Hourglass

“It’s all part of your story, Em. And I want to be a part of your story, too.”

I felt it then, the stirring of hope.

“It’s okay to be afraid, but you don’t have to give in. You have what it takes to fight it.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yes.” He pointed at my heart. “It’s right here. And right here,” he continued, touching my temple. “And you have backup when you need it.”

He was right.

I had the determination to conquer my fears.

I had the Hourglass, everyone connected to it—Kaleb, Liam, Nate, Dune—people who understood my life and my abilities. I had Lily, who had stuck by me through everything … I had friends.

I had Thomas and Dru, a niece or nephew on the way … I had family.

I had Michael, who wanted to be part of my story … I had love.

It didn’t matter what Landers had done in the past, and in that moment it didn’t matter what he could do in the future. It didn’t matter who I had been or what I would become.

I had everything I needed.

Chapter 56

We sat together in a wrought-iron chair on the patio, wrapped in each other’s arms, watching the sun set behind the redbrick buildings of the town square. The clock in the tower chimed eight times, echoing through the chill in the early autumn air. The sound equaled comfort.

“Before I forget, I wanted to give you this.” He leaned back to pull something out of his jeans pocket. “Hold out your hand, please. Oh, and close your eyes.”

I obeyed. He slid Grace’s ring off my finger, only to replace it with another. This one felt heavier and had a slightly wider band.

“Open.”

I opened my eyes to a shiny duronium ring with a row of interconnected, hand-carved infinity symbols encircling the band.

“Michael, it’s beautiful. I love it.” I placed my hands on his cheeks and the replica gas lamps flickered above us. I whispered my next words—savoring the first time I said them out loud. “And I love you.”

“Remember the night we sat here, and I fed you all the clues the future Em had given me to convince you I was legit? The bluegrass, the belly ring—”

“The designated hitter?”

“Yes.” He grinned.

“Hmph.”

“What else did I tell you?”

“That you had a teddy bear named Rupert.”

He rolled his eyes. “About you, and the first time I saw you.”

Answering made me feel shy, but I did it anyway.

“That I said I would take your breath away the first time you saw me.” I was still holding his face, and he reached up to put his hands over mine.

“You did it then. And you just did it again.”

His kiss was sweet, soft, and easy at first. I felt urgency stir just under the surface, but I refused to let the desire to hurry things interfere in the moment. I wanted to savor every single one.

We had all the time in the world.

My brother’s voice floated down from the open window. “Emerson!”

Well, as soon as my grounding was over, we had all the time in the world.

“Be right up!”

I stole one more kiss before walking Michael to his car. After I watched him drive away, I approached the steps that led up to the front door, my fingertips on my mouth, lost in my thoughts of him.

I looked up just in time to avoid running into the hoopskirted Scarlett O’Hara wannabe with the silk parasol.

I guess I could have gone through her.

But this time I went around.