Page 68 of Return to Me Always

A lonely ray of sunlight escaped the dreary clouds to shine on the cliff for a second, and my breath caught.

I knew this place. I had been here. I had lived here. I had loved here.

The ruins of a castle took shape atop the high precipice, a stone castle that had once been lovingly built and now stood in neglect and abandon, a shell of itself, a stark reminder of the passing of time, the passing of life, and how nothing, not even rock and stone, could last forever.

One after the other, images flashed through my mind of another life, another time, overwhelming me with emotion—playing by the water, feasting in a great hall, Tyler's smiling face, loving me, kissing me.

The closer we walked, the more I remembered. The dreams bombarded me, relentless, transporting me to a different place, a different kind of love.

"You all right, Ryder?"

Tyler's voice brought me back to the present.

Still stunned, I tore my eyes away from the ruins and looked at him. "This is it, right? This is where we've been headed all this time?"

"What makes you think that?"

"I've dreamt about this place… all my life. I just—I just never thought it was real."

Tyler stared at me, his brows narrowed, jaw clenched, and I wondered what sort of internal battle he was fighting. But I didn't wait for him. I was tired of waiting for him. Somehow this place gave me a new energy, and I rushed forward, eager to get closer, eager to find answers.

The ruins drew me in, almost reaching out to grab me. In my mind, I could see the castle as it used to be and not just as these crumbling stones. The tall towers, the courtyard, the chapel, the graveyard, and, of course, the cliff, almost right up to the edge of the castle wall.

I shuddered while remembering the smallest of footpaths between the wall and the cliff's edge. The slightest slip of the foot would lead to an agonizing freefall onto the jagged rocks below and a painful death.

At the outermost wall, I reached out to put my hands on what was left of the rocks. The cold stones shot a vibration through me. Closing my eyes, shutting out the present, I sought out the visions.

Tyler's face flashed before me, freshly scrubbed, standing before the church door, waiting for something. Flowers spilled onto the ground. People cheered. His eyes lit up, and I knew then he had been waiting for me… on our wedding day.

"We were married," I gasped.

Reaching my side, Tyler showed no reaction to my words, his face expressionless while I fought my frustration at his lack of response. Why wasn't he saying anything? Did he think I was insane?

"Did you hear me?" I asked, trying hard to keep the aggravation from my voice. "I just had a flash from our wedding day."

Still nothing.

"Right here." I patted the wall, the now softly falling rain making it slick. "This used to be the chapel. You were standing over there." I pointed nearby to where the doors had been. "You looked—you looked—"

The difference between then and now was too much to bear, making it nearly impossible to continue.

Tyler finally spoke, "I looked what?"

Our gazes connected. "The look on your face..." I glanced down, needing to break the intense eye contact, the pain too agonizing. "You—you actually loved me then."

A jagged sigh escaped his lips. "Listen, I..." he paused and didn't continue.

"What? Why did you even bring me here?" I asked, this time not bothering to hide my anger. Why couldn't he justtalkto me?

He ran his hands through his wet hair before reaching out and tenderly lifting my chin with one finger. "Look at me," he said.

So I did, his tortured eyes burning into me as I felt some of my irritation drain away. "It's okay to talk about it, you know. You can tell meanything. I promise."

His hand fell away from my face, and I reached for it, understanding how difficult this must be for him.

Clasping his palm, I begged, "Please, please, justtalkto me."

Squeezing back, he sighed once again. "Okay, you win, lass. You win."

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