*** Authors Note***
I just wanted to thank everyone who has read this little story, and a big thank you to all that have given feedback or just said they enjoyed it. I appreciate it, all of it.
Without further adieu, here is the final chapter of "With All My Love"
"Attention all passengers, you can now unbuckle your seat belts, use your electronic devices on airplane mode and move around. We should be arriving at Denver Airport in about three hours." The pilot said over the loud speaker.
She unbuckled her seat belt and took the letter out of her carryon bag. She had barely threw the necessities in a small bag and left for the airport as soon as she got off the phone with the airline when she found out there was room for her on the last fight out. She read the letter over and over.
"Ahh, the joy of a good letter. I've written and received my fair share." Said the elderly man next to her. "May I ask, is it from your beau?"
She smiled at him, "I'm not sure, I mean I don't have a…" She thought about the letter. "I'm going to Denver to find out if what he wrote in this is true."
"Do you mind if I ask you another question?" Shane shook her head no. "What is it about?" She hesitated to answer that, since he was a stranger and it was rather personal. But she figured he was a nice old man, she didn't give away too much, but just enough to where he could understand why she was on that plane. "As a World War II veteran, let me tell you, you have to read between the lines to feel their emotions. Even in person, there are always hidden messages. My wife and I, before we got married, would send letters. No matter where I was, she would always find me. She never said anything about being scared for me, but I could tell she worried. We never said I love you until I came home and had her in my arms again. I never let her go from then on. But those words that she wrote got me through some hard times. What was written in between had a much deeper meaning." She listened intently, intrigued by what he was saying. He continued to talk about how he and his wife wrote small love letters to each other just because they wanted to, or she would slip one in with his lunch when he went to work. When he was done talking and could see a small glimpse of a tear in his eye, she changed the subject and asked why he was traveling to Denver. "My wife, she's buried there. She passed late last year. I live with my daughter and her family, but I needed to visit her."
"Your daughter didn't come along?" Thinking that was a long way for an elderly gentleman to be traveling alone.
"No." He laughed. "She knows better than to get in the way of her parents." He sighed. "Tomorrow is our anniversary. We would have been married for 68 years."
"Wow that is amazing. I hope to find someone to spend that long with."
He patted her hand. "You will." He smiled at her. "You just be patient with that young gentleman and who knows, you might have what I had with my Lillian."
"All right passengers, we are about to make our final descent into Denver Airport, please take your seats and buckle up."
"I can't believe we're here already. Thank you for talking with me Mr.…" She realized they never introduced themselves."
"Katona, call me Lou."
"Well thank you Lou, I am Shane McInerney."
"What a beautiful name for a beautiful young woman."
"Thank you." She smiled and blushed. She helped him with his carryon bag from the overhead compartment and walked with him out of the plane.
"Good luck Shane, in life and in love."
"Thank you Lou. Happy anniversary."
He smiled and waved and walked towards baggage claim. She smiled. She looked at the time. It was almost a quarter after eleven. She hoped that Oliver would still be up and raced to get a cab.
The cab pulled up to the address that was on the letter. She took a deep breath. The porch light was on and so was a light inside. She hoped he would be awake. She got out of the cab and turned to pay the driver. The cab drove away. She took another deep breath and turned around. There he was, standing on the front porch. Her heart knocked against her chest.
"Miss McInerney?"
She missed the way he said her name. She missed the way he dressed; he was still wearing his suit vest and his pocket watch. She thought maybe it had been a long day for him. He came down a few steps; she realized she should say something. Words failed her at the moment. Finally she said "Is what you wrote to me true?"
Oliver looked a bit confused and came down the last few steps to the walkway. "Pardon me?"
"The letter you sent me. What you wrote, all of it true?" She pulled the letter out of her pocket.
He looked at her and the letter. A look of clarity took over his face. "No" is all he said. Her face and heart dropped. Her breathing was as if an elephant was sitting on her chest. She wondered if she made a huge mistake coming here. He took a few steps closer to her. "Not all of it is true." She was the one that looked confused now. He smiled. "I am divorced now." She was still confused and slightly shocked as to how fast the divorce was processed, she tried to form words to speak. "Holly had a male friend, as I will delicately put it, that she met in Paris. He happened to be an American divorce attorney."
Her face and heart dropped again. "Oh, Oliver." She said with a look of sympathy.
"I moved to get away from her memories." He closed the gap and was an arm length away. "Everything else in that letter was true." He smiled at her and locked his eyes on hers. "You are beautiful, I haven't stopped thinking of you, and I am afraid of falling more in love with you and having you leave me again." He had a hurt look trickle across his face. She couldn't say anything as her breathing became very shallow and tears started forming. She looked down at the ground. "I meant every word Shane." He stepped closer, closing the gap between them. She looked up at him. His eyes were glossy with tears too. He moved a piece of hair out of her eyes to behind her ear. His finger traced the edge of her jaw line and under her chin. He tipped her head back up just a tiny bit more. "Every word." He said as he leaned in to kiss her.
"Under the stars, it was so romantic!" Noah said as he rolled his eyes and giggled.
"Don't forget it was the most magical moment in their lives, at that point." Juliet added.
"Well you two wanted to hear the story about how we got together. How many times have you heard it?" Shane asked as she came out of her flashback.
"You both know it by heart." Oliver said as he laughed.
Juliet acted like she was thinking, "Well if Noah is six and I'm nine, then like, FOREVER!" They all laughed at what the little sandy blonde girl said.
"Look at the time, time for bed kids." Shane said as she tried to pick up the slumped over little boy from her lap.
"But it's the weekend, one more, please Mommy?"
"Yeah please Daddy?"
"You heard your mom, bed time." Oliver said as he tried to tickle his little girl.
As Juliet narrowly escaped 'The Tickle Monster' she and Noah switched parents and did their best puppy dog faces on them. Shane and Oliver looked at each other and smiled.
"Ok, one more." Cheers erupted. "But, you have to get ready for bed and say your prayers before we do." Shane said.
"Which story do you want to hear Noah?" Oliver asked.
"How about when we were born?"
"How about their first date?" Juliet asked.
"What about when Mommy and Daddy competed in the dancing championship?"
"How about when they got engaged?"
"What about their wedding day?" Noah asked Juliet.
"Or Aunt Rita and Uncle Norman's wedding day?"
"No fair! You were there!"
"I was in Mommy's tummy and she didn't know it yet!"
Shane looked over at Oliver and smiled. Oliver leaned over and kissed her.
"Ewwwww!" Echoed from the kids that were just fighting.
"Oh, don't eww us!" Shane said as she laughed.
"Did you pick a story Noah?" Oliver asked his son as their laughter faded.
"Yes Dad, I did. I want to hear about those." He pointed to a china closet that was lit from within. On the top shelf, underneath perfectly placed lights were four Dark of Night Awards.
"But we want to hear about the first ones you two got that are in your office too." Juliet said. "That was a good choice Noah."
"Thank you." He said as he bowed to his sister.
"Noah, hurry, the faster we get ready for bed and say our prayers, the faster we meet on Mommy and Daddy's bed to hear the story!"
"Ok, I'll race ya, Jules!"
The two ran off up the stairs.
"Somehow that kiss always gets lost in translation."
"Well I could remind you how it went, Mrs. O'Toole." Oliver said leaning in towards his wife.
"Oh Mr. O'Toole, you are quite the romantic."
Just as their lips touched, Noah screamed, "Mommy! Juliet won't move so I can brush my teeth!"
Oliver sighed, "I'll go." He got up and started to walk over towards the stairs.
Shane got up and grabbed his arm, he turned to her. "Maybe later I can tell you a story?" She smiled happily.
"Oh yeah? Which story?" Oliver asked intrigued as he took his wife in his arms.
"How about-" She leaned up and kissed him. "Our honeymoon?" She bit her lip, winked and smiled wickedly.
Oliver smiled and looked her in the eyes as if he was remembering it. His eyebrows went up in agreement. He kissed her and followed her upstairs.