Forever With You (With You #2)

Prologue

Stephen

Stephen - Age 21

Vanessa - Age 18

Ava:

Dad is on his way, something about a dinner with Uncle Adam. I’m going so I asked Yaya Ella to take Reese to the sleepover before he gets here.

Ava:

You understand, right?

Ava:

He’s here. I’ll call you when I get there.

F uck.

The first text had come in nearly an hour ago. I got so swept up in conversation that I had forgotten to check my phone for updates.

I excuse myself from the group and look around for a quiet place to talk.

I’m in La Jolla for the weekend with friends from school, hanging out at someone’s cousin’s beach house. I’ve honestly already forgotten their name. I only met half the people here today and the rest I’ve only seen in passing at school.

The only reason I’m here is because Ava, my sister, practically pushed me out the door when I happened to mention that Megan, a girl from my Anatomy class, invited me to hang for the weekend.

My sister insisted I spend a weekend with people my age instead of at home with her and our other sister, Reese. She even spouted nonsense like I needed to learn how to have fun.

So to prove a point, I came here.

It’s not that I didn’t know how to have fun, it’s just that my sisters came first. They always have. Ever since mom died, five years ago, I’ve assumed the role she left behind. Not to mention filling the hole of our dad’s absence as well.

I was only fifteen when she passed, Ava was twelve but our sister, Reese was only seven at the time. Ava and I knew we had to shield her the best we could.

Not to mention the fact that we were the elusive children of Lucas Torres.

Yup, that guy. The guy who owns Torres Entertainment Group .

A multimedia conglomerate that boasts award-winning recording superstars and has countless A list actors and models on its roster. Not to mention our family also owns a production company that’s fast overtaking the filmmaking industry.

Our family’s company or legacy as our dad’s team liked to remind us, held the majority market share of the entertainment industry.

I couldn’t in good conscience do what I wanted nor did I have the luxury of partying like other twenty year olds. I was aware that everything I did had a possible consequence that not only affected our company’s reputation but could also potentially bring us into the spotlight. That couldn’t happen, our parents and their team had worked hard to ensure we kept our anonymity.

Now that we moved from Seattle to San Diego, a mere two hours away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood, we needed to be more careful.

Hence, my reluctance to be here tonight but ultimately as I found myself relaxing and having fun, I realized my sister was right. Half the time, I don’t even realize I carry so much weight since Ava carries it equally but tonight I felt it.

I worry about my sisters constantly, especially Reese. She’s now the same age Ava was when we lost mom but unlike Ava and I who have adapted to our parents’ absence, Reese struggles. Ava and I remember what it was like to have both our parents. We also remember Mom having more of a presence at home than Dad did but atleast when she was alive he made an effort with us. Ever since she died, his visits are few and far in between. When he does visit, he’s mostly in his study, working. For the first few years, Reese had tried so fucking hard to get his attention but soon learned that work had always been his priority. It had a traumatic effect on her.

She will have moments after a visit from Dad where she self isolates or gets incredibly moody and sullen. Ava and I do our best to limit their interactions which I know is the reason she allowed Reese to go to the sleepover when we had already agreed it was too risky.

Ava and I spent most of our lives in the shadows of our parents. We understood at a very young age how important it was for us to remain anonymous. Our mother had drilled that into us and we spent enough time with other famous people’s kids to know the consequences of being in the public eye.

Because of this, Ava and I are more reserved. You can even say we were wary of outsiders and friendships did not come easily to us.

But Reese is friendly, more trusting than us. Not that it’s a bad thing but we’ve seen the lengths people go to just to have access to us and our connection to TEG.

Having someone use our sister for their own personal interests is the last thing we want for Reese.

We do not want her to be alone or lonely like it can sometimes be for us but at the same time, we want to protect her the best we can.

I finally find my way out of the crowded party and step into the back patio. I take my phone out of my pocket and just as I’m about to swipe to Ava’s contact, I hear a sniff.

I look around and spot a girl sitting on the steps leading to the beach. There are no lights out here except the light illuminating from the moon. I can only see her profile but from where I’m standing, I can see her quickly dabbing under her eyes like she had been crying.

Immediately, my protective instincts kick in.

“Are you okay?” I call out, softly as to not startle her.

She nods but doesn’t look back. I take that as a sign that she needs time to compose herself.

Instead of walking back into the house like I normally would, I feel myself pulled in her direction. Somehow without even seeing her, I feel her need to not be alone right now.

I lean against the railing, my gaze drifting past her towards the nearly empty beach in front of us.

I shut my eyes as a feeling of peace unlike anything I have ever experienced courses through my body. I let myself feel and think of nothing but the breeze coming from the ocean as I empty my mind of all thoughts and worries.

I feel a small smile curl around my lips and just as I’m relishing in the feeling of contentment, a soft chuckle forces my eyes open. I cast them down back towards the now smiling stranger and nearly stagger back from the sight of her.

Her hair is the first thing I notice. It’s a muted red or possibly even dark brown, it’s hard to tell when the only light out here is coming from the moon but it’s her eyes that really hold all my attention.

You know the saying, the eyes are the window to one’s soul ?

That statement rings true when it comes to this beautiful stranger.

They’re a captivating shade of brown and even in this dim light, they shine through. Like the fucking universe personally plucked stars from the sky and put them in her eyes.

She tilts her head watching me watch her. Her eyes twinkle in the moonlight, bright and full of humor. No visible signs that she was even crying. Her full lips curve into a smile and I have to actively force myself not to let my eyes linger too long on them.

“Is something funny?” I ask, my eyes cataloging every feature on her heart shaped face. She smirks as she stands and I swear my breath stills as I eagerly anticipate her next move.

What the fuck is happening to me?

Why is my heart beating like this?

She moves to stand next to me, nudging my shoulder with hers or rather her shoulder nudges my waist.

I raise an eyebrow in question and she rolls her eyes, amusement dancing all over her face.

“Scoot over so I can sit next to you.”

“Next to me?” The question pops out and I have to mentally stop myself from smacking my hand against my forehead because what the hell was that?

“Yes, please.” She responds patiently.

“Are you sure you can reach?” I joke because now that she’s standing next to me, I realize how tiny she is compared to me. Her head just about meets the top of my shoulder.

She sputters out a laugh but doesn’t look offended.

“I guess we’ll find out then so scooch, tall person.”

I slide towards the opposite end of the rail and pull my leg up so I can face her. She wraps her right hand around the other post as she pulls herself up to sit facing me.

“See that’s better. I can actually see you from here.” She tips her head towards the door leading back into the house before giving me a curious look. “Why are you out here instead of in there with everyone else? Is the party too lame for your taste? My cousin mentioned there’s a bunch of smart people in there. Something about future doctors. Are they talking about boring medical stuff and you couldn’t hang? Did you come out here because you got tired of googling all the medical terminology or what?”

A laugh sputters out of me because damn, this girl is a talker.

I usually don’t like it when people ask too many questions and I swear she insulted me somewhere in that word vomit. But, damn… She’s adorable.

I see her in a much clearer view now that the light from one of the windows is hitting the side of her face.

Damn she’s really fucking stunning.

“First of all, hi. I’m Stephen.” I hold my hand out for her to take, “There’s so much to unpack there and answer so let me just cut to the chase. Unfortunately, I happen to be one of those boring, lame, future doctors.”

She shakes it tentatively, a wry smile pulling at her lips. Her cheeks redden a bit and the sight of her blushing and smiling like this, steals my breath once again.

“I’m Vanessa and oops, my bad. In my defense, I never said you were boring or lame. I merely asked whether you found the party inadequate to your tastes.”

Vanessa. Pretty.

Vanessa leans her head against the post, her arms folding around her waist. She shifts a bit in her seat, her palms rubbing her arms.

I shuck my sweater off and hand it to her, “Here.”

Her lips part in surprise and her earlier amusement morphs into shock, seemingly at the gesture, “Thank you?”

She phrases her gratitude as a question instead of a statement and I don’t know if she understands how much of a tell that is.

I have two sisters and from that simple response, I can just tell that she isn’t used to people being kind to her.

It makes me want to take care of her.

Wait…what?

Chill, Torres. You just met the girl.

Stop acting like a hormonal teenager and get a fucking grip.

I watch as she puts on my sweater and something caveman in me comes alive at the thought of her smelling like me for the rest of the night.

It’s ridiculous and completely out of character for me.

I don’t date. And on the rare occasions I do go out and pick up a girl, it’s merely for a night. No names or numbers exchanged. Always at a hotel and I never spend the night either.

She’s quiet now as she fumbles with the hem of my sweater, her head tipped back as she stares up at the sky.

“So…” She whispers as she continues to stare at the starlit sky, “Are you going to tell me why you’re out here on your own?”

I smirk and mimic her pose, “Only if you tell me what has you sitting out here all by yourself?”

“I-I had a–” She trails off, discomfort lacing her tone but when I look at her, she seems contemplative. Like she’s gauging whether she can trust me or not.

I stay silent, my gaze locked on hers. I let her figure that out on her own.

She must see something in my eyes that convinces her because she smiles. Not the wide smile she blinded me with earlier but a small, faint one. A smile that speaks of caution yet hope.

“I had a fight with a friend earlier which is why I ended up here. My cousin is in town for the weekend and heard from some girl she knew back in high school that there was a party. I tagged along and you know…” She trails off, a smirk playing on her lips.

“You crashed?”

“That I did.” She responds with a proud smirk before she pokes my knee with her shoe, “Your turn. Tell me why you looked frustrated when you came out here and why you came out alone when you look like that?”

“What do you mean when I look like-what?”

“That.” Vanessa waves her hand around my face, making a circle.

When I continue to stay silent, eagerly awaiting her response. I think I know what she means but I’m enough of a bastard to want to hear it straight from her lips.

“Oh, come on! I’m sure you’ve taken a selfie or two. You know what you look like.”

“I’m still not following, so how about you tell me? What do I look like?” I bite back the grin threatening to come out and wait for her to fill in the blanks.

Rolling her eyes, she bends her body forward. Closer to me. Her face is just inches away from mine.

“You’re hot, Stephen. Own it.”

“Right back at you, Vanessa.”

Her name rolls off my tongue easily like I’ve said it a million times before. I can’t even begin to describe how it felt to hear her say my name in that breathy way she speaks.

Vanessa’s breath hitches and for a split second her eyes dip towards my mouth. But before it even registers that we had a moment, almost immediately she leans back.

“Now please answer my questions, tall sir.”

“I just needed to check in with my sister. It’s nothing, just big brother stuff.”

I shrug like it was nothing. I’ve mastered the art of omitting the truth by sharing kernels of it so as to not give too much away.

It’s the Torres way.

“Ahh. You’re one of those.”

“One of what?”

“Overprotective. You like to be in control.” She purses her lip, tapping her chin as her eyes dance around my face like she’s trying to figure me out. “But not in a bad way. You just worry a lot. You worry because you care. Sometimes a little bit too much that you forget to worry about… you.”

My eyes widen slightly, my shoulders stiffening as her perusal starts making me feel uncomfortable.

She hit the nose on that a little too damn well.

But just as quickly as she analyzed me, she takes the hint that it’s not something I wanted to delve too much into.

“So no girls caught your eye tonight?”

“No. Atleast not in there.”

I hold her gaze so she understands exactly what I mean.

And Vanessa does.

Her lips part slightly and she stares back, unabashedly now.

“Oh.”

“I think you’re hot too, by the way.”

“Well, duh. I own a mirror.”

We share a laugh and I sit back, taking it all in.

Her beauty.

Her humor.

Her confidence.

Her.

How can this girl who I’ve known for less than an hour read me so easily?

We have a connection. Somehow without our eyes meeting or having engaged in conversation, we both felt it.

And now that we’ve basically confirmed our attraction to each other, we might have just solidified it.