All Chapters of The Lansing House: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

AsherFour months later The wolf had stayed for four weeks, his wounds healing well. The stitches had started to dissolve at around two weeks. The morning that he finally left, he scratched on the front door, and rubbed his head against Asher’s leg. When the door opened, he looked at Asher for a long time before running off, stopping at the tree line, and howling. The snow had melted and gave way to spring, and the boys had settled in nicely. Jeff Crowley had gone to jail for abuse and neglect, and Asher had petitioned the courts to adopt both boys. Their testimony had sealed the deal for Jeff, and Asher sat through it all, his anger building and building, as both boys told their horrific tale of how Jeff had abused them for years.His parental rights had been relinquished by the court, and Asher had temporary custody of them. He wanted to make it permanent. The boys deserved to have a home where they were loved and cared for.He thought about Emerson occasionally, his heart still c

Asher“But Eden’s fine, right?”“She’s as fine as can be, Oscar,” Asher said, with a grin as he parked the truck in front of their house. Joel and Oscar grabbed their backpacks, and Asher followed them up the porch steps, and into the house. With all the excitement going on with Genesis’ arrival, he’d almost forgotten about the letter.“I received a letter from your father,” Asher began.“What did it say?” Joel asked him.“It’s on the coffee table if you want to read it. He’s trying to make amends.”Oscar shook his head. “There’s nothing he can say that will take away what he did.”Asher nodded his head. “That’s true, but the only person you’re hurting by hating him is yourself. You don’t forgive to make the other person feel better, you forgive so you can heal. Forgiving doesn’t mean you let him back into your life. Forgiveness means you free yourself from your past.”“Are you preaching to us, or to yourself?”Asher stood in the foyer and looked at Joel. He’d blossomed under Asher’s

AsherHe was browsing the history section in the bookstore, looking for something new to read. The boys were in the ice cream store, and he’d meet them later. He was about to give up when he turned into the children’s section and stood staring at the book in front of him.The cover had a bright yellow sun with a smiling face. A white, fluffy sheep sat on a porch that overlooked horses in a paddock. He picked it up and traced his fingers over the title of the book. The adventures of Morbid the sheep.Emerson had written and illustrated her own children’s book. Pride surged in his heart, and Paul, the bookshop owner, gave him an odd look when he purchased it. He didn’t care what anyone thought. It was a piece of her that he’d shared.That night, he put the story book with the sketch book in his dresser drawer. He hadn’t paged through it. Morbid’s adventures happened on a farm. That much was clear to see. It brought back so many different memories of their time spent together.He was pro

Asher“Don’t you think you’ve punished yourself enough?” Thomas asked.“I’m not punishing myself, Pops.”“You’re moping around here, yelling at the ranch hands like everything’s their fault,” he said.They were sitting on the porch, watching the sun set. Blair sat to one side, and he chuckled. They’d had a similar conversation a week earlier and Asher grinned.“She has a book signing on Saturday,” Asher said.“Where?” Blair asked.“Minneapolis. That’s where she lives now.”Thomas shook his head. “You’re going, right?”“Yeah, Pops, I’m going. There are some things I need to tell her. I need to apologize to her, as well.”“She might not feel the same way about you,” Blair said.“This isn’t about feelings, not really. I have to do this for me. Seven months is a long time. I’d be surprised if she hadn’t moved on. I need to find closure, and make things right with her.”“Yeah, you do. Waking her up and telling her to pack her stuff and leave with your friend was the cowardly thing to do.”

AsherHe slammed the screened door shut, and sighed as he stood in the foyer. She was living in the Lansing house. Up close, she was still just as beautiful as he remembered, her smile still as magical. He should have asked her why she was there, why she’d chosen his town to move to. He wasn’t sure he could see her every other day in town with another man and not react.He didn’t have anything else to do, and Blair had chased him out of the barn, the ranch hands too afraid to make eye contact. It was already dark, and the boys were at summer camp. He was all alone, and there was nothing to occupy his mind. He shook his head, and turned at the sound of the car stopping in front of his house. It was probably Blair coming to give him a piece of his mind. He’d snapped at everyone since leaving Emerson at the house.The car door closed, and he knew it wasn’t Blair. He would have slammed the door in annoyance. He opened his front door and just looked at her. The sun was low now, but she s