Chapter Seventeen #3
He tried to nod but wasn’t sure if he actually did. ‘And Jasper?’
Zara smiled. ‘He’s going to be okay too.’
‘I saw you, out there, with me,’ Jay whispered, his voice hoarse but saturated with emotion.
‘I’m always with you,’ she promised, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his.
And in that small gesture lay the entirety of their world, a silent vow to never take for granted the fragile thread of existence that bound them.
Emotions overcoming him, his fingers tightened around hers, their shared warmth validation of the life they still had ahead of them, and in that enraptured moment he felt a surge of immense gratitude for this beautiful woman and their beautiful world that he’d fought so hard to stay within.
And as they held onto each other tightly, and the precious minutes and hours stretched onwards into his days of recovery, they spoke in hushed tones about the future and what they wanted to achieve together.
They talked about the simple joys of family dinners and the raucous laughter of their daughters playing in the garden, and they shared the depths of their biggest, grandest dreams. All the while, they held each other’s gazes as if scared the other would disappear.
For them, this world wouldn’t be the same without the other to share it.
‘Life’s too short for all I want to do with you, Za,’ Jay breathed, his blue eyes reflecting the solemnity of his thoughts. ‘But while we’re here on this beautiful earth, let’s live it — all of it, with no holding back.’
Zara looked at him, really looked. Then she swallowed hard. ‘Jay, there’s something I need to tell you,’ she whispered, her voice trembling but strong. ‘And it’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a very long time.’
His thumb paused where it brushed her knuckles, as he kept his eyes steady, patient. ‘Of course, Za, what is it?’
She drew in a breath that sounded as if it scraped her lungs raw. ‘Before I was Zara Monroe, I was a little Mexican girl called Verena Ferrara.’
Although shocked and lost for words, he made sure he didn’t flinch. He didn’t know where this was going, but he wanted her to tell him everything. So he just waited, breathing with her.
‘When I was ten,’ she said, voice breaking as if what happened all those years ago was now breaking her, ‘I woke up to gunshots in our house. My father worked for bad men, and he told me if they ever came, that I should hide. So I did. In my clothes cupboard. I heard him beg, Jay, I heard my mother scream for her life, and then it was so quiet, so deafeningly quiet.’
‘Oh, my sweet Zara.’ Her fingers trembled in his as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
‘I stabbed the man in the leg, Jay, and then I ran. I ran past them. Past their dead bodies and all the blood. With my little pocketknife still clutched in my hand. I ran as far as I could, until Verena Ferrara was gone, and all that was left was Zara. I buried that little girl deep so she wouldn’t ruin the life I’d built.
And when I met you, I decided to bury her even deeper, so she didn’t ruin us.
’ A tear slipped free, and she let it fall.
‘I didn’t want you to look at me and see her, or the dark life I’d come from.
And now, I’m so sorry I kept it from you. ’
For a heartbeat he couldn’t breathe. This was all so much, more than he could have ever imagined. But it didn’t change how he felt for his sweet Zara. Nothing ever could, or would.
‘Jay …’ She said his name cautiously, as if terrified of what he might say.
He brought his fingers to her cheek and brushed her tears away.
‘Thank you,’ he whispered, his voice rough with awe at who she was, and what she had endured to become who he loved with every inch of his heart.
‘For trusting me with all of you, my darling. I love every mile that carried you to me. Every part of your life, past and present.’ She was crying now, and so was he.
‘Za, there’s nothing about you I’d ever turn away from. Not then. Not now. Not ever.’
Zara let out a shuddering breath, as if the chain that had bound her for a lifetime snapped in that moment. ‘Thank goodness.’ She sniffled and shook her head slowly. ‘I can’t believe I kept it inside me for this long. I should have known you’d love me, regardless.’
‘Always and forever,’ he said, bringing his forehead against hers. ‘No more secrets.’
She smiled through fresh tears. ‘I promise, no more secrets.’ Her stunning eyes mirrored his resolve. ‘From now on, we’ll fill our days with the little things, the moments that make up a lifetime, and we’ll also share the grandest of adventures, along with our sweet girls.’
‘Until death do us part,’ Jay said with passion.
‘And then some,’ she replied with a gentle smile.
Bound by a bond that most only dreamt of, they made a pact, a promise from the depths of their connected hearts.
That they’d cherish each day, each breath, with the knowledge that time was a gift not to be squandered, where love would be their compass, guiding them through whatever storms may come, steadfast and true as the mountains that embraced and watched over their small township.
And as the sun sank below the horizon, casting a warm orange glow across the hospital room and over their joined hands, it was a reminder of the enduring love and strength that carried them through even the darkest of times.
They would be together forever, Jay was going to make sure of it.