Page 1 of Forever Yours
Chapter One
There are some people you never expect to grow up. Turns out they do it anyway while you aren’t paying attention. -Liam
Liam
“So, you’ll look after her for me, right? You’ll make sure that she gets adjusted to school and that no asshats try to take advantage of her?” Brian asks tersely. He sticks his hands deep into his pockets and rocks back on his heels. He looks as if he’s trying to keep his hands from wrapping around the neck of anyone that might dare hurt his baby sister. He casts a worried glance across the yard to where Sophie is.
I clap a hand over his shoulder. “I got this brother. She’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it. You just take care of yourself and come back alive.” Fear for my friend snakes through my gut.
I take a long swig from my beer and subtly watch Sophie talking with her mom.Fuck, she looks good.My best friend’s little sister is all grown up. I was not prepared when I walked into my best friend’s backyard and spotted her. In fact, I stopped in my tracks and did a double take. Then she squealed and threw herself at me. I almost embarrassed myself when she wrapped her long legs around my waist.
Sophie is all curves and golden hair and pouty lips these days. She’s always been beautiful, even with braces and glasses. She was cute in a little girl way. Now she looks and feels like a woman.
Brian rambles on as I keep watching Soph. Her laughter rings out across the small yard and a tingle skitters up my spine. Even her laugh is sexy now. My cock stands at attention, and I try to casually pull down my shirt so no one can see.Shit, a family barbecue is not the place to get a hard-on.
“I’ll be gone for six to nine months. I know we’ve always been there to discourage any guys from trying to hook up with her, but it’s all on you now.”
I tune back into what Brian is saying. He’s right. We’ve always watched over Sophie. Hell, my mere presence sent most guys in high school running away from her. I’ve always been a big motherfucker. Just like my asshole of a dad.
In the last two years, while I’ve been at Crestwood, I’ve kept in touch from afar. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her, but Brian always knew I was only a phone call away. I would have gladly come running to beat the shit out of any guy that tried to mess with Sophie.
Now that she’ll be attending Crestwood University with me, I’ll be there every day to watch over her.And that thought sounds a lot more enticing than it did even a few hours ago. All those damn curves. Fuck, what I would give to taste that soft skin with my tongue and…I shake my head in an attempt to get rid of dirty thoughts.Shit, this is my best friend’s little sis.
“I can’t believe you’re going to be so far away. I’ll miss you buddy.” I try not to get emotional as I clap Brian on the back again. He’s been my best friend for over fifteen years. We’ve gotten into a hundred scrapes together, but we’ve always managed to get out of them.
“I’ll be okay, but I’ll miss you guys too.” He takes a long gulp of beer and sends me a crooked grin. “Women love a man in uniform though. I can’t be training all the time. Hopefully, I’ll have some time for fun too.”
I shake my head. Brian, the player. Even being shipped off to the Middle East by the Army won’t take the lover boy mentality out of him.
He elbows me. “In fact, Laura is here. I’m going to see if she wants to give a soldier a fun send-off.” He waggles his eyebrows, and I laugh. The dude is incorrigible, even with an uncertain future in front of him.
I watch him strut away, his blonde hair shining in the South Georgia sun, and try not to feel too melancholy. The truth is, I’m terrified of losing him. I know he can take care of himself. He’s been looking out for his mom and Sophie since he was six years old. His dad left one morning and never came back. The fucker started a new life with a different family in Texas and never sent any financial support to Soph’s mom. Never even bothered to ask how the kids were. The only way we know what happened to him is that Sophie found him online years later.
Since the day his dad left, Brian has been adult beyond his years. To me, he’ll always be that kid I grew up with in the trailer park. The one with the gap-toothed smile and dirty face.
“Hard to believe he’s old enough to be fighting for our country, isn’t it?” Sophie’s soft voice breaks into my musings.
“Yeah, it sure is,” I mumble and turn to face her. Immediately, my heart races and my body is hyper alert of her presence. I can smell her lilac scent and her lips curve up into a sweet smile that makes me wonder if her kiss would taste like candy.
She practically vibrates with excitement as she bounces around me. “It’s so awesome we’ll be going to school together. I can’t believe we both ended up at Crestwood University together. Who would have thought that two kids from the trailer park would end up at a top university?” Her blue eyes twinkle with happiness and I push down the automatic smile that threatens to come through.Keep your distance, Liam.
“I’ll probably see you around, but it’s a big school. You’ll probably make a million friends right off the bat and forget I’m even there.” She’ll make new girlfriends and…guy friends too, I guess. The thought of all the guys that will hit on Sophie at Crestwood makes me crazy. It makes me want to kill any fucker that would dare look my girl’s way. My fists tighten by my side.
“I could never forget about you.” Her voice lowers an octave, and her big blue eyes look up at me with adoration. “I’ll always want you around, Liam.”
My arms ache to wrap her into a tight embrace. I want to feel that curvy body against mine. Instead, I take another sip of my beer so that I won’t reach for her.
Sophie deserves so much better than me. No matter what, I need to make sure she knows that we could never work as a couple. I’m not oblivious to the signs of a crush. She’s had one on me for a few years now. I assumed she would get over it as soon as I went off to college. She should at least be deterred by the darkness that lurks underneath my surface. After all, look at where I came from. The apple can’t fall from the tree, right?
I clear my throat. “Well, we’ll both be busy, I’m sure. You know, I’ve got football and all. That takes up a lot of my time.” I glance down at my feet so that I won’t have to see her smile drop.
“Yeah, it’s okay if you don’t have time to hang out. I know you’ve got your own stuff going on.” I can hear the hurt in her voice. “Um, my mom needs something from inside. I’ll be right back.”
She runs off and I watch her go, her short pink dress swirling around her. I feel a deep pang in my heart. I don’t want to hurt my girl, but it’s best if I do it now.
She can never know how I feel. She can never know how much I want her.Shit, I’m in so much trouble.
Chapter Two
