She takes a tissue out of her pocket and wipes away the tears.
“Not long after we were pronounced dead they came to me and said you were getting remarried.”
“Ariel, my love, it wasn’t like that.” She holds up her hand to stop me, and I do.
“I knew when I was five years old that you were the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with. We’ve been together nearly sixty years.” She gives me a soft smile. “When they told me you got married I laughed. Not because I didn’t believe them. But because all I could think was that you probably did it to save someone or help someone. You would have never done it out of love. I knew in my soul that I was the only woman you ever loved. And it would stay that way until you died. I never doubted that.”
I’m amazed at her strength and in this moment, I know that no matter how I live the rest of my life, I’ll never be good enough for her. But I’m selfish enough to never ever let her go.
“I never loved her. The woman I married, Autumn's mother, I only did it because I knew Autumn and Hunter were meant to be. I never touched her,” I say, pleading with her. “I know you might not believe that, but I didn’t. The thought of touching another woman made me physically sick.”
Ariel nods and smiles like she knew this all along. Her dark gray hair falls over one shoulder and her blue eyes sparkle in the firelight. She’s never looked more beautiful than she does in this moment.
“I don’t trust myself to touch you. I know if I do, I won’t be able to stop. It’s all I can do now to sit here and talk when all I want to do is take you to the floor and make love.”
“Neil, I’ve been without you for nearly five years. I don’t think now is the time for you to hold back.”
Without thought and without a care in the world, I lunge for her, pushing her down on the couch and climbing on top of her. My lips connect with hers, and every reason I had for not touching her sooner flies out the window.
When my arms wrap around her body, it’s as if I’m finally home. My heart and my soul are right where they should be. Connected to her.
I’ve spent my existence loving one woman, and nothing will ever change that. Not now, not in the future, and certainly not in death.
Epilogue
Ariel
One year later…Christmas morning
We’ve been opening presents all morning and the kids are squealing with delight. I made breakfast with Holly and Autumn this morning while the boys took care of the kids. We’re all full and happy as we sit by the fire and watch the snow outside.
“Oh, it looks like there’s a present we forgot to open,” Hunter says as he reaches in the far back corner behind the tree and pulls out a big box.
“That’s strange. I thought I got them all out,” I say and look to Neil who just shrugs.
“It says To Mom and Dad, from Santa,” Vance says as he looks at the label and passes it to us.
Neil takes the box and places it in my lap. I shrug and untie the big red ribbon. When I lift the lid, there’s tons of tissue inside, and I have to push it out of the way to see what’s in the bottom.
Inside is a white dress and I look at Neil and our kids.
“Surprise!” Autumn and Holly exclaim, looking at me and then at each other.
“I don’t understand,” I say, confused.
“Well, since you died, and Dad decided to remarry, technically you’re not married anymore,” Vance says, rubbing his hands together. “So we’ve decided that you guys need to fix that.”
“What?” Neil asks, smiling at me.
“We’ve thrown you a surprise wedding,” Holly says and looks at her watch. “You’ve got about an hour to get ready before the ceremony starts.”
“Oh my god!” I shout as I jump up from the couch and run up the stairs.
I can hear everyone in the living room laughing, but if I’m going to have my picture taken I want to at least fix my hair.
Running around like crazy, I do my best to polish and buff every inch of my body, even with Neil coming in to distract me. I manage to do my hair and makeup before I slip on the gorgeous dress the kids picked out. It’s long sleeved and fitted all the way down. It flares a little at the feet in a soft mermaid style. I think I have everything perfect right when Neil steps into the room wearing a tuxedo.
“Where did you get that?” I ask, looking him up and down. “You look as handsome as the day we got married.”
“The boys got it for me. And this thing better be quick. I can’t wait to strip you out of that dress,” he says as he comes over and places a soft kiss on my neck. I know he’s trying his best not to mess up my makeup, but he also knows that spot drives me crazy.