Forever You Read online

  “What time will you be back from your run?” she asks.

  “Probably in an hour.”

  “The kids will be gone by then, honey.”

  “Oh. Well, then I guess I’ll say goodbye now.” He goes over to Harper who gets up and hugs him. “Bye, sweetheart. Call us later so we know you made it home safe.” He kisses her cheek. “Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  He comes over to me next. “Jade, it was a pleasure meeting you. You’re welcome to stay here anytime, even without Harper. Same goes for you, Garret. We have plenty of room.”

  I glance over at Sean, who’s staring down at his plate.

  “Thanks,” I say. “And thanks for inviting us to the party. It was fun to see so many celebrities.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He picks up his bottle of water. “I’ll see you two at the wedding.” He smiles at Garret and me, then walks right out the side door, not even acknowledging Sean.

  Harper looks hurt but she forces out a smile. “I’m going upstairs to finish packing.”

  She takes off and I follow her to her room. “Harper, are you okay?”

  “Jade, what are you doing here?” She turns around and I see that her eyes are wet. “Go finish your breakfast. I’ll be right down.”

  “I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  She drops down on the bed and starts crying.

  I close the door and sit next to her. “What’s wrong? Is it your dad?”

  She nods. “He hates him. He hates Sean. And I don’t know why. Sean’s polite. He always offers to help. He treats me well.”

  “When did your dad start acting like this? I thought he liked Sean when you guys were here for spring break.”

  “He did. But for the past month or so, whenever we talk on the phone, my dad says bad things about him, like he’s trying to get me to break up with him.”

  “What was he saying?”

  “I don’t remember. It doesn’t matter. The point is that he doesn’t like him and I don’t understand.”

  “Maybe it’s hard for your dad to see you growing up. I mean, Sean is kind of taking his place as the man in your life and your dad’s probably not ready for that.” I have no idea if that’s true but it sounds good.

  “My sisters have had boyfriends in the past and he wasn’t mean to them. And he wasn’t mean to any of my boyfriends in high school.”

  “Yeah, but you’re more serious with Sean. Your dad might be thinking you’ll marry Sean someday. That’s a big deal. He didn’t have to worry about that with your other boyfriends.” I spot a box of tissues on her dresser and bring it to her.

  “You think that’s it?” She takes a tissue and blots her face with it. “Because that kind of makes sense. My dad and I are super close and maybe he thinks he’s losing me.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably it. He’s just not ready for his little girl to grow up and get married.” I know nothing about her dad or her relationship with him but my explanation seemed to help, so whatever works.

  She hugs me. “Thanks, Jade. I needed to hear that. You’re really smart, you know that?”

  “Come on. Let’s go back downstairs and get the guys before they clear out the refrigerator.”

  She laughs. “Did you see my mom’s face when they filled their plates? I swear she’s never seen anyone eat that much.”

  When we get to the kitchen, Sean is cleaning up the dishes and Harper’s mom is sitting at the table.

  “Mom, why are you making Sean clean up?”

  “He wouldn’t let me. I tried, I swear, but he insisted so I gave up. He said whoever cooks doesn’t have to clean.”

  Harper goes over and kisses him. “Yeah, he does say that. He’s sweet, isn’t he?”

  “He’s definitely better than the other boys you’ve brought home.” She says it quietly but we all hear.

  “Mom!” Harper yells.

  “It’s true.” Kylie laughs and goes over to give Harper a hug. “I need to get going. Call me later, okay?”

  “I will. Have fun.”

  Kylie looks at the rest of us. “I expect all of you to come back here for my movie premiere.” She’s in a vampire movie that comes out next winter. “Oh, and Jade, be sure to take some clothes back with you.”

  “I will. Thanks, Kylie.”

  Caitlyn also gets up to leave, saying goodbye before following her sister out to the driveway. They’re going shopping, which is crazy because the last thing they need is more clothes.

  Garret and Sean go upstairs and get our bags, then we say goodbye to Kelly before heading out to Harper’s SUV.

  Sean drives this time while Harper takes a nap in the front seat. Garret talks sports with Sean, and I rest my head on Garret’s shoulder, thinking about our weekend. It wasn’t what I thought it’d be. On the way there, I was really excited to go to the party and meet Harper’s parents. But then the party was ruined when those men approached Garret. And although Harper’s parents seemed nice, I didn’t like the way her dad treated Sean. And I really hated seeing Harper upset. So all in all, it wasn’t the greatest weekend.

  The next week goes by and Garret and I get ready to go to Connecticut for the Fourth of July. I didn’t want to go, but Garret insists I celebrate all the holidays in a big way. This is the last major holiday we have yet to celebrate together and he wants to make sure it’s as great for me as all the other ones were.

  Going to his dad’s house doesn’t sound like a great way to spend the holiday, but Garret assures me it’s worth going because his family makes a huge deal out of the Fourth of July. Usually they host an all-day party with their wealthy friends, but this year they’re not having it because Garret and I are coming. Pearce didn’t want his rich, nosy friends around us. They’d start asking questions about why Garret’s with me and why he’s no longer the bad boy he was last spring and why he’s not going to Moorhust in the fall. The questions would never end and if we didn’t give them answers they’d make up their own.

  Katherine is furious that she’s not allowed to host her usual huge social gathering for all her snobby friends. Since Garret and I are the reason for that, I’m sure she’ll be even meaner than normal but I don’t care. I’m not going to get all worked up about her.

  We fly out Friday morning for the cross-country flight. With the layover it takes all day and we get into Connecticut at 6. Garret rented a car so his dad wouldn’t have to pick us up.

  “I’m getting nervous,” I say as we’re driving to his house.

  “What are you nervous about? Katherine?”

  “Just everything. Being back here. Being close to Moorhurst. Going back to your house. So many bad things have happened here.”

  He reaches over and takes my hand. “And lots of good things happened, too. Think of those things instead of the bad things.”

  I nod in agreement, but I still feel nervous being back. My heart’s beating faster than normal, my stomach’s in knots, and I can’t stop tapping my foot on the floor of the car.

  I did not at all expect to feel this way. Before I got here I was looking forward to seeing everything again. Maybe it is Katherine making me feel this way. Or it could be the fact that last time I was in this area I thought I’d lost Garret for good. I thought I’d never see him again. Yeah, that’s probably why I feel so sick right now.

  “Hey.” Garret brings my hand up to his mouth and kisses it. “I’m right here.”

  He keeps hold of my hand, rubbing the top of it with his thumb. He’s trying to calm my nerves because he knows what I’m thinking. We just passed Moorhurst and my mind is replaying the memory of saying goodbye to him the woods.

  “We just passed campus,” I say, stating the obvious.

  “I know.” He smiles. “I went to school there, remember?”

  “Were you thinking what I was thinking?”

  “About what a great time we had there? Yeah. That’s exactly what I was thinking. The movie nights. Chasing you around the track. Kissing you
for the first time. Endless amounts of sex in my room. I can’t believe we used to have sex on a twin bed. I can’t imagine doing that now.”

  He’s completely avoiding our goodbye in the woods, acting like it never happened. And maybe I should, too. It’s over and I don’t need to relive it. I need to forget it and focus on where we ended up. Together. Engaged. Soon to be married.

  I feel my shoulders relax and my foot stops tapping. My heartbeat is slowly returning to normal. I’m always amazed at the way Garret can calm me down. He always seems to know what to do or say to make me feel better.

  We drive into the small town that’s a few miles from campus and pass the coffee shop that Harper always went to. Next to it is the Thai place where Garret and I used to get takeout all the time. And across from that is the place where we used to go for pizza.

  Garret points to the bright red train car sitting off to the right. “You want to go to the diner this weekend? Get a Boxcar Sundae?”

  “Yeah, that would be fun. And maybe we could go to that Mexican place by your house. I want to see if that horrible mariachi singer is still there.”

  “You still want him to sing at our wedding? We could fly him out there for it. We’ll fly out the whole band.”

  I laugh just thinking about that guy singing. “No, that’s okay.”

  “You sure? I still have the business card he gave me.”

  “You do? Why did you keep it?”

  “I thought you might want it someday. That was our first official date. I kept our bowling scoresheet, too, even though I’d rather not look at it again, given how bad you beat my ass.”

  “I totally beat your ass.” I smile. “I can’t believe you kept that stuff. Did you keep other stuff from our dates?”

  “Yeah, I got a whole box of stuff. Movie ticket stubs, pens from the hotels we stayed at, takeout menus from our favorite places. I can’t remember everything that’s in there.”

  “Seriously? Why didn’t you tell me this?”

  “I was waiting until it would mean something to you. Last fall you would’ve said it was just junk, but I knew after I softened you up you’d want it.” His cocky grin appears.

  “You didn’t soften me up.”

  “Oh, really? Then I guess when we get home, I’ll just toss all that shit in the trash.”

  “No!” I almost yell it, then feel my cheeks heat up. “I mean, you might as well keep it now that you went to all that work to save it.”

  He shrugs. “It wasn’t work. I just tossed it in a box. But you’re right. We don’t need to keep it.”

  “Okay, you’ve proved your point. You’ve softened me up. Are you happy now? I want everything in your stupid box.”

  He laughs and so do I.

  “Maybe I’ll make one of my famous scrapbooks. I’ll take a class this time so it doesn’t look like a five-year-old made it.”

  “There’s the park where we ate lunch your first day here.” He motions to the sign. “You acted like I was some serial killer. I’d never had a girl be that scared to have lunch with me.”

  “I wasn’t scared. I was being careful. A lot of people get killed at parks.”

  “Did I ever give you any indication that I was dangerous?”

  “No, but killers don’t come out and tell you that. Some look perfectly normal and then when you least expect it they kill you and leave your body in the woods.”

  He glances over at me. “Well, I wasn’t trying to scare you. I just wanted to eat lunch outside.”

  “It was a good idea. I liked the lunch. And the park. And you. I liked you most of all.”

  He squeezes my hand. “See? We have all kinds of good memories here.”

  “Yeah, we do.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  9

  When we get to Garret’s house, his dad’s car is out front. Garret thought he’d still be at work. As we approach the door, his dad opens it before we can even knock.

  “Garret. Jade. Welcome home.” Pearce gives Garret a long hug and then hugs me for almost as long. He steps aside to let us in.

  The house looks cold and stark as it always does. They really need to redecorate.

  Pearce puts his arm around Garret. “It seems like forever since I saw you last.”

  “Dad, you saw me in May.”

  “Yes, but I’m used to having you closer to home where I can see you more.” Pearce is acting very strange. He seems happy and is showing more affection than usual. “Are you two hungry? Because I thought we could order a pizza for dinner.”

  Garret laughs. “Are you feeling okay, Dad? Because a pizza has never been delivered to this house.” He looks at me. “Katherine would never allow it.”

  “Katherine isn’t home tonight,” Pearce says. “And I gave Charles the night off. You know I can’t cook, Garret, and I think pizza sounds good. But if you two don’t want that, we can have something else.”

  “I love pizza,” I say. “I vote for pizza. How about you, Garret?”

  He’s still in shock. I nudge him to get his attention. “Um, yeah. Pizza’s good.”

  “All right then. I’ll order it up.” Pearce gets his phone out and looks at me. “Where exactly do you get something like that around here?”

  I laugh. “Garret can tell you. I have to use the bathroom. Hey, is Lilly home?”

  “Yes, she’s in her bedroom. Why don’t you go get her?”

  I race upstairs, stopping at the bathroom quick before heading to her room. I knock on her door and hear her tiny voice on the other side. “Who is it?”

  What kid asks that? Most kids would just open the door. Lilly is too funny.

  “It’s your friend who promised to visit you.”

  “Jade!” The door pops open and her little arms wrap around my legs. I reach down and pick her up.

  “Did you miss me?”

  “Yes. Please don’t go away again.”

  Her voice sounds so sad it almost makes me cry. I feel so bad for her, stuck in her room with no friends.

  “I live in California now, Lilly. You know that.” I walk into her room and set her down on her bed.

  “When are you leaving?”

  “Not until Tuesday, so we have a whole bunch of days to do stuff together.”

  She still seems sad, but she perks up when she sees Garret walk through the door.

  “Garret!” She runs up to him and he picks her up and spins her around.

  “How’s my favorite sister?”

  “I’m your only sister,” she says, giggling.

  “And my favorite.”

  She puts her head on his shoulder and hugs him. “You can’t ever leave again.”

  “Lilly, you know I don’t live here anymore. But I promised you I’d visit and here I am. Just like I said.”

  “But everything’s sad now.”

  Dammit. She’s seriously going to make me cry.

  He kisses the side of her head. “What do you mean? Why are you sad?”

  “Because you left me. And everything’s sad when you’re gone.”

  Okay, now the tears are coming. I wipe the corners of my eyes before the tears let loose down my face.

  “I didn’t leave you.” He rubs her back as she hugs him even tighter. “I just live in a different place now.”

  “But it’s so far away. And Dad said you’re not coming back.”

  “Because I’m going to a different school. I was away at school last year and you weren’t sad then, were you?”

  She shakes her head no.

  “It’s no different now. I’ll still be away at school. I’ll just be going to a different school. And I’ll still come back and visit you like I did before.”

  “It’s not the same,” she says quietly.

  Garret lifts her head off his shoulder and looks at her. “Tell me what to do to make you not so sad.”

  “I want you back here.”

  “Yeah, but I can’t do that, so what else can I do? Do you want me to call you more? Do you want to do that t
hing where we talk over the computer so we can see each other?”

  She nods at both.

  He glances over at me. “You want to talk to Jade more?”

  She nods really fast at that one.

  “What else?”

  “I want Daddy home instead of always at work. And I want him and Mom to stop fighting.”

  “I can’t promise you that, Lilly, but I’ll talk to him, okay?” He sets her down. “Guess what?” His tone lightens.

  “What?” She sounds a little less sad.

  “Dad’s ordering pizza for dinner.”

  She looks at him funny. She’s probably never had pizza, or at least not takeout pizza. Garret realizes this and tries to explain. “Dad’s getting the same kind of pizza I ate when I was your age. Let’s go downstairs. It’ll be here really soon.”

  “Where’s it coming from?” She’s still confused.

  “A guy brings it to the house.”

  “Why is he making us a pizza?”

  “He’s not. Never mind. Let’s just go eat.”

  We head downstairs with Lilly still trying to figure out this pizza thing. The girl is richer than most any other girl her age and she’s never had a takeout pizza. And her dad didn’t even know where to get one. Garret’s family is crazy.

  Pearce ordered three large pizzas because he wanted to make sure we had enough. Obviously it’s way too much and I’m sure he knows that. I think he ordered extra so Katherine would come home and find the leftovers in the fridge and freak out. But maybe it’ll be gone by then. Pearce said Katherine is having a spa weekend out of town and won’t be home until Sunday afternoon.

  Lilly eats two big slices of pizza which is a lot for someone her size but she probably thinks she’ll never get it again.

  For dessert we make ice cream sundaes. Garret pulls out a bunch of different toppings and lets Lilly make her own sundae, something Katherine would never allow. She’d say it’s too messy and that Lilly shouldn’t be making her own food because that’s Charles’ job.

  As we’re eating our sundaes, Pearce asks, “Is everything set for the—” He stops before he mentions the wedding because we haven’t told Lilly about it. Garret wanted to tell her in person.