Rite of Redemption (Acceptance Book 3)

by Sarah Negovetich

  I turn to face him so I can watch his expression. “Will you hate me if I say I don’t want to go there either? I mean, we probably need to go for a little bit just to help clean up the mess we made. Plus, we can stay for Constance and Thomas when they have their baby. I know Danforth promised you as many gadgets and toys as you need.”

  “But…”

  “I don’t know. I just never wanted to be the person in charge. In all of this, I never asked to be a leader or the person people looked to for answers. I just wanted to live.”

  “Everyone is calling you a hero.”

  “I don’t want to be a hero.”

  “So what do you want to be?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I think I want to find out in Allmore.”

  Daniel smiles a half grin at me. “Really? You’re ready to give up steaming hot showers, paved streets, and don’t forget about bacon.”

  I push his arm, but Daniel only holds me tighter.

  “When Constance and Thomas were talking, I realized that they’re right. Allmore is the only place I’ve ever felt like I really belonged. We were happy there, right?”

  “I can be happy anywhere with you. And Danforth can still build me a lab in Allmore. And it’s not like the villages are going anywhere. In fact, you might find that some of the people here in the cities are ready for a change.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “Who knows? You knocked out a century old regime and dismantled the government entity controlling everyone’s lives. Anything could happen now.”

  “Well, when you say it that way.”

  Daniel stands up and reaches out a hand to help me up. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Right now, we’re going to find something to eat. After that? Anywhere we want.”

  I stand up and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him down into a kiss that is hours overdue. Daniel pulls me as close as our thick coats allow. I shut off my mind and let go of all the worries about what comes next and who I’m supposed to become. I tune out all the doubts and worries to focus on the warm lips pressed to mine and the amazing man holding me tight. So much better than any of my childhood daydreams.

  Daniel kisses my lips, then plants more kisses on my nose, across my cheek, and down my neck, stopping to nuzzle at my collar.

  “I love you. So much.”

  I grab his chin to look into his deep brown eyes. “More and more every day.”

  I weave my arm through his and walk off the porch, down the little sidewalk, and back out onto the street. More people are out than before, all of them talking and sharing smiles.

  “Everything really has changed. There’s no going back now.”

  Daniel smiles down at me. “Nope, it’s not going to be easy, but I think it’ll be worth it.”

  I smile back up at him, completely certain that it already is.

  Epilogue

  A warm breeze blows across the field, chasing away the last chill of spring. Soon, the summer sun will make it hotter than comfortable, but everything about right now is perfect. I take in a deep breath and let the smells of sharp pine and rich dirt fill my nose. The city has its advantages, but nothing beats the air in the villages.

  “Alright, sweetheart.” Liam picks up a clay pot and holds it out. “Do you want to do it?”

  Nellie jumps up from the blanket Constance spread over the ground for her little family, but leans down to give baby Molly a kiss on top of her soft, golden curls. She’d spend all day cooing over that baby if she could, but I can’t blame her. Constance gave birth to the sweetest angel I’ve ever seen.

  Elizabeth plops into Nellie’s spot on the blanket and scoops Molly into her arms. Even the queen of sass isn’t immune to the cuteness.

  Liam hands Nellie the little clay pot and points to the shallow hole he dug at the edge of the field. Holding it steady in her tiny hands, she kneels down and dumps it into the hole.

  When she stands back up, Liam takes her hand in his, and we all stare at the newly planted dandelion seed in silence.

  It’s silly, really. All around us, the dark soil is filled with bright yellow petals. Some of them have already turned to white fluff that will blow in the spring wind and ensure more plants next year. Allmore will have a fantastic yield for their highly coveted dandelion ale.

  But even though it’s silly, I didn’t think twice about coming when Liam told us he was going to plant the seed we took with us all those months ago when we had to leave Allmore. Daniel and I took a transporter with Eric and Elizabeth last night. Thomas and Constance flew in this morning with baby Molly. The field didn’t need us here to keep going, but the people do.

  Daniel stands off to the side a bit, staring out over the fields, his face unreadable. He does that sometimes. Checks out and stares off for a few minutes. I used to ask what he was thinking about, but he could never answer me, so I stopped. It doesn’t matter really. He doesn’t need me to have the answers, just to be there. I get up from the blanket and grab his hand. Just being there.

  Liam steps back, brushing his hands off on his pants, and looks over at our little group. “Can you stay a few days? I know there’s a lot to do back in the capital, but it would be nice to have you all here for a bit.”

  Constance takes Molly and snuggles her face against her cheek. “Actually, I think we’re ready to come home.”

  “Really?” I give her a hand to help her stand up.

  “Yep. Molly is absolutely perfect, and the doctors in the city gave me a clean bill of health.” She threads her free arm through Thomas’s. “There isn’t any reason to go back, so this is it for us.”

  Liam shakes Thomas’s hand. “It’ll be good to have you back. What about the rest of you?”

  Eric shakes his head. “I have to get back tonight. If I want to be a real doctor, I have to go to class.”

  “And I’ve got to get back to the Heart House.” Elizabeth smiles at Liam, an actual happy smile, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one from her before. “We’re up and running and actually have our first few girls.”

  Liam looks to Daniel and me.

  “We’ll be heading back, too.”

  “I understand.” He shoots me a sad smile. “What do you say we go get some dinner before you leave?”

  We all head back into the village, Nellie riding up on Liam’s shoulders and Constance cradling a sleeping Molly. At the edge of the field, Daniel tugs my arm off the path and lets the others get ahead of us.

  “What’s going on?”

  Daniel grabs both my hands and squeezes them between us. “What do you think about staying?”

  “Well, we can probably hold off for another day, but then I’ve got that big meeting with the Territory representatives to talk about additional Airtrain lines.”

  “I’m not talking about a day. Let’s move here.”

  “Are you serious?

  Daniel breaks out into a huge grin. “I already spoke to Danforth and President Lannerd.They’re both on board with setting up a new tech lab down here. They can get started on construction right away. And with the advances we’ve already made to the comm systems, you can set up a virtual office right here, and it’ll be just like you’re in the capital for all those meetings.”

  I stare at him in shock, not sure what to say.

  “We always said we wanted to move back here. I know you thought it would be a few years, but I don’t want to wait anymore.” Daniel rubs his hands over his face in a move that is as familiar as my own breath. “When you first showed up in the PIT, I didn’t say what I wanted. I convinced myself it was okay, because letting someone else love you meant we would all get out. But look at how that worked out. No more waiting. I loved you then, I love you now, and I want to start the rest of our forever.”

  “Yes.” It’s such an insufficient response to everything he just said, but it’s the word I have.

  “Yes?” Daniel clutches my face between his warm hands. “We can move h
ere?”

  I nod and pull the front of his shirt until his lips touch mine. It’s a gentle kiss, full of promises of things to come. Not rushed by imminent disaster or forced separation. I dive deeper into the kiss that says there is nowhere else in the world I would rather be right now than right here with your warm lips pressed to mine.

  Another warm breeze blows past us, swaying the branches and rustling the leaves like a soft round of applause. Something soft brushes across my cheek. I open my eyes and stare around us in wonder. Thousands of white, fluffy dandelion seeds float through the air around us, proudly declaring their claim to tomorrow.

  I grab one out of the air and hold it up to Daniel. “Before you stands the future.”

  The End

  Dear Reader,

  I'll try not to get too sappy here, but this letter means that this story has officially come to an end. I never imagined Rebecca's journey would take us so far, but I am so glad we got here.

  I want you to know that your words of encouragement, your excitement over new stories, and your personal notes to me have been with me every day, pushing me to write bolder, better stories. I still get a thrill every time a reader emails me to let me know how much they loved one of my books. You all turned me from just a girl who likes to write into an author, and it's a title I don't take lightly.

  Thank you for loving (and hating) my characters as much as I do. I may have dreamed them up in my head, but they belong to you now. I hope they've brought you as much joy as I've received. But even more than that, it's my heart's deepest wish that you found your own Acceptance.

  Before you stands the future!

  Sarah

  Acknowledgements

  There are so many people who are part of making a book, and even more when it comes to an entire series. As always, thank you to my readers who have made this entire journey worth the effort. These stories are just as much yours as they are mine.

  Thank you to all my beta readers: Ethan, Ashley, Shannon, Andrea and Juanita. Your hundreds of comments kept me on track and made sure everyone got their story told. Special kudos to Ethan for not calling me crazy in the wee hours of the night(at least to my face).

  Thanks to my amazing editing team Kate and ER. I promise this book would not be even close to this good if it weren't for the two of you pushing me to write better and fixing all my mistakes. Also, a big thank you to the team at Deranged Doctor Design. The covers you created for this entire series are beyond perfect and make it easy for me to show these babies off.

  And a special thank you to my family. Writing a book requires a certain amount of sacrifice. Thank you for understanding when dinner was leftovers, again. And for nodding and smiling, even when you had no idea what I was mumbling about. I absolutely couldn't do this without you.

  About the Author

  Sarah Negovetich knows you don't know how to pronounce her name and she's okay with that.

  Her first love is Young Adult novels, because at seventeen the world is your oyster. Only oysters are slimy and more than a little salty; it’s accurate if not exactly motivational. We should come up with a better cliché.

  Sarah divides her time between writing YA books that her husband won’t read and working with amazing authors as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Her life’s goal is to be only a mildly embarrassing mom when her kids hit their teens.

  You can learn more about Sarah and her books at www.SarahNegovetich.com or follow her antics on Twitter @SarahNego.

  Want more?

  There are only twenty-four hours between Rite of Rejection and Rite of Revelation. But a lot can happen in one day.

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