This Is Forever (This Is, #4)

by Natasha Madison

“Are you done?” I ask and wait for her to indicate she is listening. I step into her space, and she takes one step back, which pisses me off to no avail. Suddenly, I want to sit her down, and I want her to tell me everything. I want to know everything about her, but something says to tread lightly. “I’m not doing it for charity, and I don’t expect you to pay me back. Not this week, not next week, not even next year. I don’t know your story, Caroline, and I’m not even sure you would tell me, but I want you to listen and to pay attention to the words I’m about to say. I’m doing this because I want to and because I can. I’m doing this because sometimes people come into your life for certain reasons. I don’t always know what that reason is, but I know that I want to be your friend, Caroline. And as your friend, this is what people do.”

“Fuck,” he hisses. “How in are you?” I think about my answer just as I’ve been thinking about this whole thing for the past couple of days, and that is what it has been … a couple of days. But just the thought of not seeing her hurts my heart. The thought of going a day without her makes it almost hard to breathe. “I’m all in.”

“Smooth,” I say. “Very smooth.” He looks at me and winks, and my stomach literally flutters. “Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet, sweetheart,” he says, closing the door. “Mom,” Dylan calls from the back seat, and I turn around. “I really like him.” “Yeah, baby,” I say, looking back to the front. “Me, too,” I say quietly under my breath.

“Come on, sweetheart, say yes,” he whispers. “Take a chance on me. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“Dude, you have to just move her shit into your house,” he says. “Just don’t even tell her.” “What?” I whisper, looking back again. “Just don’t tell her and move all her things in,” he says, and I look at the phone. “Or I mean, this worked once …” he says. “Just handcuff her to the bed and don’t let her out until she agrees.”

Oh Matthew. 🫣😏 Tell me more.

“I don’t care what the fuck your last name is,” I say to him, my arms around him and his arms around me. My hand goes to his head, and I take off his cap and kiss his head. Like I do every single day that we’ve been together. Like I’ll be doing for the rest of his life. “You’re mine.” “Thanks,” he says, and then he says softly. “I won’t tell Mom you said the F word if you let me call you Dad,” he says, and my eyes close, the tears now coming out. “And if it’s okay, do you think Cooper will be okay if I called him Grandpa? And Parker, can I call her Grandma?”