REBORN – Excerpt 3

Another excerpt from REBORN…and just days away from the official release….

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Beverly looked around the table.  Noah and Abby sat together, as did Rayner and Faith.  The talk was light, the laughter heavy, and the food was the best Mexican dishes she had ever tasted.

So she had seconds.

And then thirds.

She watched as the platters of food disappeared at an alarming rate, tracked the conversation, and drank more wine.  She felt Hudson’s stare on her and she turned to him.

“Everything okay?” he asked, taking a sip of scotch.

“I’m good, Hudson.”

She looked around the table again, envy whipping through her.  How she longed to belong to something like this.  It was a family, and she felt the pang of loss at losing her mom, and she wondered again if she would ever have a family of her own.

To her, a family had always consisted of one of the nuclear variety—a mom, dad, a kid or two, a dog and a fish—give or take on the animals.  Knowing that chances were high that she would never have biological children of her own had devastated her.  But sitting at this table, she realized that family came in many different forms, and the true definition didn’t consist of people from the same blood lines, but people who cared deeply about each other.

Hudson took her hand.  “You sure you’re okay, Bev?  You look like you’re about to get teary on me.”

She smiled at him and nodded.  “You’re very fortunate to have these people, Hudson,” she said quietly.  “Don’t ever forget that.”

“Hey, what are you two whispering about down there?” Noah’s voice boomed.  “Something the rest of us should know?  Haven’t you told Beverly that there are no secrets in this house, Hudson?”

Beverly looked at Noah, who was smiling.  He gave her a wink. “You’d be surprised at the secrets in this house, Noah,” she said with a grin.