As Gregory pulled behind them, I asked, “What is all this? Where’s my car? Is it being fixed?”
“I am surprised you hadn’t asked about your car until now. The insurance company totaled it,” he stated, very matter of fact.
“But, it was a leased vehicle. I only had four months left on the lease. How am I going to afford to pay for it?” I said, panicking.
“Not to worry, Jordan. The guy who hit you was cited with the accident and your mother has already talked to the insurance company on your behalf. They are working, in coordination with Honda, to have the guy pay for the loss of your vehicle and the cost of your medical bills.”
He went on. “I am glad you are out of that small car, anyway; I constantly worried about you driving back and forth in that thing.”
“How am I supposed to get back and forth to work now?”
“That’s one of the reasons my parents are here, today. I asked my father to drive up the SUV I had stored in their garage. My mother followed up in their car.”
“I’m not sure I follow what you are saying, Gregory?”
“The SUV is yours, Jordan. It hasn’t been driven much and needs to be out on the road more; so I asked them if they would mind me giving it to you. They were actually going to approach me about it, but were waiting for the right time. Remember, you will be my wife soon, and what’s mine is yours; so no arguments. The bow and balloons are their way of saying, ‘Welcome Home and Welcome to the Family.”
I could feel the tears start forming at the corners of my eyes. I was overwhelmed with emotion. “This is too much, I can’t accept this. Aren’t we supposed to be keeping a low profile? How can I explain this kind of vehicle?”
“You don’t have to reveal who gave it to you. All you have to say is that it is a gift to make up for your accident. The gentleman that hit you happened to be very well off, so no one will question it. Besides, the title is already in your name. It’s a done deal.” He smiled coyly and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek.
Gregory helped me out of the car and steadied me so I could walk over and give Mr. and Mrs. Worthington a kiss on the cheek to thank them for everything they had done for us.
My mother gave them both a hug and invited everyone inside for some lunch.
“We are so glad you are doing well, Jordan. You had us worried there for a while,” his mom stated.
“I’m so sorry for all of this. I never meant to have Gregory miss any work or cause any problems.” I apologized.
Mr. Worthington spoke this time, “Not to worry, dear. While work may be important, family comes first. He will be back soon and can catch up in no time. Right now, you are our main concern.”
“Thank you, Douglas; I agree, family does come first.”
My mom stuck her head around the corner. “Lunch is ready, feel free to help yourself. Jordan, would you like me to fix you a plate?”
Before I could answer, Gregory replied, “Go ahead and have a seat and enjoy lunch, Marilyn. I can help my parents with the plates and get something for Jordan and me.”
Lunch was finger sandwiches, salad and fresh fruit. It was a perfect meal for a hot summer day.
Gregory’s parents and my mother had no problem finding things to talk about. They enjoyed looking at the calendar, trying to figure out the perfect date for us to get married and pushing for us to set one. We finally settled on Saturday, November 1st.
The next thing we knew, our parents had gathered in the family room to discuss possible wedding locations, when I would be able to shop for a dress, and were already covering all the little details.
It was nice that our families gave us some alone time. Gregory was afraid to put his arm around me for fear of pressure on my shoulders and ribs, so he leaned back in the corner of the couch and had me lean against his chest. I could feel his breath saturate my hair and every once in a while, he would plant a kiss close to my ear, whispering, “I love you, always.”
For the first time in weeks, I started to feel relaxed and comfortable with life. I was alive, in love and planning a wedding to my destined soul mate.
The doorbell rang and a delivery truck pulled away.
“So who’s the package for?” I asked.
“It has our names on it, in care of your mother. Let’s open it.” Gregory suggested.
He brought it over to where I was sitting and placed it gently between our two laps. I quickly honed in on the return address. It was from Ray.
“Look at the return label, Gregory,” I whispered. His eyes widened as he read it.
I was glad that our parents were in the family room still talking about the wedding.
We began to open it and discovered the next piece of our puzzle. Gently wrapped was a gentleman’s Revolutionary War, three-cornered, hat and a lady’s intricately detailed lace neckerchief.
I was a bit perplexed since I had only had one brief vision of this era. Then I noticed the note:
Gregory was intrigued by the hat, as was I, with the neckerchief. We both had a deep fascination for history. He picked it up to examine more closely at the same time as I reached to touch the ornate lace.
As soon as my hand touched the delicate fabric, I was transfixed on a vision where I was wearing a fancy light blue, Sack Back Gown and matching petticoat.
I was talking with a dashing young gentleman. As soon as he turned, I recognized him as Gregory, wearing the hat he just received, and his hair tied back in a leather thong.
The neckerchief dropped from my hands as Gregory dropped his hat into the box. We both looked into each other’s eyes. “Hannah?”
“Aaron?”
In unison we said, “I Remember!”
It would only be a matter of time before the next chapter of our journey, ensued…
To my wonderful husband, son and mother: You have encouraged me every step of the way, telling me to never give up on my dream to write. I couldn’t have done this without you.
To the memory of my father, who taught me to go after anything I put my mind too. I miss you dearly, but will forever hold you close in my heart.
To my mother and father in-law: The support you have given; means everything to me.
To Stacy, (It Started with A Book Blog), my beta reader, book blogger, and good friend. Your belief in my writing means more than you will ever know. I am so glad our paths crossed!
To my mommy friends: If not for the conversation with you on writing, I might have never taken the leap to do this book.
To Tawdra, Mandie, Jessi, Julie, Raine, Kimberly, Kelly, Melissa, Christine, Stephanie, Danielle and Audrey: Your words of wisdom and guidance helped me find my way along the path of writing.
To Carol: Your encouragement kept me moving forward.
To all my Facebook and Twitter followers, who have wished me well during the whole process of writing.
And above all, Special thanks to God for guiding me in life and giving me the opportunity to put my thoughts and words onto paper.
Cynthia P. O’Neill grew up in Clewiston, Florida and moved to Central Florida to attend college. There, she married her friend, love, and soul mate and still resides there with their amazing son, and a feisty, four-legged little boy.
In her books, Cynthia draws on her background in healthcare and business, along with her husband’s engineering knowledge.
Several years after she got married, she started dreaming about the characters in I Remember. It took eight years before she decided that it needed to be told. With the encouragement of family and friends, she decided to bring Jordan and Gregory to life in a series of Young Adult, Paranormal Romances with a Historical bent. I Remember is the first in a series.
For more information about Cynthia and her books, visit:
www.cynthiaponeill.com
Table of Contents
Prologue
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 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Acknowledgments
About the Author
I Remember (Remembrance Series) Page 33