Forever You Read online

  Sean already met Harper’s family when he came home with her for spring break. And Garret knows her parents because he’s seen them at charity events.

  The party is on Saturday night so we’re staying overnight at Harper’s house and coming back on Sunday.

  “What are you working on?” I hear Garret behind me and slam my notebook shut.

  “It’s private. And don’t sneak up on me like that.”

  He sits beside me on the couch. “I wasn’t sneaking up on you. I was just seeing what you’re doing.”

  “I’m trying to write these stupid vows.”

  “They’re not stupid. Don’t say that.” He tucks my hair behind my ear and kisses my cheek.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just frustrated because I’ve been doing this for hours and everything I write sounds stupid.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true. Let me see what you have so far.” He tries to take the notebook but I keep hold of it.

  “I don’t want you to see it. In fact, I don’t want you to read it even when I’m done.”

  “Don’t you think we should go over the vows before the wedding?”

  “Nope. I’d rather have you hear them that day for the first time.”

  He puts his arm on the couch behind my head. “Hmm. Okay. So you don’t want to read mine?”

  “Are you saying you’re already done?”

  “I wrote them a couple days ago.”

  “And that’s it? You don’t have to go back and rework them or anything?”

  “No. I’m done.”

  I toss my notebook aside. “Damn, that’s annoying. How did you write them so fast? Can you write mine?” He doesn’t answer, but he looks disappointed and a little sad. “I’m sorry, Garret. It’s not like I don’t want to write them. I just want them to be really good and I’m afraid I’ll screw it up.”

  “I told you. Just write from the heart. Pretend it’s just you and me up there and that nobody else is listening. The vows don’t have to be very long. A few sentences. That’s it.”

  I sigh. “I know. But they need to be really good sentences.”

  He gets up from the couch. “I’m going to run to the store. You want anything?”

  “Maybe some candy bars for our road trip tomorrow? And a bag of potato chips.”

  He leans down and kisses me. “How about some fruit instead?”

  Garret’s been trying to get me to eat better since we moved in together. And with his help, I’ve actually improved my diet a lot.

  “Fine. I’ll take a banana. But I still want a candy bar.”

  “Deal. See you soon.” We kiss goodbye before he leaves.

  When he returns we have lunch and then I spend the rest of the afternoon working on my vows, but I still don’t finish them. I don’t know why it’s so hard for me. Maybe I’m overthinking it.

  That night, Harper stops over and helps me pick out something to wear to her parents’ party while Garret and Sean watch a baseball game downstairs.

  “So how are things with Sean?” I ask Harper as she takes some dresses out of my closet.

  She pretends not to hear me. “You could probably wear this.” She holds up the light green dress she gave me last spring. It actually came from her sister. One of Harper’s sisters is an actress and because of that, designers send her tons of clothes for free. Most of my wardrobe is now full of the stuff she couldn’t wear.

  “Harper, what’s the deal with you and Sean? I know you’re not telling me something.”

  She collapses on the bed next to the stack of dresses she took from my closet. “I don’t know. I’m so confused. Part of me feels like I’m stringing him along, knowing this won’t last. And I know that’s wrong, so then I think I should break up with him. But the other part of me wants to be with him more than anything. I know I’ll never find anyone who treats me as well as he does.”

  “Can’t you just keep dating? I mean, it’s not like you have to decide right now if you want to marry him.”

  “Yeah, I know. But he wants me to move in with him in the fall and I don’t think I’m ready for that. I mean, obviously I live with him now, but moving into his apartment seems more permanent.”

  “I’m sure he’d understand if you want to stay in the dorm. Just tell him that’s what you want to do. You can still go to his apartment and stay there on the weekends. You did that all last semester and it worked.”

  She sits up and adjusts her headband. “You’re right. I’m making too big a deal out of this. I guess planning your wedding has me thinking about marriage, but Sean and I aren’t even close to that stage.” She gets off the bed, taking the dresses with her. “None of these will work. We’ll just find you something to wear when we get to my house.”

  “But what if we can’t find anything? I need to bring a backup.”

  “My sisters have plenty of stuff. But if you’re worried about it, bring this one.” She holds out a red dress with short sleeves and red beading along the neckline. Harper gave it to me last April and I haven’t worn it yet. I take it from her and put it in the suitcase.

  She hangs the other dresses back in the closet. “Let’s go downstairs and see what the guys are up to.”

  We watch the rest of the baseball game with them and then Sean and Harper go back to their place.

  Garret and I go upstairs and get ready for bed. It’s only 10:30, but we’re leaving at 8 in the morning, which is early for us since we’re used to sleeping in every day.

  “Does Sean ever say anything to you about Harper?” I ask Garret as I change into one of his comfy t-shirts to sleep in.

  “Sometimes. Why?” He yanks his shirt off and drops it in the laundry basket.

  “I was just wondering what he tells you about her. Do you think he loves her?”

  “I know he does. And so do you, so why are you asking me that?” He kicks his shorts off and tosses them in the closet.

  “Do you think he loves her enough to propose?”

  “Is she expecting a proposal? Did she say that?”

  I get into bed. “No. I was just trying to figure out if Sean is really serious about her or not.”

  Garret lies on top of me wearing just his black boxer briefs. “You don’t need to worry about those two. Everything’s good. Now can I get a kiss goodnight?” He starts to kiss me, but I hold him back.

  “When you say everything’s good, do you mean that he’s serious about her? Like he might consider marrying her?”

  “Where is this coming from? Why are you so concerned about them?”

  “I need to know what Sean’s thinking. Did he say anything to you that you’re not telling me?”

  Garret sighs and shifts onto his side, propping himself up on his arm. “He asked me not to tell you this, but I told him I wouldn’t keep secrets from you. But if I tell you, you can’t say anything to Harper.”

  I sit up. “I won’t. So what did he say?”

  “He said he’s thinking of proposing to her.”

  “Garret!” I push on his shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

  “He just told me yesterday. Honestly I hadn’t even thought about it until you brought it up.”

  “How could you forget to tell me something like that? That’s huge news!”

  “I just didn’t think about it. Marriage proposals aren’t something guys think about unless it directly involves them.”

  “So when is he doing this?”

  “Not for a while. Maybe next Christmas or Valentine’s Day.”

  “Oh. Good.” I lie back on the bed, relieved.

  “What does that mean? Are you saying Harper doesn’t want a proposal?”

  I don’t answer.

  “Jade, what do you know? Is she breaking up with him?”

  “Maybe,” I say quietly.

  “Shit, really? Damn, Sean is like totally in love with her. When is this happening?”

  “She might not break up with him. She’s not sure. She’s confused.”


  “Confused about what? She either loves him or she doesn’t.”

  I laugh. “I said the same thing, but then she explained that there are different types of love.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She loves Sean, but she doesn’t love him the way I Iove you. And she wants that. She wants the type of love we have.”

  Garret smiles, gazing down at me with those beautiful blue eyes I find so irresistible. “And what kind of love is that?”

  “Passionate, all-consuming, can’t-think-straight kind of love. The kind of love that makes you excited to wake up every day because you get to see the person again. The kind that makes your heart hurt when you’re apart for too long. The kind that makes your body all tingly inside whenever the person touches you.” I pull him closer and kiss him. “You know what I mean?”

  “I know exactly what you mean.” He tugs my shirt up and I sit up a little, raising my arms so he can slip it off.

  “Garret, we’re not done talking about Sean and Harper.”

  “We’ll talk about them later.” His hand moves over my breast, causing the tingly feeling I just mentioned. “Right now I want to do something else.”

  “But we need to sleep. We have to get up early.”

  He kisses my stomach as he inches my panties off, sending a rush of heat through my core. “You turning me down?”

  “I can sleep in the car.”

  I hear him laugh a little. He knows I won’t turn him down. Well, maybe someday I will, but it hasn’t happened yet.

  CHAPTER SIX

  6

  In the morning we leave promptly at 8. Harper’s driving us in her SUV. The drive ends up taking forever because as we get closer to LA, traffic comes to a crawl. We arrive at Harper’s house in Malibu around noon, much later than expected.

  Her house is a mansion, almost as big as Garret’s house in Connecticut. It’s surrounded by a really tall privacy wall made of concrete with security cameras placed all around the top of it. It feels even more secure than Garret’s house and I’m wondering why they need such a fortress. Harper never acts like her family has psycho stalkers after them. Maybe her parents are just extra cautious.

  “Can you guys get the bags?” Harper asks Sean and Garret as we get out of the car.

  “Yeah, we got ’em,” Sean says.

  “Come on, Jade.” She takes my arm and leads me down the long hedge-lined entrance to her house.

  The front door opens and a tall, thin woman who looks just like Harper appears. She has straight blond hair that hangs a few inches past her shoulders and a tan that’s so even in color that it looks like it might be a spray tan. She’s wearing a fitted black t-shirt and white shorts, and sandals that show off her manicured toes which are painted in a bright pink shade.

  She gives Harper a hug. “Honey, what took you so long?”

  “We hit traffic. Sorry, I should’ve called.”

  Harper’s mom smiles at me. “And you must be Jade.”

  “Yes, nice to meet you.”

  I reach out to shake her hand but she gives me a hug instead.

  My face must show my surprise because Harper laughs. “We’re huggers, Jade. The whole family, so get prepared for more.”

  “Come inside.” Her mom leads us into the foyer. “Where are the guys?”

  “They’re getting the luggage,” Harper says.

  “Hi, Mrs. Douglas.” Sean walks in with two suitcases. Harper packs way too much for an overnight stay.

  Harper’s mom gives him a hug. “Sean, I told you to call me Kelly. Mrs. Douglas makes me sound way too old.”

  It does make her sound old and she definitely doesn’t look old. She’s in her mid-forties but she looks more like she’s in her late twenties or early thirties. She doesn’t even have any wrinkles. I wonder if she gets those injections in her face that are supposed to get rid of wrinkles. Harper said people in LA are obsessed with looking younger.

  Garret walks in with our one small suitcase. “Hi, Mrs. Doug—I mean, Kelly.”

  “Much better,” she says, giving him a hug. “So, Garret, when’s the last time I saw you? Two years ago? In New York?”

  “That sounds right. I think it was the fundraiser for the children’s hospital.”

  “Yes, that’s right, it was. How’s your family doing?”

  “Good. Jade and I are going back to visit them next weekend.”

  She smiles. “For the Kensington Fourth of July celebration?”

  He smiles back. “Yes, but it’s just the family this year. We’re not doing the big party.”

  “Well, tell your parents I said hello. Oh, and I have some things for Lilly. I was cleaning out our storage room last week and found some princess costumes the girls used to play with and I thought Lilly might like them. Unless you think Katherine wouldn’t want her having them.”

  “I’m sure she’d be happy to get them.”

  Garret’s just being polite. Katherine would never allow Lilly to wear used clothes, even used play clothes.

  Kelly continues to talk to Garret. As I stand there watching their exchange, I find it odd that Garret’s family knows Harper’s family. It makes sense that they see each other at charity events, but sometimes I think they’re more than just casual acquaintances.

  Last spring, when Pearce was trying to make Garret look bad in the media, he said he’d have Harper’s dad make some fake videos. Pearce acted like he’d worked with her dad before and said that Harper’s dad owed him a favor.

  It makes me wonder if maybe Harper’s dad is somehow involved in the secret organization Garret’s dad belongs to. I try not to think about it because Garret’s no longer involved in any of that and thinking about it just stresses me out.

  “I need to say congratulations to you two,” Kelly says, smiling at Garret and me.

  “Thanks.” I take Garret’s hand. “It’s only a few weeks away.”

  “I’m sure you have people telling you you’re too young to get married, but just ignore them. Everyone’s different. Harper’s dad and I got married young and we’ve been happily married ever since.”

  “Are you talking about me?” A man with blond hair, tan skin, and artsy, black-rimmed glasses walks up behind Kelly. He puts his arm around her and kisses her.

  “I warned you guys about the two of them,” Harper says, referring to their public display of affection. She always tells me how her parents can’t take their hands off each other. “Jade, this is my dad. Dad, this is Jade.”

  “Hi, Jade. Welcome to our home.” He smiles and extends his hand.

  “Hi.” I shake his hand. “I like your movies.” It’s a dumb thing to say, but I’m kind of nervous being around him knowing he’s one of Hollywood’s biggest movie producers.

  “Thank you.” He laughs a little. “But honestly, some of my movies aren’t that great. I’m the first to admit that, so it’s okay if you don’t like them. I won’t be offended.” He turns to Garret and shakes his hand. “Garret, I was just talking to your father last week. He invited us out to Connecticut in December for a holiday party and fundraiser. Will you be there?”

  “Probably not. I think it’s the same week as finals.”

  He nods. “Yes, I suppose it is, although it’s the week before Christmas so maybe your finals will wrap up early and you’ll be home by then.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Garret glances at me. He knows I don’t want to go back to his family’s house for winter break. Maybe we’ll go back for a few days around Christmas or New Year’s but I can’t spend a month at his house with Katherine.

  “So how did you like the campus?” Kiefer asks us.

  Garret answers. “It was great. I think it’ll be a good school for us. Thanks again for the recommendation. And for helping us get accepted so quickly.”

  “Certainly. I was happy to help.”

  I just realized that Harper’s dad hasn’t even said hello to Sean. He just keeps talking to Garret, like Sean’s not even there even though Sean
’s standing right next to Garret.

  Harper must notice this as well because she says, “Dad, you should see how good Sean’s gotten at surfing. Maybe you guys could surf together later.”

  Kiefer finally turns to Sean. “Sure we could do that.” He looks at Garret again. “You surf, Garret?”

  “Yeah. Sean and I go out almost every day.”

  “Then the three of us should get out there this afternoon.”

  Kelly puts her arm around him. “Honey, you don’t want to do that. You need to get ready for the party.”

  He leans down and kisses her cheek. “We’ll just go for a couple hours. Us men don’t need much time to get ready. And this way we’ll be out of the way so you girls can do whatever you need to do.”

  “Let’s at least show them to their rooms and feed everyone before you head out.”

  Kelly gives us a tour of the house. It’s painted white, like Garret’s house, but the red Spanish tiles on the floor and the wood beams along the ceiling warm up the cold white walls. The furniture is very casual; warm wood tables and big, comfy couches and chairs. It’s not like the stiff, uncomfortable furniture at Garret’s house.

  Kelly takes us upstairs to the rooms we’ll be staying in. I figured she’d put us all in separate rooms but she doesn’t. Sean is staying with Harper in her room and Garret and I are staying in a room just down the hall.

  We drop our stuff off, then everyone meets up for lunch on the back patio, which overlooks the ocean and their private beach. Attached to the patio is a large oval-shaped pool with a waterfall.

  Lunch consists of a bunch of salads and a bowl of chopped fruit. Now I get why Harper eats that way. But I hope they have more than salad at the party tonight or I’ll be starving until we get home.

  After lunch the guys go surfing and Harper takes me to one of the upstairs bedrooms to shop for something to wear tonight. And when I say shop, I mean it. The entire bedroom is set up like a store. In the middle of the room there are eight racks of clothes with the tags still on. I walk past the racks and see shelves along the wall that hold folded jeans and t-shirts. Then I peek in the walk-in closet and see boxes of shoes neatly arranged in tall stacks.