Love of a Lifetime

         The women of the Knighton family congregated in the third story attic. They were searching for some old baby stuff for Lorraine, the eldest daughter. She was 7 months along and getting bigger by the day.
         The men of the family could be seen through the pained glass window. They were almost finished installing the new patio deck as Bethany and Declan's Anniversary present.
         "Mom you really need to clean this out. I mean do you really need to be storing a VCR or a stereo player with cassette tapes." Delia, her youngest, complained.
         "That was outdated when I put it up here. They were my parent's." Bethany explained.
         The group kept searching through the piles of boxes marked Christmas, winter clothes, and the blank ones.
         Noah's, the oldest child, daughter Danielle came across an old photo album. Inside was her Grandma kissing somebody who didn't look like Grandpa, unless he changed a lot since he was young. She kept flipping through the pages her Grandmother was young and beautiful. She had been all over the place and taken many photos of her adventures. Finally she seen a photo of her Grandpa, it was near the end of that album. "Grandma, was Grandpa the one you knew you were meant to be with?" the teen inquired, confused from the evidence of the photos.
         A Blunt "No." came out of Bethany's wrinkled mouth.
         A quick freeze fell over the room. They all looked at her with amazement and disbelief.
         "What?!" Danielle asked.
         "Oh don't worry your Grandfather knows." the same faces are staring at her. "His name was Joshua Murphy.

Chapter 1
         He was tall but not too tall and had the most gorgeous smile you ever saw. I knew him in high school, but nothing happened until a couple years after college. I think it was 2008. He had come back to town and we ran into each other at a bar. I never thought anything of it until I ran into him again twice in the next couple of weeks. So the next time I saw him I asked him out. He said "Yes" so he Facebooked me the time and place and it was a really good date. Intellectual conversations, great restaurant and he kissed my hand good night.
                                                           ***
         "Your hand?! Why would he kiss your hand?" Miranda, another granddaughter questioned.
         "Well because I know he wanted to kiss me but he didn't know if that was too forward. But don't worry...
                                                           ***
         ...We kissed on the second date. He was a really good kisser and then we went and fell in love. A couple of months later we moved into my apartment. We were so happy together and in love. After two months he proposed to me. Of course I said "yes". By this time it had been about a year so we planned the wedding for June 13. That was eight months away. We just kept on falling deeper and deeper into each other's soul...
                                                           ***
         "So did you meet Grandpa afterward?"
         "No, actually I've known your Grandpa since 7th grade. He was a good guy. I knew he always had a crush on me but I didn't feel the same way. He was actually the best man at the wedding, because Josh's best friend couldn't make it. We had waited so long for that date to come, he was my soulmate and I was his. I got up early, well because I couldn't really sleep. The wedding was at 3pm. I got a call from him at about 10am saying how much he loved me and couldn't wait until 3...
                                                           ***
         Her voiced started to slow and waver. She took a breath and kept going. "As I was getting ready...
                                                           ***
         ...At the church in a special room, I was given updates on how everything was going. My Mom was begging me to put my veil on but I was entranced by the window. The sun was shining through and a car full of handsomely dressed gentlemen had just pulled up. As Josh put the car in park, a pickup truck came speeding down the road. It turned the corner almost flipping, the driver turned to look behind him, took a swig of whiskey and crashed into the car that was just full of guys but now only had the one in it. He had forgotten his tie and I think he was a little nervous. So he stayed in the car to catch his breath and his courage. The blue pickup truck, I later found out, had just robbed a liquor store. The cops showed up two minutes later. But I had already run out there. I screamed his name as I flashed out of the church. I think people followed me, I don't know, I was focused on Josh. He woke up just as I got to the side of the mangled car.
         "I'm not supposed to see you before the wedding." he gasped.
         "Oh shut up, are you okay?" I could see his pelvis was stuck in between the smashed door and the storage compartment.
         "I'm fine." he lied and he knew I knew he was.
         Ambulances, fire trucks, police all started to arrive.
         It took all of ten minutes for the fire rescuers to realize that getting him out was going to be a job and if they did he had a slim to none chance of survival. I could read it on their faces so could he. They told this information to our parents, the tears had already been there but now they came and stayed, like a great flood that wouldn't recede.
         We kept talking, I was told to keep him with us.
         "Bethany,"
         "Yeah?"
         "Let's get married right now. You have waited so long for this day and I don't want you to wait any longer. You deserve this."
         "But..."
         He cut me off, "Go get the preacher."
         I walked over to our parents and said, "He wants to do the wedding."
         "What? Like this?" his mother was shocked.
         "Yes, go get the preacher." I commanded in a daze.
         She followed the command and brought the preacher to the wreckage. The rescuers were still trying to get him out while the ceremony started. All the guests finally figured out what was going on. I will never forget the crowd of dressed up people, cops, fire men, and rescuers all with solemn wet faces. As we said our vows we were the only ones who weren't crying.
         "...Kiss the bride."
         I bent over, put my head in the car and gave him the sweetest kiss. That's when I started crying.
         "We did it." Josh whispered to my mouth.
         After waiting for what seemed like forever we were finally married. The one thing we both wanted to do after the second date.
         "I love you and I always will."
         His breathing was getting worse, “I know, but now is not the time for goodbyes."
         I cringed letting more tears escape, "Yes it is...just in case, until we are in Paris on our Honeymoon."
         A few moments afterward, the rescuers declared that he could be freed now. The ambulance waited with the stretcher, I was told to "Back away, it might be gruesome." by some ass of a man in a uniform. Even though I wanted to slap him I said nothing. My father held me back with a hug. As they pulled Josh out he stopped talking. That's when I realized losing him was a probability. I kissed and hugged our parents and got in the ambulance.

***

         "Mom, what happened to the other driver?" Lorraine inquired.
         "His name was Rick Conway. He survived the accident with only some cuts and bruises. When they took him to the hospital he escaped again but they caught him outside Josh's room...

***

         Once we got to the hospital, Josh immediately went to surgery. Three of the longest hours of my life later, they brought him out. He died. The doctor said they tried everything but he lost too much blood. I had felt it before when it happened, I knew but my heart dropped anyway. I went into the room and held his hand. It was cold, he wasn't moving. Then Rick Conway came into the room. He just stood there sobering up, realizing what he did.
         "Is he dead?" Rick Conway asked deliriously.
         I cried then whispered, "Yes. You killed him, you killed Josh Murphy. You killed my fiancé."
         He stood there until the police found him. Whenever they were arresting him he said, "I'm sorry."
         I told him to go to hell.

Chapter 2
         Three months later I found out I was pregnant.

***

         "So Uncle Noah isn't grandpa's?!" Danielle asked before anyone else could say word.
         Bethany giggled, "No. He's your grandfathers."
         "Mom, you gave it up for adoption?" Lorraine worried.
         "Can I finish my story?"
         The group shook their heads for her to continue.

***

         As I said I found out I was pregnant. I was so happy and sad, it was bittersweet. I told my parents and then Josh's. They were all excited. That's when I decided that I couldn't live alone anymore. I had been drinking, depressed and I didn't think I could do it. I didn't know if I could look into that baby's face and see Josh every day.
         Declan actually started looking after me before I found out. When he did find out he offered to move in and help me. And I took him up on it. He moved in, we started hanging out and became the best of friends.
         Then when I was five months along I had this pain that wouldn't go away. We went to the hospital and I miscarried... I had to go through labor because I was so far along. Two months after I lost my husband, the love of my life, I lost his little girl.

***

         By this time the whole room was balling. No one knew that their Mother and Grandmother had been married before or was pregnant and had a miscarriage before she married their father and grandpa.
         "Now you know that wasn't your fault, Bethany." Declan entered the room. "Did you tell them what happened next? That's the good part." He wiped a tear from her cheek.
         The rest of the guys filed in the room and listened to the rest of the story.
         "I was getting there...

***

         I was devastated. At times I really contemplated suicide. Through it all this man stayed by my side. He got me through many dark nights, never leaving me. After a few months I began to function normally. I went out more with friends and tried dating. But the more I got out, the more I wanted to go home and be with Declan. Once people thought I was fully "cured" I stayed in a little more. Sub-consciously I think I was trying to seduce him. Eventually he asked me out...

***

         "Eventually?" Declan questioned. "What do you mean eventually? I liked you before that and you knew it so you should've said something."
         "I know, I'm sorry I didn't but I'm glad how it worked out." Bethany kissed Declan.

***

          By this time it had been a year since the tragedy. The transition from friends and roommates to boyfriend and girlfriend was fairly simple. People who saw us always thought we were together, they didn't know the story. Then we dated for six months and he popped the question.

***

         "Six months?! Really? That's not that long." Andrew the third child explained.
         "Well shoot I had the ring in my pocket for 3 months." Grandpa revealed.
         The whole family looked at him, even Bethany.          
         "You did?" She was amazed. "Why is this the first time I am hearing about it?"
         "Because, I didn't want you to think of me like a chicken. I just wanted the moment to be perfect and right. I didn't need to get to know you. I already knew everything about you. I loved you with all my being and I still do."
         A tear came to her eye, "I love you too, you old romantic. I can't believe you never told me that."
         He smiled and wiped the tears from his face. "And then we got married...and now we are here. Up in our attic telling our children and their children how long it took me to land the Love of My Life."