Till The End Of Time (Secrets of Savannah Book 1) Read online

  Lord, please help me find the words. I’m fumbling around in the dark now without a flashlight. Show me Your way.

  Tears filled her eyes. She felt incredibly vulnerable. “I love you, Jax.”

  His eyes widened. A vein began to thrum above his eye.

  Her palms began to moisten. She didn’t know how to interpret the look on his face. He wasn’t saying anything. Why wasn’t he saying anything?

  “It’s no excuse, but I was scared,” she continued. “I was scared to love you. Afraid of losing myself. I know it’s all tied up in my past and I want to get over it. I think I am getting over it, but it’s not going to happen overnight. And I know it might be too late. Your feelings might have changed. But for me, I just wanted—” She became choked up, so much so that she couldn’t continue. Her emotions were all over the place. Luke could be dying. And she was still at odds with her father. And she needed Jax desperately. But life had taught her that you didn’t always get the things you needed most.

  She bowed her head down, too embarrassed to even look at Jax. Even though she was trying her best to hold back the tears, they slid relentlessly down her face. She felt broken at the moment in every way possible.

  “What makes you think my feelings have changed?” Jax asked, his voice sounding ragged.

  She shook her head. Taking a deep breath she raised her head so she could look at him. It was an act of courage, but she needed to be brave, no matter where this conversation led.

  “I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. What makes you think I could stop loving you so easily?” He reached out and trailed his palm across her cheek. He leaned down and pressed a kiss against her lips. For Callie it was the sweetest of kisses. It was filled with hope and love and forgiveness. And deep, abiding love. It made her heart soar.

  She kissed him back, reaching up and running her hands alongside his jaw, her fingers getting a tickling sensation from his stubble. His scent surrounded her—a rich woodsy smell that invaded her senses. His mouth plundered hers with such tenderness it made her ache inside. How could she have ever doubted this? She belonged to him.

  As the kiss ended, they broke apart, although Jax reached for her hands and pulled her close to him. His eyes were awash with pure joy. “And knowing that you love me back, Callie…that is the biggest gift imaginable. I knew you were frightened. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you pushed past those fears.”

  Tears flooded her vision. His words served as a healing balm to her heart. It wasn’t too late! He still loved her. Suddenly, a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “I think I’ve loved you for a long time. But I’ve been afraid of loving you.”

  Jax blinked. “Afraid of me?”

  “No, not you. Never you. My past showed me a lot of dysfunction. Mac and I were raised by a mother who allowed a man to come into our lives and change everything in our world. He changed her. Frank consumed her. The idea of giving myself to a man so completely, so wholeheartedly—it scares me.”

  “Callie, I want to love your for a lifetime. I may hurt you. We may hurt each other. But those hurts will never defeat us. What we have will never be easily broken.”

  Tears of joy slid down her face. Jax lowered his head and kissed her forehead. “I’ll always work toward healing your hurts.”

  “And I’ll always work towards being there for you when the world around us becomes too much to bear. I want to be your shelter from the storm.”

  “You are, Callie. Always.”

  Callie reached up on her tip toes and kissed Jax. Her kiss was filled with so many things. It was a promise of what was in store for them. It was filled with hope. The same kind of hope she held in her heart for Luke’s recovery.

  The clearing of a throat caused them to pull apart. Her parents were standing nearby, looking at them with a mixture of curiosity and wonder.

  “What is it? Has Luke’s condition changed?” Callie asked, her heart lodged in her throat.

  Her father smiled at her. There were tears pooled in his eyes. “Thank the Lord, it has.”

  Her mother let out a cry. “Hallelujah. Luke has woken up. The doctor said his condition is still guarded, but he’s talking and responding to stimuli. He’s going to need weeks to recuperate, but he’s going to make it.”

  Callie shut her eyes and uttered thanks to God for being merciful to Luke. Jax tightly gripped her hand in support. Suddenly, all her anger toward her father melted away. She would never forget what he had done, but her heart needed to move toward forgiveness. They had almost lost Luke today. She couldn’t bear the thought of her family being so splintered apart. They would all need to support Luke in the weeks and months ahead.

  “What a blessing!” she said, reaching out and clasping both her parents by the hand.

  “I’m so sorry for what I did. You had a right to know Mac was alive,” her father said. “My only excuse—not that it’s right by any means—is that your mother was in bad shape. I went down a terrible path by not going through the proper adoption channels, and once I was on it things just snowballed. I regret it, but it brought you into our lives, so I can never wish it hadn’t happened.”

  “Tell her the truth,” Davinia insisted. She fidgeted with her fingers.

  “After all this time, it’s not important,” Lionel said, his voice brooking no argument.

  Davinia’s eyes began to blink furiously. “The truth is always important.” She turned toward Callie. “I was suicidal after Kate drowned. Depressed. What he did was a terrible thing—I don’t condone it. But everything your father did, he did for me. That’s a heavy weight to bear, but I understand his motives.” Davinia shook her head. “I felt guilty about Kate drowning. I’ve never quite gotten over that feeling of being responsible.” Her eyes had a haunted look, one Callie had never seen before. All these years her mother had put on a brave face and hidden her angst and heartache. She had endured even though she’d been wracked with guilt.

  Lionel reached for his wife. He pulled her close against his side. “It wasn’t your fault. Life took us down a terrible road. We were hit hard by that loss.” He looked at Callie and smiled. “But God had something wonderful in store for us. He brought us Callie.”

  Callie moved toward her father and hugged him for all he was worth. Her father had done a terrible thing. He had sinned. But if nothing else, Callie had learned in recent weeks about the power of forgiveness. In order to move forward she needed to take that healing step.

  “So, can we go see Luke?” she asked, wiping away her tears. It was a time for celebration and thanks. Luke was going to be all right.

  “Not yet, baby,” her mother said. “He needs to get checked over by a few doctors before they’ll let us see him.” She let out a chuckle. “They said he was asking for French fries.”

  Jax laughed louder than the rest of them. “That sounds like Luke,” he chuckled. “Him and his French fries.”

  “Why don’t we let the two of you have some time alone,” Lionel drawled, winking in his wife’s direction.

  “Oh yes,” Davinia said. “We’re going to head back to the cafeteria and let Fancy, Olivia and Morgan know about Luke.”

  “Morgan?” Callie asked. “She’s here?”

  “Yes,” her mother answered with a nod of her head. She frowned. “She was quite upset. She was crying more than I was.”

  As her parents walked off arm in arm, Callie found herself wondering yet again about Morgan’s emotional response to Luke’s accident. She hadn’t been imagining it. It had been over the top. What was going on between her brother and Morgan?

  “So,” Jax said, “now that we have everything settled, when are you going to invite me over so you can cook for me”

  Callie scoffed. “Me? Cook? Oh, Jax. I hope you didn’t fall in love with me in expectation of getting some home-cooked meals. I never did master the art of cooking.”

  “There’s always classes,” he teased. “I could sign you up for some.”

  She swatted
at him. “Hey. I’m not that bad. Well, maybe I am,” she said with a laugh.

  “That’s okay. It’s not a deal-breaker. Matter of fact, there’s really nothing about you that could change the way I feel about you.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Aww. Thank you. For loving me so completely,” Callie whispered.

  “Thank you. For making it so very easy to fall in love with you,” Jax whispered back. He placed several quick kisses on her lips.

  Callie looked around. Several people were staring at them. “We’re going to get kicked out of here for smooching in the private family room.”

  Jax took her by the hand and led her behind a column that obscured them from the rest of the visitors. “How’s this?” he asked. “Now we can smooch to our heart’s content.”

  “It’s just about perfect. Now kiss me, Jax. We’ve got to make up for lost time.”

  As Jax dipped his head down to capture his beloved’s lips in a stunning, passionate kiss that brought them full circle, Callie thought she heard harps and violins playing. For a girl who had given up on happily ever after a long time ago, finding her bliss with Jax sure felt like a fairytale ending.

  EPILOGUE:

  Breeze Point, Cape Cod

  “Thank you for coming with me to Cape Cod.” Callie stood with Jax in the reception hall at The Cove restaurant, surrounded by a posse of Donahues. All day she’d been bombarded by one after the other. It had taken all her faculties to remember all their names. She’d slipped a few times, mixing up Ryder and Nick.

  “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t have missed this wedding for the world,” Jax said. Dressed in grey suit and tie, he looked debonair and dashing. She could only imagine what he might look like as a groom. Lately, her thoughts had strayed more and more to that dream.

  “It was so beautiful,” Callie gushed. “And there wasn’t a dry eye in the church.”

  “I have no clue,” Jax admitted. “I couldn’t take my eyes off the most gorgeous bridesmaid. She was wearing a beautiful cranberry-colored dress and cream heels.” Jax let out a whistle of appreciation.

  Callie let out a giggle. “Hey! All the maids were wearing cranberry dresses with cream-colored shoes.”

  “But this one was special. She had hair the color of a slow burning fire. Eyes like precious emeralds. And she’s in love with the luckiest guy in the whole wide world.”

  “Oh, you’ve got a silver tongue, Jax Holden.”

  “Only for you, my love. Only for you.” He reached for her by the waist and pulled her toward him, leaning down to plant a stunning kiss on her lips.

  “Hey, break it up you two. You’re needed on the dance floor,” a rowdy voice boomed. It was Mac’s brother, Wyatt, the superstar baseball player for the Bay State Bombers.

  “Come on, Callie. Jax. Mac wants all the Donahues out on the dance floor,” Remy added, waving them toward him. Tall, dark and handsome, Remy was a superstar in his own right as a talented, world famous artist.

  Callie looked at Jax. “But I’m not a Donahue.”

  “Yes you are, Callie,” Mac said, coming up behind her. He placed a kiss on her cheek. “You’re an honorary Donahue. You’re part of my heart, so you’re part of theirs.”

  Tears pooled in her eyes. “Leave it to you to bring me to tears on your wedding day.”

  Mac winked at her. “I think that’s good luck.”

  “What’s going on over here?” Delilah, Mac’s bride, walked up and looped her arm around her groom’s waist. “Aren’t we doing the family dance now?”

  “Let’s do this!” Wyatt said in a raised voice. He was pumping his fist in the air and making a ruckus. His gorgeous wife, Kaitlyn, came over and grabbed him by the hand.

  Remy leaned in to Callie and whispered, “We can’t take him anywhere.”

  Callie and Jax laughed. The Donahue family was big and bustling and cheerful. She looked off onto the dance floor and spotted Mac’s brother, Brandon, slow dancing with his lovely wife, Rose. Their son, A.J. was doing flips on the dance floor with his older cousin, Seth. There was so much love here. It thrummed in the air around them. Callie found her eyes straying toward Maggie and Alec Donahue, Mac’s adoptive parents. She let out a sigh as she watched the tenderness in their every gesture toward one another. This was enduring love.

  As everyone headed toward the dance floor, Callie followed along, joining in on the Donahue family dance. This, she thought, was sheer happiness. To be at Jax’s side, dancing and celebrating alongside her beloved brother, his sweet bride and the entire Donahue clan.

  As the dancing winded down, Jax grabbed her by her hand and led her down the hall to the restaurant’s exit. It was early evening and the sun was beginning to dip down beneath the horizon. Its fiery orange rays cast a majestic glow over the earth.

  “Jax! Where are you taking me?” she squealed.

  “I want to show you something.” Holding her hand he led her over to the cliff wall overlooking a vast expanse of Breezy Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

  Callie sucked in a breath. “It’s breathtaking, Jax. I caught a glimpse on our way up here, but the view from right here is spectacular.”

  “It’s almost as gorgeous as you are.” Jax’s voice floated over her like a dream. She turned toward him, letting out a shocked gasp as she spotted him on bended knee, holding a diamond ring in his hand.

  “Callie, I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone other than you. I’ve known you for most of my life. I’ve loved you almost from the first day I met you. Will you marry me, Callie? Grow old with me, listen to my corny jokes and pray with me every night. Carry my children and share each other’s dreams. And I promise you, I’ll worship you until God separates us.”

  Callie couldn’t help herself. She ran toward Jax and sat down on his knee, throwing her arms around his neck.

  “Is that a yes?” Jax said, his voice muffled by her enthusiastic hug.

  She released him from the hug so that she could stare into his beautiful, soulful eyes. “That’s a yes, Jax. I can’t wait to spend forever with you.”

  Jax raised her to a standing position. He stood up and placed the sparkling diamond on her finger. Callie smiled down at her ring finger. She couldn’t imagine a more romantic proposal than this one. Nor could she imagine ever loving a man more than she adored her soon to be husband.

  “Just to let you know, Mac knew all about this, so I wasn’t stealing his limelight. He was one hundred percent behind us,” Jax said, his face lit up with pride. “Let’s keep it under wraps from the wedding guests though. It’ll be our little secret for tonight.”

  “Oh baby, you’ve made this special night a magical one that I’ll never forget,” Callie gushed.

  Jax reached out and brushed Callie’s wayward strands of hair away from her forehead. “Let’s go back inside and celebrate Mac and Delilah’s big day.”

  “And count down the days until we’re husband and wife,” Callie said. “There’s so much to look forward to…we are so very fortunate.”

  They joined hands and walked back toward The Cove. Callie leaned against Jax as a feeling of pure contentment rose up inside her. Joy. Peace. Forgiveness. Friendship. Love. She had found it all in her childhood friend’s arms. Together they would conquer all the pain of the past. They would walk through each day knowing they were incredibly blessed.

  DECEMBER 2015

  A Moment in the Moonlight

  PROLOGUE

  If stealing was a sin, then by all rights Hunter Rawlings was going to hell. But at least he’d go to purgatory with a full belly, he reassured himself as he jimmied open the window and propelled himself out of the opening. Hunter crouched into a kneeling position as he landed on the ground with a thud, his contraband still nestled safely in his arms.

  Hunter held the stolen ham in his hand, cradling it like a football as his belly made loud noises with hunger. He licked his lips as the aroma of savory ham mixed with brown sugar wafted in the air. A pang of guilt sliced through him as
the realization hit him that he was now a thief. How many times had Mama drummed into his head that stealing was for thugs and low lives? How many times had Reverend McAllister preached about the virtues of living a sin free life?

  For Hunter, the choice between fire and brimstone and feeding his family was easy. He could no longer bear to see his mother’s rail thin body or the dark circles that shadowed her eyes. He couldn’t stand the cries of his brothers and sisters as they went to bed hungry every evening. Ever since his father had passed on, food had been a scarce commodity around the Rawlings household. Although Sam Rawlings had never been much of a provider, he had managed to keep a roof over the family’s’ head and keep their bellies full by doing odd jobs and occasional carpentry work around Savannah.

  Although Mama had worked as a maid for some of the more prosperous families in town, her illness had taken such a toll on her health that it was no longer an option. The Rawlings family had fallen on hard times and there was no hint of brighter days to come. Stealing a Virginia ham from the Renault’s house was a simple matter of necessity, availability and opportunity.

  The Renault’s were one of Savannah’s wealthiest and most respected families. Jack Renault was the owner of one of the largest factories in Savannah, as well as being the owner of several restaurants, hotels and car dealerships. The Renault’s were so rich that they had even named their estate – Riverbend. There was no end to Jack Renault’s empire and influence in Savannah. If anyone could do without a Virginia ham, it was the Renault’s.

  Hunter took a moment to admire the sweet smelling ham then began the business of making his getaway. In his haste to get as far away as possible from the scene of the crime he stumbled over a tree stump, landing flat on his belly on the ground. With the agile movements of a cat, Hunter had managed to salvage the ham by holding it aloft in one hand as his body hit the dirt.