Unforgettable (Cloverleigh Farms, #5)

by Melanie Harlow

That’s what family does—they love us and they’re proud of who we are, not just what we do.”

Tyler seemed surprised. “Why would you want to change it? I fucking love the color of your hair. I always have.”

was it how close he was sitting, the way he was looking at me like I was the only person in the room, possibly the world?

Tyler Shaw just did something to me.

“I’m not sure any place feels like home to me.”

“I guess it’s the sense that, somehow, I know I belong here. I have history here. I miss it when I’m gone, and I’m always happy to come back. I just . . . feel most like myself here.”

“Maybe once upon a time, I was good, maybe I was even close to the best, but it didn’t fucking last. Because nothing lasts. And anyone who says otherwise is a liar.”

I was determined to be a gentleman tonight. But she wasn’t making it easy.

“I mean, after all, your nickname was ‘The Rifle.’” “Because I pitched fast, dammit!”

you definitely shouldn’t talk about sex—I’m hanging on to gentleman by a very thin thread here.

If it were any other night, any other circumstance, any other girl, I’d have kissed her. But it was April, and I couldn’t. Tonight was my opportunity to do the right thing, be a better man—the kind of man my sister thought I was. Maybe I had been a selfish asshole back then, but I didn’t have to keep fucking up this friendship. April mattered to me, and I needed to act like it this time.

“For the last hour, I’ve been telling myself to be a gentleman. That this is an opportunity to do right by you. A chance to be a good guy.” “You are a good guy.”

it hadn’t felt complicated tonight. Being with him had actually felt easy,

Good thing he was a gentleman.

“You were never just another girl to me, April.”

But I remember you always smelled like birthday cake. I remember the way you’d play with your hair while you did math problems. And I remember this one little skirt you had, the way it would ride up your thighs when you sat on your knees at the kitchen table.”

your second act might not look like you thought it would, but it can still make you happy.

“I don’t want to leave here tomorrow.” He pushed my hair back from my face. “I want to stay.”

“What would give you any doubt? I spent last night in your hotel room. I gave you a blowjob in my office. I was ripping your clothes off the second we walked in the door tonight. I am currently naked in your arms—all these things are indications that I like being with you. A lot.”

“So good. And it totally reminds me of you.” I laughed. “Oh, come on, you’ve had pasta sauce a billion times since high school.” “And every time, it reminded me of you.” My heart beat a little faster. “Liar.” “That’s the truth, I swear,” he said. “There were always certain things that reminded me of you.” “Like what?” “Red hair, dimples, the smell of birthday cake. Weren’t there things that reminded you of me?” I thought about it while I took the spoon and tasted the sauce. “Baseball,” I told him, reaching for the salt. I added a little to the sauce and stirred again. “And for a while, sex.” “Really?” He seemed pleased about it. “Sex?” “Well, yes.” I glanced at him. “But it was sort of terrifying.”

This kid is different. He’s more like you.” I laughed. “Like me how?” “He’s not self-centered,” he said. “His mom said he’s always been that way. He puts other people first.” My heart melted a little more. “Well, this is one instance where I think he needs to be told it’s okay to think about what he wants for his future. That putting himself first does not make him a bad person. I know I’ve certainly been in a spot where I had to make a tough choice, and it helped me to hear that.”

“Part of me just wants to see the person he’s grown up to be. In my own way, I still love him. I always have. Does that make any sense?”

You deserve to have that peace. And he deserves to know the woman who loved him so much she gave him up because she knew it was the best possible thing for him.”

I thought about her words all day long and decided she was right. I’d waited so long to feel this for someone—the rush when he walked in the room, the butterflies in my stomach when he looked at me, the compulsion to get my hands anywhere and everywhere on his body, the unbelievable thrill I felt being close to him—why should I tamp down on that happiness? Opening your heart to someone was always a risk, wasn’t it?

People suck.” I lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “Told you so. But let’s forget about her, okay? I’m still hungry, so what do you say we go back to my hotel room, order room service, and shut out the rest of the world tonight?” “Perfect.”

“No one has ever seen me the way you do.” I smiled. “Maybe no one ever bothered to look beyond the surface—I mean, you’re Tyler Shaw. The surface is pretty nice to look at.”

“I want you so much. I want you so much it scares me.”

“I want to share a bed with you every night. And wake up to you every morning. I want to make breakfast for you, see you in the stands at Central High baseball games, reach all the stuff in the high cupboards in the kitchen. I want to be the one you come home to.”

“Don’t be scared. I want all those things too.” “But what if I fuck it up?” He kissed his way up the center of my chest and braced himself above me. “What if I’m not good at it? What if I don’t deserve it?” “Tyler.” I took his face in my hands. “You deserve it. Do you hear me? You deserve to be loved the way I’m going to love you.”

“I don’t know what the second act of my life is going to look like, but I know you’re the best part of it.”

“Sleep as long as you want. I like you in my bed.”

I could spend all day in bed with you and be completely happy.”

“You know, I never imagined I could fall in love with anything the way I fell in love with baseball. But now . . . ” “Now?” I asked hopefully, my heart pounding. He pressed his lips to mine, and his kiss tasted like forever. “Now there’s you.”

that’s what Cloverleigh Farms has always been about—family. Milestones. Growth. Love. Celebration. Memories. And you’re all a part of that.”

“My parents have taught us that this is a place where family means more than just DNA. It means opening our doors and our hearts to strangers. It means showing up for our neighbors. It means reaching out when you know someone needs it. It means forgiveness, acceptance, compassion, joy . . .”

“And it’s that feeling you get when you kno...

Tyler was beyond chivalrous—always opening doors for me, pulling out my chair at restaurants, never even letting me look at a bill let alone pay one.

“Do you remember your line?” “I’ve got a better one.” He reached out and slipped his hand into my hair, but this time, instead of come here, what he said was, “I love you. And I never want you to leave. Stay with me.”

“April, I know I took the longest possible detour to get to this place, but believe me when I say there is nowhere else I’d rather be. You let me go when I needed to be free, and you pulled me in when I needed to belong. I never want to wake up another day in my life not knowing what it is to be loved by you.”

“I love you so much.” “I love you too. And I’m about ready to get on with that second act. Let’s fill that new house up. What do you think—will you marry me?” “Yes,” I said, weeping openly. “Yes.” He glanced at my left hand. “You know, this would be easier if you took that mitt off, babe.”

I had love in my heart and hope in my bones.