Forbidden Forever

by Christy Dilg

  "I was hungry and wasn't sure when you would be back. How did things go, by the way?" she says.

  "I'll tell you about it later but everything should be okay from now on," I assure her.

  "Tonight my parents would like us to come over for dinner if you all don't have any plans," I tell everyone.

  They are all excited so I call my parents and let them know we will see them around 7:00pm. After breakfast we will go down to the beach. Kaleb and I spend most of the day surfing while the ladies relax in the sun. The day has been relaxing with no more drama since this morning. I lie next to Laney and talk about the future plans for Mouth she has. We discuss the decision that Callie has to make and we have to help her with. The thought of sending a teenager alone to another state is scary for anyone to agree to. Personally I think it is an awesome opportunity and she should go but as a mother, I know the fears Laney has. I know she will decide the best way to go when it comes to her Callie. Callie is excited and I know she is hoping that her mom says yes and fast.

  That evening we take Callie's car to my parents and she drives us there. Thankfully she is a great driver, but I catch Laney holding her breath a few times. It is quite possibly one of the cutest things to watch. She tries so hard to not let it be known that Callie is scaring the crap out of her and I'm sure after the Cathy incident, it is much worse. Everyone looks like the picture of a modern day Cleaver family getting out of the car. Laney went out of her way to make sure everyone looked the part even though they were already perfect to me. I love my treasures and all of them are flawless to me. We ring the doorbell and wait for my parents. Usually they are quick to answer the door, but this time they don't answer. They know we are coming over so I ring the doorbell again. When there is no answer I get the keys out of my pocket and open the door. We walk in and I call their name. No answer.

  I tell them to sit in the living room while I go find my parents. I walk in the kitchen and see everything is prepared and ready for dinner to be served. I walk up the stairs and my heart is racing from the fear that something is wrong. My parents are always ready for guests and this is not like them at all. I get to their bedroom door and I don't hear anything. I stand there and listen, close my eyes and take a deep breath. Please let them be okay. I turn the knob and swing the door open. When I look up I come face and eyes with my parents in towels coming out of the bathroom, giggling. You have got to be kidding me. When they see me, Mom pushes Dad in front of her. "Son, what are you doing here?" she squeals.

  "It is seven o'clock, Mom. We are here for dinner," I explain.

  "Oh…we must have lost track of time." My dad laughs.

  "We will be done in a minute, honey. Go on now," my mom says, blushing.

  Holy shit! I cannot believe I walked in on that. All these years and I have never witnessed my parents in any sexual ways. Sure, I know they are adults but eww, fuck, that is not what I want to think about. I walk downstairs and tell them that they are getting dressed and will be down soon. I cringe at the thought of them taking longer than I expect. I show everyone around the downstairs and take them to the back balcony so they can see the view. We live on the beach, but Mom has made the back of the beach house elegant and inviting. There is a waterfall that cascades down into the pool; palm trees and different greenery surround every inch, giving the yard a very serene feeling. I used to love to come here on summer vacations because it gave the illusion of being in an exotic location. She has lanterns lit all around the back porch area and small twinkling lights in the plants and down by the pool.

  My parents finally join us and apologize for having lost track of time. I can't even look them in the eyes after what I just witnessed. I am surprised I didn't go blind after that. My mom goes in to start placing the food on the table, and Laney follows her in to offer her help. Something about her and my mom setting the table and getting along makes me smile. Kaleb and my dad talk about his surfing competition and my dad is so like my dad, bragging about his good ol' glory days when he used to surf and how that is when my mom fell for him. I have heard this story often, but it never gets old. Something about the man who raised me, falling for my mom sticks in my heart and made me want that for myself. Now, after half a lifetime of living without it, I have finally found it. "No man should live a life without finding his treasure," my dad tells Kaleb. He always told me to find it, but then he thought Cathy was it. A marriage doesn't make an instant happily ever after if it's with the wrong person.

  We all go inside and join my mom and Laney. The food is on the table and it smells amazing. Mom has cooked grilled salmon and grilled chicken, both marinated in a lemon pepper cream sauce, served with scalloped potatoes and steamed broccoli and yeast rolls.

  "Sapphire, will you pass me the yeast rolls?" I ask since she is across from me, sitting next to my mom.

  My parents look at each other and smile. "I'm glad to see you finally found the map, son," my dad says to me.

  "Me, too, Dad. It was the best treasure on earth." I smile and look across at Laney, who knows what I am talking about. She is blushing and beaming ear to ear.

  "When were you going to tell us about the upcoming event?" my mom asks.

  I look down at Laney's wedding ring and answer, "We were before but Cathy happened first. It got a little overshadowed."

  "We would like to throw an engagement party for you both, please," my mom expresses.

  Laney turns to my mom and excitedly says yes and she just made my mom's year with one word. My parents talk with the kids and discuss the possible singing career for Callie. My mom is a huge music fan and finds it every interesting that Callie will be going to voice lessons. She is over the moon with excitement about having someone who can sing in our family. I guess my singing isn't as good as I thought. I chuckle under my breath. She even offers to let her stay in one of their hotels if she isn't comfortable where they are putting her up. I assure my mom it is already one of their hotels, so make sure Callie has the best room. Laney has made up her mind already just hearing that because she knows she can sneak up there whenever she wants. I smirk knowing I said the right thing to get Laney's answer to be yes. I wasn't trying to interfere. I just knew it was a hard choice for her to make alone.

  After dinner, my mom brings out the baby books, of course, and the girls ooh and awe over my cute naked butt. The guys go sit in the living room and watch a football game. It's Sunday night and the Patriots are playing the Jets. This is how I have pictured my life to be for all of my adult life. The parents and my family together doing all the things that a family does. Someday I hope to add to this family and give my parents a grandchild, but if that never happens I am perfectly happy with the two amazing children I have now. I don't know Laney's take on another kid. I am sure she thought she was done, but I wonder if she still feels that way. Her answer doesn't matter; as long as we are together, I am content.

  Chapter 39

  Laney's POV

  Dinner last night was perfect. Chance's parents are wonderful and caring people. I am so glad that they have finally decided to accept our relationship and stop pushing Cathy on him. Hopefully they realize that she is a loose cannon who needs to be in a straight jacket. If she pulls that shit again, I'm going to throw her ass in a fucking cannon and shoot her to the moon. Today we are going back to Smash and signing the contract approved by the lawyer. I feel so much better knowing the place she will be staying is safe and can be monitored by staff that Chance's parents employ. It is only two weeks, but to me I know it will feel like forever. The longest she has been away from me was a week when she went to summer camp with the Girl Scout group. Thank goodness for cell phones these days. I couldn't imagine a day without them now.

  Callie drove us today in her car. It sure is nice not having to drive that much anymore, but sometimes I feel like my hands are going to stay squeezed this tight if I don't loosen up. Chance pats my shoulder from the back and tries to calm me, but I think I should be lying in the floor board, pretending that it is him dri
ving instead of her. She parks right outside the building and Brooke and her get out first. Callie wanted Brooke to come and see all the fancy record stuff. Girls love having their friends involved in everything they do. We give them a minute to snap instagram photos of themselves and send snap chats to all the close ones. They are so cute and I hope, with all the changes, that they will always be this close.

  We are called into Nic's office. We all take a seat on the couch and wait while he is taking an urgent phone call from one of his artists. I have butterflies swarming around every inch of my body. I don't know what has me so nervous since the contract has been signed and the deal is basically done. It must be the feeling a mother gets when her child is starting a new journey in their life, always fearing the worst but hoping for the best. I watch her for any doubt she might have that I have missed, and I see none. She is a vision sitting there without an ounce of fear in her body. Brooke is all smiles as she takes in her best friend's new life, and I'm pretty sure she is drooling over the record company's CEO, Nic. She is so much like her mom, eyeing the hot guy no matter what his age is.

  Nic hangs up the phone, walks over and takes a seat in the chair. He introduces himself to Brooke and she is grinning like she won the lottery. He proceeds to discuss everything that is going to be involved for the two weeks Callie is in Tennessee. He takes the contract from Chance, looks over the signatures and signs on the dotted line to seal the deal. He hands Callie a business card that has his personal cell phone on it and takes us for a tour through the studio. We pop our head in a sound proof room that is being used by one of the bands. The record company is busy today since it is Monday, so we see a lot of artists and bands. Callie and Brooke grab each other's hands and quietly squeal when the see Hunter Hudson walk in. He nods and waves at us, and walks into his sound room.

  After the tour is complete, Nic tells Callie that since she is leaving in less than two months for the voice lessons, he would like her to come here once a week to watch how the other artists prepare their music and record CD's. He thinks it will benefit her to know how everything is done and possibly to go through some music to see what songwriters have that mesh with her personality and voice. The way the company teaches the young artist every step and prepares them before tossing them to the crowd has to be the best way to get them relaxed and confident in their music. I know Nic is very different from the other record companies because he treats his artists like family instead of a pile of money. This is another reason why I agreed to let her go to Tennessee. I know he truly cares enough about them to go through this process.

  We leave the studio and drive back to Mouth. I have some last minute things to do before we close for the evening. We are super hungry, so I call in an order before the grill closes for the night. Kaleb is there helping with everything at Mouth since we were in Orlando, which makes me feel much better. He does such a great job at keeping everything flowing and he is only 13 years old. I sure raised a hardworking and smart young man. I like knowing that I raised my children to be strong even though I was so weak for all those years with Michael. I hope they never end up in the situation like I had myself in with that marriage. I had some wonderful times with my children and I would never change it, but I would have left him a lot sooner.

  I check my messages when I get into the office and I have one from a surf coach in California. I call Kaleb and Chance into the office so they can listen to it.

  Hi, Mrs. Collins. This is Steve Jackmon from Big Wave Surf Camp. We offer a camp for upcoming surfers in December as a way to give top competitors a chance to surf with the pros and learn new tricks and techniques. We would be honored to have Kaleb come out for this and possibly to do a photo shoot for Surf magazine if he is chosen in the finals. Please call me back at your earliest convenience.

  We all look at each other with silly grins on our faces and I get so excited. "Aw, honey, this is awesome. I'm so excited for you. I will call him first thing in the morning if you are interested," I tell him.

  "Heck, yeah, I am interested." He beams.

  "This is far out, man. I am so proud of you," Chance utters.

  What a shock to my emotions as well! I can't believe this is happening, and so quickly. My two talented children are about to send me on a crazy adventure and I am so glad my business can run without me.

  I curl up in the bed next to the man I love and look out the window at the beautiful sky. I am reminded of how I got to the place I am today. I committed a sin and most people look down upon me for it. They never walked in my shoes and not once did they try to put themselves where I was. The years I was married to Michael I cried myself to sleep every night. Every morning when I opened my eyes, I was scared of what I was going to do wrong, and that I would be a letdown once again. I wanted to have a perfect life full of love and good times, but the moments I wasn't around my children I feared for the words that would come out of his mouth. His words broke my spirit and changed the person who I was in every way. The day I met Dr. Chance Turner and saw the way he looked at me instead of through me was the best feeling I could have, to be seen for all that I am and not all that I could be.

  Chapter 40

  December 18th, I kissed my two beautiful kids and said goodbye to them at the airport. My heart is heavy and I miss them before they even step on the planes. Kaleb is going off to California with his super cute surf coach, Steve, who is accompanying him. Callie is with Nic and his assistant Sam from Smash. Sam's purple hair now has streaks of green. I secretly hope the hairstyle doesn't rub off on Callie, no matter how cute it is on Sam. Tears stream down my cheeks, and Sierra and Brooke wrap their arms around me. I see Chance standing at the window, and even though he is trying to stay strong, I can see his emotions on his face.

  The next day, Chance goes to play golf with my dad, who has grown quite fond of him. I call Sierra and ask her to pick up some things for me and get over here as soon as she can. I have mixed feelings as to what to do or how to handle it if it is true. My heart is all over the place and my stomach is a jumbled mess. It is too soon for this and I'm not sure how Chance will handle the news. This year has been so crazy that I'm not sure we can handle any more stress. I get a text while I am waiting for Sierra and it is Chance's mom. She has texted me every day about a dozen times about the engagement party and when we are going to set a wedding date. We haven't picked one with all the stuff going on with the kids. It just hasn't been the right time. I keep assuring her we will get one picked out as soon as we come up for air. The lady is sweet, but persistent.

  Sierra finally shows up and hands me a brown bag. I grab it and go into the bathroom. Soon after, I walk into the kitchen and ask her if she would like something to drink. I fix lemonade and hand her the glass. We walk into the living room and both look out the window at the ocean.

  "I asked John to move in with me," she confesses.

  "Really, what did he say?" I ask.

  "He said yes and will be moving in next week. I am so excited. I can't believe we are both in wonderful relationships. Last year at this time I was a manizer and you were with that fucker Michael," she murmurs.

  "How fast things change. Look at you being a one-man woman," I joke.

  "Well, he does boil my bubbles." She laughs.

  I walk in the bathroom and stare blankly at the sink. Sierra walks in and asks, "Oh my… Is that two lines?"

  I grab the stick and walk into the living room and start pacing.

  What am I going to tell Chance?

  Will he be happy?

  This is too soon.

  Maybe it is a false positive.

  Surely, something is wrong. I sit on the couch and put my hands on my head.

  The elevator door opens and Chance walks through it. I look up and he sees my face and nearly sprints over to me concerned. "Are you okay?" He grabs my hands from behind my back and pulls them in front of me. He looks down and smiles when he sees what is clasped in my hands. He gently touches my chin with his finger and lifts my head
up so he can see my face. My eyes tear up as he looks into them, and the intensity makes me bury my head into his chest.

  "I love you, Sapphire," he says.

  "Morefinity," I reply back.

  The End

  Read more about Laney and Chance in Forbidden No More coming Summer 2014

  I would love to hear from you the reader. Thank you for reading Forbidden Forever and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.

  Contact Christy Dilg:

  FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorChristyADilg

  INSTAGRAM: @fancy_grey

  TWITTER: @fancygrey

  BLOG: http://christydilg.wordpress.com

  Goodreads: Christy Dilg

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  Continue reading for a few unedited excerpts from some other amazing indie authors…

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