Trapped in Time
Page 16
“I love you too, John. With all my heart.” She leaned in and kissed him, her burning lips gently touching the warmth of his. He kissed her back, softly at first, then with a passion that parted her trembling lips, sending tremors through both of them.
“Will you marry me, then?” he whispered into her ear before pressing his mouth onto her red, swollen lips again.
“I will,” she moaned back at him, still attached to his lips. Emma felt the wet lust between her legs again, the very same she felt every time their bodies touched. Her breathing grew heavier as she pulled him against her, wrapping her arms around the man she loved.
Suddenly, somebody knocked at the door. John barely pulled away from Emma.
“Go away,” he shouted, smiling at Emma, who melted at the thought of being undisturbed with him.
“Emma, it is me,” Lily’s voice came through the door.
Emma sat up straight and pushed John away with a grin. He gave her a quick last kiss before the door opened.
Lily looked at them, crossing her arms. “It would be nice if someone could find the time to tell me if Blackwell is planning to kill me. I’m scared to death, sitting all by myself in the kitchen.”
God, poor Lily. She had totally forgotten about her. Emma didn’t know how to answer this question and turned to her savior to see if John had a prediction.
“Blackwell will do no such thing. He will do nothing, to be precise.”
“Nothing?” both Emma and Lily asked at the same time.
John grinned. “Nothing.”
“But what about telling everybody who I am and ruining your family?”
“Ha! If Blackwell had that kind of power, he would have ruined me every time I hurt his big ego in a shooting competition.”
John’s word confused Emma, which she expressed clearly on her face.
“He knows I have letters from him. Letters in which he tells me that I can have Elise back if I wish. Letters in which he is begging me never to tell anybody about him and Elise, to save him from a scandal.”
Emma turned white like a ghost. “So, his whole threat to destroy you was…”
“Nothing but a trick. Hot air. It is the only thing he is good at. Lies and tricks.”
Emma felt so stupid. She had almost married a man who was like her father because he had used the same skillset as her father. Lying, cheating, and tricks.
Lily let out a huge cry of relief. “Oh, thank God!” she said, face up to the sky as if she were thanking God in person.
“Besides, that little coward is terrified of me. There is not a single match that has ever taken place between the two of us where I did not win. Fencing, boxing, shooting…he would not dare to challenge me.”
Emma’s voice returned at last, and her shock turned to anger. “That piece of shit! I will kill him myself!”
John laughed. “I like it when you get mad, Lady Evergreen. Shows your passion.”
Emma blushed.
“Lady Evergreen?” Lily asked, with the biggest smile Emma had ever seen on her face.
John grabbed Emma’s hand and kissed it. “Yes, Lady Evergreen,” he repeated.
“Oh, Emma, I am so delighted!” Lily came running and threw herself into Emma’s arms.
Emma glanced over to John, who looked deeply happy. Right then and there, holding her best friend close to her heart, looking at the man she loved more than herself, Emma felt a sense of happiness and belonging unlike any she had ever felt before. There was only one person missing right now who would make her family complete.
“Let’s go get Skip,” Emma said.
Lily jumped up, still grinning. “Yes, let us go get him!”
John looked at them in confusion. “The carriage driver?” he asked, drawing his brows together.
“Yes, the carriage driver,” Emma said, laughing out loud.
Epilogue
The wind was blowing harshly, pulling out little strands of Emma’s hair from her neatly tied bun. She was standing on the Brooklyn bridge, staring at the Statue of Liberty with a feeling of deep nostalgia.
“I didn’t think I would ever see you again,” she whispered into the wind to the statue that she had seen so many times before, but never with so much appreciation. Emma slowly caressed her belly in a gesture of love for the child she was carrying inside her. For the past two years, Emma had followed every lead she could to find a way home, but all she had stumbled upon was a statement by a newspaper boy that left her with more questions than answers. According to the boy, the night Emma was hit by a car, a lady was seen bending over, picking something up in the middle of the road, before getting hit by a carriage. The boy swore by all that was holy that she had just disappeared right then and there. All of this had happened on the same street where Emma was found.
That was all she was ever able to find out about the mysterious accident that had changed her life forever. To be fair, Emma had stopped looking for a way home long before she openly gave up her research. Her home wasn't in the twenty-first century any longer, it was here at the side of the man she loved. The man who had reassured her that he would rather be with her for a limited time than not at all. And now, after all these years, she’d finally made it back home.
“It’s cold, let’s go home,” John said, hugging her from behind and placing a tender kiss on her cheek. Emma nestled her head against his shoulder for a moment, closing her eyes in disbelief at how much love and happiness the human heart was capable of. It had been John’s idea to move to America, for the woman he loved so dearly, but also to thank the country that had given him the love of his life.
“Yes, let’s go home.”
Philadelphia, 2019. Somebody was knocking at the door. Emma had been missing for about a week. Lauren, her mother, was beside herself, worried to the point of insanity. She rushed to the door, praying it was the police with information about Emma. She opened it, but it wasn’t the police. Lauren's heart almost stopped. In front of her stood a young woman who looked so much like Emma, it could have been her twin sister. There were a few differences in the facial features and in height, but the colors of her hair and eyes were exactly those of her Emma.
“Who...Who...Who are you?” Lauren stammered in disbelief.
“Are you Lauren? Emma’s mother?” the woman asked in a kind voice.
“Yes.”
“My name is Jasmin. Jasmin Evergreen. May I come in?”
Still unable to understand what was going on, Lauren opened the door wide enough to let Jasmin in. Jasmin took a quick peek around the room. It was a small studio with old furniture, all Lauren could afford after finally leaving Emma’s father. She often felt ashamed for not leaving him sooner, but she was also proud of herself for leaving at all.
“Please, sit down,” Lauren said, but Jasmin walked over to her and handed her a small antique box.
“My number is written on a card in there as well. Call me when you are done reading the letter. It’s all explained in there.” With that, Jasmin walked straight to the apartment’s door and left.
Lauren was confused…what was going on here? Who was this woman? And why did she look like her Emma? She opened the box to discover a key and a letter that looked like it was very old.
“‘To Mother,’” Lauren read out loud before opening it. She almost dropped the letter as she recognized the script. This was Emma’s handwriting, no doubt! Lauren read the first sentences of it out loud to make sure it wasn’t a dream…
“‘Dear Mother, you might be worried about me, but please don’t be. I am safe and happier than I have ever been. Please sit down, as you are about to read the craziest romance story of your life, and also find out that this key leads to a whole bunch of money set aside for you...’”
OUT NOW!
The second book in the Time Travel Series is out on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084MNW7DB
(FREE with Kindle Unlimited!)
Thank you!
First of all, thank you for purc
hasing Trapped in Time. I know you could have picked any number of books to read, but you picked this book, and for that, I am extremely grateful. As a small-time author and a full-time mom, my readers mean a lot to me!
If you enjoyed this book, it would be really nice if you could leave a review for this book on Amazon. You can review the book here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083N237V9
Your feedback and support will help me to continue writing romance novels.
Also, don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter to get alerts of FREE novels. You can find the newsletter and more info about my books here:
www.timelesspapers.com
Thank you!
About the Author
Denise graduated with a master’s in Social Work from an ivy league school and has spent many years of her life working with families and individuals in need of assistance. She has always had a passion for writing, but it wasn't until her own baby boy was born that Denise turned her passion into her profession. Whenever Denise is not typing away on one of her books, you can find her caring for her son (a.k.a. one of the toughest jobs in the world), binging Netflix with her beloved husband, or chasing after her puppy (who should technically be an adult dog by now).
Copyright 2019 by Timeless Papers
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of
brief quotations in reviews.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
OUT NOW!
Thank you!
About the Author