I catch sight of my wife’s expression. It’s been two and a half years and she still gets a soft look when Kelsey speaks and shows her happiness.
I watch as Gwen takes both of the kids’ hands and waddles as she leads them around the house. I follow them with a smile on my face. I look at Daniel as he eagerly points out how he wants his new room to be set up. My eyes next move to Kelsey and admire the many changes in her over the last couple of years. The once quiet girl that held so much pain in her eyes is now vibrant and outgoing. I then look at Gwen and feel my chest swell.
These three people have become my life, and with them, I’ve moved past the pain of losing Clara and Rayne. Through their love I’ve become stronger, and through me, I like to think they’ve become stronger. I no longer fear the loneliness of the future but embrace it with both hands, because I know it’s one that I’ll cherish living for the rest of my life.
Afterword
For more information on selective mutism please follow the link below.
http://selectivemutismcenter.org/whatisselectivemutism/
Acknowledgments
This part is always the hardest because I’m always so worried I’m leaving someone out. With that said, this acknowledgement is going to be short and sweet. Not because I’m taking the easy way out, but because I don’t want to miss anyone.
Before I give my thanks, I want to say that this story really touched my heart. Although it is fictional in its entirety, there are people out there that suffer from the same symptoms and issues as the characters in this book. I wanted to do justice to these issues, and I hope I’ve done that. I may not have experienced or know anyone that’s experienced what these characters went through, but I still felt every painful emotion they endured. These characters were my babies, and I hurt every time they did. I laughed when they laughed. I cried when they cried. And my heart sang when they found their happiness. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Now, on to the many, many thanks I need to give. I want to give a humongous thanks and big hugs to every single person that was part of this book. To my husband and kids, to my girls with the Seven Horsemen, to my street team, my beta team, and everyone that shared anything related to this book. To all the blogs and all the wonderful readers. THANK YOU! To my publicist, Veronica, and the rest of the L Woods team for working so hard for me. To Mikey and Andria for being my writing partners and sounding board. My editor, Olivia, my formatter, Tiffany, my cover photographer, Shauna, and cover designer, Marisa, thank you, thank you! There are no words to express my immense gratitude for everything everyone has done to make this book what it is. I can only say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and please know that each of you played a huge role in creating my fictional baby, and I couldn’t have done it without you.
Also by Alex Grayson
The Jaded Series
Shatter Me
Reclaim Me
Unveil Me
Awaken Me
Stand Alone
Endless Obsession
Consumed Series
Always Wanting
Bare Yourself
Introduction
Turn the page for the first chapter of A.M. Wilson’s At the Risk of Forgetting…
Cami has come a long way from the scared girl who left home at sixteen and pregnant. With hard work and determination, she’s built her daughter a dream life in Arrow Creek, West Virginia. As a single mom, career paramedic, and a homeowner, she doesn’t have time to entertain love. Or men. Or sex. Definitely forget about dating.
Fast forward
fourteen years, she stumbles upon her childhood best friend and love, Lawrence ‘Law’ Briggs, at the local coffee shop. A painful confrontation ensues and challenges her carefully constructed reality. Her strength wavers with Law’s reappearance as half-truths are revealed and memories flood through the barrier. Each encounter uncovers the remnants of their deep feelings, but the pain and guilt between them leads Cami to believe they could never work through their past. Dark secrets hold them apart. The deepest betrayal imaginable.
Her daughter was a gift she'd never regret, even if it meant she lost him forever. The answer seems simple, but it’s not. Years of hurt and suffering can’t hide that Law still loves her, but is that love enough?
At the Risk of Forgetting by A.M. Wilson
“I’m grabbing a coffee on my way in.”
Rain pelted my yellow umbrella as I rushed down the cracked sidewalk towards the only coffee shop in town. Of all the days for my car to break down, it had to be the day we’re experiencing torrential rain. Factor in that the tiny town of Arrow Creek had only one taxi, zero Uber drivers, and one bus that left at the ass crack of dawn, left my options at calling in sick or walking.