Forever Bound
Page 23
Another set of stories erupted and I was the subject of the hashtag #guessthebabydaddy until finally Chance asked Dylan Wolf to congratulate us on his Twitter account, which went viral. And it all settled down.
Chance glanced back at me. “You ready for this?”
I nodded.
A photographer, this one hired and therefore controlled via a contract and non-disclosure agreement, aimed his lens at me. Chance helped me up the stairs of the stage, and we waited for Paul to strum the final chords of “Party in the USA.”
Another waiter arrived with our glasses, these full of sparkling white grape juice.
“You’ll be great,” Chance said as the song ended. He passed me a glass.
Paul waved me over. “I believe we have just the perfect person to lead the toast,” he said into the mike. “Put your hands together for the girl formerly known as Frankie’s cotton candy tart, Jenny Gillespie!”
I gave Paul a light punch in the belly for that and he pretended to stumble back in pain. The crowd laughed as they turned to the stage.
I stepped up to the mike. It felt strange being up here when the last time I was here, I’d been standing down below. I felt this choice of location made sense. We were back to where everything had begun.
I searched until I found Frankie in the crowd. “You going to come up here or am I going to have to drag you?” I asked.
More laughter.
He reached for the hand of Alec, the screenwriter I’d seen mentioned shortly after my girlfriend contract with Frankie ended. They had gone public a few weeks after the party. Since Alec wasn’t an actor or the type to get in trouble, the publicity around them had been pretty quiet. Lucky them.
They came up to stand at the base of the stage. A waiter brought them fresh glasses of champagne. Then they smiled up at me.
I took a deep breath and began. “When I met Frankie, it was not love at first sight. It involved a sheet of paper, a pen, and an NDA.”
The crowd tittered.
“One of the things I loved about being his public girlfriend was his savvy. He knows everything about you people.” I pointed out in the crowd, then aimed squarely at Tellmund. “Especially you.”
More laughter.
“Because of him, I got involved in an amazing industry full of beautiful people and smart business. And of course, Frankie too.”
Frankie held up his champagne glass. “Absolutely accurate,” he said.
I smiled down at him. “I knew something amazing was going on. Something he wanted to protect. Something wonderful that needed nurturing and care away from the glare of the spotlight.” I paused. “And definitely out of the camera flash.”
The photographer took that moment to snap a shot, the light blasting the stage. Everyone laughed.
“I was lucky to be that girl. When I finally learned I was right, that Frankie had found somebody worthy of all that effort — and by effort, I mean putting up with me” — I waited out the laughter — “I had never seen him so happy.”
I held up my glass. “So here’s to you, Alec, for putting that amazing smile on Frankie’s face. And for the biggest happily ever after on any movie screen to be the one you have written for yourselves.”
Glasses clinked as everyone sipped. I handed the mike back to Paul and returned to Chance.
“That was terrific,” he said.
“Thank you.”
We headed back down into the party. Several people approached and commented about the speech. I moved toward the food table. The second trimester was definitely all about the calories.
Chance tugged on my hand. “Let’s go back to the gardens for a second,” he said.
I stood there, torn between our little memory lane and the crab cakes. But I went with him a short ways down the path where I had noticed a photographer watching and kissed him for the first time.
“This is a great spot,” I said. “Right where I sucked you into my evil plot.”
He laughed. I took a second to really drink him in. His shoulders were strong and broad in a charcoal sports jacket. Beneath, he wore a silk T-shirt, perfectly on-trend for the music set. He was learning.
He’d let his beard grow out just enough to have that sexy scruffy look that worked so well on camera. He didn’t have a lot of paparazzi chasing him down since he didn’t have a record contract or much of a following, but I had a feeling that one day he would.
For now, he played with the Sonic Kings and sometimes opened for the band who opened for Dylan Wolf, when Dylan was close enough and had something available. Chance didn’t mind being that far down the totem pole. It was something just to be on it at all.
I made enough money to support me and the baby anyway, and we were trying to decide if he was stay-at-home-dad material. We might not know until we got there. He’d moved in with me a month ago, though, and despite his complete and utter disrespect for pastels, it was going all right.
“Come here,” he said, pulling me close. “I have a question for you.”
“Does it involve ordering pizza? Because Brannah needs some nourishment.” We’d decided not to find out what gender the baby was, and had taken to calling him/her a combination of Bryan and Hannah’s names.
Chance stepped back and pulled out his cell phone. “Your wish is my command. Pepperoni or veggie?”
“All of the above.” I hung on to the lapels of his jacket.
“I’m going to have to work out more to be able to carry you at this rate,” he said.
I jerked on the lapels. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
He laughed. “Okay, okay. But I do have a question for you.”
Chance plucked my hand off his jacket and slipped a ring on my finger. “How’s this one?”
I pulled my hand away to look at it. The stone glittered in the lamplight, brighter and bigger than it should have been.
“How did you afford this? I know what you make!” I couldn’t stop staring at it.
“Mom sent me hers to trade in for something new. She wanted you to have the best.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “Is she still asking if I’ve fixed my hair?”
“Nope,” he said. “She knows you’re kind of stuck until the baby’s born.”
It was true. It turned out that hair dye was bad for babies, so I’d been chalking my roots with various colors. I looked like a Rainbow Brite doll.
“You said you had a question,” I said. “I can’t answer until you ask it.”
He smiled down at me, his lazy grin warming me up like it always did.
“Jenny Gillespie, mother of my grain-of-sand, alien-tadpole, Brannah-baby, are you going to marry me after all this?”
I gazed up into the night sky. “I think I might like to negotiate some bullet points in the contract.”
He scooped me up in his arms. “You better just answer me.” He pretended to stagger. “And fast, before I can’t hold you any longer.”
I grabbed his lapels again. “Yes, Chance McKenzie, father of my accidental dropped-condom failed-pill-taking grain-of-sand Brannah-baby, I will marry you.”
He leaned in to kiss me, but I put my fingers on his lips. “I would like to negotiate that pizza now.”
Chance snapped at my fingers with his teeth. When I moved them aside, he caught me, his mouth on mine, warm and tender.
A flash fired, lighting up the night.
I pulled away and looked over. It was the hired photographer. He gave Chance a thumbs up and headed back to the party.
“You’re sneaky, Chance McKenzie,” I said to him.
“Oh, you just wait,” he said with another of those lazy grins that I adored. “You’re going to love the headlines about us in the morning.”
“What can they say about us now? Hunky singer sweeps pregnant nobody off her swollen feet?”
“The baby could still be an alien love child.”
He walked back up the path, carrying my bulky body in his arms, until we were in sight of the party. A great cheer went up in
the crowd, and Paul stopped the song onstage. “Did she turn your sorry ass down?” he asked into the mike.
Chance shook his head, and they began a new song, one I’d never heard before. Chance set me carefully down on the ground and headed up onstage. I knew he’d been writing some new material. But I had no idea there was going to be one about me.
As he took the mike from Paul and looked down, I made my way to my spot at the stage, at his feet, just like the first time he’d sung for me.
And when he gave us the words to the opening line, I knew that so much more than fate had a hand in everything that happened to us, good, bad, amazing, or tragic. And people like Chance were here to capture those feelings, however they came, and let us feel them, figure them out, and always sing along.
THE END
FOREVER
by Brad Whittington
The FOREVER song is a real song!
Hear it at www.bradwhittington.com/forever.
There ain't nothing you can say
To make me turn away
There ain't nothing you can do
To make me take my love away from you
Because I said forever
And that's just what I'm gonna to do
There ain't nowhere you can go
That I won't get my walking shoes and follow
There ain't nowhere you can hide
That I won't find you with the love inside me
Because I said forever
And that's just what I'm gonna to do
How could you believe that I
Would ever have the need to say goodbye
All those years ago
I said the words that should have let you know
Because I said forever
And that's just what I'm gonna do
There ain't nothing you can say
There ain't nothing you can do
There ain't nowhere you can go
And there ain't nowhere you can hide
Lyrics throughout this novel by Deanna’s author friend, singer-songwriter Brad Whittington.
~*´♥`*~
There will be only one more book in the Forever series, Forever Family. It will include the points of view of all three couples: Corabelle & Gavin, Tina & Darion, and Jenny & Chance as they move into the next stage of their lives.
To be notified when this book will be released, join my mailing list for book announcements and excerpts as I write their story. I will also be releasing a video trailer for the series that you won’t want to miss.
Meet other Forever Series book fans on the Facebook page.
Love to all of you,
Deanna
Click to see all Deanna’s books on Amazon.
Join her mailing list for new releases and freebies at
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Deanna is a passionate advocate for women who have miscarried. She founded the web site www.pregnancyloss.info in 1998 after the loss of her first baby and continues to run both online and in-person support groups for women who have endured this impossible loss. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads.
Learn more about the author at
www.deannaroy.com
Join her mailing list for new releases and freebies at
Deanna’s List
•*´`*•♥•*´`*•
Dedications to Our Amazing Moms!
♥ Janice Roy ~ Crafter extraordinaire, woman of God. ♥
♥ Jan Korfmacher ~ Fun-loving, classic, loved by all. ♥
♥ Pat Prouty ~ Extraordinary mom, aunt, and classy feisty lady. ♥
♥ Vivian ~ best mom ever! ♥
♥ Brenda O. ~ Forever my Mom, Forever my Friend ♥
♥ Brenda S. Grant ~ October 24, 1961- December 28, 2010 ♥
♥ RMG ~ For all that I am, and all that I will be is because of you...love you! ♥
♥ Mari E Silvestri ~ 06/06/50-03/03/06. To the best mother and Nani anyone could ask for. You will never be forgotten ♥
♥ Patti C. ~ May she always know what a hero she is, in my eyes, and in the eyes of my children. Love, AK ♥
♥ Debbie Tucci ~ Thank-you for making me the person I am today...loving, strong and independent. You are also a wonderful grandmother. ♥
♥ Bing Ying Jang ~ Best mom to us three kids and wonderful grandmother to her grandson, Janzen ♥
♥ Dorothy Rice ~ You made me who I am today I Love You Mom! - Jodi ♥
♥ Claudia Isenhour ~ The best mom anyone could ask for. I miss you every single day. Love you. ♥
♥ Sue Preston ~ My mom is the most loving person that I know. I am who I am today because of her kind heart and beautiful soul. I Love You Mom ♥
♥ Lucille C ~ always and forever my mom ♥
♥ Jennie Etling Holcombe ~ For all the love, help, and advice I thank you, mom. ♥
♥ Winnie ~ Love you mum, thanks for being my strength! ♥
♥ Melissa P. ~ Thank you for being the best mom in the world. I love you! ♥
♥ Marie Lahep ~ Kind heart, loving, caring, creative. Wonderful loving person ♥
♥ Aunt Meim ~ Thank you very much for being my Aunt, my best friend and my "Mom." I love you so very much. ♥
♥ Verna "Jeanie" Brown-Buckley ~ Thank you, for your love and knowledge. ♥
♥ Linda Yow ~ My mom, my biggest supporter, my best friend! ♥
♥ Joann Weber ~ This is to my mother the women that gave birth to me. She been my rock when I needed a hard shoulder when my child died at birth and when my son and daughter came into this world. She is my world. ♥
♥ Lourdes Rodriguez ~ Without her I don't know where I'd be! Love her! ♥
♥ Cindy J ~ For your never ending support you have shown me. You are my family when I didn't have one to turn to. ♥
♥ Audrey C ~ Love you with all my heart Mum ♥
♥ Janice Quinn ~ Love you so much mom. Thank you for loving me and always being there. ♥
♥ Clara Nell ~ We love & miss you!! ♥
♥ Mandy Matthews ~ Thanks for being there for me and my babies when we needed u. Love you mum, love Lisa ♥
♥ Jackie ~ You are missed! 10/2/02 ♥
♥ Eula Faye Torbett ~ Our Mother: remembered on Earth; living eternally in Heaven. ♥
♥ Audra Lee ~ My precious Grandma, may she rest in peace ♥
♥ Angeline C ~ Our family anchor! ♥
♥ Sharon S. ~ My best friend, always in my heart ♥
♥ Sheila Everson ~ So blessed to have had you as our Mam, Chrissie & Julie ♥
♥ Vira W ~ 08/05/2004 Gone, but not forgotten. I love you. ♥
♥ R.A.T. ~ Mama Llama ♥
♥ My mom Gabrielle ~ Simply because she loves me no matter what and she's awesome. ♥
♥ Ruth Lessard ~ My Mom, My Best Friend! ♥
♥ Pat Claffey - Best Foster Mom ~ Thanks for loving me like your own child ♥
♥ Stacey L. ~ Mommy, you may be 1000mi away, thought you are never far away! ♥
♥ Rose-Marie W. ~ Grammy- You raised us, we love you so much!! ♥
♥ Milani T. ~ Mom- thank you for being my best friend. I was blessed to have you as my mom. It's been 2 1/2 years since you have passed away and I just want to let you know that I miss you everyday. <3 Michelle ♥
♥ Judy C ~ Love you Mom! ♥
♥ Susan ~ Love you Mom! ♥
♥ Lois Ahlson ~ to my mom who is watching over me from above. ♥
♥ My mom Anna P. ~ I love and miss you every day. Until we meet in heaven I know your always watching over me. ♥
♥ Becky Quintana ~ thanks for everything you do. Love you! ♥
♥ Darla Jean ~ We love you! ♥
♥ Aunt Rita ~ Thanks for taking me under your wing after my mom passed! ♥
♥ Sue Card ~ My Grammy, <3 Lyndsi ♥
♥ Brenda Patterson Hayman ~ My wonderful step-mom. I love you so much! ♥
♥ Dorothy W. ~ Handicapped from birth but led a long life full of love ♥
♥ Vickie L ~ Love you Mom! ♥
♥ Terry S. ~ For always supporting my Forever. ♥
♥ Marilyn Davis ~ Miss you ♥
♥ Dorothy (Dotty) Adams ~ I love and miss you every day ♥
♥ Linda H. ~ Thank you for always supporting me through thick and thin! Love you Mom! ♥
♥ Margaret Madeline ~ 7/3/1928 ♥
♥ Sharon Schumacher ~ Mom you are the greatest roll model of how to be strong, loving woman. I love you. ♥
♥ Sandy Gray ~ You're the mother and best friend a girl could ever ask for. I love you always! <3 ♥
♥ Doris Jillette ~ Thank you for being my rock. I love you more! * Cynthia ♥
♥ Walli Oesterreicher ~ In my heart forever, love always ♥
♥ Delores M. (Inky) ~ My mom is the best. ♥
♥ Eleanor Macedon ~ A woman whose values, morality, and integrity sets a high bar to pass. Love you always. ♥
♥ My mom, Gertrude Evelyn Ballard, the most wonderful mom ever. Would love to visit her just one hour. Miss her terribly. ♥
♥ Mom/Mamaw ~ Rest in Peace 4/9/42-5/18/13 ♥
♥ Joyce Macielag ~ Thanks for all you do. I love you, Mom! ♥
♥ Dlrunge ~ To my mom, my friend, confident , my everything. Thank you for all you showed us how to be. We Will love you forever and always . ♥
♥ Marsha Harbour ~ Even though you're my sister, you stepped up and took the lead to help with my girls. I am FOREVER GRATEFUL I love you ♥
♥ Marly R. ~ Thank you for being you and being there for me <3 ♥
♥ Charlane Carlson ~ My Mom, my hero I admire your strength everyday. ♥