The Wandering Caravan (Forever and Always #8) Read online

  I moved from his arms then grabbed my computer. I sat outside on the patio and closed the door so I wouldn’t wake up Sean. I pulled out my phone and texted Ryan.

  U awake?

  It’s 8 here. Of course I’m awake.

  I smiled at his response. He was always such a smartass. Skype?

  Can’t we just talk on the phone?

  I want to see you.

  You already know what I look like.

  Shut up and Skype me.

  Fine

  I opened my laptop and waited for the connection to start. A moment later, I saw Ryan sitting on the couch in the living room. He was wearing a blue hoodie with a beer in his hand. I immediately felt happy when I saw him.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call when I said I would.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Scar, you’re on your honeymoon. You’re not supposed to call me.”

  “I’ll always call you.”

  He drank from his beer then put it down. “How’s that going anyway?”

  I pulled my knees to my chest to fight the slight cold. “It’s wonderful. We’re having a great time.”

  “Then why are you calling me?”

  “I miss you, okay?”

  “It hasn’t even been a week.”

  “And that’s already too long,” I said.

  “What have you guys done? Did you go hiking to the waterfalls?”

  “No.”

  “Did you go snorkeling?”

  “No.”

  “Did you go surfing?”

  “No.”

  “Then what the hell have you been doing?”

  I gave him a smartass look.

  He laughed. “All the time? You have to leave the room at some point.”

  “Sean isn’t interested in that.”

  “You spent a fortune just to screw all the time?” He shook his head. “Money well spent.”

  Cortland plopped down on the couch next to him. “Hey, Scar.”

  “Oh my god! I didn’t know you were there. I miss you!”

  Ryan raised an eyebrow. “You said you missed me but I didn’t get a reaction like that.”

  “But I knew you’d be there.”

  Cortland laughed. “I think Ryan is jealous.”

  “He loves me. I knew it.”

  Ryan shook his head. “Only because I have to.”

  Cortland shook his head slightly then turned back to the computer. “How’s the honeymoon?”

  “We’ve been doing a lot of honeymooning. Let’s put it that way.”

  Cortland nodded with a big smile on his face. “Yeah, baby. Go Sean.”

  Ryan looked uncomfortable. “You know I’m her brother, right?”

  “And when has that ever bothered you?” he countered.

  I knew where this conversation was going. “What’s new with you guys?”

  “We’re just packing,” Cortland asked. “I don’t have that much stuff, but Monnique is practically bringing a department store. If she wasn’t so damn hot…I don’t know what I would do.”

  “And if she wasn’t awesome with a great personality,” I reminded him.

  “Yeah, whatever,” Cortland said. “I didn’t ask her out because I thought she had an awesome personality.”

  Ryan nodded. “Same thing with Janice. After I got to know her and she was cool, I realized I hit the jackpot.”

  “You guys are pigs,” I said.

  “What’s your point?” Ryan said. “It’s better to be upfront about it than to be deceptive. Believe me, Janice knew exactly what kind of guy I was.”

  “Well, you aren’t that guy anymore, right?”

  “Definitely not.”

  I tightened Sean’s shirt around me because the night was getting cooler. I was excited to go back to bed and feel Sean’s warmth envelope me. “Are you excited to move?”

  Ryan shrugged. “I already have a few buyers that want the shop. As soon as I put up the FOR SALE sign people were asking for quotes.”

  “People at work were bummed when I said I was leaving. They even had a party for me,” Cortland said.

  Now I felt bad I was making them sacrifice so much for me. No one else would have done that. “Thank you so much, you guys.”

  “We’re a caravan, right?” Cortland asked. “We stick together.”

  “But it means a lot to me,” I said quietly.

  Ryan and Cortland didn’t say anything. Ryan sipped his beer and Cortland leaned back on the couch. Even though we didn’t speak, it was nice just to see them.

  “I miss you guys,” I whispered.

  “We miss you too,” Cortland said. “But you should get back to your husband and enjoy your honeymoon.”

  “I wish you guys came.”

  Ryan shook his head. “I’m good, really.”

  I laughed. “We’d get different rooms.”

  “Even then,” he said. “I got enough at the wedding. You should get everything out of your system before you return to reality.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” Sean placed his hands on my chair and leaned over, looking at my face. I didn’t even hear the door open. He looked back at the screen. “How’s it going?”

  “Scarlet called because she missed us,” Ryan said. “The usual.”

  “I figured,” Sean said. He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. “Let’s go to bed. We’re going to the aquarium early tomorrow.”

  “I’m so excited,” I said happily.

  He rested his face in my neck. “Say goodnight.”

  “Bye,” I said to Cortland and Ryan. “We’ll see you when we get back.”

  They both waved.

  “Have a good time,” Ryan said.

  “Don’t keep the neighbors up,” Cortland said with a wink.

  Sean closed the laptop then looked down at me. “I’ll always have to share you, won’t I?”

  “I hope that’s okay.”

  He kissed my cheek. “As long as I get most of you, most of the time.”

  “You do.”

  “Then I’ll settle for that. In fact, I’d settle for just a sliver of your heart and your time because I’m desperately in love with you.”

  Sean could be so sweet at the most unexpected times. He grabbed me and carried me back inside. We crawled back into bed and he placed me on his chest, exactly where I was before. “Don’t go anywhere this time,” he whispered.

  “I promise.”

  2

  Cortland

  The first time I saw Scarlet, I assumed she was one of Ryan’s fuck buddies. She was gorgeous with a rockin’ body and a beautiful smile. And since she was at his apartment, I made the assumption. But when I found out she was his sister, I was shocked.

  The longer I spent time with her, I realized it wasn’t that surprising. Although, I was surprised Ryan never mentioned her before. They were the closest siblings I ever knew.

  But now that she and I were so close, it wasn’t that surprising. She captured the hearts of everyone around her. I was envious of the world she created, but I was thankful I was such an integral part of it.

  I wondered how different my life would have been if Scarlet never forgave Sean for everything he did. What if she and I got together? I used to think about it all the time until I met Monnique. After that, she was the only woman in my thoughts. I was initially attracted to her because of her beautiful appearance. Flawless skin with never-ending curves, Monnique had beauty that couldn’t be compared to anything else. But I loved the person she was even more. Independent, strong, compassionate, hilarious, and just down to earth, I fell, and I fell hard.

  Now I saw Scarlet as family, even a sister. I didn’t know the details of her life, but I knew she had a hard time growing up. And she had to put up with a lot of bullshit from Sean. I was glad to see her finally get the happily ever after she deserved. And I was happy to see the love in Sean’s eyes every time he looked at her. He and I had our differences, but I wanted us to get along because of Scarlet. I’m glad everything worked out.r />
  But now I needed to get my happily ever after. We were moving to New York in just a week and all the last minute arrangements were being made. I quit my job and Ryan wasn’t working at the shop anymore because he was handing it over to a new owner. Monnique and Janice still had work, so Ryan and I spent a lot of time together.

  We were packing up his furniture and extra clothes, stuffing everything into boxes. The game was on in the background and bottles of beer littered the apartment. We decided to take a break because we were both sweaty and exhausted.

  “Have you talked to Scarlet?” I asked as we sat on the couch.

  “No.” He drank from his beer and put his feet on the coffee table. The apartment was empty except for the pile of boxes in every corner.

  “She must be having a good time, then.”

  “I would hope so.”

  I needed to have a conversation with Ryan and it was a long time coming. It was something he and I both avoided. I wasn’t sure why. But it’d been put off long enough. “When are you going to propose to Janice?”

  He finished his glass and put the empty bottle alongside the rest of the ones we compiled over the last week. “I don’t know.”

  “I want to propose to Monnique but I don’t want us to be engaged at the same time. Well, I doubt the girls would want to be engaged at the same time. You know how women are. So…who’s going to go first?”

  He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t care. What do you want to do?”

  Ryan smiled. “Clearly, neither one us really cares.”

  “Well, maybe it should depend on the girls. Which one wants to get married more?”

  “Janice seems pretty lenient on it. We talked about it once and she made it clear she wants to get married and have our first kid before she’s thirty. She didn’t specify when.”

  “I think Monnique feels more rushed since she’s leaving everything behind for me.”

  He nodded. “That makes sense. But I don’t know how Janice would feel if you guys got married before we did since we’ve been together longer.”

  I sighed. “I wish we could just ask them what they want us to do.”

  “We can always ask Scar to feel them out.”

  “That might make it obvious,” I said. “I wish we could just be engaged around the same time. We probably wouldn’t even have our weddings in the same month or even year.”

  “Even if that didn’t matter, one of us has to go first. The other will automatically look like an ass.”

  This was complicated. I wouldn’t care so much if it wasn’t important to Monnique, but I knew it was. She wanted to settle down immediately. According to her, she wanted a serious commitment. I wanted the same thing, but if Ryan proposed and I didn’t, I knew she’d be upset. Hearing Janice talk about the wedding plans would make her depressed.

  “What if we just did it the same day?”

  “What? I asked. “Get engaged?”

  “Yeah. We’ll do it separately. When we see each other again, the girls will be happy for themselves and each other. Everybody wins.”

  “I guess that’s the best plan we got.”

  Ryan leaned back and stared at the TV. I knew he wasn’t really watching it. “You ready for this?”

  “I know I want to marry Monnique. Are you ready?”

  “I’ve been ready for a while. I just can’t find a ring. I’ve looked several times.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  “I don’t know. I just don’t see me wearing a wedding ring, not in my line of work. I don’t see Janice wearing one either.”

  “You can propose without a wedding ring.”

  “I guess I could.”

  “So, when are we doing this?”

  “I guess after we move,” Ryan said.

  “Alright. That will give me time to plan what I’m going to do.”

  Our apartment was packed. Only the necessities we absolutely needed were available. Our bed, clothes, and kitchen supplies were still accessible. After packing all day, I lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Monnique would be off work in an hour. Since it was past dark, I’d pick her up at the entrance. I refused to let her walk and wait for a taxi in the parking lot after dark. It just scared the shit out of me. The only time I wasn’t there was when I was working, and in that case, I had Ryan pick her up. He never argued with me about it. He completely understood my reasoning because he was the same way with Janice.

  I set an alarm on my phone so I wouldn’t fall asleep and forget. But as soon as I closed my eyes, the front door opened.

  I sat up. “Baby, is that you?”

  She came inside and put her purse on the counter. Her scrubs were pastel blue. Even though they were baggy and comfortable, she still looked sexy as hell. Her hips were noticeable and so was her ass. That thing was always noticeable. “You look so tired.” She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Packing all day?”

  “Why didn’t you call me to pick you up?” I demanded. “You know how I feel about that.”

  “How could I forget?” She rolled her eyes. “Vivian gave me a ride home. We walked to the car together.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry I got upset.”

  “It’s okay.” She kicked off her shoes and put them in the closest. She never walked around in her hospital clothes. Everything went in a special bag inside the closet so the contaminants wouldn’t infect our home. The best part was watching her strip. She took off everything, even the undergarments. I watched her, feeling my cock spring to life.

  When she was naked, she came to the couch and lay on top of me. My hands moved to her body and felt the soft skin I loved so much. My lips found her shoulder and I kissed her gently. Out of its control, my hand squeezed her ass.

  “Why are you so obsessed with that thing?” she asked.

  “Because it’s beautiful.”

  “And the rest of me isn’t?” She gave me that look, challenging me.

  “The rest of you is gorgeous.” I was never cheesy with my other girlfriends, but I meant everything I said to Monnique. She was the most gorgeous girl in the world. I loved her with my whole heart. The idea of not being with her scared me.

  She straddled my hips and sat on top of me. It was a perfect view. Her large tits were in my face, and her slim stomach stretched out into her Brazilian hips. I loved the color of her skin. It never changed no matter what time of year it was.

  “I’m sorry I’m so protective of you,” I whispered. “It’s just because I care about you so much. I would die if something happened to you. I don’t mean to be controlling.”

  Her eyes shined with the love she had for me. I knew the moment she fell in love with me because she started to give me that look. “I know, babe.”

  “I’ll try to tone it down.”

  “No, I don’t want you to.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “You’re a gentleman, Cortland. It’s in your nature to be that way.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m only that way with you.”

  She eyed me. “I know you’d protect Scarlet in the same way.”

  That was different. Monnique still didn’t know I slept with Scarlet. It was so long ago that I didn’t see the point in mentioning it. She was married to Sean and I was going to propose to Monnique soon. What did it matter? “Because I love her like family. I’d do the same for Janice too. But that’s it.”

  “Aren’t we special?” she teased.

  “We are a wandering caravan, a very unorthodox family.”

  She smiled. “A very cute family.” She placed her hands on my shoulders and rubbed her fingers into the muscle. “You must be exhausted from working all day.”

  “You’re the one saving lives. I should be giving you a back rub.” I tried to sit up but she held me down.

  “You always give me backrubs. I want to make you feel good.”

  “You always make me feel good.�
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  She rubbed her hands into my muscles and made me feel relaxed. I knew she loved my body. She always touched me and stared at me when I was naked. That made me work out harder. I loved impressing her.

  I loved my relationship with Monnique because we always put each other first. Sometimes we did it so often that nothing got done, but the gesture was still there. All of my relationships were one-sided. I went above and beyond for all my girlfriends, paying for everything, opening every door, listening to everything they had to say, and making them feel special. I felt like that gesture was never reciprocated. But Monnique was different. She went out of her way to make me happy. Sometimes it was little things like making my favorite dinner, or being quiet in the morning so I could sleep in, or getting tickets to a baseball game even though she hated sports. She would still sit in the stands with me and cheer for my team even though she had no idea what was going on. That’s real love, if you ask me. And that’s how I knew she was the one. Not to mention the sex. Monnique was a fireball in bed. She was even too much for me sometimes.

  The only thing that made me uneasy was her past. She was engaged to her boyfriend of five years. That was a long commitment to just walk away from. She never told me why they broke up, and I asked her on two separate occasions. It wasn’t any of my business because it happened before we even met, but it still bothered me.

  Would she walk out on me one day? Even if we were engaged? What made her pack her things and leave? Did he do something? Did he do nothing? Not knowing was the worst part. But if she didn’t want to tell me, I couldn’t force it. She was pretty open about everything else.

  I didn’t know the exact number of guys she slept with it, but it was sorta high. At least her number was bigger than mine. I only slept with the girls I was in a serious relationship with, besides Scarlet. I didn’t think Monnique was a slut or judged her personal life, but it still made me uneasy knowing I wasn’t the only man in her bed and her heart. When it really bothered me, I forced myself to stop thinking about it. But it didn’t always work.

  Monnique unbuttoned my jeans while she moved down to my thighs. “I think my man needs a treat for working so hard today.”