Forever & More: The Friend Zone series Read online

  When Chloe hands her over, I lean down and place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

  “Daddy will be there in just a second, sweetie,” I whisper to her. It’s so hard to choose staying with her mother over going with her. It’s a gut-wrenching decision and I wish Sara were here to stick around with Chloe.

  “It’s okay. She’s just going to the nursery. It should only take thirty minutes or so and they will bring her right back.” Chloe grabs my hand and squeezes.

  Both nurses escort Skylar to the nursery in a clear container on wheels. I want to weep the moment they turn the corner and she’s out of sight.

  “All right, let’s check you out.” The doctor lifts the sheet at Chloe’s feet and reaches his latex covered hands between her legs. He pulls his hand back and removes the gloves.

  “You need a few stitches but visually, everything looks great. I looked at your chart before I came in and your BP and heart rate on the monitors look great. Once we get you stitched up and cleaned up, you’re good as new. The baby seems to be doing great. I know your chart said preterm, but judging by her weight and measurements, I would say she’s only a week or so early, maybe even just a few days.”

  “How much did she weigh?” Chloe asks.

  “Well she—” He’s interrupted.

  “Her name is Skylar,” Chloe corrects weakly.

  “Skylar is nineteen inches long and eight pounds nine ounces. She’s perfect.” She’s so little, when I first saw her, she looked like a little china-doll.

  “Why wasn’t she crying?” Chloe asks.

  “It’s really not as uncommon as you would think. At least one in every eight babies don’t make a sound. They are so fascinated with everything going on they just take it in,” he informs us as he crosses the room. He grabs a fresh pair of gloves and wheels a steel table to the foot of the bed. I watch in horror when he picks up a giant needle and moves back between Chloe’s legs.

  “Just a sting,” he tells us. Chloe hisses and grabs my hand. Her whole body cringes, her face scrunched together in pain. I wish I could do something for her.

  “Okay, all done,” he tells us.

  I look at him in confusion.

  “I’m good at what I do.” He chuckles and gets off the bed. “I will be back this evening to check on you and Skylar. I’m going to do her assessment now and I’ll send a nurse in here to get you cleaned up.” He steps out of the room.

  It’s so quiet, Chloe’s eyes are already closed and she’s starting to snore. I just stare at her; even like this, she’s beautiful. My life has never felt so complete before. I have a daughter, I’m a father, and I have Chloe back. I need to go through with my promise to make her my wife. I want that more than I want my next breath.

  A few minutes later, the nurses return with Skylar. Chloe is still passed out, so they wake her. I sit on the plastic couch and stare at my daughter while they clean Chloe. They shift her from side to side to take off her hospital gown, clean her up, change her sheets, and replace her gown. Skylar still hasn’t made a peep. Her small, squinted eyes stay trained on me the entire time. Her innocent gaze soaks in my features.

  When I say she’s beautiful, it doesn’t do her justice. Her dark hair stands out against her pale white skin. She smells fresh and new; I inhale her scent with every breath I take, trying to take in as much of her as I can get. She’s my drug and I could never get enough. Her small, rosebud lips open, her tiny, pink tongue peeks out, and her head moves back and forth like a baby bird searching for food.

  I smile and reach my hand up to touch her pale cheek. Her skin radiates warmth. I lean my face toward hers to kiss her once again and she latches on to my nose. The feeling of her sucking on my nose tickles and makes me laugh.

  “I think someone’s hungry,” I tell the nurses.

  “Hand her here.” Chloe’s voice is weary and strained. I know she’s exhausted; she’s been through a lot in such a short time. I’ve seen enough of those doctor shows to know what happens during a delivery, and Chloe did it with no drugs and a lot less screaming and cussing than the women on television.

  Nurse one and two help her sit up in the bed. They unsnap a few buttons on her shoulder and pull down her gown. Chloe bends one of her arms and accepts Skylar into it. I’m not sure if babies can smell the milk or if they just know what to do, but with just a little bit of guidance, she’s latched onto Chloe and feeding. I watch my girls share that moment, bonding as mother and child and the winged creatures explode from my heart again. I’ve never experienced these types of emotions before. It’s like they have been locked inside my heart and soul just waiting for someone to come along with a key to unlock them.

  Skylar and Chloe are that key.

  “Knock knock,” Sara whisper-shouts from the door. I beckon them in when Chloe gives the go ahead. Harley’s face turns beet red when he realizes what’s going on.

  “I’ll wait in the hallway.” His voice is full of embarrassment.

  “Jesus, it's just a boob.” Sara rolls her eyes. He still leaves the room.

  “Oh my God, she’s beautiful,” she coos. “What did it feel like?” she asks.

  Chloe looks at her for a moment before she responds.

  “Like someone was ripping my insides out and my vagina had turned into a flame thrower at the same time.” For the first time in my life, Sara looks absolutely disgusted and fearful.

  “You want to hold her? I think she’s done.” Chloe pulls back on her breast. Skylar fell asleep while she was eating.

  “Gimmie,” Sara stretches her arms out, I lift Skylar and hand her over to Sara. When she’s safely in her aunt’s arms, I help Chloe right her gown. I lean down and put my lips to her temple.

  “You did good, baby. I’m so proud of you, and thank you for giving me this amazing gift. I love you.” I pull back and see tears in her eyes.

  “I love you more.” Her voice trembles.

  “Just rest, sweetie. I think she’s in good hands right now.” We both look at Sara and chuckle. She’s pulled back Skylar’s blanket and is inspecting every inch of her with tears in her eyes. Harley’s entered the room and is standing behind Sara, watching her with fascination.

  Chloe’s head drops to the pillow and in seconds, she’s out.

  I sit back on the couch and watch my future wife sleeping and my best friends fussing over the newest addition to our family. I realize in that moment that I’m truly blessed. No matter what we go through, in the end, if you’re strong enough to weather the storm, the sunshine that peeks out from between the grey clouds is so much brighter. The rainbow that appeared after our storm led me to my pot of gold, and I know that if every material possession we owned were stripped from us, we would still be richer than we could ever dream of.

  It’s been a year since Skylar was born. Multicolored balloons are tied to every possible surface inside of the house. Sara, Harley, Kasey, his girlfriend of eight months Erin, Brady, and Crystal all stand around our large farm style table. Skylar sits in her high chair at the head of the table facing the sliding glass doors that overlook the ocean. Her place of honor is well-deserved since she runs things around here. Everything Skye and I do revolves around her wants and needs. She’s rotten from the inside out and we love her even more for it.

  “Happy birthday, sweet Skylar,” everyone sings to her, their faces lit with joy. For someone so small, she has the largest personality in the room. Her hands swing from side to side as she dances excitedly in her chair. Every single adult in this room is wrapped around her tiny finger and she eats it up.

  “Ayyyy.” She claps her chubby hands together and smiles so big that it shows off her two bottom teeth when the song is over. We all laugh at her excitement. I watch as her daddy helps her blow her candle out. Her eyes go wide when she sees the tiny flame disappear. Skye takes the candle out of her personal cake and immediately, she face plants with a wide mouth into the frosting.

  After Skylar was born and that settled down, Catledge came to visit us late i
n the afternoon. Apparently, when he started digging for Skye, he hit a few pieces of information that led him to the real reason Skye was searching for the money trail. He also contacted a friend of his in the FBI looking for help to chase the account numbers and learned that Jay and her family were under investigation.

  He knew we were being followed the day he signed on for the job. He told his contact and then set up a sting operation and used us as bait. He knew that they would follow us until we found the cash. He just didn’t know we would find it so quickly. They had sent us to the island so that Jay’s guy would think we found the cash and decided to run, which would draw out Jay, and boy was he right.

  Catledge never did tell the FBI about the Cayman bank account, and when we asked why, he said I’d been through enough and there was nothing linking it to drugs or cartel, so it would be mine to keep.

  The FBI made their arrest and confiscated the money, I had Skylar and that chapter of my life is now closed. The day I was released from the hospital, Skye and I decided to stay in a hotel for a while, treat it like a vacation. I didn’t go out the first day, but on the second, Skye and I went for a ride. I found a yellow house on giant stilts with blue shutters. It was very beachy and for sale. The house was oceanfront and had a white picket fence in the yard. We called the number on the reality sign and four days after that, I was furnishing our new home. It’s amazing how quickly things can get done when you have money.

  The following weekend, I stood next to Skye in a white sundress inside of our dining room overlooking the ocean. Skylar was seated in a pale yellow dress in Sara’s lap while I traded vows of love, devotion, and forever with Skye. It may not have been the ideal, perfect wedding, but when does everything have to be perfect? I’ve never been one to conform to what people think is ideal or trendy.

  It was a small, intimate ceremony with a preacher, my closest friends, and the two people I love the most. I will live out the rest of my life as Mrs. Skye Carter, and that is my idea of perfection. That night, we weren’t able to consummate our marriage, but the moment I had the all clear, Skye had me in our bed where he kept me for what seemed like ages.

  Which leads me to my large, round stomach now. This time, we’re doing it right, which means together. He hasn’t missed an appointment. He makes sure that Skylar is well-taken care of and that I get plenty of rest and attention. Jesus, is the man attentive. I smile at the thought. Skylar will meet her brother in four more months and I can’t wait. His name is Thomas Blake Carter.

  It’s my tribute to my friend and to a great man that I never had the pleasure of meeting. Skye’s grandfather died when he was in his teens, but from the stories of his childhood about his granddaddy, he seems to have been an amazing man.

  If you had asked me a year ago if I wanted children, I would have probably said no, and now I have one and another on the way. If you had asked me if I were capable of loving someone so much, I would have laughed in your face, but now my heart is so full of love sometimes it hurts. If you had told me that my life was going to turn out like this, I would have called you a liar.

  But standing in my dream home on Tybee Island in a room full of people that I adore and love unconditionally, and they feel the same way about me. It feels like a fantasy, a dream come true, but like Skye once said, it’s as real as I am. We all deserve a happily ever after, we all deserve to live out our fairy tale. I finally found a way to put my past where it belongs, to move forward, to forgive, and to live. For the first time in my entire life, I feel free, and damn if it doesn’t feel good.

  About me? Huh well what can I say. I’m a twenty-eight-year-old stay at home mother of two beautiful girls.

  My children are amazing. There isn’t a day that goes by that they don’t challenge my husband and I or make us laugh and feel loved. Growing up the way I did, I never wanted kids, but they’re here and I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world for. God has truly blessed my family and me.

  My husband Bill is the levelheaded one; he’s always so calm and logical, whereas I’m the loud-mouthed spaz that doesn’t know when to shut up. He was my saving grace in a time when I really needed one. I honestly believe he is my gift from God. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted: smart, kind, loving, PATIENT, (lord knows he needs it living with me) and so very supportive!

  I’m a firm believer in going through life’s tragedies and blessings so that you can become the person you were meant to be. Writing has always been a hidden passion of mine and I am so thankful that I finally have the opportunity to share my stories with you.

  Here are some domestic abuse statistics provided by www.safehorizon.org

  • One in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime.

  • Women experience more than 4 million physical assaults and rapes because the partners.

  • Women are more likely to be killed by an intimate partner than men are.

  • Each year, 1 in 3 women who is a victim of homicide is murdered by her current or former partner.

  Please remember that the person being victimized is not the only person who suffers from the abuse.

  • Every year, more than 3 million children witness domestic violence in their homes.

  • Children who live in homes where there is domestic violence also suffer abuse or neglect.

  If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse, please help them.

  http://www.safehorizon.org/domestic-violence-the-facts-195.html

  http://www.thehotline.org/

  http://www.domesticviolence.org/

  http://www.ncadv.org/

  Thank you for reading my book. I would love to hear from you.

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