I closed my eyes and began to open it up. I had read it over a year ago, and Layton had never once asked me what the letter said. I slowly took a deep breath and began reading the letter from Layton’s father again.
I folded the letter back up and stuck it into my bag. I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes and thanked God for all the blessings in my life. I opened my eyes and glanced over at Taylor, who was sleeping. I carefully got out of bed and walked over to her.
I looked down at my little angel. “Taylor, your daddy means so very much to me. I can’t wait for all the memories you two will make together. He is such an amazing man.” I smiled and wiped the tear off my cheek.
“He will love you with his whole heart and do anything to protect you, just like he does with me. As the two main girls in his life, our job is to love him back.” I let out a giggle. “He is so easy to love, Taylor. Oh, your daddy…I fell head over heels in love with him the first time he opened his mouth and talked to me. He has a way of doing that.”
I dropped my head back some and looked up. I closed my eyes and whispered, “I promise you, I will love him with my heart and soul always.”
Layton’s arms wrapped around me, and I felt his hot breath on my neck. “I love you, Whitley.”
I turned around, and when I saw the tear rolling down his face, I sucked in a breath of air. “Layton, you are my entire world. I love you more than anything. I need you to know something though.”
The smile on his face slightly faded. “Is everything okay?”
I smiled and placed my hand on the side of his face as I nodded. “It’s never been better.” I looked down and then back into his eyes. “Layton, I know that you would do anything to protect Taylor and me, but I need you to know that you can’t protect us from everything. Just always know that the only thing we ever need from you is your love. Your love will get us through anything, Layton.”
He closed his eyes and slowly nodded his head. When he opened his eyes, they were filled with tears. “I never want to lose you, Whitley—ever.”
I reached up and pulled his lips to mine. I kissed him and poured as much love into the kiss as I possibly could. When I pulled back, I smiled and said, “We are going to live a beautiful, long life together, Layton, but sometimes, we will have to experience pain. Just always remember, the pain will make us stronger, and we will learn to fight even harder.”
Layton’s eyes widened as he took a step back from me. “What did you just say?” he whispered.
“Um…that we are going to have a beautiful life together?”
He shook his head. “About the pain.”
I took a deep breath and said, “Life isn’t always going to be happy times, but it will make us stronger. The pain we experience in life will always make us stronger.”
Layton’s face turned white, and he took a few steps back before he hit the bed and sat down. He dropped his face into his hands, and I stood there, frozen. My heart was slamming in my chest, and I was trying to figure out what I had just said that caused him to react the way he had.
I walked up to him, and he quickly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to him. I began pushing my fingers through his hair as I just let him hold me. After almost five minutes, he pulled back some and stood up. He placed his finger on my chin until my eyes met his.
“The day my mother died, she told Mike and me that we always needed to remember that our pain would always make us stronger…that the pain and hurt we encountered in life would teach us a lesson and make us stronger.”
I sucked in a breath, and it finally hit me.
Remind him that pain always makes you stronger.
Layton’s father had told me to remind Layton of what his mother had said to him.
“Layton…the letter,” I whispered.
He looked at me as he tilted his head.
I attempted to clear my throat. “Your father’s letter to me…he told me to remind you that pain would always make you stronger, and it just…it just…I know why he told me that now.”
Layton brought me in closer to him, and we both just held each other.
He pulled back and smiled at me. “Are you ready?”
I tilted my head and looked at him. “Am I ready for what?”
He threw his head back and laughed as he glanced back at Taylor. Then, he looked back into my eyes. “This crazy ride we are about to be on.”
I giggled and said, “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life, cowboy.”
Layton placed both of his hands on my face, and right before he kissed me, he whispered, “You’re the love of my life. Thank you for reminding me and for loving me.”