The Kiss by Danielle Steel Page B

again. He knew that, in spite of what she said, he had for a little while. And then she turned and looked at him and spoke barely audibly. “I love you, Bill,” she said, and he wanted to ask her to slow down.
    “I love you too, Isabelle. Can we rest for a while? I'm very tired.”
    “We can rest when we get there. They're waiting for us now.” She was sure of that, and she had a sense of urgency. He was slowing her down.
    “Where are we going?” he wanted to know.
    “Up there.” She pointed at the light, and he followed her for a while. Getting there seemed to be taking a long time, and when they were almost there, he could hear voices behind them calling her name. And when he turned to look, he saw it was a small child. He couldn't see for sure, but he thought it was a young boy. He was waving at them, and he started shouting “Mommy” until Isabelle finally turned around, and she looked at him for a long time. And in the distance, behind him, was the shadowy figure of a young girl.
    “Who is that?” Bill asked, but he knew before she said the words.
    “It's Teddy. And Sophie. I can't go to them now. It's too late.” She started to turn away, and then suddenly the boy and girl who had waved were joined by two more girls. They looked like children to him, but whenhe turned back to look at them, he could see that they were his daughters, Olivia and Jane, and they were calling for him just as Teddy had called Isabelle.
    “Wait…” He was struggling to keep up with her and get her attention now, but she was moving far ahead of him, and he wasn't sure if he should follow her or go back to see Olivia and Jane. “We have to go back to them,” he explained, but Isabelle only shook her head.
    “I'm not going back, Bill. Are you coming with me?” She seemed very determined, and he was getting more and more tired with each step. It seemed to be an endless path.
    “I can't keep up with you,” he complained, “why can't we go back to them? They need us now….”
    “No, they don't,” Isabelle said, and turned away. “I can't go back again. It's too late for me. Tell Teddy and Sophie I love them,” she said as she prepared to go on alone.
    “You have to come with me,” Bill said suddenly, grabbing at her arm. “Listen to me…” he said, sounding angry at her. She wasn't listening to him, and she was nearly at the light. “You have to listen to me … Teddy and Sophie need you to go back…. I have to go back to the girls. Come back with me, Isabelle…. We can come back another time.”
    She hesitated, but only for a fraction of an instant, as he touched her hand. “What if we don't get another chance?”
    “We will someday … but now it isn't time.”
    “It is for me. I don't want to go back….” She looked at him imploringly, and he could feel her slipaway. “Please, Bill… come with me. I don't want to go alone.”
    “I want you to stay with me. I love you, Isabelle. Don't leave me now.” He was crying as he said the words, and he hung his head, not wanting her to see, but she stood there looking at him, and then he looked up and held his hand out to her. “Take my hand … I won't let you go, I swear. You have to come back with me.” And as he said it, she suddenly looked very tired, and she looked back at Teddy and the girls. She hesitated for a long time, and then slowly, she began to inch her way back toward him. It seemed to be a great deal harder to go backward than to move forward. And he could see the light behind her now, as she started to come toward him again. And a moment later, he was holding her in his arms. He was kissing her and holding her and she was smiling at him. Neither of them was sure where they had been, but all they knew was that they had to go back to their children now. And he could feel her hand tightly holding his.
    “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked as they walked along. They couldn't hear the children's voices, but they knew they were waiting