Page 205 of When We Fall: Part Two
“Open it and see.”
I lifted the lid and saw pictures of me and Fox. His favorite notebooks with the best stories. A sealed letter addressed to me.
“H-How did you get this?” I asked, the tears flowing now.
“He brought it to me before the engagement party,” he answered. “Wanted me to keep it safe and give it to you if something ever happened to him. I promised I would.”
“Thank you,” I choked out, hugging him again. “Thank you.” I’d forgotten what the attorney said about going to Anson for the remainder of Fox’s things.
“Of course,” he murmured, holding me right back.
I wasn’t sure how long we stayed that way, but eventually, I shifted away from him.
“How about you take that box to the bedroom and go through it if you want,” he said, thumbing a tear off my cheek. “Take a nap. Just relax. No stress. Just… you and Foxy. How about that? I’m sure he had something special to say to you in that letter.” He nodded to the sealed letter.
“OK.” I stood and stepped around him. I paused once I was past him and turned to look at him.
“Ani?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for this. It means everything to me.”
“I know, LeeLee. Go. Get your head and heart sorted.”
I nodded, leaving him in the living room as I closed his bedroom door behind me.
I sat on the edge of his bed, going through the photos of me and Fox from over the years, smiling and crying at each one. Everything from us in our treehouse to a picture of me from high school, before we were together. In it, I was wearing a pink dress and staring down at a book I was reading. I was probably seventeen in the photo.
I turned it over and saw he’d written on the back of it.
Rosie—I miss you.
The tears came faster after that. He’d taken lots of pictures of me while we were apart. In the hallway. Walking home from school. Sitting with Jamie. Each one was inscribed on the back of how he was feeling.
I miss you.
I wish I were brave enough to talk to her.
She was sad today. I couldn’t do anything about it. I wish I could.
She’s so pretty when she’s happy.
I love the way she smiles.
Her hair—wow! It’s gotten so long and curly. I wish I could run my fingers through it.
My Rosie.
I hope she knows I will always love her…
Each picture made me cry harder until I’d gone through all of them, knowing that he’d never stopped loving me or caring about me. He was always my Foxy, even apart, he was mine.
It took me a long time to gather the courage to open the letter.
It was a single, handwritten note.
Rosie,
