Other Side Of Forever (Other Side Of Forever Series Book 1)
Page 20
“Ethan,” I whispered, turning on my side to face him, desperately thinking what I could say to make him feel better, but failing.
“When I reached you,” he said, his voice cracking as his hands slipped away from his face, “I didn’t even recognize you.” Moisture trailed down his cheeks, his eyes still peering at the ceiling. “There was blood and glass everywhere—a lot more blood than at the school. It covered your entire face. Your heart was barely beating. The air was trapped in your throat. You were suffocating. I knew I only had minutes, possibly even seconds, before you’d be lost to me forever.”
He turned his head, gazing into my eyes. “But the worst part was knowing how much pain you had to be in, and that if I were to make you an immortal, that pain would never cease. It would turn into a different kind of pain.”
I hadn’t thought of that. I rubbed his arm, triggering him to continue.
“I got lucky. Once I started infusing my energy into you, yours instantly responded with mine. I’ve never seen anything like it.” He shook his head, his expression lighter. “There was no need to keep going—your heart took off like a rocket. You did that, Allie. You had so much power in you that you made yourself live. And you opened the portal, too.”
I let his words settle around me for a moment, basking in the knowledge of my power. Yes, I’d healed myself. The power I’d hated, had hidden from since I was ten, was now the power that had saved me. And brought Ethan back to me.
Then the rest of what Ethan had said hit me.
“Why would you think that by changing me it would cause me more pain?” I choked out the words. “Ethan, it doesn’t matter whether I become immortal or not. What matters is that we’re together. We couldn’t survive without each other. I can’t believe that letting me die was an option for you.”
“You don’t understand, Allie,” he stressed, the lines in his forehead creased as he looked at me. “I wouldn’t have let you die. But I was debating on giving you a life of eternity. Don’t you see what Kiera has to go through every day? She told me she revealed everything to you. Her parents. The accident. Everything. You have no idea what it does to you…to watch the people you love and care the most about grow old and die. I’ve accepted the way I am, but I don’t want you to experience that, even if it means I’ll be the one getting hurt in the end.”
“But that’s a decision Kiera made. Why would that affect me?” I argued, knowing somehow I was right and he was wrong. He had no idea what he was saying. “She can go back to them anytime she wishes.”
“No, she can’t, Allie.” His eyes widened as he lifted his brows. “Not only has she changed in physical appearance, but as her parents grow older, she’ll remain the same. What would they say to that? How would she begin to explain?”
“But if they loved her, they would accept the changes. They would just cherish the fact that she was there.”
“Really?” he asked. “Then why didn’t you disclose your gifts to your mother? To Jeremy?”
“Because it was complicated.” I lowered my eyes to the maroon comforter.
“Exactly,” he stated. “And you thought they would think you were crazy.”
I glanced back over at him. “Okay, you’ve got a point about Kiera. But if I became immortal, Jeremy would understand why. He would still stick by my side. It’s not like he’s in the dark anymore. And we would all be here to protect him if anything went wrong.”
“And your mother?”
I looked at him through narrowed eyes. “Why are you even bringing her up? She left me. She couldn’t care less whether I disappeared or not.”
“People change, Allie. You should know that. And I know the true feelings you have for her. You made them known, remember?”
I knew he was referring to how I was in the beginning. But he was wrong about my mom. She would never care about me the way she should.
“Sometimes people get lost in the moment, take the wrong path. But when she realizes what she really has, she’ll come home to you.” He reached his hand out, his fingers gently caressing my cheek. “I just never want to have to make that decision again. Besides, we’re spending so much of our energy arguing about this when we could be using it for something else.” He smiled, pulling me on top of him.
“Like you have to worry about losing energy.” Warmth flooded my cheeks as butterfly wings tickled the inside of my stomach. Would my body ever get used to his touch?
Ethan wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging my body to his. I leaned down, my eyes on his and whispered, “I love you.”
“I know.” He smiled, then added, “I’ve always known.” He locked his arms tightly around me and rolled over, until he was once again on top of me.
Our moment was interrupted when the door flew open and banged against the wall. Ethan and I both swung our heads around, eyes wide and breath frozen in our throats as something furry barreled toward us.
I pushed Ethan to the side and sat up. “Omigosh!” I said, laughing and crying at the same time. “Skippy, oh, Skippy!” I reached out to my dog’s golden head as he bulldozed his way onto my stomach. “Where did you come from?” I wrapped my arms around his soft fur and squeezed him tight. He lifted his head and lapped his tongue over my face.
“I guess it’s too late to yell ‘surprise,’ huh?” Jeremy laughed as he popped his head in the door.
“Where did you find him?” I asked, still squealing in excitement.
“He was tied to the front door. And this was stuck inside his collar.” Jeremy tossed me a rectangular piece of paper.
I caught it mid-air. Jeremy gave me a wave and said, “I’ll leave you guys alone for now so you can get reacquainted,” then took off down the hall.
I glanced at the card. It was a picture of a city with lots of lights.
“What is it?” Ethan asked, glancing over my shoulder.
“A postcard.” I turned it over. “And it’s from my mom.”
“What’s it say?”
“Allie, dropped Skippy off while I figure out what to do with my life. Sometimes people tend to get lost, and I happened to be one of them. Sorry I haven’t been the best mom in the world, but I’m hoping to change that. I’ll see you soon.”
I flipped the card over and studied the picture, wondering where the heck she could be.
“It’s a picture of Vegas,” Ethan said. He shook his head. “I wonder how she found you?”
“She didn’t. Erica said she dropped something off that had arrived at her house this morning. Which means my mom had no intention of finding me.” I stroked the top of Skippy’s head. “She passed him off to Erica to give to me.” The heat circulated in my cheeks.
“Relax, Allie.” Ethan kissed me softly on my forehead. “She said she’d see you soon. And she gave you back your dog. Which holds true to what I said.” He lifted his finger and pushed my hair back, tucking it behind my ear. “People change. And while you wait for that change, I’ll be here to keep you occupied.” He smiled and pushed me back down on the bed, sliding his body over mine. Ethan’s warm energy swarmed around me as he pulled the comforter up and dropped it down over us, sending Skippy scrambling out into the hallway. My heart warmed. Maybe Ethan was right. Maybe my mom could change. After all, I did.
“Oh, and,”—he whispered into my ear—“there’s one thing I need to tell you.”
“And that is?” I smiled in the darkness.
“I love you, too,” he said, placing his warm lips against the side of my neck. “More than you’ll ever know.”
Ethan was my forever, my always, my eternity, my infinite, and whatever else anyone wanted to call it.
My mother had been wrong all along. Some things do last forever.
The End
* * *
Another Side of Forever.
Coming soon.
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About the Author
; Shannon Eckrich is an International Bestselling Paranormal Romance author who writes for teens and adults. She is a dreamer, an avid reader, ghost hunter, and believer in aliens, myths, and love at first sight. After all, she did marry her high school sweetheart. Shannon also believes all the problems in the world can be solved with a little bit of love and compassion.
When she’s not creating worlds that walk the line between fiction and reality, she enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering at the firehouse down the street.
She currently lives in Delaware with her husband, two kids, three cats, and her dog, Chewy.
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