Tonight and Forever Magical Romances Boxed Set

by D'Alessandro, Jacquie

  “Wh… what happened?” she asked.

  “An accident.”

  Concern filled her eyes and she scanned his face. “An accident? Are you okay?”

  A half laugh, half sob escaped him. Okay? Not even close. But he was a hell of a lot better than he’d been half a minute ago. “I’m fine.”

  Car doors slammed and orders were called out. Liam looked up and saw Andy West, the paramedic who’d come on shift as Liam’s had ended, running toward them with his medical gear, wheeling a stretcher beside him. A second ambulance pulled up. Paramedic Linda Dawson exited the vehicle and headed swiftly toward the SUV.

  When Andy knelt next to Liam, his eyes widened. “Jesus, it’s Emma,” Andy said, opening his bag. “What’ve we got?”

  “SUV hit her.” Emma bouncing off the windshield then hitting the pavement replayed in Liam’s mind and a shudder ran through him. “She was unresponsive. No pulse or respiration. I stabilized her neck and began compressions. She came around about a minute ago.”

  “Unresponsive?” Emma murmured. “I was unconscious?”

  You were dead. “Yes,” said Liam.

  “Okay. Let me take a look.” Andy focused his attention on Emma. Liam held her hand, watching Andy check her vital signs and examined her. “Everything looks good,” he reported. Blood pressure and all vitals are stable. She’s alert, no signs of concussion. No bones appear broken.” He shot Liam a quizzical look. “You sure she was hit?”

  “Positive. I saw it happen.”

  “Must have just grazed her. Lucky. Let’s get her on the stretcher so we can get her to the hospital.”

  Grazed her? Liam looked at the SUV. Saw the windshield that had shattered from the impact of Emma’s body smashing against it. As he swung his gaze back toward Emma, he noticed her glasses in the street, a good fifteen feet away. Grazed her? Like hell. He was about to correct Andy when he saw that same weird shimmering he’d noticed right before Emma came around. He narrowed his eyes at the odd phenomenon taking place near one of the soaring pine trees that separated the library’s property from the adjacent historic town hall. The sight suddenly vanished and Liam stilled. A man now stood beneath the tree where the shimmering air had been. A man who had not been there a second ago. A man who’s attention appeared riveted on Emma.

  “What the hell?” Liam muttered.

  “On my count, Liam.” Andy’s voice recalled Liam’s attention and together they transferred Emma to the stretcher.

  “I hate hospitals,” Emma said, clinging to Liam’s hand.

  “The one here in London is really nice,” Liam assured her as they wheeled her toward the ambulance. “Lots of excellent doctors and nurses to take care of you and lots of big x-ray machines to make sure nothing’s broken. Plus, forget everything you ever heard about hospital food. The cafeteria there serves the best fried chicken on the planet.”

  After the stretcher was secured in the ambulance, Liam ran to grab her glasses then climbed in the back. Gripping Emma’s hand, he settled himself beside her then looked out the vehicle’s open double doors. The man still stood beneath the tree. Liam studied him for several seconds. He was certain he’d never seen him before. But given that less than ten minutes ago he’d been certain Emma was dead, he wasn’t about to swear to anything.

  Just then the air behind the man began to shimmer. Liam frowned and leaned forward. What in God’s name was going on? The air ceased moving and once again in its place stood a person, this time a dark haired woman. “Jesus, I need to get my eyes checked.” Before he could see anything else, Andy slammed the doors.

  “Your eyes?”

  Emma’s voice jerked Liam’s attention back to her. She was looking up at him with a worried expression. The fact that she was even looking at him at all defied logic. And made him believe completely, one hundred percent in miracles.

  “My eyes are fine,” he said, clasping her hand tighter as the ambulance started forward, its siren cutting the air.

  He just prayed that the results of whatever tests, x-rays and scans the doctors ran on Emma would prove she was fine.

  ~~~

  I watched the ambulance drive away. After it turned the corner I drew in a long, slow breath. Miss Heely was alive. I hadn’t been too late. My Crisis Clause had worked.

  I’d saved her.

  I closed my eyes and allowed the wonder of that to wash over me. The sensation that infused me when she’d pulled in that gasping breath was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. For the first time in my existence I felt… useful. And… worthwhile. Completely foreign feelings, I assure you. I didn’t quite know what to make of them.

  On the heels of that came a bombardment of questions. What would happen to me now? Whatever fate awaited me, I only knew it didn’t include Heaven. I’d forfeited that option when I chose to save my human. Would I go back to Pre-Pearly Gate? Or be sent directly to Hell? A shudder of dread ran through me at the thought. I suppose I should have asked about my eternal destination before I left Pre-Pearly Gate, but in truth it wouldn’t have mattered. Even if I’d known my actions would condemn me to eternity in Hell, I still would have saved her.

  So I suppose now all I could do was wait. Until my fate found me.

  “You saved her.”

  That voice… her voice came from directly behind me. I whipped around and there she stood. Director Foscari. Still the bane of my existence. Dressed in her severe black suit, hair pulled ruthlessly back, clutching her electronic tablet. An odd heat suffused me, one I instantly put down to irritation.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  Instead of answering me, she repeated, “You saved her.”

  “Yes. Which explains my presence. Why are you here?” Yet even as I asked the question, I realized the answer. “Ah. I understand. You’re here to tell me where I’m off to now. So, are you escorting me back to Pre-Pearly Gate? Or am I to be zapped straight down into the fiery jaws of Hell?”

  “Where you go next depends entirely on you, Lord Ryland.”

  A bitter sound escaped me. “You make it sound as if I have a choice.”

  “You do.”

  “You know bloody well that I don’t. I know the consequences of what I’ve done. I accept them. So stop playing games with me and just tell me my fate.”

  “There is no game, Lord Ryland. The way you choose to live your life from this day forward will determine where you spend eternity. And if your actions warrant it, you will be granted entrance into Heaven.”

  Anger assailed me. “Why do you persist in spouting these falsehoods? You know damn well I gave up all claims to Heaven in exchange for Miss Heely’s life. As you said, I saved her, therefore… ” my voice trailed off as horror dawned. “Bloody hell. Are you telling me I didn’t save her?” I reached out and grabbed Director Foscari’s arms. “Is Miss Heely going to die?”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Liam paced the length of the hospital waiting room. How much longer? A quick glance at the clock revealed he hadn’t been here very long, but it felt as if he’d been trapped in this room for decades. Letting go of Emma’s hand, allowing the medical staff to wheel her away from him had been the hardest thing he’d ever done. Harder even than administering CPR to her lifeless body. Releasing her hand, losing that physical connection struck abject terror in his heart. If he wasn’t touching her, the miracle of her living, breathing, looking at him, talking to him might disappear. Because that’s what it was-- some sort of incredible, impossible miracle.

  He paused by the window and raked his hands through his hair. Once again the accident played through his mind, like a slow motion horror movie. And once again he couldn’t explain what the hell had happened. He pressed his palms against his forehead and groaned. If he lived to be one hundred he’d never erase the memory of that SUV ramming into her. The sound of her hitting first the windshield then the pavement. The sight of her lying in the street. Broken. Bleeding. Her head bent at that unnatural angle--

  “Liam.”<
br />
  He turned at the sound of Dr. Durham’s deep, southern accented voice. Liam had met the Emergency Room doctor several times during firehouse calls and liked his calm, decisive manner. Liam hurried across the room, his stomach knotting as he noted the doctor’s grave expression.

  “How’s Emma?” he asked.

  “She’s fine. Every test came back normal.”

  Relief walloped Liam so hard his knees nearly gave way. “No internal bleeding?”

  “None.”

  “Concussion? Broken bones? Fractures?”

  “Nothing. She’s perfectly fine.”

  The dread crushing Liam’s chest eased and he drew his first easy breath in what felt like decades. “That’s great news, doc.”

  “Yes.” Dr. Durham shot Liam a look he couldn’t decipher. “Great and frankly very surprising. She told me she was standing on the sideway and was hit by an SUV that jumped the curb. Obviously the vehicle barely grazed her because except for a few minor scrapes, Miss Heely didn’t sustain any injuries. She’s an extremely fortunate young woman.”

  The image of Emma bouncing off the windshield flickered in Liam’s mind. “Grazed her… yeah.”

  “She said you just got engaged. Congratulations. I’ve authorized her release. She’s in room three.”

  “Thank you,” Liam said. After shaking the doctor’s hand and promising to see to it that Emma rested, he hurried down the hall. When he opened the door to room three he found Emma standing by the foot of the bed. Emma, looking perfectly healthy. The instant she saw him she smiled and ran toward him. Liam caught her in his arms and held her tight for several seconds, savoring the feel of her, absorbing her warmth and scent. Keeping her anchored against him, he leaned back and scanned her face, searching for any signs of injury. And finding none.

  “I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my whole life,” he said.

  “Me, too. Although I can’t see you all that well without my glasses.”

  “I found them.” He pulled them from his pocket and slipped the black frames on her. “Can you see me now?” he teased.

  “Perfectly. Good thing I invested in shatterproof lenses.” She smiled. “Glad to see you, too.”

  “Doc says you’re totally okay and cleared to leave.”

  “Yes.” She pressed her lips together then frowned. “Liam… I need to ask you something.”

  Based on the confusion clouding her eyes, he had a pretty good idea what was coming. “Sure. Ask away.”

  “I know the doctor said I’m all right, that all the tests came back normal. And I absolutely feel fine. Prefect, in fact. Not so much as a single ache or pain. For which I’m eternally grateful. But I just don’t understand it. I saw that SUV bearing down on me. I actually felt it hit me. Then the next thing I know, I’m in your arms and I’m perfectly okay.” Her troubled gaze searched his. “Am I imagining that I was struck?”

  “No. I saw it, Emma. It happened just like you said. I can’t explain it, either. I thought you were… ” he couldn’t bring himself to say the word dead. “I thought for sure you were badly injured. But you’re not. So let’s just accept that for the inexplicable gift that it is and give thanks for the miracle.”

  “I do. But it’s just so… weird.”

  “Yeah. Like the shimmering air.”

  A frown creased her brow. “Shimmering air? What do you mean?”

  He drew a deep breath. As much as he didn’t want to relive the horror, he had to tell her. With his gaze steady on hers he told her exactly what happened. How she was unresponsive. His unsuccessful attempts to revive her. Then the shimmering air. “I don’t know how else to describe it other than to say it moved. Like in waves. I could see it. Then just like that-- ” he snapped his fingers, “you breathed. You were alive. Alive and uninjured.”

  Emma regarded him through wide eyes. “Okay, I think I’m officially freaked out.”

  “Me, too. But there’s more.” He quickly told her about the how he saw the shimmering air two more times and the man and woman that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. “What do you think about that?”

  “I think: one-- we’re extremely blessed. Two-- that we should just accept the blessing without questioning it any further. And three-- that we should keep all this to ourselves because anyone else would think we’re insane.”

  “Couldn’t agree more. It’s our secret.” He pulled in an unsteady breath then framed her face between his hands. “Emma, I’ve never been so frightened in my entire life. And I thought I was scared when you’d cried happy tears in the pick-up.” A humorless sound escaped him. “Clearly I need to remind you that you’d promised not to scare me again.”

  “Believe me, I didn’t mean to.”

  Liam rested his forehead against hers. “If something had happened to you… ” A shudder racked his body and for about the hundredth time in the last few hours his damn knees felt weak.

  “I’m fine.” She leaned back and studied his face. “But I’m not so sure about you. You look a little pale.”

  “As long as you’re okay, I’m okay.”

  “Do you know what happened to the driver of the SUV?”

  “Yeah, I called to check. Broken leg and collarbone, but otherwise okay. He’s seventeen. And according to Linda Dawson, the paramedic who treated him at the scene, the kid was really upset. Kept asking about you.”

  “I’m glad he’ll be all right.”

  “Me, too. Now what do you say we get out of here? The doctor gave me strict orders to make sure you rest and I intend to follow them. As soon as I get you home, you’re going to bed. I need you at full-strength for our ring-shopping date tonight.”

  She smiled into his eyes. “I feel great. Besides, I don’t think ring shopping is very strenuous.”

  “Humor me.”

  “I’ll take a nap if you take it with me.”

  “Deal.” He clasped her hand and raised it to his lips. “I love you.”

  “I love you right back. Let’s go take that nap then nostrae exordium vitam pariter.”

  “If that means us staying this close,” he drew her tighter against him, “then I vote yes.”

  “It means ‘begin our life together.’”

  “Perfect.” He brushed his lips over hers then took her hand. Together they walked out of the hospital and into the sunshine.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Director Foscari went perfectly still under my hands. And that’s when I noticed the odd heat emanating from her. It warmed my palms even through the layers of her clothing. I’d felt such warmth before, but not in a very long time. Not since I’d been alive. Unsettled, I released her and stepped back. As she remained silent, I repeated my question. “Is Miss Heely going to die?”

  “Someday-- as all humans do. But not for many, many decades.”

  I pulled in a relieved breath. “Excellent.” Then I narrowed my eyes. “Since that is the case, I demand you explain what meant when you said that if my actions warrant it, I’ll be granted entrance into Heaven. How is that possible?”

  She pursed her lips. Clearly she was considering how best to answer. “It’s a simple enough question, Director Foscari,” I said in a voice that dripped ice.

  “Yes. However the answer is… complicated.”

  “Believe it or not, I possess a modicum of intelligence. Why don’t you just tell me and I’ll do my utmost to follow your explanation.”

  Annoyance flashed in her eyes and I awarded myself a mental high five. I quite enjoyed getting under her skin. Small and petty of me, I know, but there you have it.

  She drew what was clearly a bracing breath then said, “I arranged for you to have the chance to enter Heaven.”

  I don’t know what I’d expected her to say, but it certainly wasn’t that. “You arranged it?”

  “Yes.”

  “How?”

  “After you invoked your Crisis Clause, I met with a Council member and requested you be given the chance. He agreed to my request.”

  I
may have been more flabbergasted at some point in my existence, but I’d be hard pressed to recall such a time. I couldn’t decide what shocked me more-- the fact that she’d sought out the Council to ask for a favor on my behalf, or the fact that that favor had been granted.

  In spite of my assertion that I could follow her explanation, I must admit I was having a difficult time doing so. It required a good ten seconds for me to locate my voice.

  “You interceded with a Council member on my behalf,” I murmured, shaking my head. “Why would you do that?”

  “You’d clearly undergone an epiphany regarding True Love, one that led to your selfless decision to give up what you wanted most. You’d successfully completed your task. There was nothing standing between you and Heaven-- except your desire to save Miss Heely. I told the Council member it was my opinion that such noble behavior should be rewarded.”

  “And he agreed? Just like that?”

  She hesitated then nodded. “He agreed.”

  The reality of what she’d done for me, the chance she’d arranged for me, the utter hugeness of it hit me like a brick to the head and rendered me speechless. I felt humbled and grateful and humiliatingly close to tears. “I… I don’t know what to say other than thank you, although that seems wholly inadequate. But I do thank you. From the bottom of my heart.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  For the space of a single heartbeat I saw something in her eyes, something that reminded me of that warm, melty, admiring way Miss Heely looked at Mr. Gallagher. But in the next instant it vanished, leaving me to wonder if I’d imagined it.

  “Of course, you realize that you have not been given a guarantee,” she said, once again regarding me with that stare-right-through-me expression that never failed to set my teeth on edge. “You must earn your way into Heaven, just like everyone else.”

  “I understand.” A thought suddenly struck me and I frowned. “Surely the Council’s generosity came with conditions. Terms.”

  Her shoulders moved in an infinitesimal shrug. “You needn’t concern yourself with that.”