*

~ Ever ~

…Four years later…

The stone felt cold to the touch as I placed the little toy motorcycle there. I was sure he would love it even as it made me supremely sad to know I’d never get to see him ride again. I would never get the chance to let him know how much I appreciated all the things he’d done for me over the years. There were so many bitter times for us before he passed, and now the worst pain of all was the regret for all the lost time between us. The things we could have known about one another, but would never have the chance again, stood sentinel just as much as the tombstone did thanks to its unique markings.

I leaned down and traced my fingers over the etching of the tattoo I had done for him. I hadn’t known until it was put here that he’d requested it be done before his death. Having been one of the six, the fool had a Last Will and Testament drawn up with the words in it that would etch our shared pain in this stone for as long as it stood sentry over his dead body. I still didn’t understand why it was important for him to put it there, but it set my heart to aching for both the painful memories, and the beautiful moments we were allowed before he passed, thanks to that tattoo giving us another start. My hand shook as I pulled it away and looked up into the equally saddened eyes of my husband. He startled a bit as his phone began to ring, and he passed our niece to me. I stood; bracing the tiny little girl on my hip as Deck spoke into the phone quietly, and then glanced at me, his lips tipping up into a slight smile. Good news then.

It was fitting we receive good news while standing here mourning the anniversary of the loss of our fallen family. My life had taken on a crazy balance over the years. For every horrible thing I had endured I had also been given its equal and opposite. I lost my mother, who had been a hard woman to love. I ended up gaining another who was as warm as they come. I lost years to misery a club brother cost me that I never wished to endure again only to be given insurmountable peace by another. I once thought that every eight years, give or take a few months, I would experience a horrible change in my life. I knew now that the overwhelming change wasn’t always a terrible thing. This year, things would change for the better. As I stood with my niece in my arms, honoring the fallen, and watching my husband take his call I knew without a doubt that things were not going to fall apart again. Especially when in our time of mourning and remembrance there was news that put a smile on my husband’s face again.

As he hung up and turned his full attention back to me it took him a moment to speak. In that time of quiet reflection he watched me with my niece, a pensive look etched in the fine lines on his face. “We’re welcoming a new family member today. We need to get to the hospital.” I tipped my head in a slight nod as I shifted my darling niece’s weight a bit. I was a tad queasy and carrying her this way wasn’t helping. “This is a natural look for you, Ev. I can picture it clearly one day when it’s not our niece you’re holding, but our own little one.”

“So, you want to have children with me some day?”

“As soon as you’re ready, babe,” he answered which made me smile. I took his hand in my free one and grinned up at him then.

“How does about seven months from now sound?” I watched as his eyes grew wide, and his smile followed. His hand released my own and he clasped my non-existent belly with both of his palms splayed out to encompass where I would grow full and round with his baby soon.

“It sounds perfect.” Deck glanced back over at the tombstone again, his smile dimming just a smidge. “You hear that? We’re adding to the family too. I promise you, they will know all about you, as if you were never gone from us.”

A tear trickled down my cheek as I leaned into Deck for support, my knees having gone a bit weak with his promise. He took our niece from my arms, and we walked back over to my car in order to head to the hospital to welcome another cherished member to the Aces High family.

The End.

Keep reading for a sneak peek at A Love So Hard, Lucy and Double-D’s story of a lifetime.