Unbreakable Together: A New Adult Romance Novel

by Chayse, Amanda

  Unbreakable Together

  Book Three of the Unbreakable Series

  by Amanda Chayse

  Copyright © 2014 Amanda Chayse

  All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, entities, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Please visit my website to sign up for new releases and updates at http://www.amandachayse.com/.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Unbreakable Forever

  Chapter One

  ~Erin~

  Devon twisted around and sat on the side of the bed, propping his elbows on his long upper legs. His fingers moved over his forehead and face. “I don’t understand. You’ve lived here your whole life. You can’t move now.” He pushed his hands through his hair and stared at the floor. “This is bullshit. There’s no way this is going to happen. I won’t let it happen.”

  I plucked a tissue from the end table and blotted my eyes. “What do you mean you won’t let it happen?” I sobbed. “You said yourself our moms work way too hard.”

  Devon stood up and stared out the window. “But moving isn’t the answer.”

  “She doesn’t have the money to pay for my college, and she hardly has the money to pay our expenses now. What are we supposed to do? She’s looking for a way to make it, Devon, just like you talked about.”

  “I know, Erin, but I was talking about us—together. But not this. Can’t you see? There are more important things than money, Erin. Your whole life is here. Our lives are here. What we have now.” Devon turned to me and clasped my hand into his. “You can never get this back, Erin. No amount of money is worth it.”

  “I know, but this is what she wants. She thinks the move would help me—my future.” My face tensed, wondering if everything I loved was about to be lost.

  “You know, Erin, people work their whole lives chasing something that’s right in front of them. We have everything together. They chase these paper dreams, and when they get to them, they see how empty it is and that they traded everything for a lie.”

  I flicked my red, moist eyes at Devon, and then fidgeted with the tissue before dabbing my nose with it. “She thinks it will help me get into a better college.”

  “See, that is exactly what I’m talking about. Maybe you could be a corporate lawyer, work eighty hours a week and drop dead one day.”

  “Whoa, harsh.” I winced and my eyes grew downcast.

  Devon stood and reached for his clothes, putting on his jeans and turning towards me. “You’re goddamn right, because I have seen it firsthand.”

  “Your dad,” I said with a soft tone.

  “Yes, my dad, and now my mom. And with my dad, when they gave him more money, they made damn sure they took it out of him.” Devon shook his T-shirt out forcefully, and pulled it over his arm and over his head.

  “Come here.” I turned towards him and pulled his shirt over his cast and scooted closer to him. “My mom doesn’t know that…”

  “That what?” Devon turned closer towards me on the bed. “Tell me.”

  I traced the pillow with my finger. “You know.”

  “I think I know. But I want you to tell me.” Devon threaded a spiraled lock of my hair with his fingers.

  “My mom thinks we are just friends, like when we were kids.” I put my hands over the pillow and faced the wall. “She doesn’t know we’re in love.”

  Devon leaned over towards my ear. “I’m sorry. What was that?”

  “You heard me.” I held back a smile.

  “I want to hear it again,” he said.

  “Why?” I glanced up at him before staring at the wall again.

  “Because I like what you said. I want to hear it again.”

  “I said my mom doesn’t know we’re in love.” My legs fidgeted back and forth as I stared straight ahead.

  Silence filled the room and it seemed like an eternity passed between the words. I turned slightly, and peeked at Devon over my shoulder. He leaned over and kissed my bare shoulder. “That’s what I thought you said.” He rested his strong jaw on my shoulder, and pulled me closer. “You’re not going to leave me, Erin. You know why?”

  “No, why?” I beamed up at him with anticipation.

  “Because what you said is right. You are in love with me.” He smirked while stifling a smile.

  “You!” My face turned flush and I swatted him with the pillow. “You said you would not make fun of me!” I huffed.

  “I never said that.” He grinned. I swatted his cast with the pillow. “Ow! Hey, watch the arm!” Just then the pillow I threw flew across his face.

  “That’s it!” Devon chased me around the room, and I wrapped a sheet around my naked body and ran around the bed shrieking with laughter.

  “You have to say it, too, Devon!” I insisted.

  “I have to?” he said with a suppressed grin.

  “Yes.” I pouted, running around the bed.

  “Say what?” He laughed and chased me.

  “You know what! Say it.” I held the sheet over my chest, and ran away from him as he chased me.

  Devon threw a pillow that crossed my head and frizzed my hair which made him burst out with laughter.

  “Wrong answer.” I frowned. I picked up the pillow and threw it back at Devon. He caught it and thumped it in his hands. “My turn,” he said with a playful grin.

  I ran towards the door. Devon shuffled across the bed on his knees and pulled the trail of the sheet that was wrapped around me toward him. I grabbed another pillow from the bed and thumped him in the head with it.

  “Hey!” He grimaced.

  “Hey yourself. You still haven’t said it.”

  I turned away to open the door, but Devon grabbed the sheet and pulled me close, wrapping me up in it. He stood up and pulled me toward him until I faced him.

  “I can’t move.” I pouted while peering up at him.

  “That’s the point, so you’ll be good.”

  I was so close to Devon’s chest, and his scent filled me up inside. I did not mind the idea of being trapped so close to him. “You still haven’t said it.” I said glancing up at him.

  “Say what?” He said threading his fingers through escaped tendrils of my hair. “Say this?” He pressed his lips to mine, closed his eyes, and took me with increased mastery, forcing my lips open with the tip of his tongue, leaving me burning and aching for more of him. I tasted his firm, sweet lips and pressed my tongue against his, surrendering to his strong embrace and forgetting about everything for that moment.

  Raising his mouth from mine, he gazed into my eyes. “Is that what you need to know? Or do you need me to tell you I don’t want you to go…I would miss everything about you…I would miss your laugh and your smile? Or do you need me to tell you that you are still the best part of my day, and that I am not going to let that go for anything? That I would be a complete fool to let you go? Do you still need to hear me say it, as it becomes more and more obvious with each passing day?”

  “You s
till haven’t said it,” I simpered.

  “I love you, Erin. I always have.” His green eyes swept over my face and met my eyes.

  My pulse raced and my stomach fluttered. I wrapped my body around him and kissed him with an eagerness that made Devon laugh and lose his balance. We laughed and fell onto the bed. “Watch the arm,” Devon said with a bright smile.

  “Oh, you poor baby. Let me get your mind off your pain.” I slipped the sheet off and climbed next to him.

  “Hey, why didn’t you tell me when I got here?” Devon asked while caressing my shoulder.

  “Because I wanted to hear what I heard tonight. I wanted to hear that you loved me, and that we were worth fighting for. Now I know,” I said, losing myself in his glimmering green eyes.

  “What do we do now?” he asked.

  “We tell my mom the truth,” I said with a pleased smile.

  Devon cupped my faced and brought his lips to mine.

  Chapter Two

  ~Devon~

  Erin’s laughter filled the room and filled Devon’s heart. The pain he felt inside melted away with the warmth of her presence, and joy broke through the dark clouds like the sun.

  Erin would have to tell her mom what was happening between them. He would also have to tell his mom the truth, sooner or later.

  Devon was willing to pay any price to keep Erin with him. If he had to convince her mom himself, then he would do it. But there was no way he was going to let her go.

  The lifeguard position paid enough for him to survive without his mom’s help. As far as college went, he had no idea what to do. He could take a year off and work to save some money that his mom would never have to spend.

  He thought about his dad. He had worked himself to death, and he was the ideal worker. Faithful to the company. His dad toiled over eighty hours a week, every week, for the law firm. As he got older, his body was not able to take the grueling schedule, and his health began to deteriorate. That was why he was so protective of his mom.

  Devon visited the doctor for a checkup on his arm. The doctor X-rayed his arm and summarized the results to Devon. “Your fracture is healing quite nicely. Just keep the cast on for four more weeks and you should heal just fine. The cast is in good shape. Continue to keep water off it and I will see you in two weeks,” he instructed him.

  Four weeks until Devon could start training again. Devon headed to the gym to work out his other arm, his legs, back, and abs. He was not going to let his body weaken from one injury. The football team had found a replacement safety, but he was not nearly as fast or as tall. They had lost the last three games, but Devon refused to feel guilty about it. He did what he had to do, and he was facing the consequences. He was not going to turn Pelton or his gang of thugs in, either. Erin came first.

  Erin slinked up next to Devon as he stood by his locker after his workout. Erin jumped up and down like a four-year-old begging for candy. “What’s gotten into you?” he said with a half grin.

  “I talked to my mom.” Her bouncing continued.

  “And?”

  “And she said if it’s that important to me, then she would consider not moving if the company worked with her.”

  “That’s great!” Devon turned to her. “What do you mean if the company works with her?”

  “A slight raise. It shouldn’t be a problem. They like her. There’s just one thing.” Erin gazed up at him, now swaying back and forth like an innocent school girl.

  “Oh, no. You told her.”

  “Yes, I told her. I said we were now in a relationship.” Erin beamed up at him.

  “Fuck.”

  “Devon!”

  “I mean…Did you tell her that we…”

  “No! She would kill me. But at the same time, she is probably going to figure it out sooner or later.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Devon sighed.

  “You know you’re going to have to tell your mom, too.”

  “Yeah, sooner or later I am going to tell her. One thing at a time,” he breathed.

  “Good, now come have lunch with me,” she chirped.

  “You are so bouncy today. What’s gotten into you?” Devon grinned down at her.

  “I just know that someone loves me,” she said with a glint in her eyes.

  “Your mom?” Devon waggled his brows.

  “No, my goldfish.” Erin swayed.

  “You don’t have a goldfish.”

  “Exactly. C’mon.” Erin reached for Devon’s hand.

  Devon flipped his collar up and headed outside. He glanced over his shoulder at Erin, who was smiling and still bouncing. Devon pulled her close. “I’m glad you’re staying. I meant what I said, by the way. It wasn’t just because you were naked.”

  Erin swatted him on his broad shoulder. “You’re so bad!”

  “As bad as you want me to be, baby. As long as you’re here with me.”

  “You still need to talk to my mom. She wants to know what is going on between us.”

  Devon rubbed the point between his brows. “Sure. If it means you’ll stay.”

  Erin smiled up at him.

  ~Devon~

  Matt approached Devon in the hallway after class. Devon could see that Matt was not in a good mood, and he knew why.

  “Dude, the coach is pissed. We lost the last three games,” Matt growled.

  “What do you want me to do? I’m out for the season.” Devon looked straight ahead as they walked.

  “You can tell us who did this. Whoever fucks with you fucks with all of us.” Matt pushed Devon’s shoulder back to emphasize the point.

  Devon turned to face him. “What good is that going to do? It’s not going to bring back those three games.”

  “No, but it will show them what happens when they decide to do something like that. A lot of these guys are pissed. You don’t get a scholarship by being on a team that sucks.”

  “Some players do. It’s usually about the player. It helps to have a good team, but it’s not everything,” he said, walking forward and looking straight ahead.

  “Everything helps. The point is…there are some guys on this team who are pissed. And they are going to find out who did this and make them pay.”

  Devon turned to Matt and grasped his shoulder. “Matt, listen to me. Don’t do that. This matter is already over as far as I’m concerned.”

  “As far as you’re concerned? What about us? What about the team?” Matt stood closer to him. “This is our problem now.”

  “No, Matt, it is not your problem. This is my problem, and I’ve already taken care of it. If you do anything, you will screw things up for me and everyone else. Leave it alone. I am telling you, it’s over. Got it?” Devon glared at Matt.

  “Yeah, sure,” Matt snarled.

  “I’m serious about this, Matt,” Devon insisted.

  “I heard you, man. I got it,” he barked.

  “Good. Now find a good safety, for God’s sake.” Devon pushed his shoulder back.

  “You’re telling me. Alright. Lunch tomorrow. Be there.” Matt pointed at him as he turned his body away.

  “Yeah, sure,” Devon said with a wave of his hand.

  Chapter Three

  ~Erin~

  I scooted next to Devon as he walked home. “My mom invited you over to dinner. She invited your mom, too. Can you make it?” I said flashing him a sweet smile.

  Devon looked down at me. “You know my mom’s working. She’s always working.”

  “Well then, can you make it?” I blinked up at him.

  Devon took a deep breath. “We have to do this sooner or later, don’t we?”

  “That’s the deal. She wants to know what your intentions are with me.”

  “Well, I certainly can’t tell her that.” He lifted his eyebrows.

  I swatted him. “Just be there and don’t say anything crazy. Just say you love me and that you will do anything for me.” I said with a quirk of my mouth.

  Devon touched my forearm. “Well, that part is true.” He pu
lled me closer to him. “It’s the how I’m going to take care of you that I would rather not disclose.”

  I hit him lightly on the shoulder. “You better be good. Remember, if you screw this up, we could be moving.” I frowned up at him.

  “You’re not going anywhere. You can’t live without me.” Devon brushed stray strands of my hair over my ear. “Besides, who’s going to take care of me when I’m in pain?”

  “Nurse Wood, the school nurse.” I smirked.

  “She was very helpful. But that is not exactly what I was talking about. I need just a bit more TLC,” Devon said with a boyish smile.

  “Have you asked her?” I teased.

  Devon placed his arm around me. “You are so naughty. Does your mom know how bad you are?”

  “Absolutely not, and you’re not going to tell her. We are a couple now, you care about me, and you want to date me. Got it?”

  “Okay, Cinderella. Should I bring a glass slipper?” he said with a smug half-grin.

  “Just bring that gorgeous smile and that should convince her right on the spot.”

  Devon tilted his head and leaned in. “I think I can do that. It won’t be hard to say how I really feel about you.” I curved into him as he pulled me close, our bodies warm and burning against each other.

  ~Erin~

  Devon was model material in his dark blue sport coat—the only one he had—and completed the look with an olive button down shirt and dark jeans. I wore a curvy black and blue patterned dinner dress. My mom wore a dark green sheath dress. Her wavy blonde hair and her golden skin belied her age of forty-five.

  Devon came in and hugged me and I showed him to his seat. I placed an appetizer in front of him: olives and feta marinated with rosemary and lemon served on crackers.

  My mom asked Devon about his arm, and he told the same rehearsed story: He was playing football and fell on someone. He wasn’t specific. I asked him when the cast would come off as I placed a salad in front of him.

  “It should be four weeks.” He took a bite of the appetizer.