"Tell me again how much you love me," the girl in his arms said softly.
Bray looked down into her eyes. They were the kind of eyes that a man could get lost in very easily. This was what he had lived for all of those years, what he had endured hell for. Moments like these were worth all of the pain.
"Tell me," she said again, playfully running her hand through his hair.
He bent to kiss her softly on the lips and repeated the words he had said many times before, "I love you so much it hurts. I love you more than anything else in this crazy world. You're my rock, my anchor, my reason for existing."
"Oh Bray," she sighed, reaching up to touch his face, "all those years we wasted. How young we were, how stupid…we could have been together, but instead, we were torn apart."
"I know my love, but we're together now. That's what matters."
"We thought we'd lost you," she said softly, "I thought I'd lost you."
He kissed her again and pulled her a bit closer, stroking a hand through her hair. Often she would remember the past and become sad and tearful. He knew their separation had been a painful time for her and when he thought back to his time in the Mall before his capture, he knew that their time together then had not been ideal. He had treated her badly, mishandled the situation. There had been so much tragedy and loss and in the midst of a crisis her feelings had been trampled on, her heart had been crushed.
But she had survived; she had gone on without him. Gazing down at her now, at the woman she had become, it was hard to imagine that she had ever been the girl that he had known then. He was so proud of her; so full of love.
Her hand moved down to rest on the roundness of her belly. "I can feel him, Bray. I can feel our baby," she said reverently. "Give me your hand."
Taking his hand she held it underneath hers. As he felt the tiny kick against his palm his heart swelled with pride. His child…this was his child. At last he would be able to share in the moments that he had missed before. He would be able to watch his child come into the world. He would see his first steps and hear his first words. He would be a father who shared in the experience of raising his baby. He had missed so much before, little Bray had grown up without him. By the time he had met his son he had a new father and Bray could only watch as another man took his place. This time would be different. This time he would die before he would leave them.
"Bray…" the woman beside him called again, breaking into his thoughts.
"Yes love," he replied softly.
"You won't ever leave us?"
"No, I won't ever leave you," he stated matter of factly.
She sighed softly and snuggled deeper into his arms. This was contentment. This was family. She had finally found peace and it was with the man she had loved from the beginning.
A soft knock sounded on their bedroom door and a small shaft of light lit the room.
"Mama…" Brady called from the doorway.
"Yes dear."
"I can't sleep," came the small reply.
Trudy looked at Bray and he nodded slightly. "Come on up here, Brady."
The child climbed up on to the bed and settled in between the two adults.
"Would you like to hear a story," Bray asked his niece.
Brady shook her head, "Tell me, Mama," she said, looking up into Trudy's eyes, "Tell me again how much you love me."
Trudy looked down into the face of her daughter and repeated the words she'd said many times before, "I love you so much it hurts…"