My breath wavered as I inhaled deeply a few times- a lame attempt at trying to keep the tears away. My eyes watered anyway.
“Lola, wait!”
Gabe called me from behind. I looked back to see he was running barefoot towards me on the wooden dock.
I kept walking, but slowed my pace, allowing him to catch up with me.
“It’s okay,” I said as soon he reached my side. “You don’t have to explain anything.”
“What do you mean?” he asked. “Did you-- did you think that me and Anni. . .” He paused to let out a nervous laugh. “Anni and I aren’t back together, Lo.”
I stopped walking, crossing my hands over my chest. The sun was a little blinding, but his perfect body glimmered through the yellow rays and I couldn’t tear my eyes away. It was enough to make any girl uneasy. My gaze traveled down the length of him, until I realized what was happening.
I snapped my head back up.
I decided to keep my attention on his face only.
“Yes, but you’ve clearly made up with her. That’s a step forward. And it’s a good thing- because I want you both to be happy.” My voice broke a little at the end and I looked away.
Gabe forced me to face him, tilting my chin in his direction. He kept his sparkling gray eyes locked upon me, his mouth curving at the corners. It was almost a smile, but not quite.
“You still love me, admit it.”
I stubbornly squared my shoulders and narrowed my eyes. “I’ve moved on and so should you,” I blatantly lied.
“I want to hear you admit it, Lo.”
“Go back to Annika, Gabe. You belong with her. . .you deserve someone like her.”
I tried to walk away again, but Gabe grabbed my arm and pulled me to him, until I was so close that his scent alone intoxicated my senses.
“Annika came by my boat today to tell me that she no longer harbors any resentment over the broken engagement. She was only trying to make nice.”
I looked him in the eyes. He was telling the truth. “So why did you come here?” he asked me.
I shrugged, forgetting my reasons for coming. I felt like an idiot. “I just wanted to thank you for going to Redwood Forest to help me.”
His gray eyes hardened. He seemed disappointed with my answer. “Don’t mention it.”
Though it seemed like we were done with this conversation, he didn’t let go of my arm.
As difficult as it was to admit, I told Gabe, “You look right together, you know. Even if that’s not what Annika came here for, I know she’d take you back in an instant.”
Gabe sighed, a heavy sound. He moved even closer to me, which I hadn’t thought was possible. Startlingly, he pulled me completely up against him so I could feel his every rippling muscle through my clothes and along my own body.
He gathered my long hair into his hands, leaning over me and breathing in my scent. He took my face between his hands and stared intently into my eyes.
“I only want you,” he breathed. “I deserve you, Lo. And you deserve me, too.”
Deserve him?
I sighed, and my anxiety seemed to dissipate after hearing his declaration. I wondered if he was right. Could it even be possible for me to deserve Gabe?
I only knew I no longer had a choice in the matter.
“Say it, Lo,” he practically growled, his agitation increasing.
“All right. All right,” I allowed, finally giving in. “It’s true, I love you.”
He grinned. His instant happiness caused my heart to skip a beat. I knew I wanted to look at that happy grin for the rest of my life, and all of my lives. I wanted to be the one to put it there again and again.
“Good,” he told me. “Because I happen to love you, too. I have since you first came to my rescue during that night of the storm, several lifetimes ago. My feelings haven’t weakened since then; they’ve only increased with time. I’ve loved you in every life, whether we were together or not. And on the day you came storming up here, complaining about those damn cans I planted, I knew my feelings would never change. Even then, I knew there was no use trying to make a new life for myself. Any life without you is meaningless.”
His words were so lovely, so perfect. . .
Confusion spread across my features as it dawned on me exactly what he said. “You planted those cans along the beach?”
He winced as he realized his slip-up. “Let’s not ruin a perfect moment--”
“Do you know how long it took me to clean those up?” I yelled.
“How else was I supposed to get you to come to me? I wanted to see you again. And you didn’t even recognize me at the time!”
“But you were rude!” I argued.
He grimaced. “Yeah, I was having an internal battle with myself. Sorry about that.”
I angled my face upwards, holding a hand over my eyes to block the sunlight so I could get a better view of his expression. “What kind of internal battle?”
Gabe shrugged. “You know, it was the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other shoulder sort of situation.”
Despite my anger, I smiled at his analogy.
“On one hand, I wanted you,” he continued. “And on the other, I was mad at myself for compromising your memories.”
“Which side did you end up choosing: the devil or the angel?”
“Well. . .I ended up choosing the devil. But it turns out the devil isn’t so bad, after all. He’s got kind of an angelic streak to him.”
I laughed now. My earlier anger faded completely. I finally understood why he’d been so abominably rude to me on the day I met him. I’d thought of Gabe as a conceited snob. But I guess I had been very, very wrong. So much for any magical gypsy instincts I may or may not have possessed.
~ ~
Later that day, Gabe decided to take his boat out for a short test drive. He asked me to come along, and I happily agreed.
Stepping aboard, I glanced at the name Sea Lily etched along the side panel. It dawned on me that Gabe had named his boat for me. I smiled at the thought.
“It looks nice,” I noted while looking around. “Though it could use some new paint on the outside. Maybe a bright turquoise. Or a canary yellow.”
He started up the engine and asked me, “Do you want to help me paint it?”
I sat down on the nearest seat to him and grinned. “I could possibly see that happening in your future.”
“Oh, so you do have a crystal ball.”
“Nope,” I told him, shaking my head. “And not a stitch of good instincts, either. So you better just hope for the best.”
He chuckled as he pulled out of the marina. He drove slowly, until we reached the point where the speed limit increased. “Hang on,” he said, before pushing the lever to full speed. I jerked backwards, but caught myself on the back of my chair.
The little boat’s acceleration was quick. We were practically flying along the water. The boat crashed up and down as the ocean spray misted over us. The wind caused my hair to fly everywhere, but I didn’t care. I loved it. I was beginning to understand why Gabe didn’t feel the constant need to be on the move- because he already was. Boating, surfing and simply living next to the ocean in general was enough for him. It freed his spirit, like it was freeing mine now.
After a long ride through the gulf at full speed, Gabe finally slowed the boat down and we headed back to the marina just as the sun was setting. We simply sat there for a long while, staring out into the water. Gabe moved to sit next to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I smiled because it felt so normal, like I was used to him touching me.
“Are you worried?” he asked me.
“A little,” I admitted. “But I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, right?”
“We’ll be prepared this time, I promise.” I could see it in his eyes that he meant what he said. “Besides,” he added. “It could take years for you to remember the oracle details.”
“Really?” I asked. For some reason, I had expected
the memories to come back much sooner. I could remember Gabe in vivid detail. I decided to ask him about it. “So do you know why my memories of you came back to me so quickly?”
He grinned. “I thought that was obvious. It’s because you love me.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. I had obviously drawn my earlier conclusion together too soon. It turned out Gabe was a little conceited.
“Try not to reflect on it, if you can help it,” he suggested a few moments later in a more serious tone. “You need to distance your mind from your memories.”
I snorted and raised a brow to let him know what I thought of his advice. “And just how am I supposed to do that?”
“Well, I suppose I could help with that.”
“How could you possibly help?”
“I’m planning to do my best to keep your mind occupied.”
Taking me by surprise, Gabe moved closer and lightly touched his lips to mine. Then, he gathered me in his arms as he kissed me deeply.
Afterwards, I was left warm and shaken.
But sure enough, he was right, because I couldn’t even begin to think straight. In my opinion, it was a good plan.
EPILOGUE
Three years later…
I couldn’t breathe.
It was the first thing I became aware of after waking up from my nightmare.
I struggled to find my breath, and tore the bed sheets off of me in a frenzied panic. I couldn’t see anything through the inky darkness. I tried to focus my vision, desperately searching for something familiar, because I couldn’t remember where I was. More importantly, I couldn’t remember what year I was in.
I held my hands to my throat, as if doing so would somehow will the air to go back into my lungs.
Someone suddenly slapped my back and I swayed forward.
“Breathe, Lo!”
The impact opened my airways, causing a rush of air to plunge inside my lungs. I gasped several times.
“That’s it, baby. Keep breathing.”
Gabe’s voice calmed my chaotic senses, as it always had. I sputtered and coughed a few times, but eventually my breathing slowed to a normal pace. Hearing Gabe’s soothing voice and feeling his warm hand patting my back steadily brought me back to the present. Through the blackness of the night, I glimpsed my glittering engagement ring I wore on my left hand. The sight of it verified my present surroundings.
I stood up, running my hands through my hair. A new anxiety took over as I began to remember the dream I’d just been in. I opened the door to the balcony, letting the gentle sea breeze sweep over my clammy skin. I stared out into the sea drearily. We’d just moved to Miami only three days ago. There were still unpacked boxes scattered throughout our condo. Gabe was supposed to start his new position tomorrow in the Homicide Bureau at the Miami-Dade Police Department. And I was supposed to begin my first semester of college later this month.
This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not when our lives were so sweetly perfect.
“Lola, what is it?” Gabe asked. His voice was concerned, yet he still sounded sleepy. He was going to hate to hear this. But he had to know. I had no other choice but to tell him.
“I remembered.”
Almost instantly, he woke up. I watched as his dark gray eyes turned hard and apprehensive.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded dimly. I couldn’t even bear looking at him. The fear of losing him was already setting in. My eyes watered at the thought. I turned away, facing the ocean again. I listened to the splashes of the oncoming waves, trying to regain my composure.
“Hey, don’t worry,” he said as he moved closer to me. He wrapped his heavy arms around my waist. “Everything is going to be okay this time. We have a plan, remember? I have a bag packed. We can be ready to go in ten minutes, tops.”
I sighed miserably. “I was really looking forward to college. This nursing program is one of the best in the country.”
“Don’t count that out yet.” He was trying to sound positive, even though I could see he was scared as hell, just like I was. “You’ll eventually get there. This might cause a slight delay, but you’ll get there.”
I smiled, but tears fell down my cheek anyway. “Gabe, it’s not what you think.”
“What do you mean?”
“The oracle, it’s not a crystal like everyone assumes.”
I could see confusion spreading over his features, even in the darkness.
“What are you saying?” he asked me. He tilted my chin upwards, so I would face him. “If it’s not a crystal, than what is it?”
I swallowed, choosing my next words very carefully.
“It’s a person. The oracle is a. . .girl.”
The End
Foretell
If you could provide anyone with the path to their deepest, darkest desires, would you?
Estelle Spencer has no choice.
With just a simple touch of her hand, wishes and dreams are instantly fulfilled. Her voice speaks of its own accord, lighting the way to good fortune.
But not everyone’s fortunes are desirable.
For most of her life Estelle hides in fear, living as a recluse in her sister’s shadow. Until the day comes when her existence is remembered.
Forced into running, Estelle meets Rex, a Romanian gypsy, and the only person who can help her hide. Together they search for a way to end the curse that controls Estelle’s life.
Before she destroys the world.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Epilogue
Wanderlove Page 29