Page 326 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 2
He took a step toward me, but I held up my hand.
"What if these are my last two months? Time doesn't stand still just because I have to."
"Baby."
"And I'm so scared about what'll happen once I'm gone. Everyone will forget about me. Scarlett won't even remember me, she's too young. All I have is a stupid book that no one wants to fucking read. That's my legacy."
"Nothing is going to happen to you."
"But what if it does?" I wiped my tears away with my hands. "You have to promise me you'll keep living. Promise me you'll keep your heart open."
"No." He said it so matter-of-factly, I could have thought he was responding to a simple question about if he wanted Chinese food for dinner.
"James." God, he was so exasperating. "Just promise me."
He ignored my outstretched hand and pulled me into his arms. "No. I will never fall for someone new. You're it for me, Penny. You're everything. My heart will stop beating the second that yours does."
"That's very romantic, but what about Scarlett? What about this baby? They'll be relying on you. You have a family that needs you."
He shook his head.
"Promise me, James."
"I'm not going to make you a promise that I can't keep. I don't know how to live without you. So you're just going to have to keep living, baby. And that means no trip to the beach. It's not worth risking your health."
"Fine. I'll agree to no bachelorette party. But you have to agree to my request too. Your heart will in fact keep beating once mine stops." I put my hand on the center of his chest. "And I'm asking you to please be willing to keep it open to love. Our kids will need you to smile and laugh and maybe, just maybe, find someone to share all that joy with."
"No."
"James!" For some reason his stubbornness made me start laughing. "Do you think I want to imagine you with another woman? The thought makes me feel sick to my stomach."
"Good, me too."
"You have to promise me." Now that I was smiling, I wasn't sure he was talking me seriously at all.
"Absolutely not." He was smiling now too.
"God, what am I going to do with you?" I ran my fingers down the collar of his dress shirt.
He tilted his head down and ran the tip of his nose down the length of mine. "Does that mean we can stay here tomorrow?"
Now he's asking."You didn't agree to my demands."
"Demands?" He cupped the side of my face in his hand. "Surely you can think of better demands than that."
I laughed.
"That one sound." He closed his eyes. "How can a sound be my favorite thing in the world?"
"I love you, James."
He opened his eyes again. "You're unforgettable, Penny. To me. To our daughter. To our family and friends. Nothing is going to happen to you. But don't you ever think that if it did, we'd forget you."
I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. I understood why he couldn't promise me he'd move on. I could still remember the feeling in my soul when I thought I was going to lose him. That was it. My heart would have stopped beating when his did. I truly believed that it was possible to meet someone so perfect foryou that you could no longer exist without them. James was my heart. My soul. My everything.
The Light to My Darkness - Chapter 16
Thursday
