“Will you be okay if I go now?” he whispered.
“No. I’ll never forgive you for leaving me. I’ll hate you until the day I die.”
“Really?” He glanced at me.
“No, not really. But you have to keep fighting, Levi. I know this is hard, and you’re so tired, but it’s not your time yet. We all love you, and we need you to be here with us. To answer your question of will I be okay? Yes, eventually I will be okay. It will take me a lifetime to get over the loss of you, but I’m sure it will happen.” I stopped as tears streamed down my cheeks.
He shifted so he could slip his arm around my shoulders and hold me while I cried. “Even if I’m gone, I promise I’ll still find a way to tell you I love you.” He brushed soft kisses against my wet cheeks. “When you dance, know I’ll be watching, and know how much I love you. I’ll always love you, no matter how far apart we are. If our time together was only this past year and a half, you can know without a doubt that it was the best in my life.”
“I want to hate you for this you know. You who made me realize I wanted love in my life if it included you. Bastard.”
He chuckled and held me tighter.
“I was meant for you, Levi. My whole life up until last year wasn't really living. You resurrected my heart from the ashes. I don’t want to live without you. I know that’s selfish of me, to beg you to stay when it hurts you so much, but there it is. I’m begging you, Levi, as your wife, please don't give up. Please fight this. We have so much ahead of us. Promise me you’ll fight as hard as you can,” I said the words as I clutched his hospital gown in my fist.
He stared at me for a moment and then brought my fingers up to his lips as he looked me deep in the eyes. “I promise you this, until my last breath, I will fight for you Becca. I’ll never give up.”
The end…
Keep reading for the epilogue
6 months later
“Levi, you got a letter.” I grinned and held out the envelope for him. I knew what would be written inside, but it would be nice to see it.
I could remember that day in the hospital when I had begged him to live for me. I had begged him to never give up on life.
Every day after, I had made him promise me the same thing. It was a rough road, but he had come out of it somehow. It was as though by making that choice, that was all his body needed. Suddenly, everything fell into place, the antibiotics started to work, and he was able to start eating again. Within another week, he was released from the hospital and home with me.
I stood and watched him tear open the envelope and scan the letter before holding it above his head triumphantly. “I’m officially cancer free!”
We screamed and danced around our living room. It had been a long journey, the hardest either of us had ever faced. He was done fighting; now, we could start living again.
“Pack your bags, baby, we’re hitting the road.” He pulled me against him and kissed me, leaving me a breathless pile of mush in his arms.
“Where are we going?” I stared up at him.
“Who cares? We’ll figure it out on the way to the airport.” He gave me a little shove toward the bedroom and a smack on the butt for good measure.
I squealed and ran off to the room to throw things into our suitcases. I could hear him on the phone as I packed, spreading the good news.
Happy. I was so damn happy. After a year of shit, we finally had reached the rainbow at the end of the storm. We had survived cancer and our relationship was a hell of a lot stronger because of it.
I had no idea what I was packing for, so I threw a bit of everything into both of our bags. Bathing suits and shorts as well as jeans and sweaters. Butterflies made of excitement fluttered around in my stomach.
He joined me in our room fifteen minutes later, a huge grin still on his face. “You ready to go?”
“I think so.” I frowned at the suitcases, hoping I packed enough.
“We’ll buy whatever we don’t have. Grab your passport too.”
“Oooh, we’re going somewhere international?” I clapped my hands like a little kid.
“Maybe.” He winked and kissed me. “I’ll get the bags in the car, you grab the passports.” With a final high five for good measure, he left the room with the suitcases, and I scrambled to the office to find our passports.
God, I was happy. Like so, so, happy. Nothing could touch me anymore; as long as I had Levi, I would always be okay.
“Ah-ha!” I shouted victoriously when I finally found the folder that had our passports. I snatched them up and went back to the room to grab my iPad and all the phone chargers.
I heard a honk from the garage as I entered the kitchen and rolled my eyes. “Hold your horses,” I yelled as I grabbed my purse and locked the door behind me.
I hopped in, and we were on our way. I didn’t care about the destination, as long as we were together. It was time to finally start living our life and making a million happy memories. If this year didn’t do us in, I was certain that nothing could. I was strong, and I sure as hell was a survivor. The love that Levi and I shared couldn’t be conquered.
I hope you enjoyed Becca and Levi’s story. They make an appearance in Chad’s book The Deeper We Get, which takes place five years into the future.
About The Author
Jessica Gibson is a recovering bookaholic, she's down from four books a week to a more reasonable one. It was that love of words and creativity that made her dream about writing her first book. That dream was hidden for years, always put on the back burner, filed away in the "someday" section, until her husband Matt gave her the kick in the pants she needed to actually get off her butt and write.
Jessica and Matt live in Southern California and have a serious addiction to reality tv shows like Pawn Stars and American Restoration. They have one amazing son who runs circles around them both.
Here’s where you can find her:
email: [email protected]
Amazon Page http://www.amazon.com/Jessica-Gibson/e/B005OT569M
Website: authorjessicagibson.com
Blog: www.thisauthorslife.blogspot.com
Book Blog : www.bookonthebrightside.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jessica-Gibson/120212814747940
Twitter: @jessicajgibson
After We Fell (Falling Fast #1.5) Page 10