Chapter 7.29: Dear Diary, a Real Family

Did you miss Wednesday’s chapter? Catch it here: Chapter 7.28: Dear Diary, the Future is Yours, Dammit

Part 1: More Than a Surprise

Dear Diary, today Bram came over and asked if I’d like to go for a ride. Of course, my answer was a resounding yes! I never used to like surprises, but lately, if they’re from Bram, they’re my favorite thing.

The sky was bright blue, and I reveled in the warm air through the open car window, as Bram’s driver steered us off the main road. A short time later, we were driving through Sunset Valley, but following a narrower, winding road upward.

“What’s this?”

Bram smiled, but the way his fingers picked at a loose thread on his shirt hem, I knew he was nervous about something.

“You’ll see,” was all he said.

A little thrill of excitement bubbled in my stomach. If he was apprehensive, this must be a big deal.

After another ten minutes, the limo pulled up in front of a modern house set upon a cliff. From up here, Sunset Valley looked like a sleepy little town.

As we got out of the car, I asked, “Is that Crystal Cove down below?”

Bram reached for my hand, nodding. “I’m told this is one of the best views in Sunset Valley.”

I’ve never been to Sunset Valley, but I remember my mother telling me stories of a vacation she took here with her parents when she was a child. Her mother (my grandma Ellie) visited all the shops while she and her father (my grandpa Holden) went to the summer festival.

Since I was a little girl, I’d wanted to come here for a visit. Funny that I never had, considering how close Sunset Valley is to Twinbrook. And, where Twinbrook was falling apart, Sunset Valley was thriving, and still had that hometown feeling.

“What do you think?” Bram asked, his voice breathless as he waited for my response.

“Uh, it’s beautiful.” I smiled and squeezed his hand. “Did you rent it for the weekend?”

He shifted his weight to his other foot just like Kai often did, and licked his lips, clearing his throat.

“No, no, I didn’t rent it.”

I laughed. “Then why are we here?”

“Let’s go to the backyard.”

He took my elbow as I walked behind the house, careful to note anything he might trip on. The view took my breath away.

“This must be the best backyard in the entire world.”

“I’m glad you said that,” Bram said.

“Huh?”

He cleared his throat again. “Tell me what you see.”

I glanced to our right. “There’s a sailboat heading out past the cove. The water’s calm, and the bluest I’ve ever seen. You can feel the sun shining on us. It’s glorious.”

I took a few steps forward and looked down. We were definitely on top of a cliff, as I’d first thought. Sharp, craggy, gray rocks jutted out this way and that, hanging over the ocean water below. The crystal blue depths looked miles below us, and I put a hand over my fluttering stomach.

“It’s a long ways down.”

“So, I’m told. I like the breeze up here,” Bram said. “Kara, come back to me.”

When I rejoined him, he took my hands in his, caressing them gently with his thumbs.

“You’re acting really strange,” I informed him.

His smile widened. “I know. I can’t help it.”

“Well, I’d say you need to fill me in then. If you haven’t rented this house for the weekend, what are we doing here?”

“It’s mine. I mean, I own it.”

My eyes grew huge, and I had to remind myself to close my mouth.

When I didn’t say anything, Bram continued, “I wanted to show it to you.”

“Well, I see it,” I said. “Um, just when did you buy it, though?”

That question wiped the smile right off his face. “Kara, I’ve always dabbled in real estate, you know this. And, we were apart for so long, I never mentioned it the times I saw you. It was never the right time with all we’ve dealt with.”

It made sense, but I was still amazed.

He touched my hair, which I was wearing loose, then pulled me closer, his lips touching mine. The kiss deepened, and the world melted away. How was it I almost forgot where we were when we kissed?

When we finally parted, my stomach was a giddy mess.

“The reason I brought you here, well, I don’t like where you’re living. It’s not right that I’m sitting on my portion of my father’s fortune while you squander away in that place.”

The hair on the back of my neck bristled, and I stood up straighter, my chin tilted upward. “Now just a minute there, bucko-“

But he wouldn’t let me finish. “-Wait, wait, let me tell you what’s on my mind, then I’ll listen to whatever it is you need to say.”

“Fine. Continue.”

“Thank you,” he said with a small laugh. “I’ve never lived here, but I want to. I mean, I don’t want to.” He sighed, then said, “What I mean is, I don’t want to live here without you. I want this to be family headquarters. I want to marry you, and, and not live even another day without you.”

On the one hand, his words had made my heart bloom. On the other hand, though, I just couldn’t stay quiet.

“Bram,” I began, “the whole point of me hanging in with school, working, and then in the end, moving to that little rental house was that I needed to feel independent. I had to be able to say I did it on my own.”

He kissed my knuckles before he spoke, his lips tender and loving. “I understand. Do you get now, though, that you’ve done it? You did what you set out to do. Maybe it’s our turn to be together now.”

Finally, it made sense. We’d gone our separate ways, and even if things hadn’t turned out how I thought they would, we did have accomplishments nevertheless. Maybe he was right.

“I’m not quitting my nursing job.”

The smirk he often sported, the one that raised one side of his upper lip, spread across his face. “Why would you have to? It’s not such a bad commute.”

“Well, okay, then.”

“Okay, then,” he said with a grin.

Part 2: Five Months Later

Dear Diary, I love this house, and I love the man I’m sharing it with. When he said it would be a good family headquarters, I wasn’t sure. Now that I’ve lived here a while, I can’t think of any better place to call home.

It’s taken a lifetime, but I’m finally on the cusp of what I’ve always desired, and I can barely contain myself.

In other news, Bram has been working like crazy on his next cookbook. I’m fascinated when I watch him cheffing around in the kitchen. He may be blind, but he has all the speaking gadgets anyone could ever want. And he’s an expert; completely comfortable in his domain.

The chair with the pillow is mine. It’s where I sit when I taste test all his dishes. While I’m no expert, it’s nice to come home in the evenings to exciting new foods. We clean the kitchen together, then enjoy the rest of the evenings relaxing. Sometimes, I can even get him to rub my sore feet for longer than five minutes!

I feel ten years younger, and more vibrant than ever. It’s as if I’ve paid my dues, and now the time has arrived where I can lean into what life has for me.

Why does it take some longer than others to get to this point in their life? I may never know. It’s obvious that what happened in my childhood made me the person I am. And it’s been rough at times, but I hope it has been for the better.

“Earth to Kara.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you want to go to the beach this weekend?”

“That will be great. I’m making a fruit salad, do you want some?”

“Sounds good.”

I turned back to the orange I was cutting, but not before I licked some of the juice off my thumb.

“I just got off the phone from my director at The Inheritance.”

“What’d he say about you quitting?” My pulse sped up as soon as he said the name, and I held my breath.

He must have sensed it upset me because he put his hand over mine, taking the knife, and laying it on the counter. “Everything will be fine. I promise. They have no choice but to let me go. And, in a few months, our son will be home again. We’ll all be together at last.”

I snaked my arms around his neck. “Yes, at last.”

Kai would graduate and be home in time to see his parents get married. What kid didn’t want that?

Part 3: Four Months Later

But that isn’t what was going to happen. After Kai graduated, he wouldn’t come home, which also meant he wouldn’t be at the wedding. I was so shocked when he called to say he wished us the best, but he couldn’t manage an appearance. What on earth was so important that he’d miss this? I just couldn’t understand it, and it broke my heart.

I was met by a beautiful fire and a handsome husband when I came into the living room. We were dressed for dinner, but now, I hadn’t any appetite.

“That’s my favorite perfume,” Bram said, walking toward me. “I know you’re upset, I am, too, but it will be all right. He just doesn’t get how important this is.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I held them back the best I could. “I’m sorry, I wanted to have a nice evening out with you. I don’t think I can manage it, though.”

Then it was over, I was full on ugly crying.

Bram shook his head and mumbled, “I’d like to kick him right in the ass.”

That only made me cry harder. He pulled me into his embrace and let me get runny mascara and foundation on his nice suit.

When I was finally finished, I wiped my face with tissues, and we sat on the sofa.

“Let’s sit here for a while, and then I’ll whip us up something light,” Bram said.

I only nodded, afraid if I spoke, I’d be a bucket of melting makeup again.

We sat there the rest of the evening and into the late into the night, neither of us moving or speaking. It would be a strange wedding without our only child there. I hoped he wouldn’t one day regret his decision.

Notes from Kymber:

Can you believe there is only one chapter left of Generation 7? It will post this Wednesday. Then, Generation 8 will begin on Saturday! Woot! I hope you’re enjoying the story. 🙂

You may have noticed the characters’ eyes looking a little different and that is because I’ve been going through a save purge since we’re starting Generation 8 next Saturday. So, you are now seeing the new default eyes. I’m thinking about taking down my CC/Mods page because I don’t use half the stuff on there anymore, and what I do use never got added. If I do take it down, my WCIF page will always be up, and you can either contact me, or leave a comment to ask where something is from.

My pics today weren’t anything special, but I’ve been working hard on this. I’d like to thank Louise of NotJustaBookSims for patiently helping me sort out some DOF issues with ReShade. Thank you, Louise! The pics I took after fixing the problem are in next week’s chapter not this one.

Thank you so much for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting,

To those who celebrate: