Read Turn Towards the Sun: Book Three- Forever in Bloom (The Sunflower Trilogy) for Free Online Page B

at the hotel. Will you be okay for a few hours?”
    “Of course, my love. I’ll be fine. I’ll just grab a book and go out on the patio to get some sun.” I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and slide out, suddenly realizing how enormous our bed really is. It makes me laugh softly.
    “What’s funny, amore?” Enzo asks.
    “Everything in our world is larger than life, even our bed. It just struck me funny.”
    “Well, I’m pleased to see a smile on your face.” Enzo walks towards me and wraps his arms around me, pulling me in close. “I love your smile. I adore everything about you.”
    “I know. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
    He leans in and kisses me, so soft and sweet on my lips. I feel myself holding my breath for just a moment, absorbing his closeness to me. I hope I never tire of this man’s kisses.
    “Ciao, amore.”
    “Ciao, Enzo.”
    I watch my husband leave the room then walk to the dresser to find my swimsuit. It’s only March, but warm enough in Arizona to sunbathe and yet another reason why I moved here. I slide into my sunflower bikini, then pad into the bathroom to brush my teeth and freshen up a bit. I gasp slightly when I see myself. I look like a horror version of myself, with dark circles under my eyes, pale skin, and dry lips. Good Lord.
    After brushing my hair I walk to the kitchen and pour myself a cup of coffee. I see a note on the counter from Cass that she’s at work. Everyone is but me. It suddenly hits me that the world has kept turning even in my despair and sadness. It did not stop for me. Everyone’s life kept going and mine needs to also. I need to finish licking my wounds and pull myself together.
    Maximus sits happily at my feet so I toss him a treat. I finish my coffee, grab a book off the shelf, and head outside with my puppy for some much needed sunshine. I make a quick call to Gabby to invite her to hang out for a while and then settle into my seat on the lounge chair. Thirty minutes later, I hear the doorbell ring and let my friend in.
    “Did you bring your suit?” I ask, hugging Gabby as she enters.
    “I did.”
    “Great.”
    We walk out to the back patio and sit down. Gabby sets her towel down and kicks off her sandals. “Thanks for having me over, Ava. It’s good to see you.”
    “You too.”
    “How are you doing?”
    “As well as can be expected, I suppose. Ready to get on with the business of living.”
    Gabby frowns. “Well, that’s fine but you shouldn’t push yourself. What happened to you is physically and emotionally traumatic. You need time to heal.”
    I sigh heavily. “No good will come from me sitting around the house wallowing and being sad. I think the best thing for me is returning to the structure of my life.”
    “Is it structure or distraction?”
    I raise my eyebrows. “What does that mean?”
    “I just wonder if you are trying to avoid feeling the pain. If you keep it bottled in you could end up having problems later. No one expects you to act like nothing happened. It’s okay not to be strong about everything.”
    “You think I’m avoiding pain?” I ask, my voice rising as I speak. “I feel nothing but pain. I’ve cried almost nonstop for days. I can barely eat and all I have the energy for is sleep and lying around. My life is completely joyless at the moment and I have no idea what my future holds or if I’ll ever be able to have a baby. Trust me- I am processing what happened to me and I am well aware of the trauma!” I glare at my friend as I yell and watch as her eyes fill with tears.
    “I’m sorry, Ava. I’m just trying to be helpful. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    I stare at the pool for a minute while we sit in a tension filled silence. “Listen, Gabby,” I say. “I know you are trying to help. Everyone is. But I wish people would trust me that I know what I want and need and just let me do this my way. No one, not even Enzo, knows what I feel inside.”
    “I know. Do you want me to