Alive with Me

Chapter 27

Nate

"I'm sorry, Sunshine," I said to her. "I'm sorry for walking out on you. For leaving you," I said.

She shook her head. "But you didn't. Despite what I did, you stayed," she said as she caressed my face lovingly.

"I love you, Sunshine. I love you so much." Falling in love and Loving Lia is the best thing I've ever done in my life. I'm so lucky that I get to love her so.

"I love you too, Nate and I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry," she cried.

"Shh... It wasn't your fault. I don't blame you, Lia." And that was the honest truth. I really don't blame her.

She shook her head as she tried to pull away from me.

I held her in place. "Look at me," I coaxed.

She shook her head.

"Baby, please. Look at me."

She did.

"I don't blame you. I don't. I know that I've said some hurtful and unforgivable things, but you have to believe me that I knew that you had no choice. Deep in my heart I knew it. I just..."

"She was your sister, Nate. You needed some time. I don't begrudge you that. I don't blame you. I would have reacted the same you did. Maybe even worse."

"Thank you for that, Sunshine, but now please listen. Please hear what I'm about to say to you, because I cannot bear it if you spend one more second living in guilt," I said fiercely. "What happened was out of your control. You were brave enough to make an impossible choice. And your choice saved your sister. You were so selfless, you sacrificed your own morality just to save your sister's life."

She sobbed.

"I understand what you did. I understand, and I forgive you," I said in tears. I knew that she needed to hear that. She doesn't need my forgiveness because to me, there was nothing to forgive, but I knew that she longed to hear those words, so I would not deny her that.

She shook with tears, as she threw herself at me.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry," she said over and over again.

"It's gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay," I said. "Can you forgive me?"

"For what?" She asked through her tears.

"For saying those hurtful things to you."

She shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for I don't blame you for what you said. Like I said, Nate, I would have reacted the same way."

I nodded. "We'll get through this together. I will never leave you, Sunshine. Never."

"I don't deserve you."

"No. You deserve so much more," I said before kissing her.

"Nate," she whispered my name softly.

"Yeah?"

She cupped my face and caressed it with her hands.

Tears were shining in her eyes.

"She loved you," she said in a sob. "She talked about you. A lot. She idolized you. She loved you very much."

I nodded as I sobbed. "I loved her too."

"She saved my sister too," she said. "I wouldn't have been able to do it, but she..." She trailed off.

And when she didn't continue, "She told you it was okay," I finished for her after a few seconds of silence.

Lia nodded.