Etching Our Way (Broken Tracks 1)

“Yep,” I answer, popping the p. I hand her the envelope, taking a now sleeping Frankie from Clay’s arms.

“Oh my…” Harmony gasps, her hand cupping her mouth as she pulls Izzie into a hug, squeezing her. “The adoption…” Her eyes meet mine, the happiness and love shining so bright that it’s almost blinding. “It came through.”

“It came through,” I repeat, nodding at her.

Izzie and Harmony hold each other, whispering something while Clay stands off to the side, his head looking down at the grass. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but when he lifts his head, his gray eyes clashing with mine, I can see every single emotion he’s feeling.

He steps forward when Izzie and Harmony break apart.

“You’ve never been a stand-in mom,” he says, stopping two feet in front of her. His head matching in height with hers. The last couple of years he’s shot up. “You were always a real mom.” She sobs, her smile spreading wide before he pulls her forward, wrapping his arms around her. “I had that dream again,” he says, his voice a mere whisper, but we can all hear him.

“You did?” she asks, pulling away and cupping the side of his face.

My breath hitches, knowing the details of the dream he had over and over again where his mom would disappear all over again.

He nods. “Yeah, but this time… when she disappeared and the lights came back on... you were there.”

I pull Izzie closer, kissing the top of her head as I run my hand over Frankie’s back.

This. This right here is all that matters, and I’ll do anything and everything for them.

It doesn’t matter what side of the track you’re from or what has happened in your past—pain, sadness, anger—none of it matters when you have a love like ours.

That all-consuming, heart-shattering, kind of love.

Harmony’s eyes meet mine and from that one look, I can tell that her life is now complete. She may not be able to give birth to her own children, but we have three wonderful kids who will always see her as their mom.

She and Clay walk toward us and we all stand together, none of us saying a word as we bask in the fact that we’re a family—a legal one.

Harmony gives me a watery smile and pulls away, turning around to face the headstone before walking toward it and placing her hand on the top. “I’ll make you proud, Nat. I promise.”

There were many songs and bits of information that inspired us while we wrote Etching Our Way. Check them all out here.