Untamed Heart ✗ jimmy fallon

Epilogue

Five years later

"Daddy!" Carmella's squeaky voice squealed as she approached me. She got off the bus and ran into my arms. "Daddy, I drew a picture of a dog in art today, and Mrs. Pieman liked it!"
I smiled at her enthusiasm. "That's great, Ella! Let's go home, okay?" I held and squeezed her hand and walked her back to our apartment. We both crashed on the couch. She rummaged through her book bag and pulled out a picture of a dog and handed it to me.
I scrutinized it, amazed at how creative she was, considering she was only just five. "It's amazing. Good job, sweetheart."
We sat in silence until Carmella said: "Hey daddy?" I turned my focus to her, raising my eyebrows. "What was mommy like?"
At that, my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. I tripped over words, not sure what to say. There were so many great things Melody was. "Well, she was just like you, Carmella. She was enthusiastic about everything, she was compassionate, she was artistic..."
"What does compassionate mean?"
I sighed. "Compassionate means that you care about other people."
"Oh, okay."
"You look just like your mother. You have the same everything. You're like a little version of her," Carmella giggled.
She looked up at me with her big Melody eyes. "What was your favorite about her?"
I thought for a moment. God, there were so many things. "Um, my favorite thing about your mother would be the way she lived. She was the most enthusiastic, beautiful, and creative person I've ever met."
She smiled, her bangs falling in her eyes. "Do you miss mommy?"
"God, I do," I said without hesitation.
"What movie did you and mommy like to watch?"
I lowered my eyes at all the nostalgic memories. "We loved to watch the Austin Powers movies."
Carmella's eyes brightened. "We just watched that!"
I laughed. "Yes, we did," I pet her hair. "I bet mommy is looking over us, and she is so proud of you."
"I bet she's an angel."
"I bet she is."
"Can we visit her?" Carmella's expression morphed from happy to serious.
I nodded. "Yes we can."
***
We roamed along all the graves until we found Melody's. I was carrying a bouquet of roses that Carmella had insisted we buy for her.
We both knelt down, and I set the flowers on her gravestone.
"I miss you mommy, and I love you," She whispered to the grave, her eyes red-rimmed as if she were about to cry.
"Carmella," She met my gaze. I pulled the picture of Melody and I out of my pocket. I handed it to her, holding her hand. "I want you to keep this picture. It was taken five years ago when your mommy and I were having a picnic."
She scrutinized the picture and smiled. "You look so young."
"Yes, I was 29 years old there."
Carmella ran into my arms. "Thank you daddy."
I smiled. "You're welcome, sweetie."
She broke our hug, kissed her hand, and placed her hand on Melody's grave. "Daddy?" I raised my eyebrows. "Do you think you'll be in love with someone else ever again?"
I smiled and vaguely shook my head. "No."
***
Oh my gosh, I got so emotional writing this. Hope you guys enjoyed!

Xo, Savannah