Be My Forever [COMPLETE]

Chapter 48

When Thursday finally came along, Toby still hadn't returned. I got worried. I was worried that he was hurt, or worse, he would do something reckless.

As I was getting ready for Daniel's funeral, I heard the front door open. I set down everything and ran towards the front door. I stopped when Toby and I made eye contact.

"Toby..." I say, shocked and confused. I didn't know what to say. What do you say to someone who disappeared from your life after a huge fight?

Toby walked towards me and said nothing. I was scared he would grab me again. Instead, he surprised me by hugging me. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and began to sob. I have never seen him act like this before.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He said over and over again. He was sobbing, soaking my shoulder with his tears.

"Shhh.. Babe it's okay." I say. I hate seeing him like this. He was so broken.

I was just happy. Happy to have him back in my arms. Happy to know that he's alright.

"I want to tell you everything. I'll tell you everything." He says, gently holding onto my hands. I liked the way this felt. I like it when he's gentle, not the opposite.

"The funeral is in an hour. Get ready, and we'll talk after." I say. The last thing I want is Toby to miss his father's funeral.

-:-

The service was beautiful. Although Daniel and I knew very little about each other, we barely talked, the service made me feel connected to him in some way. He was gone too soon. Way too soon.

I made sure Toby was alright throughout the service. I held his hand, and when the service was over, I brought him in for a huge hug.

Daniel Cavanaugh was a loving husband and father. He never missed a day of work, and he was always there for his family. I don't know why he never liked me, but I guess he had his reasons.
He was married to his wife, Toby's mother, for twenty-two years before she died. After Marion Cavanaugh passed, and a few years of grieving, and a little encouragement from Toby, Daniel remarried.

I did cry, but only because I wished that I knew him better. The first time he saw me, I was caught almost making out with his son, not to mention several other times we were caught actually making out. I bet he thought I was some tramp. Some whore who only cared about sex. He didn't want me to be around Toby. He probably thought I was a bad influence, with my terrible home life and my not-so-subtle clinginess. I don't blame him.

When the service ended, Toby brought me to the back of the church.

"Babe, what are we doing here? Your family needs you out there." I say, right before his lips collided with mine. It caught me off guard. I really liked it, but I had to stop him. "Toby, this isn't appropriate. Not now. Not here." I say, gently pushing him away.

"I just needed to give you that. Thank you so much for being here." He said, gently pecking my cheek.

-:-

After I spent a few hours with Toby and his family, sharing memories and mourning, we went home.

"I'm exhausted. And starving." I say, looking into the fridge. Of course, we had nothing to satisfy my cravings.

"Come here," Toby says, patting an area on the couch next to him, gesturing me to sit next to him. I crawl onto the couch and huddle close to him. He kisses the top of my head as he wraps his arm around me, making me feel safe.

"I drove all the way to Massachusetts before I ran out of gas." Toby admitted.

"Why?" I ask, sitting up a bit to see him better.

"I don't know. To clear my head. I just kept driving. When I ran out of gas, I didn't know what to do. I panicked."

"You could've called me."

"I know that now, but I wasn't thinking. Thankfully I was near a gas station. I drove until it was dark. I stopped at a motel."

"What happened then?"

"Well, the motel made me stop thinking about my dad and start thinking about you."

I'm brought back to when we were younger, and we spent our first night together in a motel. So much has changed since then.

"I was worried about you. You must've been terrified. So I drove all the way back here."

"I'm glad you're back." I say, kissing his cheek.

"My mom died when I was fifteen," Toby continued.

I stop him. "Babe, you don't have to talk about it,"

"No. You deserve to know."

I scoot in closer to him so he had a shoulder to cry on if he needed one.

"She was the sweetest woman. She was a preschool teacher, so she was great with kids. My mother was loving, and kind, until-" Toby stopped talking. He was silent. I held onto his hand.

"Until what?" I ask in a voice so quiet, he could barely hear.

"Until she got sick," he said, "she was diagnosed with leukemia, and she didn't want to get any treatment."

I felt my eyes fill with tears. He must be hurting so much. He's been hurting for so long. Too long.

"I'm sorry," I say in a quiet voice. I don't know what else to say.

"I completely forgot about her ring until I proposed to you," he admits, forcing a little chuckle, "but she told me that this belongs to a girl who deserves it. The woman I want to marry. And baby, that's you."

I look down at the ring that hadn't left my hand since I first put it on. It was so beautiful. Toby's mother was a lucky woman, getting to wear this ring every day.

"Do you think your mother would've liked me?" I ask. I know it's such a vain question, but I was curious.

"Spencer, she would've loved you. You're intelligent, you're kind, and you have a thing for classical music... So did she."

I giggled at the last one. Toby and Aria always playfully made fun of me for liking classical music over more modern music. I find classical music so relaxing, and it helps me think.

"Are we alright now?" I ask, intertwining our fingers.

"Yeah, baby," Toby said, kissing my hand, "we're alright. I love you."