Page 96 of The Light to My Darkness (The Light to My Darkness 1)

"Promise me you'll take care of him."

"You're going to be alright. Everything's okay."

I looked up at his face. It was wet with tears. I had seen him cry once before. When James had gotten shot. When we thought we might lose him. And I knew it then. He thought I was going to die. I thought I was going to die. And I felt the death in my stomach. I felt it rip my heart in two.

"Promise me." My voice came out as a whisper.

He shook his head.

"Take care of Scarlett."

"Penny..."

"Take care of my family."

"We're almost there," he said.

"I'm scared." I tried to grab his hand, but my grip was too weak. The pain was easing as the feeling of ice spread. It was peaceful. Like my body was trying to comfort me as I slipped. As it became harder to breathe. "I'm so scared," I whispered.

"Penny, open your eyes."

I tried, but I couldn't.

"Penny, you're not allowed to leave us. Do you hear me? Open your eyes, okay?"

But I couldn't. I couldn't do it.

"Please."

The desperation in his voice pained me. But I couldn't frown. I couldn't move at all.

"Fucking open your eyes!"

PART 3

James

Chapter 33

Monday

I read through the contract once more. My lawyer had already gone over it. Now all it needed was Penny's signature. I took a sip of my drink. Hopefully she'd be so excited that she'd forgive me for having been reading her book ever since she started writing it three years ago.

I had tried not to. I had tried to respect her decision for me to wait. But I couldn't stop once I had started. Her account was linked to mine. I was able to see every word she typed as she typed it. Sometimes I'd sit in my office and stare at the screen, watching her create a scene. Watching her pull our memories out of her head and paint a picture on the page. To see her version of us unfold. To see her feelings grow.

No, I couldn't stop. I couldn't look away. It was brilliant. A perfect mix of fiction and reality. A one-sided tale of grief and love and hope. She deserved the publishing deal I had just landed her. And I couldn't wait to surprise her. I couldn't wait to kiss her perfect stomach and hug the beautiful daughter she had given us. I missed her so much that it physically hurt. I took another sip of my drink.

It had only taken two meetings. The second publishing house I met with showed immediate interest. The negotiation process was easy. As far as I could tell, I had landed Penny a deal that was better than many authors who had been writing for years. Hopefully that would also be enough to get Penny to forgive me for butting into the publishing process. And for lying about the reason for my trip in the first place.

"We'll be landing in a few minutes, if you could buckle your seatbelt," the flight attendant said.

I looked up and nodded. For a second, I had wondered if she was talking to me. But I was the only one on the plane. "Of course." I reached over and fastened the buckle in place as she removed my drink. I stared out the window as the city came into view. Home. But it wasn't the place that was home. It was her. Wherever she was, that was home to me.

I lifted up the contract and put it into my satchel. Before she had given birth to Scarlett, I had read that you should give your wife a gift before the baby arrived. I had transformed the library into her office and filled it with books that she loved. She had been so excited. This publishing contract was my gift this time. She had been writing ever since she found out she was pregnant the first time. This was the perfect gift. She deserved this. It didn't matter how she got it.

But the closer we got to the airport, the more unsettled I felt. What if she didn't want this? What if I had overstepped again? I hated that look she gave me. The one where her eyebrows pinched together in disappointment. She had to forgive me for reading her book without her permission. For inserting myself in the publication process. For lying to her about the trip. That was a lot of forgiveness. Maybe I should buy her something too. I shook my head. She never appreciated gifts like that as much. It was one of the many reasons why I fell for her in the first place.

And there were a lot of reasons. The way her hair shimmered in the sun. The way her smile could light up a room. The way her laughter vibrated through me. The way she melted at my touch. The way her breasts fit perfectly in my hands. The way she moaned my name in need. God, I was lucky. Every day I counted my blessings. The life she had given me. The fresh start I didn't deserve. I owed everything to my beautiful wife. Every single thing.

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