More Than Forever (More Than, #4)

by Jay McLean

“Is your sister… uh… hearing impaired?” They both let out simultaneous snorts. “No,” Lincoln answers, pulling his cap further down his head and looking up at me. His eyes roll as he says, “She's just reading.”

And you know how I know all this? Because while she's so pre-occupied reading… I'm so pre-occupied reading her.

I wonder for a moment if doctors have a book of cliché sayings they use to try to justify one's health.

There's a calmness in her eyes that doesn't seem justified… like a calm before the storm. And then it happens—the storm.

He's new in town and has a weird accent but Logan seems to think he's cool so we keep him around.

She reads, and I read her. And that's how I spend the next few weeks. Each day, she speaks a few more words to me, and each day I find myself caring more than I should.

normally fall asleep with my e-reader on my face.” She laughs quietly. “I'm such a

dork.”

A montage of words from the books I've read about kissing fly through my mind. It can't be that hard. I can totally do this. I ignore the pounding in my ears. And then… Mouth. Lips. More mouth. Lips. Soft lips. Is that tongue? Oh my God.

montage of words from the books I've read about kissing fly through my mind. It can't be that hard. I can totally do this. I ignore the pounding in my ears. And then… Mouth. Lips. More mouth. Lips. Soft lips. Is that tongue? Oh my God.

“Is this… I mean… have you ever been kissed before?”

“So I'm your first?”

“I like that,”

“Relax,” he whispers against my lips. “I got you.”

His palm flattens against my chest, where I'm sure he can feel the hammering of my heart. “Lucy,” he whispers, his eyes boring into mine. “I want you to take everything you feel in here…” His hand moves lower, past my breasts and onto my stomach, where it settles. “And everything in here…” He reaches up and holds the side of my head. “And everything in here.” My eyes drift shut from his touch. Then I feel his soft lips on mine, kissing me once before pulling back. “I want you to take all those feelings, the build up of all the stress, the worry… take it all… dip your head under the water… and scream.”

“I'm sorry.” Logan sits opposite me in the cafeteria. “If I was looking at her like that, it wasn't intentional. I meant what I said. I'd never take my friend's girl. Ever.”

“Sunset?” “Yeah. You wanna know why?” I nod against his chest. “Because it reminds me of us.” “How?” “Because it's eternal, the rise and fall of the sun. It's forever. Just like us.”

“Your book finished with a first kiss?” “No,” she says, “I just don't see the point of reading and living in someone else's world when my reality is so perfect.”

“Luce, if I could erase my past and wipe out all the girls I've been with, I would, instantly. But even if I could, it wouldn't make a

difference. You’re the only girl that's ever mattered to me. The only girl that will ever matter. If you want, I can write a list so you can walk through town and call them all whores. I'll hold your hand and we can do it together. But it won't change the fact that you and I—we're above all that. What we have is bigger than all of it. Forever, remember?”

Love has no limits. No boundaries. No time. It's eternal. Forever.

could have been seconds. It could have been hours. Then he speaks, “I love you, Lucy. I'll always love you, even if you don't know it. So… even if forever isn't eternal, I promise to love you for our forever.”

Five years on and his words still have the ability to make me blush. To make me fall in a new type of love, every single day.

We don't make babies while she's gone. We stay in the exact same position. Holding each other close, and we talk. Because it's not just about sex with us. It's about life. He's my life.

“Stop it,” she whispers, her eyes fixed on mine now. “Stop what?” “Stop making me fall in love with you.” I smile now, taking her face in my hands. “I'll never stop that, babe, ever.”

“Shut up,” he whispers, cutting me off. “I'm going to make love to you now, and we're going to forget that you just said that.” So that's what he does—makes love to me. And I do. I forget. I forget everything else in the entire world—because he is my entire world.

“At least you know why, Cameron. I didn't even get that.”

“You can keep your two wishes, I'll just take the one. I want my girl. My Lucy. My forever. And not just for our forever, but for eternity, and for always.”

“Now make love to me so we can get to the kinky shit.”

“To claiming your girls, owning them and making them yours.” Cam laughs and they nod at each other. I don't know what he means, but I don't ask. Amanda wipes her eyes. “To not dwelling on why horrible stuff happens to good people. To letting love win, and to moving on.” Logan kisses her temple while we all take a moment to think about her words. Heidi sniffs once, bringing our attention to her. “To finding your forever and being able to keep them.”