6 months later...

Dani

As I felt the water between my toes, I felt the warmest, calmest feeling wash over me.

I kissed the flowers I brought before letting it float in water. It's been a year since I lost my baby. A year's worth of journey through grief, acceptance, and forgiveness. It hasn't been easy. I took it day by day, but Grams was right. It does get easier. The pain hasn't gone away, I've just learned to continue living.

"My love for you is endless and is greater than anything else in the world. Rest well my sweet angel," I said softly.

Then my thought drifted to Leo and I closed my eyes expecting to feel pain like it always did whenever I thought of him. Only this time, it wasn't pain I felt. It was loneliness.

I felt empty.

Lost.

It was in that moment that I missed him.

It was in that moment that I remembered every that that we shared. The good times we had. And how happy he made me.

Maybe Grams was right. We have both been blinded by our fear of failing and being failed that we ended up failing each other. I felt his love for me through his action, while he failed to verbalized how he felt. I failed because I gave and walked away. I failed because I was afraid and I took the easy way out. I walked away.

He fought and I gave up.

I shook my head.

May be he was right to. I trusted him with condition. I trusted him as long as he was with me. But he needed my trust I didn't give to him. I tested him. I gave him an ultimatum, rather than trusting him when he said that he wanted to be with me. He was honest from the very beginning. He asked me for time. He promised to be faithful and to be committed to me. He just needed time to grow into loving him and in the end, I failed him. I failed to trust him when I needed to. I recognize that now. I've been blaming him for everything, when I'm as much to blame.

I have to go to him. I have to apologize and beg and hope that he still wants me.

I raised back home and to book a flight or call him, anything. I just need him. I want him. He's the one. Always has been and always will be.

I raised inside Grams house and didn't even care how crazy I must have looked, I just needed to get to Leo as soon as possible.

"Grams," I called out. "You were right. You said I would know when I was ready, and I'm ready," I said, trying to catch my breath."

"Ready for what?"

I stopped in my tracks.

That voice.

I would recognize it anywhere.

My heart started beating fast, recognizing it's counterpart.

I turned to where the voice came from and there he was. Standing there, looking like the man I'm madly in love with.

"Leo..."

"Hi," he said hesitantly. "Your grams let me in and said you were out and to just wait you," he said. "I know you said that you wanted me to leave and forget about you, but I just..." he trailed off. "Today is the first year that we... we lost our baby and I just wanted to make sure that you're okay."

"Well, I'm not," I said.

He frowned. "Dani..."

"I'm not okay because I've missed you so much," I said.

Shock registered on his face.

"Dani, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

I shrugged. "What do you think I'm saying?"

"Dani, please. I've been a mess and miserable without you and if you're joking, I don't know what I'll do."

"Forgive me?"

He frowned again. "For what?"

"For not trusting you. You were right, Leo. I didn't trust you. Not completely."

He shook his head. "I never gave you any reason to trust me completely. I was too busy showing you that you can count on me to be there for you and the baby and I'd provide for you, that I didn't realize that what you wanted was emotional security. I failed to give you that."

"I was so busy wanting you to love me that when you didn't come home when I asked you to I forgot about everything you've done and saw it as proof that you didn't love me."

"I loved you, Dani. I still do. I've committed the cardinal sin. I've taken you for granted and believed that actions speak louder than words."

"I guess, we do make quite the pair," I joked.

"I will never not come when you need me, Dani. I will never make that mistake again."

"I know," I whispered.

"You do?"

I nodded. "You came to me today when I needed you most." I smiled tearfully.

"Can you forgive me as well?" I asked.

He frowned.

"Forgive me for playing games and not coming right out to tell you that I was scared about the baby? That I haven't been feeling well and was having pain instead of acting like the child you accused me off and giving you ultimatums."

"Dani..."

"No. Please let me finish. It wasn't fair. I tested you. You couldn't have known that I really needed you and I wasn't just acting jealous. I should have just told you the truth. The funny things is, I know you would have come to me if I had just told you the truth. Instead, I played games with you," he start to shake his head, but I insisted. "That's what it was, Leo and I'm sorry. I failed you too."

"But you were also right. I played into your fears. I knew how fragile we were and I knew how insecure you were with how I felt for you. I haven't done anything to reassure you of my feelings for you and instead of proving to you that I'm in it for life and came home when you asked me to, I acted so arrogantly by dismissing what I knew was you wanting me to show you I wouldn't leave you and would choose you and staying at the hospital. When the truth is, Dani, I wanted to come home. I wanted to come home even before you asked me to. I wanted to come home and hold you in my arms until I knew you were really safe where you were. I was so scared and guilty."

"Guilty?"

"Guilty for feeling relieved that it was Andi and not you in the hospital. I knew then that I loved you. I just... I just felt so torn and confused. I fancied myself in love with her, and I may not be in love with her but I love her and I felt so guilty for feeling the way I did."

"Oh Leo..." I whispered tearfully.

"I love you, Danielle, my freckled angel. I love you with every breath I take. You are the one for me, my love."

"And you for me," I replied.