This Is Forever (This Is, #4)

by Natasha Madison

So many things are going through my mind that I don’t know where to start. “This is either the best thing ever, or it’s going to blow up in my face,” I tell the universe while I make my plan for the next day.

I walk away, and when my hand touches the door handle, she speaks. “Thank you,” she says softly, and I turn back to see her standing there with her hands in front of her. “I don’t know what your reason is, but I want to just say thank you.” “You’re welcome, Caroline,” I say to her softly, and my heart speeds up. This tiny woman who comes at me with guns blazing and ready to go to war doesn’t even know how much she is worth.

He’s never had anything that was brand new and his own. Everything from his clothes to his shoes have always been secondhand. “I have to go,” I say to the floor and walk around him to Dylan. “I’ll see you tonight.” Turning, I start to walk out of the room and then remember Justin needs to get his lunch, but when I turn around, I run smack into his hard chest. I know it’s him because it smells exactly like him.

His hands catch my arms to steady me, and I breathe in and out, which makes it worse since now his smell is all around me. “Um,” I start to say, and then I look up, and his brown eyes are dark with just a little gold on the inside. “You forgot your lunch,” I say softly, and he smiles a big megawatt smile. It’s a smile that lights up his whole face like you would when you win a race or, in his case, win some cup.

“Okay, three-on-three game,” Ralph says. I watch as Dylan skates to center ice, and I stand back as he gets into position exactly like I do. He skates in a circle and then leans forward with his stick in his hands. He gets ready for the face-off, and he doesn’t look at the kid; he looks at Ralph who holds the puck in his hand. He leans in just a touch and drops the puck. Dylan ducks down, and his stick goes out winning the face-off.

“You do that,” I tell her, and she storms out. Putting my head down, I look at the phone in my hand with still no word from her. I walk back into the meeting, and I don’t even know what we discussed after that because the only thing on my mind was Caroline.

“He’s nobody, and he was just leaving.” Her voice comes out strong and firm. I look at her. “Thank you for bringing Dylan home. We’ll see you tomorrow.” And just like that, my heart breaks for the woman who I thought was mine.

“Yeah,” I say, shaking my head. “I bet.” I might have been in the dark at the beginning, but after all this time, I know the signs. He’s coming down from his high, and if he doesn’t get it soon, he’s going to get all grumpy and then twitchy.

This woman is going to push me to be like Matthew, I think. Suddenly, everything that he’s ever done makes so much sense.

“Mom!” Dylan yells, and she jumps back as if my touch burned her. “I’m so hot,” he says, and she looks at me and then walks to the bedroom. I look up at the ceiling, and for the first time in my life, I pray that in the end we both get what we need and what we want.