Always the One (Always and Forever 1)

“You fiend,” I say, poking his tattoo.

“Shay, I’m serious. I have to fight the urge to go jerk it during the day. I start thinking about you and bam! Fucking hard-on.” He snaps his fingers in the air.

“I don’t think you have it in you to please me that much anyway, so I guess it’s okay that we don’t have that much sex.” I joke with the best sarcastic voice I can, my hand is aimlessly roaming over his six-pack. Whenever he comes, the veins around the V shape of his pelvis bulge like lightning bolts. I trace the outline of the pelvic veins and see his cock stir back to life.

Oh my God, again?

“Challenge accepted.” Holy shit, I’m still sore, but I guess that’s what I get for being a tease. Oh well, I’ll take the punishment willingly.

Coming down from our sex-induced high, Trey finally speaks. “I called Pops on the way here.”

“And?” I urge him forward. My hand running tiny circles over his tattoo while his hand roams aimlessly over my thigh, propped across his hips.

“Oh, Shayla, I pissed him off something good.”

I laugh at his choice of words. Pops isn’t afraid to put Trey in his place, that’s for

sure. “What did he say?”

He turns into me, taking his hand from my leg and touches me above my heart, his hand lingering and drawing little lines and shapes. It stills my beating heart, I swear I feel the electric current shooting through me and bringing a closer connection.

“He told me I need to stop spending my time chasing you, but more so following you. He said chasing is for cowards, following is for true men. I need to stop pushing you and start following you. He also said if I don’t marry you, or if I lose you, he’ll never accept or be proud of any other girl I bring home. He knows you’re it for me. If I lost you, I wouldn’t pursue another woman, ever.” Wow, I didn’t know he thought that highly of me. I feel a small victory at the knowledge. I love Pops.

And marriage? This seems soon, almost a little foreign to think about.

“Does that scare you—marriage?” I ask, knowing he’s come such a long way, but there’s no way Trey can be ready for that type of commitment, we are just now solving some of his deepest issues. Don’t start the race before the gun even fires.

“Before you, yes, I was terrified of marriage. Then I got the chance to love you and you changed that for me.” I don’t want to take all the credit for how much Trey has changed drastically in the past couple of weeks. Loving me and learning to accept my love—is something we have conquered together. I don’t believe love has a timeline, love is wild, unpredictable, you can’t tame it or tell it when it should happen. You have to let the heart lead you and then grab onto the reins for the bumpy, shocking, thrilling, and beautiful damn ride it takes you on. Weeks or months, I don’t care, I would marry Trey today if he asked. I’m head over heels for this man, I swear. Only he could make me question my mental stability and then have me ready to marry him within twenty-four hours. Like I said, love shows no mercy.

“You don’t think it’s crazy to be talking about this, this soon?” Itching to know what he’s feeling…is he reciprocating the same feelings I am?

“If I hadn’t known you almost my entire life, then once again, yes. But, Shayla, we’ve been a team for so long I couldn’t imagine a future where you and I aren’t together.” I’m seriously the luckiest woman in the world to be adored by a man so amazing. It feels like the sky is falling around me and the clouds are pooling at my feet. I lift upward and kiss his lips gently in reward for that extremely swoon worthy comment.

“Pops loves you a lot, Shay, he told me that his heart feels complete now that he sees me happy and in love. He said this has been his life’s mission, to watch me forgive my mom and open my heart to love.” His eyes are glazed with tears, his past is not his future, he gets that now. I’m his future, and I will spend every day loving him, never leaving him, I mean I haven’t yet, so why would I ever?

“My dad’s right, isn’t he? That crazy old man is right,” he says, shaking his head repeatedly, blown away by everything he just said. His father is his best friend; I’ve witnessed their relationship for years. No father and son could have a stronger bond if they tried. It’s strong and unique…it’s unbreakable.

“Yep, he is, and I will spend the rest of my life promising to show you both that I’m madly, deeply, completely, and hopelessly in love with you, Trey. No other man or force on this earth can take us away from each other.”

“Promise me you’ll always remember that?” he begs, his blue eyes holding me hostage until I answer. Our lips are an inch apart.

“I promise.”

“Damn it, baby!” he shouts.

“What?” I ask, laughing.

“Why do you make me this fucking happy? I love you,” he replies, causing us both to laugh together. The laughter starts to die down and he searches my eyes. Trey is back, we’re back. I have made up my mind about calling off the deal and I pray Lana will agree, and I think I know her enough to know she will. Between the lovemaking and all the sweet confessions, Trey was able to distract my mind from the new information about Evan. I almost start to think about it again, but my phone buzzes on the nightstand, breaking up that chance. I reach to check it. Seeing my dad’s name, I hurry and answer.

“Hey, Daddy.” I look up at Trey, his eyes are closed and there’s a hint of a smile on his face. His fingertips are grazing up and down my back, causing the hair on my neck to stand up—it’s soothing.

“This isn’t Dad, it’s King Kong.” I chuckle at my brother’s greeting.

“How are you on Dad’s cell?”

“Lana and I drove Trey up here. We’re all inside the house, starving. Am I on speaker?” I bite my lip in hesitation, knowing Kings is going to say some sort of over-the-top Kingstonism. Knowing he won’t let it be, I surrender without a fight. Pulling the phone away, I click the speaker icon.

“Now you are.”