FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET

by Lynn, Sandi

  “How are you feeling today, Ellery?”

  What the hell kind of question was that?! I wanted to say. How did she think she was feeling?

  Ellery said that she was very nervous as Dr. Murphy sat down at her desk and opened Ellery’s file. She looked at her and then at me.

  “I am happy to report that the treatments worked, and you are in a full remission, Ellery Lane.” she smiled.

  My heart started racing. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. Ellery’s better. She’s healthy and in remission. Ellery put her hand over her mouth and began to cry.

  “Are you sure, Dr. Murphy?”

  “Ellery, I’m positive. You have a full and long life ahead of you.”

  Ellery looked at me as we both stood up and hugged each other.

  “Thank you, Dr. Murphy, for everything,” I said.

  “Yes, thank you so much.” Ellery gave Dr. Murphy a hug.

  “You two go be happy, and enjoy your lives together,” she said as she walked out of her office.

  We left the hospital and went back to the apartment. The first thing Ellery did was tell Landon and Mason the good news. They wanted to go out and celebrate. I took out my phone and called Denny. Tears started to fill my eyes as I spoke to him.

  “She’s fine, Denny. The cancer is gone, and she’s in full remission.”

  “Connor, I’m so happy to hear the wonderful news. I’ll let Claire know. Give Ellery a hug and kiss from me, and tell her that I can’t wait to see her again.”

  “Thanks, Denny. I will.”

  I walked over and hugged her. “Denny told me to give you a hug and kiss from him,” I said as I kissed the top of her head. She smiled as I held her and wouldn’t let her go. I couldn’t let go of her even if I tried. I was so happy and thankful that she was better, and now, we could move forward with our lives together.

  “Connor, you’re squeezing me just a little too tight,” she said.

  “I’m sorry, baby, but I can’t help it. I’m never letting you go, so get used to it.”

  I loosened my grip on her and stared into her happy, sparkling eyes. I unbuttoned her pants and slid them off her hips. She smiled at me as she stepped out of them. I lifted her shirt off and threw it on the floor. I picked her up as she wrapped her legs around me, and I set her on the kitchen counter.

  “I believe this is one spot where we haven’t had sex yet.” I smiled.

  “I don’t think we have, Mr. Black.” A beautiful smile crossed her lips.

  She unbuttoned my white cotton shirt and slid it off my shoulders. I kissed her on the lips before moving towards her neck. She still had her legs wrapped around me as I unhooked her bra and took it off her. My lips glided around her neck and down to her breasts. She let out a moan as I took her hardened nipple in my mouth. She reached down and unbuttoned my pants, taking my erection in her hand. She had me so hot for her. My fingers trickled down to her panties as I grabbed the string on the side and tore them from her. “I promise I’ll buy you a new pair,” I moaned as I sucked her breasts and my fingers slid inside her. I slid my fingers in and out of her as I stimulated her clit with my thumb, rubbing it in round circles as her moans grew louder, and her breathing became more rapid. She was incredibly wet, and I needed more of her. I let my fingers slip out of her as I took off my pants and boxers. I grabbed her legs and put them up on the counter so her feet were flat against it. I grabbed her and pulled her forward so her ass was hanging from the edge. I inserted myself in her as she wrapped her arms around my neck, and I brought my lips to hers. I moved in and out of her at a rapid pace until I brought her to the brink of an orgasm. She was ready. Her nails clawed down my back and into my ass as I gave one more thrust, and we both came at the same time. I let out a loud groan as I gave a final thrust into her and finished off. I put my hands on the sides of her face as I stared into her beautiful, dancing eyes.

  “I love you so much, and I’m so happy everything turned out right today. I was so scared for you, Ellery,” I said as my eyes swelled with tears.

  She tilted her head and wiped away the tears that were falling down my face.

  “I know, babe, and I’m so sorry I put you through that. But we have our whole life in front of us, and we need to set a wedding date. I can’t wait to marry you and become Mrs. Ellery Black.” She smiled.

  I picked her up from the counter and held her firmly by her ass as I kissed her and carried her to the bedroom for round two.

  * * *

  We said goodbye to Mason and Landon as they drove us to the airport. All three of them cried as we said our goodbyes.

  “When the two of you come to New York, which I know will be frequently to see Ellery, you are to call me first to let me know because I’ll send the company plane to get you. I don’t want you flying commercial,” I spoke with a seriousness in my voice.

  Ellery smiled at me as both Landon and Mason agreed. They were such good friends to Ellery when she first came to California, and I knew she considered them family. I do as well. They’re a couple of great guys, and I owed them a lot. We boarded the plane, and Ellery took her usual seat by the window. I sat down next to her as she took my hand and kissed it.

  “June 15th.” She smiled.

  I looked at her in confusion. “June 15th? What’s on June 15th?” I asked.

  “That’s our wedding day.”

  I smiled and took her face in my hands. “June 15th is a perfect day to marry you.” I leaned over and kissed her. I was happy she finally chose a date. Now, I needed to get in touch with the builder and the contractors to make sure the house was done before then.

  We landed in New York around seven p.m. There was a surprise waiting for Ellery at the penthouse when we arrive. She didn’t know it, but I’d arranged to have a small party for her to celebrate the good news. I had Claire, Peyton, Cassidy, and my mom put it together. Knowing all of them, I imagined the party would be overdone. Denny picked us up from the airport, and Ellery ran straight to him. We slid in the back of the limo and headed to the penthouse. When the elevator doors opened, the penthouse was dark. Suddenly, the lights turned on and everyone yelled surprise. Ellery’s eye widened, and she looked at me. I kissed her cheek and let her tend to her guests. I walked around the penthouse, and just as I thought, it was overdone, but it was nice. Every time I glanced over at Ellery, she was smiling. Damn that smile. I grabbed a glass of champagne as my mom walked over to me.

  “Connor, darling, I’m so happy for you and Ellery. I could only imagine what you must be feeling right now,” she said as she hugged me.

  “I’m feeling extremely happy, Mom. I can’t even explain it to you.”

  “Do the two of you have any other news that you may want to share with me?” She smiled.

  Ellery came walking over to us and put her arm around me. “Don’t you think now would be the perfect opportunity to tell everybody that we’ve set the wedding date?” I whispered to her.

  “Yes, it’s the perfect time, so let’s do it.”

  I took Ellery’s hand and led her to the center of the room. I called for everyone’s attention as they gathered around us. I put my arm around her waist and smiled at her. She told me to go ahead and announce the date. I held up my glass of champagne.

  “I want to thank all of you for coming tonight and celebrating Ellery’s great news. Now, we have even more news to share. I would like everyone to plan on attending our wedding and celebrating with us on June 15th!” The crowd stirred in excitement, and glasses were raised. Congratulations were said, and happiness was heard all around the room.

  A couple of hours later, everyone said their goodbyes, and suddenly, the penthouse was quiet. Ellery walked over to the couch and collapsed on it. I sat down next to her and pulled her feet on my lap. I started massaging them as she smiled at me.

  “Thank you for tonight.”

  “You’re welcome. You deserve a party with family and friends for everything you’ve been through these last few months. It’s on
ly the beginning of the many things I’m going to do for you, Ellery.”

  “You’ve already done so much, and I can’t thank you enough.”

  “I know one way you can thank me if you’re up to it.” I grinned.

  Ellery got up from the couch, grabbed me by my shirt, and led me to the bedroom. She thanked me for the next hour and a half before we fell fast asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.

  Chapter 28

  The next morning as I was sitting at my desk, I called the contractor to inquire about the house. “I fucking told you that the house better be done in three days!” I screamed into the phone. “You’ve had three months to get that house finished, and I paid you a lot of fucking money to see that it happened. Now you better get off your ass and get it done, because if it’s not finished when I come there in three days to inspect, I will sue you and shut you down for good!” I threw my phone across the desk just as Phil walked in.

  “We need to talk, Connor,” he said as he sat down.

  “Not now, Phil. It’s not a good time.”

  “Well, you’re going to want to hear this. It’s about the fire in Chicago.”

  I got up from my desk and looked at him. “What? What the hell do you have to tell me?”

  “They found the person responsible for the fire, and it’s someone you know,” he spoke.

  “Someone I know? Who the hell would do that to me?” I started to get nervous.

  “It was Ashlyn. She was the one who hired the guy to set the fire.”

  I walked to the other side of my desk and paced the floor. “Are you absolutely positive about Ashlyn?”

  “Yes, Connor. The police have her under arrest. The guy finally broke down and confessed everything after the police arrested him again on some other charges.”

  “Alright, then it’s done. I’m getting married in a week, and I don’t need this. You are to handle everything. I don’t want to hear another word about it until after I get back from my honeymoon.”

  “Aren’t you going to confront her about it?” Phil asked.

  “No. What’s done is done. I’m sure I know the reason anyway. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a beautiful fiancée who’s waiting at home for me,” I said as I grabbed my briefcase and left the office.

  On the way home, I thought about whether or not to tell Ellery about Ashlyn. I didn’t want to upset her, but we weren’t keeping secrets from each other, and if she found out that I didn’t tell her, there would be hell to pay. I stepped off the elevator and into the hallway and was caught off guard by a tantalizing smell coming from the kitchen. I set my briefcase down and walked to the kitchen to find Ellery cooking dinner.

  “Are you cooking, Miss Lane?” I asked as I put my hands on her hips and kissed her.

  “Yes, and you’re going to eat it, whether you like it or not.” She smiled.

  “I’ll eat anything from you,” I winked.

  She hit me on the arm and turned to the oven. I grabbed a couple of glasses, filled them with wine, and set them on the table. Ellery took a chicken pot pie out of the oven and set it in the middle of the table.

  “My mom used to make this for me and my dad. It was his favorite. I’ve kept the recipe with me all these years. I started making it for him when I was only nine years old,” she said as she sat down across from me.

  “You cooked dinner for your father at the age of nine?” I asked.

  “It was either that, or he didn’t eat. I always knew that would be the one dish he wouldn’t turn down.”

  I looked at her and shook my head. I couldn’t believe that drunken bastard would let his child cook and use the oven at the age of nine. I needed to tell her about Ashlyn, and I guess now was as good as time as any. I decided to wait until after dinner because she started talking about the wedding. After we ate and cleaned up, I asked her to sit with me in the living room.

  “I get the feeling that you have something you need to tell me,” she said.

  I took in a deep breath as she laid her head down on my lap and looked up at me.

  “Ashlyn was the person responsible for setting the fire in Chicago.”

  She quickly sat up. “What? That bitch!” she exclaimed.

  I took her and laid her head back down on my lap. “Listen to me, Ellery, I don’t want you to worry about this. I told you because we aren’t keeping secrets from each other. Phil is handling this for me, and I have no intentions of confronting her about this,” I told her as I stroked her hair. “In fact, you are not to see her either because I know you, and you have quite a temper.”

  “Fine, if you don’t want me to, then I’ll respect your wishes. But I still think you’re wrong.”

  I leaned down and kissed her. “Thank you, baby. I love you.”

  “I love you too, even though you’re wrong.” She smiled as she tapped me on the nose.

  * * *

  I walked through the newly built house. Ellery’s painting hung perfectly above the fireplace and was the focal point of the room.

  “How does it look, big brother?” Cassidy asked.

  “It looks great, and I think Ellery’s going to like it,” I replied.

  “Are you kidding? She’ll love it, Connor. Every bit of it. It’s the best wedding present anyone could ever give, and I hope to find someone like you someday.”

  I hugged her. “Someone’s out there waiting for you. He just hasn’t found you yet.”

  “Since when did you become so poetic?” she asked with a smile.

  “I guess that’s what being in love does to a man.”

  We left the house and I headed back to the city to meet Denny for dinner. In two days, I would be presenting the house to Ellery, on our wedding night. I was nervous she wasn’t going to like it, but she could make whatever changes she wanted.

  Denny and I left the restaurant and went to a local bar to meet some guys for a few drinks. I missed Ellery because we decided not to see each other for a couple days until our wedding day. I was having a good time, talking and laughing with the guys when my phone rang.

  “Hey, baby, is everything ok?” I asked.

  “Everything’s fine. Are you having fun?”

  I could barely hear her because wherever she was, the background noise was really loud.

  “Babe, I can barely hear you. You’re going to have to talk a little louder.”

  “Is this better?” she said as she whispered in my ear.

  I turned around, and with a smile, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “I missed you, Connor.”

  “I missed you too, baby, more than you’ll ever know.”

  I looked around, and the girls Ellery went out with were gathered around the table. The guys pulled up chairs for them as I pulled Ellery on my lap. I buried my nose in her neck, taking in her scent of lilac and closed my eyes. She laughed as I nibbled on her ear.

  “You smell so good. It’s killing me,” I moaned.

  “Behave yourself, Connor. We agreed not to have sex until our wedding night.”

  “I know.” I sighed. “It’s just that I’ve missed you, and there’s a bathroom right over there.” I motioned with my head.

  “No way,” she said as she pushed me back. “Just think of how special it will be on our wedding night. It’ll be like our first time.” She smiled.

  We all left the bar together, and I walked Ellery to the cab, wrapping my arms around her. “Are you sure you don’t want to come home with me? I miss you in our bed. You can leave in the morning and then we won’t see each other again until our wedding day.”

  She took my face in her hands. “As much as I want to, babe, I can’t. Besides, I have way too much to do tomorrow, and if I wake up with you by my side, things will happen, and I’ll never get out of bed. Then I’ll be behind, then I’ll stress out, then I’ll…”

  I put my finger over her lips. “Okay, I get it, Ellery. Please stop.” I leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.
I put her in the cab, closed the door, and waved as the cab took off down the street. Denny patted me on the back. “The next time you see her, I’ll be walking her down the aisle on her way to becoming Mrs. Connor Black.” He smiled. “Now, let me drive you home.”

  When I got home, I poured myself a glass of scotch and climbed into bed. I picked up my phone and stared at the picture of me and Ellery that was proudly displayed on my screen. I already missed her, so I decided to Facetime her. I smiled as she answered on the second ring, and her face came across my screen.

  “Hello, my love.” She smiled.

  “Hi, baby. I just wanted to say good night.”

  “Do you have a glass of scotch with you?” she asked.

  I held up my glass so she could see it. “I sure do. Do you have your glass of wine?”

  She held up her glass of red wine and smiled. “I sure do.”

  “You need to go to sleep, babe and get your beauty rest. It’s late.”

  “I was going to sleep, but some hot, sexy man called me and wanted to Facetime. I couldn’t resist.”

  “I just wanted to see you one last time before our wedding day. Now, put your lips up to the screen so I can kiss you good night.” We puckered up and pressed our lips together on the screen of our phones. “Goodnight, baby, and sweet dreams,” I whispered.

  “Good night, my love,” she softly spoke.

  I ended the call, set my phone on the nightstand, and slept until the alarm went off for work.

  Chapter 29

  The day that I’d been waiting for had finally arrived. I looked in the mirror as I straightened my bow tie. I couldn’t believe that in just a few short hours, I’d no longer be a bachelor. I’d be a happily married man to the most beautiful woman in the world. If you would’ve asked me a year ago if I thought this day would ever come, I would’ve said hell no! It was amazing to me how much your life could change in just a little under a year when the most perfect woman in the world walked into your life.