Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
The four of us have no doubt that you and Slade will continue the remarkable legacies of the Delacorte and Wakemont families with pride, honor, and grace. I have no doubt that under your guidance, your children and your children’s children will do wonderful things for this world. My only regret is that I won’t be around to see it. Please know that wherever I am, part of me is still with you all and will be until we’re reunited again someday.
That said, there’s something else I wanted to say: please go easy on Slade.
I can imagine what you’re thinking—I should be telling him to go easy on you.
Don’t worry, I have. Slade received his own letter this morning. Whether or not he has yet to read it is anyone’s guess. But as I was saying …
As Slade’s mother, I may be a little biased, but I’m confident in saying what I’m about to say because I know him best—or rather, I knew him best.
It may be hard for you to believe, but Slade has a heart of gold. It’s the reason he worked so tirelessly to convince me you two were head over heels in love. (I played along because that’s what good mothers do) and it’s also the reason he kept my illness a private matter.
Since Slade was a child, I’ve been battling this rare and ruthless disorder. Far too many times, he witnessed my brushes with death and prepared himself for the worst. His formative years were a rollercoaster of emotions and with each birthday that passed, I watched my son grow colder and more distant from everyone except for me.
I’ve seen some of the letters the two of you exchanged over the years. While they were amusing at first, I always hoped they would shift as the two of you grew older and embraced your destiny. They say hindsight is 20-20. If that’s the case, I surmise that perhaps if I’d never been sick and he’d never been repeatedly faced with the reality losing someone he held so dear to his heart, that it might be easier for him to form attachments.
So again, I say: please go easy on him.
I’ve heard people describe my son as an enigma before, but sometimes we have a tendency to complicate things that are simple. This may sound counterintuitive, but believe me when I tell you that the more Slade pushes you away, the more he needs you.
There.
That’s the key to his heart.
I’d have given it to you sooner, but I was waiting for the right time—and then I ran out of time completely.
All the love and all the best wishes as you forge these roads called life together.
Your mother-in-love,
Delia
PS—I’ve included the lyrics to Make You Feel My Love on the other side of this letter—keep them in a safe place and read them whenever you need a reminder of how powerful love can be.
A thick tear slides down my cheek, splashing on the letter and diluting a spot of blue ink. Flipping the paper over, sure enough she’s written out the full lyrics to the first song Slade and I danced to as husband and wife—a song she personally chose for us.
Folding the note, I tuck it safely back in my suitcase for now, and then I crawl under the covers, close my eyes, and fall asleep on my wedding night, a virgin with a head full of complicated considerations.
24
Slade
My wife is out cold when I emerge from the shower.
I had to wash this day off of me; the cocktail of perfume and cologne from the barrage of hugs, the smudges of lipstick faintly remaining on my cheeks from well-meaning kisses, the itchiness clinging to my skin from being prisoner to a wool and rayon tuxedo all day …
And all the love.
So much fucking love.
It’s all anyone could talk about.
You two look so in love …
We just love weddings …
There’s so much love in the air tonight …
The love you have for each other is so inspiring …
You make the loveliest couple …
Seeing the two of you reminds me that true love still exists and there’s someone for everyone …
I guess it means we looked the part, so there’s that, but now that the fanfare is over, it’s back to reality.
With damp hair and low slung joggers, I climb in beside Campbell, who is fast asleep with the most angelic expression on her face. For all I know, she popped a Xanax and peaced out.
Despite it being way past my bedtime, I should be doing the same thing, but I’m strangely wired.
Lying back, I stare at the ceiling, imagining how this night might have gone in an alternate reality.
Somewhere, in a parallel universe, we rushed to our honeymoon suite, I tore her out of her gown, and she ripped me out of my tux.