“Sorry,” he mumbled. Toby rolled over onto his side, taking her with him. They were face to face, laying in the middle of his bed and satisfied. She kissed his chest and rubbed the spot with her fingers.
“Are you okay?”
“I’ve never been better,” he said. Toby took the hand she used to rub his chest and brought her fingers to his lips, pecking each one.
“Me too.” Harlow smiled. “What comes next?”
Toby shrugged. “We’re official. I say we enjoy tonight and tell the others tomorrow.” He nudged her chin with his forefinger and stared. “We still take it one day at a time, baby, but with more confidence in our future. I’m in this for the long haul. I want forever with you.”
“I’d like that. You have no idea how much.” Harlow squealed and hugged him tightly. Toby chuckled and pried her arms from around him. He held them above her head and leaned over to kiss her lips. Only this time, there was no hurry. She wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was he. He was finally beginning to heal, to seek help, and most importantly he found love again. As the misery of his past lessened, it was replaced by a new hope, and he looked forward to their journey ahead, together.
Epilogue
Carson
“Here’s the happy couple now.” He clapped his hands and got up to give Toby a pat on the back. “It’s good to see you, man.”
Before Toby could respond, Carson took Harlow from his friend’s arms and gave her a big hug. “Damn, Harlow. Are we at Fanny’s or in a museum? Because the moment you walked in, it was like looking at a true work of art.”
“Oh, Carson, I hope you never change.” Harlow chuckled and pinched his cheek.
“What can I say?” Carson winked. “I’m the best.”
“Hey.” Toby grabbed Harlow by her belt loops and pulled her by his side. “Get your own woman. This one is spoken for.”
Carson laughed.
“Yeah, yeah.” Mel pushed her brother aside. “You could at least let them take a seat so the rest of us can congratulate them.”
Carson shrugged. Whatever.
It’d been a few days since their favorite couple reunited, and tonight they were out to celebrate. Toby sat between him and Rebel, and Mel dragged Harlow to the other side to sit across from them between the girls. No doubt to get the dirt or whatever girly shit women talked about. He took a sip of his beer and observed the crowd.
“I know I’ve probably said this before, but happy looks good on you,” Dee exclaimed. “It took you long enough to text.”
“We were busy.” Toby smiled when Harlow blushed. “Had to make up for lost time.”
Rebel snorted. “Lucky bastard.”
“Don’t I know it.” Toby chuckled, and Carson could feel the envy in the pit of his stomach. At thirty-one, he was young enough still and having fun, but the one-night stands were beginning to get old, and he couldn’t wait to find his own Harlow. Well, not her, obviously, but a woman who could bring him to his knees. A woman he could see himself spending more time with than a night or two, but he was beginning to think she didn’t exist.
Maybe that’s why he’d been spending a lot of nights at The Busy Beaver lately instead of hooking up. The moment that stripper Lacey stepped on the stage, a spark had ignited with just one look. There was a pull there every single time she performed, but for some reason, he couldn’t get her to give him a lap dance. She didn’t do them, apparently, and it frustrated the fuck out of him. Maybe it was the thrill of the chase that intrigued him. Who knew? But who found forever with a stripper anyway?
Mel kicked him under the table, and he glared.
Fuck, that hurt.
She mouthed, “Are you okay?”
Carson nodded. He looked around the table, and it looked like Rebel was putting the moves on Dee again, and Toby was leaning across the table talking with Harlow in hushed tones, paying no attention to the brother and sister duo.
“I’m fine, what’s up?” Carson leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Nothing, you just looked way too serious over there. Lost in thoughts.” Mel leaned forward and clasped her hands together. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
He nodded. “I do, but I’m good, so stop with the serious talk already. We’re here to celebrate. Who needs another drink?” He waved his empty in the air and stood, not bothering to listen to anyone’s reply. “I’ll get another round.”
Carson walked away, and he sighed as Mel caught up with him.
“Thought I’d help you carry them back,” she said, but he knew better. There really was something to this twin intuition thing, and she wasn’t backing down.
“I told you I’m fine, Mel, and I am. I’m just adjusting. I’m glad for Toby. Harlow’s good for him, and he deserves his happy ending. I guess I just wish I could find mine.” He grimaced and pointed a finger at her. “Don’t you dare tell anybody I said that. You do, and I’ll tell them about that time you flashed Dee’s uncle when he visited last spring.”
Mel narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you dare.” And he laughed as she did some pointing of her own right in the middle of his chest. “I was drunk. It didn’t go any further than that, and Dee would kill me if she found out.”
“My lips are sealed as long as yours are.” Carson shrugged then turned to flag down Fanny’s old man. “Hey, Harold. Six of the usual.”
When he turned around, Mel was smiling with a wicked gleam in her eyes. She was up to something, but what? He looked at her curiously but didn’t have to wait for much longer to hear her spill the beans.
“You’ll never guess who I talked to today.”
Like he cared. “Who did you talk to today?” He casually leaned against the bar and played along.
“Tate. She’s back, Carson, and she’s here to stay.”
Tate?
That one word alone had his palms sweating. “You don’t say.”
Mel nodded enthusiastically and rubbed her hands together.
Tate Owens was Mel’s best friend since childhood. She moved away shortly after high school to go to some fancy place in New York, a dance school, and he hadn’t seen her since. She was Mel’s exact opposite. Mel was loud, Tate was quiet. Mel liked attention, Tate preferred to stay invisible. She was shy, sweet, and tried hard to hide her beauty back then, but Carson saw. Oh yeah, he saw what she tried to hide, and Mel knew it too. Only he hadn’t acted on his desires when they were younger. Tate was different from the girls he was used to. She deserved the world, and he wasn’t done playing the field, therefore he didn’t go there. As tempting as it could have been. “Good for her.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, it’ll be great to see her again.”
“I’ll bet.” Mel doubled over as she laughed and wiped her eyes when she was upright again. “You keep on pretending that doesn’t mean something to you. You know, she had the biggest crush on you, as well, right?”
Carson rolled his eyes again, not willing to take the bait. “That was high school, Mel. Grow the fuck up.”
Mel ignored him. “She plans to open her own choreography studio and teach dance. Has some other job in the meantime…”
Carson turned to grab the beers Harold had put in front of him and ignored his sister right back while they returned to their table.
“Took you long enough.” Toby stood to help pass them out, and Carson held out his bottle to make a toast. “To Toby and Harlow.”
The table chorused him, and he chugged half the bottle in one go.
Tate Owens. Damn.
He had a feeling life was about to become more interesting. He could feel Mel’s stare, and when he looked over, she smirked.
Fucking sister. A pain in my ass.
He flipped her the finger and slammed the bottle down on the table. She was up to something, and he had a feeling it had to do with the woman he now couldn’t stop thinking about.
Fanny walked up to the table with a bunch of food, and his stomach growl
ed. There were wings, nachos, fries, and a plate of burgers by the time she was done. “I just love feeding you kids.” Fanny smiled. “Tonight, it’s on the house.”
Carson clutched his chest to lay it on thick before Fanny walked away. Flirting just came naturally to him, and he couldn’t help himself. “Mamma Deuce, would you touch my arm before you go?”
The old lady knew him well and chuckled. She rested her hand on his bicep. “Now what?”
He winked. “Now I get to tell all of my friends I was touched by an angel.”
“Oh, shut up.” She swatted him playfully and laughed as she left them.
Nothing would be on the house tonight because he’d make sure to tip her enough to cover it all, but first, it was time to fill his belly and continue to mingle.
Tonight was about his friends. Tomorrow, he’d worry about everything else.
***
If you enjoyed Forever with You stay tuned for Carson Tyler and Tate Owens’s story in Hearts and Headboards (Misfit Tattoo Book 2). It’s in the works.
In the meantime, don’t forget to check out The Bad Girls Series, Chasing Butterflies and Cowgirl Crazy. Both Books are only $.99 and flow with this story.
Happy Reading!
“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
~Rob Siltanen
About the Author
Jennifer Labelle resides in Canada with her husband and three beautiful children. After her third child she became a stay at home mom. In her busy household Jennifer likes to spend her down time engrossed in the stories that she creates. She is an active reader of romance, mystery and anything paranormal. With an education in Addictions work she’s decided to take a less stressful approach in life and hopes that you enjoy, as she shares some of her imagination and artistic inspiration with all of you.
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Forever With You (Misfit Tattoo Book 1) Page 17
