Our Forever

by Elena Matthews

  I don’t know how it happened. All I know is that he came into my life with his obnoxiously loud music and sexy smile when I needed him the most, when I needed him to show me how to live my life again.

  Since Junior’s birthday, Drew’s been coming over more and more until, just last week, Junior outright asked me if Drew was my boyfriend—right in front of him. I couldn’t help but laugh at Drew being labeled as my boyfriend, especially since the word boyfriend took me back to my high school days. Labels of boyfriend and exclusivity never entered my head. Drew and I’d just naturally happened; we were simply together.

  Drew was a rock star though. At Junior’s question, I was completely stumped at how to answer, desperately seeking help with my eyes alone.

  “If your mom was my girlfriend, would that be cool with you?” Drew asked.

  My heart went into overdrive as we awaited Junior’s verdict.

  He looked between the both of us with inquiring eyes before resuming his attention on Drew. “Yes. She’s been lonely since my daddy went to heaven, and I like how she’s not lonely anymore. But she’s my mama, and if you make her cry, I’ll make you cry, okay?”

  Shock coursed through me as he threatened Drew with his sweet, innocent voice, and I had to clutch my stomach so hard to stop the rip-roaring laughter from escaping my lips at his tiny four-foot frame staring up at Drew, who must have seemed like a giant to Junior.

  My little hero, my protector.

  My heart melted beyond belief at my son having my back like that. It seemed I’d done a good job raising him. However, his threatening behavior was most definitely something he’d learned from his uncle Tyler. If I didn’t find what Junior had done so funny, I’d have been kicking Tyler’s ass.

  Drew knelt down to his level, his eyes full of humor but the rest of his face serious. “You have my word. I’ll never make your mama cry, and if I do, then I’ll let you kick my butt.”

  I’m relieved that Junior is okay with my relationship with Drew, but I’m saddened that he saw the sorrow and loneliness that was instilled within every inch of my troubled soul, that I hadn’t done a good enough job at hiding it. However, my soul is no longer the black pit of darkness. It is light and as vivid as an idyllic sunrise.

  I’m finally happy, and I’m going to ignore the tiny piece of doubt in my head that tells me happiness isn’t forever and focus on the now of forever.

  Once the game is finished, I’m in the company of three hyperactive boys, two of whom are attached to Drew’s back, giggling hysterically, as Drew runs toward the car, leaving me to lag behind with all three foam fingers.

  As soon as we’re in the car and setting off on the three-hour journey back to Austin, Junior and Mason are out like a light, succumbing to the tiredness from the day’s festivities. Drew reaches across the console and takes my hand in his. Warmth rushes through me, and my eyes flutter closed at the heat he evokes within me.

  He glances at me, his eyes full of pure adoration. “You caught the sun,” he says with a head tilt, pointing to my nose.

  When he resumes his attention on the road in front of him, I touch the tip of my nose with my free hand, laughing lightly. “Yep, doesn’t matter that I’ve lived in Texas all my life, I always get a sunburned nose—the downfall of having such fair skin.”

  “You look cute, like Rudolph.”

  I turn to him, frowning. “You’re comparing me to a reindeer?”

  “No. I’m comparing you to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” he says with a chuckle.

  “I’ve never felt so sexy,” I deadpan, sending scowling eyes in his direction, hiding my inner amusement at our daily bickering.

  He sends me a side glance, a grin splayed widely on his face. “You look incredibly sexy right now. I get such a hard-on when you’re mad at me.”

  I can’t deny that his words have an effect on me, especially when my breathing accelerates and my blood becomes alive with want.

  I glance back at the two sleeping children in the back. “You can’t talk dirty to me right now,” I say, pinning my gaze back on him.

  “You think that was talking dirty?” His gravelly voice goes down a dial until he’s talking in a low, deep tone. “No, sugar. Me saying how I wish I could pull the car over, drag you over the hood, and bury my hard cock inside your tight pussy…now, that’s talking dirty.”

  Pulling my fingers from his grasp, I playfully smack him while keeping my stern gaze in place. “Ahem, children are present.”

  “Relax, they’re asleep.” He takes my hand again, holding it back into position on the console, almost like he can’t function without touching some part of me.

  During the past four weeks since our first date, it’s something I quickly noticed. When I’m within his presence, he’s always touching me, whether it be tucking a strand of hair behind my ear or lovingly caressing my back when we’re lying on the sofa and watching a movie. And with the barest of every touch, each linger of his strong fingers elicits sparks that tremor through me. He makes me feel alive with sexual energy, alive with a love that takes the breath right out of my lungs, and the adrenaline is exhilarating.

  “I’ll just wait until tonight to ravish that pretty pussy of yours.”

  Jesus, it’s going to be a long drive back to Austin.

  He grins as I shift uncomfortably in my seat, my panties growing damp under my denim shorts.

  “I love knowing you’re wet for me.”

  Yep, this really is going to be a long drive.

  “Eyes on the road, or I won’t do that thing you like…”

  His curious gaze finds its way to me, but I quickly shoo his gaze forward, pointing to the road in front of us.

  “Eyes. Road.”

  “It’s not my fault you’re so fucking beautiful.”

  “Did you kiss your mama with that mouth?”

  He chuckles under his breath. “Hell no. If I’d ever dropped the F-bomb, she’d have slapped me six ways from Sunday.”

  My laughter booms around the car. “She must have been such an awesome mom. I wish I could have met her when she was alive.”

  “She’d have loved you. Obviously not like the way I love you, but she’d have loved knowing I had a girl who knew how to put me in my place.” He winks, and then, like he didn’t just say the three words that currently have my head in a spin, he continues driving.

  He loves me?

  He glances my way when the grip of my hand tightens with palpable tension.

  He loves me?

  “You okay, sugar?”

  And that question alone tells me that he either didn’t mean to say it or he hasn’t realized those three words slipped out. I’m thinking with the oblivious expression on his face right now that those words simply slipped out without a conscious thought.

  A smile softly lifts along my lips. His words become a beacon in the forefront of my mind—bright, powerful, and full of light. He might not have said those words with the intent of telling me he loves me, but when those three words come out as naturally and freely as they did, I know he’s feeling the same as me.

  “It’s nothing,” I say with a shake of my head, loosening my hold of his hand. “I thought I was going to sneeze. False alarm.”

  The worry lines on his forehead fade. He lifts our hands up to his lips and presses a kiss against the back of my hand before returning it back onto the console.

  That kiss confirms everything I’ve just learned in the span of sixty seconds.

  The next several miles are spent in silence with the occasional sound from Drew as he hums along to the commercials on the radio.

  “I was thinking, with the weather improving, that we could maybe go on a camping trip,” Drew speaks up.

  I shift my body to the side to look at him. “Camping?”

  “Yes. You know, you sleep out in the wilderness, tell a few ghost stories, burn some marshmallows. Surely, you know what camping is.”

  “Yes, I know what camping is, asshole.” I roll my eyes on a g
iggle.

  He chuckles along with me.

  “Would it be a twosome camping trip or a camping trip that would test our restraint?”

  He twists his head, his mouth uplifted with the tilt of his smirk. “Now, who’s talking dirty?”

  I purse my lips humorously. “At least my talking dirty is a little more subtle than yours.”

  “That’s because you don’t like pussy as much as I do—your pussy, to be exact.”

  If it were possible, I’d swear that my panties were dissolving under my shorts at the heat of his dirty mouth.

  “So, camping…” I force out, trying to change the subject to one that will help cool my hormones down.

  “I was thinking the four of us and maybe Rachel and her husband, too. There’s this great place about thirty miles outside of Austin. It has rocky coves that overlook Lake Travis and swimming coves where the water is just the right temperature, and you should see the sunrise. It’s just something everyone should see at least once in their life.”

  I lean my head back against the headrest and dreamily smile as I watch the way Drew’s face lights up as he describes the campsite.

  “It sounds incredible. I think it’s a great idea. Junior will love it.”

  “How does next weekend sound?” Drew asks.

  I rack my brain, thinking of any plans I might have, and except for Junior’s soccer practice, nothing seems to come to mind. “Next week is great.”

  “It’s a date.” He winks before focusing forward.

  The following Saturday, we come to a stop in front of the lake, and as I get out of the car with the wilderness surrounding me, a sense of peace comes over me. As the sun shines powerfully from above, the smell of the crisp, fresh water from the lake greets my nose along with the sweet, musty smell of nearby trees and God’s pure earth.

  I open the back passenger door for Junior, and he leaps out with Mason hot on his heels. They run over to where Rachel and her husband, Jenson, are sitting on camping chairs under a tree. A family tent is set up behind them along with a portable grill and a wheeled cooler. I grab the overnight bags while Drew takes ahold of the camping chairs and tent, and we make our way over.

  Since the boys both had soccer practice today, Rachel and Jenson set off early this morning to grab a good camping spot, and we followed straight after practice.

  “Finally! Took your time, didn’t you, Driving Miss Daisy?” Rachel hollers with a huge grin on her face as we approach.

  Drew scowls at her and mouths the words, Fuck you.

  “Driving Miss Daisy has her panties in a twist, too,” she mocks.

  I chuckle at the stare Drew shoots her way.

  “You never complained when I used to cart your ass everywhere after I passed drivers ed.”

  “Trust me, that wasn’t by choice.”

  He looks over to Jenson, who’s cradling a soda in his hand. “Man, the day you married my sister was the best day of my life. You’re the one who has to take all her shit and drive her ungrateful ass everywhere.”

  “Language in front of the boys!” Rachel hisses, pinning Drew with a death glare.

  Drew glances in my direction for assistance, and I shrug my shoulders before setting the overnight bags onto the grass.

  “Don’t look at me. I’m with Rachel.”

  He looks between the both of us with an air of disgust marring his features as he sets the tent and chairs to the ground. “You’re both going to gang up on me today, aren’t you?”

  “Join the club,” Jenson grunts before taking a sip of his soda.

  I step up to Drew and level him with my do-not-mess-with-mama-bear stare. “If you swear in front of my son again, I’ll make your life a living hell.”

  His eyes widen at the threat, but there’s an arrogant smirk on his face. I give out a sugary-sweet smile and press my lips to his for a long, luscious kiss that’s sure to take his breath away. I pull away and go to step back, but he grips ahold of my wrist, keeping me in place.

  He leans in until his breath skims along my lips. “I promise to keep my swearing to a minimum now, but tonight, when I’m buried deep inside you, I’ll be swearing like a goddamn sailor.”

  My eyes flutter closed, and I know, the moment he leashes his dirty mouth on me, I won’t be able to resist him. I’ll be at his mercy.

  He presses his soft lips to mine, and as I begin to sink into the kiss, I hear, “Ew, Mama’s going to get cooties!”

  I laugh against his mouth at the sound of Junior’s displeasure from behind us.

  Drew pulls back, his blue eyes dancing with humor.

  I playfully push at Drew’s chest, mimicking disgust. “Yeah, don’t kiss me. I’ll get cooties!” I run away from him, hearing both the kids giggling.

  “You can run, but you can’t hide, baby.”

  I turn to him and take a few steps backward, blowing him a kiss with a shit-eating grin on my face.

  Chuckling under his breath, he crouches down and gets to work on setting the tent up.

  “Yo, Mason, you and Junior want to help me put this tent up?” Drew asks them.

  “Yes!” they both yell in unison, running over to Drew with eager smiles on their faces.

  An hour later, I crawl out of the tent with my Wonder Woman one-piece swimsuit, denim shorts, and a pair of red flip-flops on my feet. When Drew mentioned I’d need my swimsuit this weekend, a lightbulb idea to get a swimsuit that would drive him insane turned into trying to search for a Captain America swimsuit. However, the only swimsuits I could find online were for superhero names ending with man. Knowing how he detests Spider-Man—such a fucking child—and all the Avengers, apart from Captain America, I decided I couldn’t go wrong with Wonder Woman.

  “Wow, cool swimsuit, Jo!” shouts Mason in his cute little Minion swim trunks, standing beside Junior, who’s in his brand-new Spider-Man trunks.

  Drew pauses his conversation with Jenson, and his eyes grow wide with surprise as he takes in my swimsuit. “Holy…”

  I raise a brow before he’s able to finish the other part of that sentence. He clamps his mouth shut and just outright gawks at me, like I’m modeling a sexy bikini, not a one-piece from a fictional comic-book character.

  “I was going to get a Captain America swimsuit, but since I couldn’t find one, I went for the next best thing. I thought you’d appreciate it.”

  He doesn’t utter a word, but from his stare, I sense that talking is the last thing on his mind.

  “It seems his inner geek is unable to speak right now. He’s had a crush on Wonder Woman since he was about eight years old,” Rachel teases.

  I cock my eyebrow with intrigue, and I’m even happier about my purchase. I step closer until the front of my flip-flops are touching Drew’s sneakers.

  “Oh, really?” I ask, smiling.

  His eyes continue to trace my swimsuit with a look of amazement. “I had no idea they sold superhero swimsuits. You look so hot.” His eyes finally land on mine, and the fiery power and desire his gaze holds send lust zeroing in straight for my clit.

  “You think she’s a suitable match for Captain America?”

  “The perfect match,” Drew states as his fingers caress along my stomach, just over the printed gold belt of Wonder Woman’s attire.

  “Good. That means you’ll be happy with my next purchase. It’s in the tent.” I tilt my head back toward the tent, and he flashes me a suspicious smile before heading that way.

  Thirty seconds later, he emerges from the tent with nothing else on, apart from the red-and-blue boardshorts with the Captain America star logo stitched on the left leg. I get a little tongue-tied at the mere sight of his bare chest while Rachel and Jenson laugh at the childlike grin on his face.

  “He’s going to marry you now. You know that, right?” Rachel says.

  Captain America himself struts over to me with a fierce look of determination on his face, and my heart rate accelerates. He steps in front of me and slams his lips on mine with a force that has me st
umbling backward. He tears his mouth from mine before I can lose myself against his luscious lips and his wondrous kiss.

  “You are everything,” he declares.

  It feels like my chest is about to explode at the speed of my heart slamming against my rib cage.

  “Everything?” I whisper, taken aback by his profound words, words that sound like I love you.

  “Everything,” he repeats and presses his eager lips against mine, a kiss that barely begins before he’s pulling away again. “Everything,” he reiterates for a third time, speaking the syllables as if his life depends on it. Those three simple syllables speak volumes and are spoken from his heart.

  I don’t have much time to dwell on the declaration as we all make our way toward the swimming cove. The boys are running ahead of us, excitement bouncing from each of them at the aspect of spending the afternoon swimming. Traipsing along uneven ground, I trip over my flip-flops more than once.

  We finally reach the forest clearing and step out onto a low limestone cliff along the rocky cove with the tranquil blue-green water glistening with the reflection of the sun and rippling against the light breeze. I blink against the power of the sun and then squint as I look along the horizon, the clear blue skies the only thing I can see for miles.

  “It’s something, huh?” Drew asks from behind me.

  “It’s beautiful,” I say in awe.

  “We’ve been coming here since we were kids,” pipes Rachel. “We have a tradition.”

  “And what’s that?” I question, fascinated.

  “In order to get to the water, we have to jump.”

  I take an apprehensive step forward to peer over the cliff, and my stomach drops. “Are you kidding me? I’m not jumping.” I rapidly shake my head from side to side. “I prefer to climb down.”

  “No! I want to jump,” Junior demands with excitement in his voice, bouncing on his feet.

  Water parks, I’m fine with. Jumping off dangerous cliffs in unknown water, not so much.

  “You could climb down, but how?” Jenson mentions with an evil smile.