Forever Love: A Friends to Lovers Collections Read online

  “Are you sure you made that clear?” her father asked.

  I didn’t think. I just stormed into the room. “Are you really going to talk to your own daughter that way?”

  “And who are you?” Her dad eyed me with disdain. I’m sure I looked like hell, but I didn’t care.

  I walked across the room and put an arm around Carly. “I’m Carly’s boyfriend.”

  She glanced up at me. A look of relief crossed her face.

  “Boyfriend? Carly doesn’t have a boyfriend,” her mother said snidely.

  “You’d know she did if you actually bothered to talk to her once in a while.” Colin glared.

  “Is this why you asked to speak to us? You wanted us to see Carly was playing around with some guy at the beach?”

  Playing around? I would have gone off on Carly’s dad if she hadn’t squeezed my hand. She wanted me to stay out of it.

  “No. That’s not what I wanted to talk about, and I didn’t ask you to come here. I told you I’d come to you.”

  “We decided to surprise you.” The mother turned back to Carly and me. “And what do you do? Are you also wasting your time?”

  “I knocked up Maddy.” The entire room went quiet after the words left Colin’s mouth. Maddy looked pale as a ghost.

  “Excuse me?” his mom asked.

  “You heard me. Lay off Carly. Let’s talk about me.”

  Maddy buried her face in her hands. I knew she was annoyed, but Colin had actually just jumped about a thousand respect points in my book. He threw me a look, and I knew what to do. I tugged on Carly’s hand and headed toward the door.

  “Pregnant? Are you really that irresponsible?”

  “They’re getting married. Congratulate them.” Carly spoke just loudly enough that her parents could hear.

  Her mother nodded and a look passed over her, like she was actually seeing her daughter for the first time. She turned back to Colin. “We’ll have to move fast with the planning.”

  Carly headed to the front door, and I followed. Her family situation was seriously messed up.

  “Just get it over with,” She mumbled the words as she searched around in her purse.

  “Get what over with?” I stood right beside her, trying to come up with the right words. That conversation with her parents made me mad. I couldn’t imagine how she was feeling.

  “Breaking up with me. I’m surprised you didn’t do it after Jasper, but this was even worse, huh?”

  “What?” I turned her, putting my hands on either of her arms. “What are you talking about?”

  “Now that you’ve seen how messed up my family is, don’t you want to run?”

  “No. I want to wrap you up in my arms and keep everything else away.”

  She gazed up with at me with tear rimmed eyes. “Do you really mean that?”

  “Absolutely, can I have the keys?”

  She pulled her clunky keychain out of her purse and handed it to me. I wordlessly opened her door.

  I didn’t say anything until we were almost back to the condo. “When we get inside go pack enough stuff for a few days. I’ll call Max and my boss.”

  “Wait, where are we going?”

  “Do you trust me?”

  She nodded. “One hundred percent.”

  I pulled into her usual spot. “Then just pack. Nothing crazy, just the basics.”

  “Okay…” She opened her door.

  We walked upstairs quietly. I wanted to talk to her about everything, but not yet. I needed to keep us both focused so we could get out of town quickly.

  I threw together a small duffel while I convinced Ralph to cover me at work and called Max.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Max. It’s Macon.”

  “And to what do I owe the honor of this phone call?” He was definitely intrigued.

  “Can you find someone to cover for Carly this weekend?”

  “That depends. Why am I doing it?” His question came from curiosity and concern. He was going to give her the time off no matter what.

  “She needs a weekend away more than anyone, and she deserves it.”

  “I’m going to trust you on this one.”

  “I can tell her it’s fine?”

  “Absolutely, but is she okay?” he asked worriedly.

  “She will be.” I’d make sure of it.

  “Good. Take care of her.” He hung up.

  “I’m all packed,” Carly called from outside my room.

  “Great, let’s go.”

  “You really aren’t going to tell me where we’re going?” She leaned against the door frame.

  “Nope. I’d rather show you.” I took her small suitcase from her and led her to the front door.

  * * *

  After a quick stop to move my car back into a parking space at the shop, we got on the road. We drove through a heavy rainstorm, but otherwise it was an uneventful trip. I hoped Carly enjoyed the surprise.

  I’d never brought anyone to the cabin before. My grandfather had left the old place up in the Blue Ridge Mountains to me, and even though my parents suggested I sell it, I knew I never would. Bringing a girl there had never crossed my mind, but I had a feeling it was just what Carly needed, and I wanted her there. I wanted to show her my little sanctuary that even Maddy hadn’t ever seen.

  “Wow, this place is awesome.” Carly looked around at the small cabin with awe, and I knew instantly I’d made the right decision. On the surface Carly didn’t look like an outdoorsy girl, but she also didn’t shy away from it. She seemed right at home in the rugged place. “Is this yours?”

  “Yeah, my grandfather left it to me.”

  “It’s great.” She surprised me by hugging me from around the waist. Her eyes were brighter again—she was back to being Carly. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

  I closed the door and set down our bags. “Ready for the tour?”

  “Sure!” Most girls would have made a comment about not needing a tour of a two room cabin, but not Carly.

  “This is the kitchen, sitting room combo, and the bedroom is through here.” I gestured for her to walk through the small archway. The small room was filled with a queen sized bed and a dresser. Nothing fancy, but that was the whole idea.

  “Perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better surprise getaway.”

  I pulled her into my arms. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better girlfriend.”

  She rested her head on my chest. “I guess we should unpack the groceries.” She headed back into the kitchen.

  I started unpacking the paper bags. We’d stopped for dinner on the way up that night, but I wanted to make sure we had food for the rest of the weekend.

  With the food unpacked, we went to sit out on the porch swing. I opened one of the bottles of wine I’d remembered to tuck in with my stuff. My grandfather would have laughed, but when given the option, Carly wasn’t a beer drinking kind of girl.

  “Do you come up here a lot?” Carly’s voice broke through the nearly silent night. One of the reasons I loved the cabin was the quiet. The only sounds came from the crickets and rustling leaves at night. I liked the solitude, but having Carly’s company was even better.

  “I try to come up a few times a year when I need a break.” I pulled her legs up onto my lap. She kicked off her flip flops.

  “Do you usually come alone?”

  “Always. This is the first time I haven’t.”

  “I’m honored you brought me.” The light breeze blew the tendril of hair that had escaped her ponytail.

  “It feels right to have you here.”

  “I feel at home if that makes sense.”

  “Perfect sense.” I ran my hands down her jean clad legs. As much as I wanted to touch her skin, I was glad she was wearing pants. The one downside of the place was the bugs.

  “Do you want to talk about earlier?” I didn’t want to push it, but I needed her to know she could tell me anything.

  “What’s there to talk about? My parents hate
me.”

  “They don’t hate you.”

  “Ok, they don’t hate me. They just love me less than Kim.”

  “Not that I have any interest in defending them, but I don’t think that’s it. And I’ve already weighed in on my bet about how Kim feels about you too.”

  “Then what is it?” She pulled her legs from me. Not what I wanted.

  “They’re confused. They don’t understand what happened. Maybe they do view Kim as more successful than you and somehow can’t accept her husband screwed up. Have they always liked Jasper?”

  “They love him. He was the perfect friend for their son.”

  “They don’t want to believe they were wrong about him. They’re angry at themselves for supporting the marriage. At least that’s what I think.”

  “Maybe. I guess it doesn’t matter. I just wish they didn’t view me as the loser all the time.”

  “Let me guess. Kim was the one who won awards for everything.”

  “I thought you were an only child?”

  “I am, but I had a cousin who was more like a brother. He was also better at everything.”

  “Had?” She eyed me warily.

  “He died when we were in college.”

  “Oh. That’s where the pressure comes from. He was your uncle’s son.”

  “Yeah…”

  She moved behind me and slipped her hands underneath my t-shirt and started to run her nails gently down my back. I’d never had someone give me a back scratch like that, and it felt really good.

  “Was that around the same time you stopped dating girls seriously?”

  “We weren’t talking about me.”

  “You’re right. We were talking about us. Both of us.”

  She was right. “Yeah. His death changed me I guess. I didn’t want to keep searching for the one when I wasn’t even sure who I was.”

  “But you’re dating me.”

  “Because it’s different with you. There’s no searching. I can be myself with you in a way I’ve never been with someone before.”

  “I feel that way too.”

  A slap of thunder had Carly jumping behind me.

  “Looks like that storm followed us up here.”

  “I guess so.”

  Even with her behind me I could tell she was tense. Was she afraid of storms? “We can go inside if you want.”

  “Not yet.”

  She moved back around and settled into the crook of my arm. We sipped our wine and watched the rain start from small drops to a steady downpour. Silence had never felt so natural before.

  Carly

  I was in love with Macon. The realization hit me like a freight train as I curled up with him watching the storm. Every part of me felt whole with him. He got me. He didn’t judge or over glorify the good parts, but he also didn’t focus on the bad. We joked about being perfect, but the reality was neither of us wanted that. I didn’t want perfect, I wanted real and strong. He’d finally opened up to me. It had taken nearly the whole summer, but it had happened.

  “What are you thinking about?” His lips tickled my neck. He kept the swing moving. My legs were curled up under me.

  “You and me.”

  “Anything I don’t already know?”

  I gazed up at him in the hazy light from the single bulb porch fixture. “Nope. You already know all of it.”

  “I have no clue what we’re going to do at the end of the summer, but I’m not giving you up.”

  “Considering I have no plans of giving you up, you’re good.”

  “You’re going to stay with me? Follow me to the ends of the earth?”

  I crawled into his lap. “Yes.”

  “Good.” He brushed his lips against mine in that way of his. He did it all the time, and at first I thought he just did it because he knew it sent a thrill through me. Later I figured out it was his way of testing the waters.

  I reached up and ran my hands through his hair. “I may even have an idea.”

  “Oh?” His lidded eyes gazed into mine, and I knew it wasn’t the time to share my plan yet.

  “But I don’t want to talk about that.”

  “What do you want to talk about, Carly?”

  “I don’t want to talk.”

  He grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.” His lips crushed into mine, moving against mine until he lightly bit my bottom lip and pushed his way into my mouth. I gladly let him in. He slipped a hand under my t-shirt and bra, fondling my breast while his mouth continued to explore mine.

  He broke the kiss long enough to discard my shirt and bra before returning his lips to mine. I used the break to pull off his t-shirt. I wanted his bare skin against mine. We were outside, but there was no one else for miles. There was something so thrilling about being intimate while the rain poured down inches from us.

  His lips moved down to my neck, and I leaned my head back to give him better access. His lips continued their descent, stopping on my breasts. I fumbled with his belt, unbuckling it before moving on to the button of his cargo shorts. I slipped my hand inside while he lifted me off his lap enough to unbutton my jeans. I stood up, and he slowly slid my dark jeans down my legs. While his eyes took me in, I got rid of his shorts and boxers in one movement. He slid off my underwear before he sat back on the swing taking me with him.

  I gently stroked him while he slipped two fingers inside of me. I gasped at the sensation, but he didn’t take long before removing them. I was about to protest when he thrust inside of me. The movement rocked the swing, getting it moving again. I gasped again as he moved the entire length of him inside me, back and forth.

  He pulled out the hair tie from my hair, letting it spill down my back. I always felt sexier that way. I pressed my lips into his neck, trying to control the urge to scream.

  “I love you, Carly.” The words came out in short bursts as he moved.

  “I love you, Macon.” I didn’t plan to tell him in the heat of passion, but sometimes that’s when we’re most honest.

  “I’ve never heard a three word combination I liked more.”

  I kissed him. I needed my lips against his. He kissed me back, continuing to move inside me. Right before he pushed me over the edge his lips moved to my ear. “Do you love me enough to stop holding back how you feel?”

  “Of course.” I closed my eyes, letting myself enjoy the pleasure of our bodies joining, and when the time came I let out the scream I’d have normally fought down. That did something to him, and he reached his own release moments later just as a bright streak of lightning lit up the sky.

  “I love you so much, babe. So freaking much.” He held me to him, his hands grasping me like he thought I’d disappear if he ever let go.

  * * *

  “Twelve. It’s definitely twelve.” Macon counted the small red dots on my body. We’d moved inside.

  “I’ve had twenty bug bites before, this is nothing.”

  “I don’t have any.”

  “I guess my blood is sweet.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised. Every part of you is sweet.”

  I laughed, loving how comfortable I was lying naked in front of him. Macon wouldn’t have it any other way. He liked to look at me, and although at first I was embarrassed about it, I loved to look at him.

  I held up our entwined hands, squinting to see them in the near darkness of the room. “That was worth it though.”

  “I hope so… it was incredible for me.”

  “For me too.”

  “Just in case you didn’t get the full effect since I had you distracted, I love you.”

  I smiled. “It was actually an even stronger effect, but I don’t mind you repeating yourself.” I leaned up on an elbow. “And, I love you, Macon.”

  “See, I was right. There is no better word combination then hearing that from your lips.”

  I laughed. “I’ll try not to overuse it and ruin the effect then.”

  “You could never over use it.”

  “Good.” I kissed h
is shoulder.

  “All right, I think this calls for ice cream.” He hopped out of bed and headed out of the room.

  “Aren’t you going to get dressed first?” I didn’t bother to get up. He’d bring the ice cream to me.

  “Nope, but we do have a problem.”

  “What kind of problem?” I asked, squinting to see him in the dark.

  “The power’s out.”

  “I guess that means we’ll have to eat a lot of ice cream.” I laughed.

  “It’s incredibly awesome that you just said that. Do you realize how many girls would be freaking out?”

  “Stuck in a cabin without power with a hot guy? Uh, most girls wouldn’t care.”

  “When you put it that way…” He laughed. “I know I have a flashlight somewhere.”

  “Just use your phone.”

  “Oh yeah.” He grabbed his phone off the dresser and walked into the kitchen. He returned with a container of rocky road ice cream and two spoons.

  Outside the storm still raged, but that just made the cabin feel cozier.

  He settled in next to me, pulling the sheets and blankets up over us. I took the spoon he offered. “I’m not sure how I got so lucky, but I’m not going to complain.”

  “You and me both, babe.”

  “What kind of mood are you in?”

  “The happy as a lark kind.”

  “Okay. Then it’s a good time to discuss my plan.”

  He took a bit of ice cream. “Ok, let’s hear this plan.”

  “Why do you want to run your family’s business? What is it about the job that made you want it?”

  He set aside the container of ice cream. “This is your plan?”

  “Just answer me.”

  He put an arm around me, and I rested my head on his chest. “I knew I could do more for the company. I could make it bigger, help it grow. I also like the idea of being my own boss.”

  “But you really aren’t into risk management?”

  “No. But it doesn’t matter what the industry is.”

  “But wouldn’t it be better if the product or service was something you loved?”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “You said your boss at the scuba shop is handing over the business to his son at the end of the summer, right?”