PROLOGUE
___
They asked him,
Jack Harper?
Who is Emily Cooper to you?
He smiled, and his eyes sparkled with a warmth that could only be described as brotherly love.
To him,
Emily Cooper was...
He paused,
as if searching for the right words to describe
the girl who had been his constant
companion for as long as he could remember.
She was the girl next door,
the one who always seemed to know how to make him feel better, no matter what.
She was the one who could make him laugh on his worst days,
who could make him feel like everything was going to be okay,
just with one smile.
She was the little sister he never had,
the one who always looked up to him,
the one who always made him want to be a better person.
He chuckled, remembering the countless memories they had shared over the years.
She was his partner in crime, his accomplice, his best friend.
She was the one who knew all his secrets,
who knew how to keep him grounded,
who knew how to make him feel like he was home.
And he would do anything for her, anything at all.
If she needed him to move mountains,
he would find a way.
If she needed him to swim oceans,
he would dive right in.
If she needed him to give her the world,
he would find a way to make it happen.
She deserved it,
she deserved everything and more.
His expression turned serious,
his eyes clouding over with a mix of sadness and gratitude.
He owed her so much,
she had been there for him through thick and thin, through every up and down.
She was the one who had nursed him back to health when he was sick,
who had cheered him on when he received awards,
who had sat by his bedside when he was in the hospital, fighting for his life.
She was his rock,
his shelter,
his safe haven.
And he didn't know what he would do without her.
She was his everything,
his reason for being,
his soulmate.
She was the one who made his heart beat faster,
his smile brighter,
and his life worth living.
She was the missing piece to his puzzle,
the missing beat in his heart,
and the missing breath in his lungs.
Without her, he was nothing,
a hollow shell of a man.
With her, he was invincible, capable of conquering anything life threw his way.