Page 148 of When We Fall: Part Two

No one said anything as we pulled down the long drive to the cemetery where Fox had been buried.

Immediately, my body tensed and my breath quickened.

“Easy,” Vincent murmured, taking my hand in his. “We’re here with you, OK?”

I didn’t say anything as Dominic drove us to Fox’s gravesite. He put the car into park, and I stared out to see the garden of tombstones.

“Take your time,” Fallon said gently. “We go at your pace.”

I said nothing, opting to squeeze Vincent’s hand as I forced myself to steady my breathing. When I felt like it might be under control, Vincent opened the door for us. We got out, and they walked me slowly to the place where Fox would be forever.

They’d already put up his headstone.

His name was carved deeply into the granite, alongside his birth and death dates.

A football was etched into the stone, accompanied by some roses.

I collapsed on the freshly dug dirt and wept, his name falling from my lips.

“I love you. I love you so much, Foxy,” I choked out. “I miss you. I’m trying so hard…”

A soft sob broke free from my chest.

“We’ll give you some alone time,” Dominic said gently. “We’ll be nearby if you need us.”

I nodded and let them leave me.

I rested my forehead against the cold stone, crying softly, his name repeatedly falling from my lips.

“I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to live without you. The guys are being weird. Enzo called off our wedding. E-Ethan is struggling. He won’t let me near him. All I want to do is hold him. Tell him how much I love him, but he just… won’t. I’m so alone. I-I don’t think I can do this. I want to be strong becauseyou believe in me, but Foxy… I don’t know how. I-I’m not strong like you were.” I cried more. “I miss you. I love you so much.”

I wasn’t sure how long I sat there in silence, but the sun set, and a chill filled the air.

“Rosalie,” Levin called out gently.

I said nothing as he approached. A moment later, he placed his leather jacket around my shoulders and sat beside me.

“It’s hard to let go of what you love,” he murmured. “When we thought Bianca was gone, I wasn’t sure how I’d ever get through it.”

I looked over at him. “How did you?”

“Alcohol. Drugs.” He chuckled softly. “And Vinny.”

“Is that when you realized you were…”

“Yeah.” He smiled at me. “I know that maybe it’s too soon to even consider, but sometimes loving someone can make things easier. I know that everything is fucked for you right now. Enzo and Cole. Ethan. Dom told me the wedding was called off.”

I wiped at a tear.

“But hear me out. Don’t let this hold you back. Don’t look at it as tragic. Look at it as a new path to a different life. I didn’t know Fox well, but I’d like to think he’d tell me I’m right. He’d want me to tell you that there is more to life than tears. He will wait for you. But you…” He reached out and wiped my tears away gently. “Still have an entire life to live. So do that for him. That way, when you get to see him again, you can tell him all the extraordinary things you’ve done.”

My bottom lip trembled. “I-I don’t think I can.”

“What’s the alternative? Being miserable?”

I stared down at Fox’s stone for a moment before answering.

“I want to be with him. I-I could go with him. I could be with him.”