles drove me to O’Hare where we were yelled at three different times by security because “You’re not allowed to park here! Move on out or I’m gonna have you towed!”
“My daughter’s coming home!” I yelled back as Miles dutifully vacated the curb.
When I saw Minnie walk out of the terminal, I rolled the window down and started yelling for her. Miles rolled his window down too, then blasted “Take a Chance on Me” through the speakers as he pulled over and put the car in Park.
