she earned enough to rent an efficiency apartment and buy a secondhand Honda. Anna had many friends during her time in college, but none were so close that she shared with them the tragic story of how she’d lost her parents. It was still painful and raw, especially the loss of her mother and the nightmare of the panic attacks her death had caused. Those attacks almost crippled her as she blamed herself for her mother’s death even though she knew it was impossible for her to have caused her mother to have a heart attack. It just seemed that everyone she loved died.
If she learned anything from her parents, it was to move forward and make each day count, to never live in the past. Positive to a fault, Anna did her very best to stay upbeat, but there were times when she thought she might fall apart. One lonely weekend, beyond homesick, she drove to Corpus Christi to check out her old house and all the places that were once so familiar to her. She’d purchased a sub sandwich from Heavenly Hoagies, taking it down to the docks at Red Dot Pier, where her father had anchored his fishing boat, and her life changed. Almost instantly.
She’d been lost in memories when a giant of a man caught her attention. For a moment, she’d thought it was her father, then realized how ridiculous that was. Her father was gone, but from a distance this guy reminded her of him. Tall, broad-shouldered, with light brown hair streaked from too much time in the sun. There was a worn leather tool belt hanging loosely around his hips, his muscular legs were encased in faded denim, and a too-tight, faded Houston Oilers shirt clung to his chest. Mesmerized, she’d watched him as he carefully sanded what appeared to be a piece of delicate wood. She wasn’t sure of the type. Whatever it was, his long fingers touched it as though it were the most delicate object in the world. She was unsure how long she’d been sitting staring at him. Apparently it had been too long because he’d suddenly stopped and looked up, his eyes settling on her. He was the most beautiful male specimen she’d ever seen.
He tilted his head, as if in question, and she nodded, unsure why. She remembered the sound of the ocean slapping against the boat’s hull, the briny smell, seagulls plunging down into the water, their high-pitched squeal piercing the air as they swooped down for their catch of the day.
It was as though time stopped. Anna had no memory of walking down the pier to the boat, though she did recall that his eyes never left hers. Time was endless. Without invitation, she’d reached for the hand he held out to her and stepped onto the deck. “I’m Wade Campbell.”
“Anna Ross,” she’d said, taking his hand. She’d never experienced such physicality from a single touch.
After that moment, her life was a whirlwind of change. She returned to Lubbock, gave a two-week notice at the ad agency. Luckily, she didn’t have a lease on her small apartment. She packed what little she owned into the trunk of her Honda and, two and a half weeks later, she’d rented a dingy but cheap apartment in Corpus Christi. She wasn’t so lucky finding work in her chosen field, so she’d taken a job as a desk clerk at the exclusive Omni Hotel. Eight months later, she and Wade were married in a small ceremony on the beach. Her life was almost perfect, and not a day passed that she didn’t thank her lucky stars for her spur-of-the-moment trip to Corpus Christi.
For the next few years, Anna and Wade lived an ideal life. He finally saved enough money to purchase the shop he’d worked for, Woodworks. He specialized in restoring boats, yachts, and any water vessel that had any kind of wood. Though his was only a one-man operation, he made enough money for Anna to quit her job at the hotel. She’d saved enough for a down payment on a small house in Corpus Christi’s Bay Area. The location was safe, family-oriented, and they both loved the neighborhood.
Anna had a knack for decorating, and she’d turned their average little home into a stylish yet comfortable living space. With so much time on her hands since she’d stopped working, she discovered she had a special flair in the kitchen. Her mother had been an excellent cook, too, so she assumed she’d inherited this skill from her. Wade was only too happy to be her taste tester. She fashioned new recipes for desserts and special drink concoctions, smoothies and a variety of drinks using Texas’s famed Dr. Pepper as a base. She grew her own vegetables, herbs, and spices, another new skill she enjoyed. She relished entertaining in her tastefully decorated home and did so often, and the small group of friends they shared told her that an invitation to her dinner parties was in high demand from others in their neighborhood, neighbors whom Anna and Wade didn’t know as well as they did Joyce, Robert, Ashley, and her husband, Bryan.
Once a month, she hosted a cookout for the neighborhood. They made more friends, and Anna looked forward to planning and preparing new and different meals for them.
Wade and Bryan both became motorcycle enthusiasts. Anna wasn’t thrilled about it, but Wade enjoyed it immensely, and she was grateful he had a hobby that wasn’t related to his work. After a few months of riding a secondhand motorcycle, he’d invested in a Harley, and this became his only mode of transportation during all but the rainy season. Then Anna insisted he drive his old pickup truck that had been on its last mile when they’d met. He was due for a new set of wheels, but until they saved up, he’d made do with his old truck and new Harley.
They had been married over two years when she discovered she was pregnant. Wade had been ecstatic when she’d told him the news. Unlike many new parents, they chose to wait until the birth to find out their child’s gender. To Anna, this was part of the thrill of being pregnant. Their friends were astonished at this news but understood their desire to keep the excitement buzzing until the actual delivery.
As typical first-time births went, Anna was in labor for eighteen hours, Wade with her through every cry, every scream, then every push. He’d cut the cord, placed a tiny baby on her chest, and announced with tear-filled eyes, “We’ve got ourselves a little girl.” She’d been over the moon, seeing her little bundle of joy, and only now would admit that she’d secretly hoped for a daughter the first time around. Andrew Wade Campbell would have a big sister whenever he arrived, if at all. Or not—because another girl would be just fine, too. They’d wanted at least two, maybe three children. Gender really didn’t matter. Her love for Christina was enormous, so complete that she knew her heart would swell with love for each child she gave birth to.
The first few weeks were tough, but Anna was competent, patient, and madly in love with her daughter, so the loss of sleep and routine in their lives was worth it. She hadn’t suffered from any dark moments after the birth and for that she was grateful.
Soon enough, they would be on a better schedule. Until then, she made the best of their new lifestyle. Wade took a month off work to stay home with her. She cherished the time but realized that one of them had to earn a living. Her first day alone with her daughter had been uneventful, and for that she was glad. As the weeks turned into months, her days and nights became more routine. Time flew, and suddenly, one day Christina was four months old, sleeping through most nights.
When Christina turned two, they decided to try for a brother or sister. Months went by and nothing happened. After a year of trying, they both visited their doctors to see if either had developed any medical issues that would prevent them from conceiving. Both were given a clean bill of health and were told to stop thinking about getting pregnant, and most likely they would easily have a second child.
On the fifth anniversary of their daughter’s birth, Anna decided she would not have another child. It wasn’t happening, and after many tears, anger at her own body, numerous crazy how-to-conceive concoctions, she told Wade she wasn’t going to think about having another child. One was enough. Both were content with this decision. Secretly, though, Anna hoped that after having made the decision, she would get pregnant.
During Christina’s first semester of second grade, her life, their lives changed forever. Anna couldn’t forget that horrible day. She would never get over the loss though she’d learned to live with it.
She’d just
