The Dress

Chapter 12

"Momma," my one-year-old said slowly, clapping his hands with his rattle in his left one.

I smiled at him and scooped him up from the floor, spinning around three times before stopping. His giggles were uncontrollable as I peppered kisses all over his face. I combed back his soft patch of bronze hair on his head with my fingers, smacking one big sloppy kiss on his cheek. I looked into his emerald eyes that had flecks of gold scattered around his irises. "Let's go find Daddy, shall we?"

He smiled and his chubby cheeks made it irresistible for me to pinch them softly. I walked into the vast garden at the back of our house. "Edward!" I shouted.

I heard a squeal and caught a glimpse of Edward before he wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my hair and I giggled. Our son reached for him and Edward willingly took him into his arms, blowing raspberries into his belly.

"Did you ask Momma to find me?" He asked. Our nameless son nodded with a smile on his face. Edward looked at me and kissed me full on the lips. I took the time to remember how his lips shaped mine and tasted. I was always too afraid of forgetting how wonderful his kisses were. They were the best I could ever have.

I smiled against his lips. "I love you."

"I love you more."

I laughed at that and was suddenly reminded of our son. I pulled away from Edward and stole our child from his arms, running away from him in my heavy dress, laughing. Edward started chasing playfully after us.

"With every love, every kiss. Every time we touch lips, my love always his. Every time till we miss. Every love, every cry. Every time till we die. Every love, every look..."

I snapped out of my daze as one of my favourite songs started playing as Nina Nesbitt started crooning about a love that she had never experienced until she met her someone special. I stopped the song on my speakers and tried to gather my thoughts after that daydream of what could have been my happily ever after if Edward hadn't gotten sick and I didn't have to die by the Chicago River. I rubbed my forehead as I gulped, picking up my black gel pen to take notes from my biology textbook.

The silence was deafening and I finally gave up, closing my textbook and notebook and playing the song again.

"It's something we can't say, it's just the way we feel. We'll be hiding in secrets till they reveal 'cause I keep falling, I'm still falling for your love. I keep falling, falling into your world..."

The truth behind her lyrics were strikingly similar to what happened back in 1918. I allowed the song to finish and I replayed it again and again. Standing up from my study desk, I went over to the bookshelves and slipped out the scrapbook. I flipped through the pages and at the very last page of it, I found two strings of numbers and a location. I frowned. Staring at the numbers, I knew that there was something familiar about it.

Taking out the laptop, I booted it up and tapped my fingers rhythmically against the table. Once in, I searched online about the location on the scrapbook. The location belonged to a plot of land called Graceland Cemetery, and then I remembered— that was where Edward was buried, and where I was also possibly buried.

"Mom, Dad," I started. "I want to go for a trip."

They paused, Charlie stopping his cutting of steak while Renée dropped her fork and knife on the plate, staring up at me.

Charlie cleared his throat. "Well, what kind of trip?"

"Just a trip alone to Chicago for at least a week." I said.