Forever Love (Love Conquers All Book 4) Read online

  Forever Love

  BY Cheryl Persons

  Copyright © 2013 by Cheryl Persons

  All rights reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, locales, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to places, names, or incidents is completely coincidental.

  This book is dedicated to all of my friends at MMC. I appreciate all of your love and support in my writing endeavors. You make coming to work enjoyable and I appreciate every one of you. Thank you all; you are the greatest!

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  Megan walked into the living room and plastered a smile on her face as she saw Peter sitting on the couch. He was reading the paper, but he didn’t appear to be too into it. He looked up and nodded and then went back to the paper. “I didn’t expect you to be home from the wedding so soon.”

  “I was tired. Is Jasmine asleep?” He nodded, but never looked up. She sat down in the chair and stared at him. This was the way their relationship had been for several years now, but most days she was just able to move past it. She didn’t think that was going to be one of those days. “I think we need to talk Peter.”

  He looked up and she searched in his expression to see what he was thinking. “I…It’s not that I don’t want to, but you said that you’re tired. I’m sure it can wait.”

  Megan groaned and stood up. “We have been waiting for 3 years to have this conversation; I don’t want to wait. I’m tired of feeling like I’m living on eggshells; worried that I will say the wrong thing. You feel it and I feel it, but enough is enough. We have to talk about it, or I’m going to go crazy.”

  “Okay;” he laid the paper down and stared at her. “Go ahead; talk.”

  She eased herself back into the chair. “How did we get here?”

  “I don’t know; you tell me.” He snapped, but then turned away.

  She thought about it for a moment and then realized that there wasn’t a time where she could point and say that’s why they were unhappy. Even though she wanted to believe it was the day she was in the hospital delivery room and she had found out that Jasmine’s twin sister Jessie wasn’t coming home. However, that would be a lie. It had been going on prior to that. In fact, prior to discovering she was pregnant she was going to tell Peter she needed some time to herself. When they had spent that one snowy night together and she ended up pregnant she decided that it was GOD’s way of saying that they needed to work things out. Their marriage started to patch itself up, but then they were faced with heartbreak as Jessie was a stillborn. Despite a lot of turmoil in their lives they worked through them; they always seemed to make up and she allowed herself to believe that they were still one big happy family. “You know, you don’t have to pin this all on me. I know that I’m not perfect, but you’re no saint.”

  “I know that I’m not, but I’m trying here. Even though we have been forced to see that our life isn’t a movie, I still do love you. Can you say the same?”

  Megan knew that that wasn’t the problem; she nodded. “It would be so much easier if I didn’t.”

  “What do you want me to say? What do you want me to do?”

  “I think that we need to go to counseling. Maybe they would be able to make us see why we’re so unhappy.” He snickered and that infuriated her. “I’m trying to save our marriage; do you have any other suggestions?”

  “No, but a shrink isn’t going to be the answer.”

  “You don’t know that; Mary Jo has this one and she would swear by her. I can get us an appointment.”

  “Mary Jo? Hasn’t she been married 4 times before?” Megan nodded; saying it like that, it did seem ironic. Mary Jo was currently in the process of getting her fourth divorce. “This woman must be a miracle worker.”

  “At least she helps the couple make them see whether their relationship is worth saving. None of Mary Jo’s must have been.”

  Peter laughed. “Pardon me for being so negative, but…”

  “It’s a simple question Peter. Are you willing to save our marriage?”

  She crossed her arms and prayed that she wasn’t pushing too hard. “I don’t feel that we’re that bad off. Everyone has rocky parts of their marriage; it happens to the best of them. We’re just normal.”

  “That’s true, but I don’t want to be a statistic. I want us to work through our differences. It would be a good thing; for both of us.” She thought of their daughter and cringed. “It would be good for all 3 of us.”

  “I’m sorry honey; I don’t see that. Leave the meddling counselors for those that really need it.”

  Her stomach fell; she really couldn’t believe he didn’t care enough to do one small thing for her. “So, you won’t go?”

  He shrugged. “Not when I think that any problems we have can be worked out by ourselves.”

  Megan stood up and turned away from his nonchalant attitude. “Okay; if that’s what you believe. I personally think that this wouldn’t hurt, but who am I to say? I would like you to leave.”

  His eyes got big and his mouth dropped open. “You can’t mean that.”

  “I do, because if you’re not willing to do one thing I ask…I don’t see how this is going to change. I need some time away from you.”

  “You seem to forget that we have a daughter together. I’m not just going to walk out on her.”

  “I’m not asking you to. We can set up visitations, but for right now you have to leave.”

  “This is my house too.”

  Megan let out a slow breath; it was taking a lot out of her to even stand for what she believed in. “Fine; then we’ll leave.”

  She was about to leave the living room when he grabbed her arm. “No; I’ll go.” She stood motionless; it felt like a bad dream, but she needed time to think and that time had to be when she was alone. She watched as he left the living room and she quickly wiped a tear away. The last thing she needed was for him to see how truly upset she was. He wouldn’t understand when she was practically kicking him out.

  It was for the best; she had to keep telling herself that. This was the only way she was going to be able to know what she wanted. It wasn’t going to be forever!

  Chapter 1

  Two weeks later

  Megan walked into the den where Seth was figuring up their monthly budget for the Bed and Breakfast. He looked up and smiled. “Going home for the evening?”

  “Uh…yeah;” she wanted to tell him about Peter and her separating, but she couldn’t ever get up the nerve. She was sure that Seth had no idea they were having problems. “Is the budget looking good?”

  He looked like he was shocked to hear her ask the question and she knew that was because she had never seemed interested before. “Yeah; we’ll be open for at least another month.” He laughed and she looked away. “Is everything alright? You have seemed distant the last few weeks.”

  “Well;” she started to tell the truth, but again she second guessed herself. It’s nothing.”

  “If you don’t want to tell me, I will respect that. Just remember, even though I am your younger brother I can tell when something is bothering you.”

  She chuckled. “Yeah; I know.” Set
h always was able to read her mind; she was surprised he couldn’t tell that it was her marriage that was bothering her. “I’m going to go.” She kissed his cheek. “Give Cass and Savannah a kiss for me.

  “I will; if you change your mind, will you let me know?”

  She smiled. “I will; love you little brother.” She left the B&B and made her way to her car. There was nothing he could do to help; it was best to just leave him out of it. She didn’t want to make things worse. As she drove home she let her mind wander to Peter. They had only seen each other once in the past two weeks and that was so that he could take Jasmine to the park. She knew he was staying at the Dixie Hotel, but she didn’t really know how he was doing. She felt he probably wasn’t doing any better than she was. Once she got home, she got out of the car and made her way up to the front porch. Upon entering the house she saw the babysitter, Bess, sitting on the couch and watching television. She looked up as she was in mid-yawn. “Sorry about that;” she laughed. She turned off the television and made her way to the foyer. “How was your day at work?”

  “It was good; thank you Bess.” Bess was her teenaged next door neighbor. When she inquired as to whether she would be interested in making some extra money for the summer, the 16 yr. old leapt at the idea. Megan was relieved that she didn’t have to worry about Jasmine; while she was working. “Here’s the money.”

  “Thank you Mrs. Prescott.” The girl pocketed the money and headed to the door.

  “Please; we’ve known each other for awhile now. Call me Megan.”

  The girl smiled. “Okay.” She reached for the door, but stopped. “Megan, your mail is on the kitchen table. See you tomorrow.”

  She left Megan to the silence in the house and Megan watched her as she climbed over the bushes that led to her house. She closed the door and went to the kitchen. She groaned as she looked through the mail. “Bills, bills, more bills;” she stopped when she found something that wasn’t a bill and it was addressed to Megan and Peter Prescott. She read:

  You’re Invited

  Come celebrate your 20 yr. Class Reunion from Avery High School

  We are planning a weekend long reunion filled with activities catered to the good old days. You will enjoy dancing, roller skating, movies, and much more. It’s an event not to be missed.

  When: July 1st

  Where: Arial Ballroom, Drew’s Drive-in, Blades Roller Rink, and more TBD

  RSVP: 903-555-1724

  See ya there!

  She let the invitation fall to the counter. She didn’t think about their 20 year class reunion coming up. She couldn’t believe they were only giving them a couple of weeks to RSVP. She would have pictured, before the separation, that Peter and her would have gone and had a wonderful time. Now, she wasn’t so sure that would ever be an option. It would be great to see everyone. She would have to talk to Peter and maybe they could make it a getaway; it would have been nice to spend some time with him. She would see what he was thinking; maybe he would feel the same way too. First things first, she had to tell him that they were invited and then see what he thought about going with her.

  ____________________

  Peter stuck his head under the car and diligently worked at fixing a client’s brakes. He was happy when he was given the opportunity to own his own auto shop; it was just over 4 years ago and he had been happy being the boss. Although, in having a lot of time to think lately he began to wonder if that was around the same time Megan and him started to argue. He worked a lot of long evenings; sometimes he didn’t even come home until well into the night. He wanted to make his business flourish, but in the process he started to neglect what was really important. “Should I lock up; or are you going to be leaving soon?”

  He pulled out from under the car and looked at his receptionist. “I’ll probably be late; go ahead and lock up.” He smiled at the young blonde and she raised her eyebrow.

  “You know, you have been here later an awful lot lately. Is everything alright at home?”

  The last thing he wanted to do was tell his 18 yr. old employee how his home life was falling apart. Especially when he barely knew her; she had only been hired a month earlier. “Yeah; everything’s fine. Thanks for your concern.”

  She shrugged. “Anytime boss;” she winked at him which caused him to look away. That was just awkward no matter what the situation was. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Okay; goodbye Kristina.”

  He watched as she left the building. He shook his head and stuck his head back under the car. She was a quirky, naïve, ditzy, and confused teenager. However, all the other male employees found her innocent, beautiful, eligible, and legal. He supposed, had he been single, he probably would have been one of those guys. It just wasn’t proper for her to wink at him, or any other man that was married. He knew he had to talk to her and explain that she needed to watch herself or he would have to reconsider keeping her on. He would finish the car and go back to the hotel and have a nice cold sandwich. He hoped that soon Megan would consider letting him back in the house. Having to deal with the lack of amenities was killing him. With any luck, it wouldn’t be too much longer. He hoped that Megan was missing him as much as he was missing her; somehow he doubted that, but there was no harm in wishful thinking.

  Chapter 2

  Megan waved to Bess and Jasmine from the driveway. “I’ll come home for lunch Bess; see you later.”

  “Goodbye Megan.” They walked back into the house as she got into her car.

  She went to turn the ignition on, but nothing happened. She groaned as she got out of the car. “I must have kept a light on.” She figured she was facing a dead battery. She opened her front door and Bess was helping Jasmine with a puzzle. “I’m home.”

  “So soon;” Bess laughed. “What’s going on?”

  “I have a dead battery. Is your dad home?”

  Bess jumped up. “I’ll go get him; I’m sure that he can jump it for you.”

  “Thanks Bess.”

  It was only a few minutes until she saw Bess’ father pulling his truck into her driveway. Bess went back in with Jasmine and Megan stood by her car. “So, you have some car trouble?”

  She nodded. “I really appreciate this Mr. Jorgensen.”

  He laughed. “No problem, but I thought your husband was a mechanic. Oh, that’s right; he’s out of town. Has been for two weeks now; hm…”

  Megan rolled her eyes; she could tell that he didn’t buy her story. “Yeah;” was her simple reply.

  In no time he had their cars hooked up and her car was starting. “There you go; anything else I can help you with?”

  “No, but thank you;” she smiled as he got back into his car and went back to his house. She ran in and told them she was leaving and then headed towards the Bed and Breakfast. About 10 minutes into her drive, a thought had crossed her mind. She knew one way to find out how Peter was doing and it wouldn’t look like she was interested.

  She dialed up Seth and waited for him to answer. “Hello? This is Seth at Aunt Sally’s Bed and Breakfast; we’re your home away from home; how may I help you?”

  She chuckled. “That was beautifully done; I rarely ever get to hear your spiel.”

  “Ha, ha; you didn’t need to let me go on. Anyway, I am assuming you’re going to be late?”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Normally you would be here by now.” He laughed. “I took a wild guess.”

  “You would be correct; I have car trouble so I’m going to take it to the shop. As soon as Peter looks at it, I will be there.”

  “Okay; take your time. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be too busy today.”

  “I’ll see you soon;” she hung up the call and then headed in the opposite direction. She only had a few minutes before she was pulling into the parking lot. She was relieved to see that they weren’t very busy.

  She looked around nervously; she didn’t know why the nerves, she assumed that he probably didn’t tell anyone they were se
parated. She put on a smile and went into the shop. She was instantly greeted by a young blonde that didn’t appear to be old enough to hold a job. “Good morning; welcome to Prescott Auto; how may I assist you?”

  “I…I…my husband is Peter; is he available?”

  “Oh;” the girl seemed to look at her with a watchful eye and then shrugged. “Sure; I will go get him.”

  Megan waited for Peter and when she saw him heading her way she started to panic. What if he didn’t want to see her? Would he make a scene? All other crazy thoughts went out of her mind when he entered the waiting room. “Hello; this is a nice surprise.” He leaned in and brushed a kiss on her lips; it surprised and confused her, but she tried not to act like it affected her. “So, what’s going on?”

  “Um…my car wouldn’t start this morning. I was getting ready to go to work and my battery was dead. John. Jorgensen jumped it, but I thought you could look at my battery.”

  “Oh; sure. I’ll pull your car into the garage.”

  She handed the keys to him and then waited for him to pull the car inside to look at it. “He’s a great boss.” Megan turned to the young girl and smiled.

  “How long have you been working here?”

  “Hm…about 6 weeks? No; I think it was 4 weeks; I don’t know I’m not good with time.” She giggled as she went back to her work.

  Megan rolled her eyes and went out into the garage. She felt weird, but she would always stand by him when he was working on cars. This would be the only way she could actually talk to him. “Is it the battery?”

  He looked out from under the hood of the car and nodded. “Yep; it could be replaced. I should have one over here.” He left her and when he came back he went to work at replacing it. “It’s good to see you Megan.” His words were muffled, but she heard them clear enough.

  “It’s good to see you too.” He shut the hood of the car and turned to her. “I’ve been meaning to call you; see if you wanted to set up another time to see Jasmine.”