Page 2 of When Forever Comes

“Have you ever written a book?” I snap.

She lays back down and ignores me, as if she knows she doesn’t have a leg to stand on in this discussion. It’s a silly thing to get worked up over. I still work at the bank, so it’s not like I’m a starving artist. My steady income doesn’t give me near the satisfaction a completed manuscript would. Let alone how amazing it would feel to see my books on a bookstore shelf.

Neither of us speaks for several minutes. Dana lies on the couch looking as if she doesn’t have a care in the world. I envy her. She will be able to enjoy this vacation without the tainted reality I have to face. A reality where the future I had planned is shattered into tiny shards of glass. Where I wasn’t enough for the man who promised me forever.

Just like before.

Tears blur my vision. “I should be at home, in front of the TV, watching a sad movie with a bucket of ice cream. Not going on what was supposed to be my honeymoon with my sister.”

“Are you saying you don’t want to spend this week at the most exclusive resort in the world where you’ll be pampered and doted on day and night just because you’ll be with me instead of your loser ex?”

Her blunt words cut straight through my walls. I don’t respond.

“You need this. Plus, you never know. Maybe you’ll find your soul mate while we’re there.”

I scoff. “You believe in soul mates? Because I don’t.”

Dana sits up. “I think there’s someone out there for everyone. The person God created for you.”

“Sounds a little far-fetched.” Sure, I write about soul mates in my books, but that’s all they are — fiction.

“Okay, forget about the soul mate comment. It’s time for you to enjoy your life. You’ve been so caught up with Brad that you didn’t even have fun in college. Now it’s time to meet someone new, embrace life, and see where the Brad-free part of your life takes you.”

I hold up my pointer finger. “First, college was meant to prepare me for my future. Not teach me how to have fun. Second, I am not ready to move on to someone new. It’s all too fresh.”

She reaches out and grasps my hand. “Livvy, you never know what the future holds. Don’t give up your second chance at love because that idiot cheated. I’ve told you for years that you can do better.”

“Clearly, he got better with Lexi. She’s built like a supermodel and I’m a chu—”

“Stop!” my sister interrupts me. “Don’t even go there. You are gorgeous just as you are. Women envy your curves.”

I pull my hand free from hers. “Maybe some of my curves. But not all of them. And I got them all.” Brad never failed to point out those imperfections. A huge red flag I ignored time and time again.

Dana rolls her eyes. “That’s not even close to being true. Besides, your looks aren’t what’s most important. It’s your beautiful heart. The right guy will see your heart, he’ll see your worth, and he’ll realize your physical beauty is just the icing on top of the cake.”

“Then why wasn’t my beautiful heart enough for Brad?”

“Honestly”— she grips my hand again — “he knew you were too good for him.”

“Lexi was enough for him.” It’s not a question, but my sister still has a response.

“Lexi was an easy target. He got what he wanted from her because you wanted to wait.”

“Maybe you’re right,” I whisper before removing my hand from hers and taking a sip of my ginger ale. “Why couldn’t he wait just a day longer?” The words are out before I can stop them. It’s a question I already know the answer to. Lexi wasn’t the first. And if I’m being painfully honest with myself, she wouldn’t have been the last.

Brad never was a fan of me waiting until our wedding night for intimacy. But it was a vow I made between me and God, and one I’ve never regretted making.

Sure, seeing my ex-best friend and almost husband in bed together took me right to the edge of regret. But then I took a step back and can now see it for what it is: a blessing. God’s way of throwing me a worn-out lifeline.

It’s been less than twenty-four hours since we were supposed to get married. But my path has never been so clear. This was God’s final attempt at getting me to walk away from a man He never wanted for me. I could kick myself for straying from God’s path for so long.

There’s only been one man in my life who I felt God pull me toward. If soul mates are real, he was mine. But after he vanished without a goodbye, I took it as proof that soul mates are a thing found only in fairytales.

He was the first boy I ever loved. And the first boy to break my heart.

I drink the rest of the ginger ale and pull out the book I picked up at an indie bookstore, needing to escape into a fictional world. Just because I can’t finish writing a great love story doesn’t mean I can’t read them.

Amber Island is a four-hour flight from Emerald Springs, the island where we grew up and still live. It gives me plenty of time to get lost in this fictional world of romance and intrigue. I read while Dana naps. I have never been able to sleep while traveling, even as a kid. My sister, however, could fall asleep on a train in the middle of a thunderstorm.

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