Running Towards Love (9 page)

“Isn’t that the truth!” Nikki flipped off the lights as they made their way back into the kitchen.

“So give yourself a break, my friend. You both made mistakes but you can easily move on. No matter what happens, things will be good.”

“You know, Rebekah,” Danny broke in, offering a glass of wine to Nikki. “That is extremely profound for someone who needs to go to bed!”

“Just you wait and see, Mr. Camarelli. Once your house is full, you will be run ragged too!”

He scratched his chin thoughtfully, a playful gleam in his eye. “Hmm…there’s that word again. Running. Think there’s anything to it, my love?”

She grinned and gave him a quick peck against his lips. “As long as I’m running towards you, husband of mine; I have no problem with it at all.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marisa Adams is an avid reader with an immense passion for great love stories. She is an educator, wife, and mother but always finds the time to squeeze in a little time to get lost in the worlds of her characters. She has been writing for years and has published several short stories before branching into the world of novels. 

Marisa believes in love at first sight and happy endings. Each of her books will remind you that romance and true love still exist even in today's fast paced world.

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http://marisaadams.com

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Thanks for reading Danny and Nikki’s story. Continue reading for an excerpt of Jason and Rebekah’s story, IS LOVE ENOUGH.

IS LOVE ENOUGH

Released October 2012

Love is a powerful thing; but, sometimes, love isn't enough. At least, that's what Rebekah Thomas believes. In her younger, more naive days, Rebekah thought love could conquer all; that was before the death of her husband, and high school sweetheart. Now she believes life is easier without it. 
Ever the romantic at heart, a failed marriage and cinema glitter is not enough to stop famous actor Jason Taylor from believing the right woman for him is out there somewhere. Tired of his undeserved playboy reputation, he unexpectedly finds the forever kind of love miles away, with a small town teacher. 
Rebekah and Jason could bridge their different worlds together, but this sweet and compassionate teacher has trouble letting him in. Just as she is convinced they could have a chance, one moment threatens to destroy everything they have built. Can Rebekah finally see the truth - that sometimes, love is all you need?

Read on for an excerpt from the Prologue and Chapter One of IS LOVE ENOUGH.

Prologue

Cold. Dark. Empty.

For the first time in months, the weather actually complemented Rebekah’s mood. Usually, if she was sad, the sun was shining; if she was ecstatic, it rained. But, today was different. Today, it was as if God was empathizing with her, completing the atmosphere with rain drops that mimicked the tears rolling down her cheeks. Her life would never be the same, and deep inside, she knew that.

“Bekah?” A soft, quiet voice called out from behind her. “Are you ready to go?”

“No,” she whispered back, not even having the energy to turn and face her friend.

“I know, honey, but the cars are here and everyone is waiting on us. We have to leave.”

“I don’t think I can do it,” Rebekah broke down, silent tears streaming down her face. She felt, more than heard, her friend cross the room, and before she knew it, Kate was standing behind her, wrapping her arms around her, and offering Rebekah the support she needed at the moment. Silently, they stood there together for several minutes, watching the sky open up and cry with the both of them. “We need to go,” Rebekah murmured.

“I’m ready when you are,” Kate replied, releasing her embrace and squeezing her friend’s hand. “And, I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”

Rebekah turned to face her friend of so many years. The dark circles under her eyes were intensified by the dark hair that surrounded Kate’s face, and she knew that this had hit Kate as hard as it had hit her. “I don’t know what I would do without you,” she said, as Kate pulled her in for another hug. “Thank you for being here.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else, and you know it.”

Silently, the two young women left the room together and headed towards the living room where the rest of the family was waiting. The sea of black that greeted them was almost overwhelming to Rebekah, and she felt Kate’s grip on her tighten. It shouldn’t have amazed her that Kate could read her mind and would automatically empathize with her emotions; it had always been that way with the two of them. From the moment they first met in the seventh grade, they had a connection that blossomed into an immediate friendship. That friendship had grown over the years and it was that friendship, along with the love staring at her from almost every face in the room, that Rebekah was relying on to survive this day.

“Are you ready to go?” She heard her father ask from his position at the fireplace. Rebekah glanced at him and couldn’t help but return to earlier days in her mind. She closed her eyes to banish the memories, but it was too late; images raced through her mind in no particular order. How many nights had they all spent together in this very room, she, Steve, Kate, John, and her parents? How many memories did these walls hold? How many secrets? In her recollections, she saw her father as a younger man: always smiling, always strong, always stoic. There was only one other time in her life when she had seen him almost crumble. As she forced her eyes open and looked through the tears brimming there, she saw him now, a graying version of his younger self. And now, it seemed like it would be the second time in her life he almost fell. She knew he was trying to keep it together for her, to be strong for her, but Steve was like a son to him, and he had already lost one child. Grabbing her coat from the closet, she slipped it on gently, and replied, “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

Her father only nodded in reply. He reached his hand down to help her mother up from the ottoman that she was sitting on in front of him, and together, they crossed the room to join Rebekah and Kate. The man representing the funeral home entered the front door and addressed the family and friends gathered there. “We have three cars waiting and that should be enough room for everyone gathered here. Mrs. Thomas,” he continued, turning to speak directly to Rebekah, “you will be in the first car. That car will lead the procession to the church. Once the service is over, your car will follow immediately behind the one carrying your husband.”

Numbly, Rebekah nodded. This was too real for her, and it shouldn’t be happening. Steve was too young; she was too young. They should be together right now, laughing, planning for their future, going through the steps to try and have a baby. She should not be planning and going through his funeral. But, there was no amount of wishing on Rebekah’s part that would change anything; Steve was gone and she was the one left behind.

Rebekah felt her father’s hand touch the small of her back as he ushered her from the house and into the waiting car. Her mother stood on the other side of her father, and Rebekah could practically hear the tears falling from her mother’s eyes. There was nothing about this day that was easy for anyone. Steve may have been her husband, but he was the son that her parents never had. In some ways, Rebekah wondered if this was harder for them than it was for her.

In silence, they drove to the church; the sound of an occasional sniffle or sigh was the only thing that broke the monotony. That silence was slowly killing Rebekah because it was in that she felt completely alone. Raindrops danced across the windows as she watched the outside world fly by. She and Steve had both been so adamant about settling down in their hometown; it was where both of their parents were, and it was where they knew they wanted to raise their kids. Now, it was so painful to see all of the places that once represented so many happy moments and cherished memories.

In a daze, Rebekah felt the car stop and felt the strong hands of her father reach down to support her as she stepped out of the car. How many times had those hands supported her before? She gazed up at the man she had loved for so long and thought about the last time he helped her out of the car in this exact same place in front of the church. At that moment, there was no way she could have felt more alive. On that day, the sun had shone, and her father had watched her with such love and awe as he prepared to offer her hand in marriage to a man he had had grown to love. Today, he just watched her with sadness.

As he escorted her into the church and down the aisle, she could feel the congregations’ eyes on her and knew the polite thing to do was to make eye contact and acknowledge their presence; however, she just couldn’t seem to make her brain work. She could only focus on the coffin that was in front of her.

Once seated, the family pressed together, and although they had an entire row to themselves, the four of them crowded so close it was almost impossible to tell where one started and the other one stopped. Rebekah closed her eyes when she heard the minister say, “We are here to celebrate the life of Steven Andrew Thomas, brother, son, and husband.” She knew she should be paying attention, but she was afraid that the longer she listened, the more she would lose it; so, she mentally forced herself to shut it all out. In her mind, she regressed to a happier time, a time she just wanted to get lost in.

They were sixteen when they first fell in love, although they had known each other for years. Growing up, it had always been she, John, and Steve. Her mother called them the three musketeers. They complemented each other because she reined them in some and they drew out her daring side. From the moment they entered kindergarten, they were inseparable. Once Kate came into the picture in junior high though, they actually drifted apart some. It always amazed Rebekah what hormones would do. Kate wasn’t particularly fond of Steve, but she couldn’t stand John. So, girls being girls, they stopped hanging out as much. She and Kate spent countless hours ooing and aahing over many young men in their school, and never once did either of them consider Steve or John an acceptable match for the other.

That changed one fateful day in high school. Kate and Rebekah rode to school together every morning and afternoon in Kate’s car as she was older and got her driver’s license first. It was a beautiful spring day, and the girls had the windows rolled down and music turned up. The other car turned towards them so fast, Kate barely had any time to react. They were hit broadside, and Rebekah spent a week in the hospital. Kate was recuperating at home, and she rarely had the opportunity to come check on Rebekah. Although she had many friends who came by to see her, it was Steve who never left her side. By the beginning of the next school year, Steve and Rebekah were officially an item, and two years later, they were married.

Rebekah still laughed at how coincidental life had been. It turned out the other driver who had hit them was John. He felt such insurmountable guilt over what occurred that he never left Kate’s side as she healed at home. She joked that he annoyed her, but Rebekah knew her well enough to know that she was lying. But even though both Rebekah and Steve knew that John and Kate were interested in each other, it wasn’t until a year after their own wedding that the other two finally gave in and admitted it. They were married six months later, and the three musketeers officially became four.

Shortly after their wedding, John and Kate moved to New York, but the two couples stayed in touch, unlike many high school friends that grow up, move away, and drift apart. Both Rebekah and Kate began teaching, so that was another common connection for them. But, the biggest connection was their friendship; they had been with each other through the good and the bad, and always would be.

‘Just like today,’ Rebekah thought to herself, tearing herself away from the past and forcing herself back into the present. Once again, John and Kate were there supporting them. Kate sat with Rebekah to support her, and John stood with the pallbearers to physically support Steve for the last time. Rebekah watched as the group of men silently picked up the casket and carefully carried it out of the church. She knew she was supposed to follow, but couldn’t seem to make her legs move. She felt Kate squeeze her hand in silent support and turned her tear-filled eyes up to meet her mother’s gaze. Her mother reached out her own hand and Rebekah stood, drawing strength from those around her. Together, they made their way back down the aisle and to the car, waiting for the drive that would truly make everything final.