Page 84 of Revived

“I know you could never forget me, Luke. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy. That woman,” she points to the car, bringing my attention back to Rachel sitting there in the same position Hannah was. “That woman is made for you, Luke. She’s your second chance.”

I shake my head, fighting to hear the words from my wife, the one woman I thought I was supposed to love forever.

“I know you’ll love me forever, Luke,” she says as if she’s reading my thoughts. “But I am your past, and that woman is your future. She’s right there, Luke. All you have to do is save her.”

“What?” My head swivels back to face Hannah as she stares at me. “Is she okay? Is she hurt?”

She nods. “Yes, she is hurt. But you have the power to change that. She loves our son like her own and puts up with your stubborn ass. She’s selfless and genuine. What else does she need to show you for you to accept it? She’s the one.” She squeezes my hand and then turns my face back to the scene of the accident.

The paramedics are extracting Rachel’s body from the car, placing her in the black body bag. “Run to her, Luke. Don’t let her go.”

“FUCK! NO!” I try to move my legs, but several more responders come over now, the pause button on my dream being lifted as they wrestle me to the ground. And as I fight them with all the adrenaline running through me until all I can do is lie there, Hannah stares down at me from above.

“Live your life, Luke. Mine is over. But yours is just beginning. I’ll see you on the other side of the stars.” She blows me a kiss and then dissipates, a cloud of white dust trailing away as she vanishes, and then I’m jolted by something heavy, thumping against my chest before the darkness of my room comes into view.

Flying up in my bed, my chest heaving and my heart thrumming wildly in my ribcage, my head twists around the room, searching for a sign that it wasn’t just a dream. But I know it was, even though it felt so fucking real. I reach up to feel my cheeks, realizing the moisture there was from the tears that escaped while I was sleeping, the dream where Hannah sent me a message, loud and clear.

I throw my head back on my pillow again, trying to get control over my pulse and my breathing, but my mind is racing as I stare at the white ceiling above me.

Hannah’s okay. She’s there on the other side and she knows that I’m doing the best I can. She sees us—Grayson and me—and she’s amazed by our son just as much as I am.

Most importantly, she sees me and Rachel and she’s cheering me on, pushing me to accept love again. And maybe that’s exactly what I needed—the clarification that she supports me, is proud of me, and wants me to be happy.

It’s that fact that hits me. She told me Rachel is made for me, a statement that is hard to accept when I’ve always felt that way about Hannah, never toying with the idea that someone else could fit into my life so seamlessly. But if she helped me see that then it has to mean something. Maybe I am meant to have a love like ours again, the thought bringing a smile to my face as I picture Rachel beside me—her smile, her laugh, her heart. She was everything I never expected, and everything I now know I need.

Rushing to stand, I almost fall over as I reach for my dresser and pull out a pair of athletic shorts, slipping them on before going to the kitchen to make coffee, acknowledging I won’t be going back to sleep after that dream and realization. I stand by the coffeemaker, waiting for the liquid to brew as ideas flash through my mind of how to fix this, how to undo the hurt I caused with my words and my actions. And then it hits me the moment I look up from my feet to the fridge, the picture of Rachel, Grayson, and me from his birthday party flashing brightly in my face.

I know what I need to do, but my words have to be perfect. It’s time to fix the mess I’ve made and give my son the family he deserves.

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