Never and Always

by Khardine Gray

  Nick observed the gratitude in Glenn’s eyes. He looked happy for the chance, but sadness returned to his face as he turned back to Nick.

  “Nick. Do you think that we could extend to you?” Glenn pulled in a breath. “The last time I thought I was going to lose you I ran to your old man, because I knew he’d save you. He’s not here anymore for me to run to, and I’m the cause of this. I used to act like I was the good one and you were lucky to have me. But it was the other way around. You changed into someone people can admire, and I stayed the same. I’m really sorry.”

  Nick looked at him and really tried hard to see Glenn as the friend Nick used to know. His words were gripping. Nick would even admit that they pierced through the hurt Glenn caused him, but being friends again would be difficult. What had happened wasn’t like their run-of-the-mill arguments that would have been pushed to the back burner with a few words of sorrow or any amount of time that passed. Glenn had hurt Nick a lot, in a way he wasn’t likely to simply get over.

  Nick continued to focus on him, with each passing second carrying more weight than the first. He looked to Mia and beheld her beautiful face staring back at him, her expression filled with understanding for whatever he chose to do.

  Few things could make him say no to her or put her in a position that would make her feel awkward.

  He loved her, and because he knew it would be unfair to expect her to be with him and live in an awkward environment where she’d always be wishing that he and Glenn could make amends, he decided he would try.

  The beautiful angel of a woman she was expected him to try. She knew how hurt he was, and how much Glenn hurt them both, but she also knew his heart

  Nick nodded his agreement and turned back to Glenn. “Yes, I’m included. We can try to move past this.”

  “Thank you. Thank you both.” Glenn smiled with appreciation. “I’ll leave you to get back to your evening. See you soon?”

  “Yeah,” Nick replied.

  Mia rested against him when Glenn left and he lowered to kiss her forehead.

  She looked up at him again and he took a moment to appreciate the sparkle in her beautiful green eyes.

  “I admire you for that,” she told him.

  “I admire you, too.”

  “He did worse to you. Much worse. Thank you for sticking by me. At one point it felt like we were never going to happen.”

  “Never…and always.” He smiled down at her. “We were always.”

  “I like that. I do.” She giggled.

  “Come on, let’s go watch a film. I’ll give you a neck rub.” He gave her a cocky grin.

  “Nick, my neck rubs always end up with us naked,” she scolded.

  “Well you can’t accuse me of being boring.” He shrugged with a smile.

  “How about we skip the neck rub and get to the naked part?” she cooed seductively, looking him over. “I’ll keep this on, though.” She lifted up her necklace and held it out.

  “That’s a better plan than mine.” He followed her when she took his hand and led him to their bedroom.

  Epilogue

  Eight months later

  The fresh, languid air filled Mia’s lungs as they sped along the highway. It was a wonderful day and the summer breeze brought with it that sense of relaxation and tranquility.

  They had The Red Hot Chili Peppers latest album playing. Nick said it was good road trip music, and she definitely agreed.

  She just wished she knew where he was taking her.

  He often came up with these wild ideas and she’d end up somewhere amazing. The last time she thought they were going on a weekend break to New York, the man took her to Paris. He did all sorts of things like that for her and she got the feeling today would be no different.

  They’d been driving for a few hours now, but the drive was great because they always enjoyed each other’s company. They’d both gotten very busy with work. Him more than her because his business took off the minute he got more organized. Sometimes he’d be travelling all over the country working on different cases.

  As for her, she was probably about another two years away from reaching her goal. When she started looking into things properly and got an idea of cost, she realized she was going to be working a little bit longer than she hoped. But it was fine.

  Her family annoyed her daily with their offers to help, but she still refused and insisted that she didn’t want to fall back into old habits. It was better this way and she’d feel like she’d earned it. She still didn’t have any idea where she’d base the business, but the constant thing in her mind was she knew what she wanted.

  Nick knew, too. She enjoyed talking about her dreams with him. He kept her going and, surprisingly, Glenn did too.

  Things improved dramatically between them all after the night he came to apologize. It was clear that what was missing before was respect. With that added element, it made him a better brother to her and a better friend to Nick.

  However, she could still see that there was some element of hurt that Nick felt when they were all together. He seemed to be working on it, though, because he made the effort to see Glenn, regardless of how busy he was.

  She looked over at him, sitting next to her with that sexy grin on his face. He’d had the same self-satisfied look since yesterday, keeping some sort of secret he wouldn’t share. He’d simply came up to her and told her they were going on a road trip.

  It wasn’t how they usually spent their Saturdays but she thought hey, why not? They were always doing different things.

  “Are we going to Canada?” she giggled. They were in Michigan.

  The gorgeous lake was to their left. She’d had the privilege of admiring it from about two hours ago.

  “No, baby, we are not going to Canada,” he laughed.

  “India, are we driving to India? You crazy man.” She widened her eyes and looked at him. He laughed even more.

  “Baby, I told you I’m not telling you. It’s a surprise. If I tell you I’ll spoil it.”

  “Nick, we’ve been driving for three hours. I’m going crazy.” She winced. “Do you want me to go crazy and lose my mind. I could end up doing weird things like collecting carrots, or tooth picks.”

  “Baby, you’re already crazy, over me,” he chuckled.

  “Yes I am,” she smiled. “Nick, come on, give me a hint. At least tell me how much farther we have left.”

  “Okay, we’re nearly there.” He smiled widely, enhancing his gorgeous dimples.

  “Nearly?” She looked around and wondered how far nearly was and where were they going. Where they were now was absolutely beautiful. She’d never driven this way before. It had that cool vibe she felt when she did her work, like back in Florida but with a more chilled pace.

  “Twenty minutes.”

  “Okay. I’ll survive for twenty minutes.”

  Twenty minutes later they verged off the highway and into the country roads that verged out to the woodlands, closer to the lake. The place was so beautiful she forgot the long journey and focused on the surroundings.

  Nick stopped in a park area surrounded with oak wood and those foreboding sequoia trees. She smiled as they got out of the car and went over to him to take his hand.

  “What is this place Nick?”

  “Come on. This is just the start of it. You’ll love it,” he promised, tugging on her hand.

  He was right. He led her to a massive clearing that had a substantial view of the lake with the gentle woods adorning it. Her skin tingled as she took it all in, feeling the reverence that surrounded it and the natural beauty. There was the land, the lake, and a truly stunning two-story Victorian-looking house off in the distance. The place looked like a scene from a film. Like a scene from her dreams when she imagined her spa retreat.

  The house looked like the one she’d live in, but better than what she imagined. And all this land over there in the woods would be what she’d turn into cabins for her guests, who could enjoy the beauty of the lake and the tra
nquil surroundings.

  “Nick, this place is beautiful,” she breathed.

  “I know. It looks like the place you want, right?” He smiled at her.

  She laughed and gazed up at him, loving the way the afternoon sun beamed down on him. She’d never shown him any pictures of what she wanted. All she did was talk about it.

  “How do you know? I was just talking and imagining somewhere… Somewhere that looked like here. Is that why we’re here? You wanted to give me an image of what I wanted?”

  “Yes and no.”

  “Yes and no? What does that mean?” She smacked him playfully in his chest.

  “It’s yours if you want it,” he replied, taking her hand.

  She widened her eyes instantly in complete disbelief. “What?”

  “This.” He motioned to their surroundings and smiled.

  “I don’t understand. I…” All she could do was look at him. “Nick.”

  “I saw this last month, this whole area for sale, and I thought it looked exactly like the place you talked about for your spa retreat. So we can get it if you want it.”

  “How can we afford this?” They were still in that little apartment on the edge of town, talking about moving somewhere bigger. She just never imagined it would be somewhere big like this.

  “I got this, baby. I knew you wouldn’t take the money from your family, so I figured I’d start saving, too. Turns out my skills are worth a pretty penny. So do you want it?” There was that smile again, the one that made her fall deeper in love with him every time she saw it.

  She opened her mouth to answer but didn’t quite know what to say. “You’d do this for me?”

  “Mia, what kind of question is that?” He laughed. “I’d do anything for you. Besides, the land part with the woods is the you part. I’ll have it built up to look exactly like what you want.” He chuckled pulling her closer. “That,” he pointed to the house. “That is for you and me. It has five bedrooms, so our children can have a bedroom each, and there’s space for a dog, maybe two or five. You’ll probably want guard dogs around the place as well.”

  Again she looked at him. “Nick,” she started to laugh. “You really planned this well. How many kids are we having?”

  “Four,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone, as if she should know this. “But if you want more, that’s fine.”

  She started to laugh and couldn’t stop. “Four or more kids and possibly five dogs? Does each child get a dog?”

  “Don’t you laugh, baby, I’m being serious.” He nodded.

  “Are you? You want all of that with me?”

  He pulled in a breath and gazed at her lovingly. Then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a little pink velvet box.

  She was fascinated with the soft hue in the color and didn’t really take note of what it was until he flicked the box open and revealed the delicate engagement ring inside with a stunning princess-cut diamond placed at its center. It gleamed in the sunlight, sparkling radiantly with a spectrum of color.

  Mia gasped and brought her hand up to her mouth. Tears were already running down her cheek, even before she watched him lower to one knee and take her hand.

  He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, then he pressed it to his cheek. She touched his face and smiled.

  “I want everything with you. Everything. You are my angel and I’ll love you until I draw my last breath and beyond that. Will you marry me, Mia?” He smiled up at her with hope.

  “I’ll love you forever, too, Nick. Yes, yes, of course I’ll marry you.” Mia could barely get the words out against the tears of joy that flowed straight from her soul. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe the moment and how perfect it was.

  “Yes?” His smile widened.

  “Of course.”

  “Thank you,” he said, kissing her hand again, and then he slipped the ring on her finger.

  Her heart soared when she saw it.

  He stood up and she fell into his arms, into him, where happiness would always be.

  He was her dream come true.

  Thank you for reading

  Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed this story.

  About the Author

  Khardine Gray writes hot contemporary romance and romantic suspense.

  Her books have drool worthy heroes who will make you melt, and sassy, fun loving, ambitious heroines.

  She loves writing and simply adore her readers.

  She’s from the Caribbean but currently lives in England with her husband and two kids.

  When not writing you can catch her ice skating or dancing at a Samba class.

  Keep up with all the new releases by signing up to her readers list.

  Connect with Khardine at The Bliss Romance Hideaway reader group on Facebook.

  www.khardinegraybooks.com

  Books by Khardine Gray

  I Only Have Eyes For You

  The Objection to Affection

  Complete Me

  Hearts Entwined

  Shape of My Heart

  One Wild Night

  I Love You again

  Never and Always

  Vandervilles Series

  Book 1- When Beauty Met the Beast

  Book 2- Secrets and Lies

  Book 3- Into the Rabbit Hole

  To check out these titles please visit

  https://www.amazon.com/author/khardinegraynovels

  Enjoy the first chapters of One Wild Night and I Love You, Again. Two of my best selling books.

  Happy reading xx

  One Wild Night Taster

  Chapter 1

  Look at him posing with his entourage of women.

  Look at all the admiring fans and football groupies.

  Standing by the grand marble steps that led to the hotel’s entrance, he straightened with pride and displayed his admirable athletic physique. He was an exhibition chiseled to perfection, all sleek with the kind of hard muscle you’d expect to see on only the most serious of athletes. With the inherent strength in his ruggedly handsome face and the bright morning sunlight bouncing off his spiky black hair, he looked like he’d just stepped out of a fantasy, powerful and godlike.

  Abi rolled her eyes at the sight and pressed her hands against the cool metal rail that ran along the balcony. It overlooked the main entrance to the hotel, allowing her to see all the guests arriving.

  She shouldn’t watch him. It wasn’t healthy, but she told herself she was just doing it out of mere curiosity. Curiosity to see how she’d feel when she saw him again. Curiosity to see if anything had changed for the renowned and cherished LA Gladiators wide receiver, Scott Emmerson.

  From where she stood, Abi couldn’t see any changes for the better. He seemed to love attention just as much as ever, and the host of women worshipping him only fueled that. Irritated by his cool and self-absorbed manner, Abi frowned.

  How on earth did they know he would be in San Francisco?

  He was here for Margo’s wedding. Margo was his little sister and Abi’s very best friend. Margo was like a sister to her, too, and Abi knew that Margo wanted her wedding to be a private affair and not some publicity opportunity.

  Scott’s PR company must have purposely announced his presence. With the new football season only months away, this was the time when the main players did all their media and magazine appearances. Part of it was to build up the hype for the onset of the season, but it was also done to attract more fans, women fans, specifically. Why else would a guy have to pose shirtless or in his boxers on the beach for Calvin Klein? It made women want them, and it made men want to be just like them. And this guy below was one of the most self-centered attention grabbers Abi had ever known; he loved any opportunity to be in the public eye.

  How did she know all this? Well, Abi had the unfortunate privilege of dating him for seven years. Unfortunate privilege. Those words didn’t make sense together, and probably wouldn’t make sense to anyone if she said them aloud, but they di
d make sense to her. She was unfortunate because her relationship with him drained her out. Scott was her first love. She had met him in her freshman year of college, just after she had become friends with Margo. She was nineteen, and everything had changed for her in a dramatic way.

  Abi’s grandmother had died a few months before she started college, leaving her completely alone in the world. Everyone she knew had died. So, not wanting her friend to be by herself for the holidays, Margo invited Abi to her family’s Thanksgiving feast. Abi had been completely charmed by her parents and the kindness they showed her, but when she met Scott – Margo’s completely gorgeous, hot older brother – she could have sworn the world had literally stopped.

  It was what she called the heart-stopping, mind-numbing syndrome that stayed with her for years. He was five years older than her, and having a guy like that show interest in you at that age was one of those memorable moments a girl always remembers. She thought it was a dream when they got together, and Abi had loved him fiercely.

  Scott was one of those guys who oozed confidence – and quite rightly so because he had the personality and the looks to go with it. He was one of those guys who could hook you – hook her. Abi was sure that most of the women he’d been with could relate. Scott had captured her with one look that controlled her like she was a mindless puppet.

  Things were amazing initially, and everything had moved so fast. She’d liked his charm, and he charmed her into believing that he loved her too. Maybe he did at one point; she’d never know. What she did know was that things were wonderful until he got signed to the Gladiators and got a taste of fame. They had several beautiful years together before he joined.