“We got one more to go,” the doctor reminds us. I hand my son to the nurse to get him checked over. Willow grabs my hand and prepares to push again.
I know she must be in pain, but when her eyes meet mine, a smile lights up her face.
“Push!” the doctor says. Willow squeezes my hand.
“You got this, Mama,” Zoey says to her. The room fills with cries again as she pushes out our baby. This one has some good lung sounds, already sounding pissed to be out of Mama’s stomach.
“We’ve got a girl,” the doctor announces.
“What! Did you hear him or was I dreaming?” I stare at my daughter. The nurse quickly wraps her and hands her to me.
“We have a baby girl.” My throat goes tight. Willow bursts into tears with excitement.
“You did it,” she says as I hand her our daughter. “‘Maybe you can control everything.” I lean down, brushing my mouth against hers.
We truly have it all. My wife is my forever love.
* * *
I hope you loved Willow and Theodore’s story. Curious about Zoey and Reid? Read their story His Forever Girl now!
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His Forever Girl
Zoey Hawthorne has always been my forever. Best friends since we were kids, she and I were meant to be. Until I screwed it all up before we went to high school. I had to step away before I ruined my shot with the girl who held my heart in her hands.
Letting her go was the biggest regret of my life. Making it up to her won’t be easy, but I have to show her that I never lost sight of her. I mean that literally and figuratively. Zoey’s not just my love, she’s my obsession. I worry for her, care for her, and above all, want to protect her. She’s too good for me, but that’s not going to stop me from having her.
Loving Zoey has never been optional for me. She’s the one, and I intend to show her just how much she means to me.
Chapter 1
I stare down at the giant folder in my hands. I know what it is. I’ve been waiting for it. I bite my lip, not opening it yet. How can you want something and not want it at the same time? That’s how I’m feeling at the moment.
Of course, one of the only reasons something like that could happen to a girl is because of a boy. And my situation is no different. I hold the future I’ve always dreamed of in my hands. Years ago, it would have included him, but now the thought of him being there only brings me sadness.
Mom is still at work. I’ve just gotten home from school. Like every day since I sent in my admissions letters to dozens of colleges, I immediately ran to the mailbox to check to see if my letter had come. I’ve already received a bunch of acceptance letters from a handful of colleges which included a lot of scholarships and perks.
The one in my hands, though, is the one I’ve really been waiting for. This is the college I’ve been dreaming about going to since I was a little girl. The same college that Reid Knight will be attending. The boy from next door who got a full ride too after taking our school to the state championship in football and winning. Reid always won.
My cell phone vibrates across my bed. Willow's name lights up. I guess she got her letter today too. We did all of our admissions letters together. It is how we’ve done everything since the seventh grade. She was there to pick up the pieces when my childhood best friend, Reid, dropped me and pretended as though I never existed. After all these years, nothing has changed when it comes to Reid. He still acts that way.
I answer the call and put it on speaker. “I got in!” Willow screams through the phone. “My parents are over the moon about it.” The sarcasm in her tone can’t be missed. There are two different groups of kids in our school. There are the rich kids and then all the other kids.
Willow came from the rich part of town. Her trust alone would have her set for life if she wanted. Both of her parents are workaholics. She spends more time at my house than her own.
“Well?” she asks. “If I got in, there is no way you didn't get it.” That’s not necessarily true. The Harlow last name carries weight to it. Both Willow and I aced all of our classes, but my test scores were off the charts. We’ve also done a million and one extracurricular activities. I swear we were in more clubs than I could count. We wanted to make sure to have enough to put on our applications.
“I haven’t opened it yet,” I tell her.
“My envelope was small, so don’t think it might not be an acceptance.”
“Mine isn't small.”
Willow sucks in a deep breath. “You got a full ride. I know it! Open it, you’re killing me here. I’ll drive over there and open it myself if you don’t hurry up.” She would.
I slowly open the envelope, pulling out the papers. My eyes well with tears. All of my hard work has paid off.
“I got in,” I whisper. “A full ride.”
Willow starts screaming. I can see her in my mind over there dancing around. I wanted in so badly but knew that college would cost so much.
I didn't want to put that strain on my mom. It’s not that she couldn't pay it; I just know it would be a huge cost. I also know if I’d gotten accepted even without a scholarship that Mom would push me to go. Even if one of the others offered me more perks, she would insist I go to the one I really wanted to.
Now I don’t have to. I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry. I’m filled with so many emotions. I thought I’d be celebrating this with him, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Why do I let my mind take me to that place again? I have to learn to push past that; my future is literally in my hands.
“We’re sharing a dorm room. I demand it.” I let out a small laugh. Most people don’t get to pick who they dorm with in their freshman year, but I guarantee Willow will somehow make it happen.
“He’s going to be there,” I remind her.
“Fuck him.” The words come easily from Willow. They are ones that she’s uttered many times before. Needless to say, our school has cliques. The football guys, of course, are one of them. Then there are the cheerleaders and dance squad that follow them around. There is a drama crew and a few others. Willow and I always floated on the outskirts of everyone. Of course, with all the clubs and such for school activities we blended in here and there. Plus, I was in charge of most of the pictures that go in the back of the year book.
Most of the time it felt like I had the plague. I never got any school crushes or dates. Willow begged me to go to one dance, and I did. Not once did anyone ask me to dance. The only thing I found myself doing was stealing glimpses at Reid that night. He looked so handsome in his suit.
I could never keep up with who was dating who. It shifted around so much that I hadn't ever tried. Still it dings my ego that not once did someone ask me for my number or to one of the dances. Willow went on dates sometimes. Nothing ever stuck for her, but at least she got to experience dating. I’d take a bad date over no date at all.
“We should celebrate.”
“What do you want to do?” I ask. It’s Friday night, and I am excited about this. The only thing I’m not excited about is another four years of Reid.
I thought I’d finally be getting away from him when I went off to college. It wasn't only him I wanted to get away from, but his friends too. As much as it broke my heart in middle school when he dropped me like a bad habit, it was the people he chose to be friends with that had really hurt.
I don’t care what anyone says. They were a bunch of jerks. I heard how they talked about other girls. I’ve been on the receiving side of some of their jabs. I think that was what hurt me the most. That he’d not only dropped me but he didn’t even bother to stick up for me. The Reid I remember would never have been okay with that. But what did I know? I was thirteen at the time.
It was just hard to believe how wrong I had been about Reid Knight.
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His Forever Love Page 10