Page 82 of Dirty Money
She pulled her head off his chest to look at him.
“How did you live through it, Weston? How could you have lived through the death of your son? I don’t think I could live through it. I can’t handle Hope being in the hospital. What if you and I have a child and something happens to it?”
Searching her eyes, praying to help her to understand things, he answered her, “Aulora, life’s hard. All the money in the world can’t make bad things not happen. It did nearly kill me when the accident took my son’s life. That’s the God’s honest truth. I was a shell of a human for over a year. But then, little by little, things got better. I could think about my son and not burst into tears. I could remember his sweet little face and the way his cries sounded.”
“I don’t see how you could ever want to possibly put yourself through that again,” she said then wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I can’t even contemplate the pain you felt when that happened. All I know is, I don’t ever want to feel that.”
Weston pulled her with him to the bathroom, getting her some tissue and helping her blow her nose and wipe some more tears away. “As much as it hurt, peach, I wouldn’t have changed the fact that I helped bring that boy into the world. I got to hold him, touch him, feel him. I got a glimpse at what real love is. He gave that to me in a matter of two months.”
“Then that all was taken away, West. How can you ever want to take that chance again? I didn’t even live through that, and I don’t want to take the risk.” She looked at him for his answer as she had no idea why he’d do such a thing to himself.
“We’re not here to go through life with no pain, no worry, no fear, no regret. Life is all about feeling things. Love isn’t the only thing there is to feel. You’ll be a miserable person if you try to keep those things out of your life. I can’t stand by and watch you be an unhappy person, peach.”
“Why can’t you?” she asked him as she had no idea why he put so much time and energy into her.
“Because I love you. You’re my life. Can’t you see that?” He ran his hand through her dark hair then kissed her with a tender kiss.
She cradled his face in her hands as they kissed. Then he ended the kiss, and she asked, “How can you love me? I’m such a mess. I can’t handle the simplest emotions without trying to get away from what’s causing them.”
“Love isn’t always easy,” he said then picked her up and carried her to the bed, sitting on it and holding her on his lap. “Now, you’re going to pull yourself together. Want to know why?”
She nodded. “I think you’re going to say that I need to be there for my sister.”
“Yes, you do. It’s time to put on the big sister pants and leave that only child in the past. You’re a big sister. As a big brother, I can tell you, the job never ends. You’ll be there for Hope through this trial, and more will follow. Her first heartbreak, she’ll come to you and want to know why her heart hurts so badly.”
“And I’ll tell her because boys are mean and should be avoided at all costs,” Aulora said then sniffled.
“No, you will not tell her any such thing,” Weston told her then kissed the tip of her nose. “You’ll tell her that heartbreak comes to us all and it should never stop her from trying love again and again until she finds the right one for her. Just like you gave me a chance that you were afraid to give me. I love you so completely that I’ll never let you hurt yourself again.”
“So, I’m not going to be going off to Italy to turn into a hermit?” she asked him. “Because that was my plan.”
“No, you will not be turning into a hermit anywhere. I’d find you. I love you far too much to allow you to hurt yourself that way. You’re wonderful. It would be a crime to hide from all of those who love you.”
She had no idea why he loved her. Aulora only knew she was one of the luckiest people on the planet. “I suppose you’re my backbone, West.”
“I can be whatever you need me to be. Now, promise me that you’ll never run off again and make me chase you down.” He kissed her damp and warm cheek then pushed her hair away from her face.
“Seriously?” she asked him as she wasn’t sure she could make that promise. “I can tell you now that my mind takes me over sometimes and it sends my feet moving.”
He slipped the engagement ring back on her finger. “Your mind needs to stop doing that to you.” He laid her back on the bed and ran his fingertip along the side of her long, slender throat. “You have a place in my life that no one can ever fill. You have places in the lives of many people, Aulora. Try very hard not to forget that. You would be more than missed, you would be mourned.” His lips found hers, taking her away from her worries and selfish ideas.
Aulora was needed by people. For the first time in her life, she was an important piece of a family puzzle. She wasn’t sure she was up for it, but it seemed she had no real choice in the matter.
Weston was dead set on her. She had a baby sister who would need her around. Running was no longer an option. How in the world would she learn to control that part of her brain that had the fleeing instinct so deeply embedded in it?
A month down the road, Aulora and Weston went to Sunday dinner at her father’s house. When the butler answered the door, they saw Clara walking into the entrance room, holding Hope.
“There you are, big sis. She’s missed you,” Clara said then placed Hope in Aulora’s arms.
“Hey, pretty baby,” Aulora cooed at her sister. “How are you doing today?”
The three moved off toward the dining room. “She’s doing so much better,” Clara said. “You were so right about giving breastfeeding a shot, Aulora. Hope’s made great strides since I started doing that. You seem to have a natural knack with babies.”
Weston ran his arm around Aulora and kissed the side of her head. “I have to agree with Mum about that. You do have a certain knack.”
Aulora kissed Hope on the forehead. “Well, she and I have this great connection. I know what she’s thinking is all.”
Weston was more than pleased with how well Aulora was dealing with things after her breakdown. He’d been a bit afraid of having to fight her to come back around. When he didn’t, he was pleasantly pleased. But he’d have done it if necessary. There was no backup plan. She was his future, no matter what.
