Free Next to Forever (Never Letting Go) by S Moose Page B

Just keep remembering that. No worries. No regrets.”
    “Thanks, Connor. I love you.”
    “You, too.” I help her get up from the floor and see Adam leaning against the counter. He looks worried. I tell him that we can talk tonight and hand Sophia off to him. I watch as he holds her and reassures her everything will be all right. After all these years, we get to watch their story unfold. I smile, thinking about Erin and our story.
    I stop by the florist and buy my girl a wild bouquet. I get in the car and drive back home. When I pull in and get out, I notice another car in the driveway and wonder who’s here with Erin. I use my key to open the front door. “Erin?” I walk down the hall into the kitchen and hear the TV on. I walk into the living room and see Vander sitting on the couch with Erin. She’s lying on his lap, curled up in a blanket. “Vander?”
    He turns his head and smiles . “Hey Connor. How was work?” I notice his hand on Erin’s back. I clench my fist. Who the fuck is this guy? Erin’s absolutely gorgeous, so I can understand any guy looking at her, but she’s mine. 
    “Um, it was alright.” I set the flowers down on the table and go to Erin’s side. I gently shake her and kiss her on the forehead. “Hey , baby.”
    She slowly opens her eyes and that goofy smile that I love so much appears. “Connor, you’re home.” She gets up and gives me a hug. I nuzzle into her neck and breathe her in. Damn, I miss her smell. I miss this feeling. Having her in my arms makes everything in the world feel right.
    “Are you feeling alright? What’s wrong?”
    Vander gets up from the couch and squeezes Erin’s shoulder. What the fuck is going on? “Yeah , no worries, man. Erin was showing me houses and then she got dizzy so we came back to the house. Erin, just stay in bed and see your primary soon. Remember, rest and take it easy.”
    “Thanks again, Vander.” Erin gives him a small smile and looks back to me. “See, I’m okay!”
    I get up from the living room floor and extend my hand to Vander. “Thank you for being here for her. We appreciate it.”
    “Yeah , no problem. Glad I’m able to help. I’ll see myself out. Have a great night.”
    Vander makes his way out , and when I hear the door close, I bring Erin in my arms and sit down with her in my lap. She rests her head on my chest and her breathing slows. I hate that she’s going through a rough time with the pregnancy, and a part of me is scared to see how she’ll be throughout the rest of her pregnancy. I gently rub her neck and kiss her forehead. I can’t get enough of her.
    Before I met Erin, I thought love was just a game and never wanted it. I dated here and there but no one ever caught my attention until she walked into my life. Erin saved me. She opened my eyes to something else other than basketball and work. She made me have fun.
    One night, she took me out to the beach. I didn't want to go. I hate swimming in the fucking ocean. At night. No, not something that I wanted to do, but watching her excitement and carefree spirit made me want to follow suit. She jumped in my arms and I twirled her around. She told me to close my eyes and told me to start walking. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but she felt me shaking and told me that there was nothing to be scared of because she was here with me. I took a deep breath and started walking. I felt the cool ocean water touching my feet and hesitated, but Erin whispered in my ears and told me she wouldn’t let me go. Yeah, I felt like a fucking pussy that my girl was calming me down. I got my dick back and ran into the water. Hearing her laughing and seeing that beautiful smile on her face made my heart beat faster. I picked her up as she wrapped her legs around my waist. She told me she wanted our first time to be here. On the beach under the stars. I walked back to the sandy beach and laid her down. She was beautiful, staring up into my eyes. I brushed her hair to the side