by Emma Easter
The Edge of Destiny
The Destiny Series Book 3
Emma Easter
The Edge of Destiny
(The Destiny Series 3)
Emma Easter
CKN Christian Publishing
An Imprint of Wolfpack Publishing
6032 Wheat Penny Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89122
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, other than brief quotes for reviews.
Kindle Edition
Copyright © 2020
CKN Christian Publishing
Characters, places and incidents are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1-64734-704-8
Contents
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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
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Chapter 1
Lily finished cleaning the kitchen and washed the cleaning rag. She still had a lot of cleaning and dusting to do as Sofia’s house was big and filled with many beautiful but delicate souvenirs from her multiple trips abroad. After hanging the rag up to dry, she headed to Sofia’s bedroom to continue her cleaning and then paused in the hallway when the doorbell rang. She turned around and went to open the front door. She grinned.
“You’re back, Sofia,” she said, opening the door wide so her friend could enter the house.
Sofia dropped her suitcase and threw her arms around Lily, a huge smile on her face. She hugged Lily tightly and then let her go. Walking into the living room, she flung herself onto the sofa, her smile still in place, and giggled.
“I’m guessing you had a good trip,” Lily said, going to sit beside her.
“I had a wonderful time in Europe, Lily. It was even better than the last trip because George came with me. We didn’t go to Paris or Rome this time. We went to Saint Tropez and then on to Barcelona and then Prague. We stayed in gorgeous hotels and did nothing but laze about and…” She stopped talking as a mischievous smile took over her face.
Lily didn’t know where any of the places Sofia had mentioned were. Even though she yearned to ask Sofia about them and maybe, if she was lucky, visit those places one day, it was not the immediate thing on her mind. Her stomach twisted with concern for her friend, especially at the naughty grin on Sofia’s face. She voiced her concern, knowing Sofia would call her old- fashioned. “I didn’t know you traveled with George. And you both stayed in the same hotel room?”
Sofia looked at Lily and laughed. “You should see the way your face looks, Lily. You would think I just told you I joined the mafia.”
“But you shouldn’t stay in a hotel room alone with George. You’re not married to him. The temptation to…”
“Oh, stop it, Lily! Why shouldn’t I share a hotel room with George? He’s my boyfriend. And as for the temptation to…”
Lily’s stomach lurched, and she shook her head to try to get Sofia to stop talking. Sofia laughed again. “You do know we’ve been together for a year now. And yes, we have been sleeping together for most of that time.”
“It’s wrong, Sofia!” Lily said. She didn’t care what Sofia thought. She grew up believing that it was a sin for a woman to sleep with someone she was not married to. Even though she now knew that there had been a double standard in what she’d been taught in Fallow Creek, she had her personal relationship with God now. What Sofia was doing was wrong for both men and women. But how could she convince her friend about that when Sofia didn’t even seem to understand the concept of…?
“Lily!” Sofia intruded into her thoughts. “Stop looking at me like that. You’re so old-fashioned. Sometimes I think you unknowingly entered a time machine that transported you here from 1920. What you need is a boyfriend of your own. In fact, I think I’ll start looking for one for you. You will understand when…”
Lily stuffed her fingers into her ears, cutting Sofia’s words off, and shut her eyes. This was not the first time in the eight months she’d lived in Sofia’s house that her friend had brought this up. And it was usually with some crude statement that shocked her every time. She opened her eyes again when Sofia tapped her shoulder and sighed loudly when her friend pulled her fingers out of her ears.
“I don’t understand you, Lily. You come from a weird community where men marry multiple wives, and yet you are such a prude.” She shook her head slowly. “I know it was a religious community and women weren’t allowed to do what the men did… but surely you’ve had a boyfriend before?”
Lily pursed her lips.
“Even a secret boyfriend?” Sofia asked, her face full of disbelief.
“I’ve already told you, Sofia. I’ve never had a boyfriend, and I don’t plan on having one until I’m ready to get married. And I don’t think I ever will. After years of living in a place like Fallow Creek, I cherish my freedom now above all things. I’m not letting it go for anyone.”
“You don’t have to get married, silly. I was talking about dating, relationships without the bonds of marriage. In spite of what your strange town says, even women have needs that…”
“Sofia, please stop!”
Sofia chuckled. “Okay. Tell you what — I will stop bugging you about getting a boyfriend if you stop complaining or even squirming every time I talk about spending time alone with George.”
Lily tried to reason with Sofia again. “Do you love George?”
Sofia’s smile melted off her face, and she sighed loudly. “Umm… I guess I do.”
“Then marry him. What are you waiting for?”
Sofia turned away from Lily. “It’s not that easy.”
“What isn’t easy? You get married and then you can live together.” Her stomach twisted with worry again. She wanted her friend to be happy, but where would she live when Sofia married George and moved to his house? She had no job and no money and had been living off Sofia’s goodwill since she’d left the hospital months ago.
“It’s complicated, Lily.”
Lily turned Sofia around to face her again. “Why is it complicated?”
Sofia shrugged and said, “Because he’s already married.”
Lily blinked and her mouth fell open. Her stomach turned in revulsion. She’d left Fallow Creek extremely relieved that she would not have to deal anymore with the polygamous lifestyle there. And yet here she was, living with someone who, for all intents and purposes, was practicing the same thing. Sofia might tell herself it wasn’t so since she wasn’t married to George, but the women in Fallow Creek who weren’t first wives were not legally married either. Lily shifted away from Sofia. “So you tease me constantly because I come from a polygamous community, but you are a ‘sister wife’ as well.”
“It’s not the same!”
“Yes… yes, it is!” Lily shuddered and pressed her lips tightly together as she remembered how she’d almost been forced to
marry Dennis Hamilton, the leader of their community.
“No, it’s not. I do whatever I want without George’s permission! And if I ever decide to marry him, which I’m sure I never will, he would have to divorce his wife before we could get married. So, dear Lily, it is not the same thing! Okay?”
Lily shuddered again. She hated that lifestyle with all her heart. How could Sofia be involved with a married man?
“Stop judging me, Lily! I know what you’re thinking, but I really don’t intend on taking George away from his wife. I’m just having fun.”
“Then end it, Sofia. If you’re really not planning to take George away from his wife, then end the relationship. It is very wrong… especially in God’s sight.”
“God again!” Sofia ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t believe in God. At least, not the way you do.” She held up her hand as Lily began to protest. “Don’t try to preach to me anymore. You’ve done enough of that.” She shut her eyes. “I just came back from a long trip, and I’m tired. I don’t want to argue. Can’t we talk about something else?”
Lily studied Sofia. Being angry would not solve the problem. Sofia couldn’t see she was doing the wrong thing. To her, it was just harmless fun, but Lily knew it was anything but. Still, Sofia had been so kind to her, taking her in when she had no place to live and very little money. The girl had just returned from a long trip. She had to give her time to rest and pray that Sofia would change her mind and break up with George soon. She sighed and gave Sofia a reconciliatory smile.
Sofia smiled back. “What’s for dinner? I’m starving.”
“I’m sorry, I haven’t made dinner yet. I didn’t know you were coming back today.” Sofia pouted and Lily chuckled. “Okay… I’ll get started with dinner now.” She stood up.
“Please make me your delicious spicy grilled steak. We were in Italy sampling different kinds of foods, and all I could think of was your grilled steak and rice.”
“Okay, ma’am.” Lily laughed. “I’ll be back with your dinner soon. Just put your feet up and rest.”
Sofia smiled and Lily left the living room. She went to the kitchen and began to make their dinner. She hoped Sofia would not decide that they needed to drink wine this evening to celebrate her return or something like that. She’d never tasted alcohol until Sofia made her drink it three months ago. She had hated it. It was the last time she touched the stuff, but Sofia liked her alcohol and from time to time drank in the evenings. She didn’t like who her friend became when she drank… especially too much. She’d heard that some people got excessively angry or violent when they were drunk, but Sofia never did. She just became a bumbling idiot who needed to be carefully watched so she didn’t run out of the house naked.
As she cooked, she thought about Sofia’s dreamy look when she was telling her about her trip to Europe. She remembered what Sofia had said about sharing a hotel room with George, and her heart squeezed tight again.
She sighed and tried to brush off her discomfort. It was definitely wrong for Sofia to sleep with a married man, but what if George wasn’t married? Would it be wrong? Sofia had told her Lily was overly worried about that because she’d never had a boyfriend before. Everyone was taught from childhood in Fallow Creek not to have sex until marriage, but what if, along with all the things she’d learned were wrong about Fallow Creek, that was also one of them?
Why am I even thinking about all these things? she scolded herself.
It wasn’t like she was going to take Sofia up on her offer and let her friend find her a boyfriend. She didn’t want one, and she certainly wasn’t going to sleep with anyone she wasn’t married to. And since the idea of marriage made her sick, that would never happen. In Fallow Creek, marriage had been the ultimate goal for women and yet the ultimate bondage. Now that she’d left that awful town, she was a free woman. Her goal now was to be independent in every way. She wanted to travel the world like Sofia… but alone. Or with Sofia, if she would come along. She wanted a job and financial independence so she could get a place of her own and control her life and destiny.
She inhaled the tantalizing aroma of the steak she was grilling, but it brought her little comfort. Other people had controlled her life from the time she was born until nine months ago, when she had been banished from Fallow Creek. She was twenty-six but had never lived on her own. She’d never gotten a paid job or had any money. She’d thought she could finally do all that now that she was out of Fallow Creek, but she was still living off someone. She was free to go and come as she pleased, but her movements were largely dictated by Sofia because she didn’t have any money. She wasn’t totally independent.
Sofia had told her she would ask George, the CEO of some large company, to get her a job, but that had still not happened. Whenever she mentioned going out to get a job for herself, Sofia always discouraged her, saying she would not get a good job and promising to talk to George on her behalf. Lily always wondered if Sofia had already asked him and he’d refused, or if Sofia never remembered to. But it didn’t matter anymore. Now that Lily knew George was married, she wasn’t sure she wanted anything from him.
She began to dish the food onto two plates and sighed with worry. At the rate she was going, she would never be able to go back to Fallow Creek and try to get her parents out of there so they could come and live with her in Tucson. It was another thing she’d dreamt about since the day she’d left her insane hometown. But if she didn’t get a house of her own, that would never happen. She had to find a job and stop letting Sofia talk her out of it.
Lily placed the plates of steaming food in small trays and went to set them on the dining table. “Dinner’s ready,” she called.
Sofia stretched and stood up from the sofa. She walked to the dining room and gave Lily a huge smile. “It smells divine. I can’t wait to tuck in.” She sat down and immediately began to eat. She nodded slowly. “Yum!”
Lily sat on the chair next to Sofia’s. “You didn’t wait for me to pray over the food again.”
Sofia grumbled and dropped her fork. “Okay then. Pray.”
Lily breathed a quick prayer and then opened her eyes. Sofia already had her knife and fork in her hands again. She teared into her steak once more.
“Thank God there is no wine anywhere near,” Lily whispered.
“What did you say?” Sofia looked up at her.
“Nothing important.”
She began to eat and couldn’t resist asking Sofia about her trip again. She prayed Sofia wouldn’t mention George as she excitedly told Lily about the interesting people she’d encountered and sights she’d seen. Thankfully, Sofia only mentioned him in passing. She talked and talked, and Lily listened with longing. Finally, when the conversation died down again, Lily said to Sofia, “I really have to start looking for a job tomorrow. It’s wrong for me to keep living off you. You’ve done so much for me, but I need to take care of myself.”
“But I told you I would ask George to get you a job in his company.”
Lily shook her head. “Don’t talk to George about it.” She wanted to ask Sofia why she hadn’t spoken to George about getting her a job already, but she thought better of it. She said instead, “I want to get a job for myself. I have to move out of here and start living my own life.”
Sofia frowned. “I don’t want you to move out, Lily. I need you.”
“For what? You were doing just fine without me eight months ago. Besides, I told you about my parents. I need to get my own apartment if I hope for them to move in with me one day.”
“But you told me how difficult it is to leave Fallow Creek. How will you get them out… that is, if they actually want to leave?”
“I know it’ll be hard to convince them to leave with me, and even harder to find a way out of there, but it can be done. I never knew I would be able to leave there as soon as I did, but here I am.”
Sofia chuckled. “You told me you were kicked out.”
“Yes. I think if my parents are willing, we could com
e up with a reason for them to be kicked out as well.”
“Still, Lily, I don’t want you to move out. Even if you get a job, can’t you stay here?” She gave Lily a sideways smile. “It’s rent-free.”
Lily didn’t answer. Sofia didn’t understand her deep need to get her own place and to live her own life. If she stayed here, even with a job, she would still partly live on Sofia’s goodwill.
“I promise to talk to George tomorrow about…”
“No! Don’t do that!” Lily frowned. She wanted nothing from George. He reminded her of the men in Fallow Creek, and she never wanted to have anything to do with those kinds of men ever again. She stood up and avoided looking at Sofia as she began to clear the plates. She headed towards the kitchen with the plates and then turned. “Sofia?”
“Yes?” Sofia looked at her.
“Tomorrow, I’ll start looking for a job. Even if I find one, I promise to stay, at least for a while, but please don’t try to talk me out of getting a job myself and don’t ever mention anything about it to George.”
Sofia sighed loudly and then nodded.
“Thank you,” Lily said and left the dining room.
Chapter 2
Taylor sat in his vast living room, sipping his coffee and staring out of the huge open windows. He loved how enormous his windows were. They were almost as big as his door. He opened them wide in the mornings, sat in his favorite chair while sipping his coffee, and watched the majestic view outside. Mornings like these gave him time to catch his breath and let his thoughts run free before the madness of the day started.