I pulled up the long driveway to the house. Trees lined the path up to the Cape Cod style home. The house wore the traditional white siding with black trim, black roof, a wraparound porch, and a welcome sign that hung next to the front door. It was the house I was born and lived in with my mother and father. In Charlie's will, he stated that the house was to be paid off upon his death. My mother loved that house and wasn't about to move out even after she married Edward.

Fall fell upon Connecticut with its cool air and multicolored leaves that started to fall slowly from the trees. It was my favorite time of year. As a child, Madeline would bring my easel and paints in the front yard and I would paint pictures of the trees changing with the season. Charlie proudly displayed the last picture I painted before he died on the wall in his study. He used to say to me, "Addison, a picture is worth a thousand words. Whatever you're feeling, paint a picture and tell your story." Tears came to my eyes as I stood in front of the house and the memories I was leaving behind.

The front door opened, and my mom stood in the entrance way looking at me with a smile.

 "Are you going to stand out there all day or are you going to come in and give your mother a hug?”

I smiled as I walked up the porch steps and wrapped my arms around her neck.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, sweetheart. Come in, take off your shoes, and go sit in the living room. I'll make some coffee and you can tell me all about New York."

While she was in the kitchen, I walked up the stairs to my room and threw my bag on the bed. Something inside me felt empty. I didn’t like this feeling and I wanted it to stop. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked to see if I had any messages. To my disappointment, I didn't. I went downstairs and sat on the couch by the fireplace. There was no way I was going to tell my mom about Andrew because I didn't want her asking a million questions. Especially ones I couldn't answer. She brought our coffee and we sat and talked about my interview, Emma, and Jasper. I started to talk about how much packing I had to do, and she slowly started to cry.

A few days later as I was packing up the last of my things, I missed a call from Veronica. I pressed my voicemail button and listened to her message.

"Hello, Miss Belle. I wanted to let you know that your start date has been moved to October 5th. I know that is two weeks later than originally planned, but we had a little hiccup at the company. So, get settled in your place and explore New York. Please don't worry. You will be getting paid from the date we originally set, so think of it as a two-week paid vacation. Have a good day, Miss Belle."

I was leaving tomorrow for New York and I wasn't about to tell my mom or Edward that my start date got pushed back two weeks or she'd want me to stay home longer. I wanted to get to New York as soon as possible and start living my life on my own.

The next morning, Edward packed the Escape with my suitcases and boxes and the three of us climbed in and headed for New York. Edward thought it would be better to leave my Escape at home. I agreed and didn't want the hassle of having to drive to and from places, especially with all the traffic. Plus, Madeline needed to check out the apartment I was staying in to make sure it was safe.

I sat in the back seat and stared out the window, thinking about how it had been a week since I saw or heard from Andrew. My inner voice started to yell at me, "Get over it. He's gone, and you need to stop thinking about him." I rolled my eyes as I sighed and leaned my head against the window.

Edward pulled up to the apartment building and Carson came out to the curb.

"Hi, Miss Belle. Good to see you again. Drive your vehicle to the garage and use the service elevator to bring your stuff up. It's easier than coming through the front."

I smiled at him. "Thank you, Carson. We'll do that."

Madeline commented on what a nice man he seemed to be. Hopefully, that made her feel a little better about me moving to New York. I called Emma, and by the time we reached the garage, she and Jasper were waiting for us. As soon as Madeline got out of the Escape, Jasper and Emma went running to her and gave her a big hug. They were like family to her and Edward. Jasper brought down a cart and they loaded it with my things and we took the elevator up to the apartment. When Emma opened the door, my mother gasped.

"Oh my, this is a very nice apartment."

I could tell she was impressed with the color scheme and furnishings. She even went as far as to ask Emma and Jasper how they could afford it.

"My dad paid for the apartment and we pay for the utilities,” Emma replied.

"How nice of your father to do that for you."

"He can afford it," Emma spoke with a wave of her hand. “Plus, he said it’s an investment.”

Jasper and Edward took my bags and boxes to my new room.

"Thanks for your help, Jasper," Edward said as he gave him a light hug. "It's good to see you and Emma again. Now I'm trusting that you'll look after Addison here in New York and make sure she stays out of trouble." He winked at him.

Jasper smiled. "You have nothing to worry about, Ed. We will all look after each other."

Madeline walked into the kitchen and placed her hand over her heart when she saw the two dozen pink and white roses that were displayed perfectly in a vase on the table.

"Oh my, what gorgeous roses. Where did you get these, Emma?" she asked.

"Um, they were actually delivered today for Addison," Emma spoke as she looked at me with that look she always gave if she was unsure if she should have said something.

I walked over to the table and opened the handwritten card that read:

"Addison, I’m sorry about my sudden departure. Please forgive me for not calling or texting you back. I can explain.”

My heart skipped a beat, and suddenly, I was confused.

"Addison, who are they from?” my mother demanded to know.

"Oh, they're from LAC, welcoming me to their company. How nice of them," I spoke as I shoved the card into my jeans pocket.

"Madeline, we need to get going if we're going to make it back in time to meet the Hendersons for dinner," Edward yelled across the room.

I walked my mom to the foyer and gave her a big hug.

“Thanks, Mom, for everything. I'm only a phone call away."

"I know, darling, and we can facetime every day," she spoke in excitement but with a tear falling from her eye.

"Sure, Mom, that would be great."

Edward walked over to me and hugged me tight.

"It's going to be weird not having you around, kiddo. I’m going to miss you.”

 "Thanks, Edward. I’ll miss you guys too, but we'll have visits and phone calls and now Mom wants to facetime." I smiled.

They both walked out the door, and it was official. I was on my own for the first time in twenty-five years.