by Zoe Matthews
Nicky and Shaun spent the next few hours getting caught up and talking about the easiest way to merge their lives together. Shaun agreed to stay in her time for a few days. They spent the rest of the day alone in her apartment making plans. Nicky had fun showing Shaun how her cell phone worked, as she called Justin to invite Garrett and him over for pizza that evening. After lunch, they made a quick trip to a nearby department store, where she helped Shaun purchase a pair of jeans and a few shirts, so he would not look so out of place in her time.
The department store was just across the street from her townhouse complex, so Nicky decided it would be best to walk there. She enjoyed watching Shaun’s reaction to everything he saw, as they walked, and he couldn’t stop asking questions. He reminded her of Colleen’s curiosity and chatter. He especially liked to stop and watch the planes every time that one flew overhead.
Later, when they were finally back at her townhouse, Shaun told Nicky that he wished he had stopped off in Denver to purchase a ring, before he had used the key to come to her time. Nicky was able to reassure him that it didn’t matter, and she was willing to wait until they were both back in his time.
The minute Justin and Garrett arrived that evening, Nicky immediately told Justin the news of her impending marriage to Shaun. Shaun had been worried that Justin would be upset that he was planning on taking his sister away, but Nicky had reassured him that Justin would understand. He was aware of everything that had happened to Nicky with regards to the letters they had written to each other and how she spent the summer in Shaun’s time.
As Nicky had predicted, Justin did understand and wished them both well, although he expressed his sorrow that he might not ever see Nicky again. Shaun reassured Justin that he would take care of Nicky, and he would do everything in his power to keep the lines of communication open, using the two keys as long as it was in his power to do so. Nicky suggested that they use Victoria’s home as a base to exchange letters.
Nicky ordered two kinds of pizza to be delivered to her townhouse. After they arrived, Shaun looked suspiciously at it, but after his first bite, he ate more slices than anyone else. He spent some time talking to Garrett, encouraging him to show him how the TV and his video games worked, which Garrett was thrilled to do, although Nicky knew Garrett was a bit confused, as to why a grown man didn’t know how to play a video game.
Justin offered to let Shaun stay with him for the rest of his visit, and Shaun accepted his offer. They left close to midnight that evening.
The next day, Nicky spent the morning tying up loose ends. She called her school to let them know she would not be returning. They were sad to see her go but glad that she was getting married. She wanted Shaun to meet her parents, but she didn’t feel like she should tell them about the key. After talking with Justin, they decided it would be best to be as vague as possible as to where Shaun was from, and to not tell them that they were engaged, but to allow them to meet him. After Nicky was gone, Justin planned to tell their parents everything that had been going on with Nicky and with Kimberly. Neither of them thought that their parents would believe their story, however.
That afternoon, Nicky offered to take Shaun for a drive in her car and show him Victoria’s home. Shaun acted excited about the idea of riding in a car, but, once they were in it, and they were on their way, he made quite a few comments about how fast they were going and how he didn’t feel safe. He gave a sigh of relief, when they arrived at Victoria’s home, and he expressed amazement about how well-kept it looked. Nicky showed him how to get inside, and they walked through the home together. All the furniture was still covered with large cloth, and everything was dusty, except for Victoria’s desk in her office.
That evening, Nicky packed a suitcase of things that she wanted to take with her. She remembered Kimberly telling her that Victoria had cautioned her to not take anything from her time back to Patrick’s, but that Kimberly had snuck a first-aid kit and her drawing supplies in her bag, because she had a hard time leaving those behind. Nicky did not pack very much clothing, because she knew she would not be able to wear it, but she did pack her most comfortable walking shoes.
After adding her hairbrush and some of her favorite hair accessories, she looked around her room and walked through her apartment, trying to decide if there was anything she just could not bear to leave behind. She finally decided to bring some family photo albums that she had compiled a few years ago. With Justin’s help, she boxed up the rest of her important possessions for her brother to store. She also went through Kimberly’s things and boxed up what she felt Kimberly would want to save. Justin agreed that he would clear out her apartment before her contract was up in four-months’ time.
On the last day before Shaun and Nicky were planning to leave, they spent the entire day with Justin and Garrett. They went to Nicky’s and Justin’s favorite, ice-cream store, took a train downtown, and did other things they both liked doing and thought Shaun should experience, while he was in the future. They ordered Chinese food to be delivered, which amazed Shaun. How could someone cook food for someone else and get it to their home so quickly after they had ordered it? They also showed him one of their favorite, old, western movies, which Shaun hadn’t liked at all, because it wasn’t “accurate.” They did spend a few hours with her parents, and she was pleased that they instantly liked Shaun.
On the last night in her own bed, Nicky thought of all the changes that had happened to her over the last, few months, and she knew that there would be many more changes to come. But she felt confident that the decisions she was making were the right ones for her. While spending the last few days with Shaun in her own time, the love that she had for him continued to grow, and she knew that she could not even think of the option of sending him back to his time without her. She wanted to spend the rest of her life by his side.
****
The next morning, Nicky was up early, ready to go. She put on the dress she had worn on the trip back to the apartment and did her hair the way Kimberly had shown her. Justin brought Shaun over and prepared to stay, until they left. He left Garrett sleeping in his bed, since it was so early in the morning. Besides, he didn’t want to have to explain how Nicky was leaving.
When Justin saw her, he looked shocked, then sad. “You look so different.”
“Well, I do have to try to fit into the 1890’s, you know,” Nicky tried to joke. She knew that it had finally sunk in; she was leaving and would likely never return. “I am going to miss you, big brother.” She threw her arms around his neck, and he squeezed her tightly back.
“I’m going to miss you too, little sis.” He took a deep breath and stepped back. Shaking Shaun’s hand, he said, “Take care of her.”
“Of course. We will send letters as often as possible.” Shaun replied. Nicky had to admit, Shaun had a way of easing people's concerns.
It was then he saw her large suitcase sitting on the floor and asked her what she was bringing. After approving of her choices, he asked, “Are you ready to go?”
Nicky nodded. “Yes, I am ready.” She saw that Shaun had the key in his hand. Nicky turned to give Justin one last hug. Then, after making sure that Justin understood how to transfer letters to her in Victoria’s home, she held out one of her hands to Shaun, and he grasped it with his own. She picked up her suitcase with her other hand. Almost instantly, they were back at the cave in Shaun’s time, her suitcase by her side. She was thrilled to be back in Shaun’s time, instantly realizing that Shaun’s time was now her time.
She helped Shaun return the key to its box, and they carefully covered it with rocks. She watched as Shaun placed the last few rocks, and then he went to pick up her suitcase.
“Before we go, I want to tell you something,” Shaun informed her, stopping her from leaving the cave.
She looked at him expectantly, waiting patiently for what he had to say.
“You don’t know how much it means to me that you are willing to give up so much,” Shaun told her, as he gathe
red her into his arms. “I will do my best to make sure you won’t ever regret your decision.”
“Once I realized I loved you, making this decision was easy,” Nicky told him. “Some people are only meant to love once in a lifetime. I know you are my once in a lifetime. I can promise you I will never regret my decision.”
He kissed her, letting her know she was everything to him, that she was his once in a lifetime. When the kiss ended, she pulled away but kept her hands in his.
“We are connected to each other. Maybe we were connected before we even met. Maybe everything we have done in our lives, even mistakes or changes, has led us to this moment now. Even though we lived in different times, the keys led us to each other.”
Shaun slowly nodded, as he pondered her words. With a small tug, he pulled her into his arms again. This time, they just held each other. She loved the feeling of his chest against her cheek, listening to the beat of his heart. She knew that both of their lives were changing, that there would be many good times and bad, but the love they had for each other would see them through whatever came their way.
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Sneak Peek to Winds of Time
Fall, 1893
On a bright fall morning, Nicky looked down at the beautifully simple dress she was wearing for her wedding. It was long-sleeved and mostly lace, with a high collar, and intricate designs in the bodice. Other than the lace and the designs, there weren’t any other fancy frills. It was amazing to Nicky that she could dream and plan a wedding for the 21st century her entire life, and that dream could change in a couple of months because of one man. She wouldn't change one thing about their wedding. It was simple, small, and entirely focused on their love for each other, not decorations and catering.
Victoria poked her head through the door of her room with a wide smile on her face. "Everyone is ready!"
Nicky couldn't hold in her squeal of delight. "Okay, I will be right in!"
Colleen, who had been practicing scattering rose petals, ran over. "Don't forget, you said I could go first! Can I go now?" She may have been just as excited as Nicky was about the wedding.
"Yes, go ahead and drop those petals down the aisle!" Nicky smiled at her. The girl was out of the door before Nicky could even finish her sentence.
Nicky counted to ten and then opened the door. She walked down the short hall to the ceremony room and looked through the doorway. Just as she had predicted, Colleen was almost down the aisle. She was clearly too excited to lay the petals down slowly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shaun's family, Victoria and Collins, and a few of the people from town that Shaun had gotten to know well over the years.
But her main focus was Shaun. He was watching Colleen with a fond smile and hadn't noticed Nicky yet. Despite the distraction Colleen was providing, Nicky could tell Shaun was a little nervous. Then he glanced at the doorway, and Nicky saw all his muscles relax. A radiant smile spread across his face. She responded in kind and stepped fully into the doorway. All heads turned to her now that she was in full view.
As she had many times in the last few weeks, she felt an overwhelming peace at her decision to stay and marry Shaun. She knew they would be happy together for as long as they lived.
***
Bridget watched almost enviously as Nicky walked down the aisle towards her brother, Shaun. She noticed that Shaun didn’t take his eyes off of Nicky for even a second, and the look on his face told everyone how much he loved her. Tears came to Bridget’s eyes, incredibly happy that Shaun had found someone he loved so much. After things didn't work out with his last fiancé, he had been going through life in a haze. Since Nicky had decided to stay in their time and live on their ranch, Bridget had never seen him happier.
Shaun’s daughter, Colleen, stood next to him, hardly able to contain her excitement about the proceedings. She was finally going to have a mother. Colleen stood still, but Bridget could tell she was shaking with excitement inside, because she couldn’t quite keep her arms and hands still.
Bridget looked at her sister-in-law, Kimberly, out of the corner of her eye. She stood next to Bridget, a huge smile on her face. Of course Kimberly is happy, Bridget thought to herself. Her best friend from the future was marrying her husband’s younger brother from his time, 1893.
Bridget’s mind drifted for a moment, as she thought about the events that had happened in her family over the last year-and-a-half. Her oldest brother, Patrick, had decided he wanted to get married and start a family. So, he had made the four-hour trip from their family ranch that was located deep in the Rocky Mountains to the nearest city, Denver, Colorado. That was when he had met with an older woman, Victoria Hilton, who ran a mail-order-bride business out of her home. Patrick placed an ad for a wife through Victoria. Unbeknownst to Patrick, Victoria had access to two, golden keys. They were simple objects, and yet, they had changed the lives of her whole family. It might come as a surprise to the average person, but these keys had enabled Victoria to travel to whatever time she wished.
After experimenting and using the keys for quite a few years, while she was married to her late husband, Charles, she made the decision to secretly placea mail-order-bride ad in a newspaper in the future, in 2005. Kimberly found the ad. Thinking it was a joke, she answered it, and she was shocked, when she had actually received a personal acknowledgment. Over the next few months, she wrote to Patrick, still not realizing that he was actually from 1892. Kimberly was surprised to find that she was falling in love with him just through their letters, and she decided she wanted to meet him.
When Victoria told Kimberly the truth about where Patrick was from, Kimberly decided to take a chance on her own future, and she used one of Victoria’s keys to travel back to Patrick’s time. She stayed on their ranch with the idea of getting to know Patrick. Over the next month, Patrick fell in love with Kimberly, and they soon married.
Nicky Foster was Kimberly’s best friend from the future. She was able to come back in time to Kimberly's wedding, and she instantly felt a spark with Shaun. She spent the next winter exchanging letters with Shaun, using the keys to get the letters back and forth from her time to his. When Nicky found out that Kimberly was expecting a baby, she used one of the keys to travel back in time. She wanted to help Kimberly with her pregnancy and labor, but she also wanted to get to know Shaun better. Over the ensuing weeks, Shaun and Nicky had fallen in love. And now they were marrying.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” Bridget heard the minister say through her musings. “You may now kiss the bride.”
Bridget shook her head slightly and forced her thoughts about the keys out of her head, so she could focus on the wedding. She needed to stop feeling sorry for herself. She was very happy for both of her brothers, because they’d been able to find love and start a family, but deep down she admitted that she wanted the same for herself. They both had such hard heads, and it had taken many years for them to find someone they loved. Even through all her happiness, she couldn’t help the pang of loneliness that rang through her. Both of her brothers were married, and most of her friends from town were married with children as well. Even Victoria had recently married her former butler, Collins. Bridget longed for a family of her own.
Shaun kissed Nicky long and hard and didn’t stop until everyone started to clap. Shaun pulled away with a sheepish look on his face, but he then placed another soft kiss on Nicky’s lips. Bridget glanced at her clasped hands in her lap and wondered if she would ever experience a kiss like what she had just witnessed.
The wedding guests started to move out of the chapel and into a small room that was used for gat
herings. Food had been set up for everyone to enjoy, and the guests started to fill their plates with cold, fried chicken, potato salad, and wedding cake. Bridget had helped prepare the food. She loved to cook and bake, and she enjoyed making many, different types of dishes. In fact, that was the main reason she always told herself as to why she stayed on the ranch instead of moving to the city. She felt she needed to take care of her brothers. She just knew that, if they didn’t have anyone to cook for them, they’d starve to death.
But now both Patrick and Shaun were married. Her youngest brother, Keegan, enjoyed going to school and wanted to become a doctor someday. Because of this, Patrick had arranged for him to spend his winters living with Victoria and Collins, while he finished his schooling. He was only 16-years old, but Bridget knew Keegan planned to go to a medical school in the East, as soon as he was done with the local school in Denver.
Kimberly and Nicky helped with the chores around the ranch so much, there almost wasn’t enough for Bridget to do. She thrived off being able to help those she loved and no longer felt her help was needed. She envisioned what it would be like to have a husband and children of her own. She could help her husband with his chores and her own children with their schooling. She smiled sadly that she hadn’t found that for herself yet.
“Aunt Bridget.” She heard her name being called and turned. Colleen ran towards her. “Did you see how well I scattered the rose petals on the floor? They were so pretty.”
Bridget mentally shook herself again and pasted a smile on her face. She would have many moments in the future during which she could feel sorry for herself. Right now, she wanted to enjoy this moment, as it was supposed to be a happy one. She also didn’t want to ruin the day for Nicky or Shaun, as she knew they would feel bad if they knew how hard this was for her.
