A Flawed Heart (29 page)

I remember Jason.

I remember him, so nervous on the day he proposed to me. We
walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, and I didn’t understand why he was so quiet. I
remember being afraid he had something terrible to tell me—and then he pulled a
ring from his pocket with shaking hands…

I remember our wedding day, seeing him waiting for me at the
end of the aisle. The room blurred, and his smile was all that mattered. I
remember the promises we made and the speech Lydia gave. I remember dancing
with my husband for the first time.

I remember every song he ever wrote for me, and the sweet
devotion that always wove its way through his words.

I remember the day our daughter was born. I remember the way
his face changed the first time he saw her. I’d never thought our hearts could
hold more love than they already did. I remember wondering how it would feel to
have another person become a part of our life together. Our duo became a trio,
our marriage became a family.

I remember the day she left for college, and how empty our
house sounded without her. I caught Jason more than once sitting in her room,
on her little bed, looking at her baby book.

I remember how our lives became even fuller as the years
went on. I never got tired of seeing Jason’s face every day…of feeling him
touch me.

I remember all of the places we traveled together.

I remember the first day I met him, standing at the top of
the stairs in that little apartment building in Williamsburg. We went back
there, years later. Some college kids were sitting out on
our
fire escape and he held my
hand as we sat in the car together, and remembered.

I could not have asked for a more full, complete, and happy
life. I look at Jason now, where he’s seated next to me, and I remember. He
takes my wrinkled hand in his, and I feel the same thrill, though muted with
the passage of time. He smiles at me, and I still see the man I fell in love
with so long ago.

When people talk about love, they talk about patience and
kindness, about being unselfish and unconditional. They talk about soul mates
and bliss. And love can be all of these things. The storybooks we grew up
reading tell us so.

But there are many things these fairy tales never told us
about love. That it can be hard to find. That it can hurt you but it can also heal
you. It’s not always easy to give someone the love they need, or to take the
love they want to give to you. The one truth we can take from the fairy tales,
is that there can be a happily ever after. You may stumble through dark woods,
you may eat life’s poison apple and sleep for a hundred years, but you
will
find your way out of those
woods. You
will
wake
from that sleep. And if you’re lucky, there will be someone there to hold your
hand through it all.

*The End*

About the
Author

April Emerson moved to New York
City after graduating from college with a degree in literature. As a nature
lover, living in the city was a culture shock, but she soon began to enjoy
being surrounded by so much energy. Submerged in perpetual crowds, April
developed a fondness for people watching, which inspired her to start writing.
Drawn to both the light and dark of humanity, she strives to tell sexy and
romantic stories with exquisitely complex characters. When she isn’t writing, she
loves listening to music or reading a good book while enjoying a glass of wine.

You can find her at
aprilemerson.com.

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com