Bound to Forever - Book ll

Love Is not a Chore

Author's Note: I figured we should have a bit of fluff between our favorite couple to give a break from the drama. :) 

I loved writing this chapter. 

*

Simon's Point of View:

I couldn't recall the last time I slept so heavily. The smell of Kiera's shampoo never failed to send me right to sleep, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss sleeping so lightly when I woke up to the sound of Kiera's muffled sobs, and by the way her face was puffy, she had been crying for a while.

She shielded her eyes from the sudden flash of my bedside lamp, and I quickly turned it off to keep from straining her vision even further. I wanted to tell her how sorry I was, for how I felt like this was all my fault, but she needed to grieve without having to constantly tell me that this didn't happen because of me. She was right, though – her grief came in waves. During the day, she would cry on and off before having to put on a fake smile to keep from the kids asking her questions, during the evening when Kiera and I would be in bed just talking, she would suddenly cry, and occasionally throughout the night, she would weep to herself.

I gently pulled her against my chest, cradling the side of her face with my free hand and feeling the dampness of her tears soak the palm of my hand. She tried to grasp a handful of my shirt when her hand rested on my sternum, but I assumed she forgot that I usually went to bed without a shirt on, so she accidentally grabbed a fistful of my chest hair instead.

And bloody hell, did it hurt!

"I-I'm sorry, Si—"

"Don't be sorry," I whispered into her hair, resting my cheek on the top of her head. "I'm right here."

"I'm just... so fucking angry about all of this. We just went through all of that drama about assholes trying to buy land next to the ranch, and now we're having to deal with a murder?! First I lose my dad, and now I lose my mom, and I can't fucking do anything about it because my body won't let me! I feel so useless right now."

"You're not useless, love. We didn't expect this to happen."

"You're damn right we didn't. What am I going to tell the kids? How am I going to tell the kids?"

"I'll figure something out."

"The morgue called me while you were out today," She sighed. "They're going to transfer her to the funeral home in town. I-I don't think I can handle seeing my mom in a casket, Simon."

I frowned, followed by a deep sigh, "I think you should consider an alternative..."

"Cremating?"

I nodded.

"Why?"

"Love, I just don't think you should see how she passed..."

I felt so bad when I made her cry harder at what I just said, but it was true. I was already broken by having to tell her that her mother was killed in the first place and being the one to identify her into being the victim of this case, and I knew it would break Kiera into a million pieces looking down on her in a casket and seeing the filled-in exit wounds.

I knew she couldn't take it.

She was pressed so close against me, yet she didn't know that I had cried with her. My heart was aching, too, especially at the thought of how it wouldn't be just Kiera and I going through this together, but now our children were involved and old enough to understand what happened. They were starting to ask questions about their Nana, and I knew the time would come to where I would have to sit them down and explain that she wouldn't be coming home.