Wish (12 page)

Tristan gets a call on his phone. He says it’s
an important call, so he walks off, leaving me alone for the first
time in a long time.

Well, I’m not completely alone. I’m in a room
full of people. But nobody is babysitting me anymore. I am safe,
and that feels good. Really, really good. I’m ready for things to
be back to normal.

Well, as normal as it can get for
me.

NINE

Ready.

Two days later, I am in Georgia.

I’m not exactly sure how Tristan talked me
into this, but he did.

Today, I am meeting his family. The same
family that he hasn’t seen in almost three years. I told him he
should be going alone. I mean, this seems like a pretty intimate
moment for him and his family, but he insists that he wants me to
meet them, and that they will be fine that I’m coming
along.

Late last night, I got a call from Alik.
Elana’s health has taken a turn and it seems she’s getting better.
She’s not out of the woods yet, but they now think it’s possible
that she might pull through this. Hopefully by the time I go home
for Christmas break, she will be out of the hospital.

As Tristan drives towards his older sister’s
home, he holds my hand when he doesn’t need to shift gears. He is
really nervous, which is probably the real reason he wanted me to
come today. I think I help calm him down.

“
It’s going to work out just
fine,” I assure him.

“
I know. It’s just been so long.
My nieces and nephew won’t even know me,” he says.

“
But they’ll get to know you,” I
say. “And they will love you as much as I do. Trust me.”

He squeezes my hand. “Thank you for coming
with me. I couldn’t do this without you.”

The GPS tells us that we’ve arrived at our
destination. Tristan turns into a long driveway. The gate is
already open, so he drives up the path towards the large house.
Once he parks, he takes a few deep breaths.

“
Tristan,” I say, getting his
attention. “They’re family. They already love you. You shouldn’t be
the one freaking out. I should be. I’m meeting your family for the
first time.”

He laughs. “They will love you.”

“
Good,” I say.

“
My younger brother will love your
accent. And he will probably hit on you,” he says. “He’s only
nineteen.”

“
Don’t worry, I won’t dump you for
your brother.”

He laughs, and I’m glad I could distract
him.

“
Let’s do this,” he says, then
gets out of the car.

I follow him. As we walk up the sidewalk
towards the door, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I check it real
quick, just to see if it’s an update on Elana. But it’s not. It’s
Jade.

Jade:
I’m
ready to find my biological father… if you’re still willing to
help.

Me:
Of
course. We can start on Monday.

Jade:
Thank you.

I put my phone back in my pocket, wondering
what that’s about.

But the thought quickly goes to the back of my
mind as the front door opens.

It’s then that I realize I was so worried
about Tristan being nervous that I forgot to be nervous
myself.

I really hope I don’t say anything
stupid.

The beginning.

Letter from Scarlett

Hey! Thank you so much for
reading
Wish,
the
last episode in this series! I hope you enjoyed it! I do plan on
continuing in this world from a different character’s perspective.
Look for
True (Finding Me: New Hope
Academy, Book 1)
coming soon!

If you did enjoy this book, it would mean a
lot to me if you left a review wherever you picked this
up.

For more information on this
series, be sure to check out my blog
https://scarletthaven.wordpress.com
!

—
Scarlett
Haven

More books by
Scarlett

New Hope Academy
Series:

Luck
(Episode 1)

Fate
(Episode 2)

Fame
(Episode 3)

Wish
(Episode 4)

The Journey West
Series:

Silas
&
Acadia
(Book 1)

Find me
online.

Blog:
https://scarletthaven.wordpress.com

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Scarlett_Haven

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorScarlettHaven/

Acknowledgments.

As always, I want to thank God first. I hope
to always put him first in every aspect of my life, and hope that
you guys strive to do the same!

Tess, thank you for doing writing sprints with
me while I finished up this book. You’re the best writing sprint
buddy ever. Thanks for keeping me motivated.

Mom and Dad, for letting me stay with you so
much, because I like Arkansas better than Missouri. I hope to move
back here soon. Then you’ll have to deal with me all the
time.

Shane, for letting me go to Arkansas so much
;). You’re an awesome husband. Thank you for always supporting my
dreams.

Savannah, my super awesome cousin, I hope you
like the character I named after you. Don’t worry Erica, you’re
next!!

To everybody who has read and enjoyed this
series. I hope you continue to read and enjoy my other books. I am
excited about continuing this series on from a different
character’s perspective and hope you like that series just as
much!

To Katerina and Tristan, thanks for letting me
in your head. And Damon, sorry I was so mean to you in this series!
I hope to make it up to you soon!

—
Scarlett