AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Liliac,” he breathed, all the tension leaving his body and the memory of Sarah’s sweet, subtle fragrance filling his nose. He exhaled heavily, his chin dropping to his chest as he sagged with relief.
“Wait here, okay? I’ll be just a minute.”
Sam had pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and disappeared into the store. Aero breathed some more, counting the cars that drove past until his heartbeat slowed.
Sam exited the store and held out a bouquet. Light pink carnations, with white baby’s breath and green, leafy fronds mixed in.
“Perfect,” Aero whispered, his gratitude and awe making his heart expand until it felt almost too big for his chest. “Thank you.”
She smiled shyly at him. “You okay?”
He nodded. “Let’s go.”
After arranging the flowers in the vase, Aero gazed down at the inscription on the stone.
Until we shall meet and never part…
Sarah Jo Lord McBride 04/14/1993–08/03/2018
Nora Catherine McBride 12/06/2015-08/10/2018
“Hi, princess. I, uh, I know it’s been a while,” he said, his voice gruff. “I think about you all the time. I love you so much.”
Tears fell from Aero’s eyes and dropped onto the grass below.
“Sarah, sweetheart,” he continued, not sure what he wanted to say. “I miss you every day.”
Reaching out, Aero traced their names with one finger, then flattened his palms on his thighs.
“There’s someone I want you to meet,” Aero whispered. “You probably already know about her if you’re looking down on us. You’d both like Sam. She’s kind and funny, compassionate, and loving. She’s good to me. I just wanna say,” Aero shuddered a breath but continued, “I swear I’m not replacing you. I’m not leaving you behind. If you were still here, I’d still be here, too. But you two moved on, and I couldn’t go with you. I need to move on to the next chapter, too. Sam is my future. I love her. I still love you, too. She says I can love all of you, and I believe her. I’ll never forget you. You’ll always be a part of me.”
Aero listened for a moment, almost expecting an answer. All he heard was the gusting wind through the open cemetery and the chirping of birds from the trees above. He sighed, wiped his eyes, and stood slowly, turning to face Sam. She was rearranging a plant on another grave that had fallen over. He smiled.
“Sammy?” He called out to her, and she looked up, smiling softly at him. He waved her over.
“You doing okay?” she asked, reaching out and twining her fingers with his.
He nodded, guiding her over to the grave marker. “This is… my family.”
Sam took in the names and dates, her heart aching for all of them. “Hi. I’m Sam.”
They stood in silence, with just the breeze and bird sounds around them.
“Can I have a minute?” Sam asked Aero, who agreed and stepped away.
Sam kneeled beside the granite heart and let out a slow breath. “I know you’re Aero’s family. You’ll always be his family. I won’t let him forget about you two.”
Tears filled her eyes, but she continued. “Aero, well, I guess you probably called him Mark; he’s a good man. I love him. I promise I’m gonna take care of him. I wanna see him smile, to make him laugh. I just want him to be happy, and I’m sure you do, too. And Nora,” she shuddered a breath, “if your daddy and I have more kids, I’ll make sure they know who their big sister is. He would’ve been an amazing dad for you. If you’re up there watching and listening, just know he loves you very much. He’ll love our kids, too, but you were his first baby. That will always be special. I know it’s kind of weird because we never met, but in a way, you’re my family too.”
Sam paused, adjusted the flowers on the grave, and stood. “Thank you, both of you, for helping turn him into the man I love.”
She smiled down at the stone, then turned and walked back to Aero.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, taking her hand.
“Yeah, if you are,” she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek.
Aero hugged her tight, glanced back toward his wife and daughter, and guided Sam back to the truck, feeling more settled and content than he had in years.
