My Forever (Our Forever Book 3)

by Elena Matthews

“I wish you wouldn’t do that, Chase. Put her down before you drop her,” she demands, and I roll my eyes at her overprotectiveness.

  “I wouldn’t drop her,” I tell her, pulling Sophia upright in my arms. “You need to relax, woman,” I say teasingly.

  Her glare deepens to an if-looks-could-kill death stare, the type of glare that makes you want to sleep with one eye open.

  “I need to relax?” Kaelyn questions with a bite to her words, her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Yes, you do, and I have just the thing for it,” I state suggestively with my most panty-dropping smile, winking.

  “Well, if you keep trying to piss me off, you’ll be doing that thing by yourself tonight.”

  She’s bluffing. I know she’s saying this now, but come tonight, when we’re all alone and the kids are asleep, she won’t be able to resist me because she’s even hornier with this pregnancy than she was with her last. It’s the hormones. They make her both irritable and turned on at the same time. It’s like she wants to slap me yet ride my face. It’s confusingly arousing.

  Sophia audibly gasps and slaps her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. “Mama said a bad word,” she whispers in my ear, and I laugh.

  Since the instant she could talk, we’ve drummed it into her head that she can’t say bad words, especially since Kaelyn is such a potty mouth. I mean, she’s getting better with the cussing, but occasionally, a few words slip out, just like now.

  “Mama did say a bad word. What does she have to do now?”

  Sophia grins. “Has to put a dowwar in the swear jar.”

  Oh yes, the swear jar. The kid must have about three-hundred dollars in that damn thing by now.

  Kaelyn smirks while I set Sophia down.

  “Go and grab it then,” I tell Sophia, and her eyes light up as if I’d told her we were going on an adventure. “And I think Mama owes you five dollars because she swore a lot in bed last night.”

  I burst out laughing when Kaelyn smacks me again on the arm.

  “Chase, you can’t say that to her,” she hisses as if our three-year-old will know what that means.

  “How many dowwars is that, Daddy?” Sophia asks with an adorable frown.

  “That’s six dollars.”

  Sophia giggles. “That’s a lot of bad words.” She then turns and heads to her bedroom where she keeps a plastic money box.

  Kaelyn steps in front of me. “You, mister, are asking for trouble.” She smiles in spite of herself.

  I hold my hands up with innocence. “Hey, you’re the one who swore.”

  My eyes glance at my son, who’s just crawling around our feet, before returning my gaze back to my wife. I notice a strand of hair has come loose from her messy bun, and I reach over and tuck it behind her ear.

  After three years of being together and two years of marriage, it still feels like we’re in the honeymoon stage, and I find every excuse to touch her, unable to resist. I’m so incredibly obsessed with her, I always have been, and when I’m not touching her in some way, it’s like I can’t function, like I can’t breathe. She’s my other half, my forever, and in order for me to breathe, I need to be fueled by the warmth of her skin against mine, by the feel of her heart beating along with mine, by the taste of her tender kiss against my lips.

  I pull her into my arms and set a kiss on her nose before pulling away. “Go and get changed. I have something I want to show you.”

  “What, like a surprise?” she asks, caressing her hands up and down my chest, a smile on her beautiful face.

  “No, not like a surprise; it is a surprise.”

  She shakes her head with amusement. “What kind of surprise?”

  “The kind that’s a surprise. Jesus, you’re worse than a child. Now, get that sexy ass in our room and change.”

  She steps out of my arms and throws me a grin. “Fine, I’m going.”

  Before she’s completely out of my reach, I give her ass a slap, and she yelps, giggling before heading toward our bedroom.

  Twenty minutes later, I have the kids strapped in the back of the Range Rover. Kaelyn is beside me, singing along to the radio, and I’m driving us toward her surprise. I still have my Ferrari tucked away in the garage, but the Range Rover takes priority now, especially when the majority of outings include Sophia and Noah. I’m going to have to sell this one soon because, once the twins arrive, I’m going to need something much bigger. Perhaps a bus at the rate we’re going.

  As I pull into the industrial park where The Chase Foundation hockey rink is, Kaelyn turns to me, confusion laced in her voice. “Why are we at the rink?”

  “We’re not going to the rink,” I tell her just as I miss the usual turn for the parking lot.

  Instead, I continue to the next unit and turn in there. When I park up front, she gasps when she sees the sign outside.

  The sign that states, The Henderson Ballet Foundation.

  Her eyes land on mine, a mixture of confusion and surprise on her face. “Chase, what is this?”

  “This is the next phase of your life, baby. Come on. I’ll show you.”

  We exit the car, and with Noah in my arms and Sophia holding Kaelyn’s hand, we head to the entrance. I unlock the door, disarm the alarm, and enter. The inside is a similar setup as The Chase Foundation with the counselor rooms, changing rooms, and so on, but the inside is a lot more elegant, keeping in tone with the ballet. Kaelyn’s eyes are wide as she takes everything in. Then, she just about stops breathing when she locks eyes on the double glass doors that lead to the ballet studio. I don’t know much about ballet, but I know, as studios go, this one is pretty badass.

  “Oh my God,” she cries out, rushing over to the glass doors and opening them before walking inside.

  We follow her inside, and I watch as she steps to the center of the room, eyes filled with utter amazement as she takes in the dance studio mirrors that snake around the room, the fitted ballet barres, and glistening wooden floor. I chuckle as Sophia begins to run around the studio with her hands raised over her head in a ballet pose, shouting that she’s a ballerina. Kaelyn turns to me, tears rushing from her eyes.

  “What do you think?” I ask as I meet her in the middle.

  “Chase, this studio is beautiful. It’s incredible,” she sighs, her hands clutching her chest. “I just…I don’t understand. I mean, I think I do…but what is this place?”

  “Well, I thought it was about time I expanded the charity, something aimed more toward girls. The Chase Foundation is incredible, but it’s mostly boys who come through the door. Ever since you welcomed ballet back into your life, setting up a ballet foundation is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. And, once you finished getting your qualifications to teach ballet, I finally got the ball rolling. I purchased this space a few years ago, hoping to maybe expand the hockey foundation, but when you mentioned wanting to teach ballet, I knew The Henderson Ballet Foundation was the right move. I want to help more children, give them something positive to focus on, get them so far away from their shitty lives as possible, and give them a chance to shine, allow them to follow their dreams. I have everything set in place, apart from one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Kaelyn asks, and the smile I see on her face tells me she knows what’s missing.

  She’s what is missing.

  “A ballet teacher. Someone who is talented, who loves ballet like it’s the air she breathes, and who will believe her kids can fly as high as possible. I’ve been looking for a while, and I can’t seem to find the right person. Do you happen to know anyone?” I deadpan.

  She giggles, smacking my arm. “You’re an asshole.”

  I chuckle. Thankfully, Sophia is too busy blowing herself kisses in the mirror to realize her mama’s mistake.

  That’s one dollar that remains in her pocket.

  With Noah in one arm, I pull Kaelyn into me by my other. “I’m kidding. You’re the only ballet teacher I see running this place. So, are you in?”

  “How can you eve
n ask that question? Of course I’m in. Teaching ballet in a studio like this is all I’ve ever dreamed about, especially a ballet studio with my name outside.” She then flicks a glance down to her protruding stomach, rubbing it with her hand. “But you do realize I’m pregnant, right? With not one but two babies. Soon, I’ll be the size of a beached whale, and beached whales can’t dance, let alone see past their stomach to put on their shoes. I’m not sure how much teaching I can actually do in a couple of months.”

  I laugh, shaking my head. “Wait, you’re pregnant?” I joke, and she just glares at me, her lips pursed in mild amusement. “We’re holding interviews on Monday for ballet teachers,” I tell her seriously. “I would have hired them, but I wanted you to have full control on who we hire to teach these kids alongside you.”

  She’s quiet for a moment as she takes in the surroundings of this state-of-the-art ballet studio, tears continuing to fall. “This place is incredible,” she whispers in awe before turning her attention back to me. “I love it, and I love you.”

  She reaches up to my face with her hand and pulls me down until our lips brush together. When she pulls away, she says, “I didn’t think it was possible, but I continue to fall in love with you just a little bit more each day. It’s because of you I get to live not one, but two of my dreams. Ballet and having a family. I always hoped for forever, but I never thought my version of forever would be like this.”

  “Like what?” I ask.

  “Just so damn perfect.”

  She takes in the studio again and shakes her head with amazement. “Is this studio really ours?”

  “I would say it’s more yours than mine. Though we could make it ours by christening this place together, specifically me fucking you from behind in front of the mirror, ballerina-style.”

  I wink, and she gapes at me, appalled at the idea; all the while, Noah is playing with my face.

  “I love you, but this is the place where I will teach children. I will not taint it with our dirty lovemaking. Also, how would you expect to do that with Sophia and Noah with us?”

  “I didn’t mean right now, but I do love it when I have ballerina sex with you. I might just build our own studio at home, so we don’t have to worry about tainting anything.”

  “You are despicable. You’d build a ballet studio just so you could live out a ballerina sex fantasy?”

  “Um, yes. I don’t think there’s anything a guy wouldn’t do for sex. And I’m despicable? I’m only like this because you made me like this. I was a good, respectful, missionary kind of guy before I met you. Now, you make me out to be some kind of sex addict.”

  She bursts out laughing. “A good boy? Says the guy who got his junk pierced for a dare.”

  I shrug my shoulders and chuckle as our daughter comes over to us. “Okay, point taken.”

  “I want up,” Sophia demands.

  I pull away from Kaelyn and hand Noah over to her before picking Sophia up.

  “So, what do you think? You like Mama’s surprise?” I ask Sophia.

  Her eyes brighten with pure happiness. “Yes, it has miwwors like the other place Mama teaches, but it’s bigger. Mama, will I will be a ballewina here?”

  I think she means to ask if she will be able to dance here, too.

  “Yes, you can be my helper,” Kaelyn says with a smile.

  “Aw, yay, because, when I’m older, I want to be a ballewina like you,” she says.

  Suddenly the ballerina fantasy is completely ruined.

  Thanks, Sophia.

  I feign offense and look at her as if she hurt my feelings. “Wait, you don’t want to play hockey like your daddy?”

  She adamantly shakes her head. “No. I don’t like hockey. I like ballet,” she tells me matter-of-factly. “But Noah can play hockey. He’ll be good, just like you, Daddy.”

  “You think, baby?”

  “Yes.” Then, a second later, she adds, “I’m hungry. Can we go get ice cweam?”

  I look to Kaelyn, smiling. “What do you think? Should we grab some celebratory ice cream?”

  “Please, Mama, let’s go get some ice cweam.”

  “Yes, please, Mama, let’s get some ice cream,” I copy Sophia in a baby voice that makes Noah giggle his high-pitched laugh.

  “Okay, we’ll go and get ice cream. I happen to know of the perfect place,” Kaelyn says, and her eyes lock on to mine.

  We both smile, a smile filled with remembrance of the diner we went to the second time we hung out, and though it was years ago, it strangely feels like it was only yesterday. So, we grab ice cream and share the special ice cream sundae fit for a Care Bear picnic.

  And, later that evening, when our children are sleeping soundly and I’ve just made hot and messy love with my wife, I fall asleep with her warm body wrapped in mine, her stomach filled with our unborn babies resting along mine, and I’m happier than I could have ever imagined. I met my soul mate when I least expected it, and I get to live the forever I never thought was possible. But that’s Kaelyn for you; she makes the impossible possible, and I can’t wait to grow old with the woman who is my everything, surrounded by our beautiful children.

  To live our forever together.

  Forever and always.

  Till forever do us part.

  The End

  I never know where to start with the acknowledgments. Honestly, I find them more terrifying to write than fiction. I’m always worried that I will miss someone off, so if I do, I’m sorry!

  The first person I want to thank is the Jo to my Kaelyn, Sammy. She fought hard for this book and she has already claimed Chase for herself (sorry, ladies!) When I brought Chase in as a character in book two, Till Forever, he was only ever supposed to be a secondary character. Sammy demanded (yes, demanded!) that my next book had to be about Chase. It seemed he made one hell of an impression on her in Till Forever that she needed to know his story. I always had a plan to write Kaelyn’s story for book three but I had no idea who the hero was going to be. Then, as soon as Sammy suggested I write Chase’s book, it was like a light switch went on in my head. I knew, I just knew, I had to write their story. And I did, and they are my favorite couple to date. I fell in love with them both and after an entire year being a part of their lives, it feels so hard to part with them, especially since this is the final book in the Our Forever series. Sammy was there every step of the way. From the planning all the way to the formatting. She even helped me scope out the cover, and at one point, I’m sure she wanted to strangle me with my fussy ways. But, she wasn’t a walk in the park either when it came to finding the perfect image. Nothing I picked was good enough for her Chase. Eventually, we found the right one and it’s the one on the front cover! We make such a fab team, and I’m still waiting for the day when we can write a book together. One day soon, dipshit!

  I want to thank my editor, Jovana Shirley. We’ve worked together for an entire series now and she always makes my words seem even more magical. Things got a little manic though, as her little one decided to make his arrival while she was in the middle of editing. Then, he decided he wanted to stay in the hospital a little a while longer, but Jovana was a trooper and still managed to edit while being a badass mom to her beautiful baby boy. He’s okay now though, so it seems we all got there in the end.

  A huge thank you to my buddy and proofreader, Anna Bloom. 2018 was tough on us both. Our creative juices took a turn for the worse, so we teamed up to be each other’s buddies. While we were pushing each other to be the best authors we could be, Anna was also getting her qualifications to become an editor and proofreader. Once she passed and was a fully-fledged editor, she offered to proofread My Forever and I immediately said yes. And she added the extra magic that My Forever needed.

  Thank you to my cover designer, Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations. Her artistic ability never fails to blow my mind.

  Thank you to Wander Aguiar for the incredible image that graces the front of my cover. His talent is beyond words. Also, thank you to Andrey Bahia, f
or making the purchase of the photo seamless. If my bank balance will allow it, it will not be the last image I buy from Wander Aguiar.

  Big thanks for my designer Najla Qamber for creating the perfect teasers. I can’t wait to work with you on my other projects. You are just the best!

  Another thank you to Mary and Natalie from Love Between the Sheets, who handled the PR for the cover reveal and release blitz. You ladies rock!

  Thank you to my beta readers, Michele McKenzie and Susan Scott. After Sammy, they are always my go-to ladies when it comes to reading my messy, unedited, typo-ridden manuscript because they are honest and I know I can always count on them. However, I think Michele only beta reads for me to see what hilarious typos she can find.

  I want to say thank you to my family for always being patient with me and for their constant support for my career as an author. I love you.

  Thank you to all the bloggers for reviewing and pimping the hell out of this book. You guys are incredible!

  Though she probably won’t read this, I want to thank BB Easton. Last year I discovered her books and I swear I couldn’t get them out of my head. I became obsessed and her 44 Chapters series is easily one of my favorite series of all time. While getting inside the head of BB with her incredible stories, I was also writing My Forever and unknowingly, she was giving me inspiration for Kaelyn. I didn’t know it at the time, but while proofing My Forever, it occurred to me that there is a little bit of BB sass in there. No doubt from the amount of F-bombs I used (haha), but the vibes are there. You might have read her books, and think I’m talking crap, but you know that feeling you get when you listen to a song and it gives you 'book feels', well, that’s the kind of feeling I’m talking about. The song doesn’t necessarily have to relate but it gives you the feels because it inspired you, because that’s the song that was playing at the time while you were writing/reading that book. So, thank you to BB Easton for writing an epic series and inspiring a fellow author with her magic. #Motherfucker – totes my favorite word now!