Chapter Twenty-one

Forever

I woke up to the woman I love sleeping in the chair beside my bed and immediately thought I had died and gone to Heaven. However, the oxygen tubes in my nose and the heart monitor I was hooked up told me differently.

Bits and pieces of the fire came rushing back to me. I remembered the burning sensation that filled my lungs every time I tried to draw in a breath and hear Melissa call my name. The last I recall before everything went black is her eyes, wild and full of love as they stared back at me.

Not wanting to wake her but desperate to touch her, I slide my hand over hers. Under the calloused pads of my fingertips, her skin is just as soft as I remember.

I know what you’re thinking, you’re probably rolling your eyes and saying it’s been barely two weeks but, let me ask you this, have you ever lived without a piece of your heart? Picture losing one of the four chambers of the organ—it doesn’t work. The blood doesn’t flow, and the beat loses its rhythm.

But all it takes is one shock.

One touch of my hand to hers and everything is right again.

Suddenly her eyes flutter open and instead of looking at me, she stares at our hands. I curl my fingers around hers and weakly give them a squeeze, urging her to lift her gaze.

“You’re really awake,” she murmurs, lifting her eyes to mine. We both stare at one another as if we’re not sure the other is real.

“I am and you’re really here too,” I say hoarsely. My throat still burns from inhaling the so much smoke.

She squeezes my hand and gives me a small smile.

“I should go get the doctor.”

“Don’t go yet,” I say, reaching to pull the oxygen from my nose.  “We need to talk.”

“Jimmy you just had a heart attack,” she whispers, bowing her head. “We can talk later.”

“Can we or are you going to leave before I get the chance to say what I need to say?”

She doesn’t answer right away and when she lifts her head, I watch a tear slide out of the corner of her eye.

“I’m not going anywhere, Jimmy,” she whispers. “I’m right where I want to be.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Melissa.”

“We can talk about it later. Right now, all that matters is you’re alive. We got forever to talk,” she says, intertwining our fingers.

“Forever.”

“I’m not letting you go, Jimmy Casale. Not when I came so close to losing you.”

As much as I love the sound of it, I can’t help but wonder if she’s truly worried about losing me or having another man in her life pass. My thoughts are interrupted when she rises to her full height and inches closer to me. Bending her head, she touches her lips to mine gently.

“I love you, Jimmy,” she says against my mouth. “I love you and whatever—”

“I didn’t tell you about Chris because I didn’t want to be a reminder of what you lost,” I say, lifting my hand to her cheek. “It wasn’t about hiding the truth as much as it was about keeping you.”

“I don’t look at you and see Chris,” she replies. “I loved him very much, and I was devastated when he died. For a long time, I didn’t think I could move on or that I even wanted to move on. I didn’t think a person could find love twice in a lifetime, but you came into my life and proved me wrong. Please don’t doubt that what I feel for you is anything less than what I felt for him. He was a great part of my life and I will always cherish my time with him. But, you, Jimmy, you’re my forever.”

“Forever is a long time,” I croak, swallowing the lump despite the pain in my throat.

“Yeah, it is. Which means you need to get better because I have big plans for you Mr. Casale.”

“Oh yeah?” I question hoarsely as I run my fingers down her cheek.

“As soon as you recover, I want you to meet Christopher. I want you to tell him the truth too. I think he’ll appreciate that the man who loves his mother also saved his father.”

I love that.

Almost as much as I love her.

“Whatever you want,” I rasp.

“Whatever I want, huh?” she teases softly, rubbing her nose against mine.

“Anything, baby.”

“Careful, Jimmy. I have a lot of dreams.”

“Then I guess I have my work cut out for me because I’m going to make them all come true.”

Whatever it takes.

I got forever.

THE END