I’d never thought the feeling of being Peyton’s husband could be surpassed. I was wrong. Being the father of her child did it. The relief of knowing we were going to raise our son together comes close. I prayed to God to save her, but I also prayed to you, hoping you’d influence Fate.
Peyton showed me your last letter to her. You spoke of her experiencing life’s firsts after you, Callum. Those life’s firsts she shared with me. And they have been the best moments of my life. (I also fell in love with her mother’s French toast the moment Peyton introduced me to them!)
Everything you wanted her to achieve, she has. She became someone’s fiancée, someone’s wife, and the mother of someone’s child.
For whatever reason, I was blessed to be that someone.
And for that, I thank you. You played your part in our forever. You brought Graham and Madilynne together. If they had never married, I would have never taken over the farm, never met Peyton, never fallen in love with Peyton, never asked her to marry me, never married her, and never held and loved our son.
She tells me that I am her forever moments and that you were her sometimes. But I think that’s where she’s wrong. In some stages of her life, Peyton never had sometimes. In those moments, she lived and she had forever.
I hope that the man you wrote of was me. I hope I do justice to the man you envisioned for Peyton. I hope you can see that I’ve done my best to be enough for her. I hope that you approve of my love. If not, I’ll love her harder than I already do, although I’m not sure that’s possible.
Thank you for loving Peyton the way you did. I know that she will always love you and I hope one day she tells our son of you.
Thank you for Peyton. Until the day I die, I will never stop thanking you, Callum Reid.
My happiness, my wife, and my son are because of you.
Cooper Hepburn.
Remember me and smile, for its better to forget than to remember me and cry.
Dr Seuss
Sometimes Moments has been a very special book for me. Being my first standalone, it allowed me to write freely. I loved the concept of this book and what ‘sometimes moments’ meant. I’m not going to lie, I was worried and scared. And there were times where I didn’t want to publish it at all. The ending was something I had never written before. But when I sat in class back in my final year of university in 2014, this story began and I knew how it ended from the moment I wanted to write it. I wanted Sometimes Moments to not be about a ‘sad’ story. I wanted it to be about a beautiful story. The story of Peyton. The story of Callum. The story of them. I wanted it to show people the beauty of hope and of there being more. The beauty that ‘The End’ wasn’t something to cause pain. There is always a forever—even if it wasn’t the ideal or wanted forever. Because well, life is a cluster of sometimes moments.
If anything, I hope this story showed you the beauty of the little moments in your life. Appreciate them. Love them. They’ll be the times you reflect on later in life. They will be the times that make you smile or laugh or maybe even cry. They will be the times in your life that you look back on and feel.
Live life one sometimes moment at a time.
Until you have two.
Then three.
Then four.
And then you have a cluster.
That’s when you’re making forever moments.
Sometimes moments are what make your forever memorable and beautiful.
Writing this book was tough but it was also something I loved writing. When I sat and thought about who to thank, I wasn’t sure who to truly thank. In all my books I thank a wide range of people. But for this book, I will thank the ones that made Sometimes Moments what it is.
First and foremost, Jaycee Ford and Alex Rosa. The very first to read Sometimes Moments. They happen to be the people who this book is dedicated to. My best friends. I wouldn’t be the author that I am without you both. I love you both so greatly. Two of the greatest and most important people in my life.
My cover designer, Najla Qamber. You took so many different pictures and made me the most beautiful and perfect cover. Everything I envisioned you made it all the more breathtaking. Thank you for your hard work and the for the love you put into making my covers.
My editor, Michelle Kampmeier. You took this crazy draft and made it beautiful. You added a lot more soul into it than I could. Thank you for not laughing at all my silly mistakes and for the changes. You made this book flow beautifully. And thank you for your friendship and for agreeing to edit Sometimes Moments.
My proofreader, Jenny Carlsrud Sim. You have been vital in publishing this book. You took proofreading to beyond what it is. You gave it love and attention. Thank you for squeezing Sometimes Moments in. Thank you for your changes and suggestions. Thank you for your updates and your enthusiasm and love. Thank you for pointing out teasers and for making this book perfect. I have loved every minute we have worked together.