Read Online The Confession by Erin McCauley - Free Book Online Page B

wondered when I would meet you.” Taking her arm he slowly guided her toward the stairs that led to the grounds.
    “I don’t understand,” she mumbled, as she walked beside him. “Have we seen each other before?”
    “No, but my mother always told me I would know her the moment I saw her,” he said as he continued to walk with her under the stars. “I didn’t believe her then, but I believe her now.”
    He turned toward her, and taking a step closer, leaned forward and gently kissed her. It was like a scene from an old movie, only it was truly happening to her. They never returned to the ball. Instead, they danced under the stars on the lawn next to the rose garden until the night ended and her father came to find her.
    “We were married in that same garden less than a year later,” Emily said, her eyes seeming to regain focus, almost like she were returning to the present.
    “It’s like a fairy tale.” Aimee wiped a tear from her cheek. “I didn’t think anyone actually had moments like that, where they just saw that person and instantly knew.”
    “I think times have changed. Your generation has expectations that tend to be unrealistic. You’re always looking for something better, something more. You also seem to believe that every person isn’t who they appear to be at first glance. Sometimes they are. I’m not implying that even with a fairy tale meeting there aren’t some obstacles to overcome, but each obstacle is worth it. Each challenge brings you closer together.”
    Aimee nodded her head. “I wish I could’ve met him.”
    “He was the most incredible person I’ve ever known. He was strong and fearless, smart and outspoken, and honest to a fault. There will never be another man like him.” She reached over and picked up her glass with shaking hands. “Have you ever been in love, Aimee?”
    “I thought I was once. That old high school first love thing. He was the captain of the football team and I was the head cheerleader. Let’s just say that he definitely wasn’t who I thought he was at first glance. I gave him too much credit.”
    “What happened?”
    “To sum it up, I wouldn’t sleep with him, but my sister would, so he decided he would rather be with her, temporarily at least.”
    “That’s terrible!”
    “My sister has always been very friendly,” she replied, trying to make light of the situation. She was surprised that after all of these years the hurt was still there.
    “And you’ve never been in love since?”
    “No, honestly, I haven’t. I’ve dated, and there were a couple of times I thought, I can be happy with him, but I felt like I would be settling and I didn’t want that.”
    “Never settle, Aimee. There is nothing in the world that comes close to being in love with that one person who loves you back the same way. I wish that for you. I wish that for Mark too, although that stubborn man is a whole other story.”
    Aimee laughed. “Mark has never been in love?”
    Emily tilted her head as if contemplating her response. “No, I don’t think he has. I worry that he will spend his entire life believing that she doesn’t exist. I’m afraid he’ll meet her, his one, and everything inside him that tells him it’s her will be silenced by his own fear and skepticism.”
    “Do you really believe that everyone has a one?”
    “I do. I just think it’s up to each person to be willing to accept the signs when it happens. It’s almost electric, like a physical reaction, a pull to that person you can’t control.”
    Aimee remembered the jolt the first time her hand touched Mark’s, and the way her body seemed to have a mind of its own when he placed his lips to hers. She shook her head in disbelief and a nervous giggle burst from her mouth.
    “Are you okay?” Emily’s brow crinkled in surprise.
    “Not every electric reaction or physical pull means they are ‘the one’ right?”
    Aimee found no comfort in Emily’s smug, perceptive grin.

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