Friendship by Emma Leigh Reed

What makes a friendship? Over the years I have had “friends”, but their friendship waxes and wanes with time and circumstances. So what makes a true friendship? If you had asked me that question six months ago I probably would have answered that I had no idea. Now I look at friendship and realize it is a combination of things, and that true friendship is a very rare treasure.

Friendship by definition has a few different meanings, and it changes with different stages of your life. One thing in my research I found is that trust is typically linked with friendship.  I must say I have quite a few friends, but I don’t trust easy, especially after having trust broken numerous times. But in acknowledging friendship, I don’t find it necessarily goes hand and hand with trust.  I have childhood friends that although we can spend time together and have a great time, would I trust them with my life, with issues in my life that I need to talk through? No, not necessarily.

Can friendship be synonymous with love? I think a true friendship can, and it would involve trust. As someone who trusts very little, and keeps things internal without sharing, I find myself pondering this as I look at people in my life and my friendships. There are very few people in my life that I share the “true me” with. I am a very private person, and on top of rarely trusting anyone, it makes me keep to myself with walls in place to protect myself. Recently I came to a place in my existence where a childhood friend wandered back into my life. When sitting and talking, catching up, I found myself in a place of unfamiliar territory—at least unfamiliar in the last 25 years.  I found myself transported back to a time of 25 years ago where this friend of mine and I were very close, and had the ability to talk about anything. There was trust, unbroken and pure trust. I found myself right back in that spot where I realized I trusted this person beyond anything else in the world. This was a person not only would I trust with my life, but with my utmost secrets – secrets of failure, disappointment and shame, and know that no matter what this person was on my side.

How can a friendship like this pick up where it left off after 25 years? How can a bond be so strong with someone that you haven’t had contact with in a quarter of a century?  It baffles me, yet on the other hand, I’m thrilled to be back in contact with this friend, a kindred soul, who is the only one that knows me for who I truly am. And I have to say, it has been a relief and a time of relaxation to let the guard down and be myself. If you have a friend like this, a true friendship, consider it one of the greatest gift you can ever be given and enjoy it to the fullest.

Autographed print copies | Ebook/print

CHLOE WILDER is newly pregnant and running from her abusive boyfriend. She needs a home more than ever before. Chloe takes refuge in Arden, Maine – a sleepy, coastal town where she finally thinks she can be safe. JAYDEN PETERSON abandoned his career as a city cop after accidentally shooting a child. Jayden quickly agrees to fill his father’s shoes as Arden’s police chief. Determined to protect his loved ones and unsure if he can ever pull his gun again, Jayden is relieved to stay where the worst crime that will ever happen is jaywalking – or so he thinks.

Except of TRUSTING LOVE:

Chloe Wilder shot up in bed. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands trying to adjust to the dim moonlight that filtered in through the closed blinds. Her heart raced as she took in the shadows that danced around the room. She swiped her hand across her face to wipe away the tears the nightmare left behind. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she hugged herself tight.

This same nightmare had become recurrent. Her arms wrapped around her waist, she whispered, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She pushed the covers off, jumped out of bed, and crossed to the window. It was dark except for the light of the moon. No street lights were lit. There was no better time than now.

She pulled on an old pair of sweat pants and a baggy sweater. She dragged an old tattered suitcase from the closet and started packing. A sense of urgency came upon her as she shoved in the last shirt and closed the suitcase. She glanced around the room and her eyes stopped on a picture of her parents. They held each other, smiling. It was obviously taken at a happy moment. She picked up the picture and looked closer. Sadness and shame overwhelmed her. Holding it close, Chloe closed her eyes and prayed for forgiveness for the mistakes she had made in her life. Putting the picture in her purse, she picked up the suitcase and slipped through the door into the night.

She threw the old suitcase in the backseat of her beloved Toyota. The vehicle was on its last leg, but somehow it kept running. Chloe prayed it would take her far away from this town, and even further from all the pain. She needed a fresh start for her and her baby she vowed to protect.

Author Bio:

Emma Leigh Reed has lived in New Hampshire all her life. She has fond memories of the Maine coastline and incorporates the ocean into all her books. She lives in a small town with her three children, although now it is mostly her and her Springer Spaniel to keep her company as empty-nesting has started. Her life has been touched and changed by her son’s autism – she views life through a very different lens than before he was born. Growing up as an avid reader, it was only natural for Emma Leigh to turn to creating the stories for others to enjoy.

Find her on:

Web page:  www.emmaleighreed.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emma-Leigh-Reed-Author/392232914212183

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/emmaleighreed

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GIVEAWAY TIME

 Choice of print copy of TRUSTING LOVE, or ebook