Authors: Lucy Kevin,Bella Andre
Forever In Love
FOREVER IN LOVE
A Walker Island Romance, Book 5
Lucy Kevin
FOREVER IN LOVE
A Walker Island Romance, Book 5
© 2015 Lucy Kevin
During the past year, Emily Walker has been thrilled to watch each of her sisters fall in love one after the other. Having stepped into her late mother’s shoes nearly two decades ago, Emily has always put her family first. A family that also includes Michael Bennet. Tall, strong, and good with his hands, he moved in as a teenager after the tragic deaths of his parents. But while the rest of her sisters look at Michael like a brother, Emily has always had to fight against seeing him as something more. So much more…
Michael owns the island’s top construction company, but he’s never too busy to help out at the rambling Walker house whenever one of the women needs him to pitch in. Especially Emily, the Walker sister he’s had a major crush on since the day he first set eyes on her. The time was never right to turn their friendship into anything more, but after so many years of unrequited love, he can’t hold back his feelings anymore.
When Michael surprises Emily at her sister’s wedding with his declaration of love, suddenly she can’t help but wonder if her best friend was actually more all along. Maybe even her one true love that will last forever…
Spring fever was rampant on Walker Island—from the cherry blossoms to the births of the lambs to the antsy students who couldn’t concentrate on anything but their upcoming break. But the best thing of all about this spring was the fact that Emily Walker’s sister, Morgan, was only moments away from walking up the aisle to marry her longtime love, Brian Russell.
For the past few weeks, Emily had been simultaneously trying to manage her small horde of students in her job as high school counselor
and
working to make sure every detail of her sister’s wedding would be perfect. Morgan had assured her several times that she didn’t have to help with each little thing connected with the wedding. And Emily knew Morgan had access to a legion of film people who were experts on everything from photography to catering. But this was her sister’s
wedding,
and nothing was more important to Emily than taking care of her family. She wanted to take the time to look for the perfect string quartet, the best caterer, and the most talented florist, even if those were all things the wedding planner could have taken care of.
Morgan and Brian had chosen to hold the wedding at the old Walker family homestead, surrounded by wild flowers and berries, cherry blossoms, and a stunning carpet of meadow grass. The florist had decorated the chairs with herb bouquets using the same plants that Morgan worked with for her exclusive cosmetic line. A gorgeous flower and herb covered arch stood at the end of the garden where the ceremony would take place. The string quartet played a selection of music with a springtime theme as they waited for the cue to begin the processional, and the open, natural space was the perfect counterpoint to the elegant music and the beautifully dressed guests.
All the Walker sisters were bridesmaids, wearing lavender dresses, but Emily’s youngest sister, Hanna, was the only one who had lavender streaks in her blond hair to match. Hanna’s husband, Joel Peterson, was waiting in the crowd of friends and family. He looked a little windblown, as if he had just stepped off a boat that morning, which Emily figured he probably had. A sixty-year feud between the Walkers and the Petersons had finally come to an end when Hanna and Joel had fallen in love. Fortunately, the Petersons all seemed to have adjusted well to the idea of having Hanna Walker in the family.
Paige, Emily’s second-oldest sister, was clearly wishing she could dance to the music the string quartet was playing. Paige’s boyfriend, TV and movie star Christian Greer, was sitting in the front row next to their grandmother, Ava. Paige and Christian had flown in two days ago from the set of his latest movie to be here for the wedding, and Emily couldn’t wait to see them dance together again. They really were the most unexpectedly perfect couple.
Rachel, who was closest in age to Emily, looked as fit and lean as Paige these days, thanks to a life spent adventuring around the world with Nicholas, the professional surfer she’d fallen in love with. Rachel’s six year old daughter, Charlotte, stood between Emily and Rachel in her own miniature bridesmaid’s dress. Emily marveled at how much taller her niece had grown since she’d last seen Charlotte at Christmas.
Emily was thrilled to have everyone together again. Her mother, Ellen, would have absolutely loved to know that Morgan was getting married to the boy she’d loved ever since her sister was a teenager. When Rachel reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, Emily knew her sister was thinking about their late mother, too. On days like this, Emily couldn’t shake the feeling that their mother was watching over all of them...and that thought made everything so much better.
“Here she comes,” Hanna whispered excitedly as Morgan’s limousine pulled up to the edge of the gravel road leading to the meadow. “I wish she had let me film this.”
“Morgan wanted you to be a part of the bridal party today,” Emily whispered back. “Besides, there are already enough cameras here to film a full-length movie.”
Morgan got out of the limo, and the photographers all jostled for position. With their father by her side and the wedding planner making final adjustments to her gown, the photographers were having a field day trying to capture every angle imaginable. Morgan was a well-known name thanks to her TV makeover show, and she attracted attention wherever she went. The fact that she was getting married to her childhood sweetheart had put the entertainment news programs into overdrive.
Morgan and Brian’s guest list included not only the likes of Christian Greer and Nicholas Quinn, but also half a dozen of Morgan’s celebrity clients with whom her sister was close. But no matter how good-looking the guests were, Morgan outshone them all. In her stunning white gown, she looked the way brides only ever seemed to look in the movies—so perfect that Emily almost found it hard to believe it was her little sister and not a movie star.
Emily teared up as Morgan moved up the aisle on the arm of their father. Her sister’s eyes were full of love and happiness as she gazed in wonder at her groom. And from Brian’s awestruck expression, it was obvious that he couldn’t wait to pledge himself to Morgan forever.
Today felt like a wonderful moment of completion. Emily had spent so much of her life looking after her four younger sisters, stepping in to take over when their mother died twenty years ago. Their father had been so devastated by the loss of his beloved wife that he hadn’t known how to cope with being left to raise five girls without his wife by his side. They’d all grown up in Grams’ big old home, and Ava Walker had always been there for them. Being a nurturing type, Emily had stepped into her mother’s shoes as much as she could by cooking meals, taking her sisters to school, and helping them out with advice about boys.
All she’d ever wanted was for her sisters to be happy. Knowing that each of them had found true love meant everything to her. Morgan and Brian had always been meant to be, even if their road to true love had been a little bumpy. Get Paige and Christian dancing together and it was like there was no one else in the world. Rachel, Nicholas, and Charlotte had formed their own perfect little traveling family. And Hanna and Joel only had eyes for each other.
What’s more, each of her sisters had made so much of their professional lives. Hanna was pursuing the film career she’d always dreamed of. Rachel was finally living the adventures she longed for. Paige was choreographing special projects and even dancing on stage. And Morgan’s TV show was drawing in bigger and bigger numbers every week it aired.
Emily looked up at the bright blue sky and thought,
I hope I did a good job filling in for you, Mom.
“Why are you crying, Aunt Emily?” Charlotte whispered.
Emily ran a hand over her niece’s hair as she bent down to whisper back, “Because I’m so happy.”
“Then shouldn’t you be smiling?”
“Sometimes,” Emily told her as she smiled through her tears, “when I’m really happy, I cry and smile all at the same time.”
“We’re here today to celebrate the marriage of Morgan and Brian…”
Everything was absolutely perfect as the bride and groom stood hand-in-hand about to say the vows they’d written for each other.
“Brian,” Morgan said in a clear, sweet voice as she turned to face her groom, “I’ve loved you since we were kids. I let life come between us for far too long, but I never stopped loving you. And coming back to you was the best decision I’ve ever made. However tangled up the garden of my life gets, I’ll always love you. Forever and ever.”
“Morgan...” Brian had to stop when he got choked up, and Emily knew every last one of the wedding guests got choked up right along with him. “I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. I’ll never stop loving you, and I’ll never stop telling you how much I love you. Wherever life leads us, I’ll be right here at your side every single step of the way.”
A short while later, after Morgan and Brian slipped platinum wedding bands on each other’s fingers and kissed to seal their vows, Emily applauded with everyone else as the radiantly happy husband and wife walked down the aisle with their arms tight around each other. Emily smiled at her best friend, Michael Bennet, who was Brian’s best man. Michael was moving toward her to begin their own walk back down the aisle behind the happily wed bride and groom, when she caught his expression...and stumbled in her heels.
Because Michael wasn’t looking at her as if she was simply his friend. Instead, she was stunned to realize that he was gazing at her in the same way that Brian had been looking at Morgan as she’d walked up the aisle on their father’s arm.
As if she was his
forever.
* * *
Once the reception got started and the first champagne toast had been offered, Emily took a few minutes to visit the ladies room and check her makeup. She knew all those happy tears must have done some damage. But as she gazed at herself in the mirror, she was pleased to see she still looked good—she’d had her long blond hair done up in a loose French twist, and the hairstyle showed off the gorgeous chandelier earrings Morgan had given her as a bridesmaid’s gift. She had chosen to have her dress made in a sheath style, and it showed off her curves in a way that Morgan had approved of wholeheartedly.
You need to dress like that more often,
had been her sister’s exact words.
But if Emily secretly hoped that someday someone would say she was beautiful and sweep
her
off her feet...well, she’d certainly never admitted it anyone. Not even, most of the time, to herself.
It was just that this wedding had been so incredibly romantic. That had to explain why Michael had looked at her like that—as if being friends was only the beginning for them.
She decided that she couldn’t fault him for being just as swept away by all of it as she had been. And if there was an even more secret part of her that wished the longing on Michael’s face when he’d taken her hand in his to walk down the aisle had actually been real...
No. She couldn’t let herself go there. Not now.
Not
ever.
“Never mind your daydreams, Emily Walker,” she said as she looked into the mirror, “you’ve got a wedding to supervise.”
Emily walked back outside determined to check with the wedding planner to see if anyone needed help with anything. Every moment of her sister’s big day needed to be perfect, and she would be the one to ensure that happened.
Thankfully, so far everything was going really well. Brian and Morgan were greeting their guests with enthusiasm. Paige and Christian were sharing a quiet moment over a glass of champagne, so gorgeous they looked as if they should be on the cover of a magazine. Hanna and Joel were talking to one of the producers who had come to the wedding. Nicholas and Rachel were making sure Charlotte had a good time even though there weren’t many other kids at the wedding. And Emily could see their grandmother, Ava, off to one side, effortlessly charming some Hollywood types.
“Canapés,” Emily said to herself, as she realized one of the many food stations was looking a little picked over. “We need more canapés.” She’d set off through the crowd of guests in search of the caterer when a familiar voice caught her attention.
“There you are. You look as if you’re working instead of partying.”
Emily spun around at the sound of Michael’s voice. She had to admit he looked good in a suit. Actually, he looked
amazing
. He was clean-shaven and wearing a light cologne that was subtle, but really nice. His dark eyes and dark hair stood out against his close shave, and the muscles he’d built up working construction certainly filled out his suit nicely.
“You look gorgeous, Emily.”
“Thank you.” She tried not to blush. After all, this was
Michael.
He’d practically lived at the Walker house since they were both teenagers. “You clean up pretty nicely yourself.”
He smiled, and her heart went pitter-patter in her chest despite all her warnings to herself not to let it happen. “Can you take a break for a few minutes? I’d like to show you something.”
If it had been anyone but Michael, she might have said no so that she could keep an eye on every moment of the wedding reception. But he was her best friend. When his parents passed away, he had moved in with her family. One way or another, he had been at the house virtually every day since. Now that he was older, he lived in his parents’ old house on the other end of the street from hers, but he still helped out the family whenever they needed him.
“Okay,” she agreed, “but we need to make this quick. I want everything to be perfect for Morgan.”
Michael glanced over to where Morgan was dancing cheek to cheek with Brian. “I think a meteorite could strike the island right now and she wouldn’t notice.”
“I know, which is why I’ve got to keep an eye on everything—to make sure that she doesn’t
have
to worry about any of it.”
Michael shook his head. “You are incorrigible.” But he was smiling as he said it. “Just come with me without arguing for once.”
“Now where would the fun be in that?” Emily countered, although today she felt less playful and more nervous as she teased him back.
She’d always found him fun and sweet—and extremely attractive—but those were only more reasons why she’d been so careful over the years to make sure they remained friends without ever crossing over into something more. Michael was a
very
important part of their family, and Emily would never let her own secret longings risk ruining that.
She let Michael lead her away from the party, through the back forty and up toward a low rise that overlooked the whole affair. “You know I’m not wearing shoes for hiking, right?”
Michael smiled again. “Don’t worry, if your feet start bothering you, I’ll pick you up and carry you. Just like that time in high school when we were hiking and you twisted your ankle on the trail.”
Again, she worked to ignore the little flutter in her belly at the memory of Michael’s hands on her—and the thought of him holding her again like that today. But she couldn’t keep her heart from beating just a little faster as they continued walking, and as much as she wanted to blame her racing pulse on the hill, today she couldn’t quite get herself to believe it.
