by Natalie Ann
Forever Mine
USA Today Bestselling Author
Natalie Ann
Copyright 2021 Natalie Ann
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without a written consent.
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Contents
Author’s Note
Also by Natalie Ann
About the Author
Blurb
Prologue
1. Still Come True
2. Pay Attention
3. Some Big Ears
4. Never Forget Your First
5. Bright and Big
6. Get Another Look
7. Embarrassing and Upsetting
8. Never Forget Your First
9. Private and Protective
10. Testing The Waters
11. A Handle On Things
12. Overstepped Herself
13. At The Core
14. Stars And Rainbows
15. Felt Honored
16. The Boyfriend
17. Daddy Duties
18. Giving Thanks
19. Broken Record
20. Made Sacrifices
21. In A Good Place
22. Made Himself At Home
23. The Vessel
24. Wrong Once Again
25. Look At Him Go
26. See The Vision
27. Took Longer
28. Cast Judgment
Epilogue
Because Of You Prologue
Also by Natalie Ann
About the Author
Author’s Note
Author’s Note
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Also by Natalie Ann
The Road Series-See where it all started!!
Lucas and Brooke’s Story- Road to Recovery
Jack and Cori’s Story – Road to Redemption
Mac and Beth’s Story- Road to Reality
Ryan and Kaitlin’s Story- Road to Reason
The All Series
William and Isabel’s Story — All for Love
Ben and Presley’s Story – All or Nothing
Phil and Sophia’s Story – All of Me
Alec and Brynn’s Story – All the Way
Sean and Carly’s Story — All I Want
Drew and Jordyn’s Story— All My Love
Finn and Olivia’s Story—All About You
Landon Barber and Kristen Reid- All Of Us
The Lake Placid Series
Nick Buchanan and Mallory Denning – Second Chance
Max Hamilton and Quinn Baker – Give Me A Chance
Caleb Ryder and Celeste McGuire – Our Chance
Cole McGuire and Rene Buchanan – Take A Chance
Zach Monroe and Amber Deacon- Deserve A Chance
Trevor Miles and Riley Hamilton – Last Chance
Matt Winters and Dena Hall- Another Chance
Logan Taylor and Kennedy Miles- It’s My Chance
Justin Cambridge and Taryn Miles – One More Chance
The Fierce Five Series
Gavin Fierce and Jolene O’Malley- How Gavin Stole Christmas
Brody Fierce and Aimee Reed - Brody
Aiden Fierce and Nic Moretti- Aiden
Mason Fierce and Jessica Corning- Mason
Cade Fierce and Alex Marshall - Cade
Ella Fierce and Travis McKinley- Ella
Fierce Family
Sam Fierce and Dani Rhodes- Sam
Bryce Fierce and Payton Davies - Bryce
Drake Fierce and Kara Winslow – Drake
Noah Fierce and Paige Parker - Noah
Wyatt Fierce and Adriana Lopez – Wyatt
Jade Fierce and Brock James – Jade
Ryder Fierce and Marissa McMillan – Ryder
Fierce Matchmaking
Devin Andrews and Hope Hall- Devin
Mick McNamara and Lindsey White- Mick
Cody McMillian and Raina Davenport – Cody
Love Collection
Vin Steele and Piper Fielding – Secret Love
Jared Hawk and Shelby McDonald – True Love
Erik McMann and Sheldon Case – Finding Love
Connor Landers and Melissa Mahoney- Beach Love
Ian Price and Cam Mason- Intense Love
Liam Sullivan and Ali Rogers - Autumn Love
Owen Taylor and Jill Duncan - Holiday Love
Chase Martin and Noelle Bennett - Christmas Love
Zeke Collins and Kendall Hendricks - Winter Love
Troy Walker and Meena Dawson – Chasing Love
Jace Stratton and Lauren Towne - First Love
Gabe Richards and Leah Morrison - Forever Love
Blake Wilson and Gemma Anderson – Simply Love
Brendan St. Nicholas and Holly Lane – Gifts of Love
Paradise Place
Josh Turner and Ruby Gentile – Cupid’s Quest
Harris Walker and Kaelyn Butler – Change Up
Philip Aire and Blair McKay- Starting Over
Nathan Randal and Brina Shepard – Eternal
Ryan Butler and Shannon Wilder – Falling Into Love
Brian Dawson and Robin Masters – Mistletoe Magic
Caden Finley and Sarah Walker- Believe In Me
Evan Butler and Parker Reed – Unexpected Delivery
Trey Bridges and Whitney Butler – Forever Mine
Amore Island
Family Bonds- Hunter and Kayla
Family Bonds- Drew and Amanda
Family Bonds – Mac and Sidney
Family Bonds- Emily & Crew
Family Bonds- Ava & Seth
Family Bonds- Eli & Bella
Family Bonds- Hailey & Rex
Blossoms
A Love for Lily – Zane Wolfe and Lily Bloom
About the Author
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Blurb
Will broken hearts and promises hold these two lovers back from finding their second chance?
Whitney Butler had dreams of a family of her own. Maybe she shouldn’t have voiced them to her high school sweetheart so early, scaring him away. But she found who she thought would be her forever love soon after him. Only he wasn’t. Not even close. Left alone with a broken heart once again, she decides it’s best to focus on being happy rather than planning it all out.
Trey Bridges was in love as much as any seventeen-year-old could be. But when Whitney started to talk about weddings and babies, he bailed and moved on. Years later, he is a single father trying to make life work when he gets called to an alarm at his high school sweetheart’s home. Flames rekindle, but old memories and insecurities are hard to forget. He realizes he threw the best thing in his life away and hopes to hell he doesn’t do it again.
Prologue
Whitney heard the beeping of a horn and got up to look outside her office window. There was Kevin sitting in a black Mercedes convertible.
She let out a sigh and went outside to see what her husband wanted this time. As if she couldn’t figure it out.
“You’re out here making enough noise,” she said when she moved to the driver�
��s door. “Testing out another new car?”
“We got this on the lot a few hours ago. What do you think?”
“I think it’s something that isn’t practical,” she said.
“It’s perfect for you,” Kevin said, grinning at her. At one point she’d fallen for that grin. When she was young and impressionable. Stupid even, but she’d never admitted that to anyone in her family.
“It has two doors and hardly a backseat. Where would we put a car seat?”
Kevin rolled his eyes. “You’ve got an SUV for that when the time comes. This is for fun. You need fun in your life. You’re too damn uptight.”
She’d been hearing this for years now. “And you’re irresponsible. Life isn’t all about fun.”
“Please,” he said. “You used to be a lot of fun. Now you’re a downer all the time. Take a test drive with me. You’ll love it.”
She wanted to grind her teeth over one more insult he threw her way. It never ended. She couldn’t be good enough for him. At least not in the past several years.
“I’m working,” she said. “Don’t you need to get to work?”
“Your family owns the business. You can come and go when you want and you know it. Not sure why you always feel like you owe them so much.”
He didn’t get it and never would. Butler Construction was her family business and part of her legacy. One she planned on handing down to her kids someday.
If she ever had a child.
“Because they’ve done a lot for us.”
He snorted. “Yeah, right.”
It’d never been enough for her husband that was six years older than her and wanted the world on a platter without prepping in the kitchen. He sold cars for a living. Yes, he was good at his job. He made a lot of money. But he spent his time schmoozing with the guys and flirting with the women. She knew it. She’d seen it.
She had the money between them. Or her family did. And Kevin always expected that her parents would hand it over whenever she asked, even though she wouldn’t and didn’t.
“I’m not going to get into it with you right now,” she said quietly. “The boys are on their way for a meeting and I don’t want another scene.”
Her brother Ryan had never liked her husband and thought she’d gotten married too soon. Too young.
Yep, a month before her nineteenth birthday while she was in college was too young for her twenty-five-year-old husband. Everyone said it, but she was in love and saw the future family she’d been dying to have.
It still hadn’t happened almost ten years later.
“You always side with them,” Kevin said. “What’s your deal today? You were all pissy when you got up this morning too.”
“Nothing,” she said. Of course he wouldn’t remember she had to have more tests done today to find out why she couldn’t conceive a child. He hadn’t been to the doctors with her in years and didn’t ask questions when she tried to talk to him about it. It was obvious to her she was the only one interested in starting a family.
“What, are you on the rag again?” he asked, laughing.
He never used to be this crude either. “No. I had a doctor’s appointment this morning. They still can’t find anything wrong and don’t know why I can’t get pregnant.”
“Because you’re so damn uptight. We know it’s not me. You got pregnant once. It’s you. Relax. Come for a ride with me. Maybe we can conceive junior in this.” He was smirking and she wanted to just wipe it off his face.
Yeah, she got pregnant before they were married. She’d taken a home pregnancy test and told Kevin. He was shocked and not all that happy but said they should get married. They hadn’t been dating long, but she loved him and knew everything she wanted was coming true.
A week later, she’d gotten her period before she could get into the doctor’s office to have it verified. The doctor said it was normal for that to happen, she was young and wouldn’t have a problem conceiving in the future.
How wrong they’d all been.
Kevin had been so sweet during that time and they continued to plan their wedding, her knowing she’d get that family in time.
Since she was in college, it was decided they’d wait until she finished to try again. It just wasn’t meant, she’d told herself.
“I’ve got to work. So do you,” she said again.
“Fine. I want steak for dinner tonight. Stop and get some on your way home.”
He put it in drive and sped away. Heaven forbid he’d ask what she wanted. Or offer to cook let alone stop at the store to get anything.
She turned her head and saw Ryan pull in with her cousins Evan and Christian for a meeting.
“What did that dick want? Doesn’t he have a job?” her brother asked.
“Nice way to talk about your sister’s husband,” Evan said to Ryan.
Ryan scowled at Evan, then turned to her. “Let me guess. He wants you to buy him that new toy?”
She forced a grin. “He said it’d be perfect for me.” She wasn’t going to relay the whole conversation. She never wanted to give Ryan more ammunition to hate her husband.
“Really?” Ryan said, looking over to the end of the parking lot. “Talking you into that new SUV that he said he could get a good deal on three months ago wasn’t enough?”
“I don’t need a money manager,” Whitney said. “It’s a nice vehicle and will last me years.”
“Until Kevin brings home something else,” Evan said, grinning.
Her cousin Christian shoved his brother, Evan. “Don’t get involved. It’s Whitney’s life.”
“Thanks, Christian. It is my life and my money, and no, I’m happy with that and I’m not a pushover when my husband wants me to be.”
She’d put her foot down years ago when the credit card bills started to pile up. The last thing she wanted to do was go to her parents and ask for money so she’d consolidated and paid them off. She cut the plastic up and told Kevin to get his cards in his name. She wasn’t doing this again.
Of course that was another fight that lasted a solid month, but at least he was paying his own bills off...or so she hoped.
“Let’s get the meeting going,” Ryan said. “Are you okay? You don’t look good.”
Under her younger brother’s rough exterior was a caring heart. “I’m fine,” she said, fighting back the tears. “Just a long couple of days.”
Ryan rubbed his hand on her arm. “Why don’t you go lie down. You had a doctor’s appointment today, right?”
Even her brother knew and asked and she hadn’t told him. Her mother knew, so she suspected he got the information that way. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
But at the end of the meeting, she had a splitting headache and decided to leave. She ran to the store and got the steak that Kevin wanted for dinner because she wasn’t in the mood for another argument today. He was going to start one about the car, she knew.
She went into the house that her family had built three years ago for them in Paradise Place. She’d never told Kevin it wasn’t in her name, but her father’s. She couldn’t get the loan because Kevin’s credit was so bad, but she was still making the payments.
When she went into their walk-in closet to change, she noticed one of Kevin’s shirts on the floor and picked it up to hang. He was such a slob at times. But once the light gray button-down shirt was in her hands, she smelled something floral and brought it to her nose.
Perfume? No. She didn’t wear any. And though Kevin wore cologne, this wasn’t the scent either.
She started to go through his side of the closet and found another shirt balled up in the back, and pulled it out. It smelled the same, but this time there was a red stain on the collar. Lipstick.
She didn’t wear lipstick.
After taking a deep breath, she started to snoop everywhere on his side of the closet, then went to his home office. She didn’t go in there often; there was no need to. There was now.
She went through his desk, found his stack of bills to pay.
The ones in his name. The envelope for a credit card bill had been opened, so she pulled it out and tried not to cringe at the balance.
When she saw the three charges for hotel rooms locally she didn’t burst into tears—she got angry. Ryan wasn’t the only one with a temper and Kevin better damn well be prepared to be served more than steak when he got home.
1
Still Come True
Four years later
“You look tired,” Ryan said when he walked into her office.
“Do you talk to your wife like that?” Whitney asked, grinning.
Ryan laughed. He was one changed man and she knew first hand that love could do that. He was still considered a newlywed, having gotten married two months ago over the summer.
“Never,” he said. “She is beautiful no matter how much sleep she gets.”
“Where is Ryan Butler and what have you done to him?”
“Yeah, I know. I can’t help it. I never thought I’d see this day. Shannon and I brought Jeffrey for his first day of school today. Shannon cried; Jeffrey pleaded with me to get her to stop. It was funny.”