The Rest of Forever Read online

  The Rest of Forever

  Falls Village Collection (Book 1)

  Kitty Berry

  Contents

  Also by Kitty Berry:

  Falls Village Collection

  Disclaimer:

  Falls Village

  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

  Epilogue

  Falls Village

  Puppy Love

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2020 Kitty Berry Books, LLC

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the above-named publisher.

  Cover Design by S. Massery

  Editing provided by Proofingstyle

  Formatting by Krystyna Allyn

  Also by Kitty Berry:

  The Stone Series:

  Sliding (Book 1)

  Stoned (Book 2)

  Siblings (Book 3)

  Second Chances (Book 4)

  Screen Play (Book 5)

  Stealing Home (Book 6)

  Surrender (Book 7)

  Starting Over (Book 8)

  Silence (Book 9)

  Survivor (Book 10)

  A Stone Family Christmas (The Holiday Edition)

  The Anatomy of Love Trilogy:

  Anatomy of Love (Book 1: Dr. Wilson Anderson)

  Anatomy of Love (Book 2: Dr. Caine Cabrera)

  Anatomy of Love (Book: 3 Dr. Jessie Holt)

  Stand-Alone Novel

  Vines of Ivy

  (An AOL Trilogy carry-over)

  Compatible Companions Trilogy:

  You Are My Reason

  My Forever Maybe

  After You

  Falls Village Collection

  The Rest of Forever

  From Then Until Forever…coming soon

  Promise Me Forever…coming soon

  Forever to Go…coming soon

  Coming soon in the Falls Village Series will be books by some of your favorite RomantiConn authors. Look for novels based in this town created by Kitty Berry from:

  Kitty Berry (The Rest of Forever: Book 1, From Then Until Forever: Book 3, Promise Me Forever: Book 5)

  MJ Santangelo (Puppy Love: Book 2)

  Krystyna Allyn (What Once Was Mine: Book 4)

  Cara Wade

  Nicole Banks

  Posey Parks

  Rae B. Lake

  Taylor Delong

  This is a work of fiction. Please forgive any similarities to actual people, names, literary characters, places, organizations, brands, media, events and incidents. The characters and their actions were developed by the author and any resemblances are coincidental. The above mentioned are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks are not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Warning: This book is for mature readers only. It contains adult themes that are sexual in nature.

  Falls Village

  Falls Village, Maine is an upscale New England town with under five thousand year-round residents. It’s located on the coast, a picturesque harbor town for art lovers, foodies, and charm seekers. It was once a small fishing village, but now it’s the go-to summer retreat for city dwellers looking for soft, sandy beaches. But it’s split into the two sides of the tracks.

  One part of town is wealthy (Port Dock), but the other section (East Brook) is a run-down zone of long-abandoned warehouses and empty parking lots in need of redevelopment. It’s been the platform that each politician has claimed to support over the last decade or two. None have followed through and the area continues to be the place where kids go to buy drugs, businessmen know they can find a cheap girl at the ready, and the local police have written off their beat.

  After the revitalization where East Brook will be renamed Port View Center, Falls Village will be considered the mecca of the arts. With converted warehouses that will be turned into residential loft apartments, art studios, and trendy restaurants, the real estate will be sought after by many looking for a new business opportunity. Local artists will open their studios to the public once a month, and tourists will come for the showcase of wares, specialty food indigenous to the area, a giant seasonal farmer’s market, and of course, an upscale gallery. Port View Center will be home to thriving upscale neighborhoods with posh apartments, a seaport filled with yachts, a new contemporary restaurant, and art gallery.

  Prologue

  I remember the days of long ago when I was an upscale New England town located on the coast of Maine. Over time, I became split in half, into two distinct sections of town. One was wealthy, the other was not. Port Dock and East Brook, they were named, as the segregation of haves and have nots took hold. During the same era, another battle was waged within my small town between the wealthy Ingram and Charleston families, but that’s a story for another day.

  Back to the revitalization of my picturesque harbor town.

  Port Dock is where the McMansions went up during the real estate boom that made the Fischer family one happy clan. Henry and Betty also did well with the only quaint B and B in town until it recently became too much for them to handle on their own and they were forced to sell. Elliot and Courtney Montgomery have worked hard to bring the B and B back to its original splendor. They’ve also brought life and drama back to Falls Village with the arrival of their New York City friends and family.

  One of my favorites to join Falls Village is that young, quirky man, Callan Black, who is staying above Colleen’s store and going out of his mind over one of Courtney’s sister. Jordan Collins was not going to make Callan’s life easy, that’s for sure. That girl has spunk, and even though Callan is a genius, he’s no match to her devious mind.

  When Callan first arrived in Falls Village, he told everyone a story about who he was and the townspeople, trusting as they are, had believed him. I knew what he was up to, but I let it go because he was in Falls Village for good. The man Callan was there to find, possibly not so much. But I have faith in him, he’ll keep my small town safe and find his own way to help me return to my days of long ago.

  Mallory James is working her little butt off by leading the charge to make Falls Village great again. She’s finally come to her senses and reached out to her brothers for help. Loving their little sister, nothing was too great for her to ask of them, and the male James trio arrived home ready to do whatever Mallory needed.

  Mason returned heartbroken and a shell of the man he was when he left for college, but I have confidence that he’ll get his groove back. I think he just needs a good woman to remind him that he’s a young man with more love in his heart to give.

  Maxwell came barreling into town with his alpha swagger in place and took over before anyone knew what was happening. Ready to settle an old beef here in town, he left his DC life behind and has begun to align himself for the position of my new mayor. I always knew that boy would do right by us. It just took him a little longer than I would have liked for him to get there.

  Then there was Matthew James, who flew into town with his Hollywood tan and mirrored aviators in place. Matty was the most handsome of the James boys and he’s spent the
last few years using his looks on the big screen alongside the likes of Raina Roman. But I overheard poor Matty complaining that he’s tired of the fake friends and the revolving door of women looking for nothing more than what he could do for them in and out of bed. I hope he can find a good woman here in quiet Falls Village that will love him for who he is on the inside.

  But that’s enough about my inhabitants for now. Back to my town.

  Unfortunately, where Port Dock was something to be proud of, East Brook was always a dismal place. It’s where Mallory James and her brothers grew up with Kevin and Devon Travens. Over the years, it’s grown more rundown, but the James siblings are going to change that, and Falls Village will soon be considered the mecca of the arts amongst other things once again.

  As my town’s revitalization takes place and The Port View Center of Falls Village lives up to its potential, it will once again become the most sought-after locale in New England, bringing new people, life, and love to my small community.

  I’m glad you’re here to share it with us. Sit back and enjoy the ride…

  Chapter One

  I’m experiencing new emotions, ones I never thought possible. For the first time in my life, being alone is…uncomfortable. Jordan Collins apparently broke me. Or fixed me, depending on how you look at things.

  Growing up, being alone made sense. I was better company to myself than any of the other military brats were. Hell, my IQ was higher than all of theirs combined, so I didn’t expect an intelligent conversation from any of them. They were too busy running through my father’s base with their water guns or Teacher Barbies to figure out how to hack into the military’s motherboard. I wasn’t, and by the time I was ten, I knew more government secrets than POTUS. Considering he was preoccupied getting head in the Oval Office, I can’t be faulted.

  School was easy for me. Well, the academics were anyway, and I ate them up like a man deprived of food, so fast that the teaching staff couldn’t keep up with me. They didn’t enjoy when I pointed out that wasn’t my problem and that maybe they needed to up their games.

  Testing, they recommended, and I spent weeks going to private specialists, seeing every school personnel they could convince to try their best at cracking my code, and watching my mother fall apart while my father distanced himself from me. The distancing, I understood, the falling apart, not so much.

  With the release of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV in 1994 and its revision in 2000, the results of my testing came back with terms every parent dreads.

  At that point, my parent’s only point of reference for my diagnosis was a popular comedy from 1988. I’ve seen the movie. If that is what Hollywood considers a comedy, then I’m more fucked up than I thought. But back then, my parents didn’t have the Internet or support groups. Kids with different learning needs were still being placed in special schools or classes. My diagnosis still scared people, it was viewed as a lifelong tragedy.

  My teachers tried to talk my parents into sending me to a private school for the academically gifted and socially inept. We’d gone on the tour. I even tried on the uniform, but when the material started scratching at my neck, I knew I wouldn’t be allowed to attend. They were not equipped to handle my outbursts.

  Now, while I hole up in Elliot Montgomery’s attic, the collar of my shirt feels like a noose once again, scratchy and tight. Only now, as an adult, I should know how to cope. I shouldn’t feel like ripping at the material and flopping my body on the ground; the coolness of the floor tiles providing me with a little relief, but it’s taking every fiber of my being not to do that very thing.

  See, that’s how it is for me. As I’ve grown up, I’ve learned what society requires of me. I don’t always comply. Sometimes, for reasons truly out of my control. Other times, I really just enjoy being an asshole and watching the responses of others.

  But there is no one here to react to my bizarre behavior in my best friend’s attic. They’re all down there in his new B and B getting ready to celebrate his marriage to my other friend, Courtney Knight.

  Courtney and I began as I have with every other female that has crossed my path since my teenage years. By fucking. Anywhere, anytime, and usually with my other best friend, Ace Lyons.

  But all that has changed now.

  Ace is married to Bridget, Courtney’s sister, and the four of us haven’t had sex in years. Well, not with each other, together, as a group. Courtney is about to become Elliot’s wife and I’m perched on a beam in their attic not having sex with anyone.

  Then I hear her voice.

  Jordan Collins.

  “Oops,” Jordan says. “We thought you guys were done. Anyway…”

  I lower my ear to the floor in hopes of hearing her better. Her voice is like that of a siren to me, and I want nothing more than to jump through the ceiling and take her in my arms. Knowing I have impulsivity issues, I concentrate on keeping my body calm and practice the deep breathing techniques I learned many years ago. They’d come in handy in a similar situation during combat; Jordan Collins and her angelic voice should be nothing compared to what I’ve lived through.

  Then she giggles and my dick swells uncomfortably at the sweet sound.

  “Yeah, okay. We’ll see about that. It’s me that’ll never have that again,” she says before a loud male voice booms in the space below.

  “I’ll put it all over you, bae, right after they say their vows.”

  This douche just called my girl “bae”? Really? Could he have found a term that was more douchey? I doubt it. What guy calls a woman that? I’ll tell you…a douche.

  The thought of that asshole touching Jordan has me forgetting where I am and jumping to my feet to reach her before he can get his paws on what’s mine.

  Big mistake.

  I whack my head into a beam and curse my large stature. “Motherfucking cocksucker, shit!”

  With my hand going to the back of my aching head and my body folding in half so I can fit in the cramped space, I picture my two best friends below me, laughing their asses off at my expense.

  Dicks.

  Then I hear Jordan’s name mentioned with mine and it makes me smile. It sounds right.

  Jordan and Callan.

  Callan and Jordan.

  Jordan Black.

  Shit! I may have fucked up my life to epic proportions.

  “…the Jordan and Callan thing and my father and Bobby…” I hear Courtney rambling on as I settle to sit on the floor and rub at the egg forming on the back of my head. Hopefully, one of those assholes that I call my best friends will make their way up here with a fucking ice pack soon.

  “Relax, baby, and let’s get you covered. Tony’s not getting any from Jordan, that’s obvious. We wouldn’t want him to mess his pants and, um…surprise! We’re getting married today!”

  “I’m getting plenty,” Tony says.

  Bang. Crash. Boom.

  Fuck me!

  With an IQ as high as mine, one would think I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. One would be wrong.

  I could give a flying fuck how much that brainless imbecile is getting if it’s not from Jordan, but my reaction proves that I am in fact worried that she’s taken him into her bed. It’s my fault if she has and it’ll be something that I’ll have to deal with.

  Things not going along my set plan has never sat well with me. This situation is proving to be no different. It’s actually proving to be much worse. If things don’t fall into place once I tell Jordan that my breakup by text was all bullshit, I’m planning on taking my frustrations out on Tony’s dumb ass.

  The most beautiful sound fills my ears and a smile spreads across my face when I hear my girl laugh and ask, “Yeah? From who? Why the hell did I agree to bring you here?”

  “Because I’m hot,” the arrogant fucker responds, and he’d better hope his hands have never touched Jordan.

  “And a fucking jackass who doesn’t have a brain cell left to spare. You might be getting laid, To
ny, but don’t be a douche and insinuate it’s from me. You know how I feel.”

  Not making the same mistake for a third time, I am a genius don’t forget, I quietly pump my fist into the air and shuffle my feet in a sad excuse for a happy dance.

  Everything is almost right in my world until I hear Ace say, “I’ll head up to the attic to check on the squirrels.”

  What fucking squirrels?

  I have been in some god-awful places and seen horrific things. I’ve been forced to eat shit no one should consider putting into their mouths, and I’ve done it without blinking an eye. But fucking squirrels?

  I hate fucking squirrels. They’re unpredictable and jumpy. They remind me of how the other kids made me feel when I was growing up.

  I preferred adults because their intelligence was closer to being on par with mine than my age appropriate peers, but also because I knew what to expect from them, for the most part. I couldn’t say that about the kids my age.

  When I wanted something from an adult, I would look at their faces and it made my heart race so fast, I thought it would burst from my chest, I would simply grab what I wanted from their hands. Most times, they’d kindly remind me to use my words, but they never lashed out at me. The kids would. If I took something that was interesting, that I wanted to explore to learn more about, they’d flip out and cry. Some would hit me or try to yank it back. They didn’t understand that I wasn’t trying to be a dick and break their shit. I just needed to take things apart and learn how they were made or how they worked. If only I could have done that to the kids at school, I might not have been their target for years.