A Forever Family (Forever #6) Read online

  “Yes. To be honest, I am.”

  “What happened to all that talk last night about them having to get over it?” she said as she pulled on a pair of black pants.

  “That was last night. Now it’s today and this is happening in fifteen minutes.”

  “Ten minutes now. You better hurry up.” She pulled a short sleeve white cotton shirt over her head.

  I grabbed a shirt from the hanger. “Let’s make it five. If we’re early, my mom will be happy. Let’s keep her happy at least for a few minutes.”

  “Okay. Sounds like a good plan.”

  We put on our shoes and took the elevator up to the penthouse. As the doors opened, my dad walked through the foyer holding Brayden.

  “Well, look at you two. You’re early.” He smiled.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  He walked over to Amelia and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Good to see you, sweetheart.”

  “Is that my sweet boy?” My mom came from the kitchen. She hugged me and kissed my cheek and then turned and did the same to Amelia.

  “How was Vegas? Did you two have fun?” she asked with excitement.

  “Vegas was great. We had an amazing time.”

  The elevator doors opened and Julia stepped into the foyer. “Hi, Amelia.” She smiled and gave her a light hug. “Hey, little brother. There’s my baby boy. Mommy missed you today.” Julia walked over and tried to take him from my dad. “Daddy, give me my baby.”

  “Princess, we’re having a little bonding time. You get him all night. Let me hold him a while longer.”

  Julia frowned and I let out a chuckle.

  “Everyone in the dining room. Dinner is ready,” my mom chimed.

  I grabbed Amelia’s hand and we went into the dining room and took our seats. Julia kept smirking at me from across the table. I decided to wait until after dinner to tell my parents about our marriage. I didn’t want all the food my mom spent all day making to go to waste. Once we finished eating, Julia, Amelia, and my mom cleaned up while my dad and I took Brayden into the living room.

  “There’s something I need to talk to you about, son. Scotch?” he asked.

  “Sure, Dad. What’s wrong?”

  “I need you to fire Cara tomorrow.”

  I set Brayden down in his playpen as my dad handed me a drink.

  “What? Why?”

  “How do I put this nicely? She’s an idiot. She makes nothing but errors. She’s on her phone all day, scrolling through Facebook and Twitter, and she sent your mother black roses.”

  I couldn’t help it. I busted out into laughter. “What?! Are you serious?”

  “Yes. I asked her to call the florist and send a dozen roses to the house and she sent black roses.”

  “Did you specify a color?” I asked with a cocky attitude.

  “Anyone with a brain knows not to send black roses and I don’t find it funny.”

  “I do. But why do I have to fire her? She’s your secretary.”

  “Because you’re the one who conned me into hiring her. So now you can fire her and I want it done first thing in the morning. I don’t want her touching another thing in that office.”

  Shit. I couldn’t believe he was making me fire his secretary. He was in a mood because of her. Of all damn days. The women walked in the room and Julia took Brayden from his playpen.

  “So tell me what you two did in Vegas besides gamble,” my mom spoke as she sat down on the couch. “Did you see any shows, do any shopping?”

  My heart was beating at a rapid pace and I started to sweat. I could feel the beads of wetness forming on my forehead. I swallowed hard and took Amelia’s hand.

  “Actually, we did do something really amazing.” I tried to smile casually, but in reality, it was a nervous smile.

  I looked over at Julia, who was holding Brayden extra tight. She gave me a small nod.

  “Amelia and I got married!”

  “Very funny, Collin.” My mom smiled.

  “That’s not even funny, son.” My dad pointed at me.

  I looked down. “I’m serious. We got married.”

  “WHAT!” my mom screamed as she got up from the couch and Brayden started to cry.

  “You better be kidding, Collin,” my dad said with seriousness.

  “I’m not kidding. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

  My mom put her hand over her mouth as she looked at my dad. She stood there and stared at me with a look that I had never seen come from her before. It was a look of hurt, deceit, and betrayal.

  “How the fuck could you do something like that without your family!” she yelled.

  “Mom, calm down,” Julia said.

  “Did you know about this?” She turned to her and snapped.

  Julia’s eyes widened as she looked at me. I softly shook my head at her.

  “No, Mom. I didn’t know. I’m just as shocked but getting upset isn’t going to change things.”

  “Collin, I have never been more disappointed in you as I am right now.” My dad turned away from me. “I can’t believe you would go and do something so stupid.” He slammed his drink down on the bar.

  As much as I loved my parents, there was no way in hell I was going to stand there and let them talk to me like that.

  “Stupid? You think me marrying the woman that I love more than life is stupid?”

  “That’s not what I meant,” my dad yelled.

  “How could you do this to us?” A tear fell from my mother’s eye.

  “Do what to you, Mom? Take away your dreams of planning the perfect wedding for us? I didn’t want to wait to marry Amelia. I love her and I wanted her to be my wife. I’m sorry, but you and Dad of all people should know that. You know how it feels to be so in love with someone that you can’t bear to be without them even for a split second.”

  “We understand that, son, but you should have waited,” my dad spoke.

  “Why? Why should we have waited?”

  “Because I’m your mother and I wanted to watch my son get married!” my mom screeched.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. Dad. But this is my life and I did what felt right for us. Amelia is my wife and I am her husband and it’s done. If you want to throw us a wedding reception, that’s fine. But I will not apologize for marrying the woman I love most in this world. She’s my life. I’m sorry we hurt you. That was never our intention. We’re happy with or without your support. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get out of here and get some fresh air.”

  I pulled Amelia behind me and when we approached the door, I stopped and turned to my parents. “If Mom wasn’t sick when you proposed to her, you probably would have done the same thing. The only reason why you waited was because Mom wouldn’t commit until she knew she was going to be okay.” We walked out of the penthouse. I knew damn well this was the reaction we were going to get, but I was still angry and sad. They were disappointed in me, but I was also disappointed in them.

  Chapter 4

  Ellery

  I stood there with tears streaming down my face and my heart ripped in half. Connor walked over and wrapped his arms around me. I let him console me for a few moments and then I broke our embrace, walked over to the bar, and poured a shot of Jack. I threw it back and the slow and steady burn grazed the back of my throat. Connor paced back and forth across the room. The air was thick with tension and silence.

  “I hope the two of you are happy,” Julia snapped as she got up and put Brayden down in his playpen. “Did you see the look on poor Amelia’s face? Not to mention your son’s?”

  “How the hell could he have been so stupid?” Connor raised his voice.

  I placed my hand on my head to try and control the tears that were once again steadily rising up in my eyes.

  “Why is he stupid? What did he do that was so wrong? He married the one person in the world that he loves most.” Julia walked over to Connor and pressed her finger into his chest. “I am so disappointed in you, Daddy. And you too, Mother.” Her eyes glared over at
me. “Collin and Amelia got married, big deal. It’s not the end of the world. For the both of you to be so selfish makes me uncomfortable.”

  “Princess, we’re in shock!”

  “Julia, how would you feel if Brayden came home one day and told you he got married?” I walked over to where her and Connor were standing and placed my arm around his waist.

  “If he married the girl of his dreams and couldn’t live without her and she felt the same way, I’d be happy for them. I wouldn’t have called them stupid. Listen, I understand how you both feel, but you need to stop and think about how Collin feels.”

  “He’s young. He should have waited.” I began to cry.

  “Why? He isn’t any younger than I was when I married Jake and you were all for that. You both love Amelia, so I don’t understand why you’re behaving like this.”

  “We’re hurt that he chose to do something so sacred and special without his family there,” I spoke as my heart ached something fierce.

  “He was very selfish,” Connor chimed in.

  “Wow, Dad. I think the two of you are the ones being selfish right now.”

  “Julia, we’re hurt. Why can’t you understand that?” I spat.

  “I do understand, Mom. But you know what? You can’t control everything that happens in life. You of all people should know that. Collin is a man who made an adult decision. He’s not your little boy anymore.”

  “He’ll always be my little boy, just like you’ll always be my little girl.”

  “Think long and hard about this before you do any more damage to the relationship with your son and daughter in-law. I have to get Brayden home. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  She took Brayden from the playpen and walked out the door. The tears that I’d held back came rushing forth and spilled all over Connor as he held me tight and I buried my head into his chest.

  ****

  Connor

  Once Ellery and I calmed ourselves down, we grabbed a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses and climbed into bed.

  “We should call them,” Ellery said as I filled her glass.

  “Not tonight. Everyone is upset and we all need to calm down.”

  “How could he just up and get married like that, Connor?”

  I looked into her sad blue eyes and placed my hand on her cheek. “He’s my son, Ellery, and we both know that he inherited more from me than he did you. I would have married you right there on that beach in California the night I proposed to you. I didn’t want to wait, and if you recall, I kept pressuring you about setting a date. But being the stubborn girl you were, you wouldn’t hear of it until we got the results back from your final treatment. I know how Collin feels because I still feel that way about you today.”

  “And I still feel that way about you, my love.” Her lips softly brushed up against mine. “But still, Connor. Our son got married without us.”

  “I knew something was off with him today. I even asked him about it this morning and he said he was fine. He was acting nervous and I found it odd. I never dreamed in a million years he would have gotten married.”

  “I bet he hates us now,” Ellery pouted.

  “He doesn’t hate us, but he’s probably really pissed off and hurt.”

  “So is Julia. Can you believe she talked to us that way?”

  I chuckled. “I do because she’s your daughter, Ellery.”

  I grimaced at the light smack against my chest. “Can you believe both our children are married? It seems like yesterday I was holding Julia in my arms.”

  I sighed. “I know, baby. Where did the years go?” I took the wine glass out of her hand and set it next to mine on the nightstand.

  “What are you doing, Mr. Black?” Her eyes gave off a glimmer of light.

  “I’m going to make sweet love to you before we go to sleep and then, when tomorrow comes, we’ll talk with Collin and Amelia and apologize for what we said.”

  “But—”

  I brought my fingers to her lips and softly pressed against them. “No buts. If things were different and you weren’t sick, we would have done the same thing and you know it.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “Of course I am.” I smiled as I kissed her soft lips.

  “Don’t push it, Connor.”

  I hovered over her and held her arms above her head. “Oh I’m going to push it, Elle, and it’s going to be hard and deep. That I can promise.”

  Chapter 5

  Collin

  I took off my pants and sat down on the edge of the bed, cupping my face in my hands. Amelia emerged from the bathroom and sat down next to me, placing her hand on my back and rubbing it softly.

  “Are you okay? I hate seeing you like this.”

  I turned my head so I was facing her as my elbows stayed planted on my knees. “I’m fine, I guess. I knew they were going to be pissed, but to call what we did ‘stupid’ was crossing the line.”

  “They’re in shock, Collin. They need time to process it all. You know people say things they don’t mean when they’re angry. Your family is so tight knit that I understand where they’re coming from.”

  “So you think the things they said were okay?” I asked as I got up from the bed.

  “No. I don’t think that at all. Give them time. I’ve gotten to know your mom and dad over the last several months and they’ll forgive us. They’re hurt right now and they feel betrayed.”

  I sighed as I stared down at her and took her hands in mine. “I know. But I don’t regret marrying you in Vegas and I never will. I love you so much.”

  “And I love you.” The corners of her mouth curved into a beautiful smile. A smile that would be forever etched into my heart and soul.

  I looked down at her as I ran my finger across her lips. “I want you so bad. You still owe me from earlier when you ruined my hard-on.”

  She grabbed my shirt and pulled me on top of her. “What are you waiting for, Mr. Black? You can have me anytime you want and I promise I won’t mention—”

  My mouth crashed into hers before she had the chance to say it. I could feel her smile against my mouth and it excited me even more. Making love to her as my wife was even better. She was mine and I was hers and no one was going to take that away from us, especially my parents.

  ****

  The alarm went off as I rolled over and put my arm around Amelia, giving her head a soft kiss as she reached over and shut it off. An uneasy feeling erupted inside of me, knowing that I’d have to face my dad today. I was still upset and I had no intention of talking to him, at least not yet. Hell, I didn’t even know if he had any intention of talking to me. I sighed as I gave Amelia a light squeeze.

  “Do we have to get out of this bed?”

  “Yep. We sure do.” She turned over, gave me a kiss, and then climbed out of bed. “I’ll start the coffee.”

  I smiled as I watched her walk away in the silk nightie I had bought her in Vegas.

  Stepping into Black Enterprises, my stomach was twisted at the thought of seeing my dad. I was in no mood and the first thing I had to do was fire Cara. When I walked up to her desk, she was sitting there on her phone. I shook my head.

  “Is he here yet?” I asked in a stern voice.

  “Nope.”

  “I need to see you in my office.” I motioned for her to go in.

  I followed behind and set my briefcase down on the chair next to my desk. I sat down and looked at her as she looked at her phone.

  “Do you think you can put your phone away for two seconds and look up at me while we have a discussion?”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “Things aren’t working out and we need to let you go.” I got straight to the point.

  “What’s the problem? I think I’m doing a great job.” She chomped on her gum.

  “You make consistent errors, you’re on your phone all day, you chomp your gum like some wild animal, and you sent my mother black roses.”

  “Oh.” She smiled.
“Did she love them?” She was clueless.

  I sighed because I didn’t have time for her stupidity. “No, Cara, she didn’t. Who sends black roses?”

  “I thought it was cute, considering your last name is Black and all.”

  “Well, my father had a different opinion. And really? Did you just really say that?” I couldn’t believe the mentality of this girl. I am never going to live this one down with my dad.

  “Yeah. You didn’t think it was cute?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Cara, you’re fired. Please go collect your things and leave or I’ll have security escort you out.”

  “Whatever. I didn’t like working here anyway. You’re all really uptight and boring.” She got up from her seat and I followed her out, making sure she didn’t steal anything.

  She collected her things and just as she was walking down the hallway, my dad was walking to his office. It was a shit morning already and I didn’t need it to get any worse. I turned away, went into my office, and shut the door. Before I made it to my desk to sit down, the door opened.

  “I take it you fired Cara?”

  “Yeah.” My nerves got the best of me as I prepared for his next words and took a seat at my desk.

  “I think we need to talk, son.”

  “Sorry, Dad, but I have a meeting to go to in a few minutes.” I picked up the files from my desk and got up from my chair.

  He stood in the doorway with his hand on the knob and stared at me. “Fine. We’ll talk later. I’m sorry, Collin.” His voice was sincere.

  “Yeah, well, I don’t want to discuss it now.” I walked past him and down the hall, heading to Julia’s office.

  ****

  Julia

  As I was sitting at my desk sipping on a cup of coffee, Collin walked in and sat down in the chair across from me.

  “Good morning. How are you?” I asked with sympathy.

  “I’m fine.”

  “And Amelia?”

  “She’s fine too, but I can tell she’s just as hurt by Mom and Dad’s reaction last night.”

  The sadness in his eyes was overwhelming and I hated seeing my brother like this. “Just to let you know that after you left last night, I told Mom and Dad off.”