The Fading Trilogy: Fading, Freeing, Falling: Includes 2 BONUS short stories: Hoping and Finding Forever (157 page)

“Don’t put this on you. This is us, not just you,” I tell her adamantly. “But I believe we will.”

“How? How can you believe that when we’ve been trying for so long?”

“Because I saw her.”

“Who?”

Threading my hand through her thick hair, I rest my forehead against hers and close my eyes when I tell her, “Our daughter.”

Candace grabs ahold of my wrist as her cries pick up, but I continue anyway, explaining, “I had a dream. You were there. We were in the kitchen making breakfast, but there were three plates. I was watching you cut an apple and divide the slices between the plates, and then you hollered a girl’s name. When I looked up, I saw her. She looked just like you, and I knew she was ours.”

“When did you have this dream?” she asks through her tears.

“A few weeks ago.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Running my thumbs under her eyes, I tell her, “Because I didn’t want to put any unneeded stress on you.”

She tucks her head under my chin and remains quiet for a moment before asking, “What did I holler?”

“Hmm?”

“You said I called out for her. What name did I say?”

“Annabelle. You called her Annabelle.”

Candace’s arms band tighter around me when I tell her this, and I strengthen my hold on her as well.

“It’s a beautiful name,” she murmurs.

“Can I show you something?”

“What?”

She pulls back, and I look into her eyes. She’s so beautiful, even in this moment, she’s simply stunning to me.

“You’re Valentine’s gift,” I tell her.

She nods, and I roll over to open the drawer to my nightstand. Pulling out the small white box, I turn back to her and lay it on the bed between us. She stares at it for a moment before sitting up and crossing her legs in front of her. Candace used to hate getting gifts, but through the years, she’s learned to enjoy them, so when she picks up the box, I move to sit in front of her.

Candace removes the lid and the puzzled look on her face makes me laugh.

She darts her eyes to me, and with confusion written all over her face, she says, “I don’t get it. I feel like I should since you’re laughing.”

“I’m laughing because you’re adorable,” I respond as I pick up the tiny bell charm from inside the box. “This is our hope,” I tell her as I hold it up. “Take off your necklace.”

Candace unclasps the necklace I gave her when we first started dating. She still wears it everyday after all this time. When she hands it over, I slip the bell charm onto the silver chain.

“Our Annabelle,” I say as I take the necklace and fasten it back around her neck. “But I’m going to call her Bell.”

FADING (book #1)

“Heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping, and absolutely beautiful. If you enjoy not only reading but
feeling
a great story, don’t miss this intense tale of love and healing!”

—Aleatha Romig, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

“E.K. Blair has upped the standards of indie writing forever. This author is an artist. One of the most incredible, breathtaking stories I have ever read.”

—Word

FREEING (book #2)

“Another amazingly beautiful, heart-wrenching, yet heart-warming story. Like Fading, Freeing is brilliantly written and once again, it is so easy to get lost in the pages of this story.”

—Book Crush Reviews

“A book that’s packed with an intensity that is rare to find in today’s New Adult Genre. Blair’s writing is phenomenal, and the tears her words induced were not like any other’s.”

—GMB Reviews

e. k. blair

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www.ekblair.com

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Other Titles by E.K. Blair

The Black Lotus Series

BANG (book 1)

ECHO (book 2)

coming early 2015

HUSH (book 3)

coming late 2015