I couldn’t believe she’d had a baby a handful of months ago, because she looked amazing as she glanced up at the man beside her. It was the guy who earlier had talked to Cam’s mom and then held Ava. Now I knew the answer to who he was.
Avery’s father.
He escorted her down the aisle as we rose. Before she reached her soon-to-be husband, Avery stopped and cupped little Ava’s cheek, bending to press a kiss against the top of her head. The baby gurgled happily in response.
“And there goes my heart,” Roxy sighed. “Gone. Along with my ovaries.”
I pressed my lips together to stop the laugh from escaping as Avery’s father handed her off to Cam. It would’ve been a strange laugh—part humor, part sob. As I watched Cam’s mom turn Ava so she was facing her mother and father, the ache returned, piercing my chest, and I had to remind myself that it was okay. Someday it would happen.
Nick squeezed my hand, and when I glanced at him, his gaze searched mine intently, and I knew he felt where my head had gone. I gave him a smile, and he tugged me against his side with an arm curled along my back.
The ceremony began, and the words were really just a blur as Cam Hamilton and Avery Morgansten finally tied the knot. It was beautiful, and I had to fight back tears more than once.
“The rings?” the officiant requested.
Ollie stepped forward, and in his hands were two tortoises. One had a pale blue ribbon around the shell, the other had a black ribbon. Rings were secured to both. I had no idea where he had the turtles the entire time, and God only knew with Ollie, so I didn’t want to give that too much thought.
“Oh my Lord,” I murmured, grinning.
Nick chuckled.
“I want turtles at my wedding,” Roxy whispered to Reece.
Someone, I’m assuming him, choked.
Gasps and giggles gave way to laughter as Ollie lifted the tortoises and then walked them over to where Cam and Avery stood. They couldn’t keep a straight face as they retrieved the rings amidst laughter, and then Ollie returned to where the groomsmen stood. He’d bent, placing the tortoises into something I couldn’t see. Then he wheeled back around and gave a flourished bow. On the other side of him, Brit rolled her eyes.
Cam’s hand shook as he slid the simple band onto her finger. “Will you spend forever with me?”
Avery’s voice trembled as she spoke, sliding the ring onto Cam’s finger. “I will spend forever with you.”
Tears filled my eyes, and I looked over at Nick. Our gazes collided and held as a tear snuck free. Without saying a word, he smoothed his thumb under my eye, chasing the tear away, just like he had chased away all the pain and guilt, and opened a future I hadn’t necessarily planned for but eagerly anticipated.
The officiant was speaking again, but I didn’t hear the words. I barely registered the cheers as Nick lowered his mouth to mine, kissing me softly, and in that kiss were all the words I had so desperately wanted him to speak all those months ago.
Tell me that you still want to be here.
Tell me that you still see a future for us.
Tell me that you love me.
Nick had spoken the words before, many times in the last couple of months, but they were also promised in that kiss, and that promise spelled forever.
JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT (also known as J. LYNN) is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Wait for You and the Young Adult Lux and Covenant series, among other books. She writes steamy and fun New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. She is published with Entangled Teen and Brazen, SHP, Disney/Hyperion, and Harlequin Teen. You can find her on Twitter @JLArmentrout or at her website, www.jenniferarmentrout.com.
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By Jennifer L. Armentrout
FOREVER WITH YOU
FALL WITH ME
By J. Lynn
STAY WITH ME
BE WITH ME
WAIT FOR YOU
The Covenant Series
DAIMON
HALF-BLOOD
PURE
DEITY
ELIXER
APOLLYON
The Lux Series
SHADOWS
OBSIDIAN
ONYX
OPAL
OPPOSITION
Gamble Brothers Series
TEMPTING THE BEST MAN
TEMPTING THE PLAYER
TEMPTING THE BODYGUARD
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
FOREVER WITH YOU. Copyright © 2015 by Jennifer L. Armentrout. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition OCTOBER 2015 ISBN: 9780062362773
Print Edition ISBN: 9780062362766
FIRST EDITION
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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