Page 151 of The Vet's Unconditional Love

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It's hard to imagine what the future will be like when I know I'm not going to be there for it.

And that's why I'm writing you this letter.

It breaks my heart—I'd say it kills me, but that seems a little close to the bone—that I'm not going to be around for Emmett and the girls.

They need a woman in their lives.

Emmett's a lover.He's a big old sweetheart who needs to love and be loved.

Alana's such a happy kid.She'll need someone to make sure she doesn't lose that.

God, I hope she hasn't lost it.I hope I didn't rob her of that.

And Tanya's only a baby still, but she's sweet and imaginative.I think she's going to be a dreamer.She'll need someone to keep her on track.

And Emmett, God bless him, will do the best he can.But he's a dad, not a mom.He'll do everything he can for them, and he'll still never be a woman.

That's where you come in.

I hate this, and at the same time I'm so grateful to you for being in their lives and loving them.

Here goes...

They're going to need a mom, and I'm begging you, if you can, to be that for them.

Please, please, please, be a mom to my girls, not just a wife to Emmett.

You might be wondering how I can write to you like this.

Part of me doesn't want to.

I'll tell you the truth—part of me wants to scratch your eyes out!

But I can't be there with them, and you can.

If Emmett loves you enough to trust you with our girls and his heart, then I trust you enough to love them well.

You’re holding their lives in your hands.

The lives of my family.

But now...now, they're your family.

And I'm asking you, woman to woman, to love them well.For me, yes.But for yourself too.

I hope you get the long and happy future with our family that I didn't.

And I hope that by the time it's over, my girls know you as their mom.

Emily

PS, if there is an afterlife and we all meet up there later, maybe they can clone him for us.

Tears streamed down Harper's face as she read and reread the letter.

"Thank you," she whispered as she swiped her thumbs under her eyes.

She'd known Emily had to be special.

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