November Rain (Rain, #1)

by T.J. West

was deeply in love. My first true love at 16 years old was with a boy who had swept me off my feet and became my entire life. Matt Cooper was a senior in high school and would be graduating and leaving me to go into the Air Force. He didn't want to leave me - he didn't have a choice. It was either, “Be on your own with no money, no help from me, or make a life in the family business,” as his father put it. He was 18 and could not say no to his father, so he made the choice, he had to leave me. Matt was my everything. He filled my world and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. We knew each other for a couple months before we became involved. We met during the first week of high school registration. I was on the student council, helping with the school tours and Matt was in my group. I felt a connection with him that first day. He told me he had just moved from Fairfield, California with his family and that his father was in the Air Force, which led them to Tampa Bay, Florida. In addition, he had three older brothers who were already in the service. I, on the other hand, was an only child. My parents were into real estate. They had one of the most successful real estate businesses in our city.