Finally & Forever Read Online Free Page A

sure?”
    “Yes, I’m sure.”
    They divided the luggage between them as they had at the airport and trekked up a narrow path that was dimly lit by what Katie guessed were solar-powered lanterns wedged into the ground at precise intervals. The air was cool and smelled of green grass. It was still too dark to make out much of their surroundings, but Katie could tell they were strolling past individual cottages along the trail, each of them set off just far enough from each other to provide some privacy and a buffer for noise. Which was good, because the wheeled luggage was making clicking sounds as it rolled over the uneven walkway.
    Katie felt out of breath by the time Eli turned down a side path and stopped in front of a cottage. “This is it,” he said.
    A lovely sight greeted them. In the front window was a single, tall candle that was lit and glowing.
    “That is so beautiful,” Katie said softly.
    She turned to Eli and saw that his eyes were glistening with tears. His jaw was set, his shoulders were back. The expression on his face was one Katie didn’t think she had ever seen on him. He looked content.
    Katie felt a catch in her throat. She had never had the same sort of response when she went to her parents’ home in Escondido. No one had ever lit a candle and placed it in the window for her. She could only imagine what Eli was experiencing right now after the horrendously long journey, to finally be on the doorstep of the place he wanted to be.
    How could she describe what she was observing right now? Then she knew.
    Eli was home.
    Before either of them moved forward to put a foot on the narrow entry porch, the door handle clicked, and the front door began to open.
    Katie drew in her breath. This was it. This was the moment she had anticipated and dreaded. She was about to meet Eli’s parents.

3
    T he stone cottage’s door opened, and lights snapped on inside and out. Eli’s dad emerged, and the moment he saw his son, he shouted, “Elisha!” His arms were around him in an instant. They embraced each other with manly pats on the back, firm handshakes, and then another strong embrace.
    Eli’s mom appeared in the doorway and rushed to him with no words, only a gush of tears. She kissed his face, held him, and laughed softly as Eli’s dad circled both of them with a big hug.
    In the light flooding the entryway, Katie could see the expressions of pure delight on his parents’ faces. She had never seen anyone greet a grown child with such spontaneous joy. What made the homecoming even more winsome was that both of them were in their pajamas and looked as if they quickly had flung on their robes in the race to the front door when they heard the luggage wheels clacking on the walkway.
    Katie had been hanging back in the shadows, not wanting to interrupt this moment. She still wasn’t sure how Eli’s parents would react when they saw her. She didn’t have to wait long to find out. Eli’s mom looked up, and the instant she saw Katie, she broke into a huge smile.
    “Katie.” She spoke the name as if it were a statement. A discovery. She put her hand on her heart and drew in a short gasp. “You came.” Her exclamation was barely above a whisper.
    The moment Katie heard her name spoken with such an expression of acceptance and love, she felt her fears dissipate. She knew she was welcome in this place.
    Eli’s dad drew back and expressed much more surprise than his wife had at the sight of their unexpected guest. “Katie?”
    “Yeah, this is Katie,” Eli said casually. “She followed me home. May I keep her?”
    Eli’s unexpected joke sent Katie into a round of nervous laughter as she received hugs from Eli’s mom and dad followed by a splash of her own tears.
    “Come in, please.” Eli’s mom reached for Katie’s carry-on and slipped her arm through Katie’s, leading her across the doorstep into their small bungalow. Mrs. Lorenzo’s short, silver-gray hair was sticking straight up in the back, as