SPACES | 𝘯. 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘯 (book 3) ✔

Chapter 139: Unsaid Emily.

"If I could take us back, if I could just do that
And write in every empty space the words "I love you" in replace
Then maybe time would not erase me
If you could only know I'd never let you go
And the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave
Unsaid Emily"

5 YEARS LATER

"If I could take us back... If you could come back...?" I shook my head, scratching out that line and clearing my throat. The strings began to vibrate under my fingers again as I began to sing softly again. "If I could take us back... If I could just do that... Erm... And write in every empty space... The words: "I'm sorry" in replace..." I shook my head, stopping my actions and writing what I came up with before the last line. "... The words "I love you" in replace... Then maybe time would not erase me..."

I rubbed my eyes, picking up the pen and scribbling down the lyrics. "Daddy?" I jumped, looking behind me and finding the small four year old at the doorway holding tightly onto the stuffed bear.

"Via, baby, you scared me." I breathed out, putting down the guitar and spinning the chair so that I faced her. "You okay?"

"I had a pesadilla.." She muttered, rubbing her eye and yawning while walking to me. I ignored the way my heart clenched, remembering all the times that Emily did that. "It was scary.." She whispered, stopping in front of me.

The Spanish words she spoke came out naturally. I promised Emily that Via would learn Spanish and that's what I've been doing with my free time. Learning Spanish to teach her. "You know it's not real, right? That it was just a dream?" I questioned, picking her up and setting her on my lap and kissing her head.

"I know.. but it was still scary." She cuddled into my chest and hugged the stuffed bear. The one that used to be Emily's.

I bit my lip, looking down at her. It was hard to point out my features in her now that she was older. She only had Emily written on her, the eyes being the only exception. I tried not to let it show how much it broke me that she was so alike to Emily. They were practically the same person. I thought about how Emily would cuddle into me similar to how Via does. How she had inherited Emily's habits.

"You can sleep with Daddy tonight if you want, love. I don't mind." I assured her. She nodded and hugged the bear closer to her.

"Daddy, do I have a mummy?" Via asked out of the blue. I knew the day where she asked about Emily would come. I just didn't think it would be so soon. "Everyone at Kindy does and they laugh because I don't." She admitted.

"You had a mummy, love. But she died when you were still a baby."

"Was she pretty?"

I nodded, "She was the most beautiful girl that I had ever seen. You know, you look just like her."

Via looked up at me, her eyes brightening up. "Really?"

I nodded with a hum. "Mhm. You have her hair and everything about your face except for your eyes. You have my eyes." Via smiled, "You even have her smile."

"Can I see a picture?" I cleared my throat, spinning the chair around and to my desk. I picked up the fallen frame that fell while I worked. I handed her the frame and she took it, staring at it deeply.

"That's your mummy. She was the best person that I knew." I said quietly.

"She's pretty." She replied, running her tiny fingers across the glass.

"Told you."

"What was her name?"

"Emily. Her name was Emily." I felt a lump grow in my throat as I continued to look at the picture with Via. There were loads of times that I blamed myself for her death. It was me who called her when she crashed. It was me that made her upset and unfocused. It was all me.

"Do you miss her, Daddy?" Via asked.

I sniffed, wiping my nose and nodding. "All the time." I heard my voice crack. "She was the love of my life. She was the mother of the best daughter a guy could ask for." I poked Via's tummy, causing her to giggle. "She made me happy."

"And I make you happy too?"

"Of course you do, love. I can't think of a life without you." I kissed her head and stood her up before standing up myself. "C'mon, let's go to bed. You need sleep."

"Can I take this?" She asked, referring to the photo.

"Not this one, but I have another one you can have. Sound like a deal?"

Via nodded, looking at the photo. "Goodnight, Mummy." She kissed the photo before setting it back on my desk and walking with me out of the room and into the hall.

Goodnight, Emily.