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He took her chair out from the back and set it up next to the passenger side. He opened the door and gently woke her. “Hey, there’s my beautiful wife,” he said when she finally opened her eyes. “Look, we’re home,” he told her. “No more riding in the car.”
Palmer smiled and tried a laugh, but it fell short.
“What do you say we go sit by the beach for a little bit?” She nodded and draped her arm around his shoulders, and he lifted her out of the car.
Kent situated Palmer in her chair and covered her with a blanket. He walked her past Damian and his new partner, and Isha and Reeva. They stood there as if they were Palmer’s honor guard. When the pavement ended, Kent lifted his wife into his arms and carried her to the sand.
He didn’t know how he managed to sit with her in his arms, but he did. Kent covered her with the blanket and held her.
“I’ve never seen the bridge look so pretty,” he told her as he fought back his tears.
“You’re pretty,” she said quietly.
He smiled when he saw her eyes. “You’re one to talk.” He kissed her nose.
“Thank you.”
“You saved me, don’t ever forget that.”
She closed her eyes and then opened them again. “I never knew what it meant to love someone until I met you. You showed me what it was like to live, and because of you, I lived my best life in a matter of days.”
“Me too.”
Palmer smiled and once again closed her eyes. “Promise me you’re going to live for tomorrow.”
“I promise, Palmer.”
She gripped his arms while he held her. He told her that she was going to save her sister’s life, that no one would ever forget the sacrifices she’d made for others.
“I’m sorry we didn’t get to everything on your list.”
“Do it with your daughter,” she whispered.
“I promise you, I will.”
Palmer opened her eyes again, and Kent felt this would be the last time he saw her. He met her gaze. “Before I’m gone, can I have one last kiss?”
“You can have all of them.” He pressed his lips to hers, and tears streamed down his cheeks. “I want you to know that I’ll love you forever, Palmer.”
Kent’s hold on her tightened as he rocked them back and forth. Birds chirped overhead, and he wondered if they were there to guide her. That thought soothed his soul, knowing she wouldn’t be alone when she left this realm.
When he felt her heart stop, he wailed and buried his face into the crook of her neck. He wasn’t ready. He would never be ready. Kent needed another five minutes, an hour, anything someone could give him so he could tell her repeatedly how much she had saved him from himself. He wanted to go back to the beginning and start over, back to when they’d first met. He would change everything to have one more day with her.
Kent peppered her face with kisses as he professed his love for her. He didn’t want to let her go. He didn’t want their adventure to stop. They had so much more to do. The roller coaster, the yoga in Sedona, the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, and the roadside stands in Amish country. Right then and there, he vowed to finish their bucket list, if it was the last thing he did.
He felt the firm hand on his shoulder and nodded. Kent sat helplessly as Reeva and Isha lifted his wife from his arms and laid her on the stretcher. They took her blanket and covered her before carrying her to the ambulance.
Damian sat down beside his friend and put his arm over his shoulder. Kent cried. He hadn’t just lost his best friend. He’d lost his wife. No one would ever understand the impact Palmer had on his life.
“They’re getting ready to transport her. Do you want to be at the hospital when she arrives?” Kent nodded, and Damian helped him stand. He walked his partner to the back of the rig and pounded on the door before opening it. Kent climbed the step and sat down next to Isha and held his wife’s hand for one last ride.
FORTY-TWO
Kent sat and stared at Palmer’s white casket. He’d gone back and forth on what he should do. Funeral, no funeral. Casket, no casket. In the end, he decided she deserved it all. They would celebrate her life, in the best way he could. He wanted a moment alone with her, even though he had said everything he could to her before she passed.
This would be the last time he saw her, like this, with her hair and makeup done, and in her wedding dress. In a few days, he’d bring her home—back to her apartment with the view of the mountains—in a box, per her wishes.
