FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET

by Lynn, Sandi

  “Okay, Ellery.” He set his glass down and walked over to me as I got up from the chair. He knew what I was doing, and I could tell he was grateful.

  “Your father would be very disappointed in you right now,” his mother scowled.

  Connor stepped dead in his tracks and I knew this was it. I braced myself for what was to come.

  * * *

  Connor

  I balled my fist and pressed my lips together to keep from saying anything, but it didn’t help. The anger of what my father had done and kept secret grew inside me every day. I turned around and looked at my mother as she stood there with her arms crossed.

  “Disappointed? Him?”

  “Dad, come on. Mom’s not feeling well,” Collin interrupted.

  I held my hand up to him as I stared straight at my mother, my eyes burning into hers.

  “Did the article go on to say what a respectable family man he was? How much he loved his wife and children? And how he’d be dearly missed?”

  Her lips were twitching, and I could see the anger grow within her eyes.

  “Connor, that’s enough. You’re tired. We all are. We should go.” Ellery grabbed my hand.

  She was right. I needed to leave. We began heading to the foyer.

  “How dare you disrespect your father that way!” she screamed.

  I yanked my hand away from Ellery’s and turned on my heels. “How dare I disrespect him? How dare he disrespect this family by having a love child with his mistress and keep him hidden away for the past twenty-eight years!” I yelled.

  “What?!” Cassidy screamed. “Connor, that’s enough!”

  My mother looked down for a moment and didn’t say a word. It was at that moment I knew she had known about it. I stepped closer to her.

  “You knew, didn’t you?”

  “Mom. What’s Connor talking about?”

  “We’re going to go. Come on, Julia,” Collin said. They all scurried out of the house.

  My mother took a seat in her favorite wing-backed chair and refused to look at me. I paced around the room.

  “Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?” Cassidy yelled.

  “Despite his shortcomings, he was a good man who provided well for his family,” my mother spoke in a soft voice.

  Cassidy walked over and knelt down in front of her. “So what Connor said is true? Daddy had another child?”

  “Yes, Cass. We have a brother named Lucas and he’s twenty-eight years old,” I replied before my mother could even answer her.

  My sister was hurt, and tears started to fall down her face. Ellery walked over and wrapped her arm around her, leading her to the couch to sit down.

  “Why didn’t you ever tell us?” I asked calmly.

  “Because it was nobody’s business and I wasn’t having this family’s name ruined. Your father took care of the situation so no one would ever find out.”

  “He’s my brother! Don’t you think Cassidy and I had a right to know?”

  She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “How did you find out?”

  “The day I came over to clean out his office for you. I first found a picture of him holding a baby outside a house. Then I found the purchase agreement for the house. Collin and I took a trip to Cherry Hill to find out what the hell was going on. That’s when the neighbor next door told us everything. Lucas was at Dad’s funeral. Did you know that? Do you even know him?”

  She took in a sharp breath. “I saw him at the funeral, and I spoke to him. I told him to leave and never come back. He had no business being there.”

  At this point, Cassidy was sobbing, and Ellery was trying everything she could to comfort her.

  “What the hell do you mean? That was his father! He had every right to be there!”

  “Your father did what he had to do and made sure they were taken care of financially. That was the deal he made with Charlotte and she accepted. So now you know, and it will never be discussed again. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going upstairs to bed. I’m leaving in a couple of days and I need my rest. Good night.”

  She left the room and I walked over to Cassidy and grabbed her hand. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Sorry? You should have told me the minute you found out.”

  “I know. But I didn’t want you to hurt the way I was and still am. I was trying to protect you, sis.”

  “Protect me? I don’t need protecting, Connor. I’m a big girl and I can handle what life throws at me. I’m pissed off at you,” she said as she got up from the couch. “I’m going home, and I suggest you do the same. I’ll talk to you when I calm the fuck down, but I don’t know how long it’ll take.”

  She left the house and I took a seat next to Ellery. She placed her arm around me and gave me a kiss on my cheek.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

  “She pushed me, Elle. I had no choice but to say something.”

  “I know. It was bound to come out sooner or later. Let’s go home, Connor.”

  Chapter 17

  Collin

  “So then it’s settled.” My mom smiled as she looked at me and Amelia. “We’ll have your wedding reception at the beach house. I’ll get the invitations ready.”

  “Thanks, Mom. We just want it to be casual and fun.”

  “We can discuss it more this weekend when we all go up there to celebrate Amelia’s graduation.”

  I couldn’t believe she was already graduating. I was so proud of her and all the things she had to overcome.

  “If we’re done here, Amelia and I have to go. We’re meeting some friends at a club tonight to celebrate the end of Amelia’s college years.”

  My mom stood up and gave us each a hug and kiss. “Have fun and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Ethan and I are having lunch.” She smiled.

  “Really, Mom? You’re having lunch with my assistant?”

  “Yes. Do you have a problem with that, Collin?” She raised her brow.

  I sighed. “No, Mom. No problem.”

  “I didn’t think so.” She winked.

  Amelia and I stepped into the elevator and went home to change and get ready for the club. When we arrived, our friends were already sitting at a table. We had a couple of drinks, talked, laughed, and had a great time. That was until I went up to the bar to get another drink and saw Hailey.

  “Oh my God, Collin! It’s so good to see you.” She hugged me tight. “You know, since I’ve been back, we really haven’t had a chance to talk. We should double date some time. I’d really like to get to know Amelia better.”

  She was overly excited and talking really fast. She was stoned out of her mind. Not only did her bizarre actions tell me, but so did her eyes. She was wearing a tank top and I noticed a large bruise on her arm.

  “That’s one nasty bruise,” I commented as I pointed to it.

  “Oh that. It’s fine. I don’t even know how it happened.”

  Marcus came up behind her and placed his hand on her waist. She flinched.

  “Hey, Collin.”

  “Hey.” I nodded.

  “Come on, baby. We need to go now.”

  “But—”

  “I said now!” he snapped.

  “Think about that double date,” she said as she walked away.

  I got our drinks and went back to the table. I was bothered by that encounter with Hailey and I knew she wasn’t okay. Shit. I handed Amelia her drink and sat down, placing my hand on her shoulder and leaning into her.

  “I just saw Hailey. She was stoned out of her mind.”

  “Of course she was. She has a problem.”

  “Something else was odd. When Marcus came up behind her and put his hand on her waist, she flinched. Almost as if she was scared.”

  “I don’t know what to say, Collin. She’s obviously troubled, so I think it’s best we stay away from her.”

  “Yeah. Me too.”

  We continued the night with our friends, and as much as I tried to forget about my run in with Hailey, I couldn�
��t.

  That night, after making love, I held Amelia tightly against me.

  “I know you’re still thinking about Hailey.”

  I was stunned that she would even say something like that. “No I’m not. Why would you say that?”

  “Because you’re preoccupied, and I know how much it bothered you to see her at the club.”

  “Amelia—”

  She lifted her head and spoke before I could finish my sentence.

  “It’s okay, Collin. You can’t help it and let me tell you why. It’s in your nature. You help people. It’s what you do. You and Hailey have history and, believe me, I’m not bothered by it at all. It’s only natural that you’re concerned about her no matter how much you try to deny it.” She sat up and placed her hand on my chest. “If you want to talk to her and try to help her, then do it. But please stop trying to hide your concern. If you’re doing it because you’re worried about how I would feel, don’t be. You’re my husband and I love you no matter what you decide to do. I would feel horrible if something happened to her and you didn’t at least try to talk to her.”

  I stared into her beautiful eyes and placed my hand on her cheek. “You’re an amazing woman, Amelia Black, and I’m pretty sure I just fell more in love with you at this moment, which I didn’t think was possible.”

  She smiled as she leaned down and softly brushed her lips against mine. “I love you too and I know you’ll do what’s right. Now we have to get some sleep. Six o’clock will be here sooner than we think. Good night, my husband.”

  “Good night, my wife. You owe me shower sex in the morning.”

  She softly laughed as she snuggled back into me and laid her head down on my chest.

  * * *

  I was sitting in my office when my dad walked in, threw a file on my desk, and sat down.

  “Congratulations on sealing the Lupinski deal. I couldn’t have done it better myself.”

  “Thanks, Dad. It was a piece of cake.” I smiled as I leaned back in my chair. “I was thinking about taking a trip out to California to see Diana and Jacob.”

  “Good idea. I think you should. It’s been a while. When were you thinking about going?”

  “Maybe after we get back from the Hamptons. Amelia’s clinicals are over and she doesn’t start her job as a full-time RN for two weeks.”

  My intercom rang. “Yeah, Ethan?”

  “There’s a call on line one for you, Collin.” He cleared his throat. “It’s Ms. Chambers.”

  The corners of my mouth curved up into a smile as I looked at my dad. “Thank you, Ethan, and I’m sorry you had to take that call.”

  I pressed line one and kept it on speakerphone. “Hello, Kitty, how are you?”

  “Pissed as hell, Collin,” she snapped.

  I rolled my eyes and sighed. “I suppose you heard about Lupinski.”

  “Yes, I did, and how sneaky of you to steal him and that deal out from under me. I’ve been trying to call your father, but he won’t return my calls.”

  “That’s because my father is a very busy man and has nothing to do with this. What were you planning on doing? Tattling on me? Listen, Kitty, Lupinski saw a better opportunity with Black Enterprises than he did with Chambers Enterprises. All is fair in business negotiations.”

  “There is no way you could have offered him a better deal than what I did. If you did, then you better be prepared to lose your ass on that deal.”

  “I’m not losing anything, Kitty. The deal was fair. Lupinski knew it and he accepted. I looked at the bigger picture.”

  “You’re a snake, Black, and this isn’t over.”

  “I’ve been called worse. By the way, I love my new assistant, Ethan.” I sat up and leaned closer to the speaker. “This is over, Kitty, and let me warn you. If you so much as start anything, your little kinky secrets and sexual harassment with your employees will be exposed. I don’t think Daddy would like to hear the things his princess does behind closed doors and during office hours. Goodbye, Kitty.”

  My dad snickered. “Ah. You truly are a chip off the old block, and I couldn’t be prouder, son.”

  “Thanks, Dad. Now about that vacation to California…”

  “Consider it a business trip. I want you to go to the gallery and check everything out. I’ll have the plane ready for Monday. Just let me know a time.”

  “Since we’re coming back from the Hamptons Sunday night, Amelia and I will probably want to leave around noon if that’s okay?”

  “Noon it is.” He got up from his chair. “I’ll call the pilot now and have it put on the manifest.”

  I couldn’t wait to tell Amelia we were going to California, and I was beyond excited to see Jacob again.

  Chapter 18

  Ellery

  I opened my eyes as the sun filtered through the crack of the closed curtains. I rolled over and Connor’s side of the bed was empty. I climbed out, slipped on my robe, and followed the aroma of freshly brewed coffee to the kitchen.

  “Good morning, baby.” He smiled when I walked in.

  “Good morning. Why didn’t you wake me up?” I walked over and gave him a kiss.

  “You were sleeping so peacefully and I didn’t want to disturb you. We had a long night last night between Amelia’s graduation and then coming straight here to the beach house.”

  “You’re sweet, darling, but we have so much to do for the party tonight.”

  “Don’t worry. You already have everything covered.” He placed his hands on my hips. “There’s something I want to discuss with you.”

  “Can I have some coffee first?” I smiled.

  “Of course you can. Go sit down and I’ll bring you a cup.”

  I watched him as he reached up into the cabinet and took down a mug. He seemed to be doing better since his confrontation with his mother and he and Cassidy had worked things out. He set the coffee cup in front of me and kissed the top of my head. Taking a seat next to mine, he held his cup in his hand and looked at me.

  “I’m thinking that maybe it’s time to retire and hand the company over to Collin.”

  “What? You said you were going to wait a couple of years,” I spoke in surprise.

  “I know, but Collin has more than proven himself and I know that between him and Julia, I don’t have to worry. We can start traveling more and seeing the places we always wanted to see.”

  “I love the idea, Connor, but—”

  He took hold of my hand. “I know what you’re thinking, Elle. You’re worried about Brayden. But don’t be. We won’t take long vacations and my thought is that it’s best to do this now before Julia and Jake have another baby. Plus, don’t forget, Collin and Amelia may surprise us one day.”

  “True.”

  “At that point, we could just take care of our grandchildren while our own children go off to work and run my company.”

  I set my cup down and leaned into him. “I love the idea. When were you planning on handing the company over?”

  “I was thinking within the next three months. I have Lou working on some things.”

  There was a knock at the door and Connor got up to answer it. The thought of him retiring excited me. We’d been talking about this moment since the day the children were born. Being with him every day, traveling to the most exotic places, and not having to worry about Black Enterprises was a dream. I’d miss my children terribly when we were gone, but we raised them, and now that they had families of their own, it was time for me and Connor to spend some time alone without any worries.

  * * *

  Collin

  My parents threw a huge graduation party for Amelia, and I couldn’t have been happier. It was something I wanted to do myself for her, but my mom told me not to be silly and that she would take care of it. She loved the control and I couldn’t fault her for it, especially since I got married in Vegas without them.

  “Hey, Jake, do you know where Julia is?”

  “Yeah. She’s down by the water with Brayden. Speaking o
f the water, how about a little surfing tomorrow morning before we leave?”

  “Sounds good, bro.”

  I walked down to the beach and saw Julia bent over, holding Brayden so his feet were getting wet by the water.

  “He seems to love that.” I smiled as I walked up next to her.

  “He does. He’s going to love it here just like we do. Think about it, Collin, when I have more kids and you and Amelia start a family, we can create the same memories here that Mom and Dad did for us.”

  “We sure can. I’m looking forward to it. I wanted to talk to you.”

  “What’s up?”

  “When me and Amelia were at the club last week, I ran into Hailey and she was stoned out of her mind. She was saying all sorts of weird shit like how she wants to get to know Amelia better and how we should double date. I may be going out on a limb here, but I think Marcus is hurting her physically.”

  She turned her head and narrowed her eyes at me. “Why do you think that?”

  “She had a large bruise on her arm, and she said she didn’t know how it happened.”

  “So? I get bruises all the time and I don’t know where they came from.” She handed me Brayden and I continued to soak his feet in the water.

  “When he walked up to her and placed his hands on her hips, she flinched.”

  “Maybe she was surprised and caught off guard.”

  “Nah, I saw the look of fear in her eyes. When he said they were leaving, she tried to tell him no and he yelled at her.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t like her talking to her ex-boyfriend,” Julia spoke.

  “Whatever. She approached me. My point is, I need to put the past aside and talk to her in private about her problem. If she keeps going down this road, something’s going to happen to her.”

  “I agree and I’m thrilled you want to finally talk to her about it, but people can’t be saved unless they want to be.”

  “I know. But I’d feel a lot better if I at least tried. I just don’t understand what happened to her. Peyton and Henry are amazing and loving parents.”