The Things We Leave Unfinished Novel Free

She swallowed nervously, her eyes flying to Noah’s and back. “Noah invited me. I hope you don’t mind. I just wanted to be here to wish you a happy birthday and say congratulations. This is quite an accomplishment.” Was that really the only reason she was here? “You and Ian?” I asked tentatively. Had they…

I flew back through the album as her words hit home in a way they hadn’t when she’d said them. I passed her high school graduation, the birthday Ava had reappeared, and slowed when I’d backtracked as far as her first day of kindergarten. The pictures just before showed Georgia living with Ava, her eyes…

But the smile she gave me? Absolutely worth it. January 1942 North Weald, England Scarlett glanced between the small gift box on the table, her typewriter, and the dishes that lay piled in the sink. She hadn’t had a spare moment since breakfast. William had fussed all morning, and was finally down for an afternoon…

“I love you!” Only after she’d said it did he close the door. Scarlett rested a hand on her swollen belly. “Looks like it’s just the two of us, love.” She arched her back, hoping to relieve a touch of the endless ache at the base of her spine. She’d grown so large that even…

“Scarlett?” Constance questioned, the tray in her hands. “I’m okay. Just a bit stiff.” Constance put the tray on the table. “Would you rather take a walk? Would that help?” “No. I’m sure I just need to stretch my limbs here for a minute.” Constance glanced at the clock. “Why don’t we ring for the…

“I’m fine,” Scarlett promised, smiling up at him with a mix of radiance and what he assumed had to be bone-weary exhaustion. She looked unharmed, but there was a lot of her he couldn’t see under all those blankets. “Meet your son.” Her smile widened as she lifted the small, blanketed bundle. He sat on…

Her tongue danced with mine, and she groaned softly when I sucked it into my mouth. We weren’t just well-matched in bed, we were combustible, constantly catching fire for the other. For the first time in my life, I knew I was never going to get enough. This was something incapable of burnout. “Noah,” she…

Shit. The one thing I needed to win her over was time, and I was closer to finishing than she knew. Closer than I was willing to admit. … I finished the book-both versions-four weeks later. Then I sat in the office and stared at two files on my desktop. My time was up. My…

“Just open it.” He shut the door, then came up beside her, half sitting on the desk to face her. “It’s not my birthday.” She tugged one flap open. “No, but it’s the start of a new era for you.” She opened the next flap, and again, peering down into the wide box as it…

“You wouldn’t,” I said with a shrug. “Gran said it broke or something back in the late fifties.” “That’s too bad.” Disappointment flickered over his features. The doorbell rang again, and he took the candy bowl with a soft smile. “I’ve got this one.” Watching Noah hand out candy to another group of kids turned…