Overcoming Circumstances by Belinda Slider-Baker (best book club books of all time txt) 📖

family with Coor.  The big question is what do you really want?  I hate that you are being asked this.  I hate you have to pick.”   

“I don’t know what I am going to do.  I just found out I am cancer free.  I have been through hell and back.  You have opened your home to Braelyn and me.  I can never repay you for all you have done for us.  Yet, both of you have made promises to me in the past and haven’t kept them.   I know everyone acted the way they did with me, because I had cancer and could die.  Cancer always brings people around to hover and do what is right.  Coor was here for some of it, but he treated me like Bly.  He never treated me differently, because I had cancer.  He did that the first time I battled cancer and now the second time I battled it.  Do you have any idea how nice it is to be treated the same?”  I said.  

“So, to me it looks like you are giving Coor a shot at being a father and possibly a husband to you and Braelyn.”  

Thane said with a painfully hurt look on his face.  

“I don’t know what I want.  Coor is my best friend.  He will always be my best friend.  I just need to figure this out on my own.  Hell, Thane, you haven’t even asked me to be more than just a friend with you.  I don’t think either of you want a relationship with me beyond a friend.  I am broken.  I had cancer.  It is all pity.  You both love Braelyn.  She is what makes you want me around.  If I was strong enough I would leave with her.   I can’t do this right now.  I need some air.”  

“Please don’t do this, Bly.  Please don’t leave like this.  I didn’t mean to upset you.  But, you will have to choose.”  

I was getting so pissed by hearing that I will have to choose.  They thought I would need one of them to raise my daughter.   By this time Thane had just upset me, and so I blurted out: 

“I have known Coor most of my life.  He has always been there for me.  I will not lose his friendship.  He helped me through things in my life that I couldn’t even begin to repay.  But, the most important thing he ever gave me was Braelyn.”  

Thane says in a soft hurtful voice: 

“I guess you made your decision then.  I am sorry, Bly.  I am sorry for anything I ever did to you.”  

I couldn’t even respond to that. I walk away and step out back onto the back patio.  Coor followed me out.  Whenever he stood beside me, I blurted out: 

“You promised that you wouldn’t do this.  You said that if Thane ever wanted to adopt Braelyn you wouldn’t stop it.  You said you would never try to take her.  Why are you doing this now?”  

I was begging for an answer.  

“You are cancer free.  Braelyn is getting older.  I just wanted you to know that you had options, Bly.”  

“You can not come here and ask me to do this Coor.  You promised best friends.  Please, just visit and go.  I will not choose.  I need to get strong for Braelyn’s sake.  I can’t run off and try to take care of her by myself while you will sooner or later get bored and want a piece of ass on the side.  Don’t you get it, we are a package deal.  If you want Braelyn, you get me.  You don’t want that.  You want to whore around.  You don’t want to settle down.  Please, please don’t do this.”  

“Okay, sorry Bly, I was just giving you a way out of here if you wanted it.  I never meant to hurt you, baby.  I love you and Braelyn.  I will stay for dinner and then leave.”  

“Thank you Coor, I really need to get stronger.”  I said.  

“Hey Bly, you do look beautiful.  It is great to see you looking so much better.  I am sorry the chemo kicked your ass like it did.”  

“Yeah, losing my hair wasn’t fun at all.  It hurt falling out this time.”  

“You beautiful bald, baby, you are my beautiful best friend, forever.”  

“You are my stubborn, pain in the ass best friend, Coor, but I love you anyways.” I said giggling.  

We joined Thane and Braelyn in the living room.  Coor went over and picked up Braelyn from the floor.  She was just talking baby talk.  It is fun to listen to them just jibber jabber like that.  

Coor was getting ready to leave after dinner.  He gave Brae a hug and kiss. I walked him out to his car.  

“I love you, Coor.  Thank you for trying to do what you thought was right.  I will never keep you from her.  You are always welcome.”  

“I know Bly, I love you too.”  

“Until next time.” 

“Until next time.”  

Coor got in his car and headed back to Ohio.

When I walked into the house, Thane was holding Braelyn.  

“Thank you for not leaving Bly.”  He said.  

“I didn’t choose Thane.  I just told Coor I wasn’t strong enough to do anything right now.  I just want to get stronger so I can take care of Braelyn all by myself.”  

I made sure to watch his face as I said this.  His eyes told me everything.  He was glad I didn’t leave, yet he was confused.  

Exactly one month after my cancer free news, I knew I needed to talk to Thane.  It was time for Braelyn and me to move back to my house and start our lives.   I decided to cook a nice dinner for us.  Braelyn was sitting in her high chair talking up a storm.  Thane came into the dining room, kissed Braelyn on the top of the head and said: 

“Hi munchkin, how is my girl?”  

She just smiled and out of the blue she said: 

“da da.”  

We both froze.  I immediately said: 

“Brae, what did you say?”  

“Mom mom. Da da.”   

I almost fell out of my chair.  Thane took Brae out of her high chair and picked her up.   He was hugging and kissing her.  Tears were streaming down his face.  I knew then what I needed to do.  I asked Thane if he would be okay with Brae for a while.  I needed to go out for some air.  He said they would be fine.  

As soon as I got outside, I called Coor.  

“Hey, beautiful, how are you and Braelyn?”  

“Coor, did you really mean it when you said a long time ago that Thane could adopt Braelyn?” I said in a very soft and unsure voice.  

“Why are you asking me this now, Bly?”  

“She called Thane ‘da da’ tonight for the first time, Coor.”  

I am now crying as I am saying every word.  

“Bly, is this what you want?”  

“Yes, Coor it is. Brae deserves the love of a father in her life.  You can see her anytime you want.  You will forever be a part of our lives.  You can be Uncle Coor just like Maris is Aunt Marissa.  Can you do this?   Will you have any regrets giving up your daughter?” I asked with a plea in my voice.  

“I want to be Uncle Coor.  I know she will be loved and taken care of.  You need stability and so doesn’t Braelyn.  If I can give that to you by doing this, I will.  I love you, Bly, haven’t you truly figured that out by now?”  

“Coor, I have always known you loved me.  I will always love you.  I thought deep in my heart that you would magically appear on your white horse and take your queen and princess to live with you in your castle.  I guess I was wrong.  You taught me so many things while I was surviving life.  I can never thank you enough for that.  I would rather have you as my best friend than ever lose you.  Thank you for doing this for Braelyn and myself.  I love you.”  

“I love you and Braelyn too.  I will sign the papers as soon as they are faxed to me.”  

“Thank you, Coor. Love you, bye.”  

“Bye, baby.”  

After I hung up, I knew no matter what that Brae was going to have a father in her life.  Even if Thane and I didn’t work out, I knew she would always have a dad to love and comfort her.  

I called my dad and Marissa on a two way conversation line to tell them what was going on.  My dad said he would contact the lawyer and have the papers faxed to me at Thane’s house ASAP.  The lawyer I used before was in Greenville.  He is the lawyer that drew up my living will.  I didn’t want one of Thane’s lawyers doing it.  I wanted to do this on my own.   I told my dad and Maris I loved them and would talk to them soon.  My dad told me he would call me as soon as he talked to the lawyer.

When I walked back inside, Thane and Brae were playing on the floor.  I got down on the floor with them and started playing too.   

“Are you okay, Blythe?” Thane asked.  

“Yeah, I am okay.  I was just thinking that since I am cancer free and stronger, Brae and I will be able to move back to my house.  I haven’t been there in so long.”  

“Oh, you don’t have to go back to your house yet.  Maybe you need to keep building your strength up.” He said in an anxious voice.  

“Thane, I have disrupted your life enough.  You took pity on me when I was sick.  You have helped take care of Brae and I all of this time.  It is time you got on with your life.  It isn’t fair to you.  You deserve so much better than what I can give you.”  

I was saying this to see where I stood with him.  I really didn’t know how to feel.  I knew deep down inside he still loved me.  I knew he loved Brae without a doubt.  

“Bly, how could you say any of that?   I never once took pity on you.  You were never a burden or anything you might be implying.  I love you, Bly.  I always have.  I guess I should have shown you over these past months.  I was just scared.”  

Before I could answer him, my phone rang.  It was my dad.  I told Thane I was going to take this call out on the back patio.  As soon as I got outside, my dad told me that the lawyer had the papers all set up.  He would fax them to Cooryn.  He needed Cooryn’s fax number.  I walked back inside and grabbed my purse.  I then walked back outside to the patio.  I gave him Cooryn’s fax number.  He was reading it off to the lawyer.  He said his lawyer lived right down the street from him.   I could hear the fax machine working now.  I told my dad that Cooryn would be expecting the papers.  Once we got the papers, we would have Thane’s lawyers do the rest.  His lawyer friend said that would be just fine.  I couldn’t thank my dad or the lawyer enough.  I told dad I would pay for the lawyer.  He just needed to let me know how much it costs.  My dad told me not to worry about it.  He said he would see me soon.  

“I love you, Blythe and that grand-daughter of mine too.”  

I was shocked when he said this.  I wasn’t sure what to say at first, but then I just went for it.  

“I love you too, dad.”  I could hear him choking up on the phone.  

“Dad, are you alright?”  

“Yes, Blythe, everything is perfect.  I just never thought I would ever hear you say those words back to me.”  

“I gotta go dad.  Talk to you soon.”  

“Talk to you soon Blythe.”  

I walked back inside.  

“Is everything okay, Blythe?”  Thane asked.  

“Yes, that was my dad.  He is