Double Life
Page 19
“You did great.” He picked her up and Emma clung to him.
“How did you know I was here?”
“When I couldn’t find you at home I got scared. I went looking for Wesley. His boat was missing, and I had a strong feeling that this was where he’d brought you.”
“You had a premonition,” Emma said.
“I just knew you were in danger,” he said. “And I had to find you because I can’t live the rest of my life without you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
A little while later they were in a boat headed back to the mainland. Emma lay on the floor as she watched Ash steer them back to safety. Every once in a while he would glance down at her and their gazes would connect in the dark.
She still couldn’t believe everything that had happened. His grandmother was dead. Wesley was dead. And now Ash was in control of the Corbett fortune.
But it wasn’t until much later in the hospital that she was able to talk to him coherently about their future. Her leg was set and she was floating comfortably on a haze of pain medication.
He sat on the edge of her bed, holding her hand. He hadn’t left her side since he’d taken her away from the island.
“You have a lot of responsibilities facing you now,” she said. “I want you to know that I understand if you…if things change between us.”
He squeezed her hand. “I never wanted those responsibilities. I never wanted any of this.”
“But you can’t just walk away. Too many people are counting on you.”
“I realize that. And I’ll do what needs to be done. But no matter what happens, I want you with me, Emma. I can’t get through this without you.”
She lifted a hand to caress his face. “I still can’t believe you’re here, that we’re together. What if I wake up and find I’ve just been dreaming?”
He bent and kissed her. “The next time you wake up, I’ll be right beside you. I’m never leaving you again because I love you too much. I don’t know how I lived all those years without you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered. “Always have. Always will.”
After a while, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She dreamed of Ash and the future they would have together. She dreamed of a fall wedding and the birth of a beautiful baby girl. She dreamed of Christmases and birthdays and a golden anniversary with their children and grandchildren gathered around them.
And when she finally awakened, Ash was right there beside her.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-2248-9
DOUBLE LIFE
Copyright © 2006 by Marilyn Medlock Amann
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* Quantum Men
Table of Contents
About the Author
Books by Amanda Stevens
Cast of Characters
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Copyright