Filling The Void | ✔️

Filling The Void | Bonus Chapter | She's Painting Again...

As the brush strands coated on the last layer of dark blue I found myself wandering off into my thoughts. I'd been doing a lot of that recently, though today was different.

Today was my mothers birthday and it felt different than the previous ones. Today felt new, fresh...almost as if I was meant to be where I am right now. Almost as if this was her way of telling me it was okay to move on.

As the breeze flowed into the room that had come to be my favorite, I smiled, my hand making small strokes with the brush as I watched my painting come to life.

I had started painting again, and that alone was enough to tell me that the empty hole in my heart was now being filled up again...by someone that I never expected. Haley.

"Daddy! Daddy stop it!"

Giggling from behind me makes me turn my head to see Ryder and our daughter enter the room, her long brown hair tangled up into a bun on top of her head. Lucky for her she got my eyes. Ryder always says that the blue and green reminds him of me, so when I'm gone he always has Hales. It's sweet really, I never imagined Ryder as a father but he's exceeding my expectations every day and all I can say is I love him. I've never loved him more.

Smiling, my heart warms as I watch the family I'd made, stand in the room I'd worked so hard to re-create. My mothers sitting room.

After Ryder and I had Haley we decided to rebuild my childhood home, of course with our own little touches. The fact that they had gotten her sitting room so perfect fills my heart.

As Ryder lifts Haley up onto his hip he comes toward me, gazing at the open windows I'd painted, "Is that what I think it is?"

Swallowing past the lump in my throat I nod, tears welling up in my eyes.

Of course, Haley notices and takes my hair in between her small fingers. "Mommy, why are you crying?"

Her small little voice fills my ears and I release a small laugh, leaning back against Ryder's chest, taking our daughter's hand in mine, "I'm happy."

The words were so simple yet they seemed to understand, Haley knew little about my mother, but in the end, I knew that having the title Grandmother was all my mom ever wanted...and she got it.

Ryder smiles at me and places a kiss on my head, "I love you."

The breeze flitters into the room, causing my hair to dance as I watch the canvas in front of me.

I've painted bliss, I really have.

The huge French doors that had opened up onto our back lawn, revealing the ocean surrounded by golden sand...it was all there. My mother's most treasured room. The place where we bonded in silence just reading together, so many feeling encompassed in this one room and here I was standing in it.

It may sound crazy, but as I stand here with my very own family I know she's here. Her presence is so clear that I feel as though she's standing right beside me. Both of us...just happy.

_____________

Sorry, no pictures for this one...it's actually been a while since I "finished" this story, but it currently has 2k reads which...FREAKING THANK YOU! WTH!!
LOL

Anyways, I was rereading and I came across one of the beginning chapters, it spoke about how she hadn't painted in a while and I thought this would get your feels goin haaha.

Sorry? Nahhh

HOPE YOU ENJOYED! THANKS AGAIN FOR 2K EVERYONE ♡