Epilogue
She hadno idea I’d been observing her all day. Truth was, it was impossible not to. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever met and the fact I couldn’t have her, crushed me in places I didn’t know existed. Seeing her today and not being able to so much as touch her was agony.
The pride I felt when she flawlessly walked down the aisle, was mind-blowing. But I knew the amount of effort and work she’d put in over the last six months to achieve her goal. She was afraid she’d fall in the middle of her walk. I knew that wouldn’t happen. She was solid in her therapy and training and hadn’t missed a single session.
After the accident, I feared she wouldn’t walk without a drastic limp. Hell, she was fortunate to even have that leg, considering the severity of the break. It wasn’t even a break. It was basically pulverized. The process of putting her back together was painstaking, but my partners and I accomplished it.
And now I wanted her with everything inside of me. It hurt just to look at her knowing she didn’t want to have anything to do with me. When she saw me up at the altar, her eyes narrowed and darkened. And then when I escorted her out of the church after the ceremony, she reacted as though I punched her. If that wasn’t a jab to the heart, I didn’t know what was.
During the photo session, she acted like a frightened rabbit, ready to bolt at any time. I feared she wouldn’t even attend the reception, but she did. After all, the bride was her best friend and being as loyal as she was, she’d never bail on her.
I steered clear of her as much as I could, until it was impossible. When she agreed to dance with me, my heart soared, only to crash again as she left the reception early to go home. It was my fault, of course. Everything was my fault, only she had no idea the extent of it. One quick glance, one look at her, before the crash. Had my eyes been on the road, as they should have been, I would’ve seen the deer and could’ve avoided it. I would live with that guilt until my final breath.
But who was I kidding. Certainly, not me. I couldn’t continue this way without asking her to have a talk with me, to allow me to explain everything. When she agreed, I was stunned. However, tomorrow was a long time from now, so I did something completely wrong. I knew where Lexi kept the keys to her house, and it wasn’t long before I was standing on her porch. Yes, it was an insane idea. Yes, she would most definitely kick my ass back to the curb. It didn’t matter. I had to try. And that’s exactly what I did.