A Love To Last, Katie [reading fiction txt] 📗

hair causing it to either tickle her face or Josh's.

"I should probably head home Josh, before they notice i am gone." With a heavy sigh, she stood up and glanced down at the beautiful picture Josh made laying there under the moon. He was her's, all her's and nobody else's. It was magnificent to her.

"Ok my love, i will walk you as far as i can, and even then i will be waiting to know you got in your own room safely." He was up much quicker than she thought possible, but somehow here, in there spot it didn't startle her, only amused her that she thought it unfair he could move so fast and with such grace. Much more grace than she herself had.

"And i will think of you Josh, all day. And when the time comes, i will think of meeting you here for just the perfect tomorrow evening." Josh pulled Elizabeth close holding her even closer around her waist, as she looped her arms around his neck and they shared a pleasant and happy goodnight kiss before he walked her home.

"I love you Elizabeth, always. And i will be waiting to be able to see your beauty again tomorrow." With a charming smile he was gone, but she knew he was still watching, listening as she made her way to her house and into her bedroom.

'And i love you Josh, with every part of me that i have, i love you. Until we meet again tomorrow i will think of you.' And that was the last thing Elizabeth thought as she drifted off in dreams, knowing he was listening and heard her.

Chapter Seven

"So, would you care to tell me where you were last night, Elizabeth?" Her mother had been pacing outside her bedroom door all morning, waiting to pounce when Elizabeth woke up. Walking over to her mirror She found she had missed several leaves still tangled into her auburn waves and sighed as her mother came to help get them out.

"I went for a walk threw the woods," Elizabeth let her eyes drift shut as her mother pulled the brush threw her hair. It had been so long since her mother had done this for her. Elizabeth had forgotten just how much she enjoyed this. She would miss it. "I fell asleep a little off the path when i sat down to think. I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you worried." Elizabeth almost missed the small smile that lit her mother's face for a brief moment.

She knew her daughter too well. Knew something else was going on, but she would opt out and be oblivious if that was what her Lizzie wanted. She slowly gathered Elizabeth's long thick curly auburn hair into a light twist and smiled down on her.

"Ok," She was in awe of just how beautiful and grown Elizabeth was. She hadn't really seen it until just now, she seemed to simply glow. "You, are so beautiful Lizzie," Elizabeth's whole face seemed to lit up at her mother's appraisal. "Scott, is a lucky man. Lucky he scooped you up first that is." As she watched her daughter's eyes fall down to her hands and the blush creeping up her face, her mother decided it was time to leave her to her thoughts, whatever they may be.

Elizabeth felt guilty. She didn't want to be Scott's. She shouldn't be Scott's after what she gave so freely to Josh. She didn't regret being with Josh the night before, but she felt regret with having to fulfill her promise to wed Scott Haring. She was to be Mrs. Elizabeth Haring soon. A fact that made her frown very deeply, so deeply her mother would scold her about causing wrinkles.

All Elizabeth had to do was get threw at least a few hours, then she could see Josh again. She didn't want to wait until night again, she was sure her mother wouldn't let her slip by again. She needed to see him again soon. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him, and felt like there was so little time to ask them all.

As Josh listened to his Elizabeth go threw her day, thinking off and on about him all morning. It made him smile to be able to sit back and know she couldn't stop thinking of him. It especially made him happy to know she was sitting there with that fool Scott Haring, and she was thinking of him, and his kisses. He was prepared for her million and one questions. He was just happy she was finally accepting him, all of him. Of course it still made him feel terrible he took her innocence and wasn't able to do her right and marry her. He would in a heartbeat. He would make her his in every possible way, but she was determined to be a good person.

He loved that about her, her flawless character. Her complete and total willingness to make everybody around her happy. His Lizzie, she was beautiful inside and out. He hadn't yet seen a flaw about her. She was perfect. He couldn't get the notion of his head to look at her as an angel. That was what she was to him. His angel. She saved him. She made him feel whole again. After what felt like years of hurt, she healed him. Took away all his pain with just thinking of him. Josh knew that if he listened to reason and what was right, and he didn't meet her since she was meant to be with Scott Haring, then he would feel as if he had nothing anymore. He would feel more than broken, he would be broken beyond repair. He would never be the same.

As Elizabeth finally got threw lunch and told her mother she was going for a walk and needed to be alone, she set out for the woods. 'Josh, i don't know how this works, but i am going to our spot. I want to see you Josh.' She hoped he was listening to her, or listening for her. She let her thoughts temporarily shift back to lunch and the way Scott had looked at her. She had felt completely violated with just one look. Ever since she had agreed to be his wife, he had began to treat her differently. As if she was a prize meat he had won. He looked her up and down more often than not. It all made her skin crawl.

As she reached the small clearing that was now their spot, it amazed her to see Josh, looking so perfect, like a picture from a book. The sun fell across him in just the perfect way that made his emerald eyes look even more green, and his dark hair shine. She felt an answering smile on her lips as he smiled brilliantly at her.

"How do you do that?" She asked as he crossed to her and took her in his arms. He knew she was coming, knew he was going to see her, but he couldn't help the rush he felt when he saw her, standing in the clearing looking at him. A picture of perfection.

"Do what exactly, Love?" He asked as he took her mouth in a sweet, gentle kiss. Elizabeth's heart sighed as he pulled away from her and pulled her down to sit next to him.

"Hear me, even when i don't say anything at all?" The heat to her face was fast and quick as she recalled all the times she swore he had to know what she was thinking as he smiled cocky at her when she thought of his lips and kissing him.

"Well, it's just something i could always do, since i was born. It drove my parents crazy. They couldn't keep anything from me, ever. It hurt most times though, being able to know exactly how somebody thinks of you, there's no cushion to ease the blow." He took her hand and played with her fingers, knowing one answer would bring more questions. He didn't mind though. He wanted Elizabeth to ask anything she could think of. He wanted her to know him fully, and completely. Maybe then she would see that it was ok to leave with him. To runaway with him.

"You had parents? You were born? I thought vampires were made." Elizabeth didn't miss a beat. She was so dangerously curious and very on point and attentive to him and his every move. She watched his eyes intently as for just one small second the emerald was clouded with something that resembled pain. Pain from what was her next question.

"Yes, i had parents, my mother and father, Liam and Patrica Chisum. My mother did carry me for nine months of course, and so yes i was very much born. And no not all vampires were made. Not the pure vampires anyway. We are kind like a royal sort, but i never had a choice, i was born to what i am, born to be a monster." Josh answered her before she could ask about the pain he had slipped up and let her see.

Elizabeth was speechless, she caught on to the past tense when he spoke of his parents, she also heard the fondness in his voice when he spoke of them. She just couldn't comprehend that he was born into being what he was, it didn't seem fair to her. To not have a choice, even if he liked being a vampire. To her though, it sounded as if he thought it more of a curse than something to be proud of. She placed both her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at her instead of the ground.

"You, Josh Chisum, are not a monster," She kissed him long and hard, desperate to make all the sadness and longing to vanish from him. "I love you. I would never love a monster," Another kiss, this one light and sweet to try and reassure him of the truth behind her words. Which were very much truth, she would not love him if she thought him to be a monster. She knew he would never be a monster. Josh was too gentle and kind for her to see him in that light at all. "Now, tell me, how is it, that you walk in the sun? How can i feel your heart and why do you age?" A smile crossed Josh's face as she fired more questions at him. It was the smile Elizabeth had wanted to see.

"One, question at time, my love," He kissed her lightly across her brow as he tried to think of the best way to answer her questions without them leading to even more questions. "I can walk in the sun because i am not made, the sun merely makes me feel worn down and gives me terrible headaches sometimes." He smiled crooked at her and laughed as she made a confused face back at him. He knew she was trying to make sense and separate being 'made' and 'born'.

Josh was trying so hard to control himself. He just couldn't help it with her looking so beautiful as the sun played threw her hair lighting it and making it shine, and making her skin look so soft. He reached out and stroked her cheek gently, then smoothed out the lines on her brow and smiled at her. He pulled her towards him and kissed her.

As he made the kiss deeper, she felt her heart leap in her chest unsteadily.