Love Letter Duet: The Encore Edition

by Callie Anderson

  “This is beautiful!” she exclaimed as she panted and heaved.

  I brought her into my arms and kissed her neck. “Are you okay?”

  She inhaled slowly and pulled away. “Yeah.”

  The dark green mountains were to our backs. If you closed your eyes, you could hear the birds singing and the rapid rushing water that slid down the mountainside.

  Emilia looked down at the cliff and noticed the small natural pool that had formed down below. “I want to go swimming.” Her smile grew on her face. She never let the remnants of her cancer define who she was.

  A makeshift path led from above down to the water. Walking carefully in front of Emilia, I stopped when I was about five feet from the pond. I kissed her hand dramatically and dove off the cliff. Emilia squealed, her laughter ricocheting off the mountains. When I came up for air, Emilia was standing on the same cliff, nibbling on her fingernail.

  “Jump!” I shouted to her.

  “I’m scared!” She paced back and forth.

  “You’ve been through worse shit! More terrifying shit!”

  Emilia took a step back and then ran off the ledge. Her scream was so loud I was sure it could be heard for miles. I swam over to her so she didn’t have to swim alone and use up more energy.

  She gasped when she came up for air. “Holy crap, that was scary!”

  I kissed her wet lips. “Come on, let’s head back to the hotel. I don’t want you to be late to your spa appointment.”

  The day after our hike, Emilia and I kept it low key, spending most of the day out by the pool. She was trying to be strong and said that she was fine, but I knew she was exhausted and hadn’t recouped.

  On our fourth day, when she insisted we do something fun, I rented a Moped so we could explore the island on our own. We traveled along the beach and stopped at little huts and shops to try the local food and do some shopping. Emilia had promised Lyra she would bring her something special.

  We stopped at a boutique that specialized in handmade jewelry using stones found on the island. Emilia perused the glass case looking for a special necklace for Lyra. I turned to the man sitting behind the register.

  “Hey, man.”

  “Aloha.”

  I smiled. “Aloha, do you know of a good spot to see the sun set?”

  “Yes.” He pulled out a piece of paper and began to draw me a map.

  When Emilia was done shopping and had found the perfect necklace with a turtle pendant for Lyra, we sat at a picnic bench and chatted with the locals before heading back on the road.

  I soon parked the Moped and we walked hand–in–hand toward the crashing waves. The sun was low on the horizon, the sky painted dark purple with pink clouds. The tide was stronger on this side of the beach but the way the sun colored the dark sea made it appear calm. The crashing waves told a different story as they collided against the sea wall.

  I sat on the white sand and brought Emilia to my lap. ”What do you think?”

  She shook her head slowly, not believing what she was seeing. “It looks like a painting.” She inhaled the salty mist of the ocean. “I never want to forget this sunset.”

  “It’s one of many we will share together in our lifetime together, Em.” I brought my face to the crook of her neck.

  Emilia reached for my hand and coiled our fingers together. She brought the back of my hand to her mouth, kissed it, and placed it over her heart. “I want to spend eternity with you.”

  “We will, babe. Our souls will always be entwined. In past lives, this one, and every one going forward. You’re my soulmate and I will continue to find you in every life.”

  Emilia leaned her head against mine. “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  On our last night on the island, Emilia went to bed early. I talked on the phone with Axel, going over my schedule, and didn’t notice until I hung up that I had been on the phone for twenty minutes. I had told Emilia it would take five. I shut my laptop and left it on the table in the living room. Emilia had left the balcony door cracked, letting the salty sea mist linger in the bedroom. The room was backlit by moonlight that reflected off the ocean, and the musical crashing of nearby waves must have soothed Emilia to sleep.

  Discarding my clothes, I lifted the blanket to crawl into bed. To my surprise, Emilia was under the covers naked. Her hands ran up my bare chest.

  “Hi,” she whispered. She brought her lips to mine.

  My hands caressed her skin as she crawled up my body. Deepening our kiss, I bit down on her plump lips, which caused her to whimper. She pulled away, her lips swollen and her breathing heavy. I sat up on the bed so my face was close to her breasts. My lips trailed across her nipples, flicking the tips with my tongue.

  “You are driving me insane,” I whispered, and pressed her breasts together.

  “I need you deep inside me,” she moaned.

  With one swift movement, I had her underneath me. My hands locked with hers over her head. I kissed her mouth, her neck, and began to lower myself down her body. Her skin was warm on my lips as I continued to place a trail of kisses downward. I slowed down, not wanting to rush our time together. I wanted to savor my wife.

  “You are beautiful, Emilia. I love you,” I whispered, looking up at her. “I love every single part of you, inside and out.” I pushed her legs apart and lowered my mouth to her core. “Every edge, curve, scar and dent. I love all of you.”

  I brought my lips to her sensitive bud. When her hips began to shake and her whimpers grew louder, I gently sucked on her clit until she begged me to stop.

  Sated with desire, Emilia lay on the bed, a grin wide on her face. “You are so good at that.”

  I positioned myself at her opening and smiled against her lips. “I can do this every night if you want me to.”

  “Mmmm,” she moaned and wrapped her legs around my waist. “You make me feel so loved, so alive. I’m lucky to have you.”

  “You were made for me, Em. You can’t deny fate.” I kissed her gently once again before I deepened the kiss and slid inside of her.

  76

  WESTON

  Early November.

  Emilia and I had been living together as husband and wife for over a month.

  When you don’t know if you’re going to live, you begin to count the time and you also make those days count. Each day she was getting stronger—and she was becoming the Emilia that I had known. Wanting to get back to her regular life, she had volunteered to work two days a week at Lyra’s school as the class mom. It was little steps, but they were steps forward.

  Leaving Emilia at home, I headed toward my meeting with SoCal. Emilia had decided to hang back. After Hawaii, I moved in with her fully. I sold my house and filled her garage with boxes that I had yet to sort through. Emilia had taken that task on as a project and while I was at SoCal she was home shifting though them. It was weird to walk through the halls knowing that I wouldn’t see Emilia. When we had left London and Axel let it slip that Emilia worked at SoCal, I’d personally called Brian and specifically asked for her. I would find any excuse to see her and remind her what it was to be with me. It was my big plan to win her back.

  It wasn’t the best plan.

  “Hey, Stace,” I said and tapped on her door frame.

  Stacey’s career had developed with the band. She was first hired as Emilia’s assistant when I’d demanded extra work so I could see Emilia. Once I found out about Lyra, Stacey took over so there wouldn’t be a conflict of interest.

  “Hey, stranger!” She jumped out of her seat and walked around the table to hug me. “How’s Emilia? Lyra?”

  “They’re both really good.” I walked further into her office.

  She took a seat and got down to business. “We need to get you guys back out there. Axel’s ready to get back on the road now that Edward’s a little older, Travis has finished his bucket list and stopped climbing mountains, and Emilia is healthy.” She beamed. “It’s time we start creating a buzz and start talking a
bout the new album.”

  “Works for me.”

  “Friday night you’ll be on the late show with Tom Sloan. Since you’re the face of the band, he asked personally for you. He has a special taping in Chicago. He’ll ask you questions about your personal life, what the band has been up to, and you can announce the new album. It tapes earlier in the day so you have to be in Chicago by noon, or you can fly in the night before. Just let me know what works best for you and I’ll have it set up.”

  “You have this all planned and ready to go?”

  Stacey sat back on her chair and jokingly kicked her feet up in the air. “I learned from the best. Not to mention, if Emilia found out I wasn’t delivering my A–game, she would come in here and kick my ass!”

  I chuckled and shook my head. When it came to work, Emilia didn’t play.

  “So, what else is new?” Stacey asked.

  I sat back and kicked my feet up like she had done. I made myself comfortable knowing that I would be a while catching up with life and our plan of action for the band.

  I arrived home early that afternoon. Emilia sat in the center of the floor with my old vinyl records scattered around her.

  “What are you up to?” I sang in the same beat that The Beatles were playing behind her.

  “We need a music room.” She closed her eyes and danced while she sat on the floor listening to Paul McCartney. “These need to be played every day and not hidden in boxes.”

  I strolled over to her, making sure I didn’t step on any records. Pulling her off the floor, I laced my arms around her lower back and we began to step side to side. “I’ll give you anything you want.”

  Emilia stood on her tippy toes and brushed her lips against mine. Her arms wrapped around my neck and we danced for the remainder of the song. “How was your meeting?” she asked when the track changed.

  “Good.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “I have to fly out to Chicago on Friday morning.”

  “Can I come? I haven’t seen Leslie since the wedding. Please?” She folded her hands under her chin.

  I nodded. “Let’s go to Chicago.”

  Emilia jumped into my arms and claimed my lips with hers. My hands slid down her body and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around my torso. Our lips never parted as I gently laid her on the floor and deepened our kiss. Surrounded by my records, we made love.

  We left Lyra with my mother and hopped on a plane to Chicago. It was a quick weekend trip, but one we were both excited about. Leaving O’Hare, we headed straight to Leslie’s brownstone apartment.

  The cool air had clouds of steam coming out every time I exhaled and Emilia danced around to keep warm as we waited for Leslie to open the door. She looked so small in her bulky coat and knitted hat.

  “You look like a marshmallow.” I joked and pulled her closer to me to warm her up.

  Emilia sucked her teeth and punched me in the gut. For a girl who was so tiny she had some strength behind her.

  “Welcome to the fucking cold!” Leslie said when she pulled open the door, a glass of wine in her hand. I released Emilia from my arms and she greeted Leslie with a lengthy hug.

  “I’m still freezing here,” I said while they held each other.

  “Geez, when did you become such a pansy?” Leslie joked and gave me a quick kiss before leading us into her apartment.

  Leslie took our coats and grabbed me a beer and a warm tea for Emilia. The table had been set for dinner already. Unlike Emilia, Leslie didn’t cook. She had ordered takeout—it was what she considered her specialty. The delivery guy showed up shortly after us and we sat for dinner.

  After we were done eating I lay on the couch that was right next to the dining table and watched the Tom Sloan show while they caught up on life. I tried to focus on the show, but as they continued to talk, I tuned out the show to listen in.

  “How are you feeling, Em?” Leslie asked.

  “I’m okay,” Emilia exhaled. “The mornings are still tough, and the doctor said I will get my strength back eventually, but from what I read, it’ll take a year before I feel like myself again.”

  “And married life? Are you liking it better this time around?”

  I shook my head at Leslie’s comment.

  “And you’re still an asshole, clearly.” Emilia laughed. “To answer your stupid question, yes. I’m loving married life. I got to marry Weston.” She sang my name. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

  “That’s so cliché. Hey!” she complained, and I knew Emilia had probably thrown something at her. “No, seriously, Emmy, you had a pretty hard life these past couple months. I think it’s time good things happen to you.”

  Emilia inhaled and exhaled extravagantly. “I guess.”

  “What are you gonna do when they go on tour?” Leslie paused from what I assumed was to take another sip of her wine. “Are you going to follow them or are you gonna stay home?”

  I lowered the volume on the television to hear Emilia better. I wanted to know how she really felt about me leaving. In all honesty, it was something that scared me. If our sophomore album did well, we would have to go on tour. That took days on the road. Hours away from loved ones.

  “I’m hoping they don’t go on tour until next summer.” Emilia sounded hopeful. “That gives me nine months to get better. And I’m not sure if Lyra and I will go on tour the whole time with them, especially if she is still in school. I want to keep her life pretty normal. I grew up on a tour bus, and I don’t want the same for her.” Emilia paused. “But enough about me, tell me about you. What’s going on? We barely spoke this past month and when we did, it was about chemo and how I was feeling.” Emilia laughed. “I’m kind of really tired of talking about cancer, so tell me something juicy. Who are you dating?”

  “Eh, you know how I am. I only fall for the asshole who I’m going to try to fix, and then I’ll get hurt.”

  “Les . . .”

  “It’s true.” She laughed. “I come with a lot of baggage, Emmy. You know that. I’m all dark and twisty and no one wants to commit to me.” She laughed again. “There have been casual hook ups but no one who caught my attention.”

  “Don’t say that. You can’t give up on love.”

  “I’m not giving up on love.” I heard a chair slide against the hardwood floor. “You had your baggage with you parents. I have mine.”

  “Okay,” Emilia said, another chair slid against the floor. “And look at me now. I swore I wouldn’t be my parents. Their death screwed me royally,” Emilia laughed sarcastically, “but you can’t fight destiny. Trust me, I tried. My dad was a lead singer in a band. Weston is a lead singer in a band. My mom had me. I had Lyra. Mom had cancer. Guess what I got. Cancer! Me!” Emilia exhaled. “Everything I didn’t want turned out to be the best thing in my life. I never made so many mistakes as I have with Weston. The shit I did with Lyra is unforgivable, and fucking chemo was the worst thing possible, but look at us now. You can’t hide from something because it might scare you or because you don’t want history to repeat itself. I would go through chemo every single day if it meant I could have Weston and Lyra in my life.”

  “You’re right.” Leslie said and walked toward the kitchen. “But you were afraid of relationships because you were afraid of them. My problem is I’ve been burned so many times I continue to find these assholes and it becomes my pet project to fix them. You’re not the only one with daddy issues. To me, every man will turn out like my father. A deadbeat who will break my heart and then leave, no matter how much I try to fix them.” Leslie’s voice cracked and I knew the air between them had shifted.

  “Do you want chocolate pudding?” Leslie asked and laughed.

  “Yeah,” Emilia said quietly.

  Their conversation was over.

  I turned the volume back up on the television and went back to watching Tom Sloan.

  Later that night, Emilia lay curled up on the hotel bed. White pillows surrounded her and her laptop lay open i
n front of her. I had finished my conversation with Pete and walked back into the bedroom. The nightstand light was on and a wide grin appeared on her face before she began to laugh at whatever she was looking at on the computer screen.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked, standing at the edge of the bed.

  Laughing harder, she turned the computer screen toward me. “You have to see this.” I pulled back the comforter and crawled into bed with her. “Sally just sent me this. It’s from Halloween,” she said before she pressed the play button. The video was of their son, Edward, who had been scaring Axel with his Halloween mask. When Axel screamed of fright, Edward fell on the floor laughing hysterically. It was that infectious baby laugh that no one could help but laugh along with.

  “Isn’t he cute?” Emilia turned the computer back to her and watched the video once again.

  “You know we can have another kid.” I turned to face her, my head held up with my hands.

  “Did you hit your head?” She closed the laptop and placed it on her nightstand. “Do you not remember the past five months of our lives?” She shook her head and pulled the down comforter higher on her body. “No uterus means no baby.”

  “I’m not saying that you’ll get pregnant and have a baby. We can adopt. Doesn’t have to be right now. I know there’s a lot going on, so maybe in a year or two.” I ran my thumb over her lower lip. “When our life is a bit more normalized.”

  A sideways grin grew on her face. “I think I’d like that.” She shifted on the bed and rested her head on my chest.

  “So we’ll talk about this sometime later in the future?” I kissed the top of her head.

  “Yeah.”

  I hugged her tighter and inhaled her tantalizing scent. “Can I ask you something else?” I whispered.

  “Yes?”

  “Do you love me?”

  Emilia looked up at me and smiled. “You have no idea how much I love you.”

  The holidays felt exhausting. When I wasn’t with Emilia and Lyra, I was in the studio until the late part of the night working on our new album. And when the album was finally finished, the promoting began—which only caused more fatigue.