Always & Forever

by Chantel Rhondeau

  A tear slipped from the edge of Lilly’s eyelid. So, she wasn’t asleep. He squeezed her hand and she returned the pressure.

  “They’re looking for Charles’ bones,” Sarah continued in a soft voice.

  Zach nodded. Crandall actually did Lilly a favor in that instance, but Zach couldn’t bring himself to feel grateful.

  “Do you think Savannah is still up to being our ‘flowering’ girl?” he asked. “’Cause I’m marrying Lilly as soon as she gets out of this place.”

  Lilly’s eyes flew open. “Zach, we have to talk before we go forward with our marriage.” Tears dripped down her face. “I haven’t even told you what I had to do. I kissed him and I...I made him promises. I pretended I was going to...” She shuddered, looking away.

  “None of that matters.” Zach eased himself onto the bed. He avoided her wires and gathered her into his arms. He knew it was painful for her, but she snuggled right up against him. Her body curled up against his was the best feeling in the world.

  Sarah left without a word, shutting the door behind her.

  “It doesn’t matter one bit.” Zach stroked her arm and closed in on her mouth for a soft kiss.

  Lilly strained against him, opening her mouth, her tongue flicking out to touch his. He loved the way she responded to him. Never would he feel the sting of humiliation in the bedroom again. Lilly enjoyed his lovemaking, and he knew she sincerely loved him. She shifted under him to reach her arms around his body, but her gasp of pain stopped them both short.

  He pulled back from her a little. “I don’t care what you had to do to survive this, do you understand? You survived. That’s all that matters.”

  Lilly looked up at him with round eyes. “It was so awful.”

  “I know it must have been.” He snuggled carefully closer to her, mindful of her injured body. “You saved Savannah’s life. You saved yourself.”

  “I led him on. I made him think I was going to...do things with him.” She shuddered against him. “Also, I’ve done something else, and I don’t know if you’ll forgive me that easily.”

  “Hush.” He soothed her hair against her head. “Everything’s fine.”

  “But I know how much you value honesty.” She shook her head. “I’ve been lying to you for weeks. Crandall’s the one who beat me at your parents’ house—I never fell down the stairs. He trapped me at work another day and kissed me, and I let him. I made him believe that I would leave you for him and I—”

  “Shh...” Zach put a finger against her lips to stop the torrent of information. “I know what you did. But Crandall threatened you, didn’t he? I’m thinking he also threatened Sarah. Isn’t that why you called her after you got that text message?”

  Lilly nodded as more tears slipped off her chin to splat against Zach’s chest. “He threatened you, too. I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you the truth, but I was so afraid of what would happen.”

  He patted her back soothingly. “I understand, honey. Everything’s okay between us.”

  “You forgive me?”

  The hopeful look in her eyes broke Zach’s heart. She must have thought he wouldn’t want her if he found out about her lies. Two months ago, he thought honesty was the only thing that mattered in a healthy relationship. Now, he was just glad she lived through this ordeal, and he was able to be with her.

  “There’s nothing to forgive. You did what you had to.” He kissed her tenderly, and her eagerness in returning his kisses filled his heart with joy. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

  “That’s a good idea.” She laughed weakly. “I’m a magnet for trouble.”

  Zach smiled. There was no chance he would ever have to worry about Lilly’s faithfulness. Perhaps she didn’t always tell him the truth, but she had proven her integrity beyond a shadow of a doubt.

  “I’m filling the church with your favorite roses at our wedding,” he whispered, caressing her back. “Your bouquet will be Peace.”

  “That sounds perfect.” She kissed him softly. “No one deserves peace more than us.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  One year later:

  “Great party,” Margaret commented as she smeared a small bite of caviar onto a toast point. “Looks like Zach’s book’s off to a great start.”

  “Yes. There’s quite a turnout,” Lilly said. She looked at the finely dressed guests, all drinking and laughing. She had returned to the world she thought she never wanted to see again. For her loving husband, she would do anything.

  Zach’s book would hit the shelves tomorrow. They had come to Seattle to throw a launch party, creating all the buzz they could garner among his peers and affluent members of the city. Luckily, his friends were once again willing to come out and support Zach. For a few months, that hadn’t been a sure thing.

  After the wedding, the members of Zach’s social set were outraged to learn he’d married a suspected murderess. Eventually, news of Crandall’s trial reached the west coast. Crandall received two consecutive life sentences once convicted for his crimes, clearing Lilly’s name, and people gradually accepted her.

  Zach hadn’t cared about their temporary banishment from the upper levels of society. He’d claimed the two of them would shun society if it chose to shun her.

  Lilly looked across the dark waters of the Puget Sound through the windows of the banquet hall. She desperately missed their little cottage. Zach promised they would only be in Seattle long enough to host a few parties and attend book signings. A fast trip around the country, and they would be home in time for the baby to be born in Serenity.

  Lilly rubbed the expanded bump of her belly. She smiled and sipped sparkling water. Not too long now, and she and Zach would welcome their son, Robert William Woodbridge, into their lives. Lilly had chosen the name. It seemed somehow appropriate to name the little guy after his great-grandfathers. Margaret had been ecstatic with the choice.

  “I can’t wait to see another great-grandchild born.” Margaret grinned. “I told you I knew my business.”

  “I have to hand it to you,” Lilly agreed. “You’re the most intuitive lady I know.”

  Margaret chuckled and sipped her wine.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” Zach spoke from directly behind Lilly. His hot breath caressed her neck, and she trembled with excitement. Being his bride for the past year hadn’t diminished the ardent heat he triggered within her. Zach reached his arms around her and patted her distended belly. “Is Mommy holding up okay?”

  She turned in his arms and kissed his cheek. “Mommy’s fine. How’s Daddy doing?”

  He smiled down at her. “Daddy wants to dance with his beautiful wife.”

  He took her hand and drew her into the middle of the banquet hall, nodding at the band they’d hired for the occasion. He whirled her onto the dance floor and then pulled her firmly against him. Lilly’s leg didn’t hinder them one bit as she put her full trust in Zach. She knew he’d never let her fall.

  Her new doctor had done remarkable things about diminishing the pain in her leg and strengthening the muscle. No longer merely tolerable, dancing with Zach had become enjoyable. Since he loved it so much, they went as often as they could.

  The happy faces of Zach’s family came and went as he spun her around. Sarah held her glass up in a salute from where she stood with Steven and Savannah. As Zach turned Lilly again, Tommy and Bridget whirled into view, engaged in conversation with James. Patricia even smiled at them as Zach twirled Lilly past her. Their child danced between them.

  Zach spun her faster and faster, sweeping her off her feet for a moment. As the music ended, he set her back on the ground. One strong arm planted against her back and Zach dipped her slightly.

  Lilly laughed with delight when he helped her back up. She pulled his head down and kissed him passionately, not caring who watched. Life couldn’t be better. Zach showed her the meaning of family, the meaning of belonging.

  He broke off the kiss to look at her. “How’d I get so lucky?”

&
nbsp; “Remember to thank your grandmother,” she replied with a wink.

  The band started the next song, the slow strains of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love. Zach spun Lilly back onto the dance floor in a slow pattern, singing the words softly to her.

  She snuggled against him, feeling the vibrations of his chest as he sang. She was finally secure in the knowledge she would never be alone. Lilly had found love, truly always and forever.

  The End

  Author’s Note

  I hope you enjoyed this novel. Lilly’s story was one that consumed me, begging to be told. However, while the events of this novel are fiction, abuse is a real problem, one that affects many men, women, and children. If you or someone you know suffers from abuse, there is help available. For more information, in the United States of America, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE(7233) or visit their website at www.thehotline.org

  Thank you for reading Always & Forever. If you enjoyed the story, I would be honored if you would post a great review. I wish you happiness and joy. Thank you for reading.

  ~ Chantel Rhondeau

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  New Romantic Suspense! Broken Build by Rachelle Ayala

  Twenty-five-year-old Jennifer Cruz Jones is a software build engineer with a new job, a new car, and a new apartment. Athletic and trim, she worked her way through college and 24 Hour Fitness. But she cannot hide from her past when the brother of her ex-fiancé is killed in a hit-and-run.

  Startup founder Dave Jewell needs one more cash infusion to launch his social shopping network. But when Jennifer finds blood on the frontend of his car, he is forced to protect her from a gang of ruthless thugs intent on blackmailing her for the software that drives his company’s success.

  Jennifer falls in love with Dave while fearing he'll recognize her from the past. Her vulnerability triggers Dave’s protective instincts, and he believes she can heal the hole in his heart.

  Together Jennifer and Dave must thwart a killer and avoid the police who suspect them both, while keeping his startup from folding. A hostage is taken. Dave discovers damaging information about Jennifer and races to deliver the ransom while Jennifer avoids becoming the next piece of roadkill.

  New Romantic Suspense from Chantel Rhondeau

  Coming Spring 2013

  Crime & Passion

  A decorated police officer, more intent on justice than following the letter of the law, lands in trouble when a gorgeous schoolteacher finds a dead body on the beach.

  Playboy Donovan Andrews knows how to have a good time–ask any woman in town. But when it comes to men abusing their wives or children, Donovan takes it upon himself to make them regret it.

  Madeline Scott visited her fiancé the night before their wedding–only to find him sleeping with another woman. All Madeline wants is a quiet place to heal, far away from cheating, womanizing men. Everything changes when she stumbles upon the body and witnesses someone fleeing the scene.

  The victim is a wife beater Donovan had a recent altercation with, and Donovan quickly becomes the prime suspect. He turns to Madeline, hoping she can help clear his name. However, the passion between them may prove more dangerous than the elusive killer.