His Forever Girl

by Darling, Lucy

  His Forever Girl

  Lucy Darling

  Copyright © 2020 by Lucy Darling

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  “Because of you, I laugh a little harder, cry a little less, and smile a lot more.”

  - unknown

  Contents

  Summary

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  Forever Her Cowboy

  Prologue

  Also by Lucy Darling

  CONNECT WITH ME!

  Summary

  Zoey Hawthorne has always been my forever. Best friends since we were kids, she and I were meant to be. Until I screwed it all up before we went to high school. I had to step away before I ruined my shot with the girl who held my heart in her hands.

  Letting her go was the biggest regret of my life. Making it up to her won’t be easy, but I have to show her that I never lost sight of her. I mean that literally and figuratively. Zoey’s not just my love, she’s my obsession. I worry for her, care for her, and above all, want to protect her. She’s too good for me, but that’s not going to stop me from having her.

  Loving Zoey has never been optional for me. She’s the one, and I intend to show her just how much she means to me.

  1

  Zoey

  I stare down at the giant folder in my hands. I know what it is. I’ve been waiting for it. I bite my lip, not opening it yet. How can you want something and not want it at the same time? That’s how I’m feeling at the moment.

  Of course, one of the only reasons something like that could happen to a girl is because of a boy. And my situation is no different. I hold the future I’ve always dreamed of in my hands. Years ago, it would have included him, but now the thought of him being there only brings me sadness.

  Mom is still at work. I’ve just gotten home from school. Like every day since I sent in my admissions letters to dozens of colleges, I immediately ran to the mailbox to check to see if my letter had come. I’ve already received a bunch of acceptance letters from a handful of colleges which included a lot of scholarships and perks.

  The one in my hands, though, is the one I’ve really been waiting for. This is the college I’ve been dreaming about going to since I was a little girl. The same college that Reid Knight will be attending. The boy from next door who got a full ride too after taking our school to the state championship in football and winning. Reid always won.

  My cell phone vibrates across my bed. Willow's name lights up. I guess she got her letter today too. We did all of our admissions letters together. It is how we’ve done everything since the seventh grade. She was there to pick up the pieces when my childhood best friend, Reid, dropped me and pretended as though I never existed. After all these years, nothing has changed when it comes to Reid. He still acts that way.

  I answer the call and put it on speaker. “I got in!” Willow screams through the phone. “My parents are over the moon about it.” The sarcasm in her tone can’t be missed. There are two different groups of kids in our school. There are the rich kids and then all the other kids.

  Willow came from the rich part of town. Her trust alone would have her set for life if she wanted. Both of her parents are workaholics. She spends more time at my house than her own.

  “Well?” she asks. “If I got in, there is no way you didn't get it.” That’s not necessarily true. The Harlow last name carries weight to it. Both Willow and I aced all of our classes, but my test scores were off the charts. We’ve also done a million and one extracurricular activities. I swear we were in more clubs than I could count. We wanted to make sure to have enough to put on our applications.

  “I haven’t opened it yet,” I tell her.

  “My envelope was small, so don’t think it might not be an acceptance.”

  “Mine isn't small.”

  Willow sucks in a deep breath. “You got a full ride. I know it! Open it, you’re killing me here. I’ll drive over there and open it myself if you don’t hurry up.” She would.

  I slowly open the envelope, pulling out the papers. My eyes well with tears. All of my hard work has paid off.

  “I got in,” I whisper. “A full ride.”

  Willow starts screaming. I can see her in my mind over there dancing around. I wanted in so badly but knew that college would cost so much.

  I didn't want to put that strain on my mom. It’s not that she couldn't pay it; I just know it would be a huge cost. I also know if I’d gotten accepted even without a scholarship that Mom would push me to go. Even if one of the others offered me more perks, she would insist I go to the one I really wanted to.

  Now I don’t have to. I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry. I’m filled with so many emotions. I thought I’d be celebrating this with him, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Why do I let my mind take me to that place again? I have to learn to push past that; my future is literally in my hands.

  “We’re sharing a dorm room. I demand it.” I let out a small laugh. Most people don’t get to pick who they dorm with in their freshman year, but I guarantee Willow will somehow make it happen.

  “He’s going to be there,” I remind her.

  “Fuck him.” The words come easily from Willow. They are ones that she’s uttered many times before. Needless to say, our school has cliques. The football guys, of course, are one of them. Then there are the cheerleaders and dance squad that follow them around. There is a drama crew and a few others. Willow and I always floated on the outskirts of everyone. Of course, with all the clubs and such for school activities we blended in here and there. Plus, I was in charge of most of the pictures that go in the back of the year book.

  Most of the time it felt like I had the plague. I never got any school crushes or dates. Willow begged me to go to one dance, and I did. Not once did anyone ask me to dance. The only thing I found myself doing was stealing glimpses at Reid that night. He looked so handsome in his suit.

  I could never keep up with who was dating who. It shifted around so much that I hadn't ever tried. Still it dings my ego that not once did someone ask me for my number or to one of the dances. Willow went on dates sometimes. Nothing ever stuck for her, but at least she got to experience dating. I’d take a bad date over no date at all.

  “We should celebrate.”

  “What do you want to do?” I ask. It’s Friday night, and I am excited about this. The only thing I’m not excited about is another four years of Reid.

  I thought I’d finally be getting away from him when I went off to college. It wasn't only him I wanted to get away from, but his friends too. As much as it broke my heart in middle school when he dropped me like a bad habit, it was the people he chose to be friends with that had really hurt.

  I don’t care what anyone says. They were a bunch of jerks. I heard how they talked about other girls. I’ve been on the receiving side of some of their jabs. I think that was what hurt me the most. That he’d not only dropped me but he didn’t even bother to stick up for me. The Reid I remember would never have been okay with that. But what did I know? I was thirteen at the ti
me.

  It was just hard to believe how wrong I had been about Reid Knight.

  2

  Reid

  “It’s going to be fucking weird not to have you throw me the ball anymore,” Jackson says. I’m lying on my bed bored. I throw the football into the air and catch it. I’ve been doing the same thing for the last ten minutes.

  “Things change,” I mumble, sitting up when I think I hear the front door open next door. I have my window open. I get up from the bed and watch as Zoey comes running out of her house. She’s got on jean shorts and a hoodie. I take in her toned legs. Zoey might be on the shorter side, but her legs always got my attention. I think it’s because I often wonder if she could wrap them fully around me while I drove my cock deep inside of her.

  I watch as she jumps into Willow’s black convertible Lexus before taking off. Where the hell are they going? I know there's no way she’s going to Megan’s party. She never shows up at any of the parties. I went mainly with the purpose to make sure she didn’t. The other reason I went was I have fuck all to do. There are only so many times one would think you could masturbate in a night thinking of a girl you can’t have.

  Lately I’ve been wondering why I couldn't have her. For years I have denied myself. I haven’t even allowed myself to be friends with her. I cut her off completely, knowing it was the only way I’d be able to control myself. It’s been fucking torture.

  “It will be good for you to get away.” Jackson slaps me on my shoulder. I’ve never said out loud what Zoey means to me but I think people have gotten the message to stay the fuck away from her.

  Jackson got a front row ticket to the show, though. We worked well together. He caught everything I threw his way. He was who I was closest to on the team. He helped me keep my cool when I started getting worked up.

  I’d stooped so low one time that I had him try and date Willow. She’s a pretty girl. She’s not my type. The only type I have is named Zoey. She’s it for me even if she doesn’t know it. No one looks hotter than Zoey. Jackson was into the idea of taking Willow out. Unfortunately, he only got one date before she dropped him. She didn't seem to date much either.

  “I’m not getting away,” I admit. I go back over to my bed and throw the ball into the air and catch it.

  “Do not tell me you’re going to the same colleges?”

  “Kingston University here we come.”

  He drops his head, shaking it.

  “You know my mom is a therapist.” I chuckle at his sort of joke. I don’t need a therapist, I need Zoey. Thing is, I cut myself out of her life almost completely, and now I don’t know how to get back in there. Or if she’ll even want me back in it. What I do know is that I’ll do anything to make up for what I did to her. She didn’t deserve for me to drop out of her life the way I did.

  I’d started to freak the fuck out when my feelings for Zoey started to change. I couldn’t control the things I started thinking about her. We’d been friends for so long.

  I’ll never forget that day. I close my eyes and remember the look on her face when she tried to sit next to me. The words that came out of my mouth haunt me every single day of my life. I sit up quickly, not wanting to think about it again. But it doesn’t work. The memory of me telling her to get lost plays over and over in my head.

  And she did exactly as I said. She stayed the hell away from me. I rub the area over my heart, hoping the ache I always feel when I think about what happened with her will go away. The only thing that makes me feel better is knowing that I’ll have her for another four years at least. I’m not sure I can keep going on like this. I also know that college is a whole new playing field. It will be too fucking big for me to make sure that fuckheads stay the hell away from my girl. Because she is my girl. Always has been and always will be.

  “Fuck off,” I tell him. “Are you going to the party tonight?”

  Jackson shrugs, not caring if we do or don’t go. I lie there waiting to hear other sounds from next door. When I hear a car pull into the driveway, I start to get up but stop when I hear the garage door open, knowing her mom is home. I’m on edge. It’s the same way every time she goes out.

  “I think we should get out of here for your own sanity,” Jackson says, looking up from his phone.

  “Let’s eat,” I agree. I grab the keys to the truck, making sure I lock the house up behind me, not sure when my pops will be back. His work hours can be all over the place. He owns a mechanic shop. I help out from time to time, but he’s always riding my ass about my grades, saying that school is where my mind should be. I shouldn’t get mad because I know he does it because he wants a better future for me.

  He’s likely right, but my mind is always on two things, and those are Zoey and football. Part of me working so hard at football was for Zoey. I figured that if I went all the way to the NFL that our lives would be made. I’m always planning ahead for our future.

  Even though Zoey doesn't spare me a glance anymore. Her best friend Willow looks at me like I’m something she scraped off the bottom of her shoe. That’s on a good day. On others she looks at me as if she wants to murder me. It doesn’t upset me in the least. It makes me happy knowing that Zoey has such a good friend.

  We drive toward the square. There are a handful of places to eat there. When I spot Willow’s car, I park a few spaces away from it.

  “Fucking hell,” Jackson mutters, knowing exactly what I’m doing. I’m torturing myself. I’m a masochist. I want to look at her. I want to know what she’s doing. I can’t help it.

  Thing is it’s getting worse by the second. With football I had somewhere to take my aggression out. Right now, I feel as though I’m a caged beast, and there is only one thing that will calm me.

  Zoey Hawthorne.

  3

  Zoey

  I snap a picture of Willow as she takes a bite of her burger. She doesn’t say anything, used to me always snapping random pictures.

  We split a cheeseburger and make sure we get an extra order of fries. The Burger House’s burgers are the size of my head. I’m already digging into mine when I see Reid push in the front door. The place isn't packed, so it’s not as if he’s not going to see us.

  The hostess puffs out her chest, wanting to show Reid and Jackson what she has to offer as she talks to them. A few moments later they are sitting in a booth behind me. My back is to Reid. Just freaking great. I put my burger down, losing my appetite.

  My stomach grows tight. Or maybe it’s all of me that tenses up. Willow fills the air with chatter, trying to distract me. I know what she’s doing. She’s making it seem as though we don’t notice they are even there.

  She even goes as far as ordering us apple pie like we aren’t in a hurry to get out of there. When the server starts to head back to our booth with the pie, Reid stands.

  “That’s peach, not apple,” I hear him say, blocking the server from me with his broad body when I turn to look.

  “You’re right. Sorry about that,” I hear the server say. I snap my head back around to look at Willow, pretending I didn’t hear a thing. I’ve always been allergic to peaches. It’s not that they would kill me, but I would break out in hives and end up scratching for hours. It’s miserable.

  My throat grows tight at the thought of him remembering. “Bathroom.” I give Willow a tight smile. She gives me one back, knowing she can’t follow me. It would draw too much attention. But I need a moment to digest what the hell just happened. I don’t understand my emotions. Why can’t I get over this? Over him?

  I take a deep breath when I get into the bathroom, willing myself to get my shit together. When I open the bathroom door, I’m met with Reid’s broad chest.

  “Hey,” he says to me. Hey? Really. He hasn’t spoken to me in years. He barely even spared me a glance, and now he wants to act as if he can say hey and I’m just supposed to fall into line? I stand there confused and shocked.

  “You can actually see me? Wow. All this time I thought I was invisible.” My wor
ds are laced with sarcasm. I really don’t understand what he’s doing. First he stopped the server from bringing me the wrong dessert, and now he’s talking to me. What the hell?

  He runs his hand through his short hair, shifting from foot to foot. For the first time in my life, I think Reid is feeling unsure of something. Not my problem. I push past him. Obviously he lets me because he doesn’t have to move.

  When I get back to our booth, Willow says she’s got the tip as she stands, and we head out the door. “Did he say something to you?” she asks the second we push out the door.

  “I guess. If hey is really saying something to someone.” We slip into her car, taking off. I’m not sure where we’re going. I think she’s just driving around. “It’s weird. It’s like he followed me to the bathroom.”

  “He did,” Willow confirms. “He was coming out right behind you so he never went to the bathroom.” I bite my lip, wondering why. This was going to play on repeat in my head for hours. I’m going to obsess over it. It’s how I am. Especially when it comes to Reid. When he stopped talking to me all those years ago, I had almost driven myself crazy trying to figure out why.

  “We should go to Megan’s party,” I suggest when we pull up to a light. She turns her head and gives me a shocked expression. I’m shocked too, but lying in bed all night obsessing over Reid is not something I do anymore, and I’m not letting the habit reform.