Now and Forever Read Online Free Page B

had nothing in common. She loved the past. He worshipped the future. He liked fast sports cars and trips to exotic locales, while she liked old quilts and museums. This miraculous wonder of a uniform meant less to him than a pair of sweat socks or a worn-out jockstrap.
    But when he held her in his arms, the world fell away until she could almost see forever.
    He should have stayed in Malta or Manhattan or wherever it was he called home these days. She didn't need him in her life again, making her long for the impossible.
      Lately she'd found herself pushing against the boundaries of the lazy town where she'd grown up. The kind-hearted concern of her neighbors grated against her nerves. The cry of the gulls, the smell of salt air, the familiar routines of daily life all seemed alien to her, as if they belonged to someone else.
    Just yesterday she'd raised her voice to Mrs. Willis at the market and told John Parker that no, she didn't like the way he'd wallpapered her powder room. She could still see the look of astonishment on the faces of those two nice people when she'd stormed out the door of the Stop'n'Shop with her quart of milk and half-dozen eggs.
    "Poor Emilie," she'd heard Mrs. Willis say. "A girl so pretty shouldn't be alone."
    Amazing how Mrs. Willis understood more about Emilie than Emilie did herself. She craved an adventure, a walk on the wild side of life. A jolt of electricity called excitement before she grew too old to care.
    None of which was likely to be found in sleepy Crosse Harbor, New Jersey.
    The one thing she hadn't needed, however, was for her ex-husband to come roaring back into her life, reminding her that once upon a time she'd been foolish enough to believe she could find adventure and security both in the same pair of arms.
    And maybe you could have, Emilie. Maybe it was right there but you were too blind and impatient and scared to see it.
    They said that America was a country built on second acts and she agreed. She was living her second act right now, immersed in work that fed her soul and built her future.
    But what about love? Don't you deserve a second chance there too?
    She turned, about to head for the kitchen, then stopped in her tracks. She tilted her head to the side, listening. Was that the doorbell? It was almost eight o'clock at night. She had to be hearing things. The doorbell buzzed again, louder this time and more insistent.
    She hurried through the house toward the front hall. "Who is it?" she called through the heavy wooden door.
    "Zane."
    A ridiculous burst of hope exploded inside her chest at the sound of his voice and she immediately pushed it down. He'd come back for the uniform, that was all. He'd changed his mind and wanted to sell it on eBay or barter it for beads on some South Pacific island. This had nothing to do with her.
    She swung open the door and her breath caught at the sight of him on the front porch, dark hair gleaming in the glow of the porch light.
    She sensed, rather than saw, the change in him but the effect it had on her was profound. Behind his bravado hid the loneliness she'd recognized earlier, and that realization reached inside her heart and wouldn't let go.
    "I got as far as the parkway," he said, "then I turned around."
    "You came back for your uniform," she said, feeling terrified and thrilled and hopeful.
    "No," he said, pushing past her into the dimly-lit foyer. "I came back for you."
    She was in his arms in a heartbeat. No questions. No second thoughts. No promises. That was where they always went wrong, making promises neither one could keep.
    At least not in this world.
    Tilting her chin upward with his finger, he lowered his head and claimed the sweetness of her mouth with his. The kiss was gentle at first, a sweet melding of softness and strength, then just as she found herself wanting more, he slipped his tongue into her mouth and a fierce hunger rose up from the center of her soul.
    Her hands rested against the hard wall of his chest