Our Forever

by Elena Matthews

  Then, the balloon that’s almost ready to pop deflates at the sound of the doorbell ringing, and I groan out loud as it awakens me from my sexual haze.

  “Someone’s at the door,” I say with an exhaled sigh.

  Drew gives out a grunt of irritation. “You’ve got to be shitting me. Motherfucker.”

  His head falls back against the sofa on a humorless laugh, and I let out a breathless giggle.

  “Sorry, but I swear, I’m not expecting anyone.”

  A sudden jolting movement shakes the camera as he stands up, and his apartment seemingly moves with his every step. I shift myself to the end of the bed and adjust my bra back into place.

  “Stay there. I’ll check who it is. It might be a salesguy.”

  “What? At nine o’ clock at night?” I retort with a roll of my eyes.

  He flashes his eyes to mine. “My girl’s grumpy when she doesn’t get to finish her orgasm.”

  My lips twitch with amusement, but I remain silent.

  He dips his head out of the shot for a split second before returning his eyes on mine. “There’s some tall guy with an arm wrapped around a petite brunette,” he says.

  I smile with surprise, suddenly on my feet. I take ahold of my robe from my bedroom door and slip each arm into it, switching the phone between my hands. “That’s Tyler and Mia, Junior’s aunt and uncle. They never told me they were coming into town. I’d better go. I’ll call you later, okay?”

  His hypnotic blues dominate the screen, and the power of his stare is as clear as it would be if he were standing only an inch from me. “I’m counting on it, sugar.”

  I end the call and wrap the robe around my waist, covering myself. I then remember the heels adorning my feet, so I hurriedly slip them off to avoid looking like a complete slut when I answer the door.

  On my way to the door, I grab a baby wipe from the hidden compartment in the coffee table and disinfect my arousal from my hands, the same arousal that’s uncomfortably pooling inside my panties.

  I swing the door open with a huge smile, taking in the goofy grin on Tyler’s face, whose arm is indeed around my good friend, Mia.

  “You didn’t tell me you were coming into town.” I move to the side and let them both inside.

  Immediately, I am engulfed in the arms of the man I class as my little brother. He pulls away, and I find myself immersed by his green eyes, and for the first time, seeing Christopher in him doesn’t bother me like it once did.

  Today, I embrace it. Today, I embrace that, even though Christopher is gone, a little bit of his soul remains in his son and brothers, almost as if he’ll always be with us.

  That’s something that I’ve only just come to terms with in the past five weeks, and it so happens that Drew’s been a part of my life for five weeks. Everything seemingly changed the instant he came into my life, and I’ve never been more thankful to wake up at two in the morning by the sound of heavy metal reverberating from his apartment than I am now.

  It’s been a while since I’ve found myself lost in an alternate universe where Christopher is alive. Memories and dreams of Christopher no longer plague my mind at night or leave me sinking in the depths of earth-shattering sadness. Lately, all I’ve been left with are happy memories.

  “We were going to drive up tomorrow and surprise the little guy, but we decided on making the trip tonight,” Tyler says.

  I bring Mia into an embrace, squeezing her hard.

  She pulls away and frowns at my attire—or lack thereof. “We didn’t wake you, did we?”

  I almost laugh out loud at her question. No doubt I look like a hot mess right now. Hell, my insides are still throbbing from my near orgasm being snatched away from me, and all my body wants to do is finish off what Drew and I started.

  I dismissively wave my hand. “No, I was just about to jump in the bath. It’s no biggie.” That isn’t a lie. I was going to jump in the bath until Drew distracted me with sexy lingerie.

  I close the door behind them and motion for them to take a seat in the living room. “Make yourselves at home. I’m just going to jump in the shower and change. Beers are in the fridge, and a fresh bottle of chardonnay is in the refrigerator.”

  “It’s almost like you knew we were coming.” Tyler arrogantly smirks.

  I smile at his infectious grin. “You know me; I’m always prepared when it comes to alcohol.” I wink, swiftly making myself scarce.

  In ten minutes flat, I’m showered, dressed in a pair of lounge pants and a tee, and walking back out into the living room with my hair secured in a messy bun on top of my head.

  “Sorry about that, but I am all yours now,” I declare as I approach Tyler and Mia.

  Tyler moves from his position at the fireplace where he seemed to be admiring the picture of his brother standing tall and proud in his uniform. He falls back onto the sofa and takes a casual sip from the bottle of beer in his hand.

  “I took the liberty and poured you a wine.” Tyler points to the coffee table, toward the glass of chardonnay with my name on it.

  Literally, it’s a glittery pink glass with Jo on it—a gift Kaelyn bought me for my last birthday.

  “Thanks, dude,” I say, picking it up. I take a much-needed gulp while sitting beside Tyler, smiling at how Mia has made herself comfortable on my new recliner chair that I had delivered earlier this week.

  Tyler playfully nudges my knee. “So, how’s Austin treating ya? You and Junior settled in okay?” he asks, twisting the bottle of beer between his fingers.

  I genuinely smile while I tuck my legs underneath me. “Actually, I’ve surprisingly warmed up to Austin. I thought I was going to hate it, but I’ve grown to love it. Junior, too. He’s made a ton of new friends at his new school. He even had his first sleepover last week. He’s the happiest I’ve seen him. Although he has been missing his uncle taking him to games. He’s been asking when you can take him next.”

  Tyler chuckles, his eyes dancing with affection for his nephew. “Well, the kid’s in luck. Whatever plans you have tomorrow, you need to cancel them because I’m taking my boy to his first Austin Aztex game. I mean, they have nothing on FC Dallas, but it should be fun.”

  I laugh, and a smile bursts from my face. “Junior will love it.”

  “He deserves it. He’s a good kid. Takes after his devilishly handsome uncle.”

  I roll my eyes, and Mia and I laugh.

  “Still an arrogant son of a bitch, I see.”

  “You know it, sis,” he gloats with a sparkle in his eye.

  I look toward Mia, pointing my thumb in Tyler’s vicinity. “How do you cope with him?” I ask mockingly.

  Mia shrugs her shoulders as she takes a sip of her water. “I ask myself the same question every day.” She smirks, earning a scowl from her husband.

  “Hey, I’m the best you’ve ever had, baby, and you know it.” He winks.

  I burst out laughing.

  Mia glances in my direction with a grin, and then she switches her adoring gaze to Tyler. “Of course you’re the best I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t have married your stupid ass otherwise.”

  “And what a lucky stupid ass I am.” He blows her a kiss before throwing back his beer.

  “You guys are cute.” Just as I say this, my eyes wander over to Mia, and my mind just now registers that she isn’t drinking alcohol. I’ve known Mia for a little over three years. Our friendship began with a bottle of chardonnay, and almost every time we’ve hung out, it involved wine of some sort.

  “You okay? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you without a drink in your hand,” I say with a mixture of laughter and visible concern.

  She sheepishly glances at Tyler, and for a few seconds, they exchange a silent conversation, one that leaves me confused. Tyler gives a nod of his head, and Mia turns her attention back to me, eagerly smiling.

  “We haven’t told anybody yet, as we haven’t quite hit the three-month mark, but…I’m pregnant.”

  My eyes widen with surprise, and I
’m up on my feet, wine sloshing from my glass at the abrupt movement. I make my way over to her as she stands, and after placing my glass of wine on the coffee table, I pull her in for a hug, squeezing the living shit out of her.

  Smiling, I step away. “This is awesome news! I’m so happy for you guys.”

  I turn my attention to Tyler, and I’m on him immediately, hugging him, until he says in a strained voice, “I can’t breathe.”

  “Shut up.” I laugh pulling away and playfully smack him against the arm. “So, you’re going to be a dad, huh?”

  “I sure am,” he proudly states.

  Four years ago, if I had asked him that question, he would have for sure bolted for the door. He had a carefree attitude for a long time, sleeping his way through a long line of women, until he met Mia. From that moment on, he has been a changed man.

  I look him in the eyes and hold my gaze. “Ever since we lost Christopher, you’ve become an incredible father figure to Junior, and I know, without a doubt, that you’re going to make an incredible dad.”

  For the first time since I’ve known Tyler, he becomes a little misty-eyed, and he has to blink the tears back.

  “Thanks, Jo. You don’t know what it means to me to hear that from you. You know I love that little boy like my own. Always have.”

  “And he loves you, too. We both do.”

  I hold my fist out to him, and he bumps mine with an exploding fist bump, mimicking a blast sound with his mouth—a tradition from our childhood that never seems to get old.

  Then, like the guy he is, he pushes his feelings aside with a cough and says, “Enough of this emotional shit. Can we order a pizza or something? I’m starving.”

  I laugh, rolling my eyes. I smack him in the stomach. “Okay, big gut, but just so you know, only Mia is supposed to eat for two.”

  “Oh, do you remember when Ashton was going through his ‘emo’ stage?” Tyler does the quotation marks with his fingers as he talks about his older brother. “He got that fucking green Mohawk, and because Christopher copied everything he did, he got one, too.”

  I burst out laughing.

  For the past half hour, while indulging on pizza, Tyler and I have been reminiscing about our younger days, our childhoods coming at us in flashes.

  “I totally forgot about that. They looked so stupid.” I look to Mia, who is smiling fondly. “Just picture Mr. T and Justin Bieber as one person, and that’s what they looked like,” I explain, earning a laugh from Mia.

  “I thought Mom was going to choke on her coffee when they both came down for breakfast with their matching haircuts. The worse thing about it was, Asshat didn’t even listen to emo music, yet he followed the fashion.”

  More laughter erupts from my mouth as I remember the nicknames the three of them had. “Oh my God, how could I forget about your nicknames?”

  “How could you forget about Dickweed?” Tyler points to himself with a shit-eating grin on his face.

  “Yes, it was better than Bitch Tits; that’s for sure.” I chuckle, remembering the god-awful nickname Christopher had. “I’m really surprised I didn’t have one.”

  “Oh, Ashton and I wanted to call you Ho Jo, but Christopher, being head over heels in love with you, wouldn’t let us. Always the party pooper,” he says with a reminiscent glint in his eyes, his mouth lifted up in a small smile.

  “Well, that’s original,” I deadpan. I throw back the remainder of my wine in one gulp. Inspecting my empty glass with a frown, I get up from my seat, step over Tyler’s legs that are sprawled on the coffee table, and head toward the kitchen. “You guys want another drink?”

  They both answer, “Yes.”

  After searching for another bottle of chardonnay, I grab it along with a bottle of Bud and a glass of water, and I return just as Tyler stands.

  “Where’s your bathroom, Ho Jo?” He smirks at my eye roll.

  I place the drinks down on the coffee table and point toward the hallway. “It’s the second door, Dickweed.”

  His chuckle follows as he disappears toward the bathroom.

  As soon as we hear the door close, Mia joins me on the sofa and startles me when she blurts out, “Spill it.”

  I blink as I unscrew the top of the bottle of wine. “Spill what?” I ask, oblivious to the meaning of her words.

  “The guy who has got you smiling. Who is he?”

  A ghost of a smile tugs along my lips while I pour wine into my glass.

  “How do you even know there’s a guy?” I give out a nonchalant response when, deep inside, I know she’s on to me.

  She smiles knowingly as I screw the lid back on the bottle of wine and place it on the table before I press the glass to my lips and take several sips.

  “Because, in the three years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you smile so much, and I happen to know that kind of smile is because of a guy. So, tell me, who is he?” she asks with bright eyes, intrigued.

  Pulling the glass away, I can’t keep the smile off my face. I let out a stream of air, clutching ahold of my glass, as if it’s a life preserver, while nerves filter through me. “His name is Drew, and he lives across the hall.”

  Her smile breaks out, and I know this makes her happy, much to my relief.

  “Tell me more.”

  I give out a wispy laugh. “He…he’s amazing. He makes me feel things I haven’t in a long time, not since…” I trail off.

  My throat becomes constricted at the mere thought of saying Christopher’s name even though the three of us have spent the past half hour talking about him with complete ease. I put it down to the nerves of telling someone out loud that I’ve met someone who can make me happy, other than Christopher. I gulp down the emotion, and my smile flawlessly slips back into place.

  “He’s funny, and he totally gets my sarcastic humor. He’s sweet, sexy, and incredibly charming. In the five weeks that I’ve known him, he’s already become the air that helps me breathe again, and I think I’m falling for him. No, I know I’m falling for him.”

  Mia’s eyes cloud over, and for a minute, it looks as if she’s about to burst into tears. However, the anticipated tears turn into laughter. My forehead creases with confusion.

  She notices my expression and waves her hand in front of her face with more laughter. “Ignore me. It’s the damn hormones.” She pauses as she wipes the moisture from under her eyes. “Well, whatever he is doing, tell him to keep it up because, right now, you’re the happiest I’ve ever seen you. You’re glowing and not in the sweating, bloating pregnant way I’ll be experiencing soon”—she lightly laughs—“but in a way that tells me you’re having mind-blowing sex,” she whispers the last bit.

  I almost choke on the sip of wine I just slurped back. The blush that appears on my cheeks is the only answer that she needs, and she giggles.

  “Do you have a picture? I want to see what he looks like.”

  Placing my glass of wine down on the table, I grab my phone from the side and slide through the recent photos until I reach the one I took while he was onstage last weekend, completely enraptured in the moment he created with only the magic of his guitar. I hold the phone out, and I notice how Mia’s eyes pleasantly widen when she locks eyes on the picture.

  “Oh dear Lord, he’s hot. And he’s a musician, too?” she questions on a dreamy sigh.

  I chuckle under my breath.

  “Who’s hot?” comes the question from Tyler as he returns from the bathroom.

  At the sound of his voice, my laughter dies on my lips as I freeze on the spot. My heart hammers inside my chest, and I’m suddenly queasy. My nerves slam back into me, and I realize my earlier nerves weren’t about telling someone about my new relationship. It was about telling Tyler about my new relationship.

  Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Mia says with a huge smile, “Jo’s new man.”

  I take an anxious glance at Tyler and see him closely watching me.

  “You’ve met someone?” His eyes are wide with a mixture of intrigue an
d shock.

  I give a timid nod, terrified of his reaction. I mean, he’s Christopher’s brother, and his opinion means everything to me.

  “Why am I only hearing about this now?”

  I can’t gauge if he’s angry or just surprised, but the panicked look I glance his way throws him off-balance, and his brows turn down with sadness.

  “Jo, are you worried about what I think?”

  My bottom lip quivers, and my eyes blur with unshed tears at his question.

  “Christopher was your brother.” I take an unsteady breath, my throat closing up. “I don’t want you to think I’ve forgotten about him or that I’m replacing him with somebody else”—a single tear runs along my cheek—“or that I don’t love him anymore.”

  “Shit, Jo,” he grits out as he kneels down to my level, capturing my hands with his. “I would never think that. I know how much you loved him. He was your world. But, fuck, it makes me happy to know that, after all this time, you’re finally moving on. For years, I’ve watched you being this shell of a person you once were, and I hated it for you. I hated it. Today is the first time since he died that I’ve seen you truly happy again, and now, I know why.”

  He tightens his grip on my hands while Mia watches us both with a mixture of happiness and sadness on her face.

  “As harsh as it sounds, he’s gone, and there is nothing we can do about that. But you’re still here, and you need to live your life, not for anybody else but you. He’d want you to be happy—that’s all he ever wanted for you when he was alive—and you are happy. He’ll be peacefully resting in his grave, knowing you are.”

  I nod my head on a shuddered cry as tears continue to roll down my flushed cheeks. Tyler wasn’t just Christopher’s brother; he was his best friend, too. Tyler is the one person I can relate with when it comes to Christopher, and his words and acceptance mean everything.

  “Come here.” He pulls me into his arms and hugs me while I cry into his chest. “Christopher always hated to see you cry.” He pauses for a beat and lets out a sigh. “Do you remember, when you were about nine years old, you were being picked on by this douche kid in the playground after school? He was spouting some crap about how girls shouldn’t play with boys and how you must have had a P instead of a V.”