THIS STORY CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE AND MATURE THEMES THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18
Although this book does contain a couple love scenes this is not a smut filled book, and is instead more of a sweet, emotion filled romance...
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If you had asked me six years ago if I thought I'd ever be asked to give a motivational speech in front of a group of teens, I would have laughed so hard I would have pissed myself.
But the world is weird like that, and well, here we are.
Old man Westward called me and Heather up, which he has been known to do over the years, so it wasn't out of the norm, but when he asked us to come and talk to the group of kids attending Westward Homes, I thought the old fellow had finally lost it.
After hearing him out and realizing that he hadn't, Heather and I jumped at the opportunity.
We came from two totally different backgrounds, both with their own share of trauma, but according to him, we were prime examples of Westward success stories.
After talking it over, we decided that instead of two separate speeches, we would combine them. We ran the idea by Harold, and he thought it was great.
As the two of us pulled into what had been our home for so long, the memories came flooding back. It was honestly a bit overwhelming.
Harold meets us as we enter the building.
"Oh, you two are sure a sight for this old man's eyes. It's so great to see you after all this time."
"We've missed you too, Harold." Heather says, wrapping her arms around him and her still-flat stomach, hiding our secret.
◇◇◇
The place is almost the same as it was the last time we were here. The day we graduated, although the decor has been updated a bit, the same feeling of comfort and family remains.
It's such an odd feeling. Thinking back to all that has happened since then and how what at one time felt like a prison came to feel like home,
It still does.
I know that there are many here who probably feel the same way. And after a talk with Heather, we decided to include that in our speech.
◇◇◇
As we conclude, our talk is met with thunderous applause, and in true Westward fashion, there is a huge celebration in the formal dining hall. afterwards.
So many familiar faces fill the room, and we are greeted by each one with the same enthusiasm.
We catch up with everyone and make a few stops at our favorite places here.
Grants class, Howard's office, Tony's artroom, Harold's—even take a detour to walk up by our old rooms where we spent so many nights laughing, crying, and growing closer, but we save our favorite spot for last, the lake.
As soon as we knew we were coming here, we knew that the lake had to be one of our stops.
Heather still looks just as beautiful as she always has, standing in the soft glow of the moonlight as it reflects off of the water's surface.
And I don't pass up the opportunity to tell her that.
But all too soon, it is time to leave and head back to the home and life we have made, but as we go, we share the same thought that Westward will always hold a special place in our hearts. Part of us will always feel at home there, at peace, because it was there we found home and peace with each other.
