to live for the hope of it all.

Chapter 71

June 23th, 2024

"Spread your wings as you go,
When God takes you back,
He'll say "Hallelujah, you're home..."

Beckett

It's been 5 days since Grandpa Matt passed.

We were right, no matter how hard we tried to make it easy for him on the day he left, we were feeling his absence now.

A sigh of frustration leaves my lips as the tie I've been trying to knot for the last 15 minutes falls through again. Giving up on it all together, I pull it from around my neck before tossing it on my bed where Beau laid.

"Can I try?"

I turn to see my girlfriend in a long sleeve, square cut black dress that she had picked out a few days ago when out with my mom and Wren. Her long hair was falling in the same beautiful waves they naturally fell in, and it was as if the lighting was creating a soft halo around her face from where she leaned against my door frame. My mood immediately lifted seeing her in my space.

I stayed with Bailey that first night, and I had never heard someone sound so heartbroken. She only got a few hours of sleep, and then the next day she refused to sit in silence and cry anymore.

She was being so unbelievably brave, and she planned almost the entire funeral with my mother's help. Bailey was hurting, but she knew she would be okay, and she wanted this day to be just as beautiful as the day he left.

"Please," I said softly, picking up the tie from where I tossed it and handing it to her. She smiled softly at me as she stepped into my space, and on instinct my hands went to her hips to keep her there. Her eyes focused on the tie, while mine searched her features for any sign of breakdown.

There wasn't any.

Bailey's skin was flawless, and her high cheekbones were highlighted with whatever makeup Wren had put on her moments before. Her almond-shaped eyes, a dark and captivating blue, sparkling in the sunlight seeping through my window. Her nose, petite and straight, leading down to a pair of full, pink lips that even in her worst of times, are always smiling.

Bailey is, and will always be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.

"There," she smiled, folding my collar over the perfectly knotted tie. "You look nice, Beckett."

"You're beautiful," I told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before meeting her gaze. "Are you ready for this?"

"No," she breathed, and her smile dropped a fraction as she took a deep breath. "But I think he'll love the service we've planned."

"He would love it because you planned it, Bailey."

"I hope so," she smiled sadly. "I was coming to see if you were ready, I wanted to get down to the church a few minutes early to double check flower arrangements."

"That reminds me," I pause, moving to my closet to grab something from my top shelf. "I figured you'd like to leave something with him, flowers that would never die. He'd have them forever."

I watched as Bailey took the bouquet I made last night with shaky hands. Her eyes welled with unshed tears as she smiled at the bouquet, and then her eyes lifted to mine.

"Beckett," she swallows, looking back to the flowers in her hand. "It scares me how much I love you."

"Hey," I say softly, stepping forward and lifting her chin with my finger. "I'm not going anywhere. I love you, Bailey."