Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
A Forever Love
By Sharon Cummin
Copyright © 2018 Sharon Cummin
All Rights Reserved
Warning: This story contains explicit sexual content that is not intended for those under the age of 18. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious and the age of 18 and older. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 1
Grace
It took all I had to slip the dress over my head. I'd bought it especially for that day. It was Valentine's Day, well the day before really. My son had invited me to a dance. It was a first for him. I stood, looking into the mirror, as I applied the makeup I'd bought for that day as well. He'd been through enough in the six years since he'd been born, and there was no way I'd ever be the one to let him down. If my boy wanted me to dress up for a dance, I would, every single time. I looked at myself in the mirror, one last time, and let out a laugh. How many people would be so damn shocked if they saw me, I wondered? I could definitely think of a few. I grunted, as I slid my feet into my heels. They had the shortest heel I could find, while still being able to count. I grabbed the purse I'd prepared, that I'd also just bought, and took a deep breath in before slowly releasing it.
“You look so pretty, Mommy,” I heard Noah's sweet voice before I turned to see the one smile that meant the world to me.
“Thank you,” I said, with a smile of my own. “Are you ready to get dressed up?”
“Yes,” he said, as he nodded his head over and over.
I sat on his bed and helped him get ready, as I thought about what I was getting ready to do. I'd been back in town for just over a year. It hadn't been an easy decision to move back. I needed a change, and fixing my relationship with my parents was exactly what I wanted. The only way to do that was to return to the town I'd tried so hard to get away from.
I'd been able to fly under the radar since moving back. That was something I was happy about. I was not a social person, never had been. Keeping to myself was exactly how I liked to live my life. But that was all about to change. I was going to stand in a room with all of the other mothers whose sons were bringing them to the very same dance. They'd all most likely be gossiping or talking about their perfect lives. My life was far from perfect.
“How do I look?” Noah asked, as he did a full turn in front of me, pulling me from my thoughts.
I looked at my son and smiled.
“Perfect,” I said, and I meant it. He was absolutely perfect.
Chapter 2
Sawyer
I stood in front of the mirror, looking myself up and down.
“How did she talk me into this?” I asked, as I let out a sigh and reached up to run my fingers through my hair.
I did not wear suits, not ever. I'd never liked the damn things. Give me some jeans or fatigues, and I'd be happy. I could even handle my dress uniform when I had to. That was different. The thought of a stuffy suit, with a button up, and those damn pants, no thanks. That was not me, but there I stood, looking the complete opposite of how I wanted. It was for her, I thought to myself. It was for my little niece, the same one I hadn't been around for until just a month before.
“Uncle Sawyer,” she said, as she looked up at me with that sweet smile and those pretty eyes. “Will you go to my Valentine dance with me? Daddy doesn't live close anymore, and mommy said he can't come. I can't go without a daddy.”
What was I going to say to that? My sister had to have been the one to tell her what to say. The little thing didn't miss a beat as she batted those precious dark eyes of hers, and I was done.
“Of course, Ava,” I said. “I'd be happy to be your daddy for the night.”
“Thank you,” she shouted, as she hugged my leg before running off. “He said yes. He said yes. Did you hear that?”
Exactly as I'd thought, it was my sister. I'd be sure to pay her back one day, I told myself.
The dance had come much faster than it sounded, and I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the night. I took a deep breath in and then out.
“You can do this,” I said. “It's for Ava. You can be around the macho bullshit for a couple of hours for her. She's worth it.”
I'd been away from the place I used to call home for just short of eleven years. My niece was in second grade, and I'd only just met her a month before. I'd say I owed it to her and her mom to take her to the dance.
Her father had been a part of her life, not a huge part, but a part nonetheless. He'd gotten my sister pregnant their senior year of high school. They were a couple for about a year, but then they went their separate ways. He stayed in the area and gave my sister a little money to help with Ava. Then he found someone. It broke Ava's heart when he told her he was getting married and moving away. He promised to call and come back to see her, but I honestly didn't see that happening.
I'd moved back to help my sister not long after he left. It just so happened to be a time that I'd been in sort of a tough spot as well. How long I'd be there, I didn't know, but I knew I had to do it. Our parents had moved to another state just six months before Ava's dad had left, so the two of them were truly alone. Julia didn't want to uproot Ava and put her through yet another big change, and I agreed with her. So, there I was, only one month after moving in with them, and I was being thrown head first into something I absolutely did not want to be a part of.
“You guys need to leave,” Julia yelled from down the hall.
Then she appeared in my doorway.
“You look amazing,” she said, as I turned toward her and narrowed my eyes. “You really do. I hope you know how much this means to both of us, Sawyer. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here. She's been talking about this dance since she went with her dad last year. I'm sure you know, you went with mom when you were her age.”
“Woman,” I warned. “You were right there, in the next gym, with dad.”
“Those were much simpler times,” she said with a laugh.
“You've got that right,” I said, as I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair again.
That was something I did when I was nervous.
“You know I don't like being around a lot of people,” I said.
“I know, Sawyer,” she said. “Just stay for a little while. Then promise to watch a movie with her. She'll let you bring her home. It's all about saying she went.”
“I got it,” I said, as I took another deep breath. “How bad can it be, right?”
“That's the spirit,” she said. “Hurry it up.”
I walked down to the living room to see the most excited, beautiful little girl there was.
“You ready, short stuff?” I asked.
“You can't call me that there,” she said, with a nervous look on her face.
“I'll call you
Princess Ava,” I said in a serious tone.
“Not that either,” she said. “Mom.”
“Stop messing with her,” Julia said, as she handed me the jacket to my suit. “Get going.”
I drove back to the very same place I'd attended elementary school, and so had my sister. She was the biggest pain in the ass ever. I'd had some good and bad memories at that place. At least it wasn't the high school, I thought, as I pulled my truck into the lot. I wouldn't have agreed to go there. That was where I'd fallen in love for the first and last time. That shit would never happen again.
Chapter 3
Grace
I took a deep breath, as I pulled open the door to the school, the same one I usually darted back out of after only a minute or two. You can do this, I thought. You can do it for him. I looked down to see Noah beaming back up at me.
“I'm so glad you're going to be my Valentine, Mommy,” he said.
I leaned down and looked into his eyes.
“You'll always be my Valentine, Noah,” I said, and I meant it.
I'd only been in love once, and he'd torn my heart in two. The sad part of it all was that he never even knew, I'd never told him. When I thought I could try to open myself up, my world was turned upside down. Did I love again? Yes, but it was different. It would never be the same again.
My little boy grabbed my hand and pulled me through the door.
“Come on,” he said. “It's time to dance.”
He'd been looking forward to going for days. Every time he talked about it, his brown eyes would sparkle with excitement.
We walked into the small gym, and I looked around. There were hearts, in different shapes and sizes, all over the room. Heart balloons dangled from the ceiling by pink, red, and white streamers. Whoever decorated had done a really nice job, and they topped it all off with red punch and heart shaped cookies.
I knew that down the hall and around the corner, in the big gym, were all of the dads and their little girls. They'd been doing the dance the same ever since I could remember. I'd even brought my dad a couple of times. It always happened the day before Valentine's Day. That way, the parents could still have a night with their spouses. Both dances had always been down the hall from each other, so it was still a family event. It was actually a really sweet idea.
The music began to play, and Noah was right there, excited to dance. I danced one dance with my little, handsome man. Then the excitement wore off, and he was looking over at the snack table.
“Can I have a cookie?” he asked. “That song was really long.”
He'd made it through the whole song. Not bad for being in first grade, I thought.
“Sure, baby,” I said.
“I'll get one for you too,” he said with a smile, as he took off across the room.
Noah didn't make it half way there before a little boy stopped him to talk.
“He's so sweet,” I heard from behind me. “Our boys are in the same class.”
I pasted a smile on my face, as I turned around.
“That's great,” I said, in the sweetest voice I could muster.
Noah came right back, with the boy, and handed me my cookie. Then he was off, and the two boys joined a few more.
“I've not seen you before,” the woman said. “Have you lived here long?”
There it was. She was gathering her information for gossip.
“I was born and raised here actually. I went to this very elementary. How about you?” I asked, turning the tables on her.
“I've only been here for two years,” she said. “My husband wanted to raise our son where he'd grown up. What about your husband?”
She was good, right there turning it back on me, and she was going straight for the husband.
“Hey there,” another happy voice interrupted. “Sorry I'm late.”
Before long, there were ten women standing around me. Some began talking about their husbands, while others talked about some of the single dads in the next gym. I stood quietly, feeling like I was the little fish while they were all sharks. The gossip began to fly, and I felt bad for whatever woman they were all going on about. I was just happy that I'd been able to escape gossip number one's earlier question. As I watched them talk, I couldn't help but wonder how many of them would throw another under the bus in a second. They weren't true friends, that was for sure. Those were hard to find. I'd had one in my whole life, and we'd drifted apart a long time ago. She'd gotten pregnant our senior year of high school. I'd gone off to college and quickly followed her lead by getting pregnant myself.
The second that thought hit me, I felt like I couldn't breathe. The gossiping voices were mixing with the music, and I couldn't do it a moment longer. I had to get out of there. I needed a minute to myself. I walked quickly over to the group of boys and leaned in close to Noah.
“I have to use the rest room,” I said. “If you need anything, your teacher is right there. I won't be long.”
“Okay, Mommy,” he said. “These are my friends.”
“I see that,” I said with a smile. “I'm glad you're having a good time.”
I was so happy for him. Just five months before, he'd walked into that same school shy and unsure of himself. It was nice to see him with so many friends.
He nodded before turning right back to the group of boys he was with. I took off for the gym door and stood in the hallway, with my back against the wall, thinking about my years in the very same school. I'd had my first crush there. His name was Sawyer, and he was my best friend's brother. He was three years older than us, but he was amazing. He was always there to help his sister when she needed, and since I was her best friend, he helped me too. There was one mean boy that messed with me all the time, and one day, Sawyer punched him in the nose. It happened right down the hall from where I was standing. He broke the kids nose and got in a lot of trouble for it, but that boy never messed with me again. That was the day Sawyer became my hero.
I heard voices coming closer from inside the gym, but I wasn't ready to deal with any more of their gossip and definitely not their questions. I pushed myself off of the wall and took off down the hallway toward the bathrooms. At least there I could close myself into a stall and have a few seconds to myself. It didn't work out the way I'd hoped. Instead of getting away from them, I pretty much called the gossip queens right to me, but it wasn't my fault, not one bit.
Just as I went to pass the hallway that led to the other gym, something big and hard barreled into me. Then it happened, as if in slow motion. I reached out to hold on, but it didn't work. Big hands came toward me, but they weren't quick enough. I landed on my ass with a loud thump. There I was, in a dress and heels, sprawled out on the floor.
“Damn!” I yelled out, before I could stop myself. “Were you even watching where you were going?”
Then I heard the gossip crew whispering behind me, and I was done. I fell onto my back and covered my face with my hands.
“Could this get any worse?” I whispered to myself, before sitting back up and looking at the suit covered legs in front of me.
Chapter 4
Sawyer
I'd made it into the place. Not a damn thing had changed in all the years that had gone by. We made our way to the big gym and walked in to find a bunch of little girls in groups and a bunch of guys off to the side. My niece pulled me along as if I had no idea where we were going. She was so adorable.
It didn't take long before one of her friends called out to her, and she ran off to spend time with them, leaving me completely alone. There was music playing, but there wasn't a single person dancing. That had changed. When I was her age, my mom made me dance with her the whole time. Maybe it was different in the other gym, I thought. Either way, the girls were lucky. It was just another social event for them.
I made my way over to the group of dads. They were either talking about women or sports, neither of which I wanted to get involved in. Sports were cool, but I was more about bikes and cars, always had been. Wome
n were cool too, but they weren't something I wanted to talk about in a room full of little girls. A few of the guys said hello, and I gave them my normal nod, but that was as far as it got. Most of my time was spent looking down at my watch or messing around on my phone.
It was getting warm in the gym, and I couldn't stand it another second, so I headed out the door. A little fresh air was just what I needed. Then I'd go back in and look down at my watch some more.
I was looking down and tapping keys, as I rounded the corner in a hurry. I saw someone from over my phone, but I couldn't stop in time. My hands went out in front of me, but I couldn't grab hold of her fast enough. She went down with a loud boom. I quickly shoved my phone into my pocket so I could try to help her.
“Damn!” she yelled. “Were you even watching where you were going?”
She was looking down at her dress that had fanned out around her. I was pretty sure she hadn't yet realized that her legs were spread wide in front of her.
Before I had a chance to warn her that we had an audience, she rolled her eyes, fell onto her back, and covered her face. She whispered something I couldn't make out. Then she sat back up and began trying to straighten her dress.
“I'm so sorry,” I said, as I reached down toward her. “It was all my fault.”
She swatted my hand away as if it were on fire.
“You think?” she asked in an irritated tone. “I can get up myself.”
She moved to stand, but her shoe twisted and back down she went.
“Damn!” she snapped out. “I hate these things. I've never liked them.”
“Then why are you wearing them?” I asked, with humor in my tone.
“Because I couldn't exactly wear Converse to a school dance with my son,” she answered sarcastically.
It was taking all I had to hold back my laughter, as I watched her fumbling around to get to her feet. I reached my hand down again.
A Forever Love Page 1