Holding Onto Forever (The Beaumont Series: Next Generation Book 1)

by Heidi McLaughlin

  Noah opens the door to the apartment and scoops me into his arms to carry me over the threshold. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of carrying you,” he says, as he kisses my cheek. He carries me through the hallway and into the living room where two large picture windows overlook the city.

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah, I thought you’d like this. As soon as I saw it online, I saw you curled up on the couch with the fire lit, doing your homework.”

  “You see me living here?”

  “With me,” he says looking into my eyes.

  “As roommates?”

  Noah starts walking toward another hall and steps into a bedroom. It’s tastefully decorated in various shades of purple, but it’s the view that has me falling in love. He sets me on the bed and stands in front of me.

  “I’d like you to live here as my girlfriend, as my lover.”

  “Noah…”

  “For months I’ve been trying to get you alone, but someone is always around. I take you on a date, Quinn shows up. We’re alone at the condo and Elle comes home. I take you to my hotel, your mom calls. Ever since I asked your dad for permission to date you, something has been preventing me from… well, from being with you.”

  “You’ve never told me what my dad said?”

  Noah sits down next to me. “I think that’s between your dad and I, and while I still think that, I have a feeling he’s been plotting against us.”

  I start laughing, but Noah frowns. “I thought you weren’t attracted to me.”

  His eyes go wide. “Are you serious?” Noah shakes his head. “I’ve been walking around with a raging hard-on for months. I mean, at first I was waiting because I wanted to make sure you wanted to be with me, and sometimes I still question--”

  I don’t let Noah finish his statement before attacking him with as much vigor as I can muster. For two people who are in love, we’re horrible about reading each other’s cues, but not anymore. Noah deftly moves us up the bed without breaking our kiss. I’m tugging and pulling at his clothes, trying to get his shirt off and his jeans unbuttoned.

  “Eager?” he asks. I nod and shimmy out of my shorts. “What about this?” he pulls at the hem, but I shake my head. I’m not comfortable taking my top off, and he knows that. Noah nods and pulls his shirt off slowly, revealing his washboard abs. I’ve seen him bare-chested many times, but everything seems different now.

  He slides his jeans down his legs, pausing only to remove a condom from his pocket. I take it from him and examine the packaging.

  “It’s valid, don’t worry.”

  “I’m not worried because I know you would never do anything to hurt me.”

  Noah cups my face and brings his lips to mine. “I love you, so much it hurts sometimes when I think about heading back to work and leaving you.”

  “I love you, Noah. I love you so much.” Our lips and tongue meet again, but now he’s exploring. His hand moves up my shirt and grazes over my scar. My body tenses until his fingers slide under my bra. His large hand easily covers my breast while his other moves to my center. My legs spread, welcoming him. The first brush of his thumb over my sensitive bud sends a quake of shivers over my body.

  Noah is everywhere. And so am I. His mouth is on my neck. My hands are roaming his body, pulling at him to get closer to me. His hands push and grab in all the right places and his fingers… I cry out when they enter me. My hand finds his erection, tugging gently at his smooth-skinned shaft. And when he groans in my ear, I smile.

  He searches for the condom, ripping the package open and sliding the rubber over his hard-on. “This will be fast, Captain. I’ve been waiting for this to happen again since your prom.”

  “Really?”

  Noah answers by pushing himself into my sex and pausing. “You have no idea. I’ve waited for a long time for you, Peyton.”

  Not as long as I have, Noah.

  “I’m yours now,” I tell him as I cup his face. He tilts his head and kisses my palm as he slides into me. My eyes close from the sensation.

  “Open your eyes. I want to see you,” he tells me as he moves languidly. Every thrust, his eyes are on me, and when they’re not, he’s kissing me deeply. I’ve never been made love to before, and I’m thankful I waited for this moment because being with Noah is like no other feeling in the world.

  Our first time, we don’t climax together because let’s get real, we haven’t been together in years. But every time after that, through every room in our new apartment, he plays my body like it’s the two-minute warning and scores each and every time.

  Sometime during the night, he whispers, “I love you. I’m going to love you forever.”

  “Same,” I reply.

  34

  Noah

  Even though I rented a place for Peyton and I in Chicago, I had to convince her to move to Portland with me for a little bit while I prepared for the season. When I wasn’t working my ass off with the team, we would find a deserted field and work on my passing and footwork. Let me tell you something, there’s nothing like watching your girl run after a ball, knowing that months prior she couldn’t even stand on her own.

  My girl’s a superhero.

  My girl’s also back at school and I’m missing her terribly. I bow down to Steve Jobs and the Apple crew for creating FaceTime because without it I’d be going stir crazy. I never thought I was an obsessive sort of guy until Peyton and I finally figured it out. Now it’s like I can’t get enough of her, and the days I am home in Chicago are spent being domesticated. We created a rule in our home when it comes to football. I love that she’s walking the sidelines for the Bears, but hate it as well. Selfishly, I want her in Portland, but know it’s not possible and likely never will be. If she were there, I’d be distracted and worried about whether she’s out of harm’s way all the time. When we’re together for the few short days each week – it’s no football – just us. We cook together, take walks through the city, watch movies with the fire roaring in the background, and I help her study. I didn’t want our relationship to be based off the sport we love. It had to be based on everything else that makes us who we are.

  Today is our season opener. The weather is utter crap. It’s cold and overcast. Everyone is here though, making the trek for the first game. The last time we were all together was when news of Peyton’s accident brought us all to Chicago. So much has changed since the moment my dad told me Peyton wasn’t going to make it. Spiritually, I battled for her and begged her to stay, but at that time I had nothing to offer her. Emotionally, I was a wreck. I couldn’t fathom not having Peyton in my life and hated that our friendship had dwindled because of the relationship I was in. After seeing Peyton lying there, dying, I realized life was too short to wait idly for something to happen and despite the turmoil I was caught up in, my thoughts never strayed away from the life I wanted with her.

  And now I have it.

  The Pioneers take the field under the loud thunderous applause of the Portland faithful. I love this city, but my heart is in Chicago. Peyton and I haven’t talked about what will happen when she graduates, but I’m expecting my girl to have a plethora of jobs to choose from. I’m confident in her ability to call a game. Unless it’s mine in which case I’ll stay on the bench.

  I look out over the stands at the sea of people dressed in our colors of green, blue and yellow. Bringing football to Oregon was the best decision the state made. Of course, drafting me is also on the top of my list.

  Today, I’m the starting quarterback. For a while, I thought my career was hanging by a thread, but I worked my butt off to prove to the organization that their investment in me would be worth it. We have a few new faces with our new draft picks and a couple of off-season trades, all of which excite me. Rookie running back, Brandon Garrison, is supposed to be legit. I watched him a little in college and liked what I saw. Happy to say I’ll have no problems giving him the ball.

  As I warm up, the normal game day activities are going on around me. The
media is clamoring for early interviews, fans are filling the seats and the smell of popcorn is making my stomach growl. I look over and see my family, taking them all in. Nick and Aubrey are here with the kids, and sure enough, Mack is sitting next to Betty Paige. My mom thinks it’s cute that they have a little crush on each other. My dad, on the other hand, is onto the “game” Mack is playing. As the big brother, who loves them both, I want Mack far, far away from Little B.

  Right smack in the middle, next to my mom is Peyton. She gives me a small wave, likely thinking she’s being shy. I’m tempted to go to her and pull her over the railing to kiss her senseless, but I refrain. I’m beyond in love with my girl and can’t wait for this game to be over so I can show her.

  Our warm-up clock winds down and the nerves start to set in. There’s some ceremonial stuff happening on the field. Someone’s getting a key to the city, another won season tickets, and there’s a speech about how the city of Portland is the best place to play football.

  Before the coin toss, my name is called and I’m asked to come out to the center of the field. Coach hands me the microphone and pats me on the back.

  “Is this thing on?” I ask, earning a raucous roar from the crowd. One quick glance up and I see my mug all over the JumboTron. I wave and the fans go wild. “Last year I let you down as your starting quarterback. My life was thrown into a tailspin when my best friend was in an accident that almost claimed her life. I couldn’t think, sleep, eat or even focus on football, all because she was lying in a bed with machines fighting to keep her alive while I was here, trying to play a game that she and I share an immense love for.”

  Once again, I look up at the big screen and catch Peyton wiping her tears. “There she is. That’s my girl.”

  The crowd, who was already loud, raises the decibel of noise up a notch.

  “Peyton’s accident opened my eyes. Not only to what I was missing out on but to what I was doing wrong. I was here, surviving. Taking each day as it came and never planning for the next step. Because of her, I am no longer that person. Because of Peyton and her will to live and learn to walk again, I’m stronger, braver and have better footwork, all thanks to her.”

  The crowd erupts.

  “I’d like to invite Peyton down to join me out here.”

  The fans start chanting her name as security helps her navigate her way through the mess of wires, cameras, media and players on the field. “As she’s making her way onto the field, I want to thank our families, who are with us today, for being the best parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings that either of us could ask for.”

  When Peyton steps into our logo, I smile brightly and drop to one knee. In my hand is a black velvet box with her engagement ring, if she’ll marry me. “Captain, you have been my best friend since forever. We may have been brought together by our mothers and forced to hang out, but secretly I have loved every single minute of it. It never bothered me that you were younger; it only bothered me when you weren’t around. You’ve shown me what determination looks like, how to persevere through whatever life throws at you, and how true love feels. Without you, I’m a shell of the man I need to be. With you though, I’m confident, self-assured and the man I want to be. With that, I want to tell you that I love you and I’m going to hold onto you forever.”

  Peyton’s hand covers her mouth and she starts nodding. “Yes, Noah.”

  “Yes, what?” I ask as her eyes go wide.

  “Oh my God.” She looks around and covers her face.

  “Hey, Peyton?”

  She looks at me through her fingers. “Will you marry me? Maybe add Westbury to your already long last name?”

  This time she tackles me to the ground and peppers me with kisses. Thankfully, I dropped the microphone or everyone would’ve heard it when she called me an ass. When I’m finally able to slip the ring on her finger, I keep her with me for the coin toss before I help her back to the stands, where our families congratulate us.

  Before heading back to the field she calls my name.

  “Yeah, Captain?”

  “Did you ask my dad?”

  I nod. “Both of them,” I say, winking and pointing my finger up to the sky. After I asked Harrison for his permission to marry Peyton, I took a trip to Beaumont and had an in-depth conversation with Mason.

  “I love her.” It’s difficult to talk to someone who isn’t here. I did this with Peyton when she was lying in her bed, wondering if she could hear me. Over the past few months, I’ve dropped hints about things I told her, hoping she’d remember or feel like I’ve said these things to her before, but she hasn’t said anything.

  I read a book on dying and the afterlife, wondering what Peyton might be experiencing, and also curious if she saw anyone. Where was she? And is there a bright light waiting for us? I don’t want to ask her though because I feel like it’s her personal journey, something only she can relate to. It’s not like taking a trip to the zoo and sharing it with your friend who has also been there.

  But this journey I had to take alone. I can’t recall the last time I visited Mason’s grave. Probably with Peyton on his birthday before I left for college. Even with Katelyn living in California, Mason’s marker and plot are taken care of. Mr. Powell is too old to do it, but I know Katelyn pays for someone to make sure it’s pristine.

  I lay next to him with my ankles crossed, telling him about Peyton, and how amazing she is. I want to believe he knows this, and that maybe he was there with her in the hospital. Would he have told her to stay? Or encourage her to come with him? The latter I can’t even think about because not having her in my life would kill me.

  “She’s beautiful and smart. You’d be so proud of her,” I tell him. “I’m sure you never thought I would be here to ask this, but I’m seeking your permission to marry Peyton. Now you’re probably thinking I’m nuts because I’m older and we grew up together, but I’ve been in love with her as long as I can remember. I want her to be my wife, have my children, be my voice of reason and call me out on my shit when I need it. You know, she’s really good at that, by the way. My girl doesn’t have an ounce of fear in her body.”

  The cemetery is peaceful. There are a few people milling around, but no one bothers you here. The trees sway in the wind and off into the distance car doors slam, music plays softly and voices carry over the acres of land. I don’t expect an answer or a sign, but knowing I’ve been here and have asked the question; it gives me a peace of mind. I imagine I’ll have to tell Peyton about coming here, and have a feeling this is where we’ll get married… Beaumont, not the cemetery, so she has both her dads with her on her big day. Honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

  She covers her face once more, hiding the tears I know she’s shedding. But it’s in that moment where I’m watching her and she’s watching me, that the sky opens up and the sun starts to shine, and everyone in my family turns their faces toward the warmth, welcoming Mason to the game.

  The End.

  Acknowledgments

  When I first wrote FOREVER MY GIRL (The Beaumont Series), I never thought about expanding it until I wrote the scene where Harrison saw Katelyn for the first time. But also developing within the pages was a story between Noah and Peyton. Deep down I always knew they would end up together, even though a few people begged me not to do it.

  I’ve been asked a few times over the past few years what their story would be. I had a rough idea, but it never felt right. This storyline didn’t come about until earlier this year when I was driving down the road. I had to pull over and type some notes out so I wouldn’t forget, and when I arrived home, I started plotting.

  I knew there would be tears. I cried as well. Writing anything with Mason is hard, and just think Elle will have a book so there will be more!

  As with every acknowledgment I write, I have to thank my best friend, Yvette. We live thousands of miles away from each other and don’t get to see one another as often as we want. Our relationship is mostly texts and emails. We t
alk about everything from work, to stories and characters as if they were real. To us, they are. She’s been with me from day one.

  Many thanks to those who helped with this story: Amy & Amber thank you for pre-reading and providing feedback. Thank you, Sarah, for another amazing cover. And Ellie: thank you for dropping everything to editing. It’s only fitting you were the one since you’ve been there from the beginning. End & Amanda, thank you! I really appreciate all your help.

  To all the bloggers who have been with the Beaumont crew for what seems like forever… thank you!

  With the mention of the band touring with 4225 West – Little Queens – I hope you check out the sneak peek of Royal Protection by Amy Briggs! Liam, Harrison, and JD would appreciate it if you do!

  Beaumont Babes – Enjoy Beautober!

  If you want to be included on all Beaumont news, join my Beaumont only newsletter.

  About the Author

  Heidi is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author.

  Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband and two daughters. Also renting space in their home is an over-hyper Beagle/Jack Russell, Buttercup and a Highland West/Mini Schnauzer, JiLL and her brother, Racicot.

  When she's isn't writing one of the many stories planned for release, you'll find her sitting court-side during either daughter's basketball games.

  Forever My Girl, is set to release in theaters on January 26, 2018, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe.

  Don’t miss more books by Heidi McLaughlin! Sign up for her newsletter, follow her on Amazon, Book Bub or join the fun in her fan group!

  Connect with Heidi!

  www.heidimclaughlin.com

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  Also by Heidi McLaughlin