Across Eternity by Aris Whittier Read Free Book Online

away it felt like you were taking a piece of me with you. Those words would be his safety anchor. When he felt her drifting, he would
know deep down she felt a connection between them. If there was a connection he
knew he would be able to help her remember.
    No matter how awkward their conversation got or how tongue-tied he might
become as he explained their situation, he was certain he would be able to get
her to understand. His confidence grew a little at the notion.
    Holding the chair, he waited for Amber to sit before taking his own seat. He
watched her from across the table for a brief moment. She had settled down a
little. However, by her expression he could tell she was anxiously waiting an
explanation.
    "Would you like to wait for our drinks?" He offered.
    She shook her head. "No."
    "Several weeks ago I was driving through town and I saw you. I
literally came within inches of rear-ending the car in front of me. I watched
you until you disappeared into my restaurant."
    She watched him closely for a long moment. "Seriously?"
    Logan nodded.
    "You just happened to be driving by?" she asked as she fingered
the gold hoop at her ear.
    "Yes." He found her eyes and held them. "That connection
we felt in the restaurant, I felt it when I saw you. It hit me so hard that I
sat in the middle of the street for a full minute before I realized horns were
honking and people were staring and cussing at me."
    She shook her head. "How is that possible? How can a complete stranger
on the side of the street make you feel that way?"
    "Fate," he offered.
    "Fate?" she repeated with a laugh. "It doesn’t work
that way, Logan," she said reasonably.
    "Why not?"
    She lifted her shoulders. "Because that only happens
in chick flicks and romance novels."
    He smiled at her assumption.
    "I’m serious."
    "I know you are. Did you not feel it when you first saw me?"
    "Yes, I did."
    "And you still feel it right now?"
    She nodded. "You know I do."
    "This isn’t fiction, Amber. This is real and that’s why I
had to find out who you were." He shrugged. "I knew right then I
had to meet you."
    Logan was quiet as a young man with several piercings in his eyebrow, lip,
and nose, brought Amber’s tea and his coffee. When the spiked-haired
server left he continued, "I could tell by the way you were dressed that
you worked at The Pavilion ."
    "Why didn’t you just come in then? I don’t understand why
you waited." She lifted her tea, looked at him over the rim, and then
took a sip.
    "To be honest, I was a little overwhelmed at what I was
feeling." He reached for a packet of sugar and shook it. He had searched
for her his entire life and though she had been right in front of him he knew
it wasn’t as simple as walking up to her and introducing himself.
"I wasn’t so sure I could meet you just yet. I needed some time. As
you can clearly see this isn’t easy."
    "So what you’re telling me is you simply waited a few weeks and
then decided to come to the restaurant and meet me?"
    "Not exactly."
    "What do you mean not exactly?"
    He took a steady breath. "That evening, after I saw you, I did what I
thought was the next best thing to actually meeting you. I had Mr. Hendricks
fax your file to me."
    "Excuse me?" She almost choked on the warm liquid that awkwardly
made its way down her throat.
    "As your employer, it’s legal," he said quickly when he
saw her eyes turn cool. And the background check he’d done was lawful
too, but he wouldn’t divulge that unless he had to. "I assure you
I’m completely authorized to—"
    "It’s not the legality that I question," she said as she
set her tea down. "How about moral?"
    "Morally I felt I didn’t have a choice because I knew meeting
you could very well change my life. Furthermore, I wasn’t deliberately
keeping who I was from you. My intentions were only to get to know you. I swear
to you there was nothing more." He continued on struggling to find the
right words. "Maybe on a subconscious level I didn’t want you