by Judy Corry
I nodded into his chest. Yes, I did. I deserved better. But life didn’t always give us what we thought we deserved. Sometimes it gave us really hard things. Sometimes it gave us a miracle. Sometimes it gave us both. This was both. My dad had come back. But, it was only for a moment. Not nearly long enough.
After a time, my tears stopped and I straightened on the couch. “So you’re turning yourself in?”
My dad nodded, his eyes sorrowful. “I have to. We’ll never be free of this if I don’t.”
I looked down at my hands. “I guess that’s true.”
“But I was able to track down Angelo. That’s one of the reasons it took me so long to come back. I knew I needed something if I was going to make this mess a little better. I’m hoping that with him and the money he ran off with I can get my sentence reduced. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, but it’s possible that I’ll only have to spend five years in prison instead of twenty-five.”
Five?
Five was better than twenty-five, but it was still a long time. I’d have graduated from college by then. Or I could even be married.
I couldn’t imagine another five years without him in my life. My mom and I had barely survived one.
My dad took my hands in his. “I have to do this. It’s the right thing. I played with the idea of taking you two into hiding with me, so we could be together. But this life on the run is no life at all. I couldn’t ask you to do that for me.”
I turned to my mom to see her reaction to all this. Would she be okay with this in our future? Or would this be one more thing to break her spirit?
She gave me a sad smile. “Your dad is right. He needs to make things right. It’s the only way to move on.”
But I just got him back! Five minutes back in my life and he was already talking about leaving?
“Can’t you hide at the resort for the rest of the summer? I’m sure my friends will keep it a secret. And…and Jess's grandparents might be okay with it.”
My dad shook his head sadly. “I’ve been on the run too long already. We have tonight, but I’m turning myself in in the morning.”
Panic surged in my chest. “Why tomorrow?”
“I don’t want to get you or anyone else in trouble for abetting a fugitive. I can’t do that to you guys, too.”
“So this is it?”
He nodded and gestured for my mom to join us on the couch. He draped his arms around us, his girls, pulling us all in for one of the last group hugs we’d have in much longer than I wanted to think about.
The next afternoon I sat in my suite with my parents and Jess. We tried to prolong the morning, soaking up every moment we had together as a family, crying so many tears I was surprised I had any left. Around two o’clock, my dad decided that the time had finally come. He picked up the phone and dialed the local law enforcement.
“Yes, hi. My name is Paulo Costa,” he said. “I’m a fugitive of the United States and am calling to turn myself in.”
My whole body went weak at his words and my pulse thundered in my head.
Jess must have noticed that I was about to collapse because he put his arm around me and helped me sit down. Kissing my head, he whispered, “It’s going to be okay. Your dad is doing the right thing.”
But how could this be the right thing? It didn’t feel right. It felt a lot like losing my father all over again.
Dad finished his phone call and held out his arms for my mom and me.
There was a knock on the door about ten minutes later. I clung to my dad, trying to commit everything about him to my memory. Who knew how long it would be until I could hug him again? I memorized his spicy scent, the way he was soft around the middle, the way I fit perfectly under his arm.
Jess opened the door. My dad kissed my forehead one more time, and kissed my mom and gave her a lingering hug. Then he straightened himself and faced the local policemen who were entering the room.
“Are you Paulo Costa?” an officer with dark, dark eyes and even darker skin asked.
My dad nodded. “I am.”
“We’re going to have to put you under arrest.” The officer and his partner stepped closer. My dad didn’t put up a fight, he simply held his hands behind his back and let them put the cool metal around his wrists. When he looked up again, there were tears in his eyes.
My mom was the first to break down, but it only took a moment for me to follow. We each took turns hugging him as the tears flowed, and then we held onto each other as my dad was escorted out of the room.
“Vi amo per sempre. Siete la mia vita,” Dad said as he walked out the door.
I love you forever. You are my life.
And then he was gone.
Chapter Thirty-Six
ONE YEAR LATER
“It’s funny to think that this time last year we were being forced into a cottage by my meddling sister so we could get over ourselves and admit that we were in love with each other.” Jess reached for my hand as we walked down the Emerald Pool trail together. So many things had changed since the first time I came here. One year ago, I was sure Jess and I would never be able to fix things between us, I never thought I’d see my dad again, and I was worried about my mom and her well-being.
Things still weren’t perfect. After the local authorities took my dad, they made arrangements for him to be taken back to New York. Mom and I followed soon after to try and find the best lawyer and compile all the information my dad had given us. They held a trial a few months later. It was brutal. But thankfully, I had Jess and school to keep me from spending all my time worrying about my dad’s future. When all was said and done, Dad was given a five-year jail sentence. Him taking the time to track down his buddy and the money had helped a lot, and my anger toward him over leaving us for so long slowly dissipated.
My mom was doing so much better these days. She moved back into our house, and with Uncle Peter’s help, had found a much better job to support herself. It was great to see the light in her eyes again, and wonderful to talk to her about her hope for the future. Hope was something we’d both been missing for such a long time, and it was amazing to have that back in our lives.
Dating Jess was magical and he was perfect for me. Sure, I knew he wasn’t perfect, but neither was I. Something we had in our favor, though, was the fact that we’d been friends for so long. We already knew everything about each other, so there weren’t any unwelcome surprises to catch us off guard. The one thing I hadn’t expected was how amazing of a boyfriend Jess was. He was so loving and supportive and always went out of his way to make me feel special. Plus, I couldn’t get over the fact that I got to kiss him whenever I wanted to. Which was pretty much all the time.
The Emerald Pool came into view, filling me with as much awe as it had the first time I saw it. I couldn’t help but compare how much had changed since my first time here.
We came down the last few steps and leaned against the wood railing to enjoy the serene beauty of our surroundings. A bird landed on one of the tree branches a few feet away. A brown lizard with a yellow throat scampered along the rocks to hide in a fern when it noticed us standing close by.
I had missed this island. New York was beautiful, but living in a rainforest for a few months was an experience I would never forget. And I was so happy Jess had arranged for us to come back again this year.
“I wish I could have shown my dad this place before he turned himself in. He would have loved it.”
Jess squeezed my hand. “We’ll have to bring him here to celebrate when he’s released from jail.”
I nodded. Four and a half years seemed like forever away, but it would be nice to show him my favorite place in the world once he was free. “Maybe my parents could have something like a second honeymoon here when that happens. I think they would love that.”
Jess scratched his thumb against the wood railing. “About that.” He slowly turned his gaze from the scenery back to me. There was something in his eyes, some kind of nervousness below the surf
ace.
I waited, having no idea what he was going to say.
He swiveled and took both my hands in his. “Well, you see…” He paused. Then in a much quieter voice, he said, “I was hoping you might be interested in coming back here for our honeymoon.”
Our honeymoon?
Our honeymoon?
I gasped as understanding pelted through me.
Jess stepped back and mouthed the words I love you as he lowered himself down on one knee. He pulled out a small white box, opening it to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring I’d ever seen.
I couldn’t breathe! My knees threatened to give out on me as they wobbled on the dirt path.
“I know you always dreamed of having your dad walk you down the aisle. But I still have to ask. I want you to know that you’re it for me. You’re the one I want to be with forever.” He smiled, hopeful. “I was your first kiss, and I want to be your last. When we’re together, everything makes sense. I’m my best self when I’m with you and I want you to know that I’m yours. Forever.”
I was finally able to draw in a deep breath and was about to say something when he continued.
“I understand if you want to wait, to set the date for a time when everyone you love can be there. But I love you, Eliana Costa. And I don’t want to wait to plan our future together.” He looked up at me with his big green eyes shining in the setting sunlight. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes! Of course I’ll marry you, Jess.” Tears escaped out of the corners of my eyes, and for the first time, I wasn’t embarrassed by them.
Jess stood and pulled me into his arms. Then he kissed me. When we separated, he slid the sparkling ring onto my shaking finger.
“I love you, Eliana,” he whispered against my neck as we embraced again.
“I love you, Jess. You have no idea how much,” I said. “And I don’t want to wait four and a half years. I want to marry you as soon as possible. I want us to live our life the way we want to. My dad will understand.”
“I think you’re right on that one.” He almost said it like he knew my dad would understand. When he saw the question in my eyes he said, “You didn’t think I’d ask you to marry me without consulting your dad first, did you?”
“But he’s been in jail for six months. How…?”
Jess reached for my hands as the corner of his lip slipped up into the half smile I loved so much. “I asked him while he was still here. You remember how I took him aside for a few minutes before he called the authorities?”
I blinked. “Yeah?”
“I asked for his blessing then.” Jess's smile broadened.
I gasped. “You knew then? But we’d barely started dating. How could you know?”
He wrapped his arms behind my waist and looked at me with such love that I couldn’t help but feel adored. “I’ve known for years, Eliana. It just took me a while to convince you.”
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you enjoyed DON’T FORGET ME, please review it on Amazon—even if it’s just a sentence or two. It makes a huge difference and is very much appreciated.
Thanks!
Judy
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ENJOY THIS SNEAK PEEK OF
ASHLYN AND LUKE’S STORY
Prequel to DON’T FORGET ME
COMING 2018
It’s all fun and games until somebody falls in love.
CHAPTER ONE
ASHLYN
I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill Luke Davenport.
I stared at the flyer in my hand, reading over the advertisement with a hand-drawn picture that was supposed to be me.
BOYFRIEND WANTED
For: Ashlyn Brooks
Junior. 5’7”ish. Dancer. Blonde hair. Blue or Green Eyes. (I think).
We were only two weeks into the school year and he was already doing this again? I shook my head. He didn’t even do his research before posting the ridiculous thing. I was five foot six and my eyes were most definitely blue—no I didn’t have one green eye and one blue eye like this hideous portrait suggested—something he might notice if he ever took the time to actually look at me instead of pulling these annoying pranks.
He’d been doing things like this since last spring. It all started with him slipping extra baking soda in my cake during Foods class. One prank let to another and before long we were in a war. I thought he’d forget about our rivalry over the summer, but apparently, he still had nothing better to do with his time. We’d always kept our pranks fairly harmless, but this…this was going too far. How long had these fliers been up? And how many people had seen them?
I read the rest of the flyer.
Seeking guys with the following qualifications:
Happy to commit. (Good ‘ol ball and chain.)
Loves to pamper his girl.
Tall, dark, and handsome preferred, but short and squatty are OK.
Must love shopping for hours at Chic Girl Boutique.
Must be fine with watching chick flicks over football.
If interested call Ashlyn at 315-555-7892
Or wait for me by my black Mercedes after school for your interview.
My jaw dropped. He actually put my real number on there. I crumpled the flyer in a ball and looked down the hall that was already bustling with students. There were identical ads taped on lockers all along the row. I rushed down the tiled floor, knowing I only had a couple minutes before the bell rang and I had to go to my first class. I ripped down sign after sign, going down the main hall as fast as I could in my wedges.
The warning bell rang.
No!
I made a dash at one last flyer and barely ripped it down before the hall was completely full of students rushing to their first period classes. I threw the offending flyers in the trash and headed to my locker to grab my History notebook.
My friend and next-door neighbor, Eliana, saw me as soon as I turned the corner.
“Did you see them?” Eliana asked in a hushed tone, her blue eyes searching mine for signs of a freak out.
I nodded. “Just barely. I took down as many as I could on my way here.”
“Me too. Your brother and I started yanking them down as soon as we got here, but we could only get the ones in this hall.”
I opened my locker, resisting the urge to punch it. “Why does Luke keep doing this? Doesn’t he have anyone else he can annoy?”
Eliana leaned her barely five-foot frame against her locker, her books already in her arms. “I have no idea, but we definitely need to get him back good this time.”
“For real.” He’d taken these pranks to a new level of public humiliation. He needed some public humiliation himself.
My brother Jess walked up behind us then. “Do you want me to take care of Luke this time?” he asked in his protective, older brother voice.
“No. You don't need to get involved in this. Though I am open to suggestions for revenge.”
Jess checked his watch. “The late bell is gonna ring in a minute, but we’ll talk more about this after school.” He looked at Eliana. “See you at Math Club.”
She nodded and then Jess left us.
“I better get to class,” Eliana said. “But I’ll grab any flyers that I see on my way. Sorry about this. Luke went overboard this time.”
I was almost to Mr. Phipps’ classroom when I spotted Luke. He was leaning against the wall as if he'd been waiting for me to walk by. When our eyes met, a smirk lifted his lips. He pushed himself off the wall and his long legs fell into step next to mine.
“How's your morning going?” he asked.
“Fabulously,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Pretty much a dream. I've always wanted to see my cartoon face plastered all over the school. Did you draw that picture yourself?”
He grinned. “No, actually my neighbor girl was selling her art on
the sidewalk last weekend and her picture reminded me so much of you that I had to buy it.”
I wanted to smack that smug look off his face. How could a guy who looked so cute and innocent be so devious? It wasn't fair. Guys should come with a warning label. I mean, I could've saved myself a lot of trouble last year if my ex-boyfriend, Brock’s, cover had matched his inside.
“It was great to see you again as always, Luke,” I said when we reached my destination. “Oh, and my eyes are blue, for future reference.”
He stopped and peered into my eyes for a moment, his own brown eyes catching me by surprise. Had they always had that much gold mixed in with them?
“Ah, yes, blue,” he said, his warm breath tickling my face. “I’ll have to tell my neighbor girl so she can get it right next time. You wouldn’t happen to know what your blood type is, would you?”
My stomach lurched. “My blood type?”
The smirk was back on his lips. “Totally joking there.”
I slugged him in the arm—a very well-defined arm. No wonder he was the football captain this year, he probably worked out in all of his free time to get so sculpted. He definitely hadn’t been so big last spring. He seemed taller as well. He had to be at least six-one or six-two.
I shook my head, hoping he hadn’t noticed my lingering gaze. He was still rubbing his arm where I’d hit him. That made me smile. Who says dancers aren’t tough? “You better hurry to your class before the bell rings. I’ll look forward to planning our next meeting.”
He raised an eyebrow. “By meeting you mean your next form of revenge?”
“Of course.”
His grin spread wider. For some reason, one that I couldn’t understand, it seemed like Luke was actually looking forward to the next prank I pulled on him.
