Page 24 of When Forever Comes

“Too late.” I chuckle. Countless nights I cried into my pillow over this man. For years, I believed he abandoned me. But I’m not crying because of my own pain this time. Now I’m crying for the pain he’s been carrying for a decade.

“Please don’t cry for me. I’m okay. And I’m not upset with your dad.”

“You have every right to be.”

“God’s ways aren’t always easy. Often, they’re not. But He has a purpose for every ounce of pain.” He licks his lips. “The pain I faced pales in comparison to the joy I feel now.” West tightens his hold me. “The happiness I feel right now, with you in my arms, makes the pain of the last ten years worth it.”

I rest my cheek on his chest, feeling utterly unworthy of this man. Despite this feeling, I try to lighten the mood. “I’m sure it didn’t hurt that you also became a billionaire during that time.”

His chuckle is deep and satisfying.

“Speaking of, I think it’s time I do what I’ve wanted to do since becoming a billionaire.”

I pull back, but keep my arms locked around him. “You’ve already bought an island. What’s next, a country?”

He shakes his head with a smirk. “I want to spoil you. Let me take you on a proper date… in my helicopter.”

“I don’t need to be spoiled. You don’t need to do anything crazy or extravagant for me,” I say, despite the giddiness that fills me.

“What’s the point of having all this money if I don’t have anyone to share it with?”

“Why me?”

He pauses as though he wants to formulate his response in a way I’ll understand. “You saw me when no one else did. Even though you were popular, you spent lunch with me. As a cheerleader, they expected you to go to the parties after games with the jocks and other cheerleaders, but you came to my house and ate terrible pizza instead. Your status in high school dropped because of me. But you prioritized me over that.”

I lift a shoulder, then drop it. “Status in high school wasn’t important to me. Besides, I could be myself with you. Being with you was always way more fun. Plus, your phenomenal movie selection made the pizza slightly less terrible.”

West gives me a shy smile, reaching out his hand for me to take. “So, what do you say, Olivia Swann? Can I take you on a date?”

The moment my hand lands in his, warmth consumes me.

“Absolutely.”

NINE

WEST

We’ve remained in the conference room, catching up on life. There are a million things I should be working on, but I’m not ready to leave her after finally getting her back.

“I’m not a killer,” I say it out loud, still not believing the truth of that statement.

Olivia nods, but says nothing.

Staring past her, I add, “I never thought I would be able to say that with conviction.” I turn to her, looking directly into her eyes. “Once again, thanks to you, I have found stability on unsteady ground.”

Her brow furrows and she asks, “What?”

Before I knew Jesus, she was what I clung to when life set me on edge. She stood by me and, without realizing it, balanced me while I walked on a tightrope.

“When I had to leave you behind, it was worse than having a rug pulled out from beneath me. You were my lifeline in so many ways. Our late-night talks and walks on the beach made up for always feeling like the outcast. Knowing I had you in my corner despite my ranking in our status obsessed high school was what got me through. Then the fire happened… and I had to cut all ties to my lifeline — to you — and it felt like I was going to drown.”

“It felt that way for me too,” Olivia admits. Her eyes are watery; a tear rolls down her cheek.

Reaching forward, I swipe the tear off her cheek. “I’m sorry I left you.”

“Me, too.” She shakes her head, as if she’s trying to rid her mind of the memories. “But these ten years have been good to you.”

To the outside world, these last ten years have been the most successful years of my life. But there is more to life than money and material possessions.

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