The Hour of Dreams

by Shelena Shorts

  The stakes were definitely high, and, with three months left until my birthday, all I could do was hang on to my now and keep myself busy. Wes convinced me to register for the fall semester of college, and my mom gave me the idea to throw Dawn a baby shower.

  Dawn hated the idea of drawing attention to herself, so my mom and I took charge. I actually sent Jackson an invite, along with his parents. He was their son, so they should do the right thing, just like Jackson should. Whether they would show up or not was beyond me, but they got the invite.

  The other invitees were Dawn’s parents, her brother, my mom, and Tom. It was small and intimate, so we decided to have it at my mom’s house. Spending the day there was comforting. My mom and Tom busied themselves in the kitchen, like old times. After setting up decorations, Wes and I took a break and sat on the couch. It was hard not to remember all of the times we'd sat there. Our first date, when my mom grilled him about his money. I laughed out loud at the thought. The time when we told my mom about our past. It was all there, and it felt nice knowing my mom and Tom were still so close to us.

  The doorbell rang a few minutes early. I was expecting it to be Dawn, with a grumpy face, but when I swung open the door, standing there in a summer dress was Jackson’s mom, next to a taller man in khaki pants. And behind them stood Jackson and his brother.

  I could not believe it. “Um, come in,” I said, offering a pathway with my hand.

  “Thank you,” his mom spoke up, stepping in first.

  Jackson nodded nervously as he passed. My mom came around the corner from the kitchen and stopped short in her tracks, but she regained her composure quickly. She played the perfect hostess, taking their gifts and setting them down in the living room. As I was about to offer them drinks, the bell rang again.

  “I’ll get it,” I said, wondering how this was going to go down.

  Now standing on my mom’s porch was Dawn, her parents, and brother, Danny. When I opened the door, she had a confused expression on her face. “Is that Jackson’s parents’ car?” she asked.

  I nodded and offered a smile. She and her father looked annoyed, but her mother nodded back and led the way into the foyer. I could tell that Dawn was afraid to be seen, but she looked so cute in her black leggings and an off-the-shoulder, plum-colored princess-style shirt that flowed past her growing belly.

  “Come on,” I said, taking her hand. I led her into the living room and, upon her entrance, Jackson stood up, locking eyes with her. She looked away quickly. My mom interrupted the awkward moment by talking about how amazing Dawn looked.

  I gave Dawn a subtle shrug, hopefully signaling that I didn’t set up the awkwardness on purpose. I really didn’t think they would come.

  After a few more minutes of uncomfortable small talk, we sat down to brunch. My mom and Tom took charge of the conversation with expert poise. By the middle of brunch, we’d learned that Jackson was attending college on a scholarship, but had decided to attend one within driving distance so that he could visit as much as possible. His parents assured their financial support, and, although Dawn was ridiculously quiet, she went with the flow.

  At the end, it occurred to me that we really hadn’t talked much about Dawn’s future, and I found myself looking at her with pity. I didn’t want that, so I spoke up.

  “Dawn’s already received a scholarship to attend Berkeley when she graduates. If she keeps her grades up.”

  “Really?” Mr. Healey asked, surprised.

  “Yeah,” I said. “It’s from the California Blood Research Lab.” Dawn always talked about her interest in psychology, so I went with it. “Yes, there’s a new program studying the way medical procedures affect people mentally, so they’re offering a full ride to a psychology major interested in that track.”

  Thankfully, Wes chimed in. “Yes, Sophie applied for her. She can dual enroll this fall, if she wants. The scholarship will be there.”

  “I can’t accept,” Dawn said.

  “Of course you can,” I urged. “You’ll be hanging out on campus with me. I’m going in the fall too.”

  “Really?” my mom chimed in.

  “Yes.” I smiled. “Wes encouraged me to register. So it will be me and Dawn together on campus.”

  And for the first time, that was something that struck a nerve with Jackson, who shifted noticeably in his seat. Perhaps he was jealous that she would have a life too and meet new people? I wanted to smile, but then realized Dawn was upset with all the attention.

  Setting her napkin down, she excused herself from the table. Maybe I’d pushed the situation a bit much. I was about to go after her when Jackson completely surprised us all. He quickly stood, cleared his throat, and followed her without a word.

  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.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  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!

  More by Shelena Shorts

  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.