Page 177 of The Betrayal
“Recovering.”
Relief coats me like April showers.
I turn my face away and play his words on loop until my chest is hollow, my heart is disintegrated, and my eyes run dry.
I lost them.
Even I couldn't save them.
SIX MONTHS LATER
I say goodbye to Dr Combes and walk out onto the sidewalk. I was reluctant to go to therapy when Dr Kyra suggested it, but once I was out of hospital and back home living the life I lost, the grief really took a hold of me and that’s when I booked my first appointment. The last six months have passed by in a blur and I honestly cannot remember most of it. I lost myself in the process. The days slipped into weeks, the weeks into months and here we are.
Six months to the day I was found, and it still isn't any easier taking each breath. Grief works in funny ways, some days I feel like I am the best version of myself. A constant smile is worn on my face proudly, I feel a little stronger and I know I have my babies in my heart, and on other days, I can't function. I can't get out of bed, so I don't. On top of grief, I have the PTSD of the assault that Wolfe carried out. My whole world stopped on the day Keaton told me the news, but for everyone else, it kept turning. Life has to move on. I can't be stuck, frozen in the worst moment of my life. I would do anything to go back in time, try and change the outcome, but this was all mapped out. If it wasn't then, it would have still happened.
My fingers pinch the pendant with my daughter’s fingerprints that I wear with pride around my neck. Primrose and Posie.
They were perfect in every way, far too perfect for this cruel, cruel world.
Today was a good day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the cherry blossom trees were in full bloom. Me and Keaton were hosting a dinner tonight for our friends and family. Keaton thinks it may be too soon, but I am ready to step back into the real world. I have been so far away from the day to day that it was time to come back down to earth.
My phone beeps in my purse and I slip it out and see a message from Keaton. A grin tugs at my lips when I read the message.
Keaton
Look up, beautiful.
I do, just as the cherry blossom petals fall, my eyes find his across the road, as he stands on the sidewalk. My heart skips a beat. I have never loved someone as fiercely as I loved Keaton Mills.
He holds his hand up to me and my heart sings in my chest. Walking to the edge of the curb, I get ready to cross when he shakes his head from side to side. He steps into the road and picks up a light jog before he is in front of me. His hands are at the side of my face, his eyes burn into mine just as his head tilts and his lips slant across mine.
“God, I missed you,” he whispers against my lips, edging me back and away from the road.
“I missed you too,” I admit as he kisses me again before he crouches down and places a kiss on my swollen tummy.
“And I missed both of you too,” he smiles against my bump and kisses it. A flutter of a giggle bubbles out of me as he stands and links his fingers through mine, and we walk hand in hand down the blossom lined sidewalk towards home.
The table is set, Keaton is finishing up with dinner and nerves bubble deep inside of me. This isn't just a dinner. This is where I tell my dad, his wife, my friends and my brother-in-law that I have been accepted into the hospital of my choice again. This is where we tell my dad, his wife, my friends and Keaton's brother that we're expecting twin boys. This is where we tell our families what the next few months hold. This is where we put the devastating six months behind us and look to the future with Primrose and Posie tucked inside our hearts, where they’re safe with me until my last dying breath.
Keaton's arms wrap around me, and I smile as he nuzzles his face into my neck as he whispers against my skin.
“We have thirty minutes,” and I feel the smirk on my skin, my pulse racing.
“We can do a lot in thirty minutes...” I admit, turning and placing my hands on his chest.
“Want to prove to me just how much?” and I don't get a chance to even catch my breath. He lifts me and my arms wrap around his neck, legs circling his waist as he carries me up the stairs and places me on the bed.
I smirk up at him, my fingers fumbling with the buttons of his shirt. He is between my legs, lips on mine as I push his shirt off his shoulders and let my fingertips roam over his skin. He pushes off me, his hungry eyes ablaze with fire as he looks down at me and my cheeks burn. He gently pulls me up and lifts my pretty lilac summer dress over my head and drops it to the floor.
“God, you're beautiful,” he rasps, cupping my full breasts into his hand, his mouth lowering as he sucks my hard and sensitive nipples into his hot mouth. Dusting his lips across my chest, he gives the same attention to the other.
“We don't have long,” I whisper, my head rolling back.
“I know baby,” he groans, dragging his lips across my skin as he sinks to his knees. “But I just need one taste,” his fingers swirl at my opening, his tongue flicking across my clit and a moan escapes me, my body smothers in goosebumps. This man tore me into a million pieces and spent the last six months piecing me back together, bit by bit. I was far from perfect, but to him, I was.
His lips are pressed into my groin, my hips, across my bump. His fingers digging into my hips as he stands, towering over me.
“I will never tire of you, baby,” he rasps, my hands clasping his face as I pull his lips to mine. A gasp leaves me when he spins me round and gently knocks my knees, so I fall forward, my hands breaking my fall.