AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ines got to her feet. “I found something the other day when I was clearing out Louisa’s bedroom.”
Adam followed her through into his wife’s old room and caught a hint of the candy perfume she’d loved as a teen. Ines had started to box up the books, soft toys, and horses that had still been on the shelves before Yvonne and Rio came to live at the ranch.
Ines handed him a letter with his name written on it surrounded by hearts. “It was stuck in the back of the drawer of her vanity. I have no idea when she wrote it, but I thought you should have it.”
“Thanks.” Adam sank down on the side of the bed, which was covered in a unicorn and pony bed set, and turned the letter over several times in his hands.
“I’ll leave you to it.” Ines smiled, and left, shutting the door behind her.
It took all his willpower to open the seal and pull out the sheets of pink writing paper. It was dated about three months before Louisa’s death and written in her familiar loopy handwriting.
Darling Adam, the cancer’s not going away. It’s moving fast, and you don’t want to hear that or talk about it, so I’m writing this so that maybe you’ll read it after I’m dead. Cancer sucks. I hate it, but I can’t wish it away, and neither can you, which means I’m going to die, and you are going to have to deal with it, dude.
Don’t do your Adam thing and get all grumpy and stubborn. Get out there! Find someone new who will love you as much as I do, and GO FOR IT. I will be mad at you if you don’t!!!
You deserve to be happy. I love you with all my heart, but so will someone else. Find her and love her as much as you loved me, and I promise not to come back and haunt you!!!!
All my love, Louisa xxxx
p.s. promise me you’ll take care of Lizzie? She’s going to need a friend xxxx
Adam only realized that he was crying when the first tear hit the paper. He put the letter on the bed, buried his face in his hands, and let go.
Every word she’d written was so her, he could picture her standing there, pointing her finger at him and shouting out the words. He’d cut off all her attempts to talk about a future that didn’t contain her. He’d never been able to get his head around the sheer stupidity of her dying at twenty-one. That it wasn’t fair, that it just wasn’t right, and that at some point someone would tell them there had been a terrible mistake and she was going to be fine.
But it hadn’t happened, and Louisa had died in his arms, leaving him with nothing but bitterness toward life, and a personal promise to never let anyone get close to him again.
Which was exactly what she’d known he would do, and warned him about in the letter....
Adam clumsily wiped at his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. Had the letter turned up right now for a reason? All the women in his life were trying to tell him something. Wasn’t it about time he shut up and really listened?
* * *
“Mom!” Roman yelled as he hurtled into Lizzie’s arms, and she lifted him up for a hug. “I’m back!”
“So I see.” She breathed in his scent like oxygen, and kissed the top of his head as she carried him up the stairs. “Did you have a haircut?”
“He did.” Her mom came into the kitchen her arms full of bags. “He screamed the place down.”
“Sorry.” Lizzie made a face. “I would’ve mentioned that if I’d known you were going to cut his hair.”
“Trust me. I didn’t intend to.” Angela set the bags on the countertop. “He got this huge wad of gum stuck to his skull, and I couldn’t get it out.”
“Ice didn’t work?” Lizzie set Roman on his feet and he immediately grabbed Doofus from his backpack and set off on a tour of the apartment.
“Nope. It was stuck fast.”
“He looks so grown up without his curls,” Lizzie said wistfully.
“He looks great.” That was her dad speaking, who was completely bald. “Couldn’t just cut half of it off now, could we?”
Lizzie hugged him and then her mom. “Thanks so much for taking him. Did he drive you completely nuts?”
“He was delightful,” her mom said firmly with a look at her husband who shut his mouth. “We had a blast Didn’t we, Derek?”
