Predestined Hearts

by Kelly Elliott

  Placing kisses on her hand, I stood up. “Sophia Marie Covington. You shall always remain the keeper of my heart and soul. Each night I close my eyes, I shall see your eyes. Each morning I wake, I will dream of your smile. You will forever be the love of my life. Darling, I promise you I will be happy. Please don’t worry about me. I shall count down the days until we are together again.”

  Sophia reached up and wiped my tears away before her hand fell back to the bed.

  “I walked to the dock every night when I was in Savannah and prayed for your ship to sail in. I need you to know that you will forever have my heart, Daniel Gael Stowe. My life with you was the happiest I have ever been. Remember our dreams, Danny. For every time you look out over the ocean, I shall be there. Every time the wind blows the branches of our tree … I shall be whispering your name. Our hearts were destined for each other. For eternity.”

  Pressing my lips to Sophia’s, I kissed her. Pulling slightly away, I whispered against her lips, “I love you, Sophia.”

  Smiling weakly, she whispered back, “I love you, Danny. Will you hold me?”

  Crawling into bed, I wrapped Sophia within my arms. She lifted her head up and smiled at me as she whispered, “I always knew you’d come back to me.”

  Closing her eyes, I watched as the love of my life took her last breath.

  “PLEASE, STOP READING,” I said through a new round of sobs. The gut-wrenching loss tore away at me. The heartache combined with the unconditional love was conflicting. This wasn’t how love was supposed to be. Sophia wasn’t supposed to die.

  Life. Was. Cruel.

  Gael held his hand over the page, waiting to turn it. “Are you sure you want me to stop?”

  “Yes, I need time. This was not what I expected.”

  There was an ache in my chest. With the ending I had resigned myself to when Sophia’s journal ended, I was thrown off-kilter by the truth. My world had been rocked to the core. To imagine the depths of Daniel’s loss would haunt me for days to come. But now I had the answers I had desperately sought. The only comfort I had was knowing, now, after all this time, they were together. That was some solace at least.

  Why hadn’t love won? Love was supposed to win.

  Gael closed the journal and laid it on a stool next to the small bed in the storm room. The radio continued to urge residents to take shelter. Hurricane Peggy was due to make contact within the hour. Burying my head in his chest, Gael soothed me as I processed the loss Devlin and Daniel felt.

  There was an empty feeling that loomed over the hope I felt in happily ever afters.

  “He kept his promise, Ashlin. Sophia died knowing Daniel had kept his promise to her. She died with her one true love by her side. She died with a complete heart and her one true love holding her. She was able to leave a beautiful legacy through her daughter, Annabelle.” Gael continued to stroke my back and I remained silent. The rawness churned within me.

  So many emotions ran through my body. Love had won in a cruel, wicked way. Sophia had left a little girl behind who would be motherless but know the two men who had loved her mother fiercely. Life was cruel. Life was terrible. Life was unfair. Love had always been taken from me, just like Sophia and Daniel.

  Deep down, I always felt I wasn’t deserving of being happy. I was afraid of losing what I had found with Gael—true love.

  My tears ceased as I tried to numb my thoughts. “She’d felt he was alive. Sophia had thought marrying Devlin could be a mistake. What if she’d stayed away? What if she’d waited a little longer? They might have had their happily ever after.”

  “If she hadn’t married Devlin, we wouldn’t be here, together. You or I wouldn’t exist.”

  It was hard not be thankful for all that had taken place which made me feel terrible. Through their heartache, I was getting my one true love. The world was a double-edged sword that hurt regardless of what way you chose. “I know. I know. As silly as this sounds, through these last two week’s I had invented an ending for them, for me, really. It was stupid in hindsight, but I needed closure to this for some reason. I don’t know why.”

  The storm kicked up a notch outside as it swirled around us. “Because you feel connected to Sophia and you’re afraid that something is going to take away your happiness, too, like it did hers, like it has all your life.”

  I sighed and knew what loneliness felt like—to not know where you belong and feel like your world was falling apart. “I am. I’m terrified. Somehow everyone leaves me or gets taken from me. I know I sound like a broken record.”

  “Time will lessen that worry, sweetheart, when you see I’m not going anywhere.”

  Time. That was something you could never get back. It kept moving regardless if you were ready for it to or not. There were no redos or take backs. “I know. I’m sorry I got scared this morning when you asked me to move in. I wanted to, but was afraid.”

  Using the opposite hand that held me, Gael ran his fingers through his hair. “I should have given you a warning where I wanted it to go. Allow yourself to realize that you deserve to be loved, sweetheart. That you deserve my love and so much more. Maybe bringing us together is destiny’s way of righting a wrong that was done to Daniel and Sophia.”

  Lying on Gael’s chest, I listened to the strong and steady beat of his heart. Daniel, Sophia, Colett, and Devlin’s story kept replaying in my mind. “I’d like to think so.”

  “Do you want me to start reading again?”

  With how this story was going, Romeo and Juliet had a better ending. The sadness was still too much. “No, I don’t think my heart could take it right now. I need a break from the journal reading. Honestly, this feels like a separate journey and I think we’ll know when it’s right for us to continue reading.” I yawned, exhausted.

  Gael pulled the covers up higher to cover my back. “Sleep, sweetheart. I’ll listen to the radio.”

  I closed my eyes as the events from Daniel and Sophia’s life replayed over in my head from the time she first spotted him in Oglethorpe Park, to when he had touched her in the garden, to when he had taken her to Tybee Island. Those were the stories I would remember.

  A light movement woke me. I’d slept horribly on the plastic mattress. Every time we moved, it made noises. Plus, weather alerts had gone off all night long. Exhausted was an understatement of how I felt. “Sweetheart, it’s morning and the storm has passed. We need to see if there’s any damage.”

  Gael coaxed me from my sleep. I stretched. We’d made love once and I treasured every minute of having my one true love in my arms. It was too cold to stay naked, like we normally slept, without the heat running.

  Getting out of bed, I folded all of the blankets and set them on the table. Later on, I’d come back to wash them and get them ready for the next use. As we emerged from the house, we took stock of the damage.

  Brush and debris littered the yard. The house had withstood the storm without any major damage. A few porch railings had been knocked loose, the screen door was crooked from the latch coming undone, and the Christmas wreath on the door was by the mailbox. All in all, we hadn’t been hit as hard as projected, thank goodness. Gael had called his parents, who’d also had minimal damage.

  A few dark gray storm clouds lingered while the sun tried to shine through. The seas still looked choppy and I hadn’t seen a boat all morning.

  Hanging up the phone, Gael walked over to me. “I need to go the restaurant. A friend called and several front windows were shattered. A handyman is going to meet me there to get it sealed off while we wait for the windows to come in. His son is going to come out here later and start picking up and doing the few repairs needed. I had them add your place to the list, in case anything is needed.”

  “How’d you manage to have all these people lined-up so close after the storm?” Normally, it took a few days to get the handyman out to your place. They were swamped with calls. Gael’s efficiency was impressive.

  Gael typed out something on this phone as he answered m
e. “I have a deal with the handyman. Each time a storm comes through, I give him a few hundred dollars to hold my spot. Even if no damage is done, he gets to keep the retainer. It pays off not having to wait when something does happen.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Gael winked at me as we made our way back into the house to get ready. I needed a shower. Walking up to his room, Gael changed his clothes and prepared to leave. I sat on the bed, watching. “While you’re at the restaurant, I’ll head to my place and let you know if there’s any damage. I’ll pay you whatever my part is.”

  Gael gave me a kiss. “Don’t worry about it. I need to get going. Do you know which place you want to live at, primarily? I figured we could start the move-in process in the next day or so, combining our stuff.”

  “I thought you wanted me to move out here?” I’d never thought to consider Gael would want to leave his family’s historical home.

  Gael stroked his nose along mine. “We both have homes that have been in the family for generations. I don’t care where we live as long as we’re living together.”

  I was torn. The beach and reclusiveness of Gael’s home appealed to me on more levels than living in downtown Savannah. But, my home was where I’d grown up. “I love it out here. What if we use my place for when we have late functions in town or you have to work late? It’s a lot closer. I may keep using my place as my office to get me out of the house here.”

  He smiled and gave me a quick good-bye kiss before grabbing his wallet. “I like that idea. It’ll make it easier. After you’re done looking at your place, why don’t you come to the restaurant and we’ll grab some lunch? I need to go out and check on Mom and Dad, too, at some point to make sure they really don’t need any help.”

  “Sounds like a date.”

  Gael came back to me, giving me one last kiss before he left. Making my way to the shower, I thought about what I wanted to bring out here from my place. I was going to talk to Gael about bringing the old desk to my house from the storm room. It was a shame to let such a beautiful piece stay hidden.

  It was still late midmorning. I was at my house. Besides some turned over planters, there wasn’t any damage. Through the town, broken windows were overall the most serious damage anyone had that I’d seen on the news. No deaths were reported, only some minor injuries.

  Packing up a few more of my clothes, I closed the suitcase and decided to text Amelia. We were due to go to New York next week to spend some time with her and Steven. It had been a few days since we’d talked last. Amelia’s in-laws were in town visiting and keeping her busy, but they were supposed to be leaving today. With Gael at the restaurant all afternoon, maybe we’d have some time to catch up.

  Me: Hey! Let me know if you’re up for some girl time on the phone this afternoon. Gael’s working late.

  Amelia: Yes! Let’s plan on it for four. Steven’s heading out to a game with his friends while I take his parents to the airport.

  Me: Perfect! It’s a date.

  For Christmas, Steven’s parents were going to his brother’s home in Wyoming. They rotated from year to year.

  Through my morning assessing what I thought I wanted to bring to Gael’s home, I’d decided to purchase a second set of makeup and all of the other essentials for getting ready. It’d be one less thing we’d have to manage between the two places.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw Sophia’s journal sticking out of my purse. I’d put it in there prior to going to the storm room last night. Still drawn to it, I picked it up and ran my fingers over her name. I admired her in so many ways. When Gael and I finished the journey with Daniel, I wanted to put both journals in one protective case, joining them back together. Having their innermost thoughts together felt right.

  They’d fought so hard for their love.

  It approached noon and I was about to head to the restaurant for lunch. My phone rang on my nightstand. It was Gael.

  “Hey there, I was about to head to the restaurant. I packed some more clothes to bring to our place on Tybee.”

  Gael was driving in his car. “I like the sound of our place.” He paused. “It’s been a crazy morning. Dad called. Mom’s been taken off in an ambulance. She was cleaning up some debris and slipped in the mud. They think her hip may be broken, but she’s awake and sounds okay. I also got a booking for a Christmas Party tonight at the restaurant. The party is going to be featured in a magazine since it’s for a group of food connoisseurs. The place they had booked fell through and Gael’s Place came highly recommended. They’re coming in from Atlanta and paying top dollar. I need to go check on Mom and get back to the kitchen. My new chef is coming in, but the party is too massive for him to handle alone at this point. The customer was understanding of what I’d be able to serve.”

  I thought how I could best help. “Oh, no! Let me call in some lunch for your parents and then I’ll head up to the hospital. That way someone will be there in case they need anything else. I’m excited for you about the magazine.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart. I’ll let them know.” Gael always appreciated me, never taking me for granted.

  Today was turning more hectic than I’d originally planned. “Will you be working late?”

  A blinker sounded. “Yeah, I’d imagine so. I figured we could stay at our place in town tonight. It’s going to be nice having a ten-minute drive versus forty.”

  Our place. The sound of that had me smiling from ear to ear. “It will be. You know my schedule is light until the first of the year. Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be up to the hospital in about an hour or so. Congrats! You deserve this.”

  “Thanks. Love you, Ashlin.”

  “Love you, too.”

  We hung up the phone. Next on my list, was to order some lunch for Dave and Erica. They’d be busy dealing with the doctors. So, I figured it’d be safe to order something I’d seen them eat before versus bothering them with what they liked.

  It was approaching three in the afternoon and I was still at the hospital talking with Gael’s parents. Amelia and I were due to talk in an hour for girls’ time. She’d understand if I needed to cancel.

  Luckily, Erica had only fractured her hip versus breaking it which was the best-case scenario the doctors had been hoping for. The hospital room actually had a couch in it, which would be good for Dave to rest on this evening. They were hoping to discharge Erica tomorrow, as long as all her other scans came back normal.

  Dave and Erica were beginning to doze. I stood, not wanting to overstay my welcome. “I need to head out. Gael’s got that huge party tonight. I was going to swing by his place for him to see if all the repairs from the storm were done. Do you need me to run by your house and do anything?”

  Yawning, Dave came up and gave me a hug. “No, sweetie, some of Erica’s girlfriends are bringing us dinner. You’ve been too good to us already. Thank you for lunch. Erica and I are happy for you and Gael moving in together.”

  I’d always dreamed of being part of a family with parents like this. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure he’d said anything yet with all the commotion from today. We’re excited.”

  I turned to look over at Erica who smiled while Dave gave me two quick pats on the back.

  Holding out her hand, I held it. Erica, in her white hospital gown, looked at me. “It was the first thing he told us. Thank you for loving our son like you do. You make him happy and that’s all we ever wanted for him.”

  I squeezed her hand back. “Well, he makes me very happy, too. And I do love him with all my heart.”

  “Excuse me, it’s time for Mrs. Stowe’s medicine and we need to check a few things.” The nurse in the blue scrubs, who had been periodically coming in to check on Erica, appeared at the door.

  Letting go of Erica’s hand, I gathered my purse. “I was about to head out.” The nurse gave me a nod. I glanced back at Dave and Erica. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  Dave nodded toward me. “We will.”

  Taking my leave, I left the
hospital room. The sterile smell was strong with the freshly mopped floors. The nurse’s station was all hustle and bustle. With the hurricane, the place was full with the minor injuries that had been popping up during the cleanup, like Erica.

  After getting in my car, I sent Gael a quick note.

  Me: Leaving the hospital. I think your parents are about to nap. Erica’s friends are bringing them dinner. I’ll check on them in a bit to make sure they don’t need anything. About to head out to the island house to check on the repairs.

  Gael: I’m thinking someday we’re going to make this a more permanent situation.

  I squealed in my car, then a bad case of the nerves followed on the heels of my excitement. What if I was wrong about what he implied? How do I respond? Was this the warning he’d been talking about last night? Shit!

  Me: I’m thinking that’s a good idea someday.

  Gael: Glad we’re on the same page.

  Me: Me, too.

  Talking about this through text was less daunting than in person. At least now, it was out there. Giddiness filled me as I began the forty-minute drive back out to the island.

  About halfway there, my cell phone rang. It was Steven.

  “Hey, Steven!”

  His broken voice came through the speakers. “Ashlin, Amelia’s been in an accident. She’s hurt … badly. They have her in surgery.”

  Panic seized me and I turned my car around without thinking. “What? What kind of surgery? What are they saying, Steven?”

  “They don’t know all the damage. She was hit by an SUV on the highway. Her car rolled several times. They’re trying to stop the internal bleeding. If it hadn’t have been for two guys that stopped to help her, she’d be dead.”

  A sob erupted. NO! NO! NO! How could this be happening? I needed to get to her. I needed to be there. I needed my best friend to be okay. “Steven, I’m on my way! I’m coming! I’m on the way to the airport now. What hospital?”