My Forever Read online

  The airhostess asks us to put our seats into the upright position and to fasten our seatbelts before we land. I run the back of my hand gently down the side of Brooke’s face. “We are nearly there, baby,” I whisper in her ear. Then I lean over and kiss her nose. She opens her beautiful eyes and looks at me.

  “Hey, baby,” I say. “We need to sit our seats up and fasten our seatbelts. We are coming in to land.” She smiles at me and rubs her eyes. I love her sleepy little just-woke-up face.

  I help her put her seat forward, and she puts on her seatbelt. I grab her hand and bring it to my mouth. She looks out the window as we are touching down. It is 2:00 a.m. when we arrive and you can see all the lights of city in the distance. “Oh, it’s beautiful,” she whispers in amazement.

  I’d come to Italy a few times with my family when I was younger. The city has a lot of history, and the old buildings are beautiful. I can’t wait for Brooke to see it during the day because I know she will love it.

  We are going to stay in Milan for a week to do some sightseeing and shopping. Milan is one of the best places in the world for shopping. I organised to hire a Ferrari at the end of the week, and we are going to drive to Tuscany, a three hour drive from Milan.

  I haven’t told Brooke yet, but Andrea lives in Tuscany. When I told him at our wedding that we were going to Italy for two weeks, he graciously invited us to come to one of his concerts. We are going to spend the night in Tuscany before driving another three hours to Rome. We are spending the rest of the week in Rome before flying to France for two weeks.

  Once we disembark and collect our luggage, we head to the chauffeur holding a sign that reads “Mr. and Mrs. Cavanagh”. We are staying in the best hotel Milan has to offer, and they graciously organised a limousine to pick us up from the airport.

  All the way to the hotel, Brooke looks out the window, with a smile on her face. When we arrive in our room, we take a bath together, then make love before falling asleep. Our first day in Italy is spent in our room. I think we are both a bit jetlagged. We only get up to eat after ordering room service, then we go straight back to bed. I could just stay in bed with Brooke for the whole two weeks, but I am really looking forward to showing her around Milan.

  The next morning, we get up early and order breakfast, then we spend most of the day walking around the city, looking at all the beautiful buildings. We also do some shopping, and eat lunch in a beautiful restaurant.

  During the first week, we do a lot of shopping, sightseeing, and eating. The food in Italy is amazing. On the fourth day, I hire a limo to take us to Venice for the day because I want to take Brooke on a Gondola ride. It is a three hour drive to Venice, so that makes it six hours round trip. I want to enjoy her, so the limo is perfect for that. We are both having a wonderful time in Italy, and spending all our time together is great. She is such a fun and easy person to be around.

  Brooke has turned into a real little tourist, and has taken photos of absolutely everything. She has even asked other tourists to take photos of us in front of nearly every building we pass. She even got the waiters at restaurants we dined at to take photos of us.

  It is lucky that I can speak pretty good Italian. I’d learned how to speak Italian and French at the private school I attended growing up. Brooke has picked up a few words since being here…like hello, goodbye, and thank you. Otherwise she leaves all the communicating to me.

  Things between us have been great. There was one incident when Brooke got angry with me which, of course, was when we were shopping. She still doesn’t like me paying for everything, but I tell her to get used to it. She is my wife now so what is mine, is hers. I want her to have the best of everything.

  ****

  Brooke

  Italy is such a beautiful place. Not as beautiful as my husband, but close. Being here with him has been wonderful. We get along so well. The only time we have even come close to a fight was when we were shopping. I know he just wants to take care of me, but I hate the way he has to pay for everything. My studio is doing really well now, so I have my own money.

  Today is our last day in Milan. Tomorrow morning, we are heading to Tuscany. Our Gondola ride in Venice was beautiful and so romantic. Logan is the most romantic person I have ever known. He always makes me feel so loved and special.

  This morning, we are going out for breakfast. Since it is our last day in Milan, I want to buy a few presents for our family. I already decided that I am paying today, whether Logan likes it or not.

  We spend most of the morning shopping, have lunch, then more shopping for a few more hours. I can tell that Logan is pissed off with me. He didn’t really talk much at lunch, and he has barely spoken while we are shopping. He hasn’t said he is angry, but the look on his face says it all.

  On the way back to our hotel, I lace my fingers through his. “Thank you for letting me pay today.” He just smiles at me, but I can tell it is forced. “Please don’t be mad at me, hot stuff.”

  “I’m not mad,” he replies through gritted teeth.

  “Bullshit,” I snap back. The shock on his face tells me he wasn’t expecting that.

  We don’t talk all the way back to our room. Once we are inside, Logan puts all our shopping bags on the floor, then walks into the bedroom before shutting the door. I was going to follow him, but I don’t. If he is going to be childish about something so trivial, so be it.

  Since he left me alone in the main room of our suite, I sit down on the lounge. When he hasn’t come out of the bedroom after ten minutes, I decide to go downstairs to the bar and have a glass of wine. I will let him brood for a while.

  I am lucky that a lot of the staff in the hotel can speak at little English. I sit down at the bar and order a white wine. It has been a long day and I just want to relax. I finish my wine and decide to order another glass.

  After about an hour, I head back to the room. I am hoping Logan has calmed down by now because I hate fighting with him.

  When I get back to the room, Logan is gone. I have no idea where he is, so I run myself a bath. As I am laying in the tub relaxing, I hear the main door to our suit close. “Brooke?!”

  “I am in the bathroom!” I yell back, and he comes straight in.

  “Where have you been?” he asks in a panic. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  “I went downstairs to the bar to have a drink because you were being childish.”

  I don’t open my eyes or even look at him. I just lay there. A minute later, I feel him climb into the bath beside me. I sit up and look at him. “Are you over your sulking now?” I ask sarcastically.

  “I was worried about you, baby,” he replies. “I came out to apologise to you, and you were gone.” I close my eyes and lay back down. “I’m sorry, Brooke,” he adds sincerely. “Please don’t ignore me. I don’t like it.”

  I still won’t look at him, but I reply, “Oh, so it’s alright for you not to talk to me all afternoon, but as soon as I do it, you don’t like it.”

  “I’m sorry I didn’t talk much today,” he explains. “You are just so stubborn sometimes, Brooke.”

  Oh, I’m stubborn? Look in the mirror, buddy!

  Pissed, I sit up. “Excuse me?!” I snap. “I’m the one who is stubborn?!”

  “Yes, you are stubborn,” he replies.

  I’m not even going to answer him this time. I got into the bath to relax, but now I am angry. I stand up because I want to get out of the bath and away from him. He grabs my hand. “Please don’t do this, Brooke,” he says. I pull my hand out of his and get out anyway.

  Before I have a chance to grab a towel, he is already out of the bath and pulling me into him. “Don’t fight with me, baby,” he pleads “I was an arse today. Can you please forgive me?”

  I let out a big sigh before putting my arms around his waist. I don’t want to fight with him, either.

  “Please come back into the bath with me,” he begs, grabbing hold of my hand. This time, I let him sit behind me and I lay back on
his chest. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my neck.

  “Do you forgive me?” he whispers in my ear.

  With a smirk, I say, “I’m still considering it.” With that, he starts to tickle me. “Okay…okay. I forgive you.” I giggle.

  He stops tickling me. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

  “That you are going to let me pay for my own things from now on?”

  “No, that’s not what I was going to say at all,” he says sternly. I elbow him in the stomach. “Ouch,” he says, then laughs. “I was going to say that we just had a fight, so now we need to have make-up sex.”

  I turn around in the bath so I am facing him. As I put my hands on either side of his face, I smile. He smiles back at me, then whispers, “I’m sorry, baby.” Before he has a chance to say anything else, I put my lips on his. I hate fighting with him, and I want to show him that I am sorry, too.

  I know I always make a big deal out of him paying for things. I think it has something to do with the way I was brought up. My mum always told me that I should look after myself and never rely on a man for things. I guess, after what she went through, she thought she was doing the best for me by saying that.

  Slowly, he runs his hands up my body and cups my breasts, kissing me back. “I love you, baby,” he breathes into my mouth. He leaves one hand on my breast, moving the other one down between my legs. I slide one of my arms around his neck, caressing my other one down his body before wrapping it around his erection.

  Logan slides a finger inside me as I stroke his length. We both moan and our kissing suddenly becomes wild. Our tongues dance together, our breathing becomes rapid. I can feel my body climbing when Logan adds another finger and moves them around inside me, his thumb rubbing against my swollen clit. I throw my head back and moan loudly as I climax around his fingers.

  When my body stops trembling, he puts his hands on my hips, pulls my body in close to his, and I sink down onto him. Logan’s eyes close and a loud groan comes from the back of his throat as he pushes himself deep inside me.

  I put both my hands on his shoulders as I throw my head back and ride him. It doesn’t take long before I feel that familiar tightening again. I put my head forward so I can look into Logan’s beautiful eyes. I want him to see what he does to me, and how good he makes my body feel. We look deep into each other’s eyes, come undone together.

  “I love you so much, Brooke,” he says. “I am so sorry for getting angry at you today, baby.”

  I put my hands on either side of his face. “I’m sorry, too.”

  ****

  When we get up the next morning, there is a red Ferrari waiting for us downstairs. I have to laugh when I look over at Logan. He looks like a little boy on Christmas morning.

  “Nice car,” I say with a smile.

  “We are in Italy, so I had to try out a Ferrari.”

  It is a three hour drive to Tuscany, and the Italian countryside is spectacular.

  We arrive at another beautiful hotel. Obviously, it’s only the best for Logan. I suppose, after growing up with money, this is what he’s used to. The porter brings our bags up to our room, and Logan and I lie down on the bed to relax for a while.

  “Thanks for bringing me on such a beautiful honeymoon,” I say appreciatively. “I love Italy, and I love you.”

  Logan pulls me into his arms. “Being here with you means the world to me, baby,” he says, brushing his lips against mine.

  After we rest for a while, Logan informs me that we need to shower and get ready. “I am taking you somewhere special for dinner. So make sure you put on something nice.”

  As we walk out of the hotel, our car is already waiting. Logan takes us to a beautiful seafood restaurant for dinner. After we finish eating, I notice he keeps looking at his watch. “We need to leave soon,” he says, “or we will be late.”

  “Late for what?” I ask.

  He winks at me. “You will find out soon enough,” he replies with a smirk. I look at him suspiciously. What is my husband up to now?

  We arrive at Teatro del Silenzio, an open air amphitheatre. “What are we doing here?” I ask.

  “We are going to see a concert, of course.” I’m not surprised when we are led to the front row, right in the centre. Nothing but the best seats in the house for us.

  When Andrea Bocelli comes on the stage, I have to take a deep breath. I look over at Logan and he is smiling at me. He grabs hold of my hand and brings it to his mouth. All I can do is smile back at him. I am at a loss for words.

  The concert is fantastic. Just listening to Andrea sing brings tears to my eyes. He has such a lovely voice. At the end of the concert, Andrea says, “I have a special song request. This last song is for some special friends of mine from Australia who have joined us here tonight.” I look over at Logan and he is smiling at me again.

  I think he is going to sing the song we danced to at our wedding, but I get a surprise when he sings another Elvis song…Love Me Tender.

  Logan leans over and whispers in my ear, “This is my song to you, baby.”

  The tears are already falling. I know the song well. My mother played it a lot when I was growing up. The words are beautiful.

  I lean my head on Logan’s shoulder. He puts his arm around me, as I close my eyes and listen to the words of the song. With the orchestra playing in the background, it is magical. Logan is such a romantic. I am amazed by how lucky I am to have this man as my husband. I am totally and completely in love with him.

  As the last notes of the song are played, I look over at Logan and smile. “Thank you,” I say. “That was beautiful. I love you so much.”

  He leans down and kisses the top of my head. “I love you, too, baby,” he replies, a smile on his face.

  After the concert, we are invited backstage. Andrea tells us he is happy we could make it tonight, and I thank him for the beautiful song.

  When it is time to leave, we thank him for inviting us and for his hospitality. Logan asks him to call us next time he is in Australia so we can take him out.

  I snuggle into Logan’s side as we walk back to the car. “You never cease to amaze me, Mr. Cavanagh,” I say.

  “After he sang at our wedding and we were talking, he invited us to come tonight,” he explains. “I was going to tell you, but I thought I would surprise you instead.”

  “Getting him to sing that song was so special,” I reply, tightening my grip on his waist.

  “If I could have sung it to you myself, I would have, baby,” he replies with a chuckle. “Unfortunately, I can’t carry a tune, and wouldn’t have been able to do it justice.”

  “I love you so much, hot stuff,” I giggle. “You can sing for me any day.”

  We spend just the one night in Tuscany, then we drive another three hours to Rome. Logan is really enjoying driving the Ferrari. “I might have to look into buying one of these when we get back to Australia,” he says.

  I just roll my eyes at him. Boys and their toys.

  We stop at a small town on our way to Rome, and have a nice lunch at a beautiful little restaurant. About thirty minutes later, as we head to our destination, I start to feel sick. I’ve never been carsick before, but I have to ask Logan to pull over. Of course, he freaks out when I vomit, asking me if I want to go to the hospital. I just laugh at him, explaining that I am probably carsick.

  We arrive in Rome a short time later, and Logan orders me go and lie down. “I am fine,” I say, annoyed. “Stop mothering me.” He rolls his eyes at me this time, but I do go and lie down.

  Logan was going to take me out for dinner, but because I was sick earlier, he wants to order in. He is such a worrier, but I don’t argue. His heart is in the right place.

  The next day, we do a lot more sightseeing. Rome is a beautiful place. I feel a little bit queasy when I wake up, but I don’t tell Logan. He would just make me stay in bed all day.

  The people are lovely, and the food in Italy is to die for. Today, Logan is taking me sh
opping. Before we leave the hotel, he pleads with me not get angry at him when he pays for things. I hate fighting with him, so I promise I won’t get angry.

  After showering together, I walk back into the room to get dressed. I am surprised that when I put my jeans on, they are tight. I actually have to lie on the bed to do up the button. Logan finds this amusing and starts chuckling.

  “I have been eating too much,” I say with a pout. “When I get up tomorrow, I am going for a run.”

  He laughs at me again. “You’re fine, baby.”

  “I don’t think this is funny,” I snap, but then he tells me he would love me even if I was fat. I had to hit him.

  “What was that for?” he says, still laughing.

  “For making fun of me.”

  “Come on,” he chuckles as he grabs hold of my hand. “Let’s go hit the shops so we can work off some calories.” I playfully bump shoulders with him as we walk towards the door.

  After shopping for most of the morning, I am exhausted. “Can we go back to the room now? I am tired and I want to lie down.”

  I intended to just go rest for a while, but am surprised that I slept for hours.

  “Are you sure I can’t get a doctor to come a look at you?” he pleads, and I tell him to stop worrying.

  We eat in again that night, and spend the rest of the evening making love. I am enjoying spending all this time with him. I sleep well again, but I have to run to the bathroom in the morning. Logan is still asleep so I turn on the taps in the basin because I don’t want him to hear me vomiting. I brush my teeth and climb back into bed.

  “Are you alright, baby?” he asks, pulling me into his arms.

  “I’m fine. I just had to use the bathroom,” I lie. Well, it isn’t really a lie. I did use it. I am still feeling sick, and am not in the mood for his fussing. A few minutes later, I fall back asleep for another hour or so.

  When I wake, I smell bacon. I quickly sit up in bed. “I ordered us some breakfast, baby,” Logan says.

  “Oh, shit,” I reply, covering my mouth and quickly running to the bathroom again. Logan is following right behind me.