“M-Max,” I struggled to call despite my dry throat. I wanted to see him before something would pull me into the dark again. “Max.”
Just when my heart wanted to give up, he appeared among the faces that surrounded me and declared, “I’m here, Larni.”
Max kept talking to me while the hospital staff continued checking me. I calmed down when he and Dad never left my side. After a few minutes the doctor declared me to be in a stable state. The doctor commended me for being a fighter. He turned to Max and Dad and praised them for not giving up. I looked at him with curious eyes. The doctor explained that I had been asleep for almost two months. My body deteriorated and the doctors suggested stopping the life support. Dad and Max refused. I had survived it once and they believed that I would survive it again.
A week ago my vitals became stable and I was taken out of life support, but I was still trapped in a deep slumber. Perhaps because I never let go. My soul was promised to someone and he never wanted to let it go.
The nurses stepped aside to give my family a chance to come to me. Dad and Max looked at each other. Dad smiled and moved closer to me first. He kissed me on the forehead before whispering, “You still love playing sleeping beauty on me, huh?”
I looked at Max who stood behind Dad. He looked happy to see me, but he seemed awkward.
“He never left your side. But if you want him to leave, I will make him,” Dad whispered.
I shook my head and turned to Max. Tears flowed down my cheek and he wiped it away with his hands. I grabbed his hands and kept him close. I smiled softly and said, “Punish me. Take everything from me, but don’t leave me.”
Max burst into tears and he pressed his lips against mine. He sniffed hard to stop sobbing, but his tears kept flowing as he said, “I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry for hurting you.”
“Maxine? How is she?” I asked while struggling with my dry throat.
“She’s waiting for her Mommy,” Max said. He smiled while crying.
I wiped his tears and asked, “Can I see her, please?”
Max took my hands and kissed them a lot. He looked at me and nodded. “You can see her anytime. She can stay with you after you get out of here.”
I wanted to thank him, but he gagged me with a kiss again. His kisses were full of wanting, as if he was kissing me again for the first time and he did not want it to end. “I will do anything you want. Just don’t sleep this long on me - us again,” Max said as he pulled away.
“Anything?” I asked.
“Anything,” he repeated while kissing my hand.
“Will you forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” he quickly answered. He caressed my cheeks and said, “I understand everything now. I even have to thank you for fighting for your life and Maxine. Is there anything else?”
I laughed softly as Max kept kissing my hands while sobbing. I had never seen a man cry like him. His display of love overflowed in my heart. He looked at me and our eyes met. I remembered the way he looked at me on the dance floor on the first night we met. I remembered the way we felt for each other. It was the stare that assured me that he had been in love with me.
“Is there anything else?” he asked with a smile.
“Will you marry me?” I asked.
The room was filled with laughter from the nurses who stayed. Max laughed and kissed me. His kisses became torrid and I gathered all my strength to return them with the same passion. Dad placed his hands on Max’s shoulder and said, “Let’s save that after you say yes to my daughter.”
The room was filled with laughter again. Max smiled and said, “Yes.”
He took something from his wallet and showed me a ring. He had been keeping the ring with him since the accident happened. “I prayed every day that I could put this on you,” he told me.
Tears sprung heavily down my cheeks as he put the ring on my finger. It was a different ring. I did not care how different it was from our first engagement ring, but I prayed that this ring would stay in my finger forever.
Epilogue
Max
The bright sun awakened me when the curtains in the room opened. I looked at my side and Larni was still sleeping soundly. I stared at her for a while, watching her breathe, and praying that she would move. My heart calmed when she turned to face me. Since her accident, I always watched Larni sleep. The fear that she would not wake up still lingered in my heart.
I looked for the control of the curtains and found it with Maxine. She curiously pushed the buttons while she sat next to her brother’s crib. She handed me the control when I came close to her and I closed the curtains to give Larni more time to sleep.
“Junior is sleeping,” I told Maxine as I carried her out of the room.
“I love you, Papa,” she said as I put her on her chair.
I pushed my lips on her and she offered her chubby cheeks. I massaged her head and smiled.
“No more hair,” Maxine said.
A soft smile formed on my lips. The bone marrow transplant was successful, but she still had to undergo treatments. Her black locks were already gone because of the treatment, but she still had her smile. Maxine had the fighting spirit Larni had. I placed Maxine’s breakfast on her chair and returned to the bedroom.
I looked at my four-month old son who slept like his mother on the crib. James, Larni’s father, teased me for loving his daughter too much. All my children had the face of their mother. It was the world telling me that I could not deny my love for Larni.
“Did he wake up?” Larni asked while rising from the bed.
“No. Just get some rest,” I told her.
“Maxine?” she asked.
“She’s fine. She’s eating breakfast. You don’t have to worry,” I replied.
Larni returned to the bed but kept looking at me. She smiled and said, “I love you, Maxwell.”
Her words filled me with delight. She always told me her love, but I never got tired of hearing it. Her ‘I love you’ became different after she became my wife. There were no traces of guilt or fear. I was always full of love.
I kissed her gently and whispered, “I love you, Larni.”
We had a long journey to finally have our happiness. We had caused pain to each other, but we got through all of them. I looked at my son and laughed. One day, my son would grow up and I would tell him how I fell in love with the same woman twice and how she fought to live, so she would be mine.
Souls that were promised for each other will always find each other. Larni told me that. Fate had promised us for each other. I lost her once and almost lost her again, but I would never lose her again. I will hold on to my heavenly flower, my Larni, like my soul was promised to her. And I will always love her.
Thank You.
Thank you for following the wonderful journey of love by Larni and Max. Their journey was long, but it proved to us that love, when real, would know no face or hatred, but only hope for happiness.
I hope that this book lifted your spirit and encouraged you to believe in love and to treasure the ones you have.
If you like this book, please leave a review so we can improve our next stories.
To read the other books of this author, please click on the links below or go to Kindle Books:.
The $5 Million Proposal (Promise of Souls Series – Book 2) by Holly Hampton: Now on Kindle
Once again, thank you for downloading this book and good luck in your own romances.
About the Author
Biography
Holly Hampton is a very busy mom of two who loves to read- many at times extremely late into the night. It helps her escape from reality and get some “me time” away from all the madness of everyday life. Holly particularly likes to read short steamy romantic stories with emotional happy ever after endings. Her great joy however comes in writing. With so many ideas floating around in her head, Holly loves to share her passion for putting pen to paper to share her stories.
She believes reading
romantic fiction is a form of escapism and people wants to dream a little and stimulate their hearts and minds. “Hopes and dreams” even if in a book- just for a moment at least! As you can tell Holly short steamy stories are romantically orientated with some suspense and plenty of emotions. You may cry at times. You're going to find Billionaires, Bad Boys, Military Guys and loads of hot steamy scenes. Hopefully, something for everyone!
True escapism that hopefully many will enjoy!
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