Authors: Melanie Codina

Love Required (35 page)

BOOK: Love Required

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Tori nodded. “Yes, please. Can you carry Lexi?”

“Of course. You ready?” he asked softly, ever thoughtful of the situation. Again she nodded through the lump in her throat, and they got out of the car.

Jason came around the back of the car with Lexi. He stood next to Tori and held her hand. Tori took a deep breath and willed herself forward. Slowly, they traversed the sunny lawn, moving around headstones and flowers. When they reached the shaded canopy of the tree, she felt a sense of peace wash over her. It was a feeling she always felt around her mother.

Stopping just before the roots started, they came upon the rose marble stone engrossed with her mother’s name. The words ‘Beloved mother and friend’ were carved just below her name. Although she was so much more than that, those words spoke volumes to Tori. Together, they stood silently, feeling the peacefulness of their surroundings. It was almost like Lexi understood something was different about where they were because she, too, was quiet.

When Jason squeezed her hand in support, she whispered, “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say or do.”

“What would you do or say if she were standing right in front of you?” Jason asked softly.

Tori sniffled and a small laugh escaped as she said, “If Mom were standing here right now, I’d introduce you to her, and then she’d lean over and whisper something inappropriate about how handsome you are.”

“And of course I would be oh-so-charming and say something like, ‘I thought I was meeting your mom, not your older sister,’” Jason said with humor.

She giggled, “She would’ve been so charmed by that, too. I can imagine her response would’ve been to slip her arm in yours and tell you to take her to lunch so she could hear more.”

“Then I would take her to lunch and tell her what a beautiful, strong, and amazing daughter she has. And that I love her very much,” Jason said, squeezing her hand. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face and smiled.

“I can see it all in my head,” she wiped her cheeks and sniffled, “as if it really happened.”

Jason kissed her hand. “In a way, it just did. You can hold on to that image and let it live in your heart.”

Tori looked at him in shock, and shaking her head, she stated the obvious, “I’m so happy I found you.”

“Ditto,” he said before kissing her forehead and adding, “We’ll give you some time alone. I’ll be right over there if you need me.”

She nodded and watch Jason and Lexi walk away before turning back around. Closing her eyes, she latched onto the vision she had of her mom meeting Jason and smiled. She would keep that close to her heart and pretend it was real.

“So I guess I should thank you, Mom. You know at first, when things went bad with Damien, I thought how strange it was for you to have not seen it. Since you were such a great judge in character, but now I see it.” Tori laughed to herself, looking over her shoulder in the direction of the car. She took in the sight of Jason holding Lexi over his head as she giggled. Looking back at the marble stone she continued, “I know you would never have given your approval of Damien if you knew what he was capable of. But I see that it was just a step in a direction that led me to where I am now. If I hadn’t been with Damien, I never would’ve ran to San Diego. And then I never would’ve found Jason.”

Swallowing her tears, she continued, “He’s so good to me, Mom. So good to
us
. He’s everything you would’ve wanted for me.” She smiled. “But somehow I think you already know this, don’t you.”

After a long moment, she dried her cheeks, and said, “I won’t be by as often as I’d like to be, but I promise to come when I can. Just know that I’m happy, healthy, and loved. I have everything I could’ve hoped for, and I promise you’re never far from thoughts.”

She blew a kiss to the stone and smiled again. “Bye Mom.”

Turning around, she walked toward her future with a full heart and a smile on her face.

EPILOGUE

JASON leaned back in the chair and laid her head against his chest. Dropping his face into her hair, he placed a reverent kiss there. Quietly, they sat together. He would periodically kiss her head as he rubbed her back, his body finally losing the tension from the day’s events. Deciding he had a few things he wanted to tell her, he gently cleared his throat and spoke softly to match the atmosphere of the room.

“So, I was thinking. And you don’t have to say anything; you can just listen and let me say what’s on my mind. Unless you want to, of course. Anyway, I wanted you to know that since you’ve come into my world, I’ve thought of little else but you. On a daily basis, I worry about how you’re doing and if you’re okay. You should try not to hold it against me, it’s just how I am. In fact, you should just embrace it and see it as a good thing.”

He placed a kiss to her forehead before continuing, “I want you to know that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you are happy, and healthy, and safe. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. All you have to do is say the word, I promise you.”

She opened her eyes and he smiled. “I love you so much already; it takes my breath away. And I promise to make sure you know that every single day.”

Finished with his speech, he felt the enormity of his words, the permanency of their connection. Sweeping an unruly curl on her forehead to the side, he watched as it sprang back, it’s color so mesmerizing. Her eyes began to droop until they closed completely and she went to sleep. Still smiling, he said with a little humor, “That’s okay, you don’t need to say anything. I know you’ll love me, too. I just needed to make sure you knew how important you are to me and how much I love you.”

A moment later, Tori’s voice, laced with exhaustion said, “Sounds like I should be jealous.”

Jason stood immediately, but cautiously, as he held his daughter tightly to his chest. Moving to her bed, he sat on the edge and smiled down at her. “How are you feeling, my love? Do you need anything? Would you like me to call a nurse? Should I get you some ice chips?”

Tori lifted her finger to his lips, “Shh. Did you know you babble when you’re nervous?”

He chuckled, “Yes, dear wife, I do, but only with you.”

She shook her head and smirked, “Not true. I do believe there are now three women in your life who can make you babble like a nervous monkey.”

Looking down at the newest addition to their little family, he asked, “Is it bad that I already want to lock her up and never let anything hurt her?”

Tori smiled before whispering, “I think it makes her one of the luckiest girls around.”

Jason shook his head before kissing Tori softly and whispering back, “It’s me who’s the lucky one.”

~THE END~

About the Author

Melanie is an amazing mother of four, an awesome and tolerant wife to one, and nurse to many. If you don’t believe her, just ask anyone in her family, they know what to say. She is also a devoted chauffer, the keeper of missing socks, a genius according to a six year old, the coolest soccer uniform coordinator according to a twelve year old, and the best damn ‘mac-n-cheese-with-cut-up-hot-dog maker in the whole world. Well that last title isn’t really official, but it’s still pretty cool to be called it.

When not being ordered around by any of the kids, you can find her with her nose in a book or on the sideline of a soccer game cheering on one team or another. But that’s mostly because she has a thing for the coach. When she is not doing all of the above, you can find her obsessed with a group of fictional characters all vying for a spot on the page of whatever she’s working on. It’s a fun and crazy life to lead, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you liked my book you can keep up with upcoming books, sneak peeks, and more at:

Twitter: @MelanieCodina

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Thank you for reading. Please look for other books in this series, as well as more to come. Remember that the best compliment you can pay an author is to leave a review … We love to read them.

The Real Love Series:

Love Realized

Love Resisted

Love Required

And coming soon…

We get to hear from the younger generation of Baxters in:

Assumptions

Expectations

Table of Contents

Love Required

Dedication

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS