Read Online Eternal Hope (The Hope Series) by Frankie Rose - Free Book Online
Authors: Frankie Rose
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eyes unfocused and the trees in her peripherals turned into black, shapeless smudges. She’d almost managed to clear her head of the day’s horror, of finding Kayden and watching him die, when she realized Daniel was laying beside her. The guy had some serious stealth skills.
“Hey.”
She didn’t respond. Just stared up at the sky, realizing that she hadn’t blinked in a while and her eyes had gone dry. When she closed them, they stung. She kept them shut.
“Are you going to talk to me?” Daniel whispered. She felt the proximity of something close to her face- probably his hand- but he didn’t touch her. The feeling lingered for a second and then vanished.
“That depends,” she whispered back.
A pained pause. “On what?”
“On whether you’ve been lying to me for the past three weeks. On whether that cow Anna was telling the truth when she said you agreed to have children with Cassie. On whether I’ve made myself look like a complete fool because you didn’t feel like filling me in on some really important stuff, knowing how nervous I was about coming here in the first place.” It was like a small victory. Inside, Farley celebrated the fact that her voice hadn’t shaken or cracked, despite the searing pain in her chest.
Daniel drew in a deep breath. “Can you look at me?”
She shook her head. If she looked at him, she would start crying for sure, and that wasn’t going to get her anywhere. Even talking and keeping her breathing steady was pushing her luck right now.
“Okay,” Daniel said. “I haven’t been lying to you. I promise you, here and now, so you won’t ever have to doubt it, I will never, never lie to you.”
A memory of the night at the fairground back in Monterey Hills when Agatha had told her who she was punched its way up through Farley’s mind. She let her face twist a little as she remembered Daniel’s words. “I lie. All the time ,” she mimicked.
He sighed, all frustration, and Farley felt the movement of him rolling onto his side. This brought him closer. She could feel the heat coming off his skin, feel him looking at her.
“That…” he paused, fighting with his words, “That was before… before this.” He traced a single hesitant fingertip down the side of her face. It travelled from her temple slowly to the bottom of her chin, where it lingered before he took it away. The quiet pain in his voice and the simple touch of his finger triggered something inside Farley that she couldn’t control. Without permission her diaphragm started to spasm, doing its level best to initiate the first stages of sobbing. She held her breath, knowing what would happen if she allowed any oxygen into her lungs. Behind her closed eyes, the tears that had been building pricked at the corners of her eyelids until she had no choice but to let them fall. They streaked in hot lines over her temples and into her ears.
“Oh, Jeez, Farley… please… please don’t cry. Can you look at me?”
She shook her head again. Hopefully he understood that she wasn’t just being difficult. If she looked at him, it was game over.
He let out an agonized groan. “In answer to your question, Anna was telling the truth. I agreed to help Cassie out. She’s my friend, and… and I thought it wouldn’t matter if I gave her what she wanted.”
At this, Farley stiffened. “How?”
“How?” he echoed.
“How could you think it wouldn’t matter?”
“Because I thought I was going to be dead. This was before I’d even met you. Dying didn’t seem like such a big deal then, and I thought it might be rather nice to have a part of me continue on in this life. I’m sorry, okay? I should have said something before we came here, but I thought Cassie was back in England and I was so caught up in me and you and…”
His body shifted again. Feeling him gone, Farley cracked her eyes to see him sitting up holding his head in his hands. “Feeling what I feel for you… the whole thing just seemed so
“Hey.”
She didn’t respond. Just stared up at the sky, realizing that she hadn’t blinked in a while and her eyes had gone dry. When she closed them, they stung. She kept them shut.
“Are you going to talk to me?” Daniel whispered. She felt the proximity of something close to her face- probably his hand- but he didn’t touch her. The feeling lingered for a second and then vanished.
“That depends,” she whispered back.
A pained pause. “On what?”
“On whether you’ve been lying to me for the past three weeks. On whether that cow Anna was telling the truth when she said you agreed to have children with Cassie. On whether I’ve made myself look like a complete fool because you didn’t feel like filling me in on some really important stuff, knowing how nervous I was about coming here in the first place.” It was like a small victory. Inside, Farley celebrated the fact that her voice hadn’t shaken or cracked, despite the searing pain in her chest.
Daniel drew in a deep breath. “Can you look at me?”
She shook her head. If she looked at him, she would start crying for sure, and that wasn’t going to get her anywhere. Even talking and keeping her breathing steady was pushing her luck right now.
“Okay,” Daniel said. “I haven’t been lying to you. I promise you, here and now, so you won’t ever have to doubt it, I will never, never lie to you.”
A memory of the night at the fairground back in Monterey Hills when Agatha had told her who she was punched its way up through Farley’s mind. She let her face twist a little as she remembered Daniel’s words. “I lie. All the time ,” she mimicked.
He sighed, all frustration, and Farley felt the movement of him rolling onto his side. This brought him closer. She could feel the heat coming off his skin, feel him looking at her.
“That…” he paused, fighting with his words, “That was before… before this.” He traced a single hesitant fingertip down the side of her face. It travelled from her temple slowly to the bottom of her chin, where it lingered before he took it away. The quiet pain in his voice and the simple touch of his finger triggered something inside Farley that she couldn’t control. Without permission her diaphragm started to spasm, doing its level best to initiate the first stages of sobbing. She held her breath, knowing what would happen if she allowed any oxygen into her lungs. Behind her closed eyes, the tears that had been building pricked at the corners of her eyelids until she had no choice but to let them fall. They streaked in hot lines over her temples and into her ears.
“Oh, Jeez, Farley… please… please don’t cry. Can you look at me?”
She shook her head again. Hopefully he understood that she wasn’t just being difficult. If she looked at him, it was game over.
He let out an agonized groan. “In answer to your question, Anna was telling the truth. I agreed to help Cassie out. She’s my friend, and… and I thought it wouldn’t matter if I gave her what she wanted.”
At this, Farley stiffened. “How?”
“How?” he echoed.
“How could you think it wouldn’t matter?”
“Because I thought I was going to be dead. This was before I’d even met you. Dying didn’t seem like such a big deal then, and I thought it might be rather nice to have a part of me continue on in this life. I’m sorry, okay? I should have said something before we came here, but I thought Cassie was back in England and I was so caught up in me and you and…”
His body shifted again. Feeling him gone, Farley cracked her eyes to see him sitting up holding his head in his hands. “Feeling what I feel for you… the whole thing just seemed so
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