The Hour of Dreams (23 page)
Read The Hour of Dreams Online
Authors: Shelena Shorts
We were all looking, wondering what to do next, but somehow I knew that this was a huge step for them. And through that valley, I hoped they’d find a place of compromise that would lead them back to the peak again. Even if they ended up on different peaks.
The rest of us stayed at the table to give them privacy. Eventually we met them back out in the living room to open gifts and have cake. All in all, the day turned out to be much better than expected.
Dawn ended up having her baby a few weeks later, and Jackson was out in the hall with me and Wes the whole time. She named the baby Berkeley, to remind herself of a future they both deserved. She said that every time she called her name, she'd remember her plan to finish college. I was touched by Dawn’s maturity and courage in facing her new challenge. It offered me an overwhelming sense of peace.
All that was left for me was my own birthday, which was, happily, also our wedding anniversary. The day approached with relative ease, until Wes nixed my plans for celebrating early. During breakfast on the morning before our anniversary, I told him we should go to dinner to celebrate, but he wasn’t interested in leaving the house. Then, he accused me of giving up hope.
“I am not,” I said defensively.
He chewed his toast. “Are too.”
“No, I’m just excited. It’s one year tomorrow, and I want to get a jump on celebrating.”
“Or try to celebrate before something happens.”
“No.” He just looked at me. “Okay, fine. Maybe I just want to make sure we get to enjoy it.”
“I’m not cramming in anything, just because you’re afraid something will happen to you. You’re going to be fine.”
Leaning back in my chair, I thought for a moment, and then something occurred to me. “You know what? I think
you
want to stay home because it’s safer.”
He shook his head. “Not true.”
I crossed my arms and dropped my chin, challenging him with my gaze. “I don’t believe you.”
“We can go somewhere if you want.” He shrugged. “I’m good with that. But, I’m not celebrating your birthday
or
our anniversary tonight.”
“Why not?” I whined.
“Because, tomorrow is your birthday. We’ve waited this long, so I don’t want to jinx it. We’ll wake up
tomorrow
and celebrate you reaching twenty, and then we’ll celebrate us. In that order.”
I felt my nostrils flare, but then I just sighed in submission. The two of us ended up hanging out for the rest of the evening, watching movies on demand. At least I got a few massages out of it and couldn’t complain about the company.
Later, all that was left for us was to wait. There was nothing else we could do to savor the time we’d already been given. We’d experienced multiple hills and valleys, and gripped life at its very core. The good, the bad, the ugly. There were no regrets, so I told myself that the morning could come or not, knowing I would wake up on the other side of it, one way or another.
It was easier said than done. I was terrified, but I just had to trust in everything that we had built and hoped for together. One day, regardless of what happened, I would see Wes again. Now, it was up to fate to decide how soon that would be.
Once in bed, the shadows eventually slipped over my eyes on the final hour of September first, and I fell into a dark sleep that I wasn’t sure I’d wake up from. It wasn’t that I necessarily thought my heart would just stop beating during the night; I just didn’t know what to expect. I’d spent so long fearing my doom, allowing for other possibilities was still foreign to me. Regardless of my rationale, I finally let my mind wander to that dreamless place, and, if morning came, I’d know it soon enough. It wasn’t long before everything changed.
I had the sensation that something had touched me, so I hesitantly peeled my eyelids back, adjusting to a bright light. When everything came into focus, I saw that Wes was sitting next to me, marveling. I looked around to determine my whereabouts, but saw nothing except gold and white, which terrifyingly, yet splendidly, resembled heaven.
“Good morning,” he said, drawing my attention back.
He looked so angelic and peaceful, with the light behind him, that my gaze roamed the room again, searching. And then I noticed the gold and white colors were dozens of balloons. I pinched myself, unsure whether my dreamless sleep had betrayed me, or whether I had actually turned twenty.
Wes chuckled, leaning in, and kissed my cheek, leaving behind a tingling sensation that never lingered that way in my dreams.
And then I knew. Our journey, this time, wasn’t over.
“Happy birthday,” he said.
There are many people who helped make this book possible, and I’ll start with the readers, because I’ve always said, and I’ll say it again, that this series went beyond
The Pace
because of you and your interest in knowing where Wes and Sophie's story went. You’ve pushed me to see it through and become a better writer, one who not only enjoys writing for herself, but for you. So, thank you.
To my copyeditor Sheila Ashdown, and to Kimberly Martin for book and cover design. Thank you both for taking this story through the final stages. To Dawn Sloane-Doerr for proofreading and always being there to help with last-minute edits and never failing to find those hidden typos that plague my writing! Thank you!
To my blogger friends, who I have leaned on for help in sharing my books, and to whom I’ve also turned to when looking for my next read. It’s a good thing that I didn’t know you before I wrote
The Pace
, because I would have been too busy reading all of your great finds to think about my own story! Now, I couldn’t be more grateful for your impact on this industry. Thank you for your hard work!
To my entire family, who I feel so blessed to have. Thank you for your support and constant inspiration. To my Granny, who loves to hop on board for a road trip every now and then and kick it with us at a festival booth for hours. You rock! And to my mother, who always devotes her time and attention to making my books better. This book was hard for me to write, and I think you worked even harder to make it better, so thank you. And as always, thank you to God, who makes all things possible!
For centuries, the Petrescu family has been protecting society from a danger that moves among the population undetected. Eighteen-year-old Vasi Petrescu has never had a problem carrying out his duty, but, when ordered to eliminate a seventeen-year-old girl, he is immediately taken out of his comfort zone.
The Syndicate has never targeted a female before, yet somehow this one has ended up on more than one hit list. Vasi would like to find out why, but there may not be time.
Now, he'll have to decide whether or not to keep her alive even if it means going against his own family.
The action, mystery, and conspiracy in The Syndicate will take readers on an immersing journey in which decisions are not only life changing, but irreversible.
