As a teenager, she’d wished she could’ve experienced all of that with her mother. But now that Preslee was an adult, there were a couple of other things that were even more important to her that her mother would miss out on. That they would both miss out on. Not only would her mom never be able to help her get ready to walk down the aisle on her wedding day, but she would also never have the pleasure of holding any grandchildren in her arms.

Preslee hung her head as sorrow wrapped around her heart like an angry fist. One that squeezed so hard that it physically hurt. While marriage and babies weren’t in her immediate future, it didn’t make the thought of her mom not being there any less crushing. But there was nothing she could do about it.

Although she’d convinced herself over the years that it was her own fault that everyone had always left her, she knew deep down that her mother would’ve never left had she been given a choice. Adam had been right about that. So had her dad.

Placing the photo of her adoptive parents back in the box, Preslee sat back and sighed heavily. She still wasn’t sure what to do about Adam, but she was going to take the time to consider whether or not she could get past the hurt feelings and his betrayal. Maybe she would eventually be able to forgive him, but right now the wound was too fresh, too raw.

But where did that leave her when it came to her fitness plan? Going back to the Body Shop was no longer an option. Not unless she wanted to run into Adam…which she didn’t. That would only screw with her emotions. Yet she didn’t want to give up exercising either. Nor did she want to gain back all the pounds she’d already lost. She was more than halfway to reaching her goal and only had fifteen pounds to go. She couldn’t quit now.

In the past, she would’ve given up without a second thought and gone back to her old ways in a heartbeat. It had been all too easy to do. But she was different now. She felt good. Stronger even. She wasn’t the same woman who had started this fitness journey. That idealistic woman had wanted to find a man to settle down with because she was scared of being alone. But maybe being alone was exactly what she needed. She could spend some time getting to know this newer, stronger version of herself that had been hiding somewhere inside of her all along.

Because that woman wasn’t a quitter.