Laura Danks - Almost Forever - An emotional debut perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes

Can love truly conquer all?

When a vicious attack leaves Paul in a coma on his wedding day, the doctors fear he will never wake up. But his fiancée Fran will never give up hope.

Fran has always known Paul is the only man for her, from the first moment they locked eyes as children to the day he finally told her he loved her. Paul can’t leave her, not now their lives are just about to begin.

Love will always find a way … won’t it?

Almost Forever

Laura Danks

ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Contents

Cover

Blurb Can love truly conquer all? When a vicious attack leaves Paul in a coma on his wedding day, the doctors fear he will never wake up. But his fiancée Fran will never give up hope. Fran has always known Paul is the only man for her, from the first moment they locked eyes as children to the day he finally told her he loved her. Paul can’t leave her, not now their lives are just about to begin. Love will always find a way … won’t it?

Title Page Almost Forever Laura Danks ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Author Bio LAURA DANKS was born and raised in Italy and studied Classics in Milan, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Indiana Jones, her childhood hero. Instead of treasure hunting, in 2001 she moved to London and worked in Online Advertising, a fifteen-year career she decided to give up to write full-time. She now lives in a two-hundred-year-old cottage near Cambridge with her husband, her two kids, Hugo the cat and a typewriter.

Acknowledgements Acknowledgements Firstly, to everyone who bought a copy of this book, thank you for supporting my fundraising effort, it’s an extremely worthy cause. Thank you also to Pete, for his unshakable support, I couldn’t have done it without you. To Suzanne and Debbie, thank you for your patience with my ‘first draft’ and its many iterations. To my family in Milan, grazie for cheering me on, even if my work may never be translated into Italian. Thank you to all the caring and kind friends, who forgave me for disappearing into the world of editing for months on end. And last, but not least, a sincere thank you to my editor, Hannah Smith, and the team at HarperCollins, who helped shape my manuscript into a heart-warming tale of love, hope and courage.

Dedication Dedication To Dad and Zio Roby – two very brave men.

Quote Anyway I need to write what I think and feel. Not all that you see here actually ‘happened’ but it’s still very real to me. I don’t care if I let my imagination run away with me! Plenty of brilliant artists and writers were mad! … People still loved them and their work just the same. And I want to be loved too. I almost feel as though I will never live long enough to become an author, to be married and have a family. The Draft, Jemima Layzell

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Endpages

Copyright

LAURA DANKS

was born and raised in Italy and studied Classics in Milan, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Indiana Jones, her childhood hero. Instead of treasure hunting, in 2001 she moved to London and worked in Online Advertising, a fifteen-year career she decided to give up to write full-time.

She now lives in a two-hundred-year-old cottage near Cambridge with her husband, her two kids, Hugo the cat and a typewriter.

Author’s Note

Born as a homage to the tragic love between Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini from Dante’s Divina Commedia – Inferno , Canto V, this story has taken a deeper and more personal significance when my father suffered a stroke and suddenly the emotions I committed to paper were actually very real and familiar.

My dad is recovering well, but 15 million people around the world suffer a stroke every year and many are not quite as fortunate. So I decided to dedicate this book to them and their families, and donate part of my royalties to the Stroke Association ( www.stroke.org.uk) to support their tireless work and research.

A special mention also goes to an amazing young writer, Jemima Layzell, who died of a ruptured giant aneurysm and donated her organs to eight people. Her poignant quote beautifully introduces Paul and Francesca’s story. For more information about Jemima, her book The Draft and her charity please visit: www.jemimalayzell.com.

Acknowledgements

Firstly, to everyone who bought a copy of this book, thank you for supporting my fundraising effort, it’s an extremely worthy cause.

Thank you also to Pete, for his unshakable support, I couldn’t have done it without you.

To Suzanne and Debbie, thank you for your patience with my ‘first draft’ and its many iterations.

To my family in Milan, grazie for cheering me on, even if my work may never be translated into Italian.

Thank you to all the caring and kind friends, who forgave me for disappearing into the world of editing for months on end.

And last, but not least, a sincere thank you to my editor, Hannah Smith, and the team at HarperCollins, who helped shape my manuscript into a heart-warming tale of love, hope and courage.

Dedication

To Dad and Zio Roby – two very brave men.

Anyway I need to write what I think and feel.

Not all that you see here actually ‘happened’ but it’s still very real to me.

I don’t care if I let my imagination run away with me!

Plenty of brilliant artists and writers were mad! …

People still loved them and their work just the same.

And I want to be loved too.

I almost feel as though I will never live long enough

to become an author, to be married and have a family.

The Draft, Jemima Layzell

Prologue

29th of February

It’s morning. I can see the sun glowing outside the window, even if its brightness is dimmed by the still-drawn curtains. The bedroom is too dark to put every little detail into focus, but when I lift my hand in front of my nose, the ring on my finger shines in all its beauty, just for me.

I sigh in the quiet of the morning light, and then turn to Paul, planning to snuggle up with him until the alarm goes off, and the frenzy of the day commences.

‘Paul?’ I call out for him when I realise he isn’t there. I stretch my hand to his empty side of the bed and feel the warmth of his body that’s still lingering under the covers.

‘Paul?!’ I call again, propping myself up with a frown. No answer.

An unexpected anxiety fills my chest so I turn my lamp on and look around the room. Paul is nowhere to be seen. ‘The shower …’ I whisper when I hear the water running and exhale the worry that so quickly took hold of my heart. ‘You need to calm down,’ I tell myself, staring at the closed door, longing for the man behind it.

Maybe, I should just join him under the hot steamy shower, I think with a long, dreamy sigh before leaning back against my pillow, my movements lazy and slow. Unfortunately, there is no time for that, I remind myself, thinking of the self-imposed, manic schedule for the day ahead.

‘Today is my wedding day,’ I say out loud as the reality of it becomes suddenly, incredibly real. ‘Oh my!’ I squeal, pressing my face into the pillow, but even that isn’t enough to smother the giggles that are bursting out of my throat in little fits of joy.