All Chapters of Forever Was Never The Deal: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

I woke up the next morning with a terrible feeling. Not because of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving had been surprisingly perfect.Too perfect. And I should have known better than to trust anything that felt that peaceful.I rolled over and reached for my phone. Nothing. No messages. No missed calls. I sighed and dropped it back onto the nightstand. Then I remembered the night before. William's hand in mine. His voice. Because I'm here. With you. I pressed my lips together. I was in trouble. Real trouble. And for once, it had nothing to do with business. I got out of bed and headed downstairs.The house was quiet. Too quiet. I walked into the kitchen and stopped. William was standing by the counter, drinking coffee.He looked up.“Good morning.”“Morning.”His eyes moved over me.“You look tired.”“I am.”“Didn't sleep well?”“Apparently, my brain decided to replay every embarrassing moment of my life at three in the morning.”He smiled.“Was I involved?”“Unfortunately.”“Good.”I narrowed

By the time we got back to Banks Manor, the house was already lit up. Apparently, my family had decided that a simple dinner wasn't enough. There were flowers everywhere, candles on the dining table, and enough food to feed a small army.I stepped out of the car and looked up at the house.“Why does this look like we're hosting a wedding?”William shut his door.“Maybe your family knows something you don't.”I turned to him.“Don't say things like that.”He smiled.“Why?”“Because with my family, that's actually possible.”He laughed. We walked inside together. The moment we entered, Arthur appeared.“Mr. and Mrs. Carrington. Everyone is waiting upstairs.”“Of course they are,” I muttered.William glanced at me.“You look nervous.”“I don't get nervous.”“You're nervous right now.”“I am suspicious.”“That's different?”“Very.”He smiled.I headed upstairs to change, leaving him behind.*************Twenty minutes later, I stood in front of my mirror. My dress was simple but elegant.

I woke up the next morning with one thought.Next Saturday. I hated how those two words had started following me everywhere. I walked into the kitchen and found William standing by the counter, making coffee. He looked annoyingly relaxed. I narrowed my eyes.“You're suspiciously cheerful.”He glanced over his shoulder.“Good morning Hill.”“Good morning.”He handed me a cup. I took it. Then paused.“You made this?”“You drink coffee every morning.”“So?”“So I made you one.”I took a sip. Exactly how I liked it. I looked at him.“You're getting too good at this.”“At what?”“Being my husband.”His smile appeared.“Practice.”I rolled my eyes and sat at the counter. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then William leaned against the counter opposite me.“So.”I looked up.“So?”“You remember what you said last night?”“Unfortunately, I remember everything I say.”“Good.”He crossed his arms.“Then I have a question.”I waited.“If you had seven days to do anything you wanted…” He paused

I woke up the next morning with one thought. I needed to do something for William, which was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. For the past few days, he'd been dragging me around like some spoiled child on the world's most expensive birthday vacation. The stars. The amusement park. The stuffed bear currently sitting on my nightstand like it paid rent. And somehow, every single thing had been something I'd once wished for as a little girl.William remembered. That was the problem.He remembered things I had forgotten I'd told him. And I wasn't used to people paying that much attention to me. Usually, people paid attention because they wanted something. My name. My money. My father's approval. My company. My connections. William hadn't asked for anything. He'd just... shown up. I hated how much that mattered.So, naturally, I decided to do what any emotionally stable woman would do when faced with inconvenient feelings. I bought my husband a car. Not just any car. A Rolls-Royce Cullina

[WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT. R-18.]The rain finally stopped. Or, more accurately, the sprinklers finally did. For a few seconds, neither William nor I moved. We just stood there, soaked, breathless, staring at each other like we'd forgotten there were other people in the world.Then I laughed.William's mouth curved.“What?”“You.”“What about me?”“You look ridiculous.”He glanced down at his completely drenched shirt.“So do you.”I looked down at myself. My blouse was clinging to me, revealing my nipples; my hair was dripping, and water was probably running down my face.I narrowed my eyes.“I still look better.”“Of course you do.”I smiled.“Good answer.”He held out his hand.“Come on.”“Where?”“Upstairs.”I raised an eyebrow.“That sounded suspiciously smooth.”“I'm getting you out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold.”“And here I thought you were about to say something scandalous.”His eyes dropped briefly to my lips.“Give me time.”I laughed and