Title: Chasing
Forevermore (Chasing
#2.5)
Author:
J.D. Rivera
Release Date: Oct
27, 2015
Find on
Goodreads
Mackenzie...
After being dealt a hard life, things were finally looking
up. I had a wonderful boyfriend and perfect daughter.
Life was great.
But at some point, your past always comes back to haunt you,
crashing into you when you least expect it. And all you can do is weather the storm,
even if it's hell bent on destroying everything.
Hayes...
Perfect girlfriend, check.
Perfect daughter, check.
All that was missing was Mackenzie sharing my last name. But
life is never that easy. And some choices you make can destroy everything. I
just pray I didn't fuck up beyond repair. Because I can't live
my life without her and I'd do anything to make it right
again.
Note: This should be read after reading the novel
Chasing the Stars.
***Novella length***
My life was perfect. I had the
perfect boyfriend, the perfect daughter—I can honestly say
I’d never been this happy in my entire life.
Rolling over, my heart leapt at
the sight of my man. Hayes was sleeping peacefully, the sheet flung below his
hips, showing off his impressive chest. He had always been hot, but since he
came back into my life, he’d gotten hotter, if that were possible.
His chest and six pack were very impressive, along with his biceps. But that
wasn’t what made my heart leap. It was his new tattoo. A huge star
between his pecs with “Harley” written inside. Mac, his
nickname for me, was over his heart, but that tattoo had been there for a
while.
“Why don’t
you stop checking me out and kiss me instead?” Hayes rasped, pulling
me on top of him.
I giggled and let my lips seal
over his. He immediately deepened the kiss and I sighed. Not only was he great
looking, he was also a great kisser, among other things.
“Happy birthday
eve,” he whispered against my lips before kissing me again.
“Thanks,” I
said, pulling back and looking at the clock on the nightstand. “I
better get up and get dressed. Why did I sign up for a morning
class?”
“I don’t
know, babe. Can I join—”
“Dadddddyyyy!”
Harley yelled from her room.
“Never
mind.” He sighed and we both got out of
bed.
I stood still for a minute,
listening to him talk to Harley. Hayes was such a good father. He had been
since the moment he laid eyes on her, and it still shocked me. He had always
been a player and a big partier, but I guess that just goes to show, if you
really love someone, you’ll
change.
I headed into the bathroom,
brushed my teeth, and took a quick shower before digging out a long sleeve
black t-shirt and ripped jeans. I placed my wet hair in a bun and
didn’t even bother with makeup. I wasn’t trying to impress
anyone.
When I stepped into the
kitchen, Hayes was feeding Harley and he had a bowl full of cereal waiting for
me. “I didn’t know how long you’d be and
didn’t want it to be gross, so I left out the
milk.”
“Thanks,” I
said, grabbing the milk out of the fridge and adding it to the bowl. After
placing it back in its spot, I walked to the table and sat down. I scooped up a
big bite and chewed the sugary goodness. “So, what are your plans for
the day?”
He shrugged. “Same as
always. Although, I was thinking about going over to Carson’s and
hanging out before I pick Harley up from the
sitter.”
I smiled and shoveled more cereal
into my mouth. I’d never actually asked, mainly because I’m
scared of his answer, but I’d been worried Hayes only sticks around
because it’s the right thing to do. He’d been hanging out
with Carson a lot over the last month, and I had overheard Hayes and Carson
talking about old parties. Once I heard Carson refer to them as the
“good ole days”, I felt that maybe Hayes’
“change” was only because he felt obligated.
I mean, hell, he had replaced
me quite easily. When we had reconnected, he had been dating a girl who looked
similar to me for several months. Hayes had claimed he dated her because she
was as close to me as he could get, but maybe he’d be better off with
her. Young and carefree, not strapped down with a
child. Stop it. He loves you. He loves Harley. Of
course, I knew that, but insecurities died
hard.
“Babe, are you
okay?” Hayes asked, snapping me out of my
thoughts.
I cleared my throat.
“Yeah. I’m good,” I said, glancing at him. “I
was just thinking about
class.”
“You sure
that’s all you were thinking about?”
I took one last bite of my
cereal and stood before heading to the sink. “I’m
sure.” I rinsed the bowl and placed it in the dishwasher.
“We still leaving tomorrow morning for your parents’
house?” Tomorrow would be my birthday, the day before Thanksgiving.
Hayes had planned a big celebration for me.
“Of
course.”
“Since you want to
hang out with Carson, I’ll pick Harley up from the sitter after my
last class.”
“Babe, I’ll
pick her up. I have one class today and I’m only going to stop by his
place for an hour or so.”
“Okay,” I
replied, then kissed Harley before walking into the living room to grab my bag.
“I’ll see you tonight.” I knew it
wasn’t fair, he deserved to hang out with his friends, but I
couldn’t help the tightness in my
chest.
“Are you not going to
tell me goodbye?” Hayes asked, spinning me around. “I
won’t push you to tell me what’s wrong, but you better at
least give me a kiss.”
I smiled weakly, then placed a
kiss on his lips. “Sorry,” I whispered.
“I’m not sure what’s wrong with
me.”
Hayes smashed his lips against
mine, giving me a hard, lingering kiss before pulling back. “I love
you.”
“I love you,
too,” I said before opening the door and leaving.
***
Heading
to the union after leaving my second class of the day, my cell began
ringing.
I smiled at Miranda’s
name on the screen.
“Hey.”
“Hey, isn’t
today when you have that big gap between your second and third
class?”
“Yeah,” I
replied, weaving in and out of people walking along the
sidewalk.
“Brad and I were
wondering if you’d like to come have lunch with us. He’s
picking me up in front of the
union.”
“Yes. I was on my way
there anyway. I’ll see you in a
minute.”
“Great.
I’ll be waiting.”
We disconnected and I
couldn’t help the sudden pep in my step. Maybe having lunch with my
two best friends was exactly what I
needed.
I picked up my pace, walking as
fast as I could until I reached the front of the building. Miranda’s
long blonde hair waved in the wind, making her easy to
spot.
“Hey, you,”
I said, coming to stand beside her and placing my arm around
her.
“I have missed
you,” she replied, wrapping her arms around me. Miranda was my very
best friend, aside from her boyfriend and my adoptive brother, Brad. And, of
course, Hayes.
“You just saw me like
three days ago.”
“I
know, but I still missed you.” She looked down the street.
“Brad should be here any
minute.”
“Okay.”
I took a deep breath and tried to relax. I had no idea what had me all messed
up inside, but I needed to get it under control. I knew Hayes loved me, and I
knew he loved Harley. Maybe it was our impending trip back to Maverick and
knowing I’d be there for more than a couple days. Running into my
parents was a high possibility…if they still lived there. I was sure
Hayes’ parents knew, but I never asked. I didn’t really
want to know.
“Here he
comes,” Miranda said, stepping closer to the street.
I glanced up and saw
Brad’s big black truck pulling up in front of us. I walked closer and
opened the back door, pulling myself up and in. “Hi,” I
said. “I hope you don’t mind me crashing your lunch
date.”
Brad gave Miranda a peck on the
lips before turning to face me. “Mackenzie, you know you are always
welcome.”
I
smiled. “Thanks.” Brad could always make me feel better
with just a simple sentence. He was my confidant, and basically, my and
Harley’s savior. I had a deep love for him.
“Where do you two
pretty ladies want to go?”
“Anywhere,”
I replied as Miranda said, “Pasta House. I want
lasagna.”
I shrugged. “Fine
with me.” Brad nodded and pulled away, but not before catching my eye
in the rearview mirror. He knew something was wrong.
“How was class,
beautiful?” he asked Miranda, and I checked out. They hadn’t
been dating long, but I knew they were it for each other. They were both
blissfully happy, and neither of them felt beholden to the
other.
I was so gone in my thoughts, I
didn’t even realize we had parked until Brad opened my door with a
raised brow. “You
coming?”
Shaking
my head to clear my thoughts, I said, “Sorry. I’m just
spacey today.”
“You
will tell me what’s wrong. You know that,
right?”
I nodded. “I know.
But I promise I’m okay.” I looked around, noticing we were
alone. “Where is
Miranda?”
“She
had to pee so she raced inside. Tell me what’s
wrong.”
I
sighed. “Sometimes I just wonder if Hayes sticks around because he
feels like he has
to.”
Brad’s
eyebrows bunched. “What the hell, Mackenzie? That boy loves
you.”
“I know he does. I
do. But I feel like I’m making him give everything up. He
doesn’t get to have fun
anymore.”
“I
can promise you he is perfectly happy. You need to stop
worrying.”
I looked to the ground.
“It’s
just—”
“Don’t you
dare even go there.” He took my chin in his hand, forcing me to look
at him. “You are good enough for him. You and Harley are all he
wants.”
I nodded. “I
don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just feel like
I’m holding him back…with everything.” I
shrugged. “Thank you for being here. I don’t know what
I’d do without you.” I wrapped my arms around him and
closed my eyes as he hugged me
back.
“I’m always
going to be here, kiddo.” He released me, flashing a smile.
“Now let’s go eat. I’m
starving.”
J.D. Rivera lives in Oklahoma
with her husband and two boys. Her life consists of school projects, homework,
cartoon shows, and little league sports. She loves Diet Mountain Dew, the OKC
Thunder, costume jewelry, the beach, and
reading.
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