Epilogue

The fast bustle of the travelers disguises me as I sit on the row of seats, ticket in one hand and a heavy heart in the other.

Even in the presence of so many people, my loneliness is palpable. Once again, I’m on a journey with myself, willing to discover what makes my heart beat with joy.

This is the right thing to do.

Moving to Australia for six months will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and one I can’t miss because of mixed emotions. My heart is sobbing like a lovesick fool, but it’s my head waving its flag saying, “Listen to me for once.”

And so, I do.

Adriana deserves better. She deserves a man who’ll love her and Andy unconditionally, together as a whole. And most importantly, she deserves it at the right time, not pushed upon her during her time of grief.

Do I love her?

I feel something, but I’m in denial. You see, Julian Baker has a habit of falling head over heels in love but always to forget.

Adriana doesn’t replace anyone.

She stands on her own.

And I need to walk away to make sure my feelings are justified. Yet, unlike every other time I walked away, usually from a bruised ego, this moment is different.

I feel sick to my stomach. The pain, indescribable, serves a purpose. We’re both forced to rediscover who we are in this game called life. I’m yet to understand why we’re forced through this insurmountable pain to find the so-called rainbow.

The announcement is made for the final boarding call thousands of miles across the ocean. I honestly can’t be going further away from her. I grab my carry-on and join the line. Slowly, like a marching order, we walk, filing into one line.

There’s a family in front of me—father, mother, and two young children. The children are running around the parents much to their frustration. Inside the arms of the mother, she’s carrying what appears to be a newborn child. Even amid the chaos, she rocks the baby with a content smile.

I’m not oblivious to the scene before me, understanding there’s a greater, more unconditional love than between a man and woman. It’s one of a mother and child, a bond so secure nothing in this world can ever break it. With that thought, I make a mental note to call my mom the moment I land just to let her know I have arrived safely.

Suddenly, my focus shifts as I hear my name being called. With the noise of the people around me, plus the speakers making several announcements, I assume it’s my imagination.

Just move on.

My name is called again, it’s getting closer, and as I turn around I see Adriana running toward me, pushing others out of the way until she’s in front of me. She places her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

I pull her aside, worried she’s about to collapse on the spot from a heart attack. Despite her thin frame, she isn’t lying when she claims she’s unfit.

“Adriana? What are you doing here?”

She attempts to talk but is halted by the lack of air in her lungs. “Oh my God, I’m so unfit.”

I let out a laugh. Putting my bag down, I gently say her name again. With her big green eyes, she stares back at me, desperately trying to talk with her eyes rather than her mouth.

“I don’t know what will happen. I can’t make promises. There’s only one thing I’m sure of… I want to live to see Andy grow. And…” she watches me as she speaks, her eyes wide, a mixture of fear and desperation, “… I want to see where we can go. It’ll be hard, I know. My brother, he’ll kill me, but this is my life, and I can’t deny my feelings anymore.”

My heavy chest lightens as she says the words I so desperately want to hear, yet never realized how much until this very moment.

I wipe the tear falling on her face, brushing my thumb against her lip willing the tears to stop.

Everything she wants, everything my heart so desperately needs, is standing right in front of us. Except for one thing—a plane outside this terminal ready to take me away on my next journey. My lips press together in a slight grimace, conflicted as to what to do.

But what’s the rush?

We have forever, right?

“I have to do this, Adriana. I have to go find myself, but…” I search her face, praying she understands the importance of me leaving, “… I want to see where this can go, too.”

She stands in front of me, shuffling her feet with a huge grin on her face. Her body relaxes, but I know not to take this too far. As Hazel said, she’s living and breathing. There are ways to make this work. I don’t need to rush fate or whatever the hell it is that brings us into each other’s lives.

“Promise you’ll email?” she asks.

“I promise to email.”

Adriana purses her lips. “Promise you’ll call?”

“I promise to call.”

The announcement blares over the speakers, and the line is becoming shorter. With only minutes left, I think carefully about the right move to make.

“I don’t expect you to wait for me, Julian. In fact, if you find someone, you know… like to—”

I cut her off and place my hand into hers. “Adriana… you’re worth waiting for.”

And with that, I raise her hand toward my mouth and tilt it sideways, placing my lips on the scars covering her wrists. Kissing them sends a warm rush within me, and in this moment, I know why everything that happened before this moment did happen.

All in this one kiss.

I know I want nothing more than to show her how strong my feelings are, and the best thing I can do for us right now is to heal on my own.

“Thank you,” she mouths, the beautiful smile on her face rocking me to the core.

I let go, not forever, but for right now and walk away knowing good things come to those who wait.

And Adriana Evans is a great thing.

in

Chasing Him

A Forbidden Second Chance Romance

The Dark Love Series Book 4

Click here to purchase

BLURB

Our vows were exchanged.

We had our whole lives planned out.

And even brought our son into this world.

Until hours later… when everything stopped, and you were suddenly gone.

Life was perfect until the day the only man she had ever been with, the man who had stolen her heart at the tender age of seventeen, was taken away before his time.

Desperate, angry, and unable to heal, Adriana hits rock bottom and is forced to seek help for the sake of her son. What she doesn’t expect is a friendship from an unlikely source—Julian Baker, her best friend’s ex-fiancé.

Julian is every bit the man she isn’t expecting to walk into her life—intelligent, witty, and extremely handsome. Their unique friendship soon turns into a forbidden relationship. As lovers, they form a bond that must remain hidden from their family and friends, but secrets can only be kept for so long.

Adriana’s brother, Lex, loathes Julian and will stop at nothing to break them apart.

Will Lex’s controlling nature and overprotective stance on his wife drive Adriana to end another great love in her life? Or will she finally heal with a man who never intended to steal her heart?