Forever Yours (The Forever Series Book 1) Read online

  forever YOURS

  _________________

  L I S A E V A N S

  A Mini Romance Story

  © Lisa Evans 2020

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, without the written consent of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters and events are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental. All characters depicted are mature and consenting adults.

  This book contains explicit material and is intended for an adult audience only.

  THE forever SERIES

  by

  LISA EVANS

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  Content

  About The Author

  About The Forever Series

  Excerpt from ”Forever Yours”

  About Forever Yours

  Prologue

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from “Forever Mine”

  Other titles by Lisa Evans

  About The Author

  Lisa Evans specializes in short romance stories, stories she likes to call Mini Romance. Always having been a big fan of the romance genre, she decided to give it a go herself, wrote a story and let her husband read it. He loved it, and encouraged her to keep going. Leaving her former career behind her, Lisa Evans now splits her time between writing and taking care of their children. An avid romance reader herself, she hopes her readers will enjoy her stories – they’re mini romances with lots of love.

  About The Forever Series

  The Forever Series by author Lisa Evans consists of fast-paced, insta-love, and SAFE HEA romance stories. All stories in the series are stand alone and follow the cute love stories of two people falling in love. And what’s better than that? The Forever Series is perfect for the fast reader who loves sweet and steamy quick romances.

  Want to escape from the boredom of real life for a moment? Then The Forever Series is a perfect way to get a moment’s worth of respite before you get back to your daily duties. It’s hot and fast, and made for a mature audience only.

  Excerpt from ”Forever Yours”

  Clark

  I’ve gotta do something. I’ve got to find a way to show her how much I’ll miss her. It’s just the two of us here...

  Moments later, she re-emerges from the back. Dressed in her jean jacket, she’s got her purse hanging over her shoulder, and her hair has been let out of that ponytail. Whoa. My heartbeat increases at the sight of all that luscious, long hair framing her perfect face. I wish I could run my fingers through it, hold her, kiss her, tell her how much I love her, make love to her…

  Alicia

  Looking at him, I see him smile at me. It’s that perfect, million-dollar smile which gets to me every time. I cannot fathom the fact that he’s still single, that no woman has managed to steal him from the rest of us in the world. A bachelor at his age, that’s also partially why people talk about him behind his back, saying he ought to have married by now, that he’s old enough to start having grandkids soon.

  I don’t. I don’t care if he’s a bit older than me, I still want him. And I’m sure, I’m so sure we could work things out if we just tried…

  About Forever Yours

  Alicia is fresh out of college when she returns to her home town Summerville. Although she’s ready to start her new life and focus on her career, there’s something holding her back. She never did tell Clark how she felt about him. But maybe it’s time for that now.

  Clark is the grouchy old bachelor who runs the local diner, and he’s got a reputation about being the grumpiest guy in town. That may be true, but not when it comes to Alicia. She melted his heart the moment she walked into his diner when she was still in high school, but now that she’s all grown — he’s not about to keep his hands to himself any longer.

  Forever Yours a fast-paced, insta-love, SAFE and HEA love story, perfect for the quick reader who doesn’t want a story to drag on forever. If you love romance for a mature audience and want to escape from the real world for a moment, go ahead and start reading this story now.

  Prologue

  Prologue

  ALICIA

  MY HEART IS heavy, beating like a jackhammer inside my chest. My ears, burning red, cannot believe this is going to be the last time in a very long while that I’ll hear Clark’s beautiful voice say “Goodnight, sweetheart”.

  Sweetheart. I can hear the sound of his voice in my head right now where I stand by table six, wiping it down one last time. I wish I was his sweetheart, in fact I wish I was his lover, his darling, his everything. Because he’s everything to me.

  Has been for a long while now.

  And probably always will be.

  I love him. I love him dearly.

  The sound of a door slamming shut startles me, and pulls me out of my head, back to reality. Back to what cannot be avoided. It’s time to say goodbye. One last time.

  Glancing at my own reflection in the window, I notice that a curl of my long auburn hair has slipped away from the ponytail I always keep it in at work. Pinning it back behind my ear, I flatten the bottom of my baby blue diner dress, and then resume wiping the last of table six. From the back, I can hear him muttering something to himself, probably thinking I can’t hear him. It’s so cute. It’s what he does every night after Suzy, his sister with whom he runs the diner, has left.

  Intending to lift the chairs onto the formica table, I grab hold of one of them when I hear a voice behind me.

  “Hey, Alicia. Why don’t you let me give you a hand with that?”

  Turning around, our eyes meet. His dark, glittering eyes are mesmerizing as always. Adorable and warm, they make me feel so comfortable. I don’t know why exactly, but I always feel so safe around him. Maybe it’s because he’s never raised his voice at me, or never said anything to make me feel anything less than perfect, but whatever the reason doesn’t really matter. What matters is that he’s always been such a sweetheart to me. I know there are a lot of people in this town who wouldn’t believe me if they heard me say it, but it’s true. He’s the nicest man I know.

  “Sure, if you insist,” I say, and shoot him a smile. When I do, my heart flutters, and I sense my cheeks burning. Gosh, I don’t know why, but there’s something about him always making me nervous. Jittery. Like I’m a kid or something and not a young woman about to head off to college.

  “I do,” he says, passing by me. When he does, his arm brushes against mine, causing me to shiver. I really don’t want this to be our last night together, I want us to be together forever. Happily ever after, or something like that.

  Watching him move around always makes me so warm inside, and for a moment I’m overcome by such desire that I decide that this is it, I have to say something. I have to let him know how I really feel.

  I can’t go on. Cannot go on like this one more minute.

  Eyeing his stubbled jaw, I let my eyes wander down his face, to his arms and chest. He’s so strong and burly, I bet he could fight off a grizzly if it ever came down to it. And he looks absolutely mouthwateringly delicious in that moss green flannel shirt of his. With a rag tossed casually over his shoulder, he looks so effortlessly handsome and sexy that I could die.

  I just wish…

  I wish there w
as a way for us to be together.

  A way for us to fall in love without…

  “Clark,” I say, and instantly regret it. Letting my eyes fall to the ground, I’m suddenly overcome with the sadness of the moment. How is all of this going to work out? How will I cope being away from him?

  Going away half-way across the country just to go to college for a couple of years – now it sounds like such a stupid idea. But I can’t give up the scholarship, I just can’t.

  “What is it, sweetie?”

  “I…” I mumble, wondering how the heck I’m supposed to get out of this.

  His dark, enchanting eyes are focused on me, glued onto my eyes, and it frightens me. I’m so scared right now, and I don’t know what to do.

  I love him. I love him so much.

  I want to tell him that I’m in love with him, and I want him to know that it doesn’t really matter if he doesn’t love me back, I can deal with that. All I need is for him to know how I feel. I want to confess my emotions to him. I need to divulge the secrets of my heart.

  Secrets I’ve been harboring for so long…

  Blinking, I shy away from his gaze and wait for courage to come. It doesn’t.

  “Come on, Alicia. Tell me what’s on your mind. You can tell me anything. Anything at all.”

  Looking at him, I see him smile at me. It’s that perfect, million-dollar smile which gets to me every time. I cannot fathom the fact that he’s still single, that no woman has managed to steal him from the rest of us in the world. A bachelor at his age, that’s also partially why people talk about him behind his back, saying he ought to have married by now, that he’s old enough to start having grandkids soon.

  I don’t. I don’t care if he’s a bit older than me, I still want him. And I’m sure, I’m so sure we could work things out if we just tried…

  “Well, I just…” once again I begin, but my courage fails me. Though I want to tell him my heart’s desires, I cannot. I simply just can’t. So I tell him a lie. “I was just wondering if…”

  “If?”

  “If you need me… Anymore tonight?”

  Please say yes, I think to myself. Please say yes. Tell me you need me. Tell me you don’t want me to go, that you want me to stay. And that you need me to stay. Tell me that it’s going to be alright if I stay here with you and that you’ll take care of me Clark.

  Because I love you. And I’ll always love you.

  Prologue

  CLARK

  STANDING HERE STARING into the most beautiful eyes that ever existed, my heart is breaking. It’s breaking because I don’t know when I’ll see her again, or indeed if I’ll ever see her again. My Alicia. My dearest, sweet Alicia. You’re mine. Always will be.

  She’s got that look on her face again, like I’ve said something to offend her, and I wonder what she’d thinking. I wish I could sneak a peek inside her mind to see what she’s thinking about. I want to get inside her head, know every single wish on her mind.

  “I think I can manage,” I tell her, even though I don’t want to let her go. I want her to stay. I want to wrap my arms around that tiny frame of hers and kiss her, tell her I love her, show her how much I care for her. But I can’t. Now is the time I have to let her go. It’s going to be one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to deal with that. I’ve never been through anything the likes of this – having my heart broken by a young girl like her, letting her go, giving her up…

  Man, it’s enough to make a grown man cry. But I won’t. Not now at least. Not in front of her. Alicia. My love. My life. Damn, she looks so cute in that dress, I’m glad I decided to not let the staff wear their own clothes and a simple apron. Not that I mind the way Alicia dresses, but there’s something so adorable about the way she looks in a dress. And that baby blue shade just makes her eyes pop like a pair of stars glowing in the midnight sky.

  “You go ahead,” I say, pointing to the door.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, don’t worry. I think I can lock this old joint up by myself.”

  She laughs at me, and I love it. I love it when she smiles and laughs – especially when I’m the reason she does. I wish I could find a way to always make her smile, and not have her frown like she always does when something’s bugging her. Like when she first started taking shifts here at the diner, and had handed one of the customers too much change. She looked like the world was about to come to an end when I found her sulking in the storage room. It broke my heart to see her crying over something like that – and it made me feel like such a jerk that she would ever think that I would get mad at her for messing up on her first week.

  I would never get mad at her, ever.

  But she doesn’t know that because I haven’t told her as much. Just as I haven’t told her that I’m love with her. How could I? I’m her boss, and besides she’s so much younger than me. Her life’s just getting started, and there’s no reason a girl like her would want to stick around in this small town with a small-time diner owner who’ll never be able to give her the world. She deserves it, the world, anything she wants really. I wish I could please her in any way shape possible. She’s the sweetest, kindest, most generous person I’ve ever met in my whole life. I just wish there was a way for the two of us to be together.

  “Okay then,” she murmurs, turning around. “I’ll just get my stuff and I’ll be out of here.”

  “You do that,” I tell her, and watch her as she heads to the back.

  I love watching her, but I hate watching her walk away from me.

  That’s it. I’ve gotta do something. I’ve got to find a way to show her how much I’ll miss her. It’s just the two of us here...

  Moments later, she re-emerges from the back. Dressed in her jean jacket, she’s got her purse hanging over her shoulder, and her hair has been let out of that ponytail. Whoa. My heartbeat increases at the sight of all that luscious, long hair framing her perfect face. I wish I could run my fingers through it, hold her, kiss her, tell her how much I love her, make love to her…

  “Clark?”

  The tone of her voice makes it seem like she’d been trying to get my attention for a while.

  “Huh?” I mumble, and smile.

  “I said, take care of this old joint now, will you?”

  “Sure I will.” Drawing in a deep breath, I wonder if I’ll end up regretting what I’m about to do, but here goes nothing. “Come here,” I say, opening my arms wide. Just one hug. It can’t be wrong, can it? I love her to death, and I just need to hold her close, just the one time.

  Throwing herself into my arms, she hugs me, and I hug her back. The scent of her hair makes me all warm on the inside, and as I hold her tightly and press her body against mine, I feel myself stiffening. I want her. I want her so much…

  “Goodbye Clark,” Alicia says and pulls away from me. “And thank you for everything.”

  I don’t want this moment to end. I want to find a way to make her stay with me. She’s got me all riled up. All I want to do right now is throw her down on one of the tables, kiss her, tell her how much I love her, and then fuck her.

  “I mean it,” she adds, and looks up at me. Biting her lip like she’s anxious about something, she then leans towards me once more, and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Bye Clark.”

  “Bye Alicia,” I say, and watch her head out the door. “Bye my love,” I whisper to myself as she gets in the car.

  Wondering when I’ll get to see her again, I feel my chest tightening up. I miss her already.

  She belongs with me. She ought to be with me always. I have to find a way for us to be together. I don’t care if I’ll have to wait an eternity for her to come around, I just got to make her mine.

  Forever.

  Chapter 1

  ALICIA

  WHEN THE PLANE hits the tarmac I feel void of all emotion. It’s been so long since I’ve been here, and I don’t really know what to expect once I get off the plane.
My whole world has changed so much since I left, and I bet this place has as well.

  I bet his life has changed too.

  Not knowing if this was a good idea or not, I figure I’ve got no one else but myself to blame for agreeing to spend a couple of weeks at my parents’ place before moving in with my best friend Janelle. Everything had seemed like such a good idea back in February when I agreed to moving back to the place where I was born, but now – I’m not so sure anymore.

  Of course I love the idea of living with Janelle, she is still my closest and dearest friend, and we’ve kept in touch all the while I was away at college. But four years. That’s a lot of water under the bridge, and I can’t expect things to have stayed the same as they’ve always been.

  Least of all him.

  And I’m pretty sure I’ve changed too. I have. Living on my own hundreds of miles away from this place has definitely caused me to grow as a woman, and I can’t be sure that I’ll be able to care for everybody like I used to. Who knows? Maybe I’ll figure I’m no longer in love with him either. Maybe too much time has passed. Maybe the spark’s gone, and gone for good.

  As I exit the plane, the flight attendant smiles her brilliant white smile at me and wishes me a good stay here in Summerville.

  “Thanks,” I say, and head down the stairs. The sun blazes its rays right in my face, just like it always does in summer. Filling my lungs with the warm air, it smells so good. This is it. This is home.