FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET

by Lynn, Sandi

  “If we’re going to spend time together, then we have to take things slow,” she said as she laid her head on my chest. “I really do like you, Collin. Even though you tripped me and then ran me over with your cart.”

  I laughed. “For the last time, I didn’t run you over.”

  She looked up at me with a smile and I softly kissed her lips. There was no place else I wanted to be. I was content holding her in my arms. But I was bothered by the fact that Hailey kept calling me.

  * * *

  “I’m surprised you came home last night,” my dad said as he strolled in the kitchen and poured some coffee.

  “Where else would I go?”

  He gave me a perplexed look as he sipped the coffee from his cup. “I thought you’d be staying at Amelia’s since you went out last night.”

  “Nah, we talked and we’re taking things slow. Very slow.”

  “That’s good, son. That’s the way things should happen. It’s not good to rush into anything. Take your time and get to know each other.”

  “She’s really messed up, Dad. I mean in a bad way.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked as he set down his cup.

  “She told me about the boating accident last night and it nearly killed me. What she experienced was horrific. I seriously don’t know if I could ever recover from something like that.”

  “It sounds to me like she hasn’t, and if it’s as bad as you say it was, and you really like her, then maybe you can help her. Poor girl probably never had any support after the accident.”

  I sat there lightly shaking my head debating whether or not to tell him that Hailey’s been calling me. “Hailey called me last night while I was with Amelia and it wasn’t the first time.”

  He looked up from his phone and raised one eyebrow at me. “What do you mean it wasn’t the first time? What does she want?”

  “I don’t know. The last time we talked she…well, you know what she said.”

  “Do you still have feelings for her?”

  “You want the truth? No, I don’t. In fact, when I’m with Amelia, I feel things that I never felt before.”

  “Ah, I know that feeling.” He smiled.

  “I know you do, Dad. Mom is your soul-mate and the one and only and when you met her, she completely changed your life…blah blah blah.”

  “Collin!” my mom exclaimed as she entered the kitchen.

  “Sorry, Mom. Dad, I’m sorry but I’ve heard it a million times and I love you both very much but—”

  “But what, son?” my dad asked quietly.

  “I don’t know,” I said as I got up from the chair. “I’m going to drive myself into the office today.”

  “Why? Ralph is downstairs,” he said.

  “Yeah, no thanks, Dad. I’ll just drive myself. Love you, Mom,” I said as I kissed her on the cheek.

  The more I thought about Hailey calling me, the more curious I became. I climbed in the Range Rover and hit her number on my phone. If I was going to be with Amelia, this thing with Hailey was going to have to be put to rest.

  “Hey, Collin. I’ve been trying to call you.”

  “Yeah, I saw. What do you want, Hailey?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong. Why do you keep calling me?”

  “I just wanted to see what you’ve been up to. I thought maybe we could Skype one night.”

  I didn’t know where the hell all this was coming from, but she sounded different.

  “I’m sorry, Hailey, but don’t you have a boyfriend? I don’t think he’d appreciate you skyping with your ex.”

  “Things didn’t work out between us.”

  That was quick, I thought to myself.

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  “Anyway, I’m going to be flying back to New York in a couple of weeks and I may be staying there permanently.”

  Shit. What the hell happened in Italy that’s making her want to come back to New York. I didn’t want to know.

  “That’s nice. I’m sure your mom and dad will be very happy to see you.”

  “What about you?” she asked.

  “What? Hailey are you there? Hello?” Click.

  There was no way I was answering that question, so I did what I had to in order to cut her off. As I walked up to my office, I sent Amelia a text message. She was the one I need to be thinking about, not Hailey.

  “Good morning, beautiful. I know you start your clinicals today, but I was hoping I could pick you up from the hospital and we could grab some dinner together.”

  “Good morning. I would really like that. I get off at seven.”

  “Great! I’ll pick you up in front. Have a good day.”

  “Thanks, Collin. Have a good day too.”

  Just reading her words made me smile. Everything about her made me smile. Even when I thought about her, I smiled. I worked my ass off all day and held an important meeting that even impressed my dad. I stayed at the office until it was time to pick up Amelia so I could get some much-needed work done.

  Chapter 20

  I pulled up to the hospital entrance just as Amelia was walking out the doors. She climbed in and smiled at me.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi.” I grinned. “How was your first day of clinicals?”

  “It was interesting and harder than I thought it would be.”

  I reached over, grabbed her hand and brought it up to my lips. “You’re going to make an amazing nurse. Don’t ever forget that.”

  She giggled and leaned over and put her head on my shoulder.

  “Are you okay?” I asked as I pulled out of the hospital.

  “I’m fine. I’m just happy today is over with and I get to see you.”

  I smiled as my lips touched her forehead. I was just as happy to see her. We both were in the mood for pizza, so we drove to Pizzapopolous. When we walked in, I saw Julia and Jake sitting at a table. She looked up and smiled.

  “Hey!” she said as she got up from her chair.

  “Hey, sis. It looks like we wanted the same thing for dinner. “Hi, Jake.”

  “Hey, Collin, Amelia. It’s good to see you.” He smiled.

  “Sit down and join us,” Julia said.

  I looked at Amelia and she smiled. “Okay, we will,” I said as I pulled out the chair for Amelia.

  We had a great dinner with Julia and Jake. They left before we did because Julia was tired and feeling uncomfortable. I got up from my seat and kissed her goodbye.

  “I’ll see both of you at the office tomorrow.” I smiled.

  I sat back down and grabbed Amelia’s hand. “That was nice having dinner with my sister and brother in-law.”

  “Yeah, it was. I really like them. In fact, I really like your whole family. Everyone is so nice.”

  “They’re okay,” I smiled. “Have you heard anything about the house yet?” I asked.

  “No,” she said as she looked down at the table. “The realtor called me today and said that three people looked at it but said it was out of their price range.”

  “Out of their price range? It’s the fucking Hamptons. What do they expect?”

  “I don’t know. I wish I could keep it. Even though we only lived in it a very short time, it was a place that was special to my parents.”

  “What about your house here in New York that you grew up in?” I asked.

  She looked at me in confusion. “We didn’t have a house in New York. I grew up in Palisades Park, New Jersey. I thought I told you that.” She laughed.

  “No, but I guess it never came up because we always talked about the Hamptons and NYU. I just assumed you grew up in New York.”

  As we sat and talked, my phone buzzed. I pulled it from my pocket and there was a text message from my mom.

  “Hi, sweetheart. The whole family is going to the beach house this weekend to celebrate Jake’s birthday. So, don’t make plans and bring Amelia. We’d love to have her.”

  I looked up at Amelia and smiled. “My mom said
that the whole family is going to the beach house this weekend and she wants you to come. We’re celebrating Jake’s birthday. What do you say?”

  She hesitated for a moment. “It’ll be fun.” She smiled.

  “You bet it will be! It’s always fun when I’m around.” I winked.

  I sent a message back to my mom.

  “Sounds great, and Amelia is looking forward to coming.”

  “Perfect.”

  We finished our dinner and I drove Amelia home. I walked her up to her apartment, put my hands on her hips and softly kissed her goodbye.

  “I had a nice time tonight,” I spoke.

  “Me too.” She smiled.

  I pulled her into me and embraced her. Her scent was driving me insane and I started to get a hard on. She broke our embrace and looked at me.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t help it when I’m with you.”

  Amelia laughed. “It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize.”

  “I better go. You have studying to do, and I need to leave.”

  “Thanks for dinner. Next time it’s on me.” She smiled.

  I leaned over and lightly touched her lips with mine. “Never. I will always pay.” I winked as I walked out.

  I heard her giggling behind me as she shut the door. I smiled all the way back to the Range Rover.

  * * *

  Over the next few days, Amelia and I saw each other after she finished her clinicals. I would pick her up and we’d grab carry out from somewhere and take it back to her place. I would bring my laptop and do some work while she sat and did her homework. I even helped her study for her a big quiz she had coming up. She wanted to make sure she finished all her studying before we left for the beach house. I could tell she was getting closer to me and letting me in more. We talked about our childhoods and how we grew up. We shared family stories and she even talked a little bit about Billy.

  We were both sitting on the couch. I had my laptop on my lap, and she was sitting next to me with her nose in her textbook. When she closed it, she looked at me and smiled.

  “Well, that’s it. I’m all finished. Now I’ll have a clear mind for the weekend.”

  “That’s great,” I said as I set my laptop to the side and pulled her into me. I softly kissed the top of her head. “I’m so happy that you’re coming with us.”

  “Me too. Is anyone else coming besides your family?”

  “I think just Peyton and Henry.”

  “Aren’t they the parents of your ex-girlfriend?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You don’t think it’ll be uncomfortable having your girlfriend there while they’re there.”

  Instantly, I smiled. We had never talked about girlfriend/boyfriend status before. “Nah, it’ll be fine. Peyton and Henry are really cool.”

  My phone buzzed on the table. Amelia sat up and reached over to grab it. There was a text message from Jacob.

  “Guess what. Your dad invited me and my mom to the beach house. How cool is that, dude?”

  I laughed as I replied. “That’s awesome, buddy. I can’t wait to see you.”

  “It’s going to be so cool. I can’t wait.”

  Are you coming up tomorrow or Saturday?

  My mom said we can’t leave until Saturday because I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow after she gets off work.”

  That’s okay. You see your doctor first. That’s more important. See ya Saturday, little buddy.”

  “That was Jacob. My dad invited him and Diana to the beach house.”

  “Cool. I can’t wait to finally meet them.” She smiled.

  I stared into her eyes and placed my hand on her cheek.

  “So, you’re my girlfriend?” I asked with a smile.

  She bit down on her bottom lip before answering me.

  “So, you’re my boyfriend?”

  I chuckled as I kissed her.

  “I am.”

  “Then I’m your girlfriend.” She grinned as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

  “So it’s official.”

  “It’s official,” she said.

  I wanted nothing more than to make love to her at that moment, but I knew she wasn’t ready yet and I was more than willing to wait until she was.

  “Since we’re leaving in the morning and you don’t have classes or clinicals, why don’t you spend the night at the penthouse, and we can leave together.”

  “Really? Your mom and dad wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Maybe you better ask first.”

  I raised my brow at her. “Seriously? You want me ask?”

  “Yes. They’re your parents and it’s their penthouse. So out of respect, it would be best to ask them.”

  “You’re right,” I said as I sent a text message to my mom.

  “Can Amelia spend the night in the guest room since we’re leaving in the morning?”

  “Great idea. She’s more than welcome to spend the night here.”

  I looked at her and showed her my phone. “See, I told you they wouldn’t care.”

  She smiled at me and got up to pack her bag for the weekend. “Can I help you with anything?” I asked.

  “No, it will only take me a minute. Oh, can you grab my charger out of the desk drawer?”

  I got up from the couch and when I opened the drawer, there was a picture of her, her dad and sister in front of T-Rex Sue. I pulled it out, and as I was looking at it, she walked up behind me.

  “That’s Sue,” she said over my shoulder.

  “I know,” I said as I pulled out my phone and brought up the picture that I took at the Field Museum.

  “Hey, you have a picture of Sue too!” She smiled.

  “That’s one of my most favorite museums.” I said.

  “Mine too. My dad took us there about four years ago for the first time and I loved it.”

  “I’ll take you back there and we can get a picture of us in front of her.” I smiled.

  “I would love that.” She kissed my lips.

  She was becoming more and more perfect to me and she was fitting perfectly into my world. I loved sharing the museum with Diana and Jacob, but to share it with someone I was falling in love with would be even more amazing. I pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear and placed my finger under her chin.

  “You’re perfect.”

  “No, I’m not. Nobody’s perfect.”

  “Well, as true as that may be, you’re perfect to me.” I smiled.

  Our lips met once again and this time it was more than a small kiss. It was comforting and passionate. I inched her backwards until she was leaning against the wall. I placed my hand above her head while our lips moved together in sync. I kept my other hand firmly planted on her hip, so it didn’t wander where it wanted to go. My tongue left her mouth, and as it softly explored her neck, she let out a moan which sent me over the edge.

  “We have to stop,” I said with bated breath.

  “I know,” she whispered.

  I sighed as I moved away from her and she looked at me. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Don’t apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’ll wait for you for as long as it takes.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to have sex with you, Collin. I do. But I just feel like it’s not the right time.”

  I softly smiled at her and placed my hands on each side of her face. “We’ll both know when the right time comes, and it will be amazing.”

  “I have no doubt that it will be amazing. Just being with you makes me feel like that.”

  I placed my forehead on hers and we kissed one last time before heading to the penthouse.

  * * *

  We stepped off the elevator and my mom came walking down the stairs with a smile.

  “Hi Amelia. Welcome to our home.”

  “Thanks, Ellery.”

  “Mom. She’s been here before.”

  “I know that, Collin. But she’s never stayed the night,” she said as she shot me a loo
k and grabbed Amelia’s bag from me. “I’ll show her where the guest room is, and you go talk to your dad. He’s in the living room.”

  Amelia looked at me and smiled as she followed my mom upstairs. I walked in the living room and my dad was sitting on the couch on his laptop.

  “Hi, son. How was your evening?”

  “It was good, Dad.”

  “How are things going with you and Amelia?”

  “Things are good. I really like her.” I smiled.

  “I think you should know that Hailey flew back to New York today.”

  “The last time I talked to her, she told me she was. We sort of got disconnected when she asked if I was happy that she was coming back.”

  “Ah.” He smiled. “I’ve pulled that a few times myself. It’s so unfortunate when that happens.”

  “Right? I learned from the best.” I smiled at him.

  Just as he was about to say something else about Hailey, my mom and Amelia walked into the room.

  “What are you two talking about?” my mom asked.

  “Just going over a few business things,” my dad replied.

  I got up and led Amelia to the kitchen. “Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?”

  “I’m fine, Collin.” She smiled as she wrapped her arms around me. “Your mom is amazing. She told me that if I ever needed to talk about anything to come to her. She’s such a warm and caring person.”

  “Yeah, she is. She had a really rough childhood and both her parents died when she was young. She’s been through a lot, so she understands,” I said as I tucked her hair behind her ear and softly kissed her lips.

  “It’s getting late and we need to be up early in the morning. Maybe we should head upstairs,” she said.

  I led her upstairs and kissed her goodnight. I walked across the hall and back to my room. I got undressed, put on my black pajama bottoms and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. The door was closed, so I knocked.

  “Amelia, are you in there?”

  “Yeah, I was going to brush my teeth,” she said as she opened the door.

  “Me too. May I join you?” I smiled.

  “It’s your bathroom, silly.” She laughed. “Come on in.”