Forever Yours

by Melissa Tereze

“Then don’t.” Georgina stepped closer, the tiny gap in the door stopping her from pulling Paisley against her. Whispering how much she loved her. Never letting her go. “If you don’t love me and last night was just fun for you…I’ll let you walk away. But if this is because of him, please, I need you to stay.”

  “How could you ever want someone like me?” Paisley cried. “Someone who came from the absolute pits of hell? From him.”

  “Baby, you’re nothing like him. You never will be.”

  Paisley closed her eyes and steadied her breathing.

  “Don’t let what he did to us in the past ruin our future.” Georgina’s voice trembled. “I haven’t spent the last couple of weeks craving the same air as you for nothing. That will never change. I’m here because I love you and I want to repair what he broke.”

  Paisley lowered her head. “You can’t be serious.”

  “You really want to know just how serious I am?” Georgina asked, her voice low. “Do you?”

  Paisley lifted her head, focusing fully on Georgina’s eyes. “Y-yes.”

  “Then let me inside.”

  Paisley closed the door, removing the chain from the back of it as she did. When the door opened again, Georgina immediately pushed her way inside.

  “Marry me.” The words fell effortlessly from Georgina’s mouth, not a single hint of hesitation present. “I’m so in love with you, Paisley. I don’t ever want to see you leaving, so please…know how serious I am about us and be my wife.”

  “I-I–”

  “I’ve wasted three years missing you. Loving you. Wanting to be with you every second of the day. I don’t care what he did or didn’t do anymore…he’s gone and I’m back.” Georgina cupped Paisley’s tear stained face, her thumb feathering her bottom lip. “Baby…”

  “Y-you, just…”

  Georgina smiled. “Yes, I did. I’ve just asked you to be my wife, and I’m serious. Every single piece of me wants you, Paisley Healy. All of it.”

  “Oh, God.” Will broke their moment, sobbing into his hands.

  Georgina could only smile his way, her heart not quite settled with the fear that Paisley may still run.

  “Can you promise me that you won’t hate me down the line?” Paisley asked. “When the realisation of who I am hits you?”

  “I know who you are.” Georgina leaned in, capturing Paisley’s lips. “I’ve known from the moment I met you who you are.”

  “And I’m enough?” Paisley leaned into Georgina’s touch. “After what he did to you…am I still enough?”

  “What he did to us,” Georgina corrected. “You were just as much a part of this as me.”

  “But he didn’t hurt me. At least, not to my knowledge.”

  “I took the hurt for you, Paisley.” Georgina kicked the door shut, guiding Paisley further into her apartment. “And I’d do it again if I had to.”

  “I need to know everything, Gee,” Paisley said, sniffling. “I want the full truth, okay?”

  “You can have it.” Georgina nodded. “But first, I need an answer from you.”

  “Yes.”

  “Y-yes?” Georgina’s smile grew. She hadn’t expected that response. Not any time soon. “You mean, actually yes?”

  “I mean actually yes.” Paisley wrapped her arms around Georgina’s neck, kissing her deeply.

  Will was still standing by watching, but Georgina didn’t care. If it hadn’t been for him, this may not be happening. At least, not how Georgina wanted it to. The plan to ask Paisley to marry her was in her mind; it had been since before her return. She knew one day they would surely be together. She’d even purchased a ring two years ago that she carried with her everywhere. Georgina didn’t know when she would step foot back in Liverpool, but she had to be prepared. The problem was…with the rush from leaving home only twenty minutes ago, she had, in fact, forgotten Paisley’s ring.

  “Come home with me, Paisley.” Georgina pressed her forehead to Paisley’s. “Come home, where you should be.”

  “Forever?”

  Georgina smiled. “Forever.”

  14

  Paisley stood at the kitchen counter, shoving her second cookie into her mouth. Georgina was upstairs changing into something more comfortable. The sound of her rummaging around making Paisley smile. They had a lot to discuss, especially about Paisley’s father, but it didn’t need to happen immediately. Paisley did want it all out in the open by the end of the night, though—providing Georgina agreed—so they could finally begin their lives together tomorrow. Christmas Eve.

  She reached for another cookie, stopped by the sound of Georgina descending the staircase. She turned to find Georgina watching her, smiling. Paisley smiled back, distraught by her outburst earlier today. In that moment, when Paisley saw red, she had every intention of leaving. It wasn’t the marriage proposal that convinced her to stay—she didn’t need a proposal from Georgina—it was the words. The promise in Georgina’s voice that she didn’t see Paisley in any other way than how she’d always seen her. Just her. Not her family name or her father. That, to Paisley, meant the world.

  They continued to watch one another, Georgina inching closer with every breath Paisley took. Her chest didn’t heave, her knees didn’t weaken, her heart simply burst with an unimaginable amount of love. A love Paisley wasn’t sure she’d felt the first time around. Georgina looked at her differently. She approached her differently. The world they were now in was the complete opposite of what it once was.

  Paisley narrowed her eyes as Georgina smirked. “What?”

  “You’ve been eating the cookies…”

  “Uh, no I haven’t.” Paisley snorted. “I was waiting for you.”

  Georgina took her by the hand, pressing her body against Paisley’s. She lowered her head, taking Paisley’s bottom lip between her own, and moaned. “Mm, as I thought.”

  “You’ve lost me.”

  “You had chocolate chip on your lip.” Georgina laughed, wrapping her arms around Paisley’s waist. “One that tasted better off you than in one of those.” Georgina motioned over Paisley’s shoulder at the cookies. “So much better.”

  “So…” Paisley breathed out.

  “Before we get into anything else,” Georgina started. “I have something I want to give you.”

  “Give me?” Paisley frowned, glancing down between the sliver of space separating her and Georgina. “O-oh.” Her breath caught. “Is that what I think it is?”

  Georgina released her grip on Paisley’s body, dropping to one knee in front of her in the kitchen. “Paisley…”

  Paisley steeled herself for what was to come. Georgina Weaver was down on one knee and nothing in the world made sense. How could she have been alone this time last month, wasting her time with a woman who dropped her in a matter of seconds? How was any of this happening in real time?

  “You cannot begin to imagine how I feel having you here, in this home, where you should be. I still can’t quite believe it’s real. But it is, beautiful. It is so real and what we have is something special.” Georgina smiled softly. “I don’t know what dream I woke up from, or how I’ve come to be here with you like this, but God, I’ll never want or need anything else in life so long as I have you.”

  Paisley’s eyes welled with tears, that familiar feeling of love settling within her, relaxing her.

  “The things I did, I did them to protect you. Nothing matters to me more than your safety and your life. Don’t ever think for one second that I see him when I look at you. I see you. My beautiful Paisley. The woman I should have been here with all along.”

  “Gee…” Paisley used the cuff of her hoodie to wipe her damp cheeks. “God, I love you so much.”

  “So, officially…will you be my wife?”

  “Yes.” Paisley pulled Georgina back up to her feet, drawing her into a passionate kiss. A kiss she’d longed for. A kiss she’d dreamt about. Last night had been more than she could handle, but this time felt different. She was going to be Georgina’s w
ife…life would always be different.

  “You actually kept these socks all this time?” Georgina wiggled her toes, their legs tangled into a mess of limbs on the couch. “They’re the exact ones?”

  “Yep.” Paisley nodded, nuzzling into Georgina’s chest. Her hand sat splayed out, a dazzling engagement ring on show. Paisley hadn’t stopped looking at it all evening—she wasn’t sure she ever would. “The very same ones.”

  “I kept hold of a few things, too”

  Paisley tilted her head up. “Like what?”

  “Your voicemails.”

  Paisley closed her eyes, the sensations of Georgina’s nails grazing her scalp almost sending her off to sleep. This night so far had been fulfilling in more ways than one, but this – Georgina’s hands on her – this was the greatest. It always would be. She massaged Paisley’s head perfectly and without request, knowing exactly where to apply a little pressure.

  “I had terrible anxiety,” Georgina said. “I woke up every morning and checked they hadn’t deleted themselves.”

  “Every morning?”

  “Honestly.” Georgina nodded. “Whether I was in bed alone or not, every morning I grabbed my phone and checked.”

  “What did your wife think of all of this?” Paisley asked, intrigued about the dynamics of their relationship. Surely Georgina’s ex-wife didn’t know who Paisley was.

  “As I told you, we were simply together to knock them off my tail.” Georgina sighed. “And I know, it’s awful. But I think it worked.”

  “How do you know it worked?”

  “Your dad…” Georgina cleared her throat. “He stopped following me around Scotland about a year and a half after I left Liverpool.”

  Paisley frowned. “He actually followed you?”

  “He did.”

  “Wow.” Paisley sat up, running her fingers through her hair. “I mean, I don’t even know what to say to all of this.”

  “You don’t have to say anything.” Georgina placed her hand on top of Paisley’s. “And please, don’t apologise for him. You did nothing wrong. My only hope is that he didn’t make your life hell.”

  “No.” Paisley shook her head. “But it all makes sense now.”

  “What does?”

  “He used to tell us he was getting the ferry over to Ireland,” Paisley explained. “Quite often actually. Most weekends.”

  “Mm, but he wasn’t.” Georgina smiled weakly, her eyes lowering to their hands. “He was driving up north to check I’d kept to my word.”

  “I understand now why you didn’t go to the police.” Paisley turned her hand over, lacing her fingers with Georgina’s. “You knew what he was like. I’d told you all about him.”

  “It wasn’t just that.” Georgina swallowed. “It was the night he was waiting for me at my car. When I’d just dropped you at home.”

  Paisley’s blood ran cold. “The night I told you I loved you?”

  “He had a shotgun.” Georgina breathed out. The fear in her voice was still there. Paisley suspected it always would be. “I didn’t believe him at first. I couldn’t. Then he pressed it against me…t-threatened to hurt you.” Paisley’s throat dried, her hands slowly beginning to tremble. Hearing this from Georgina herself was tearing her heart in two. It never should have been this way.

  “No,” Paisley whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Georgina had been through a lot for them, and with each moment that passed, Paisley felt her father and his wrongdoings slip away for the final time. She felt him vanishing from her headspace. He didn’t belong there. He didn’t deserve a moment’s thought as far as Paisley was concerned. If Patrick Healy hadn’t already been dead, he would have been to Paisley.

  “I’m sorry, beautiful.” Georgina pulled Paisley against her. “I never wanted you to know any of this. Not now, anyway.”

  “I needed to know.”

  “But did you?” Georgina pressed. “Really?”

  “Yes. In some way, I trusted you…but I needed to know so I could put our past behind us.”

  “In case I ever left again.” Georgina nodded, understanding where Paisley was going with this conversation. If Paisley could ever see anything in Georgina’s eyes, it was honesty and understanding. “You do know that I wouldn’t ever again, don’t you?”

  “I do now, yes.” Paisley curled her body around Georgina, holding her as close as she possibly could. “I hate him.”

  Georgina pressed her lips to Paisley’s forehead. “Me too. But we move forward, okay?”

  “Yes, we do.” Paisley’s hand slid beneath Georgina’s pyjama top, shuddering as she gently caressed her skin. “You’re still ticklish.”

  “Me? Never.”

  Paisley repeated the movement, smirking when Georgina’s muscles contracted once again. Georgina held her breath, but Paisley stilled her hand. “I can’t believe you’re home.”

  “I couldn’t stay away any longer. I was going crazy up there. Scotland is very beautiful, but it’s not me. I’m a city girl, Paisley.”

  “You’re my girl,” Paisley said. “And this.” Paisley flashed her engagement ring. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Well, you better believe it. It’s so happening.”

  “Hey…” Paisley climbed into Georgina’s lap. “I’m sorry the casserole was ruined.” Paisley could have kicked herself for ruining dinner. Everything was supposed to be perfect, but when she found out about her father and his involvement in Georgina disappearing, Paisley threw it into the sink. Now, they were left with nothing for dinner. “Can I make you something else?”

  “Nope.” Georgina caressed Paisley’s thighs, smirking as her hands moved higher. “I have other plans that don’t involve food. But, maybe later…”

  “Okay, I’m intrigued.” Paisley leaned down, her hands braced at either side of Georgina’s head against the couch. Their lips brushed, Paisley’s hair falling down her shoulder. “God, I’ve missed you like you couldn’t imagine.”

  “Baby.” Georgina whimpered when Paisley ground into her lap. “I-I have a confession to make.”

  Paisley froze. She didn’t like where this was going. Pulling back, her forehead rested against Georgina’s, their eyes boring into one another’s.

  “When I was away,” she started, “I used to shower every morning…thinking about you.”

  Paisley smiled, her breath tickling Georgina’s lips. “You did?” Paisley knew exactly where this was going, and now she knew she liked it. Georgina had a way with words, and that sentence alone could have brought Paisley to her knees.

  “I wanted to feel closer to you. God, I needed you, Paisley.”

  “Tell me what you did…”

  Georgina’s eyes closed momentarily, her hand sliding up Paisley’s back. “I thought about how you used to moan…for me,” Georgina said. “How you were always so wet for me. I just…” Georgina tugged her bottom lip. “I touched myself thinking about you.”

  Paisley grew breathless, her pulse thundering in her ears. She nodded slowly, her lips slightly parted. Her hips moved against Georgina’s thigh of their own accord, but Paisley wouldn’t prevent it. She was too in the moment to care.

  “I thought about the times you would touch me. How gentle you were…but in control.” Georgina lifted her head, nipping Paisley’s bottom lip as her hand moved lower, gripping her ass. “Those nights when I shook beneath you…fuck.”

  Paisley ground harder, needing more friction than she was receiving. She loved this side of Georgina. Using her free hand, Georgina lifted Paisley’s T-shirt up, taking a nipple between her teeth and sucking hard.

  “O-oh.” Paisley fell forward, her elbows buckling.

  Georgina rolled her tongue, releasing the hardened bud. “Nobody has ever been so deep inside me, Paisley. Those mornings I thought about you…I thought about your fingers. Deep. Hard.” Georgina’s hand suddenly disappeared past the elasticated waistband of Paisley’s sweats. Paisley knew exactly how aroused she was, and as Georgina’s fingers probed, slick with he
r wetness, Paisley released a guttural moan.

  Georgina gasped. “Fuck, you’re soaked.”

  “Only ever for you.” Paisley rocked against Georgina’s hand, willing her to move down, to sink inside her. “Babe…”

  “You need more.” Georgina smiled into a kiss, her tongue slipping into Paisley’s mouth.

  Without another word, Georgina did exactly what Paisley’s body begged for. Two fingers pushed inside her with ease, the sound of sex filling Georgina’s living room. Their living room.

  “O-oh, please.” Paisley begged. “Harder.”

  Georgina thrust harder and deeper with every push. Every movement. Paisley could only imagine how wet her fiancée must be for her, but the pleasure was too intense to find out. Paisley needed a release, one that came in the form of Georgina.

  “God, I want you to come for me, Paisley,” Georgina whispered, the hunger in her eyes hurtling Paisley towards the edge of one hell of an intense orgasm. “Mm, that’s it.” Paisley’s walls clenched. “So good.”

  “S-shit.” Paisley fell forward completely, gasping and writhing as Georgina remained buried inside her. “Oh, fuck.”

  “Mm.” Georgina turned her head into Paisley’s neck, slipping out of her and teasing her swollen clit. “I could go again,” she said low in Paisley’s ear. “I could go all night.”

  “U-upstairs.” Paisley’s chest continued to heave. “And lose the clothes on the way.”

  15

  Paisley climbed from her car, the air crisp as she trudged across the swamp-like grass. She didn’t want to be here this morning—or ever again—but she felt it appropriate. Georgina was at home packing for her stay with Paisley, and this would be the last time Paisley ever came here. Her father’s grave. The man who raised her. The man who also ruined her life.

  Paisley kept walking, eyeing the statue to the right of the white marble gravestone. At the sight of the name Healy engraved in huge letters, Paisley shuddered. Could she change her name? It wouldn’t take much, and she didn’t suppose her mum would mind. Shit, Mum. Paisley was yet to tell her mother about the past. Yes, her mum knew who Georgina was, but she didn’t know the reasons for her leaving.