Forever Love (Now & Forever)

  FOREVER LOVE

  BY

  MELISSA JOHNS

  FOREVER LOVE

  MELISSA JOHNS

  Copyright © 2012

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or

  stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  EPILOUGE

  Dedication

  To my husband, Mark. You won’t have to answer all my football questions anymore. Thank you for listening to my constant problems and helping me work through them. You are my rock.

  To my fans, when I started to write First Love, I never thought anyone would read it. I was very wrong! Not only did you read it, you loved it and demanded more. I read every single email that you wrote me. I love you all of you.

  Thank You.

  PREFACE

  You meet them. You fall in love with them. And then life gets in the way. Never let life prevent you from feeling true love. It’s once in a lifetime so grab it by both hands.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Emily Stone sat in front of her bathroom mirror with her face in her hands. She couldn’t believe this moment was finally happening. When she moved to Buffalo years ago, she never thought her path would lead her where it did.

  “Emily! Where are you?” Her mother yelled up the stairs.

  “I’m in the bathroom, Mom. I just need a minute, ok?” She replied trying to gather her thoughts. She lifted her head from her hands as she looked in the mirror. She smiled, thinking that she looked beautiful but then again, who wouldn’t on a day like this? Emily grew into her looks over time, her shoulder length brown hair was swept up into a lacy veil that sat on the back of her head. She had small strands of hair hanging down that framed her face. Her brown eyes were a little red today from the tears that she already wept. Her face was done in the perfect amount of makeup thanks to her best friend and her dress was gorgeous. Her satin white gown was strapless to show off her perfectly tanned skin and the intricate beading around her waist flattered her figure nicely.

  Emily took a deep breath as she stood up and faced the full length mirror. She heard the door crack open behind her and saw Samantha enter the room.

  Sam was Emily's best friend from high school, they went through everything together and they were more like sisters than best friends.

  “You look beautiful,” she smiled as she came over and stood behind Emily. Sam was wearing a beautiful floor length red gown which had the same intricate beading as Emily’s wedding dress, “What’s wrong, you look miserable?”

  Emily laughed half heartedly. “Nothing. Everything is perfect. Just nerves I guess.”

  “Well, knock it off. You are about to be the center of attention, so I need you looking your best.”

  Emily smiled at Sam and laughed once more. Sam became her best friend on the first day of their senior year when she was still the unpopular new girl in town. She never realized how close they would become and how much of a role Sam would play her life. Emily stared into the mirror and reflected back on how she got there.

  ******************************

  Alex had surprised Emily with a weekend away at his family’s cabin. It overlooked Lake Erie and was breathtaking. They finally had a chance to give their relationship a shot. Emma, her daughter, was with her father, Eric and his family for the long weekend.

  Eric had been drafted by Denver and would be moving there the following week. After the intense whirlwind that surrounded their relationship they both decided they needed a break from each other. They struggled for months trying to balance both of their careers, school and being parents. But, it just didn't work for them.

  Alex was introduced to her by her former high school art teacher and they hit it off immediately. He was handsome and debonair, standing about six feet tall. His dark brown hair matched his brown eyes and he took great pride in his body. Emily felt the attraction to him right away but knew that she couldn’t act on those feelings and they agreed to be friends.

  After the draft, Eric and Emily just couldn’t make it work anymore. They tried to be patient with each other but it just wasn’t what they wanted and went their separate ways as graduation approached.

  Emily glanced at Lake Erie as the sun set. It was beautiful as the rays cascaded across the ripples in the water. She felt Alex’s arms embrace her and his lips kissed the side of her forehead.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” He asked.

  Emily smiled. “Just enjoying the view. It’s beautiful here, I could get used to seeing this sunset every night.”

  He smiled. “I’m happy to hear that. Would you like to head home and grab an overnight bag or am I assuming too much?”

  Emily laughed as she turned to him looking into his striking brown eyes. “No, I would love to stop home. I need this time away from everything and since you are my significant other now, we need this time together.”

  Alex leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. “I will give you a tour of the cabin tonight but why don’t we head back to your mom’s house now and then go to Sam’s graduation party?”

  Emily nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

  When they arrived at her mother's house, Emily quickly ran inside to pack some clothes and essentials. Alex sat in the living room with her parents and talked about his family and career. Emily smiled as she eavesdropped on their conversation but her eyes suddenly caught a pair of Emma’s little embroidered flowered jeans as she sat on the bed and sighed. She missed her so much and hated being apart from her. This was the first time that they had been apart for this long of a period. Emily knew that Emma would have a great time getting to know her father but she needed to hear her voice. She reached for her cell phone and dialed Eric’s number.

  “Hey Emily, I had a strong feeling that you would be calling us.”

  “I’m sorry I just miss her and wanted to make sure everything was going smoothly.”

  Eric softly laughed. “Yes, we are fine. Right now we are finishing up playtime and then heading off to bed. Are you going to Sam’s tonight?”

  “Yes, I will be there shortly.”

  “I think Rob is going to propose tonight.”

  “What?” Emily gasped.

  “He’s been dropping hints all week long and asking questions about how I proposed to you. I told him, our situation was different, I wanted to do it so much better than I did.”

  Emily sat quietly for a minute and then spoke, “I’m sorry for the way that things turned out, Eric. I really am. I pictured tonight going a lot differently.”

  “Me too, I wish I could go back in time and change the way things happened but you are right, we need time to find ourselves, figure out what we want,” Eric paused, “I want you to be happy.”

  “I want that for you also, Eric. We need to stay strong for Emma, at least. She needs to know that her parents can get along.”

  “Hang on. Someone wants to talk to you.”

  Emily w
aited until she heard her daughter grab the phone and tell her about what she was doing in full detail. She couldn’t help but laugh and knew Emma was doing just fine with Eric. After they finished their talk, Emily hung up and looked in her closet for something to wear to Sam’s party. She was excited for her if Rob was really going to propose. Emily changed her outfit to a pair of jeans and t-shirt and she finished packing. She headed back downstairs to join Alex and start her wonderful weekend away from home.

  “I’m all set. Mom, will you going to be ok without me and Emma for a weekend?”

  “Of course, Paul and I will finally have that honeymoon that we still haven’t had a chance to take.” Her mother looked at Paul and winked.

  Emily shook her head. “Eww, please don’t say another word about that.” Everyone laughed as Alex shook Paul’s hand and they left.

  As they headed over to Sam’s, Emily filled Alex in on what Eric had informed her of about Rob and Sam.

  “I just want her to be happy. The first time they met, I could see the fireworks between them. Some people said it was like me and ...” Emily trailed off.

  Alex didn’t say anything right away and then reached over to take her hand. “Emily, it’s ok to talk about your relationship with Eric. You have a child with him. It’s bound to come up. I’m assuming we will see him again tonight, right?”

  Emily nodded. “Yeah, he’s Rob’s best friend.”

  Alex leaned over at the red light and kissed her. “All will be ok, Emily. I promise you. I want you to talk about whatever is on your mind, ok?”

  She nodded. “Thanks Alex.”

  As they arrived at the party, Alex grabbed for her hand and kissed it. “Just have fun tonight, you deserve it.”

  Emily smiled at him. “I don’t deserve you. All little girls have the dream that Prince Charming will come and save them and here you are.”

  Alex smirked at her. “We deserve each other, Emily. It’s about time that we both started to have some fun in our lives.”

  They pulled into Sam’s driveway and walked up the front path into the house. She quickly spotted Sam dancing with Rob.

  “Emily! I’m so happy that you could make it,” Sam said as she hugged her, “Alex, thanks for coming also!”

  “It’s my pleasure, Sam. Congrats again on your graduation,” Alex smiled at her and turned to Rob, “You must be Rob. It’s nice to finally meet you. Emily has told me about you.”

  Rob hesitated and looked at Alex. “Yeah, I’ve heard about you too.” He walked away from them as Emily pouted, turning towards Alex.

  “I’m so sorry, Alex. Like I told you, he’s best friends with Eric.”

  “It’s totally understandable. No worries,” Alex said looking at Emily and then Sam, “I’m sorry about that, I guess I’m the black sheep of your group.”

  Sam shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. As Emily’s best friend, I just want her to be happy and since I haven’t seen her smile this much in about a year, I’m thinking it has something to do with you. Just treat her right, ok? She deserves to enjoy herself.”

  Emily hugged Sam. “Thank you.”

  “Now, let me go have a word with Rob. Food is in the kitchen, ok?” They nodded as Sam went to find Rob.

  Alex pulled Emily into his arms as a slow song started to play. She smiled up at him, “I’m sorry about that.”

  Alex shook his head. “Please don’t worry about it. Of course he was going to act that way towards me.”

  Emily smiled as she kissed him softly, his hands moved down her back and she felt his fingers curl underneath her t-shirt. He touched her bare lower back and she softly moaned as she pulled away from his lips, “So, what do you have planned for our weekend together?”

  “Well, I want to take you a hike and I was hoping that we could lie down on the beach at some point. Plus, I have some other tricks up my sleeve.”

  Emily smiled as she noticed the front door open and Eric enter the room. The entire room clapped and chanted his name. Emily saw some of their old high school classmates run over to him and a few members of the Syracuse football team that were close with Rob and Sam.

  Alex’s arms embraced her tighter as she took a deep breath and he whispered, “It’s ok, Emily. If you need to leave at any point, just say something to me, I won’t leave your side unless you want me to.”

  Emily continued to stare at Eric as he smiled and laughed as everyone came up to him, his eyes found Emily’s and winked at her. He finished talking to Rob and headed towards them.

  “Hey Emily, Alex,” Eric said as he shook Alex’s hand. “Before you ask, Emma is sleeping peacefully and she had a great night.”

  Emily smiled again. “I’m so happy to hear that. I’m missing her a lot right now.”

  “Of course you are. You haven’t been apart for this long since she was born. This must be hard for you. We are leaving tomorrow afternoon to visit my aunt in Rochester but if you want to, you can stop over and see her before we leave.”

  Emily smiled at Alex. “No, that’s ok. I’m actually going to be away this weekend. I’m going to try my hardest to remain strong and have a great weekend.”

  Alex quickly spoke up. “Emily, if you want to see Emma, we can drive over there in the morning.”

  Emily smiled and shook her head. “No, it’s Eric’s turn with her. I will be ok,” Emily turned back to Eric. “Just call me once in awhile, that’s all I ask.”

  Eric nodded. “Of course, I see some of the guys from high school over there, I want to say hi. Have fun tonight,” Eric smiled and looked at Emily, leaning down he whispered in her ear, “You look gorgeous, Emily.”

  She glanced up at Alex who was wearing a frown on his face. “Did you want to get some food?” she asked.

  Alex nodded and guided her into the quiet kitchen, between bites he asked, “What did he say to you?”

  Emily shook her head. “It was nothing.”

  Alex frowned again and leaned back against the countertop. He pulled her into his arms and wrapped them around her. “Emily, look at me.”

  Emily's eyes moved to his as he spoke, “I told you that you could tell me anything,” his voice became darker as he spoke to her, “Emily, I want you more than I have ever wanted anyone before but I need to know that you are committed to me.”

  Emily started to speak but quickly closed her mouth as he continued, “Now, what did he say to you?”

  Emily was taken back but at the same time she was turned on. She never experienced these feelings that he evoked deep within her. The way Alex spoke to her should have upset her but her body betrayed her. She found herself pressed tighter against him. "He told me that I looked gorgeous.”

  Alex leaned closer to her as if they were the only two people in the room. “That’s obvious. Did he say anything else to you?”

  “No.”

  Alex smiled as he leaned down and kissed her with every ounce of passion he had. Emily moaned as their lips parted and her fingers wound up in his hair, pulling him tighter. They finally released each other.

  “Wow.” Emily said as she lowered her hands to rest on his chest.

  Alex smirked. “He can say all he wants to you because your body just told me how you really feel.”

  Emily smiled as his fingers slid across her blushed cheek. “Come on, let’s go dance again.”

  They walked down the hallway hand in hand and ran into some of Emily’s old high school friends. She introduced them to Alex and watched as they started to drool. She couldn’t help but smile.

  As they returned to the main floor, the music stopped and Rob stood with Sam in the center of the room. Emily smiled and looked at Alex. “Oh my God, he’s really going to do it.”

  The room became silent as Rob dropped to one knee and grabbed Sam’s hand. Emily could see the tears in Sam’s eyes as she gasped. “Rob, oh my God.”

  He smiled at her. “Samantha, you are my best friend. Four years ago, you entered my life and I thank Eric and Emily everyday that you di
d.”

  Emily smiled and caught Eric’s eyes from across the room as he smiled back at her. Rob continued, “I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. I’m about to start an incredible football career and I need you by my side as we start this journey together. Samantha, would you please do me the honor of being my bride?”

  Emily started to cry as she watched her best friend nod her head up and down in excitement as Rob slid the engagement ring onto her finger. The entire room erupted in applause as Sam embraced Rob and they kissed to seal the deal.

  Alex leaned down and whispered, “She looks so happy right now.”

  Emily couldn’t say anything as she nodded and smiled. Her eyes found Eric’s again and he was frowning. This was supposed to be their time but instead they were celebrating their friend’s happiness. Eric turned away from Emily and disappeared onto the patio.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sam ran up to Emily and hugged her. “Emily, I’m engaged!”

  “I know! I’m so happy for you!!”

  “Will you be my maid of honor? You can’t say no because you are my best friend!” Sam smiled at her.

  Emily nodded, “Of course, Sam.”

  “Good. Now that you have accepted, you can’t change your mind because Rob is going to ask Eric to be the best man.”

  Emily frowned at her. “Sam, you are unreal.”

  “You love me and you will be able to handle situation. Just remember it's only one day.”

  Emily looked at Alex for reassurance. “Are you ok with this?”

  Alex nodded. “Of course, as long as I’m your date, I’m good.”

  Emily smiled and kissed him. Sam started to make gagging noises as they pulled apart. “God, I don’t want to see that. Oh, Emily! I have a surprise for you but she isn’t here yet.”

  “Who?” Emily asked curiously.

  “You will see. I have to go but we will talk later.”

  “Congrats Sam,” Alex chimed in before she left them.

  Emily looked at Alex, “Can you excuse me for a minute?”