A Bolder Version of Me (The Destiny Clark Saga Book 3) Read online

  A Bolder Version of Me

  Book Three of the Destiny Clark Saga

  Cindy Ray Hale

  Contents

  Author’s Note

  Dedication

  1. Destiny

  2. Isaac

  3. Isaac

  4. Destiny

  5. Isaac

  6. Destiny

  7. Isaac

  8. Destiny

  9. Isaac

  10. Destiny

  11. Isaac

  12. Destiny

  13. Isaac

  14. Destiny

  15. Isaac

  16. Destiny

  17. Destiny

  A Note to the Reader

  About the Author

  Book Links

  A Bolder Version of Me

  Copyright © 2019 by Cindy Ray Hale

  Cindyrayhale.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Created with Vellum

  Author’s Note

  This is a rewrite of the original series, The Destiny Trilogy by Cindy Ray Hale.

  This book takes place during the events of the third and final portion of Destiny, Book One of The Destiny Trilogy. Scenes and events have been changed and rearranged.

  I hope you love this version of the story even better than the original. But don’t forget, the original story is always available for purchase at smarturl.it/destinybookone.

  For Adrien, who helps me on my journey to find my greater self.

  1

  Destiny

  Twinkling lights threaded across the ceiling of the gym. I swallowed against a dry, scratchy throat and smoothed the skirt of my red Homecoming dress with sweaty palms as I scanned the room for Isaac. I spotted him standing near the punch table, wearing a red tie and a gray suit. His dark hair was styled to perfection, and a dazzling smile stretched across his face.

  Although I was terrified to make our relationship public, my heart soared. He was mine, and I was his. He crossed the room and pulled me into a tight embrace. I breathed in sandalwood, and my head spun as Isaac’s familiar cologne filled my senses. He bent his head to mine and kissed me. Gasps sprouted around us, but he buried his hands in my curls as the kiss continued. He pulled away with a satisfied look on his face and took my hand, interlacing our fingers.

  “Come on,” he said, tugging on my hand as he led me across the gym floor.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, spotting my older brother, Michael, gaping at us with a stormy look.

  “You’ll see.” A devious grin tugged on the corner of his lips. I caught a glimpse of my younger sister Olivia as we passed, and she shook her head at me, disappointment clouding her eyes.

  Isaac led me to the stage set up at the far side of the gym.

  “What are you doing?” I hissed.

  “Trust me.” He squeezed my hand.

  I followed him up the steps, and he stopped in front of the microphone, tapping it. The sound reverberated through the room. “Hey, everyone,” Isaac said, flashing his signature smile, the one that made him look more like a celebrity than anyone who could possibly be dating me.

  A rupture of female catcalls rippled throughout the crowd.

  “I have an announcement,” Isaac said into the microphone.

  “I love you, Isaac!” a lone female voice screamed from the crowd.

  Isaac saluted her with a grin. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Do you know why?” Isaac wrapped his arm around me. “Because this beautiful girl, Destiny Clark, is my new girlfriend.”

  The crowd stilled and silence hung over the gymnasium. A cricket chirped in the back corner.

  “Wahoo!” Hannah screamed, clapping and cheering, from where she stood next to Evan.

  Isaac hugged my shoulders, oblivious to the crowd’s reaction, and then led me down the stairs. “Let’s go find a seat together,” he said in a cheery voice. “The banquet should start soon.”

  And then I saw them. My parents were in the back corner, probably next to that cricket. They weren’t saying anything. They just stood, wearing their disapproval.

  Hannah sidled up next to me. “You guys are officially official! Eek! I can tell everyone now! I have to go tell my mom!” She maneuvered her way through the round tables spread throughout the room, and to my surprise, her parents sat at a table. The missionaries from church sat with them, talking with Hannah’s mom.

  And then Isaac’s dad, Dr. Robinson, our school’s headmaster, stood in front of us. Menacing eyes bored into me, and a tightness in my stomach began to form. “This ends now.”

  Isaac laughed. “You can’t stop us. If you try, we’ll just go behind your back.”

  Dr. Robinson’s face turned a strange shade of purple. “You do realize that I have friends in high places in the government. I’ve already submitted an extermination order against all Mormons. By the end of the month, you will no longer be welcome in this state, and those who remain, will pay.”

  A tugging on the bottom of my skirt caught my attention. I looked down to see Preston’s little sister Anna. “Good job, Destiny. You’ve killed us all.”

  I awoke with a start. Isaac’s arm was wrapped around me, my head on his shoulder, as the credits rolled on the movie we’d been watching together at Hannah’s house.

  “Did you fall asleep?” he asked.

  My breaths came out, raw and jagged.

  “Are you okay?” Isaac asked, turning to get a better look at me.

  “Um. Yeah.” I said, feigning nonchalance. “The movie was just intense.”

  The next morning I woke up in Hannah’s bed and remembered the horrifying dream I’d had the night before during the movie. Although, I’d promised Isaac we could go public with our relationship, it terrified me now. Isaac couldn’t know how much it bothered me. I wasn’t so sure he’d understand. It wasn’t like he’d ever had to deal with people shunning him for his religion.

  Hannah snored beside me. I didn’t want to wake her, but my stomach growled. I scooted off the bed and cracked her bedroom door. The smell of French toast wafted up the stairs from the kitchen, and I closed her door behind me. Her little brother Lucas was already up playing video games in his room, and Hannah wouldn’t appreciate getting woken up by the annoying explosions and occasional outbursts.

  A male voice drifted up the stairs, and my heart raced. Isaac was already over here to work for the day? I glanced at the stairs and tapped my bottom lip. Go downstairs with a bedhead to see Isaac, or go brush my hair first? I grabbed the elastic from my wrist and ran my fingers though my hair, pulling it up into a messy bun. I hoped it looked okay. A quick glance in the hall mirror let me know that I looked passable, and my heart pounded as I descended the stairs to see my guy. I never tired of seeing him, especially now that we were together.

  “Hey!” His face split into a wide smile when he saw me coming down the back staircase. He sat on a stool pulled up to the bar while his Aunt Bethany fixed breakfast. By the time I’d reached the bottom step, he’d left his stool and had made his way to my side. He brushed a loose tendril of hair from my face and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. I held back a gasp. Hannah’s mom was standing right there!

  “Isaac? Did you just kiss her?” Hannah’s mom asked from the stove.

  “Yes, ma’am, I did.”

  “I didn’t know you were dating!” She sounded so delighted. I doubted she’d be so happy if she knew I was a Mormon.

  “Oh, we’re not. We just like to kiss sometimes.”<
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  “Isaac!” I covered my mouth with a hand to hold back my shocked laughter.

  “I’m just kidding.”

  “Y’all are way too cute.” Mrs. Miller tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and turned back to the stove.

  I smacked his chest and walked past him to sit in the living room. I wanted to be mad at Isaac for not trying harder to keep our relationship a secret in front of Hannah’s mom, but he was so stinking charming I couldn’t find it in me to get angry. He followed me to the couch, and we plopped down together.

  He leaned his head toward mine until our foreheads almost touched. “Hey, I’m sorry I kissed you in front of my aunt. I know you want to keep things quiet right now.”

  I breathed in his delicious smell and sighed. “Look, it’s one thing to let Hannah’s mom know, but when you come over to practice Les Mis with me at my house next week, we’ve got to do a better job of keeping our relationship a secret in front of my family. I’m serious.”

  “I understand. I can do better, I promise.” He held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “You know two fingers is for Cub Scouts, right? Boy Scouts use three.”

  Isaac shrugged. “Whatever.”

  We sat together and browsed through some silly videos on Isaac’s phone until Mrs. Miller called out from the kitchen, “Breakfast is ready!” I glanced over my shoulder toward her with a furrowed brow. What if she told Dr. Robinson about the cute new girl Isaac was dating and how adorable they are together?

  “She won’t say anything to him. Don’t worry about it. Aunt Bethany’s too busy with work and her own life to tell my dad about my dating life.”

  I looked back at him with a raised brow. “How did you know what I was thinking?”

  “It was written all over your face.” He put a hand to my cheek. “You’re so cute when you’re worried. But you don’t need to be. I promise it will all work out.”

  “You sound like Hannah right now.”

  “I think she’s right.”

  Mrs. Miller popped her head back into the doorway. “Speaking of Hannah, can one of you go wake her up? I can’t seem to get her down here.”

  I bit my lip. She hadn’t heard us talking about her telling Dr. Robinson our secret, had she? I hopped up to go wake up the sleeping dead and glanced at her as I passed through the kitchen. She bustled about setting the table with plates, humming to herself. She seemed cheerful enough. I let loose a sigh of relief and turned the corner to climb the stairs up to Hannah’s room.

  Hopefully, Isaac was right about everything working out. But somehow, I wasn’t so sure it would be as easy as he seemed to think.

  I found Hannah in her room all curled up in her covers. I sat next to her and pushed on her shoulder.

  “Hey, sleepyhead. Wake up.”

  Hannah rolled over to face me and yawned. She rubbed her eyes and squinted at me. “How are you awake already?”

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “Why not? My bed is the most comfortable thing ever right now.” She snuggled deeper into the covers like that would prove her point.

  “Bad dream.” I told her about the dream I’d had.

  She sat up in bed and looked at me with her hair sticking up all over the place. “You think my uncle hates you that much?”

  “It’s not that he hates me. He hates what I stand for, and I’m sure he won’t want me dating his son.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “How can you say that? I took seventh grade Bible class from him. He was super clear about how he felt about Mormons. He thinks we’re of the devil. And now your mom saw Isaac kissing me, and she’s going to tell him.” My heart pounded harder in my chest as I spoke.

  Hannah studied me with a thoughtful expression. “You’re probably right. He probably doesn’t like Mormons. And maybe my mom will tell him. Maybe not. You just need to realize that other people will fight against you, but you need to do what you feel in your heart is right for you.”

  My mouth opened, but the thought I’d just formed had flown from my head. Hannah was right. I couldn’t live my life in fear of what others might do. I had to move forward, doing what felt right in my heart. And right now, being with Isaac felt right.

  Mostly.

  As long as I didn’t think too much about what our parents would have to say about it.

  “I want to be with Isaac. But it won’t be easy to go public about our relationship. I’m not looking forward to all the trouble people will give me.”

  “You can’t sit around, worrying about it all day. You need to focus on what’s best for you. Speaking of what’s best, how did Isaac take the news that you’d never actually dated Preston?”

  “He was cool about it. It was so hard to tell him the truth about it though. But I’m glad we got that out in the open. I don’t enjoy having to keep some big secret from him.”

  Hannah looked away. “I know what you mean.”

  I wondered if she regretted hiding the fact that Isaac was her cousin back when we’d first met.

  “Do you think he’s jealous of Preston?”

  Isaac jealous of Preston? It was weird to think about two guys fighting over me like that. “Maybe. But he has nothing to be jealous of. Isaac should know that I want him. Not Preston.”

  Hannah studied my face, and I squirmed under her scrutiny. “You sure about that? You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself.”

  I gave her an exasperated look. “Are you kidding me? I’ve wanted Isaac for a long time and now I finally have him.”

  Hannah gave me a knowing smile that only infuriated me further. “No need to get all mad about it. It was just a question.”

  Sometimes Hannah was too nosy for her own good. The last thing I wanted to think about was how I felt about Preston. I had enough on my plate as it was. I’d be doing good to keep the relationship I had from falling apart once our parents found out. And it was a matter of time before they would. I could only convince Isaac to keep it quiet for so long.

  Hannah threw on jeans and an oversized t-shirt and put her hair into a big messy bun on top of her head. She checked her phone and squealed. “Evan said he’s coming over. That was five minutes ago!” We headed downstairs to eat breakfast with Isaac before Evan showed up.

  “Look who joined the living,” Isaac greeted Hannah with a teasing smile.

  “Whatever.” Hannah made a face at him. “You know you’d be sleeping too if you didn’t have to work.”

  “You can keep making those excuses to yourself if it makes you feel better.” Isaac gave Hannah a big cheesy smile.

  Hannah rolled her eyes and turned to me. “It’s too early to deal with him. You talk to Isaac. I’m getting food before I deal with his nonsense again.”

  I smiled at her as she walked to fill her plate with French toast. I scooted into the chair next to Isaac. “I don’t mind talking to him.”

  He smiled and moved his chair closer to me.

  A tap sounded on the back door, and I looked up to see Evan’s blond head through the glass. Hannah twisted away from the stove and set her half-filled plate of breakfast onto the island. She squealed and opened the door for him. She wrapped her arms around his neck before he could even step inside and planted a kiss on him.

  He stumbled back, laughing. “Whoa.”

  She grabbed his arm and tugged him inside. “Come eat breakfast with us. My mom made a ton of French toast. There should be enough for you, too.”

  “Hey, y’all.” Evan greeted us as he stepped past the island. He took in my chair scooted all close to Isaac’s and raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Hannah pulled a plate down from the cupboard and piled French toast on for him. She poured maple syrup all over his plate.

  Mrs. Miller came into the kitchen. “Hey Evan! You came all this way to come see us?”

  Hannah rolled her eyes at her mom. “Oh yeah. From next door. My mom may have a cheesy sense of humor, but at least she makes good food.�
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  “Thank you for sharing your food with me, Mrs. Miller,” Evan said.

  “You’re always welcome to come eat with us, Evan. I’d rather y’all be under my roof where I can keep an eye on the two of you and keep you out of too much trouble.”

  “Hannah getting herself into trouble?” Isaac asked. “That would never happen.”

  “Shut up, Isaac,” Hannah said, shoving his shoulder playfully. I gave them good-natured smile. It was fun to watch their relationship. They were so close and joked so easily with each other it was no surprise I’d thought they had a thing for each other before I knew she was his cousin.

  And now I was joking with Isaac like that. A few months ago, I never would have believed that I’d be so familiar with Isaac, let alone dating him. It was shocking to think how many things could change in such a short amount of time. I just hoped I’d be able to keep him.

  2

  Isaac

  I poured milk over my raisin bran and put the cap back on the jug. Digging my spoon into the bowl, I took my first bite. Dad walked into the room and rummaged around in the cabinet behind me, pulling out what sounded like a skillet. “Good morning, son.”

  I munched on my cereal and mumbled a reply between spoonfuls. Dad cracked a few eggs into the skilled and sprinkled cheese on top, mixing the two together. His breakfast smelled a lot better than my cereal tasted. But putting that much effort into cooking sounded too hard. I was exhausted from staying up late with Destiny at Hannah’s and then texting Destiny late last night. That girl had me whipped. And I was okay with that.