Forever

by Karen Kingsbury

  She looked like she didn’t want to say much. “It’s your career, Dayne. Your decision.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “I don’t question your loyalty for a minute.”

  “I can think of one way around the problem.” His tone lightened.

  “How?”

  “You, Katy.” He took hold of her fingers. Memories flooded his mind. Paparazzi chasing them through the parking lot at Malibu Beach and later down Pacific Coast Highway. The insane fan rushing from the bushes intent on killing Katy. But couldn’t they figure out a way to work together even still? “We missed the chance before, but maybe you could be my costar.” The idea was appealing. Especially since everyone would know by then that they were married.

  She laughed quietly. “We’ll have to see.”

  “At least you didn’t say no.” He tilted his face toward the sun. “My director says he’d love a chance to work with you.”

  “Really?” Katy looked surprised. She’d appeared in only one movie, after all. A television special that never amounted to anything. “How does he know about me?”

  “The audition film on you was amazing. Mitch Henry told every casting director in town.”

  “Wow.” Her cheeks darkened. “I had no idea.”

  “So think about it, okay?” The possibility was already taking root. He and Katy in a film together? Their love for each other would make their on-screen chemistry far better than it had been when she auditioned the first time. He leaned back and stared at the distant clouds. Hadn’t Katy told him she’d always dreamed of starring in a movie? Her privacy wasn’t at stake anymore; she was already a familiar face in the tabs. Working with Katy would be magical, a chance for her to share his world and show Hollywood what she was capable of.

  Katy slid a little closer to him. “It could be fun.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Good.” He released her hand and stood. “Down the road a few months, I might have to remind you of that.” He felt the cuff of his shorts. “Well . . . I’m getting drier.”

  She ran her fingers over her shorts. “Me too.”

  He helped her up and pulled her close. “We won’t have a lot of alone time later.” He gave her a shy grin. “Which could be a good thing.”

  “Yes.” The color returned to her cheeks.

  “No time for long good-byes.”

  She put her arms around his neck. “Or swims in shallow water.”

  “Or that.” He smiled, but after a few seconds his expression grew serious. “Hey, Katy . . . thanks for understanding.”

  “About your job?”

  “Yeah. You never complain. That means a lot.”

  “I understand. And I feel better now that we talked about it.”

  He removed one hand from her waist and brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. “I love the house.” He ran his fingers along her jaw and slowly brought his lips to hers, then breathed the next words close to her ear. “But I love you more.”

  They kissed again, but this time the restraint that had always kept them in line was back in place.

  After a few seconds, Dayne turned and studied the house one last time. “Take pictures before they start the work. One day we won’t believe it ever looked like this.”

  Katy smiled and he felt it reach to the farthest places in his soul. The sun beat down on them, all traces of the storm gone, and he couldn’t imagine saying good-bye in just a few hours.

  They walked toward Katy’s car, but before he opened her door, he stopped and tenderly took hold of her hands. “Pray with me, Katy.”

  She smiled and closed her eyes.

  Dayne took a moment before he began. When he did, his voice was thick with emotion. “I just want to thank You, Lord. This place, the view, the lake. It’s perfect and already it feels like home.” He tightened the hold he had on her hands. “Please, God, let the time go quickly. You know how I feel, how all I want to do is leave everything behind and marry Katy tomorrow. Help me be patient, and help us stay strong—” there was a smile in his voice—“every time we wander into shallow water. In Christ’s name, amen.”

  “Amen.”

  As they climbed into their separate cars, Dayne was overwhelmed by God’s mercy, His goodness. He was engaged to a woman who knew him—the real him. A woman who loved him more than life, one he honored and respected. And over the next several months she would create a home out of an old pile of rotting wood, a place where they could build a future together, where one day they would raise a family. All of that and the possibility of starring in a movie with her someday down the road. The future was better than any movie he’d ever made.

  A wave of sorrow hit him, because in a few hours he’d be gone again. But not for long. One day soon these short trips would be a thing of the past. Now all they had to do was count down the days until then.

  Bailey Flanigan could hardly believe they’d been invited.

  Dayne Matthews was in town, and he and Katy were having dinner with his birth family—the Baxters. But Katy had asked the Flanigans to come too, and it was all Bailey could do to keep from calling everyone she knew and telling them. She was having dinner with Dayne Matthews!

  Her three adopted brothers were in Indianapolis at a soccer tournament, and Connor was spending the week camping with the Shaffers. So it was just her youngest brother, Ricky; their parents; and Bailey driving to the Baxter house.

  In the backseat of her parents’ SUV, Bailey was texting Tim Reed, her friend from CKT. I’m having dinner with Dayne Matthews, she wrote.

  His answer was quick. No way!

  I am . . . well, not just me. :) She tapped out her response. My family and the Baxters. Oh, and Katy.

  After half a minute her phone beeped three times. She flipped it open and read his message. I wish I were there.

  She smiled and began tapping the keys. Don’t worry. . . . I’ll get you an autograph. She sent the message.

  Tim had been with her last year when Dayne was in town filming Dream On. The two of them had sneaked Dayne a message from Katy, and he’d treated them like equals. He’d even told Tim that he was doing a good job acting in the play.

  Three more beeps. She opened her phone and peered at the screen. Not because of Dayne . . . because of you.

  Bailey sucked in a quick breath. “Tim, my friend,” she whispered, “what’s all this?”

  “What?” Her mother looked over her shoulder.

  “Oh, nothing.” Bailey smiled. “Just talking to myself.”

  Her dad caught her eye in the rearview mirror. “Who’re you texting?”

  “Tim Reed.” She made a funny face. “He wishes he was going to dinner with us. That’s all.”

  Her mom turned her attention to her father. “Did you bring the salad?”

  “Of course.” Her dad reached over and patted her mom on the knee. “Don’t be nervous. Dayne’s a regular guy, Jenny. You said so yourself.”

  “I know.” She smoothed a wrinkle in the sleeve of her blouse. “It’s one thing to have a few words with him once in a while when he comes looking for Katy. But dinner? Just shake me if I don’t act like myself.”

  “He’s moving here, right?” Ricky hadn’t said much since they left home, but now he sat a little straighter. He was eight, and his blond hair was bleached almost white from a summer of swimming and boating on the lake.

  “He is, buddy.” Their dad gave him a quick smile.

  Ricky tossed his hands in the air. “So what’s the big deal?”

  Bailey stared at her brother. He clearly didn’t understand. “That’s okay. You can play with Cole, Mrs. Blake’s little boy.”

  “I will. I met him before.” Ricky settled back in his seat. “He says his papa has a fishpond.”

  “There you go.” Bailey’s phone beeped again. She opened it and saw another message from Tim. Did you leave me?

  She tapped out her response. Predictive text was so much faster than the ABC method. No . . . but we’re almost there .
. . ttyl. She hit Send and closed her phone once more. Not that she’d really talk to him later, but she might text him. Lately they’d been talking through text almost every day—this after six months of hardly hearing from him.

  Bailey was sixteen, about to start her junior year at Clear Creek High School, but if she lived a hundred years she didn’t think she’d figure out Tim Reed. He was a year older than she, and since January he’d been in a serious relationship with a girl from his church. Now, though, he was single and acting like he had feelings for her. Which wasn’t possible. Not when everyone in CKT knew he still had feelings for his old girlfriend.

  Bailey sighed and stared out the window. Besides, even if Tim was over the girl from church, the timing was all wrong. Bailey was seeing Tanner Williams, the quarterback at Clear Creek, the guy she’d known since fourth grade.

  Things had changed around Christmastime. He’d called her one night and bared his heart the way he’d never done before.

  She could still hear his voice. “I can’t do this anymore, Bailey.”

  “What?” She was washing her face, and she had him on speakerphone.

  “I can’t . . . I can’t be your friend. It’s too hard.”

  Bailey had rubbed the cleanser into her cheeks and stared at the phone. “Tanner, what in the world do you mean?”

  He groaned. “Take me off speakerphone. Please.”

  “Fine.” She clicked a button and held the phone to her ear, leaving just enough room so that the white cream on her cheeks didn’t touch the receiver. “Why can’t you be my friend?”

  What he said next nearly knocked her off her feet. “Because I’m in love with you.” He made an exasperated sound. “Am I that hard to read?”

  “Um . . . let’s just say you’d be good at poker.” She’d tried to laugh, but her heart was beating too hard. She reached for the washcloth that hung over her shower door, but as she did, she knocked over her facial toner. “Yikes.” She grabbed a towel, sopped up the toner, and in the process dropped the phone into the sink. “Ugh!” She kept her voice too low for him to hear. “I’m a wreck.” She stood the bottle right side up again. Then she grabbed the phone from the sink. “Tanner? You there?”

  “You’re not making this easy for me.”

  Suddenly she realized exactly what he was saying. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.” He mumbled something. “Bailey, I want you to be my girlfriend. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

  She hadn’t thought she was ready to have a serious boyfriend, and her mom agreed. “Better to be friends for now, Bailey,” her mom always told her. So that’s what she told Tanner. But he had been adamant. He couldn’t be her friend, not anymore. Not when every time they passed in the hall or hung out with the same group of friends all he could think about was her.

  His revelation had caught her off guard, and by the end of that week she agreed to be his girlfriend. They could say they were going out, but he had to promise that things wouldn’t get too serious. “No matter what happens in the future, I want to be your friend, Tanner. That matters more than anything.”

  They’d been an item since then. Not like her friends who were getting so serious with their boyfriends. So far Tanner hadn’t even kissed her, and since they’d had their driver’s licenses for less than a year, neither of them was allowed to have other teens in the car.

  But she sensed Tanner getting anxious. The last time they hung out at her house, he took her up on the back balcony once it was dark. They held hands and talked about his football camp. Before he hugged her good night, he asked if he could kiss her.

  “I’m not ready,” she told him. “Not yet.”

  The truth? She didn’t want to disappoint her parents, and even more, she was afraid. Afraid she’d make a mockery of what she stood for. Her faith and her decision to wait until she was married. But she was also afraid of her feelings. Once she kissed Tanner, everything would change. Maybe she would feel obligated to him, or maybe she’d fall so hard for him there’d be no turning back. Already their phone calls weren’t as fun as before. He spent ten minutes every time asking her who she’d talked to, who’d been texting her. That sort of thing.

  Whatever kissing him might do to their relationship, she wasn’t ready to find out.

  Bailey glanced out the window just as her dad pulled into the driveway of the Baxter house. She hadn’t been here before, but the house looked warm and inviting, right in the middle of an enormous grassy yard. They parked and went inside.

  Dayne gave her a big smile when he saw her. “How’s my favorite CKT dancer?”

  She opened her mouth, but it took a few seconds before she found her voice. “Good, thanks.”

  “Katy tells me you’re going to drama camp in August.”

  “Yes, sir.” She felt herself settle down. “Maybe you can come to the show.”

  “I’ll be there.” He shared a private look with Katy. “I already promised.”

  Bailey wanted to keep the conversation going. How many kids at school could say they’d actually talked to Dayne Matthews? “When you move here, maybe you could give me and Connor tips. You know, for acting and stuff.”

  Katy nudged Dayne. “Tim Reed’s still talking about the compliment you gave him when you were here on location.”

  “Definitely.” Bailey raised a single eyebrow at Dayne. “He used to be humble, but now . . .”

  The three of them laughed. Someone called Dayne into the kitchen. Bailey watched him go, and only then did she exhale. Katy was right. Around them, Dayne was like any other guy. Except he was the country’s most famous movie star. She stifled a giggle as she took the seat across from him at the table. No matter how down-to-earth he was, her friends would never believe this.

  Over dinner, she studied the interactions between the Baxters and Katy and Dayne. John Baxter seemed proud of his oldest son, anxious to help him find a place in the family. Katy had told them that, and from the way John asked about Dayne’s latest film it was clear she was right. Ashley Blake was the same way. She sat on the other side of Dayne and hung on every word he said.

  But most of all Bailey got caught up in watching Katy and Dayne. They weren’t into all the touchy-feely stuff. At least not here. They held hands before dinner but nothing more. No close hugs or kissing. Bailey liked that. It was obnoxious when two people acted that way in public. Like her mom always said, “If you’re acting that way in front of people, we don’t have to wonder what you’re doing behind closed doors.”

  What was beautiful about watching Katy and Dayne was the way they looked at each other. When Katy’s eyes met his, the rest of the world seemed to fall away. And when Dayne looked at her, his expression held something Bailey had never seen on the big screen. She sighed to herself as she studied them.

  After dinner Ricky went upstairs to watch Finding Nemo with Cole. The rest of the group moved into the living room, where they talked about the wedding. And that made everything about the night even more romantic.

  “So, you’ve found someone who can help keep it a secret?” John Baxter looked happy at the thought.

  “I think so.” Dayne put his arm over the back of Katy’s chair. “We’ll see.”

  “In other words,” Katy said, “we won’t let a photographer or a helicopter ruin the day. That’s for sure.”

  The sound of voices around Bailey faded. How lucky Katy was—being engaged to Dayne, planning a wedding, and knowing everything about her future. All her life Bailey’s parents had reminded her of the Bible verse Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

  God had good plans for her; she believed that. But it seemed like forever until she’d actually know what those plans were. One far-off day would she be having this same conversation—talking about wedding plans and honeymoons—with Tanner by her side? Or would it be Tim Reed? Or maybe even Cody Coleman, the guy from d
own the street? His mom had been arrested a few weeks ago on a drug charge, and now she was in jail, so Bailey’s parents had agreed that later this week Cody could move into the downstairs guest room. At least for his senior year.

  “He can come on one condition,” her parents had told her the night before.

  Bailey knew where the conversation was headed. “Nothing but friendship between the two of us.”

  “Right.” Her mom’s voice had been kind and understanding, but her eyes looked worried. “I know how you feel about that boy. Never mind Tanner or Tim Reed. Cody’s always caught your eye, honey.”

  “That’s just it.” She gave them a sad smile. “I think he knows that we’re . . . you know, different. Like from different planets in terms of our backgrounds and stuff.”

  The lines on her dad’s forehead relaxed a little. “Exactly. Cody’s a nice kid, and we want to help him. But that’s as far as it goes.”

  Bailey smiled to herself now. She’d told her parents the truth. Cody might still take her breath away, but she wasn’t interested in him. They were way too different. So maybe it would be someone completely new, someone she hadn’t met yet. Maybe she’d go to CKT’s summer camp in August and there’d be a new guy. Someone tall and strong, with a good sense of humor and a voice that would drop her to her knees. Someone like Dayne Matthews.

  But as the evening wound down, as they said good-bye and piled into their SUV for the ride home, a shadow fell over Bailey’s heart. None of the guys she knew were anything like Dayne. They were fickle and confusing and sometimes a little too possessive.

  She stared at the starry sky over Bloomington. This wasn’t the time to feel down about love. Even if nothing felt quite right about the guys in her life. Because one day . . . one day they would grow up. That’s what her dad said. And then she’d find the hope and future that God had planned for her. Someday she would even find forever.

  Just like Katy Hart.

  The house was empty, and John Baxter lay in bed, too much on his mind to sleep. He had enjoyed every minute of the dinner with Katy and Dayne, but that didn’t ease the tension brewing all evening just beneath the surface.