I straightened my graduation cap and pushed the tassel away from my face, feeling Aunt Nina squeeze my shoulders. We were standing on the field, our high heels sinking into the freshly cut grass. Nina had never had children of her own, so she and Uncle Jared treated me like I was their daughter, too. They would never know that in another life, I was.
“Ryan,” Aunt Nina said, handing her phone to my dad. “Get one of us girls,” she said. “Claire!” she called, pulling Mom in and calling for Aunt Allison, who waddled over and wedged her large, pregnant belly into the frame. “Grandmas, too, let’s go,” Nina said.
“I love you, and I’m so proud of you,” Mom said through her teeth as she smiled. “But I hate pictures.”
“I know,” I said with a smile. “Almost over.”
Dad snapped pictures, next to Grandpa Jack and Papa Gabe, who were taking millions of their own. Once they finally stopped, Mom kissed my cheek and nonchalantly tried to get back behind the lens.
“Proud of you, kiddo,” Uncle Jared said, squeezing me quick.
“Love you,” I said, hugging him back.
“And Brown, now? Your aunt couldn’t be more excited. She lived in Andrews Hall for a bit, you know.”
“I know,” I said.
“That’s where she met Beth and Kim and your dad.”
“I’ve heard that one, too,” I teased.
“Oh, we have dinner with Beth and Chad tonight, don’t forget,” Aunt Nina said. “And Kim thinks she can make it, too.”
“Really?” Dad said. “I haven’t seen her in forever. The band’s getting back together.”
Nina hugged me tight. “My baby girl’s all grown up. It happened too fast,” she said, tears in her eyes. “Far too fast, Eden. You know if you need anything… I know a thing or two about Brown. You call or text me, and I’ll be here.”
“You promise?” I asked.
She cupped my cheeks. “I love you more than I could ever promise.”
“You have a party to go to?” Mom asked.
I nodded.
“Text me,” Dad said.
“I think if I get into trouble, you’ll be the first to know.”
“The goal is for the police chief’s daughter not to find herself in any trouble,” Dad said, kissing my forehead. “Be safe. We love you.”
My parents chatted with my aunts and uncles and grandmothers, and then we said our goodbyes, my mom the last one to wave and blow me a kiss before ducking into her McLaren.
“Well, we did it. Now what?” Morgan McKinstry said from behind me.
I turned to face him and hugged him tight. “Now we celebrate.”
“We’re not really going to one of those stupid parties, are we?”
I let him go, turning to face the football field exit where families were leaving in mass exodus. “Of course not.”
“What are you doing?” Morgan asked.
“Waiting,” I said.
A motorcycle growled in the distance and only got louder as it entered the parking lot of the high school. After a few gratuitous revs of the engine, it cut off. The driver put down the kickstand and immediately began walking toward us.
“Who’s that?” Morgan asked.
I smiled. “A friend I met on the Internet.”
“Wait. Is it the guy you’ve been looking for? You found him?” Morgan asked.
“Morgan!” his mother called. “Morgan! Come say hi to Grandpa Ellis!”
I smiled, watching Levi walk toward me. He looked almost the same as he did the last time I saw him, just a little older—seven years. He still walked with that confident swagger.
I took off my graduation cap and let it fall to the ground next to me.
He stopped just inches from me, looking down into my eyes. He combed back a few lose platinum strands of my hair that had fallen into my face when I removed my cap, unable to take his gaze from mine. He held his palm to my cheek and leaned into it, closing my eyes. The universe was right again.
“I’d almost lost hope,” he said.
I shook my head. “Claire’s not like Nina. She wasn’t about to get pregnant too soon, even after she finally agreed to marry Ryan.”
“This is so surreal,” he said. “I’ve dreamed about this exact moment so many times.”
“I promised you, didn’t I?”
“You did it,” he said, shaking his head. “Jack and Cynthia. Gabe and Lillian. Jared and Nina, Ryan and Claire, even Bex and Allison. You kept them all together. And you found me. I don’t know how you did it, but you gave them all their happy endings, and they don’t even know it.”
“You know it,” I said. “I was afraid you wouldn’t.”
He cupped my jaw and leaned down, planting his lips on mine.
It didn’t matter that we hadn’t yet met in that lifetime. I melted into him, letting his mouth move against mine for as long as he wanted. He’d had to wait for me another quarter of a century, but he did—patiently.
“I’ve always known you were the one, Eden,” he whispered against my lips. “You’re my beginning and the end.”
I pulled away from him, shaking my head. “Our story will never end.”
Leviathan, Prince of Hell, Son of Satan, Son of Petra, enveloped me in his loving, gentle arms.
And in his arms, I stayed.
A Note from the Author
Thank you doesn’t seem enough, but I must thank you for sharing this with me, my first book and the completion of my first series. I hope you enjoyed getting to know and spending time with Jared, Nina, the Ryels and the rest of the characters as much as I did. Nina and Jared have a special place in my heart; they feel very much like family and I’m sad to see it end. I hope the final installment was everything you’ve been so patiently waiting for, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’ve seen them through to the end.
Thank you,
Jamie
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My first thank you goes to Jessica Landers, my assistant, my paralegal, my agent, my sounding board, and my friend. I couldn’t and wouldn’t do life without you. You save me and my sanity on a daily basis, something I’ll never forget.
A huge thanks to Beth Petrie for encouraging me to write Providence, my first novel, and essentially my career,
To Dr. Lisa Vandermeer Kahle for being a consistent cheerleader from my first days to now,
To Dr. Ross Vanhooser for believing in me, and to Sharon Ronk who supported me when very few people did.
Thanks to Misty Horn for your friendship and endless support and positivity,
Always to the MacPack for your love, patience, kindness, and support,
And, last but never, ever least, thank you to Jason Beguin, my best friend and the love of my life. Thank you for taking the kids somewhere fun so I could work, your support, patience, guidance, and love. I have finally found my own real life love story and happy ending, and I’ll never take it for granted.