I’ll never forget his beautiful face, cautiously bringing it to me. “This was in your grandmother’s journal,” he’d said, handing me a yellowed envelope with my name handwritten on the front.
I opened it, and inside was a letter…
My sweet Mishka,
I worry that someday you might read these documents about your past, and I might not be here to explain them to you. I’m writing this down in case that happens.
You are a beautiful girl of pure heart, and as such, you’ve been given gifts. Faith is the hardest part to sustain. It’s the hardest concept for humans to master.
As a child, you accepted what you are easily because it was in you. You could see people’s motives. You had dreams. You believed so effortlessly.
When you became ill and the doctors said your faith wasn’t real, I knew it was my job to protect you, to protect your gift. It isn’t your abilities I care about, it’s your faith.
You accept that people can change. You know the future, and you’re able to wait for good things to come. It’s what makes you who you are.
Never change. Never stop believing.
Science cannot explain miracles.
All my love,
Yaya
I held the letter close to my chest for so long, allowing the healing words to soak into my heart. It restored my faith in everything that had happened, in everything that brought Stuart and me together.
If I hadn’t dreamed of him lost and dying in the desert, I’d never have run after him. At least that’s what he says, and I let him believe it. He hasn’t seen his sexy backside. I’d probably have followed him even without the dreams.
Tonight as we sit under the stars, I remember that night so long ago when we held each other, sharing everything. Why he became a Marine, why I was alone. I made a wish on a shooting star to have exactly what I have now. Two arms that will never let me go, even when life gets dark, even when I lose faith. Two strong arms to carry me back.
“What are you thinking about?” Stuart’s lips press against the side of my neck sending chills across my skin. We’re wrapped together in the warm blanket, my back to his chest.
“How I’ve almost gotten back everything.”
His brow lines, and he cups the side of my face. “We’ll get there.”
“No—I don’t mean it that way. I’m so happy. And then we saw Jessie.”
“I want you to have everything you’ve lost.”
Thinking about that, I lower my voice. “We can’t have everything.”
Sadness flickers in his eyes, but I reach forward to kiss his lips. “Don’t—I don’t want to be sad.” My lip catches in my teeth, and I tell him. “I haven’t gone back on the pill since I lost Jessica. Who knows what might happen.”
His arms tighten around me, and he pulls me close against his chest. “I’ll take whatever comes as long as I have you.”
It’s another of the million reasons I love this man. Struggling to break his grip, I move into a straddle on his lap, kissing his mouth. Our lips chase each other’s until we consume, tongues uniting. My fingers thread in the back of his hair as his hands slide up my thighs, under my skirt.
He touches me, teasing the soft flesh under my panties, and I moan, rocking my hips over his growing erection. It isn’t long before his pants are down and we’re together, riding out the waves of passion under a big sky brilliant with stars.
Our love has always been a leap of faith, and our connection since those first days so long ago was mysterious and risky. It’s the most certain thing I’ve ever known.
We’re here, we’re together, and together, we’re home.
The end.
Epilogue
Stuart