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“I love you!”she heard him shout out loud.
“I LOVE YOU!”
A strange energy took over her body like a flood swallowing the shores. The same power she felt when she first time traveled. She tried to keep her eyes open, to get a glimpse of Liam just one more time, but something forcefully pressed her eyes shut. A loud blowing sound filled her ears like a violent storm of gust and thunder engulfing her. For a moment she wished the carriage had hit her again. At least she would have time traveled unconscious; and in all of this, as scared as she had ever been before, all she could think about was Liam. His face, his smile, his tender touch… She wanted to be with him and him alone—forever. Then all the sudden, out of nowhere, everything came to a complete stop. She was surrounded by utter silence. For a moment she kept her eyes shut, not wanting to open them, to look and see herself back in 1881. Tears were running down her cheeks; the desperation of being back in 1881 tore her insides apart. She wanted to scream as loud as she had ever screamed before. But just when she opened her mouth to do so, she felt a gentle, warm touch on her hand, followed by the same beautiful voice that brought her into this world for the first time.
“It’s okay…”
Isabella tore her eyes wide open, and burst into tears. Liam was in front of her, smiling. She jerked around to find Henry and Dan right where she last saw them…at the side of 5thStreet…in twenty-first century Philadelphia. Her desperation and pain instantly dissolved into the air and left her with nothing but relief and pure joy.
“You came,” she whispered, facing Liam again.
He gently lifted her chin, looking deep into her eyes. The all-too-familiar butterflies started to form in her stomach, tingling all the way into her fingertips. She couldn’t believe it. She was still here! And it was truly him as he pulled her closer!
“I had to. The thought of never seeing you again was as good as a death sentence.” She threw herself into his arms, crying tears of joy into his shoulder. Henry and Dan now came running over.
“What happened?” Henry shouted frantically scratching his head.
“Maybe this Emma lady didn’t want to come back here.” Dan shrugged her shoulders.
“Or maybe she didn’t know that she had to wish for it...” Henry said out loud, trying to figure out what was going on. “But why wouldn’t she know—”
“It’s not her,” Isabella said, turning toward them. She looked down, avoiding their gaze.
“What do you mean?” Liam asked.
Isabella opened her hand to look at the coin. It was still there. “I mean it’s not her fault it didn’t work.” She closed her fist around it again, and this time meeting their gazes. “It me. My fault.”
“How?” Henry asked shaking his head.
“I’m sorry Henry,” Isabella faced him with an apology written all over her face.
“I tried. I really did. But my heart…” She looked over to Liam, meeting his beautiful eyes with hers, “…my heart didn’t want to leave.” Liam drew his brows in surprise.
“You didn’t? I thought you wanted to leave? Return back home?” Isabella shook her head.
“Me? No. I never wanted to leave. I—I—” She tore him away.
“I’m so sorry Liam, I won’t be in your way or bother you or—” but before Isabella could finish, Liam swept her off her feet, spun her around before pulling her into his embrace. His whole face lit up with joy, without even the smallest worry in the world.
“I won’t ever let you go again!” He smiled bright and wide from ear to ear. He leaned closer, and right then and there, in front of everyone, he sank his lips onto hers, kissing her passionately. A heatwave of tingling excitement rushed through her body, taking over every emotion she had ever felt, past and present. She gently tore away from his sweet lips, just long enough to tell him the very words that burned inside her, demanding to be spoken, right here, right now.
“I love you.”
For a moment he just looked at her in awe. Then he gently ran his fingers down her flushed cheek, inching closer, breath to breath, and softly brushed his lips against hers again. “I love you too, Isabella. More than you'll ever know.”
They might have just stood there and kissed all night, if it hadn’t been for Dan clearing her throat.
“I don’t want to be the party pooper here, but we should leave before Jerry catches us. It's about the time he does his rounds around these parts. I definitely don't want to be interrogated when he finds all of us on this damn street.”
“Very true,” Liam said and took Isabella’s hand. He wanted to start walking but she didn’t move. “What is it?” Isabella turned toward Henry.
“Failure,” she said to him out of nowhere. Henry wrinkled his forehead in confusion.
“Me?” He pointed at himself. She shook her head in loud laughter.
“No. The answer to the question that will release your estate. I didn’t travel back so…”
Henry finally caught up. “Oh… Yes. The answer to the question of what your mother used to call your father.”
