His lips rubbed mine, almost without touching them.
And from instinct, I closed my eyes and waited.
I felt him again, but surer this time, pressing into me with passion as his hands held my face. It was sweet and delicate, tender and devastating. I yielded to that kiss, and I gave back as much as I got. I don’t know how long it lasted; I didn’t know kissing a man could feel like that. When his tongue wrapped around mine, I was certain I never wanted to kiss anyone else that way again.
I realized something then, and the realization gathered force as we continued touching each other: I loved him. And knowing that terrified me.
I pulled back, almost out of breath, though it took all of my strength not to leap at him. “I think this was a mistake,” I said.
He smiled as if he knew something I didn’t, a secret, and rubbed my cheek with the back of his hand. “I love those pretty things you say,” he said, giving me one last peck. “Now close your eyes and promise me you won’t open them again until I tell you. We’re about to arrive somewhere. I want it to be a surprise for you.”
“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that Ihadbegun.”
—Jane Austen,Pride and Prejudice
18
My Destiny and Yours Crossed
“Okay, you can open them.”
My eyes had been closed so long that for a moment, all I could see were bright flashes over a blurry background. I had to blink several times to see clearly.
Then I saw a house with white walls, a green roof, and a delicate fence surrounding a garden full of flowers and vegetables. My mouth fell open in surprise when I noticed a covered carriage with a horse and a girl in a brown, ankle-length dress, a white apron, and lace-up boots, all in the style of another era. Rounding off the costume was a straw hat and long braids tied at the ends.
We got out of the car and she approached us with a broad smile. “Hi, my name is Layla. Can I help you?”
“I’m Trey Holt. I called yesterday to make a reservation for a guided visit.”
“Of course. I was waiting for you.”
Her, the house, all of it confused me. I felt as if I’d stepped into a dream, as if I were floating in some vague space between past and present. But I wasn’t. I could hear a rushing sound in my ears, and my eyes filled with tears. They rolled down my cheeks and fell like huge drops of rain.
I couldn’t believe it. I was at Cavendish. I was at Green Gables. The real farm had never existed, but this was the re-creation of Avonlea that had been built on the island decades ago. My whole body prickled with joy, but a second later, the sorrow hit, quick and hard like a wave from out of nowhere, nearly knocking me over.
There are things you never forget, things that live inside you forever.
Moments that come late.
That should have belonged to someone else.
I turned around and started walking away.
I needed a second to breathe. To pull myself together.
Because I didn’t want to lose that battle with guilt, but I just couldn’t help feeling frail and fragile.
In that moment, a whole world came back to me and vanished at once.
I didn’t know where I meant to go, but I had to try to escape the hole opening up in my chest, all those feelings welling up inside of me.
Trey hurried over and took my hand, stopping me and turning me toward him. He looked worried at first, then when he looked closer, utterly baffled.
“Are you crying? Why?”
I shook my head, unable to find the right words. “It’s…all this.” I groaned, waving my hand past the landscape around us.
“Because I brought you here?” he asked, more and more upset. “I’m sorry, I thought you’d like it. The other morning I got curious, and I tried to find out more about your book, and I learned about this place. I thought it would be nice. After all you’ve told me, and everything that story is supposed to mean for you…”
