Follow You (Second Chances Series Book 3)

The world stops moving...

It's been five days since Abby delivered our baby girl. Five long, agonizing days. I brought Abby home from the hospital and since then she's barley spoken to me, or anyone for that matter. She gets out of bed, showers, eats, works on developing photographs, but she doesn't speak. It's like she's in a trance just going through the motions.

Today is the day of the small funeral service we planned, or should I say Noah and Leo planned. I told them what Abby and I wanted and they took care of it all.

I've showered and just shaved for the first time in almost a week. I walk out of the bathroom to find Abby standing in her bra and underwear in fornt of her closet. She's crying.

I walk over to her and pull her into my arms. She doesn't hold me back but I hold on tight to her anyways.

"I don't wanna go." She says through her tears. I run my hand up and down her back in an attempt to sooth her.

"I know. I don't want to either, but we have to. We have to go lay our daughter to rest."

I kiss the top of her head and then pull back so I can see her face.

"We can do this. For Olive."

She looks me in the eye and after a moment, she nods her head, so I release her and she turns towards her closet and pulls out a simple black dress.

We both go about getting dressed in silence. Once we're all ready I grab my keys and we head out the door.

The service is just a small one held graveside at the cemetery. We only invited our closest friends and what little family we have. The service is short, sweet and heartbreaking. The whole thing is over quickly, too quickly. Before I know it everyone else has returned to their cars and it's just Abby and I standing alone with our daughters tiny little white casket. I reach into the inside pocket of my suit jacket and pull out a picture. It's one of Abby and I. She took it one night when we were just messing around at home. She's on my lap, our faces are pressed together as we both smile our best smiles for the camera.

I hold up the picture to the women from the funeral home.

"May I place this inside with her?"

"Yes, of course." She comes over and gently lifts the lid of the casket just a little so I can slide it inside, then she closes it again.

I place my hand on top of the casket.

"That's so you aren't alone sweet girl. Mommy and daddy will be with you always."

Abigal stands next to me so that she can take my hand in hers and squeeze it tightly as she buries her face in my chest and cries. I wrap my free hand around her and hold on tight.

The next several weeks pass in a hazy blur. It's like Abby and I live in an alternate universe than the one we had planned out for ourselves. A universe where time has no meaning, no purpose. Each day passes but yet we have nothing to look forward too, there's no joy, no hope for what lies ahead. Neither of us have had the courage to go into Olives room yet. I think we're afraid that if we go in there then we have to truly face the fact that Olive's gone forever. So the door remains closed.

Things are starting to return to normal and that means that I have to leave for a business trip to New York on Monday. I'm worried about leaving Abby alone but at the same time part of me will be glad for some time to myself. Some time for me to just sit and deal with my own grief without having to worry about how it will affect Abby.

It's Sunday afternoon and I just got done showering after my workout. When I walk into the livingroom Abbys lying on the couch watching Love Actually.

I walk over to her and lean down to place a kiss on her forhead.

"I'm going to make myself something to eat. Can I get you anything?"

She grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me down ontop of her. I let out a sound of suprise.

"You. I want you."

Now I'm really suprised. Abby and I have shared the same bed every single night but we haven't been intimate at all. The extent of our physical contact has been the occasional hug or kiss on the forhead or cheek. A few mornings I've woken up to find her with her arms and legs wrapped around me but when she wakes up she quickly moves away.

I haven't pushed for anything because one, she was still recovering physically from giving birth, and two, because I honestly don't know where we stand at the moment. She went to the doctor on Friday and I'm assuming she got the all clear.

I take my finger and lightly brush her hair away from her face.

"Abby, are you sure?"

"Yes, Andrew. I want you. Please."

She gives me a shy smile and I smile back at her before I lean forward and give her a slow, deep kiss, full of all the emotion and need that I've kept bottled up over the last month and a half. She kisses me back with just as much passion and need.

It doesn't take long for us to get each other naked, our hands are exploring every inch of each other. She has new curves that she didn't have before and I like them. A lot. I trace my hands, lips and tongue over ever inch of her until I hear my name being yelled from her lips.

She's still trying to catch her breath when I position myself over top of her and kiss her as I slide myself deep inside her. She moans into my mouth and the sound drives me wild. The taste of her is still in my mouth and now it's in hers as well. We move together. At first our movements are almost frantic but then something changes and we both slow down. I pull back and when I look at her I see the unshedd tears in her eyes and suddenly the world stops moving.

I love her. I love her with my whole heart and I know she loves me too. But I also know she won't admit it. I suddenly have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. It's a feeling that I hope to god I'm wrong about.

This is goodbye.