Forever Box Set

by Wendy Louise

  “You should be in bed Mrs Adams.”

  That’s the grumpy nurse. She doesn’t agree with me going up to see Gray, but I don’t care. She can grumble the whole way as long as she keeps pushing this damn wheel chair towards him.

  Joel opens the door to Gray’s room and gives me a wide smile before closing it behind him, leaving me alone with Gray and Nurse Grumpy.

  She pushes me to the side of the bed and puts the brakes on the chair. “I’ll be back to get you soon, you need your rest.”

  I smile and thank her even though I don’t feel like it. She did after all bring me up here.

  Gray is fast asleep, the breathing tubes gone. His face is relaxed, and he looks peaceful, like the plastered arm and shaved patch of hair are not even there. I ignore the IV lines and bend to kiss his wedding band, watching as a tear drips from the corner of my eye and lands on the gleaming platinum. I kiss his hand, his wrist, anything I can reach with my lips as I repeat I love you to punctuate each kiss.

  His hand flexes and I hear my name pass his beautiful lips, “Liv?”

  I look up and his vibrant green eyes are on mine, a smile on his lips and that face. That face that I adore is here, awake, looking at me, smiling at me, back with me.

  A sob leaves my lips, “I missed you.”

  He lifts his hand carefully and runs his fingers through the hair on the top of my head.

  “I love you,” I say again as he runs his fingertips down the side of my face.

  “Love you more,” he says breathlessly, and just like that, all that was wrong with the world turns right.

  “Are you okay? The baby?”

  I nod and run my hand over his good arm, needing to touch him. “We’re fine, they just wanted to monitor me. I fainted.”

  “I know. Mom told me.”

  “It’s been a stressful few days.”

  “I’m sorry baby.”

  “What are you sorry for? It was an accident. I can tell you though, you will never ever be driving in one of those races again.”

  “Agreed.”

  I smile.

  “Get up here,” he says, pulling back the blanket to his bed on one side.

  “What if Nurse Grumpy comes back.”

  “Who gives a shit? I want my girl back in my bed.” He gives me one of those Grayson smiles that he knows I can’t resist.

  I rise out of the chair and carefully climb in beside him, taking care not to knock his arm or his ribs. He winces slightly as he moves across to accommodate me and I almost climb back out, but he grabs my hand with his good one and laces our fingers together, making sure that I don’t go anywhere.

  Once in place, I lower my head beside his on the pillow and look into his insanely beautiful face. He moves forward and places his lips on mine and I feel like the energy and the vitality that I have been lacking over the past few days is replaced with one kiss.

  “Don’t ever leave me again,” I say.

  He moves my chin so he can look in my eyes. “I never left you Liv. I will never leave you Liv. I was right here the whole time, fighting to get back to you. Fighting for our little family.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you more.”

  Grayson places our joined hands gently over his heart. I can feel it beating, strong and vital beneath his warm skin, and for the first time in days, I fall into a peaceful sleep.

  New arrivals

  Grayson sits on the sofa in the lounge room of our new home, and strums a chord on his guitar. It always reminds me of when we first started living together in my apartment and he would write songs.

  I love listening to him write songs.

  I love him.

  The sound of his guitar fills the room and I stand still at the door, just listening.

  I think about you,

  Every morning when I open my eyes,

  Every evening when I turn out the lights,

  Every moment for the rest of my life.

  You’re on my mind, every second of each day,

  I can’t stop thinking of you…

  He looks up from the guitar and gives me a heart-warming smile.

  “Come here,” he says, dropping the guitar and opening his arms to me.

  I lower myself to his knee, trying to keep my weight off him. But he pulls me down, wrapping his arm around my almost nine-month-pregnant belly and nuzzles my neck.

  Our little bundle is due any day now.

  I’ve wrapped Forever is Yours, and it is now in post-production.

  After Gray’s accident, we came home. The Studio were so amazing about giving me time off to look after Gray, but after a few weeks he was insistent that I return to work. He wanted life to get back to normal.

  Sienna and Christian have both stayed on and helped me with Gray, and his parents come and go from San Fran too, so he hasn’t been short of nurse maids.

  Christian has struck up an unlikely friendship with Madeline. One that we never saw coming, but I’ll leave that for another time.

  We decided to wait to have our wedding celebration. We both want Gray fully recovered and we thought it would be great to wait until the baby arrives, so she can be part of it. Gray is still totally convinced that we are having a girl. We’ve resisted finding out the sex of the baby. I want it to be a surprise.

  Gray has recovered well. He still gets pain in his wrist, particularly after playing guitar for extended periods, but he is seeing a hand therapist and that is helping. The doctors have put him on medication for his heart again, but they are confident that he will be able to stop taking it in time.

  While I was busy working with Ethan, Ava and Gray started house-hunting, and a month ago, he surprised me with the stunning double story home that we are now living in. I love it. It’s bright and open, modern, yet warm. Mostly, I love the fact that it is a five minute drive from Ava’s house, and Sienna and Christian are living in the pool house out the back.

  Although, to call it a pool house is an insult. It is way nicer than my apartment was, and my apartment was lovely.

  Gray’s album went double platinum and he and the boys are about to start recording their second. Hence the reason he is madly writing songs. We also have a North American tour coming up and then I get to travel home with Gray and the boys while they tour Australia. We are all going to have an Aussie Christmas. Ethan and Ava are coming too.

  I can’t wait.

  He rubs his hand over my stomach and bends to place a kiss there.

  “Hurry up little one, mommy and daddy are anxious to meet you.”

  I love it when he talks to the baby.

  He looks up through his long thick lashes and smiles at me.

  I run my hands over his hair, which has grown back over the scar that he now wears. I lean up and place a kiss on the side of his head.

  He smiles warmly and then leans forward to kiss me.

  “What can we do to hurry this little one along?”

  Gray has been reading all my pregnancy books, and he knows that there are a few methods of bringing on labour. He’s already had me eating curries for the past few nights and he makes me walk up the hill outside our house after dinner every evening.

  I know that’s not what he has in mind now though.

  He chuckles and then runs his tongue from beneath my ear across my collar bone, and then puckers his lips to kiss a trail to my lips.

  I open my mouth to his and he pushes his tongue past my lips, running it against mine.

  “Liv…” he moans as I rub my palm over the obvious bulge in his pants.

  He pulls my head back slightly, allowing him access to my throat and he runs his mouth across it, moving lower to the edge of my top. He pulls back, and runs a finger lightly over the edge of the fabric, across the swell of each breast, watching its movement with hooded eyes.

  He dips his finger slightly between the valley of my ever-growing breasts and pulls my top down, exposing my bra to his hungry gaze. He drops his head and runs his nose over my nipples,
that are tightening beneath the silk.

  With one flick, my bra is gone and his mouth replaces his nose.

  He gives equal attention to each breast before standing, keeping me in his arms.

  “Gray, I’m too heavy…”

  He silences me with kisses as he carries us to our room.

  The giant bed that sits in the middle is bathed in the afternoon sun and as Gray lowers me to the mattress, I don’t think he has ever looked more beautiful to me.

  His face is reverent, watching my movement as I scoot further back towards the pillows. He slowly pulls his t-shirt over his head, before lowering his jeans and boxers in one movement, climbing over me and divesting me of my maternity jeans in one movement.

  “God, you’re breathtaking,” he breathes as he lowers his mouth to mine.

  I kiss him.

  Trying to convey every feeling that I have for him in one kiss, but not being able to get enough across.

  “I love you Gray.”

  “Love you more,” he says as he pushes forward and takes me in one movement.

  I wrap my legs around him as best I can in the state I’m in, and hold on for dear life as he takes me to heaven and back.

  Two months later…

  I look around the room. Wrapping-paper covers the floor. There are baby carriages, yellow ducklings and rattles on each piece, littered across the carpet. Brightly coloured ribbons have been ripped from the packages, and are scattered amongst the debris.

  My beautiful sister runs her hand over her swollen belly as she surveys the mess and thanks everyone for their generous gifts.

  I hear a gurgle from the corner of the room and rise to make my way over to the stroller. My own little darling lies there with his shock of black hair, just like his daddy’s, and the same deep green eyes that can hypnotise me with one look.

  We have a darling little boy. Not the girl that Gray was convinced of, but we love this little guy with everything we are. Boy or girl, it made no difference to us.

  He’s happy and healthy, with no signs of any of the genetic heart issues that Gray had as a baby.

  His little legs are kicked out of his blankets and his chubby fist is tightly surrounded by his lips as he sucks on it furiously.

  “Time for a feed little man,” I say as I scoop him out of the pram and into my arms, nuzzling his hair and taking in his baby smell.

  Jaxon Grayson Adams, or Jax as we call him, is two months old. He is the centre of our universe. Gray and I can’t believe how much we love being a family, despite the lack of sleep.

  Strong, warm arms wrap around me from behind. Soft lips kiss my temple, as a hand trails lower across my flat belly.

  “I was just coming to check on him babe,” Gray croons from behind me as he offers a finger to Jax. His tiny hand tightens around Gray’s finger and his green eyes light up at the sight of his daddy.

  Jax is most definitely a daddy’s boy.

  You won’t hear any complaint from me though. There is nothing better than watching Grayson and Jax together.

  It fills my heart.

  It makes my ovaries explode.

  I could do this over and over again with this man.

  “Do you want me to feed him while you help Ava?”

  I nod and place a kiss on his lips. “Thanks baby. I’ll go warm his bottle.”

  He snakes a hand around my neck and pulls me back to his lips, kissing me more insistently.

  He pulls back and smiles. “Hurry back.”

  I swat him on the ass as I swan past him towards Ava’s impressive kitchen.

  “Thanks for doing this Liv,” Ava says from the sink as she starts to pack the dishwasher with the glasses on the kitchen island.

  “My pleasure Sis. You gave me a baby shower, so I had to return the favour. How are you doing?”

  “Truthfully, I’m exhausted,” she says with a smile.

  “Everyone is heading out now, so you’ll be able to rest up soon.”

  Ethan enters the kitchen from the safe haven outdoors, where most of the men have been hiding out all day. “You okay babe?” he asks Ava.

  She nods and smiles. “I’m fine, just a little tired.” He snakes his arms around her and pulls her close. “After this, it’s a bath and bed. You have four more weeks to enjoy resting and taking it easy before this little one arrives. I’ll be at your beck and call.”

  She rises on her tip toes and kisses him. “I love the sound of that. Love you.”

  “Love you too,” he says as he places a kiss on her cheek.

  Gray enters the kitchen with Jax crying, “Got that bottle baby?”

  I move over to my boys and hand the milk to Gray.

  He gives me a warm smile. “C’mon little guy, let’s get you fed.”

  He moves back to the living area with Jax and as I watch him with our little boy, I am overwhelmed and consumed by love for him. Just seeing him with Jax, the way he holds him, the way he kisses his little cheek, reminds me how much I love this man.

  How much I totally and completely adore him.

  I follow Gray back to the main room and we sink down on the sofa.

  My mum and Ethan’s are both collecting the paper from the floor, while Madeline stacks all the gifts in the corner of the room, with some help from Christian. Sienna and Gray’s mum have taken over in the kitchen, stacking plates and clearing the dishes away.

  One beautiful extended family.

  Our beautiful extended family.

  Gray pops the bottle in Jax’s mouth and he immediately begins to suck, his little eyes hovering between sleep and consciousness.

  I drop my head to Gray’s shoulder. “Life is good hey?”

  “Life is fucking amazing.” He responds with a smile.

  I lift my head and look up at his green eyes.

  “I have you to thank for all of this.”

  “That goes both ways Liv.”

  He leans forward and kisses me softly. “What’s say we head home and start on baby number two? I’d love a little girl this time.” His eyes twinkle with mischief.

  “Gray! He’s 8 weeks old. It’s way too soon.”

  “Oh but think of the fun we’ll have trying.”

  He laughs and moves forward again, kissing me on the corner of the mouth. “You are the piece of me that I can’t lose Liv. You and this little one,” he says, looking down at Jax who has now fallen asleep. “You are both my life. Take away the fame, the fortune, and I would still be happy as long as you were both with me. What it all comes down to is I love you. I think I’ve loved you from the moment I met you. I will never stop saying those words to you Liv, even though they mean everything but still can’t convey enough.”

  I swipe the tear that has fallen and kiss his lips. “Say that to me when we have our wedding celebration next month? That’s the perfect vow.”

  “I will,” he says, looking down at our son. He pulls the bottle from Jax’s mouth, allowing him to sleep peacefully, cradled in his right arm.

  He pulls me to him, placing his left arm around me, and the three of us sit on Ava’s sofa - our perfect little family.

  “This is what my life is all about. If I never have another hit album, I want you to know that I could not be any happier than I am right now.”

  I smile at him. “I love you.”

  “And I love...”

  I interrupt him, “I know Gray, you love me more.”

  “Always,” he says with a smile.

  He drops a kiss to the top of Jax’s head and then turns those lips on me and as he places them over my mouth, my heart lifts.

  Grayson Adams loves me.

  No matter what, life couldn’t get any better.

  I blink into the lights from my position in the wings, as I pull my leg up behind me, stretching my thigh muscles in preparation for my turn on the stage.

  My brother looks like a god out there, bathed in light, his beautiful voice hitting every part of the stadium.

  He’s living his dream.
/>   I’m gonna’ be famous one day Sis……

  The crowd are going crazy screaming for him as he sings the final notes of the song.

  “Good luck Si,” Liv says as she comes up beside me with my gorgeous nephew in her arms. Jax has tiny little headphones over his ears to protect them from the noise. He smiles at me, exposing his gums and reaches for me with his chubby arms.

  “Aunty Si can’t take you now honey, she’s about to go on stage with daddy.”

  Jax smiles at Liv and then looks out to the stage in fascination of everything that’s going on around him. He’s seen more of the country in his first six months of life than most people see in a lifetime.

  I place a kiss to his chubby cheek and get ready to take the stage. I’m up once they start the next song.

  I’ve been hired as one of the dancers for Awesome Rebel’s North American and Australian tours. I am having the best time of my life. Doing what I love and being able to spend the time with my brother and his family. Our brother Christian is with us too. He’s been hired to cover the tour from the inside by a major music magazine.

  We are travelling the country as a family, and it is amazing.

  In a month’s time we all head to Australia for a national tour. I’ve never been before, so I can’t wait.

  I finish my stretches and jump on the spot to keep my muscles warm, waiting for Cooper to strum the first notes on his electric guitar to give me the cue.

  Cooper.

  What can I say about him?

  He’s gorgeous, tall, handsome, flirtatious and mostly mine.

  We have a complicated relationship.

  I want him.

  I’m just not sure what he wants.

  For now, I’m going with it.

  He’s fun, and cute and I could go on and on.

  Leah sidles up beside me. “Ready Si?”

  I nod.

  Leah is an amazing dancer, all long legs and blonde hair. Pretty, slender and the type of girl you expect to see on the arm of a rock star.

  She’s the total opposite of me. I have long, straight, dark hair like Grayson’s and my deep green eyes are no match for her sky-blue ones.

  I like Leah, but I don’t trust her. She would do anything to get ahead and I know she thinks that I only got this gig because of my brother.