A Bride Worth Billions (21 page)

Epilogue

I rubbed my distended belly and watched as Elias attempted to get the saleswoman to demonstrate to him how to put the crib together.  I didn’t know what the big deal was; I figured it would come with instructions and we had at least several months to go.  At least, I think we did.  I felt the baby kick and I smiled to myself.  She was a little fireball just like her daddy.

I adjusted the wedding ring on my now swollen finger and thought back to that special day when we found out I was pregnant.  As shocking as it was to find out that the man I had fallen in love with at first sight was a werewolf, it paled to the shock Elias’ face registered when after dragging me to the emergency room for throwing up nonstop, we had been told that I was eight weeks pregnant.  I thought Elias was going to faint as he stumbled back against a wall and used it to hold himself up.

“Are you sure, doc?” he breathed out, his voice shaky.

“As sure as day, you’re going to be a father.  Congratulations!” The doctor then disappeared behind another curtain.

“Are you okay, honey?” I had said reaching for my husband’s hand.  He had nodded at me and his face had registered in that moment shock, fear and then happiness, followed by excitement as he kissed me hard on the mouth.  He then pumped his fist in the air and yelled loud enough for everyone in the emergency room to hear, “I’m going to be a father!”

I had smiled to myself.  We had only been married for less than a year and I was still getting used to being called Skylar Steward and now I was going to be a mother.  I couldn’t imagine a happier ending and as I watched Elias convince the sales lady to take the crib out of the box, he must have felt my eyes on him because he looked up at me and shrugged, a sheepish smile on his face.  And I held his eyes and grinned, knowing that my Navy Seal, my wolf man, was just that, mine.  Forever.

THE END

Olivia strained her eyes to catch the words, but they only seemed to get smaller and smaller. The time on her watch read one fifteen a.m. admitting defeat, Olivia closed the history book she was reading and put it back on the shelf. The library was shrouded in silence and weariness. Olivia gathered up her satchel and her books and made her way out of the library. On her way out she passed Erica at the returns counter.

“You look tired kid,” Erica noted.

“I have an essay to turn in next week,” Olivia explained.

“Maybe next time you should bring some friends,” Erica suggested. “Make the studying more interesting.”

Olivia smiled. “Thanks… but I prefer studying alone.”

Erica shook her head and waved goodbye. Olivia paused unsure which route to take back to Lincoln Dorm. It was only a ten-minute walk from the Harold Menken Library, but there were a number of ways to get there. She decided to cut across the lake, and then changed her mind to the Maudlin Crescent route. The wind was slightly aggressive that night as Olivia made her way back to her dorm. Olivia loved her night time strolls, tired as she was, her mind managed to find solace in the rare and peaceful quiet that fell over the campus.

She had to decide on a major that year and Olivia mulled over her choices. It was harder than she expected to pick one. The moment she was comfortable with a major in Classics, she wondered if History would be the better choice, or perhaps even French. She was so absorbed in her decision that she barely noticed that the wind seemed to be getting more hostile the further on she walked. Instinctively, Olivia turned her head down to shield her eyes from the dust blowing into her face.

“Get out of the way,” a voice hissed at her from the shadows.

“What?” Olivia said startled, unable to see the person talking to her.

“Quickly… the next gust of wind is going to take the building down with it,” he said again, a little more urgently.

Olivia looked behind her. She was standing right in front of a construction site, the university was always undergoing some form of work. Everything looked sturdy to her, but just as she was thinking this, a massive gust of wind came sweeping in from behind her, almost pushing her off balance. A large, strong hand fastened itself around her wrist and pulled her off the path she was walking. Stunned and confused, Olivia allowed herself to be pulled until her thoughts could catch up with her body. Then, she jerked to a stop, bracing herself against the screaming winds and pulled her hand fiercely from the tall stranger’s.

“Who the hell are you?” Olivia demanded.

“The guy who just saved your life,” he said dryly.

Olivia looked at him as if he were crazy. “My life wasn’t in danger.”

As soon as she said the words, the wind let out a long shriek that made Olivia’s skin crawl. She turned in time to see the temporary structure that had been set in place for the foundation of the new building come tumbling down, sending bits of debris flying from every direction. This time, when the tall stranger grabbed her hand and pulled her further away, she didn’t resist. She moved with him, stunned by his uncanny prediction.

“How did you know the building would collapse?” Olivia asked once they had come to a stop a safe distance away.

The man standing in front of her was at least a head taller. His face was half covered by shadow, but Olivia could make out the translucent hazel of his eyes. He was looking over her, towards the newly destroyed construction site.

He shrugged and replied coolly. “Logic and a lucky guess.”

Somehow Olivia didn’t buy that. “The foundation was solid… there was nothing to indicate it would collapse. It happened all at once.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Or maybe you’re just unobservant.”

With that brusque reply, he turned and left Olivia standing there. She wondered if she should follow him, but she changed her mind at the last second, feeling perplexed and completely undone. 

It had been nearly a week since the site near Menken Library had collapsed. They had managed to re-build some of the damage. It had even been on the local news, with newscasters pointing out how lucky it had been that no one had been near the site in the midst of its fall. It was in the clear light of day, after the fact, that Olivia had seen the extent of the damage.

Sitting there, in the cool quiet of the library, Olivia reflected again on how lucky she was to have avoided being hurt. Her mind had been filled with thoughts of the tall stranger who had saved her. He had given her no explanations or introductions; he hadn’t even stayed long enough to allow her to thank him. The meeting had left Olivia jarred, and she couldn’t seem to shake the feeling.

Almost as though her thoughts had summoned him, Olivia caught sight of his familiar figure walking through the doors of the library. Without pausing to think, Olivia set down her copy of
Jamaica Inn
and followed him. He set a brisk pace, walking up to the second floor and then making a sharp turn into a little corner stuffed with older books.

“Is there a reason you’re following me?” he asked without turning back to look at her.

Olivia wrinkled her brow knowing that she hadn’t made a sound. “How did you know?”

“I have great hearing,” he said looking through books on the shelf in front of him.

Olivia came to stand beside him. He gave her a cursory glance.

“How did you know it was
me
?”

He hesitated for a moment. “I have eyes in the back of my head.”

“Very funny,” Olivia said rolling her eyes at him.

He gave a barely audible sigh. “You’d be surprised.”

He was the strangest guy Olivia had ever met. His mannerisms were brusque and cold, and his eyes had this strangely glassy quality that looked as though he were far, far away.

“I… don’t know you name,” Olivia said.

“It’s Mark,” he said in an offhand way, as though he were not interested in committing to the introduction.

“I’m Olivia.”

Mark picked out a book and moved down the aisle without a word to Olivia. Simple unadulterated curiosity caused her to follow him. There was something about him. He was odd; there was no other word for it. There were a bunch of tables pushed up against the library’s massive windows. Mark took a seat at one and opened his book. Olivia slipped into the chair opposite him.

“Why are you still here?” he asked abruptly without looking up from his book.

Olivia stifled her annoyance. “I’m
trying
to thank you.”

“For what?” he asked.

Olivia raised her eyebrows. “Seriously? For saving my life last week.”

“Oh,” Mark replied. “Ok.”

“Ok?”

“You’re welcome,” he said, but it seemed more like he was telling her what she wanted to hear so that he could get rid of her.

Olivia sighed, as she rose from her seat. “Ok well… I’d better get back to my dorm.”

“Uh I wouldn’t just yet,” Mark said unexpectedly.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s going to rain pretty hard in a couple of minutes,” he told her with a straight face.

“I checked the weather forecast this morning,” Olivia said. “No rain.”

Mark shrugged. “You’re call.”

Olivia hesitated and then sank back down into her seat, watching Mark carefully. She realized suddenly what was so jarring about him. There was something about his eyes; it was as though she could see through them. They were flecked with gold that matched the honey tones in his dark brown hair. Olivia sat there in silence waiting for rain, while Mark read.

A few minutes later, Olivia heard the gentle pitter-patter of raindrops. They’re sound was soft against the windowpane, but a few seconds longer and raindrops hurtled down in a steady onslaught. Olivia stared as though she had never seen rain before.

“
How
on earth did you know it would rain?” she demanded of Mark.

He looked up for the first time, regarding her calmly. “My pinkie finger twitches just before a storm.”

Olivia rolled her eyes at him again. She noticed the right corner of his mouth twitch up in the ghost of a smile. She thought back to the night he had pulled her to safety, he had made a prediction there too. She felt her own instincts stir. There was a closed book lying next to Mark, between the two of them. She wondered what he would do if she pushed the book off the table. The moment her intention solidified, her hand was in the process of carrying out the action.

“I wouldn’t,” Mark said softly. “You’re right.”

“I am?” Olivia asked breathlessly. “You can… see the future.”

“Apparently.”

“I…
how
?”

“It started happening when I was around nine,” Mark replied. “I guess I always assumed I was born with it.”

“You can really predict the future?”

“Some of it,” Mark confirmed. “The future is an ever changing beast. No one can truly see it.”

“That’s a pretty big secret to trust a stranger with,” Olivia pointed out, surprised by the speed and ease with which he had shared his ability with her.

Mark shrugged again. “It was inevitable.”

“You mean you saw yourself telling me?”

“I saw that you would believe me,” Mark replied. “And no matter which decision was made, on your part or mine that never changed.”

Olivia wrinkled her brow. “You’ll have to explain that to me.”

“The future changes according to our choices. Once you’ve made up your mind about something, you’re future will set accordingly. But if you change your mind, the future re-sets again.”

“But with me…?”

“It didn’t matter what decision I made,” Mark said. “In the end… you would have found out about me anyway. So I’m accepting the inevitable and making this simple.”

“By trusting me?”

“Yes.”

Olivia leaned back in her seat. “Whoa.”

“It takes awhile,” Mark said calmly turning back to his book.

“Why do you do that?” she asked.

“Do what?”

“I don’t know…” Olivia said trying to describe it to him. “You seem… closed off. Abrupt. Like you’re not interested in… having a conversation… or being around people.”

“It’s because I’m not,” Mark replied simply.

“Why is that?”

“Because then I have to deal with every changing scenario their choices create. And I’m not prepared to deal with that.”

It was the way he said it, there was a distinct edge to his voice. Olivia thought she heard some bitterness coloring his tone. She noticed that his knuckle tightened over the book in his hands and she payed closer attention to the title. It read ‘Psychics and Their Futures’.

After a long silence, Olivia turned to him and asked, “In… your future and mine… were we… friends?”

Mark paused a moment. His face was unreadable, but the hazel gold of his eyes looked as though they were on fire. “We were.”

Olivia took another steadying breath. “Does that make us… friends now?”

“Given what you know about me,” Mark replied. “I suppose so.”

“Ok,” Olivia said. “Ok.”