Page 4 of Between Now and Forever

Oh, to be seven again. She’s scowling at the book like it’s caused her great offense.

“Trust me, the kissing will be so much better if you don’t skip those hard parts. Just read it. No skipping,” her mother says.

She pouts.

“Can’t I find something else?” she says in a plaintive voice and turns her eyes to me.

“Please?”

“I just don’t know why Ariel has to suffer so much first. Tell meyourstory.”

She crawls into my lap. She winds her little arms around my neck and presses her soft, round cheek to mine.

When it comes to knowing and exploiting my weaknesses, my daughter has had a most excellent teacher—my wife.

“Oh, Ella, our story has plenty of heartbreak in it,” Beth says.

She pulls her face away from mine and glares at me.

“Youmust have done it because Mommy wouldneverbreak your heart,” she says in a scolding voice.

I guffaw.

Beth frowns. “I resent that laugh.”

“I resent my broken heart.”

I pick up the book Ella abandoned and inspect the spine.

“Ah, I see the problem now. This is afairy tale. That’s different from a love story.”

“Nuh-uh…she gets married.”

“So…?”

“That’s how all love stories end.”

“No, it isn’t,” Beth and I say at the exact same time.

Our eyes meet over our daughter’s head and a stream of memories rife with love, pain, loss, fear, bliss, hope, and longing rush between us in a matter of seconds.

We went to hell and back, and for this perfect moment, I’d do it again a thousand times.

Our daughter is watching me. Her eyes full of question. I smooth her hair off her forehead and press a kiss to it. I cup her sweet face and give for free the knowledge I paid for with blood, sweat, and tears.

“Baby, real love stories—the ones worth telling—theyneverend.”

1

Pretty in Pink

ELISABETH

“Today is goingto be the best day of your life. Everything you’ve ever wanted is finally happening, and you are ready.”

I take one last look at myself in the magnifying makeup mirror I bought this morning. I’m ruthless in my inspection of my cheek. I move the light, changing angles to make sure that my concealer is evenly and sufficiently applied.

Once I’m satisfied, I step back and look at my whole body.

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