Moments In Between ( Book 2)

Epilouge: Who is it?

I'm just standing there not sure if my eyes are playing tricks on me. It's battle's like these that leave me beat. Tears fill her eyes, mine follow. I reach for her face, this time it does not disappear or turn into someone else. Her cheek is soft to the touch. She wraps her hand around my outstretched arm. Time can't tell how much I have missed the touch of those silky fingers.I step forward eliminating the space between us. She runs her fingers through my hair as I stare into her sweet brown eyes.

I wrap my free arm around her waist. Words are at a loss here. Even if I want to speak I can not begin to form a coherent sound. There was so much to say but how could I say it.I lean forward to her lips. Leaving no room for air as we mold our bodies into each other. Warmth begins filling all the darkened parts of my damaged heart. Her lips, a soft a feeling that I often drove myself crazy to a point of no return while longing for it, are real

She is here. In my arms again. I pull back and stare at her beautiful tear ridden face. She puts her head on my chest and starts crying. I pull her even closer to me and rub her back.My knees give in and I sink to the floor taking her with me. I may be a man but I have to crack. I have been waiting so long for this and being unable to do anything, being unable to help her, always putting on a brave face for the kids tore me up inside, now I did not have to do it anymore. I had her. Finally. When I got the call earlier I lost it. Joy and relief had me going nuts. I jumped into decent clothes and ran to the door only to find her standing there about to ring the doorbell....

Everything disappears and my eyes spring open. My mind goes blank. I sigh. It was all just a dream. Another desperate dream. This one was so Vivid. I felt her. I was holding her. Tears streamed down my face. Shane. I should have known better. She is dead. She is never coming back. We lost her. I turn my head to the nightstand and stare at her picture.There are days. Days when everything reminds me of her. Days when I lock myself in my room and cry. Days I can not help but hate because every lead I chased took me to a dead end. Days when it is best to throw in the towel. Today is one of those days.

It is not going to be fair for the kids. We are supposed to be spending the day together but letting them see me like this is something I can never face. Now I have to call my mom to take them to her place.

I try so hard to keep them from seeing me crash. They deserve all the love they can get and me being a pathetic sap is not helping the situation. I have to be strong for my kids. Janaé mostly, she notices everything for an eight-year-old. I fear that one day she might become as repressive as I am. Javed is more focused on the present but Janny tells him everything and you know how kids feed off each other.

If I did not have them I would have been a different person. I might have already drunk myself to death. The first year was the worst but with the support of my family and love for my kids I lived. One year passed then two. Now it has been six. I try my best to stay in the present, with the kids, with my job. But......

"Daddy!"

"Daddy!"

Janaé's screams. I wipe my face and run downstairs. "Jan!" I yell eyes wide with my hands in fists. I find her standing at the bottom of the stairs. I jog down to her. "What's wrong peaches?"

She looks up at me a devious smile spreading across her adorable little face. Before I could question it a well-tuned chorus of surprise fills the room. I jump almost falling back on the steps.I look around, my living room is bursting with people and tons of party decorations. How did I not hear them moving around down here? Someone must have drugged me.