FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET

by Lynn, Sandi

  “What did you do? Did you join her?”

  “Yes. I walked in and sat down next to her. Needless to say, she wasn’t too happy about it. That was the day that she made me eat pizza with my hands. Your mom made me do a lot of things I would never have done.”

  “You two are crazy.” I smiled.

  “Crazy in love,” he replied. “When we get home, there’s something I want to show you and Jake. Can you tell him to meet us outside the building in a couple of hours?”

  “Sure, Dad,” I said as I looked at him strangely.

  He took my hand and looked at me with a smile. “I’m really happy for you, Julia. You couldn’t be marrying a better man. It’s going to be hard, letting my little girl go, but I know I can’t hold onto you forever.”

  “Aw, Dad. Just because I’m getting married doesn’t mean you have to let me go. I don’t want you to let me go. You’re my dad and I love you. You’ll always be with me no matter where I am or where I go.”

  We finished up our pizza and met Jake outside the apartment building. I thought we were going up to the penthouse, but we stopped one floor below. As the elevator doors opened, we followed my dad out.

  “Why are we on this floor?” I asked.

  “You’ll see,” my dad said with a smile.

  He led us to a door, put the key in, and opened it. We walked inside, and I looked around.

  “Now, follow me,” he said as he led us to the next apartment and opened the door.

  We walked in and I looked around in confusion. “Okay, Dad. You have me all confused. What’s going on?”

  “Well, I’m having both of these apartments converted into one large four-bedroom apartment. I’m having the entire place renovated and redesigned.”

  “Wow, that’s awesome. Are you going to sell it or something?”

  Jake looked at me and took my hand. “Julia, I think your dad is doing this for us. I’m pretty sure he wants us to live here.”

  “Smart man,” my dad said as he pointed at him.

  “What?! You mean you’re doing this for me and Jake?”

  “Yes, Princess. I would love for this to be your new home after you get married.” He smiled.

  “One floor down from the penthouse?” I asked. “Daddy, I can’t. It’s too much. As much as I love it and the idea, it’s way too much for you to give us.”

  He walked over to me with a smile and hugged me. “No, it’s not too much. I love you and Jake, and this is part of your wedding gift. You can design it any way you want to. Imagine that the two apartments are your canvas and you and Jake make it your home.”

  Tears started to fill my eyes and roll down my face at the kindness and generosity of my father. “I love it, Dad, and it means so much to me that you would do something like this for us. I can’t believe it. Does Mom know?”

  “Yes, your mom knows, and she’s hoping you’ll accept it.”

  “We will accept it, Connor.” Jake smiled. “Thank you very much but let me at least pay you something for it.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, son. The only payment I’ll accept from you is the happy memories you and my daughter will make here. Oh, and a couple of grandkids too.” He smiled.

  “We can definitely do that.” Jake laughed.

  “Thank you so much, Dad. I love you.”

  “I love you too, baby. Now, let’s go upstairs and tell your mom the good news.”

  Chapter 17

  I graduated from Columbia and started my new job at Black Enterprises. My wedding was taking place next week and I still had so much to do. The apartment my dad bought us was finally completed and Jake and I spent two days shopping for furniture to make it perfect. My mom threw me the most fabulous wedding shower and I got everything I needed for the apartment. When everything was in its place, Jake and I took a step back and looked around.

  “This is our home and the start of our life together.” I smiled.

  “It sure is and I love every bit of it,” Jake said as he picked me up.

  “What are you doing?” I laughed.

  “Taking you into the bedroom so we can test out our new bed.”

  “I like the sound of that.” I smiled as I brushed my lips against his.

  We lay in bed and Jake held me against him. He softly ran his finger up and down my arm while kissing the top of my head.

  “I can’t believe we’re finally getting married,” he said.

  “You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” I asked.

  “Hell, no. I can’t wait to make you Mrs. Julia Jensen. Then, in a couple of years, we can make baby Jensens.”

  “I love the thought of making babies with you. You’re going to be an amazing father.”

  “You’re going to be an amazing mother.”

  “Somehow, I get the feeling that my parents will see our kids more than we will.” I laughed.

  “Yeah, no kidding. They’ll be kidnapping them.”

  “We need to spend some time together first as a couple before we start having kids.”

  “I agree, babe. I want you all to myself for a while first.”

  I lifted my head and kissed Jake on the lips. “You can have me whenever you want.” I smiled.

  A low growl came from the back of his throat as he flipped me on my back, and we continued to break in our new bed.

  * * *

  My wedding day. What can I say? It was absolutely perfect. Everything turned out as planned and only a few tears were shed. I was no longer Julia Rose Black. I was Mrs. Julia Rose Jensen and I couldn’t be happier. My dad gave us an all-expense-paid trip to Europe for our honeymoon. We were going to be gone three weeks. I think that was the longest I’d ever gone without seeing my parents. Two weeks into our honeymoon, while we were in Paris, we received a call from a restaurant telling us that reservations were made for dinner as a celebration of our marriage. I thought it was odd that the restaurant did that, but it must have been something my dad arranged when he booked the trip because I remembered him saying that we had to go there because it was his and my mom’s favorite restaurant.

  Jake and I shopped all day and then went back to the hotel room to get ready for dinner. I put on my little black dress and put my hair up in a twist.

  “You look so sexy. Let’s just skip dinner and make love the rest of the night,” Jake said as he kissed my shoulder.

  “That sounds amazing, but we have to go to dinner first. That would be rude of us not to show since reservations were made.”

  “You’re right, but plan on an all-nighter the minute we get back here.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Jensen. I’ve already planned on it.” I turned around and looked at him.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I miss my mom and dad. Isn’t that terrible that I’m thinking like that on our honeymoon?”

  “No, I don’t think it’s terrible at all. You love your parents and it’s natural to miss them. Don’t worry, babe; one more week and we’ll be going home.” He smiled as he kissed me. “Try and call them. You’ll feel better once you talk to them.”

  I smiled back and picked up my phone. I dialed my dad’s number first and he didn’t answer. So I dialed my mom and she didn’t answer. “Neither one of them are answering their phones,” I said with irritation.

  “They’re probably having wild and crazy sex and don’t want to be bothered.” Jake smiled.

  “Don’t say that!” I said as I covered my ears.

  Jake laughed and handed me my purse as we left the hotel and headed to the restaurant. We walked through the door and gave the hostess our name. She smiled softly and showed us to our table. I stopped in the middle of the restaurant when I saw my mom and dad sitting at the table that was ours. Tears started to fill my eyes as my dad got up from his seat.

  “Julia,” he said as he hugged me tightly.

  “Dad, what are you doing here?”

  I turned to my mom and hugged her. “It’s so good to see you both.”

  “We j
ust thought we’d have dinner with the two of you. No big deal,” my dad said.

  “You flew all the way to Paris to have dinner with us?”

  My mom looked at me and smiled. “Yes, we did.”

  “I love you both so much,” I said as I hugged them both one more time before sitting down.

  My mom announced that she had to go to the restroom and asked me if I’d join her. I got up from my seat and, as we walked into the bathroom, she looked at me and hugged me. “It’s so good to see you, Julia.”

  “I tried calling you and Daddy about an hour ago because I was missing you guys and you didn’t answer.”

  “That’s because we didn’t want to ruin the surprise.” She smiled. “Your dad was going crazy not being able to see you. He was driving me crazy, so I suggested a quick trip to Paris for one dinner so he could see for himself that you and Jake were okay.”

  “Thank you, Mom. You have no idea how happy I am to see the two of you. I’ve missed you.”

  “We missed you too. Now, come on; let’s get back to the table before your father comes looking for us.”

  I laughed as we made our way back to the table. We had one of the best nights in Paris with my parents. Some might think it’s weird to see your parents while you’re on your honeymoon. But for Jake and me, it wasn’t. We welcomed it, and we were happy they came. The next day, they flew back to New York, and Jake and I continued our honeymoon for one more week.

  * * *

  Life returned back to normal after our honeymoon. Jake and I were settled in our new home and settled in our jobs. I saw my dad every day and he couldn’t have been happier. We had dinner with them twice a week. One night at my apartment and one night at the penthouse. Sometimes, we made it three nights a week and we out to dinner. My life was perfect, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I was married to the love of my life and had the best family in the world.

  A few months after our honeymoon, I discovered that I was pregnant. It certainly wasn’t planned, but it happened, and Jake and I were so happy. I waited to tell my parents when we were having dinner one night at the penthouse. My dad was pouring the wine and handed me a glass.

  “Oh, no thanks, Dad,” I said.

  “Why? You always have wine with your dinner.”

  “I just don’t feel like having any tonight,” I said as my mom looked at me and smiled.

  “Julia Rose, is there something you want to tell us?” she asked.

  Jake walked over to me, took my hand, and smiled.

  “Mom, Dad, we’re having a baby!” I said.

  My mom put her hands over her mouth in excitement. “Oh my God, Julia,” she said as she walked over and hugged me. “Congratulations.”

  I looked at my dad as he stood there with tears in his eyes. He held out his arms and I went to him. He hugged me so tightly, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

  “Congratulations, Princess. I can’t believe it. I thought the two of you were going to wait?”

  “We were, but it just happened.” Jake smiled.

  “Are you happy, Dad?” I asked as I looked at him.

  “Of course I am. I couldn’t be any happier. The thought of a child running around here again makes me very happy.” He smiled.

  This was my life. From growing up as Julia Rose Black, daughter of millionaire, Connor Black, to being Mrs. Jake Jensen, wife and soon-to-be mother. My life was fulfilled and now it was time to start my own family and teach my children about life, the same way my parents had taught me.

  Collin

  New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author

  Sandi Lynn

  Collin Copyright © 2014 Sandi Lynn

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used factitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  Mission Statement

  Sandi Lynn Romance

  Providing readers with romance novels that will whisk them away

  to another world and from the daily grind of life – one book at a time.

  Chapter 1

  I looked at the time on my phone as I was stuck in the famous New York City traffic. My mom was going to kill me if I was late for dinner again. I was expected to be at home for dinner two nights a week. The two nights that Julia and Jake came over and we all have dinner as a family. I should’ve left Black Enterprises earlier, but I had an unexpected visitor and she was smoking hot. One thing led to another, we had sex, and now I was going to be late. I parked the Range Rover and took the elevator up the penthouse. As I walked through the elevator doors, I headed straight to the kitchen where I heard everyone talking. Thank God, they hadn’t started eating yet.

  “There you are,” my mom said as she walked over and kissed me on the cheek.

  Something was going on. Everyone was way too happy. Julia smiled as I kissed her on the cheek, and I shook Jake’s hand.

  “What’s up? I’m sensing there’s a celebration or something.”

  Julia looked at me and grabbed my hand. “I’m pregnant. You’re going to be an uncle.” She smiled.

  “What?! Congratulations!” I exclaimed as I pulled her into an embrace.

  “Thank you, little brother.”

  I reached over and gave Jake a light hug. “Congratulations, bro. Wow. I thought you guys were going to wait a couple of years?”

  “Yeah. So did we. But it happened, and we couldn’t be happier.” Jake smiled.

  I turned to my dad who was grinning from ear to ear. “Well, looks like you’re going to be a grandpa.” I smiled as I hooked my arm around him.

  “Yeah, and I think one grandchild is enough for now. You reek like perfume and I’m assuming she was the reason you’re late.”

  “I was working, Dad. I got the contracts ready for tomorrow’s meeting.”

  “Really, because when I left the office three hours ago, you were almost finished.” He sighed.

  I walked away because I didn’t need his shit. He didn’t understand what I was going through and I was in no mood for a Connor Black lecture. My mom and Julia called us to the table, and we all sat down and enjoyed a family dinner. I was happy for Julia and Jake. They were going to make amazing parents. She was glowing, Jake was all smiles, my parents were ecstatic, and I was happy that now there was something other than me, Connor and Ellery could focus on.

  I hadn’t been the model son since Hailey left. I wanted it to work but she said that with her being in Italy, and me in New York, it wouldn’t. She left to study fashion when was accepted by one of the top schools of design and interning with a well-known, up and coming designer. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for her and the thing that hurt me the most was she wasn’t even willing to try and have a long-distance relationship. She left without even so much as a sorry. My twenty-second birthday was in a couple of weeks and we had been seeing each other for almost six years. How do you just throw the past six years of your life away? I thought we had something, and I thought that I meant something to her. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Well, those days are gone now. I’d never let another woman do that to me. Since she left, I’ve partied too much, drank too much, had sex with every woman that looked my way, and I’d been labeled New York’s most eligible playboy. Much like my dad, women fell over me. My mom called it the Black Curse. I’d decided that many women are better than just one. No relationships, no strings, no frills, nothing. Just good sex and a sweet goodbye. When one woman left, another stepped in her place.

  “Are you okay, Collin?” my mom asked.

  I looked at her as she stared at me with her blue eyes
. “Yes, I’m fine. Why?”

  “You seem distant. Your sister asked you a question and you didn’t answer her.”

  The truth was, I was lost in my thoughts about Hailey and I didn’t hear her. “I’m sorry, Julia, what did you say?”

  She looked at me with pursed lips. “We’ll talk later, after dinner.”

  “Okay.” I smiled as I finished eating.

  * * *

  As I pulled my phone from my pocket, I went upstairs to my room and sat down on my bed. Julia lightly knocked on the door and asked if she could come in.

  “Hey.” I smiled as I held out my hand to her.

  She took it and sat down next to me. “I’m worried about you, Collin.”

  “Don’t be, sis. I’m all right.”

  “It’s been a couple of months since Hailey left. Have you talked to her?”

  “No. She made it clear that it would probably be best if we didn’t because it would make things harder. What the fuck ever. I’m over her and moving on.”

  Julia put her arm around me.

  “I don’t think you’re over her and there’s no way you can be. It hasn’t been long enough, and I know damn well when you’ve been in a relationship as long as the two of you were, it’s just not that easy to get over.

  “Yeah, well, you’re wrong. I’ve wasted the last six years of my life on a bullshit relationship. I won’t ever do that again. I’m exploring, going out and having fun. I’m doing what I should’ve been doing the past six year instead of being tied down to one girl.”

  “I know you don’t mean that, Collin.”

  The truth was maybe I did mean it. I was still angry at her for leaving our relationship behind. I looked at my watch and it was time to hit the bar with Aiden. I gave Julia a kiss on the cheek and got up from the bed.