The Stars are on Our Side

by Jennifer Hartmann

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” Confucius

Love at first sight isn’t a real thing—I know that. But there is certainly a something at first sight. A jolt, a magnetic draw, a heartbeat that skips and a world that narrows down, focusing on nothing but the space between you and that other person. It’s a moment when intuition overpowers reason and butterflies burst to life inside of you, their delicate wings tickling your heart.

“The stars won’t let you fall.” Gabe leans over to press a gentle kiss to my hairline. His lips linger as his thumbs dance across my skin, and then he says, “I won’t let you fall.”

The thing is, hope can be a savior, or it can be an executioner. There’s no way to know which way the cards will fall. Only time will tell, and time is just as unpredictable as hope.

Life is too short to waste precious time on people who don’t appreciate and value you—family or not. My daughter deserves better.

I suck in a shallow breath. “I’m t-trying to fly, but…” “I’ll be your wings,” he says, smoothing back my hair, his chin pressed to the top of my head. “You don’t have to save yourself this time. You’re not alone anymore.”

“I think, sometimes, the things that frighten us become more bearable when you don’t have to face them alone,”