The Last Surprise (Soul’s Desire 3)
***Blurb***
When faced with the irrefutable proof she’d been waiting for, Ellie Benton had to make the most important decision of her life—leaving.
Ellie chose to start over in Paris, leaving her broken heart behind with her childhood friend and the only man she’d ever loved—Tyler Stuart.
But even with the huge distance separating them, Ellie couldn’t escape him in her dreams. When Tyler walked back into her life and proved to her
that everything she “thought” she knew was a lie, Ellie couldn’t resist the strong pull that had always existed between them.
Just when it seemed they had it all—friendship, love, and most importantly, each other—challenges neither of them had anticipated threw them into a
battle for their own survival.
When faced with the irrefutable proof she’d been waiting for, Ellie Benton had to make the most important decision of her life—leaving.
Ellie chose to start over in Paris, leaving her broken heart behind with her childhood friend and the only man she’d ever loved—Tyler Stuart.
But even with the huge distance separating them, Ellie couldn’t escape him in her dreams. When Tyler walked back into her life and proved to her
that everything she “thought” she knew was a lie, Ellie couldn’t resist the strong pull that had always existed between them.
Just when it seemed they had it all—friendship, love, and most importantly, each other—challenges neither of them had anticipated threw them into a
battle for their own survival.
***Excerpt***
Then a sobering thought crossed my mind, killing my mood in the blink of an eye. “Guys...what if she moved on?” I felt like my heart was in a vice, unnaturally tight.
Everyone stopped laughing.
“Move on?” Hailey asked. “Look, this could have only gone two ways...she was either too hurt to accept another guy into her life, or too enraged to care anymore and gave it a try with whoever crossed her path first, just to get back at you somehow.” At my shocked expression, she quickly added, “But knowing Ellie, knowing how much she loves you, I’m inclined to think the first assumption is the correct one.”
“Jeez.” Tom swallowed. “I’m afraid to think which one you’d choose, babe.”
Hailey’s eyes narrowed at him. “You don’t want to give me a reason to have to make a choice like that, hon.” She poked her finger into his chest hard enough to push him back.
Even though we knew they were playing around, and we all laughed at his expense, I couldn’t shake off that uneasy feeling for the entire flight.
***
The flight to Paris seemed to take forever, and I shifted so much in my seat, unable to rest or find a comfortable spot, that the elderly lady sitting next to me had asked me more than once if I was feeling sick. Not even listening to her gushing on and on about her grandkids and their antics could ease my mind. After a while I stopped listening to her and ignored her altogether, but that didn’t make her stop. It was only when she finally fell asleep that I got a reprieve from her constant yapping.
“Move on?” Hailey asked. “Look, this could have only gone two ways...she was either too hurt to accept another guy into her life, or too enraged to care anymore and gave it a try with whoever crossed her path first, just to get back at you somehow.” At my shocked expression, she quickly added, “But knowing Ellie, knowing how much she loves you, I’m inclined to think the first assumption is the correct one.”
“Jeez.” Tom swallowed. “I’m afraid to think which one you’d choose, babe.”
Hailey’s eyes narrowed at him. “You don’t want to give me a reason to have to make a choice like that, hon.” She poked her finger into his chest hard enough to push him back.
Even though we knew they were playing around, and we all laughed at his expense, I couldn’t shake off that uneasy feeling for the entire flight.
***
The flight to Paris seemed to take forever, and I shifted so much in my seat, unable to rest or find a comfortable spot, that the elderly lady sitting next to me had asked me more than once if I was feeling sick. Not even listening to her gushing on and on about her grandkids and their antics could ease my mind. After a while I stopped listening to her and ignored her altogether, but that didn’t make her stop. It was only when she finally fell asleep that I got a reprieve from her constant yapping.
It was three o’clock in the afternoon when we exited the Charles De Gaulle airport with our luggage in tow. We were staying at the Marriott hotel on the Champs- Élysées, where Lauren had booked us three rooms. Once there, I didn’t waste any time admiring the beauty of that place and headed straight to the reception area. Soon we were shown to our rooms, and after taking a quick shower, we met again at the hotel’s restaurant to have something to eat.
“We need a plan. I simply don’t know where to start. I’ve only been to Paris a couple of times before. I don’t know the city that well, and she could be anywhere. This place is darn huge. Maybe we should split.” I suggested.
“Oh, no...I’m not leaving you alone.” Chris was quick to intervene.
“You and Caroline can go with Tyler, while Tom and I will go on our own.” Hailey offered, pulling out a map of the city and spreading it on the table. “No matter what, I don’t want you to lose hope. We all know what we came here to do and what we signed up for.” She reached for my hand and squeezed it. “Though I think it’s highly unlikely that we’ll just bump into her on the streets in a big place like this, with so many people walking around. She’s tried real hard to cover her tracks if it took the detective so long to find out—”
“The point is, Hailey,” I leaned forward, “we’ve got no other choice at the moment. She’s here somewhere, and I’m gonna find her somehow. I can’t wait in my hotel room for a phone call to tell us her exact location. It could take him an hour, a day, a week, a month...I don’t want to wait anymore. I need to go out there, and I’m gonna walk every single one of these streets,” I pointed at the map, “if I have to. I’m not stopping until I find her.”
“We need a plan. I simply don’t know where to start. I’ve only been to Paris a couple of times before. I don’t know the city that well, and she could be anywhere. This place is darn huge. Maybe we should split.” I suggested.
“Oh, no...I’m not leaving you alone.” Chris was quick to intervene.
“You and Caroline can go with Tyler, while Tom and I will go on our own.” Hailey offered, pulling out a map of the city and spreading it on the table. “No matter what, I don’t want you to lose hope. We all know what we came here to do and what we signed up for.” She reached for my hand and squeezed it. “Though I think it’s highly unlikely that we’ll just bump into her on the streets in a big place like this, with so many people walking around. She’s tried real hard to cover her tracks if it took the detective so long to find out—”
“The point is, Hailey,” I leaned forward, “we’ve got no other choice at the moment. She’s here somewhere, and I’m gonna find her somehow. I can’t wait in my hotel room for a phone call to tell us her exact location. It could take him an hour, a day, a week, a month...I don’t want to wait anymore. I need to go out there, and I’m gonna walk every single one of these streets,” I pointed at the map, “if I have to. I’m not stopping until I find her.”
“What Hailey meant to say, bro’,” Tom chimed in, “is no matter the outcome or how hard our task may prove to be, have faith that you’ll be reunited again. We’ve already made some progress. At least we know the city she’s in.”
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*******BIO******
Emily A. Lawrence lives in Transylvania with her family, hence her love for vampires and paranormal books. She is extremely passionate about fiction and has been writing stories, mostly fan fiction, for years now, but only began thinking seriously about publishing approximately a year ago. Having her family's support, and encouraged by friends and fellow authors, she pursued her dream of becoming a published author.
Emily loves creating new characters with whom readers can identify themselves, and losing herself in their worlds. Usually, she writes contemporary romance in three heat levels: sweet, sensual and erotic. However, she would like to try her hand at other genres one day, such as paranormal or mystery.
When she's not writing, she enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures, new sceneries, food and meeting new people, or simply reading a good book.
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