FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET

by Lynn, Sandi

  “Thanks for your number. I was wondering if you wanted to do something tomorrow after school.”

  Excitement overtook my mind, and I felt like I was going to die, but I needed to remain calm and not show too much excitement. I waited five minutes before I sent my reply.

  “Hey, no problem. I would like to hang out after school.”

  “Awesome. I’ll meet you outside of Constantine’s tomorrow. Then we can decide what to do.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I replied with a grin across my face.

  What could I say about Brody Sullivan? He was an eighteen-year-old godly creature who attended St. Matthews Prep School for Boys, which sat next to Constantine’s. His short, light brown hair with messy bangs swept to the side and bright blue eyes, which drew you into him, were just a couple of things that made him incredibly sexy. His flat, washboard stomach and muscular arms were the result of him working out at the gym every day. His father was a Chief Risk Officer on Wall Street, and his mother was a jewelry designer who owned her own high-end jewelry line. He had a “playboy” reputation, but as I saw it, he just hadn’t found the right girl yet. I was about to change all that and him.

  Chapter 2

  As I searched my closet for something to wear, there was a knock on the door.

  “Come in. Morning, Mom.” I smiled as she walked into my room.

  “I was just coming to wake you up, but I see you’re already up and showered.”

  “Yeah, I just didn’t want to run late today,” I said as I took out my cream-colored baby doll dress from the closet.

  She gave me a weird look as she said, “Okay,” and walked out the door.

  I put on my dress, my high-heeled brown ankle boots, curled my blonde hair, put on a little more makeup than usual, and went downstairs for breakfast. When I entered the kitchen, my dad, who was sitting at the table, looked up from his phone.

  “You’re early today.”

  “Morning, Daddy,” I said as I grabbed a glass of orange juice from the counter and walked over and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Morning, Princess. Don’t you think that dress is a little too short to be wearing?” he asked.

  I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Mom!”

  “Connor, her dress is fine. It’s what all the girls wear. Plus, if it was too short, she wouldn’t be allowed to wear it to school.”

  He looked at me and smiled. “I still think it’s too short.”

  “Of course you do, Dad. You think everything is too short. You’re just going to have to get used to the fact that I’m sixteen now, and I can wear what I want.” I winked as I grabbed a piece of toast and walked out of the kitchen.

  As I grabbed my school bag, I walked back into the kitchen and over to my dad. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

  “What was that for?” He smiled.

  I put on my princess face.

  “I’m sorry if I had an attitude, Daddy. Can I please have the credit card so London and I can go shopping after school? I promise to buy longer dresses and skirts.” I smiled.

  He looked at me as he reached in his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed me his credit card. “No short dresses,” he said.

  “Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”

  “I love you too, baby.” He smiled.

  As I started to walk out of the kitchen, I stopped and turned around. “Since I’m sixteen, don’t you think it would be best if I had my own credit card, so I don’t have to keep asking you?”

  He looked at me and cocked his head but didn’t say anything. I could tell he was thinking about it. I kissed my mom goodbye as she shook her head at me, and I took the elevator to the garage where Collin was already waiting in the limo.

  “It’s about time, Julia!” he said.

  “Sorry, but I had to ask Dad for the credit card.”

  Denny looked at me through the rearview mirror and smiled. “Good morning, Miss Julia.”

  “Good morning, Uncle Denny.” I smiled back. “I won’t need a ride home today. Me and London are going shopping after school.”

  * * *

  The day couldn’t have gone by any slower that it already was. The only thing that was on my mind was seeing Brody after school. Nothing of the day mattered but him. I told London that I had told my parents we were going shopping after school, and she’d told her mom the same thing because she was meeting up with Rob at Starbucks. He was the twenty-three-year-old she’d been seeing for a couple of weeks. That was another story.

  The last bell of the day finally rang and, instantly, the butterflies woke up. I grabbed London’s arm and we headed out the doors and down the steps of Constantine’s. As I checked my phone to see if I had received a text message from Brody, he came up behind me.

  “Hey, Julia. You look great.” He smiled.

  I bit down on my bottom lip and smiled back at him. He hooked his arm around me, claiming me as his, and we walked down the busy streets of New York. I could see Collin in the distance, shaking his head at me.

  “So what do you want to do?” Brody asked.

  He was so sweet, asking me what I wanted to do, and I couldn’t believe he had his arm around me.

  “It doesn’t matter. Do you want to go see a movie?”

  “Alone with you in dark movie theater? Sounds good to me.” He winked.

  We walked a couple of blocks over to the movie theater where he bought my ticket, popcorn, and soda. We took our seats, and while we waited for the movie to begin, Brody took a piece of popcorn and put it in my mouth.

  “You’re really hot.” He smiled.

  I could feel myself blush as I looked at him and smiled. “I think you’re really hot too.”

  He took another piece of popcorn from the bag and traced my lips with his finger before putting the popcorn in my mouth. I smiled as I took it and he leaned closer and softly brushed his lips against mine.

  “Your lips are so soft.” He moaned as his mouth pushed firmly into mine.

  The lights dimmed and the movie started playing. He broke our kiss, but not before slipping his tongue in my mouth. It was the most amazing kiss I’d ever had. Not that I’d had many, but his was breathtaking. He left me speechless as he smiled at me, and then turned to watch the movie. When the movie was over, he took my hand and led me out of the theater where his limo was waiting for us at the curb. As I slid in, he sat down next to me and put up the tinted privacy window.

  “That was a great movie, wasn’t it?” I asked.

  “Yeah, real good,” he said as he leaned closer to me, cupped my chin in his hand, and kissed me.

  As our tongues collided and his scent aroused my senses. He took his hand and stuck it down the front of my dress, cupping my breast in his hand. I was startled because no one had ever done that to me.

  “It’s okay, babe. I just want to feel your tits,” he said between kisses.

  Once he removed his hand, he unbuttoned his jeans, took my hand, and placed it down his pants, making me feel his erection.

  “Feel how excited you get me, Julia.”

  I moved my hand up and down as a moan came from inside his chest. I couldn’t believe I was doing this, but I didn’t want to disappoint him. He put his hand up my dress and began moving it up my thigh. He reached my panties and I stopped him.

  “No, Brody,” I said as I broke our kiss.

  He looked at me and smiled.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just you got me so excited that I wanted to feel if you were too.”

  The limo pulled up in front of my building. Before climbing out, I looked around to make sure there was nobody I knew in sight.

  “I’ll talk to you later, babe.” He smiled as he let go of my hand.

  “Yeah, later,” I said as my head was stuck way up in the clouds.

  The moment I stepped off the elevator, my mom walked over to me.

  “Hi, honey. Where are your bags?” she asked.

  “What bags?”

  “Shopp
ing bags. Didn’t you buy anything?”

  “Oh,” I said, forgetting that I told her that London and I were going shopping. “No, I really didn’t see anything I liked.”

  “Julia, you always find things you like,” she said.

  Oh my God, what was with the interrogation? I thought to myself. “I know, right? I did see a couple of dresses I liked, but they were out of my size,” I said as I started to walk up to my bedroom.

  “Don’t forget we’re going out to dinner tonight. Just the four of us.”

  “I didn’t forget, Mom,” I yelled from the top of the stairs.

  As I stepped into my room, I went to shut the door and Collin stopped it.

  “How was your afternoon with the playboy?”

  I rolled my eyes as I threw my purse on the bed. “We had a great time. We went to the movies and now I’m home.”

  “Listen, Julia. I don’t want you to get your hopes up with him. He’s a player and you deserve better than that,” Collin said.

  “I’m a big girl, little brother. I can take care of myself. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to freshen up before we go to dinner.”

  Collin left my room, and I walked into the bathroom. As I stared at myself in the mirror, I ran my finger along my lips, remembering the amazing kisses Brody and I had shared. I snapped back to reality when I heard my phone chime. I looked down at it and saw there was a text message from Brody.

  “Hey, babe. I can’t stop thinking about you. I miss you already.”

  A huge smile spread across my face as I instantly replied.

  “Hi, I was just remembering our kiss. I miss you too.”

  Collin knocked on my door and told me we were leaving for dinner. I put on my boots and walked downstairs as my dad was putting on his coat.

  “Hi, Daddy.” I gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  “Hi, Princess. How was your day?” he asked as he hugged me.

  “It was good.”

  “How much did you spend?”

  “You’re going to be so proud of me. I didn’t spend a dime.” I smiled.

  He looked at me and cocked his head in confusion.

  “Seriously, Julia. How much did you spend?”

  “Seriously, Dad, I spent nothing. They didn’t have my size in the couple of things I saw,” I replied with a pout.

  “Aw, I’m sorry. Maybe next time,” he said as he held his hand out for his card.

  My mom and Collin emerged from the kitchen and asked us if we were ready to go. We climbed into the Range Rover and headed to the restaurant. It was very important to my mom that we ate dinner as a family at least three nights a week. So my dad made sure that at least one night a week, we ate out at a restaurant and no matter where we were, we had to meet there. While we were sitting and waiting for our food, my dad reached in his pocket and handed me what looked like a credit card.

  “I got this for you.” He smiled.

  I reached across the table and took it from him. I examined it and saw it had my name on it.

  “Daddy, thank you so much!”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart. I ordered it last week and when you said something about your own credit card this morning, I wanted to tell you, but I wanted to surprise you with it.”

  I got out of my seat, walked over to his side, and hugged him tight. “I love you, Dad.”

  “I love you, too, baby. You better be careful with it and don’t overspend. I’m trusting you enough to give you that responsibility.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful,” I said as I sat back down.

  My mom looked at me and smiled as she put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. He turned and kissed her head. As embarrassing as it was to have my parents being all touchy feely in public, it was nice to see how in love they were. I started to think about Brody, so I took out my phone and sent him a text message.

  “Hi, I’m at dinner with my parents, and I was thinking about you.”

  “Hi. Good thoughts, I hope.”

  “Only the best.”

  He replied back with a smiley face and I was in Heaven.

  Chapter 3

  Over the next few days, Brody and I continued to see each other after school, and every day we went a little further. He wasn’t pressuring me to have sex, but he said that he couldn’t wait and the more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t wait. Brody asked me out on a real date, and I was so excited. He told me he’d pick me up, and that meant one thing; he’d have to meet Connor and Ellery. The thought of him meeting my parents made me extremely nervous. I wasn’t sure how my dad was going to react since I wasn’t allowed to date yet. If he only knew. I walked into the living where my parents were snuggled on the couch.

  “Hey, Mom and Dad.” I smiled. “I need to discuss something with you.”

  My mom sat up and looked at me. “Okay, honey, what is it?”

  I took in a deep breath as nervousness flowed throughout my body.

  “Do you need to sit down?” my dad asked.

  “Julia, whatever it is, just say it,” my mom said.

  I sat down in the chair across from them. “There’s someone I would like you to meet because we’re going out tomorrow.” There, I said it, I thought as I let out a breath.

  “What’s his name?” my mom asked with a small smile.

  “It better not be a ‘him,’” my dad immediately said.

  He was starting already and not giving me a chance. Instantly, my defenses went up.

  “His name is Brody,” I answered as I looked at my mom. “He goes to St. Matthews, and he’s eighteen.”

  As I kept my eyes focused on my mom, I could feel my dad’s glare burning into my skin.

  “No,” he said.

  “Connor,” my mom said as she grabbed his hand.

  “No, Ellery. She’s not going out on a date.”

  I loved my dad, but sometimes he really sucked, and he needed to stop being so protective.

  “Dad, why?” I whined.

  “Because, Julia, you don’t need that complication in your life right now. You have your paintings and school to focus on. Not some boy whose only concern is getting in your pants.”

  “DAD! Brody isn’t like that! He’s really sweet and caring, and he likes me a lot. Mom, please do something.”

  “Connor, she’s sixteen. Come on. You remember what it was like when you were sixteen.”

  “Exactly, and that’s why she’s not allowed to date. I only had one thing on my mind at that age,” he said. “Sorry, Princess, but the answer is no.”

  I stood there and shook my head him. “Would it make you feel better if I told you I was a lesbian?” I shouted.

  As he sat there, he slowly shook his head and glared at me with angry eyes. “You may go to your room now, Julia.”

  When I started to walk away, I stopped, turned around, and looked at him with tears in my eyes. “For the record, I know what a man-whore you used to be until you met Mom, so you have no right!”

  “Julia!” my mom exclaimed.

  I stomped up the stairs in a huff and slammed my bedroom door as hard as I could. I threw myself on my bed as I lay there face down and sobbed into my pillow. My phone beeped with a text message from Collin.

  “Are you okay, sis?”

  “No. I hate him,” I replied back.

  There was a soft knock on the door, and my mom walked in. She sat down on the bed next to me and started to rub my back.

  “Julia, please don’t cry.”

  “I don’t want to talk to you, Mom. Please get out,” I said in between sobs.

  “You can go out with him, Julia. Just make sure he comes to the door when he picks you up so we can meet him first.”

  I sniffed and turned my head. “Really? You’re going to let me go out with him?”

  She took a tissue from my nightstand and handed it to me. “Yes, you may go out with him.”

  “But what about Dad?”

  She pursed her lips as she gave me a sma
ll smile. “I’ve handled your dad. So don’t worry. But you need to understand that he’s only trying to protect you and, believe me, I know he goes overboard sometimes. But, he does it out of love, Julia.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I said as I hugged her tight.

  “Dry your tears and go to bed.” She smiled as she walked to the door. She stopped and turned around. “I love you, Julia. Don’t ever doubt that.”

  “I love you too, Mom.” I smiled back.

  The next morning, I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. My dad was sitting at the table drinking his coffee, and I could feel him staring at me.

  “Good morning, Julia.”

  “Morning,” I said in a short tone.

  I grabbed a bowl, poured some cereal and milk in it, and then took it over to the table. I wouldn’t look at him because I was still mad, and I felt bad for what I’d said.

  “This boy you’re interested in, is his name Brody Sullivan?” he asked.

  I looked up from my cereal bowl. “Yes.”

  “He comes from a good and successful family. He’ll be picking you up tonight?”

  “Yes,” I answered softly.

  “Well, then, I guess I’ll be meeting him tonight before he takes you out on a—”

  “Date, Connor. He’ll be picking her up and taking her on a date,” my mom said as she walked into the kitchen.

  He looked at her and pursed his lips. “I know that, Ellery. Why do you have to keep emphasizing that word?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh as I got up from the table and started walking out of the kitchen.

  “Julia?” my dad said after he cleared his throat.

  I turned around and he had his finger on his cheek. I smiled as I walked over to him and gave him a kiss goodbye.

  * * *

  “How nervous are you that Brody is meeting your parents?” London asked as she lay across my bed.

  “Very nervous. I’m not worried about Ellery. It’s my dad I’m worried about. God knows what kind of interrogation he’ll put Brody through.”