Our Time
Page 22
Olivia was dressed in a white dress with a sash around her tiny waist that was the same color blue as Maddy's dress. She was carrying a small basket full of white and pink rose petals. Instead of dropping them as she walked, she started throwing them up in the air and let them fall on her with a huge smile on her face. She made it half way down the aisle before she saw me at the end and darted toward me, spilling the petals along the way. I dropped down and caught her in my arms.
"Daddy!" She wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed me so tight. I laughed and kissed her little cheek. "Mommy pretty," she whispered in my ear. She was only twenty months old and too smart for her own good.
I looked up then and saw Jocelyn standing in the doorway with a smile on her face and my heart almost lurched out of my chest. I stood slowly, never taking my eyes off of her, as Maddy grasped Liv's hand and walked her over to where she was supposed to stand.
I only caught a glimpse of Jocelyn's white dress and how it hugged the curves of her body. But once my eyes locked with hers, I couldn't look away. Everything that had happened in my life before her was only a stepping stone to finding her. She was the love of my life. The mother of the most beautiful girl in the entire world. The strongest woman I had ever known. And no matter what happened after today, I would be by her side.
Forever.
Epilogue
Five years later
Olivia
I held on tight to Monty's leash while Daddy held my other hand and slowly pulled me up the hill to stand in front of the dark box that was laying in a big hole in the ground. I had tried to stop crying. Tried to show everyone that I could be strong, but I wasn't. I wasn't like Mommy.
She was always strong and always knew what to do. Whenever I fell down and scraped my knees, she knew just what to do to make it stop hurting and she always knew how to make me feel better whenever I was sad. Daddy always said that I was just like her in every way. That always made me smile. But right now, I couldn't smile.
I felt Daddy squeeze my hand and I looked up at him. His eyes were really blue. Mine were more gray with tiny specks of other colors. Mommy's were brown and reminded me of chocolate. He smiled down at me before kneeling in front of me.
"Liv, sweetheart, I know you miss her, but she is in a better place. I promise you." He was talking really soft and his big finger lifted my chin up as I sniffed.
Mommy always said that Daddy kept his promises no matter what, so I believed him.
"Do you think she misses me?" I asked him.
He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose. "I know she does. You took care of her and loved her so much. And she loved you, too."
I nodded, "Okay."
Monty huffed next to me and laid down at my feet. He looked as sad as I was and I felt like telling him it would be okay, but he started wagging his tail and sat up next to me looking back down the hill we had just climbed.
Mommy was holding my little brother, Bennett's, hand and helping him climb up the hill. Bennett looked a lot like me, but his eyes were blue like Daddy's and he was a boy so he had really short hair that wasn't curly like mine.
"I found it, Liv." Mommy held out the folded up piece of paper I forgot to bring with me. She had helped me write down what I wanted to say about Sasha, my pet goldfish, who was now lying in the black shoebox Daddy found for her.
She had died last night after I had only had her for three days. I had fed her every day and talked to her all the time to keep her company like Mommy and Daddy did for Monty. Daddy won her for me at the fair and bought her a big bowl to live in with colored rocks and a little castle she liked to swim in and out of. When we got home from the doctor's yesterday, she wasn't swimming anymore.
Mommy felt bad that we weren't with her when she died, but I told her it was okay. The doctor told her and Daddy about something to do with Mommy still being in 'remission'. Whatever that means. They were really happy, though, so I was glad we were there instead.
Mommy hugged me tightly after she gave me the paper, then Daddy wrapped his arm around her and took Monty's leash out of my hands.
I unfolded the paper and took a big breath just like Mommy showed me whenever I was feeling nervous. "Sasha, you were a really good friend and I really liked talking to you. Daddy said that you lasted longer than any fish he had ever had before, so I think you were really strong, too. Don't forget me, okay?"
I put the paper on top of her box and played with my bracelet before turning back to Daddy. "Do you think I can get a fish that looks like Sasha to put on my bracelet?"
He smiled and knelt down in front of me again while holding my wrist to look at the bracelet. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny silver fish. "I thought you might ask, so I went and got one for you this morning. Should we go get it put on and then go out for ice cream? In memory of Sasha, of course."
I smiled and nodded. Daddy always knew how to make me feel better, too. One day, I would make them feel better when they were sad, but who knows when that would be since they were always happy.
The End
About the Author
Jessica Wilde lives in Morgan Utah with her husband, daughter, and husky wolf, Kolo. She has always had a love for reading and when she finds a good romance book, she tends to lose sleep because she refuses to stop reading until she finds out what happens. She started writing as a teen, but was always too self conscious to share any of her stories so she threw them out. After becoming a mother and deciding to stay at home to raise her daughter, she started writing again when the ideas for a good book just wouldn't stop coming to her.
Her husband is extremely supportive of her even though he doesn't really like to read and he always has quick ideas to cure her writer's block. She hopes that her daughter will enjoy reading as much as she does, but hopes that she will wait until she is much older to read her mother's books.
Her first published book is titled Every One Of Me and she plans to continue writing until the ideas run out, which doesn't look like it will be any time soon.
Connect with Jessica Wilde
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7373464.Jessica_Wilde
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJessicaWilde
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Jessicawildeauthor