Forever and Always Read online

  Sean stared at me. “I am home, Scar.”

  I looked at him. “What do you mean?”

  “You are home, Scar. I don’t know why I didn’t realize it before. I’ve moved to Seattle. My apartment is down the street, fairly close to you and Ryan, and I’m not going back to New York—whether you give me another chance or not. You are going to be in my life—nothing is more important to me.”

  My tongue was immobile in my mouth. I was speechless. Sean had moved there without me asking him. He gave up his position at the firm, a job he loved, and now he was living in Seattle with me. This was exactly what I wanted from the beginning. “You moved here?”

  Sean smiled at me. “Yes.”

  The seat rocked as I leaned back in my chair. I crossed my arms over my chest and thought for a moment. It wasn’t enough. He still picked Penelope over me. He can argue it was for the baby, but I didn’t see it that way. I never would.

  “Please say something,” he whispered.

  “That doesn’t change anything.”

  Sean ran his hands through his hair. “I am completely devoted to you in every way. Please, Scarlet, give me another chance. I am the one you want so take me—I won’t hurt you again.”

  I put my laptop into my bag and placed the bag over my shoulder as I walked away from the table. Sean followed me outside.

  “Scarlet, just think about it,” he begged.

  I turned around and looked at him. “It’s over, Sean—we’re done. I suggest you move back to New York because I’m not going to change my mind.” I marched up the street back towards my apartment and I heard Sean following behind me. Night had descended on the city and I knew Sean didn’t want me to walk home alone. “I don’t need you to protect me, Sean. I can take care of myself.”

  Sean didn’t comment on my words. My bag fell from my shoulder as he took it. He carried it for me up the street. I didn’t bother yelling at him since I knew it would accomplish nothing. When we got to the entrance of my building, I stopped.

  “I can take it from here.”

  Sean opened the door and walked into the building. I took a deep breath then followed him. We got into the elevator and rode it up to the fifth floor. I felt Sean staring at me as we stood next to each other. His fingers brushed mine, but I pulled them away.

  When the doors opened, I immediately stepped out and headed down the hallway to my apartment. Sean followed behind me without saying anything. When we got to my door, I took my keys out of my pocket and inserted them into the lock.

  “Good night, Sean,” I said. “Have a safe trip back.”

  Sean grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. “You kissed me, Scarlet. The tears were falling from your eyes like a river. Admit it—you love me. I’m not going to give up on you so you may as well get used to it.” Sean grabbed my face and kissed me. Initially, I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t release his grip on me. I gave into the moment and returned his kiss with passion, running my hands through his hair while I felt him slide his hands down my back. Logical thought eventually returned to me, and I pushed him away.

  “Don’t ever touch me like that again,” I yelled.

  Sean’s face fell as he listened to me.

  “Kissing me isn’t going to fix everything, Sean, and neither is moving here. You fucked everything up and it can’t be undone. We are through, Sean—done.”

  The front door opened and Ryan stared at us for a moment. “Is everything okay?”

  “Get rid of him,” I said as I walked into the apartment.

  Ryan turned back to Sean. “Come in,” he said.

  Furious, I turned back to Ryan and held my hand up to Sean. “I said get rid of him. I don’t want to see him, Ryan. He just kissed me when I didn’t want it. If anything, you should beat the shit out of him.”

  Ryan stared at me for a moment. “Fine,” he said. He walked outside and shut the door behind him, standing with Sean in the hallway.

  “You have to be kidding me,” I said under my breath. I dropped my bag on the table and Janice flinched at my aggression. She didn’t say anything and I was happy that she wasn’t dumping a bunch of questions on me. I was shocked that Sean had moved to Seattle to be with me. My lips still tingled from the kiss that we shared in the hallway, but I forced the thought from my mind. It couldn’t happen again.

  Twenty minutes later, Ryan came back into the apartment and closed the door behind him. Sean didn’t follow him inside, and I was relieved that he wasn’t coming into the room. I glared at Ryan.

  “What were you talking about?” I asked.

  “Sports,” he said.

  “Tell me.”

  “I’m starting to get irritated with you.”

  “What did I do?” I asked incredulously.

  “Sean moved here for you—moved. Give him another chance, Scarlet. What else can the guy do to prove himself?”

  “He can’t undo what he did.”

  “I’m aware of that,” he snapped. “But he’s doing everything he can to get you back.”

  “You even told me he didn’t deserve a second chance,” I said. “Why are you taking his side? You are supposed to protect me.”

  “That was before—he made an effort,” he said quietly. “Sean has proven his sincerity to you. I don’t want you to regret this later when Sean moves on and it’s too late. I don’t want you to be in a relationship with a reasonable guy that doesn’t make you happy. Just give him one more chance.”

  “This conversation is over.”

  “Scarlet—”

  “Drop it.”

  Ryan sighed as he stared at me. He turned to Janice. “Let’s go to bed.” He turned and walked down the hallway.

  Janice looked at me. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No.”

  “I agree with Ryan.”

  “Good for you.”

  “Why don’t—”

  “Just go to bed, Janice.”

  Her eyes widened in offense at my quick words. The skin of her lips stretched tight as she grabbed her stuff and looked away. She grabbed her belongings and disappeared from the room, leaving me alone in the kitchen. When the late hours of night descended, I finally went to bed.

  21

  “You are playing ball with us today,” Ryan said as he came into the living room in his gym clothes with a basketball tucked under his arm. He made himself a cup of coffee then looked at me while he drank from it. I was still staring at my computer screen like I wasn’t listening. “Did you hear me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then go get dressed.”

  “I’m going to stay here.”

  “You need to get out of the house and away from the screen. Come on. Cortland will be here soon.”

  “What about Janice?”

  “She says she’s too tired. We were up late last night.” He smiled.

  I sighed. I felt lethargic from the lack of exercise and I realized I should take a break from my work. It was moving as slow as a snail anyway. “Fine,” I said as I walked down the hallway.

  I returned a few moments later wearing my workout clothes. Cortland was sitting at the kitchen table.

  “I was wondering when you were going to be done.” He smiled. “We are going to the courts—not the Grammys.”

  “Save your trash talk for the court.” I smiled. Ryan and Cortland didn’t mention Sean and I was grateful for the silence. The three of us walked a few blocks up the street until we made it to the basketball courts. There was no one there except for a guy sitting on the benches. The man stood up when we approached, and when he came closer, I realized it was Sean.

  I glared at Ryan. “You’re such an ass.”

  Ryan ignored me. “What are the odds?” he said with a surprised voice.

  “I had no idea Sean was going to be here,” Cortland added. “Now the teams will be even.”

  They were sounding guiltier by the minute. “I hate you both,” I mumbled. I crossed my arms over my chest and didn’t look at Sean. Whe
n he walked over to us, he looked at me, but didn’t speak.

  “Let’s play two on two,” Ryan said.

  “I’m on Cortland’s team,” I said quickly as I walked over to him.

  Cortland and Ryan shared an awkward look. “Well, I already said I would be on Ryan’s team,” Cortland said as he walked away. “We decided that earlier.”

  I placed my hands on my hips. “I thought you didn’t know Sean was going to be here?”

  They both looked dumbfounded, caught in their lie.

  Sean came next to me. “I would love to be on your team,” he said. “We work well together.”

  I ignored him and walked away. Ryan was dribbling the ball and I stole it from him, running up the court and making a basket. Ryan stole the ball and threw it to Cortland, but Sean stole the ball and passed it to me. I made another basket. Sean and I could anticipate what the other would do before we even did it, making us a good team. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew it was true. After we played for a while, I stopped thinking about the uncomfortable situation between Sean and I, and just focused on playing the game. When the game ended an hour later, Ryan and Cortland did their usual victory dance on the court and I rolled my eyes at them.

  “We’ll win next time,” Sean said as he stood next to me.

  “There won’t be a next time, Sean.”

  Cortland and Ryan came over to us and we started to walk down the street to Mega-Shake. I looked at Sean. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” I said in an ugly voice. I didn’t want Sean hanging out with my family. He gave up that right when he betrayed me.

  “No,” Cortland said for him. “I already asked.”

  I fell silent as we walked to the restaurant. I was furious at both Ryan and Cortland for orchestrating this, making Sean and I spend time together in the hope that our love would rekindle. When we got to the restaurant, we washed our hands and ordered our food before we sat down in our usual booth. Sean sat directly across from me, so I was forced to meet his gaze.

  I didn’t speak while we ate and just listened to the men talk. Sean was staring at me the entire time, and I was growing irritated with the look. I was more irritated that Ryan’s plan was working, and I felt the spasm of my heart when I looked at Sean. I missed him.

  “How is your company doing?” Sean asked.

  I didn’t respond to his question because of the drama I was in at that moment. It wasn’t going to be mine in a few days.

  “Are you ignoring him now?” Ryan asked.

  I glared at him before I looked at Sean. “It’s fine,” I said. “But I’m selling it. I already put the offer online.”

  “What?” Ryan interjected. “When were you planning on telling me this?”

  “Now,” I said.

  “Why?” Ryan asked.

  “I can pay back the minimum amount on the loan and I’ll have some money left over. I’ll find a job doing something else.” When I looked at Ryan, he was staring at Sean and their eyes were locked. Sean nodded slightly and Ryan seemed to calm down. I didn’t understand what the interaction meant.

  “Sell it after they take you to court,” Ryan said. “You aren’t sure if you will even have to sell it yet. Don’t jump the gun.”

  “It’s my company. I’ll do whatever I think is best.”

  Ryan sighed. “Stop being a brat because I brought Sean along today. I’m just trying to do what’s best for you.”

  “Well, you aren’t doing what’s best for Sean,” I snapped. “You’re giving him false hope by supporting this. He’s just going to get hurt.”

  “Then give him another chance,” Ryan said.

  “I already said no.”

  Ryan glared at me. “You’re being stupid.”

  “Sean and I are never getting back together. He and I already discussed this last night. Both of you are wasting your time.” I stopped eating my food because I’d lost my appetite. “I am ready to move on and start seeing other people.”

  “You’re full of it,” Ryan snapped.

  “Then set me up with someone,” I said. “Hook me up with one of your friends.”

  Sean’s face fell as he listened to my words. He stopped eating and pushed his food away, suddenly losing any interest in eating.

  “Stop being a bitch, Scar,” Ryan said.

  I turned to Cortland. “Do you have any single friends?”

  “You made your point,” Sean whispered. “I get it.”

  I fell silent. Ryan glared at me in anger, and Cortland drank his soda without looking at us. I felt horrible for hurting Sean by saying I would consider dating other guys, especially since it was a lie, but I wanted to make it clear that we were over. Ryan and Cortland were trying to encourage his pursuit of the relationship, but I needed to shut it down.

  We got up and threw our trash away then left the restaurant. Sean started walking with us back to the apartment and I stared at him.

  “Go home, Sean,” I said. “You aren’t welcome here.”

  Sean took a deep breath. “You belong with me, Scar. Please don’t do this.”

  I felt the tears fall from my eyes. “No, I deserve someone better than you. I don’t want to be with someone that I can’t trust. You claim that you love me but you’ve never done anything to prove it—you only show me otherwise. I don’t know how much clearer I have to make it. WE ARE OVER! I DON’T WANT YOU, SEAN. NOW LEAVE ME ALONE.” Sean stepped back as I yelled in his face. The redness around his eyes showed the tears that were underneath the surface. He dropped his gaze and looked at the sidewalk. “DO YOU FINALLY GET IT? I WANT TO FIND SOMEONE BETTER THAN YOU. YOU DON’T DESERVE ME!” I felt a hand pull my arm.

  “That’s enough, Scar,” Ryan said to me. “Back off. Sean gets it.”

  A tear fell down Sean’s cheek and was followed by another one. I stared at him until he looked away. “Okay,” he whispered. “I’ll leave you alone.” Sean turned around and walked up the street, the opposite way of the apartment, and he never turned around. When I was sure that he wasn’t coming back, I started walking back to our apartment with Cortland and Ryan beside me. They didn’t say anything for a long time.

  “That was cold, Scar,” Ryan said.

  “Shut up, Ryan.”

  He fell silent until we got back to the apartment. I grabbed my laptop from the kitchen table and was going to carry it into my bedroom when Ryan stopped me.

  “You should apologize to him, Scar. What you did was fucked up.”

  I almost slammed my laptop to the ground. I placed it on the table then pushed Ryan back. “No, what you did was fucked up, Ryan. If you hadn’t encouraged him to pursue me, I wouldn’t have had to break his heart like that. You could have just left it alone.” I grabbed my laptop and walked around him.

  “You’re going to regret this, Scar.”

  I went into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me.

  22

  Sean didn’t come around for the next three days. I didn’t see him at the apartment and he didn’t make a surprise appearance at Mega-Shake. The last words I said to him on the street had the desired effect. Sean finally understood that we were over—done. I wondered if he’d moved back to New York yet—I hoped he did.

  The closer the court date came, the more nervous I became. I got a few offers on my company but none of them were willing to pay the price I asked for. Ryan said I shouldn’t sell it anyway until I found out what was going to happen at my court meeting, and I agreed. I just wanted to see if I had any reasonable offers.

  The days passed by quicker than they normally would because I was dreading the passage of time. The court date was just a day away and I hadn’t planned anything for the event. Ryan and I didn’t have the money for a lawyer, so I was defending myself. I didn’t see the point in preparing for it. I was guilty.

  Janice and I were sitting at the kitchen table when Ryan walked into the apartment with the mail tucked under his arm. No one had spoken of Sean since the argument we had earlier in the week, and I was glad e
veryone had given up on the idea of Sean and I getting back together. Ryan sorted through the mail and gave me my stack of letters. I went through the pile and found a letter from the government, reminding me of my court date the following afternoon. I tossed the letter in the trash and grabbed the next envelope.

  The letter I held was from a private law firm in Seattle. I stared at it for a moment before I opened it. When I read through the letter, I stood up in surprise, unable to sit any longer. Ryan stared at me without saying anything, waiting for me to speak.

  The letter stated that my father’s will had been modified due to new legal documentation and that I had inherited money from his stated will. My hands shook as I read the letter. I looked up at Ryan and saw that he was holding the same letter, except he hadn’t opened his yet. I looked in the envelope and found a check inside. I screamed when I read the amount.

  “How much is it?” Ryan said as he tore open his letter. He dropped the letter on the ground and stared at the check. His eyes widened in surprise. “Holy fucking shit,” he yelled.

  I was speechless. I stared at the amount again and felt dizzy with vertigo. “Dad left us almost two million dollars?” I asked incredulously. “I can’t believe this is happening. And right before I lost my company. What are the odds?”

  Ryan didn’t respond to my statement. He sat down and started to breathe slowly, controlling the enthusiasm and shock that was coursing through his body. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he whispered.

  “Now we don’t have to worry about the shop anymore,” I said happily. “I can move out and continue my company.” I wrapped my arms around my brother and squeezed him tightly. “That bitch got what she deserved. I bet she’s furious right now.”

  “I hope she is.” Ryan smiled.

  Ryan and I held each other for a moment, and I let myself ride the wave of happiness. My mother did everything she could to keep my inheritance away from me, but somehow the money made its way back to me—exactly as my father intended.