Forever Logan by Elena Matthews (animal farm read .txt) 📕

“Oh, trust me, I’m not going anywhere. Who else will you love and hate for the rest of your life?”

She giggles. “You’re right about that.”

In this moment, my gaze is pulled from her face as the flash of light shines from the gold wrapped around her neck. Sliding a hand from her neck to her chest, I bring the heart charm between my thumb and forefinger. “You’re wearing the necklace.”

Ally smiles knowingly. “I was hoping you would notice.”

“So, you’re not just wearing it as a fashion accessory?”

Shaking her head, she says, “No. I wore it for you. I needed you to know that I still loved you. If I still had the bracelet, I would have worn that, too.”

Suddenly feeling a weight in my jacket pocket, dropping the necklace back to her chest, I slide my hand into my pocket before revealing the bracelet. “Do you mean, this bracelet?”

She halts to a stop in the middle of the dance floor, gazing at the cheap scrap of silver as if it were her lifeline. “Oh my God, where did you find it? I spent half the night of the Christmas party looking for it, but in the end, my dad had to drag me away, covered in mud. I was devastated when I couldn’t find it.”

“I didn’t. Blake did. I’m guessing he overheard you trying to find it, and when you left, he continued the search until he found it. When I woke up the next morning, it was on the nightstand with an apology note from him. I’m sorry I’m only just giving it back now.”

“No, baby. I’m sorry for taking it off my wrist in the first place, but once it’s back on, I’m never taking it off again.”

“What, even if it turns your arm green?”

“Even then.”

“Well, in that case then…” I grab her delicate hand and slide the bracelet onto her wrist. Dropping my hand, I pull her back into me and begin to move us into a slow rhythm just as the band begins to play “My Cherie Amour” by Stevie Wonder.

Tilting her neck up, she presses a delicate kiss to my lips, and for a moment, we completely lose our senses in this one kiss.

When we pull away, I’m the first to speak. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” she says over the music, blinking away at the love fog that seems to happen whenever we kiss.

“Do you still believe a first love can’t be the last love?” I ask, thinking back to the night we had our huge fight.

“Yes…but I think there are a few exceptions.”

“Like?”

“If you’re lucky enough to find your soul mate on the first go.”

“And am I your soul mate?”

“You’re not only my soul mate, but you’re also my best friend, enemy, hero…and one day soon, my husband—that is, if you haven’t changed your mind about wanting to marry me.”

Forcing us to yet another standstill, I bring my hands up to her face and gaze intensely into those pretty blue eyes of hers. “If there is one thing I know, it is that I will never change my mind about that. You are my first, my last, and everything else in between.”

“I love you,” she tells me with a breathtaking smile.

“I love you, too.”

“Forever, Logan?”

“Forever, baby.”

Acknowledgments

Firstly, I want to thank my future hubby, Mark. I know we’re not getting married this year, thanks to the crazy year of 2020, but I can’t wait to continue my journey of being a writer with you by my side as my husband, for always.

Thank you to my mum. My acknowledgments for you pretty much sound the same in every book I write, but as my biggest fan, you never let me quit, even on the hardest of days. I love you and your constant support.

Also, thank you to the rest of my family and friends. You often get neglected for my fictional characters, but you never complain, and for that, I love you.

Thanks to my dipshit, Sammy Lomax. You’re next to my mum when it comes to being my biggest fan. You’re on my back when I need to get shit done, yet you constantly cheer me on, helping me, guiding me, and more importantly, being an incredible friend. I love you. And I’m still waiting to start that book with you. This year wasn’t our year—well, 2020 wasn’t anyone’s year really!—but 2021 … we are cowriting that epic book.

I want to thank my editor, Jovana Shirley, for being amazing. Writing and using my imagination to write angsty romance comes easy to me … the editing though, not so much. So, thank you for helping my words reach their full potential with your incredible editing ability.

Thank you to my cover designer, Najla Qamber. You are one of my favorite people to work with. Not only are you sweet, but you also just make my life so much easier with your work ethic and your amazing designs. I can’t wait to continue working with you on the other two books in the Once Upon a Player series.

A massive thank-you to both Claire and Wendy from Bare Naked Words for promoting the hell out of Forever Logan and handling the ARCs. You ladies are awesome!

I want to thank my Indie Girls. You ladies are always there, whether it is helping me with a difficult writing problem or simply allowing me to blow off some steam. We’re a ride-or-die support system, and I love that we have each other’s backs. You are rock stars!

Thank you to all the authors I’ve been lucky enough to work with. Even though writing is an isolating job, the authors I surround myself with make this job anything but lonely. I’m privileged to be a part of an epic writing community.

Thanks to the bloggers who promoted and reviewed Forever Logan. Life as an author would be tough without your support, so thank you!

Finally,