After Sutton and David’s worlds, once again, imploded – hers, due to David’s secrets and half-truths, and his, due to his inability to discuss his past and reveal what family he was part of when he took the position at Wright, both of them are left reeling, attempting to pick up the pieces of their broken hearts and their shattered souls. And while David is willing to fight for Sutton, explain why he didn’t share his past with her, and prove to her that he’s all in with her, Sutton too stunned and hurt to listen and David’s betrayal is not something she’s willing to overlook, at least not initially and quite possibly never.
Based on their respective pasts, I understand why both Sutton and David feel like they lost everything again, and even though what they lost before is due to different circumstances, it doesn’t mean that one of them has suffered more than the other one; it just means that moving on is not as easy for Sutton as it is for David, and it’s because of Sutton’s inability to reconcile her feelings for David with what she felt/still feels for Maverick that she’s constantly second guess everything and what makes everything worse is the fact that people who are close to Sutton offer her unsolicited advice, resulting in her head being a jumbled mess and her heart being shredded more so than she ever thought it could be.
I wholeheartedly understand why Sutton is so hot and cold with David; she’s scared out of her mind, and K.A. Linde does a fantastic job of illustrating just how tormented Sutton is with the thought of moving on from Maverick and forging a new life with David. It’s not an easy decision to make, especially because there’s a 2 year old little boy who will be impacted as well. Sutton’s resilience is admirable and her willingness to risk it all again, despite her second guessing everything, show how strong of a woman she is and how much she wants to let love back into her life. But because Sutton has not fully processed her grief and not fully accepted what she feels for David, it’s an uphill battle for them, which is frustrating and heartbreaking to witness because it’s beyond clear just how much David brings to Sutton’s life and just how much they care for one another despite all of their baggage.
I also get why David hid the truth of his parentage from Sutton and all of the Wright siblings. His last name implicated him even though he was not a part of his parents’ scandalous acts, and what he went through during that time and the decisions he made eight years ago proves how much David had to weather and it also shows the kind of man he is despite the fact that he kept who he was from the people who considered him family.
Once I learned all of the information about David, I truly couldn’t find fault in his actions…don’t get me wrong lying or omitting information is wrong and it can destroy relationships, but I guess I saw who David was by his actions more so than the information he didn’t give, so I could easily accept his explanation and move forward, but I’m a bystander in this situation, so being in the heart of it definitely changes things, I just think I would have given him the opportunity to explain based on who David has shown himself to be in the time that he’s been in Lubbock, Texas. What I found so endearing is the fact that David never once tries to replace Maverick in either Sutton’s or Jason’s heart and that speaks volumes about the type of man that David is.
Who’s to say when someone moves too fast or rushes a reconciliation? It’s easy for those people on the outside to share their opinion but that doesn’t mean it’s the right one…it doesn’t mean that Sutton and David have to follow the path that others seem to want them to, because if they did, who knows what would have or wouldn’t have happened between them, which means that not only would Sutton and David lose an opportunity to find love again, but the Wright family would lose a key employee and Jason would lose the chance of having a father figure on Earth who loves him as much as his father in heaven does and who would want to miss out on that kind of love and devotion?
The Wright Love duet illustrates the power of love as well as the idea that everyone deserves a second chance despite the hurt and heartbreak they may have caused. Life’s a bumpy journey, but to truly experience it, things are going to be difficult…there are going to be obstacles to overcome and fears to try to push away, but in the end, feeling all of the ups and downs and highs and lows of life means that life is truly being lived instead of life moving forward and someone merely existing in it.
4.5 Poison Apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)