My Arranged Marriage to Alex Gaskarth

Alex woke up from his doze and sat up on the couch letting out a tired yawn. He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his tousled hair; he sighed and leaned back while closing his eyes.

*Vroom* * Vroom* *Vroom*

Alex reached for his phone and saw a notification which made his eyes widen when he saw 7 miscalls from Eden and another random number over an hour ago, he saw that he had 3 voicemails. Picking up his phone he listened to the first voicemail.

Voicemail One:
“Alex…I’m-” Eden started to say and Alex heard something fall somewhere near her, in the voicemail Eden gasped,
“DAD!!!!” she yelled and the sound of her phone dropping then nothing was heard.

Alex stared at his phone and quickly punched the button to listen to the second voicemail;

Voicemail Two:
“Alex-” Eden’s voice broke and Alex heard her take a shuddering breath,
“Please, please answer the phone I-I n-need-” Her voice sounded so vulnerable it made his heart break and then he heard sirens and his eyes widen in understanding.
“I-I got to go…please Alex papa is-” She sobbed in the voicemail and she hung up.

Alex grabbed his keys and rushed to his car, he quickly put on his phone on speaker;

Voicemail Three:
“Alex this is Mina where the heck are you!?!? Your wife needs you Alex! We are at Saint Agnes hospital, Alex hurry, Eden…things don’t look good Lex” Mina’s voice caught and she hung up abruptly.

Alex pulled into a parking and ran into the hospital, he glanced around and immediately found Eden in a man’s arms…Pierre.
Alex felt fire in his belly at the sight, Mina saw him and sighed in relief and motioned him forward, Eden turned red eyes his way and her eyes watered once again and her bottom lip trembled. Alex tugged Eden away from Pierre’s grasp and engulfed his wife in a tight hug while she sobbed into his shirt; he soothingly ran his fingers through her red hair and whispered that everything would be okay.

“Eden, how is he?” Alex whispered running his hands up and down her arms, she sighed and looked down.
“I don’t know, momma went with him when the ambulance came a-and I-I haven’t seen him or her since…” she slightly stuttered and the look in her eyes were utterly vulnerable, Alex sighed and led her to one of the chairs a bit further from Pierre, who was looking at Mina, but she was looking at them. Alex felt his eyebrow rise at the way Pierre looked at Mina, he looked…infatuated.

“Eden Gaskarth” A woman in a nurse’s outfit called and Eden jumped to her feet at once, she stopped and grabbed Alex’s hand and pulled him up too, which surprised him and must’ve shown on his face.
As Eden saw the look on Alex’s face, she immediately she let go of his hand, he doesn’t feel that way about meshe thought sadly.

“Mrs Gaskarth, I’m Doctor Jennings” A man came behind the nurse,
“Your father is currently stable but I will admit that it does not look good” The doctor said, sympathy beaming from his grey eyes. Eden felt her knees go weak and she swallowed convulsively trying not to break down.
“How long?” She said her voice above a whisper; her body was trembling, the doctor laid a hand upon her shoulder and looked at her sadly.
“Not long…maybe a week” The doctor said and looked away,
“He refuses treatment he said he wants to spend his last days at home with his loved one. Mrs Gaskarth…I am sorry, I’ve been treating your father for a long time and he is a remarkable man, we tried everything…but his body cant-” He said and Eden choked and felt her legs turn into jelly, Alex caught her immediately and wrapped his arm around her waist, his brown eyes were glazed with his own unshed tears.
The doctor cleared his throat as though he too felt like crying, “Because of your father’s request, we can come home tomorrow afternoon…” The doctor said and gave a sympathetic look to both Eden and Alex

4 Days later… Lauren Larose (Eden’s mother) P.O.V

Lauren Larose sat the edge of the bed and looked at her sleeping husband; the love of her life. Her heart squeezed tight as she gently smoothed back his dark hair that was sprinkled with white by age.
She still remembered everything about the day they met in high school, then the way he asked her out and the day he proposed, those were the happiest days of her life and later when a little bundle of joy was placed in her arms.

Josh Larose had always felt bad that he could never give her all the fancy things in the world but he had given her the two most wonderful things that ever truly mattered in her life; he gave her his love and he gave her a daughter…Eden their little ray of sunshine. Lauren let out a shaky breath and looked at her husband, though pale and rugged by sickness he still managed to take her breath away, just like the first time they met…And now she was losing him.

Lauren let out a choking sound and felt tears run down her face, she stood up to leave but felt a hand grab her wrist. By the sparks that shot through her skin she knew it was her husband, he still managed to make her heart beat 100 miles a minute after 30 years of marriage.

“Laurie…” He whispered and she refused to look at him as she tried to keep her tears at bay.
“Laurie look at me my love” He said gently and tugged her weakly so she sat down on the bed again, Lauren sat down gently and he tipped her chin up. Lauren had trouble not to cry, Josh leaned in gently and kissed her softly on her lips. She fell into him sobbing and he wrapped his arms around her while burying his face in the crook of her neck.

“I love you Josh, you can’t leave me, please!” She cried into his chest and Josh kissed her, his eyes looked tortured.
“My love, I would never leave you, if I had a choice I would stay with you for an eternity” He said and tears slipped out of his brown eyes.
Lauren clung to him,
“I can’t lose you, I can’t!” She moaned in agony, Josh grabbed her by the shoulders and leaned his forehead against hers looking at his wife, he smiled at her.
“You could never lose me, even if I leave this world I will always be in here” He said placing his hand against her chest where her heart is.
“Lauren…” He whispered looking into her eyes; she looked back at him expectantly.
“Thank you for loving me, thank you for being my wife, thank you for giving me the perfect daughter, it has been an honour to call you my wife, my lover, my everything” He said and touched her cheek lovingly, she broke down in his arms and he pulled her into him, clinging to each other.
“I love you…” Lauren whispered,
“And I you…I always have” Josh replied loving the feeling of his wife next to him.

Next Morning

Lauren woke up, still in her husband’s embrace, she kissed him,
“Josh…?” Her voice broke,