My Accidental Forever (Love You Forever Book 5)

by Alexis Winter

  “What do you mean there’s not going to be a wedding? Poor Cora!” one of them whines.

  “Please, just give her some time. She doesn’t want to see anyone right now. If you must, send her a text and let her know you’re thinking about her, but do not call and do not stop by. Just give her some room to breathe, okay?”

  They all nod.

  “Now I have to go tell the guests.” I make my way up to the main floor and to the stage that Cora should be standing on right now.

  I’m handed a microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is with deep regret that I inform you that there will be no wedding here today.”

  The crowd gasps and my eyes lock on Foster, who’s sitting in the back.

  “The bride wants to thank each and every one of you who showed up. But please make your way out of the church and to your vehicles. If you brought a gift, please take it with you.”

  An older lady stands up. “I don’t understand. Where’s Jimmy?”

  Hearing his name has my anger flaring up again. “Jimmy is gone. He decided that he didn’t want to marry Cora. He didn’t even have the decency to tell her to her face. He snuck out when no one was looking,” I say into the microphone and decide to shut up before I say more. I hand over the mic and leave the stage in a rush. I walk up to Foster and he pulls me against his chest.

  “Are you okay?”

  I nod. “I’m fine. I’m just so pissed off. How could he do something like this?”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No, I’m just going to go over to Cora’s and keep her company for a little while. Will be you okay alone?”

  He laughs. “I’ll be fine. You just take care of your friend.”

  “Thanks,” I say, standing on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his mouth. “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” he says as I pull away and walk out of the church.

  I get behind the wheel of my Jeep and drive over to Cora’s apartment. I buzz and she lets me in without asking who’s at the door. I make my way up to her apartment and the door is unlocked. I let myself in and find her lying on the couch in her wedding dress, staring up at the ceiling.

  It feels like I melt into a puddle for her. “Oh, honey,” I say, going to sit on the floor at her side. Tears are flowing from her eyes.

  “Everything is going to be okay,” I tell her.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because you just lost 150 pounds of pain in the ass. That’s how I know.”

  Through her tears, she giggles.

  “Now you’ve paved the way to finding bigger and better things.”

  “I am a little relieved if I’m telling the truth, but that doesn’t make this hurt any less.”

  “Of course it doesn’t,” I agree. “Is there anything you need? Anything you want me to get you?”

  “The bottle of vodka out of the freezer,” she says, and I do so without having to be asked twice.

  Sixteen

  Foster

  It’s going on midnight as I’m sitting in the living room in the dark, watching TV and petting the dogs. Something is on the TV, but I have no idea what it is. This is the first night in months that I’ve had to spend without Harley by my side, but right now, she’s where she’s needed. My phone rings and it’s so quiet in the house that it makes me jump. I quickly grab it and see Harley’s name flashing across the screen.

  “Hey,” I say softly into the phone.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “Oh, I’m just lying on the couch buried in dogs. You? How’s Cora doing?”

  “She’s drunk and fine for the moment.”

  I laugh. “Booze to the rescue, huh?”

  “It always does the trick . . . at least for a little while.”

  “Hopefully this doesn’t keep her down too long. I know I never met that guy, but I bet he’s a real piece of work.”

  “He really is,” she agrees. “Will you meet me somewhere?”

  “Sure, where?” I ask, confused.

  “The airport.”

  I smile. “The airport? Where are we going?”

  “On our next adventure,” she says. “Be there in 30 minutes. Don’t pack. This is on impulse.”

  I stand up. “I’m on my way,” I tell her, sliding my feet into my shoes that I left by the door.

  “Love you.”

  “Love you, too,” I say, hanging up the phone and walking out the door toward my car.

  I get to the airport, find a spot in long-term parking, and find her waiting for me. I pull her against me and kiss her like I haven’t kissed her in days. “What is this? Where are we going?”

  She smiles. “To Hawaii. Someone has to use Cora’s honeymoon.”

  I tilt my head to the side as I examine her. “We can’t.”

  “We can. She insisted and was able to transfer the tickets to our names for a small fee. We never got a honeymoon, so she says we deserve it. I left my key with her and she’s going to take care of the dogs while we’re gone. Says they’ll be a welcome distraction. Come on!”

  She drags me through the airport and we board the plane. The flight doesn’t take long. Given the late hour, we both sleep right through it, and by the time we land, we’re both well-rested and ready to have some fun. We leave the airport and check into our room—the honeymoon suite. Then we go for some breakfast and some shopping since neither of us packed so much as a toothbrush.

  After everything is taken care of, we go straight to lying on the beach with drinks in our hands. The sun is high in the sky and warm as it shines on our skin. There’s a light breeze that keeps us from getting too warm, and the cold drink hits the spot. The sound of the waves crashing is relaxing. I know that if I hadn’t slept on the plane, this is all I’d need to fall fast into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  The beach we’re on is a private stretch that’s just outside our room. No one can see us here unless they’re on a boat in the ocean, and lucky for us, there are no boats within eyesight. I get out of my lounge chair and kneel on hers, between her feet. She peeks one eye open with a grin.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’ve always wanted to make love to my wife on a beach in Hawaii,” I say, trailing my hand up her leg.

  She giggles. “What if someone sees us?”

  “Nobody can see us.” I finally cover her body with mine and our lips meet. I kiss her deeply, and before I know it, we’re connected as one. Even if someone did walk up on us, they wouldn’t be able to see her, and that’s all that matters. I keep my swim shorts on; I’ve just moved them down enough to do what’s needed. And her bathing suit is just pushed to the side. We’re still plenty decent if something were to happen. I bury myself deep inside her until we’re both falling to pieces.

  Later, we clean up, get dressed, and go out for dinner. Our meal is on the beach where everything is lit with candles and Tiki torches. There’s soft Hawaiian music playing and the food is delicious. We’re surrounded by other diners having romantic dinners. There’s a small dance floor, so I take her hand and pull her onto it. “I don’t usually dance like this,” she says, her cheeks turning pink.

  “No one is watching. It’s just us,” I tell her, kissing her softly and making her forget that we’re surrounded by hundreds of people.

  After dinner, we go to a show with hula and fire dancers. It’s funny and entertaining and the drinks go down smoothly. I don’t remember the rest of the night, but we somehow end up back in our hotel room, completely naked and wrapped around each other in bed.

  I wake in the morning and hear the sound of the shower running from the open bathroom door. I stand up and walk into the bathroom, stepping behind her in the open shower. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her against my chest. She’s lets out a little shriek from surprise but spins in my arms until we’re nose to nose.

  “You scared me,” she breathes out.

  “I’m sorry. I heard the shower and couldn’t resist.”

  Her arms move u
p to wrap around my neck. “How are you feeling? A little hung over?” she asks.

  “Nah, not too bad. How about you?”

  She smiles. “What do you mean?”

  “You drank just as much as I did,” I point out.

  She shakes her head. “I didn’t drink a drop of alcohol last night.”

  I freeze. “What do you mean? You’ve been sipping on strawberry daiquiris ever since we got here.”

  “There hasn’t been any alcohol in them.”

  “Well, what’s the point of that?” I ask, confused.

  She shrugs. “Well, it’s kind of important that you don’t have any alcohol when you’re pregnant.”

  Did I just hear her correctly? “Did you just say that you’re pregnant? Like, with a baby?”

  She giggles. “That’s what I said. You’re going to be a daddy, Foster.”

  Excitement fills my entire body and it feels like everything goes numb. I can’t feel my legs. My lungs stop working and my heart doubles its usual pace. My head starts to swim and dizziness takes over. I sway to the side but she grabs me and her touch is what reminds me to breathe. I sit on the floor of the shower and pull her down into my lap. “We’re going to have a baby?”

  She smiles and nods. “I hope that’s okay.”

  “Of course it is! This is great. How long have you known?”

  “I took a test right before I left for the wedding. I was so caught up that I didn’t have time to really focus on it, and then the wedding fell apart and we couldn’t be together. I told Cora first. I’m sorry, but it really did cheer her up, and that’s when she gave us her honeymoon so I could tell you all romantic-like. Sorry I dropped the ball with that part too. I was going to tell you last night, but then you had a little too much to drink and I wanted to make sure you’d remember in the morning.”

  I laugh. “I don’t care how you tell me, as long as you tell me,” I say, pulling her lips to mine and kissing her until I can’t stand it any longer.

  Harley and I have never talked about the timing of having children, but now that we have one on the way, I couldn’t imagine living my life with her any other way. And I can’t wait to tell my parents. I’m sure they’ll be ecstatic. I know they’ll love their grandchildren and spoil them rotten. They’ve already fallen in love with Harley, too, but now they’ll really love her. Our lives are only going to get better from here.

  The rest of our Hawaiian vacation goes by in a flash. We lie around on the beach, soaking up the sun. We eat way too much and make love as often as we can. When we finally get home, we start making plans to tell my parents and hers about the baby. We plan a big dinner at our place, inviting everyone we want to tell.

  I cook steak, chicken, burgers, and brats on the grill and she busies herself with making potato salad, pasta salad, deviled eggs, baked beans, and a million other things in the kitchen. We set up the backyard with patio furniture and even hire a small string quartet to play softly. Cora arrives first and helps Harley in the kitchen. Our parents arrive and sit in the backyard, talking to each other since this is the first time they’ve met. Finally, dinner is done and the wine gets poured. Harley and I stand at the head of the table—me with a glass of wine and her with a glass of water.

  “Everyone, we wanted to say thank you for coming over and joining us for this dinner. We would’ve done it sooner, but things have been crazy with work and the plans for the new house. We hope you four are hitting it off nicely, but we have a rather big announcement to make.”

  I see my mom’s face light up like she already knows what we’re going to say. She grabs ahold of my dad’s arm, bracing herself.

  “We’re pregnant!” Harley and I say at the same time, and everyone cheers. Bianca rushes to us and gives us both hugs, as does Cora. Then our parents make their way up, both of our mothers crying tears of joy. My father shakes my hand. “Congratulations, son,” he says, offering me a smack on the back.

  The women pull Harley away to talk all things baby. My father and Harley’s dad, Jeff, pull me away for a cigar. The men enjoy theirs, but I’ve never been the cigar type, so I tuck it into my pocket and enjoy my drink while they talk and bond over their love of the stock market.

  Finally, we all sit down to eat and everyone is happier than I think they’ve ever been. And more importantly, we’re all together. At one point in my life, I thought I’d never be happy again. I thought I was going to have to marry a woman I didn’t love, who didn’t love me, and I’d be stuck in a fake life. I never expected to be this happy—to be this loved. I never thought I’d look forward to anything ever again, but now I can’t wait to meet my child. I can’t wait to move into our new house and open that animal shelter with a woman I never thought could love me. It feels like I’m floating on cloud nine. I feel like you couldn’t beat this smile off my face, and you know what? I don’t mind one bit.

  After dinner, we all remain around the table, just talking and enjoying each other’s company. I overhear Harley ask Cora, “So, Cora, have you met anyone special yet now that you’re a single woman again?”

  She snorts. “No, I can’t even think of dating right now after that jackass left me at the altar.”

  “To be fair, you never made it that far,” Harley points out, and Cora sticks her tongue out at her.

  “Actually, I’ve been thinking a lot about what we talked about before.”

  Harley draws her brows together as she seemingly tries to remember their previous conversation.

  “You were explaining all your reasons for wanting to stay single,” Cora reminds her. “I think before I go jumping into another relationship, I need to work on me first. I want to be happy with myself and my life before expecting someone else to be happy with me. There are still so many things I want to do before I settle down. So I’m putting love on the back burner for now while I fall in love with myself.”

  I smile out of pride for her.

  Harley smiles too. “I love that idea, Cora. Good for you.”

  “I didn’t mean to overhear, but I agree. That sounds like a great idea. And when all the right cards have fallen into place, I’m sure you’ll find the one meant for you,” I tell her.

  “Thank you, Foster,” Cora says.

  I look over at Bianca. “And what about you?”

  She rolls her eyes. “I get it enough from my parents. I don’t need it from you too.”

  I can’t help but laugh. “All right, I’m sorry.”

  She nods. “As you should be. I’ll be forever single and living my own life, and I’m completely happy with that.”

  The party winds down and eventually, everyone leaves. Harley and I turn the lights off and lock up for the night before moving into the bedroom. She collapses onto the bed and I go to lie down softly beside her, careful not to jostle her too much.

  “This baby-making stuff is no joke. I’ve hardly done anything, and already, I’m exhausted,” she says.

  I laugh. “Well, you didn’t do nothing. You cooked for a hundred people today.”

  She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Not quite.”

  “You need to rest. You’ve been on your feet all day.” I stand up and remove her shoes for her, then work on removing the rest of her clothing so she can sleep comfortably. When I have her stripped down to her cotton boyshort panties, I pull her up the bed and tuck her in. She’s sound asleep before I even have my own clothes off.

  I turn off the lights and leave her to sleep, deciding on a nice, hot, relaxing shower. I go into the bathroom and shut the door so the noise doesn’t wake her. Then I reach into the shower and turn on the water. As it heats up, I shave my face with the electric razor. I don’t shave it down to the skin since Harley likes it a little rough. I clean up the sink and step into the shower. The hot water feels amazing as it rushes over my body. I wash my hair and body then decide to sit down on the shower floor. My muscles instantly relax and I’m suddenly overjoyed by everything coming our way. My mother and father asked me tonight if I wanted a boy or
a girl. Truth be told, I don’t care. I would love a little girl who looks just like her mom for me to spoil, but I’d love a son too. Someone to play catch with out in the yard—someone to pass all my wisdom on to. We may be starting with one, but I’m sure we’ll have many more over the course of our lives together.

  I lean my head back and close my eyes, trying to visualize what our lives will look like, but I know that no matter how I see it happening, it will be better than I could ever dream up, because it will be real and we’ll be together.

  Seventeen

  Harley

  Several Months Later

  I wake up in the morning full of excitement. Not only am I just days away from my due date, but we also get to do a walk-through of the new house and property today. I push the blankets back and try to sit up, but my huge stomach is in the way and not allowing me to do much other than lift my head.

  “Foster!” I yell since he’s not in bed with me.

  The bathroom door opens and he steps out, a towel around his waist and water running down his hard chest and abs. “Need help?”

  “Hurry, I have to pee,” I whine as he takes my hands and pulls me upward. He manages to get me to my feet and I go waddling across the floor into the bathroom. I sit on the toilet and empty my bladder. Then I realize I can’t get up. “Foster!” I call out again.

  He walks into the bathroom, silently laughing.

  “It’s not funny,” I say, and he pulls me to my feet. I kick off my panties and pull my oversized nightgown over my head. “Look at you then look at me.” I gesture to him and then myself in the mirror. He’s tall, tan, and muscular. I’m short and fat. My stomach is so stretched that the skin looks almost transparent. My boobs have more than doubled in size. My feet and ankles are swollen and the weight gain has caused my face to become rounder.

  He walks over to me with a smirk. “I think you’re beautiful,” he says, leaning down to kiss my cheek, jaw, and neck.