Unbreakable Forever: A New Adult Romance Novel (9 page)

Devon flashed me his wonderful, comforting smile. “It’s a large envelope, Erin. It’s good news
,” he said with confidence.

I flung my arms around him
in excitement. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I reached for the envelope to open it.

Devon handed me a letter opener. His beautiful green eyes sparkled with anticipation as he watched me open the envelope.

I slid the opener across the top of the envelope and slipped the cover letter out. I took a deep breath and read the letter out loud.

Dear Ms. Hudson:

We would like to extend to you a full scholarship offer to Stanford University’s Film and Media Studies program as part of the Division of the School of Arts. I take great pleasure in offering you admission to Stanford University. Your documentary film captured our imagination and stood out among thousands of applicants. Clearly, you have the intellectual energy, imagination, and creativity to flourish at Stanford University.

Your distinguished academic and extracurricular achievements also showed us
that you have the maturity and discipline to succeed in Stanford’s rigorous academic curriculum.

Enclosed you will find enrollment
and financial information should you decide to matriculate at Stanford, and the deadlines for acceptance and enrollment.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for
your application. We look forward to your presence on the Stanford campus.

Our media center will also be contacting you in order to acquire your approval for showing your outstanding documentary to
first-year students at the Stanford School of Medicine. We hope that you will grant us this honor and that you will choose Stanford University to pursue your higher education.

Sincerely,

Carl Redding

Dean of Admissions
and Financial Aid

I fell to the floor and began to cry. Tears of joy streamed down my face, and
all my fears disappeared in one burst of joy. All of the emotions that I had been feeling came together in a sweet release.

I
stood up, then jumped up and down and around as Devon leaned on the desk and watched me in happy amusement. His eyes danced and sparkled with delight as I danced around, making a complete fool of myself, before jumping into his arms and planting happy kisses all over his smiling face.

He lifted me up off the ground and spun me around before planting a long
, melting kiss on my trembling lips. I pulled in closer to him, our happiness made complete by the fact that we would be together for another four years. We celebrated the news together, holding each other. There was nowhere else in the world that we would rather be when we got the news than holding each close and sharing our happiness together.

L
ife was never better or sweeter, and leaning into Devon’s chest and hearing his heart beat next to me only made it feel like I had died and gone to heaven. Nothing could separate us now, and we would be together forever.

“I have to tell my
mom!” I told him, kissing him and feeling his strong powerful shoulders anchor me in his sweet embrace.

I reached for my cell phone and dialed her work number.

“Hi, sweetie. Have you heard anything?”

“Mom, I got in! I got in! I have a full scholarship
, Mom.”

“Oh, my God, sweetie
, that is so wonderful!” I heard the tears of joy in my mom’s voice.

Tears immediately welled up in my eyes as I told her the wonderful news. “They loved the documentary, Mom. They want to show it to
first-year medical students at Stanford.”

Tears were streaming down my face now. My mom had worked so hard to get me to this point. And now I was telling her everything that she wanted to hear.
All those days that she believed in me when no one else did, all those years of sacrificing everything for me, were justified in this one moment. And now I got to tell her this wonderful news.

My face
became drenched with tears, and my nose got stuffy as emotions poured through me and overwhelmed me. Devon handed me several tissues, and I cried on the phone with my mom, who never stopped believing in me.

“Devon is here. He gave me
cardinal-colored flowers. He knew I was accepted from the size of the envelope. We got it today.”

“
That is so Devon. Honey, I am so proud of you. I always knew you had the talent and the brains to compete with the best. I am so proud of you!” I was crying already when she tipped me over the edge. “You should be proud of yourself, Erin. You deserve this. You deserve a great future. You deserve to have a great life.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, sweetheart. We are celebrating tonight.”

“Thanks
, Mom. ’Bye.”

“
’Bye, dear.”

I jumped up and down and threw my arms around Devon again. He pulled me close and looked at me intently. “I told you, Erin. You are so talented. I am so proud of you, baby.”

“You never stopped believing in me, Devon. I am so grateful for that.”

Devon wiped the trail of tears from under my eyes with the pad of his thumb, and stared at me for a few seconds. “You are so amazing, Erin. I want you to know something.”

“What?”

“This is just the beginning for you.
You are going to do something great with your life, Erin. You’re going to impact a lot of people. What I see in you, what Stanford sees in you. Pretty soon the whole world is going to see it, and they’re going to give you a standing ovation.”

“You are so sweet. I love you.”

“I love you. And I want to be there to see it. I want a front-row seat to the great things you are going to do. Do you promise me I can have that?”

“No.” I said with a soft smile.

Devon waited for me to respond. He knew me all too well now.

“I can do you one better. I can give you a backstage pass.”

“That’s all I’ve ever really wanted.”

Devon pulled me close to him. My arms rested on his broad shoulders
; my safe place that had protected me from everything now wanted a permanent place in my life. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I felt the rough whiskers of his chin scrape against my back. His embrace made every part of my body sing, and this came close to being the best day of my life.

But nothing could prepare me for what happened next.

I grabbed onto Kathy’s arm. I was so excited to tell her the news.

“Erin,
I told you that documentary was phenomenal. It was unreal. I’m so proud of you.” Kathy gave me a tight hug.

“
They want my permission to show it to first-year medical students.”

“Really?”

“Yes!” I cried with excitement.

“That is incredible. Oh, my God!” My best friend embraced me.

“Kathy, this was your idea! You are so smart! Thank you so much!”

“So can I have
some of your scholarship, then?” she teased me.

“
I know you can get in, too, Kathy. If I can do it, you can do it.”

Kathy would be applying next year. I was going to do anything it took to put the word in with Dr.
Brenner. I would tell him the documentary was her idea. I was sure she would also get a great reference from him.

Several weeks had passed since Erin received the news. Erin had filled out all of her paperwork, and she was now enrolled at the School of Arts even with her late application.

Devon
was staring at her from across the table as they took their lunch break together at their favorite outdoor bistro in the warm summer breeze.

Devon was still amazed at what a beautiful woman she had become.

“Remember just a few years ago, we were out here at this lake splashing around, and we were best friends. And now look how far we’ve come.”

Erin’s
warm blue eyes blazed into him and added a few degrees to the warm afternoon. “We came this far together.”

“I don’t think my life would be the same without you in it.
I don’t think I would have made it this far.”

“Yeah, we’re good for each other,” she said with a playful smile.

Devon threaded his fingers into hers on the table. “I never want there to come a day when you are no longer in my life, Erin. You mean too much to me.”

“We’re always going to be together, Devon. You know that.”

“Since we’ll both be going to Stanford…”

“Yes.”

“You know, we’re both going to be busy, and we’re both going to be meeting a lot of new people. We have our whole lives ahead of us, Erin.”

“I know, this is so exciting.”

“But I want you to know that no matter what happens, no matter where this road takes us, no one will ever replace you in my life.”

“I know. I feel the same way.”

Devon stood up and knelt beside her.

“I’ve always loved you
, Erin. Even growing up. But I knew I was falling in love with you a few years ago. I knew then that I didn’t want to live without you. I wanted you in my life, and I would do anything to make it happen. I knew even then that I wanted us to be together. I want you to marry me, Erin. I want us to be together forever.”

Erin
clasped her hands to her chest as if to keep her heart from leaping out.

“We don’t have to get married now…we can wait until we graduate. But
I want you to know there is only you….there will always and forever be only you. Will you marry me, Erin?”

“Yes! Yes!”
Erin flung her arms around him. He picked her up and held her in her arms. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

“Together
forever,” she said, buried in his strong shoulder.

Devon held onto her
as he breathed her in. He pulled back to look at her. She was crying.

“Don’t cry, baby.”

“Just a few weeks ago, I didn’t know if we were going to be together. I was so scared. And now all of my dreams are coming true.”

“Mine
, too. I told you I would find a way, baby. But you did it.
You
did it, Erin.”

Erin bunched into his shoulder, not wanting to let go. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, forever.”

The End of Unbreakable Forever

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