Page 142 of Nineteen Letters

“I’ve missed you.”

“You have?” he asks as his eyebrows jump in surprise. It saddens me knowing he thinks I haven’t.

“Very much,” I answer truthfully, and his handsome face lights up at my confession.

“I’ve missed you too, Jem, but it’s almost one in the morning. I’m sure you didn’t come all this way to tell me that.”

“I didn’t.” My gaze briefly moves down to the floor. “I need to see the bathroom where I used to get ready in the mornings.”

“Our en suite?” His brow furrows. “Why?”

“Can I just see it?” I don’t want to tell him why, just in case it’s completely different from the one in my dream.

“Sure.”

He turns and walks towards the floating staircase. “Is this the same bathroom I got ready in the morning you gave me the necklace?”

“Yes.”

My eyes are everywhere as I follow him into what I presume is our bedroom. There’s a king-size bed, centred against the far wall. The covers are thrown back on one side, and I can see the indent in the pillow from where Braxton’s head had been lying a few minutes earlier.

“This is our en suite,” he says, gesturing with his hand for me to enter, while he remains in the doorway.

I gasp as soon as I step into the space. “I remember the colour of the walls … and this vanity,” I say as I rush towards it. The mirror and the recessed lights are the same as the ones in my dream. “I remember this shell,” I whisper, picking it up. When I place it back down, I open the drawer and see the pink brush sitting on top.

I spin around to face him. “The morning you gave me that necklace, you were standing in the doorway watching me put on my make-up. You were shirtless and wearing a pair of grey sweats, just like the ones you’re wearing now. You looked so sexy, by the way.” The smile on his face grows as he takes a few steps towards me. “You told me you wanted me to give up work so we could start a family, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“Braxton, I remember,” I say as I leap into his arms. “I remember.” Tears of happiness are streaming down my face as he wraps me in his arms and swings me around.

When he finally puts me down, he lets me go to cup my face in his hands. “Jem,” he whispers.

“I even remembered how much I loved you. The feeling was … euphoric.” I place my hand over my heart. “It consumed me.”

“I love you so much,” he says as a lone tear leaks from one of his eyes.

“I love you too.”

His lips crash into mine and my body instinctively melts into his as my arms slide around his waist. A soft moan falls from my lips when he deepens the kiss.

When he draws back and smiles, I’m smiling too.

“Do you still want to try for another baby?” I ask.

“Absolutely,” he answers without hesitation. “If that’s what you want?”

“I’d love to have a baby with you, Braxton.”

“Well, when you’re ready, we can try.”

“Can I stay tonight? In our bed … with you?”

“Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

“Yes.” My reply comes out almost desperate. “I want everything we once had, and so much more. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since someone bragged about what an exceptional lover he was—I need to find out if he was telling the truth.”

He barks out a laugh before scooping me into his arms and carrying me back into the bedroom. “He was telling the truth. Actually, I’m pretty sure he was playing it down.”