Cataclysm (Alternate Earth Series, Book One) Read Online Free

else.”
    “Why?” I ask, flabbergasted. “To be honest with you, I think he looks better now than in the pictures I’ve seen of him when the two of you got married.”
    “I know!” Lilly agrees whole-heartedly. “He’s one of those men who just gets better-looking with age but, for some reason, he doesn’t see it. I swear, I thought it was supposed to be we women who worried about the small wrinkles around the eyes and graying hair.”
    “Well, I can assure you both that the Brand I met on alternate Earth is totally different. Maybe not in the way he looks, but in the way he acts. He struck me as being someone who isn’t very patient, and a bit more aggressive.”
    “There’s only one Brand for me,” Lilly says without a shred of doubt, “and he’s the father of my children and the caretaker of my heart. He should know that by now. I’m not sure why he’s letting his insecurities get the better of him.”
    “Men are funny creatures. Even the toughest ones have soft spots you wouldn’t expect them to have.”
    “ Jess… ”
    I look over by the porch railing and see Michael standing there with a pleading look on his face. I know he wants to talk to Lilly directly without him having to give voice to his request.
    “Your father wants to speak with you,” I warn Lilly. “Are you ok with that?”
    Lilly nods. “Of course.”
    I allow Michael to take control of my body so he can talk to his daughter without me having to act as a go-between. It’s a strange sensation when it occurs, but one I’ve become accustomed to over the years. When it happens, I’m still a part of the scene, yet distant from it, acting as a participating observer. It used to frighten me, but there have been times when Michael wanted to physically interact with his family. I saw no reason to deny him those few precious moments with his loved ones.
    “Lilly,” Michael says, his deep concern for her naked in his voice, “are you sure you don’t want to back out of tonight? No one will think any less of you, and I dare say a lot of people would be relieved if you did, including me.”
    “No, I want to try, Dad,” Lilly tells him. I feel Michael’s heart drop at her statement. I know he hoped Lilly would take the out we were offering her, but he also should have known that she wouldn’t run away from danger. She was his daughter, after all. “I want to help if I can. Honestly, to my way of thinking, it’s God’s choice on whether or not I’m supposed to go there, not mine. Don’t you agree?”
    Michael hesitates but begrudgingly nods his head.
    “But I’m your father, Lilly. I don’t relish placing you in a dangerous situation unnecessarily.”
    Lilly reaches out her hand and grabs ours.
    “I’ll have you and Jess there to help protect me. I’m not frightened of what might happen. You shouldn’t be either.”
    Michael tries to smile reassuringly, but the attempt is a miserable failure.
    “If it’s all right with Jess, why don’t you come inside and spend a few minutes alone holding your great-granddaughter.”
    Michael’s mood instantly perks up, and he stands from the swing.
    “Let’s go.”
    Michael’s joy as he holds Baby Kate in his arms warms my heart. When he finally does decide to give me back control, I get to love on her for a little while too. I miss the sensation of cradling a baby close to my chest. It’s pleasant enough to hold the children of others, but it just doesn’t compare to holding a child of your own. Perhaps, as a parent, you feel an added joy and responsibility for the little one in your arms. You know it’s your responsibility to nurture and prepare them to venture out on their own one day. I’m not sure what the difference is exactly, and it doesn’t really matter. All I do know is that I want to experience it again soon.
    I hear the front door open. When I look over towards the entrance, I spy Malcolm walking in, dressed casually in a pair of khaki shorts and thin white shirt