Never Giving Up (Never #3)

  NEVER GIVING UP

  © Copyright Anie Michaels 2014

  This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give, copy, scan, distribute or sell this book to anyone else.

  In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the author at anie.michaels@gmail.com.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it, and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we used one of those terms.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Edited by Krysta Drechsler

  Interior Formatting by Tami Norman, Integrity Formatting

  To Kamryn and Noah,

  Without you this book wouldn’t even exist.

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  How to find Anie Michaels

  “Ella, I swear to God, if you pick up that box you’re going to find yourself strapped to a chair and not in the sexy way.”

  I huffed out a breath laced with frustration. This was a battle I’d been fighting for weeks unnecessarily. Every time I bent over, tried to lift anything, or Heaven forbid, I opened a door for myself, he barked at me. I tried to always remember that he was just being himself, just being Porter, the protective and possessive man I loved, but one can only take so much.

  “And I swear to God, if you don’t lay off, I’m going to call your mother and tell her she’ll never get any grandchildren because I’ve sworn off men. You’ve got to cut me some slack here.” He must have picked up on the fact that I was one raised eyebrow away from losing my mind because he walked over to me and pulled me into his chest, his arms wrapping around my shoulders. We stood there for a moment, him trying to take my stress away and me letting him.

  “Hey,” he said, pulling away from me enough so I could look up at him. “I’m sorry. You know I’m not trying to upset you. I’m just worried.”

  “I know. But you have to understand that I’m not even pregnant–”

  “Yet,” he interrupted. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him.

  “I’m not pregnant. There is no baby in my womb, ergo, no reason for you to put lifting restrictions on me.”

  “You could be pregnant. You could be two weeks pregnant. There could be a little Porter right in here,” he said, laying a hand over the flat, soft part of my stomach. “You don’t know.”

  “You don’t know either and there’s no such thing as two weeks pregnant. You have to be four weeks pregnant for it to count for anything, so please, lay off a little. It’s not like I’m over here trying to lift boulders. This is a box of scarves. I think I can manage. I’m not putting myself, or the baby you think could possibly be in my uterus, in jeopardy.” A smile danced across his beautiful face and it was hard not to smile back at him.

  “I think there’s a baby in there, Ella. I think my boys managed a honeymoon baby.” His nose came down and nuzzled into my neck, his breath flitting across my skin making goose bumps appear. “I think that night we were on the beach, in that cabana, with only the moonlight surrounding us . . .” My mind wrapped around the words he was saying and I was transported back on the beaches of Bora Bora where we’d spent our honeymoon. He was talking about one night in particular and I remembered it well. I would always remember that night.

  I had instructed him to wait in the cabana for me and told him I would be out in a minute. It was one of the bravest moments of my life when I walked out of our private bungalow and tried to casually yet seductively make it to him without tripping over sand. I had purchased a special piece of lingerie especially for this occasion, for my husband.

  I felt the breeze swirl through the lace that flowed down from the tiny bow made from ribbon that was nestled between my breasts. The sheer lace covered my breasts, barely, then flowed out, open in the front, all leading down to the tiniest pair of white, lacey, thong underwear I’d ever seen. Obviously, the lace was just a pretense, because every part of me was on display. I took in a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself as I walked towards him.

  The sand had cooled considerably since the sun was no longer beating down on the beach. The small particles slipped through my toes as I made my way towards the little hut that held my husband.

  My heart fluttered at the thought of Porter being my husband. We’d known each other less than a year, been swept away in a sea of unimaginable love, faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and still managed to end up here, at the ocean, where everything had begun. He was my calm and steady surf when storms and winds had raged around me. When everything in my life had been confusing and tortuous, Porter had been the one who always brought me back around to my center. He was the only thing I had ever needed.

  I came around the side of the cabana to find him lounging back, hands behind his head, biceps deliciously taut, legs crossed at the ankles, admiring the ocean that was every shade of blue imaginable, including the midnight blue it became after dark. Say what you like about how we met, how fast it all happened, but when his body was on display for me like this, I welcomed every hurdle we’d ever jumped over to be together. He was made for me, exclusively. He was breathtakingly beautiful and just seeing him like that, relaxed and unburdened, only made my insides melt into a hot puddle of lust.

  “You’re beautiful.” I thought I’d spoken my thoughts aloud but then realized I hadn’t said them at all, but he had said the same thing about me. I hadn’t noticed when his eyes found me because I’d been preoccupied with him. My eyes finally met his and the tether that tied us together, something that held me to him, tugged at my center and pulled me towards him.

  His white swimming shorts matched the lingerie I was wearing and as I straddled his waist, our centers melded into one another. I ran my hands up along his chest, my fingers grazing through the soft smattering of hair and my eyes caught his.

  “Hello, Wife,” he said with the most loving smile upon his face, his eyes sparkling up at me.

  “Hello, my husband,” I whispered back. His hands came to my hips, fingering the single string th
at held on the triangle of lace. I felt the roughness of his hands continue down my thighs and circle back to grab my ass. His grip forced me forward and I pressed my chest to his, resting atop him, his hands still running over my sensitive skin, my hands finding their way to run through his dark hair. “I love you, you know.” Our faces were just inches from each other, my voice a quiet whisper caught in the breeze that feathered over us, gently moving the curtains of the cabana. His response was simply to lift his head and softly bump the tip of his nose against mine . . .

  “Ella?”

  I snapped out of my daydream to see the same sparkling eyes still staring back at me. I smiled and tipped up to kiss him.

  “Sorry. I was thinking about Bora Bora.” I smiled knowingly at him. His eyes widened in recognition.

  “I miss Bora Bora,” he said quietly.

  “Well, I could have recreated the experience for you, but you ripped off my pretty bridal lingerie,” I said with mock irritation. I loved it when he ripped things off my body. It was an expensive habit, but I wouldn’t make him change it for anything.

  “I’ll have plenty of chances to ruin more pretty things as long as we’re making babies.”

  “And even if we’re not, I hope.”

  He smiled and nodded. “But since we are, no lifting. Honestly Ella, you’ve got to take care of yourself.”

  I chose to remain quiet and not argue. Instead, I kissed him gently and moved on to hang garments on hangers, a task he couldn’t possibly find fault in. After a few minutes of working quietly together, I heard the door to the shop open and looked up. Kalli walked in, smiling broadly, looking fantastic.

  “Kal! What are you doing here? I thought you were in Seattle for a few weeks.” I walked quickly over to her and wrapped her in a hug, thankful to have my friend back unexpectedly.

  “Megan wanted me to come and try on bridesmaid dresses, so I decided to make a weekend of it. Aren’t you coming?”

  “She hasn’t said anything to me, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going. It’s probably on my calendar and I didn’t pay attention. I’m so excited to see you!” I hugged her again. Besides Porter, Kalli was one of the things brought into my life in the last year that I was so thankful for. In the most tumultuous time of my life, Kalli offered an instant friendship that grounded me when I couldn’t remember a part of my life. She listened to my worries and concerns and believed me. She was the one person in my life who I knew was being completely honest with me and didn’t have any ulterior motives.

  “Hello, Porter,” Kalli said, walking towards him. He gave her a hug and smiled at her.

  “Hey, Kalli. So what do you think of the new place?” He asked. Kalli’s eyes floated around the store, taking everything in.

  “This place looks awesome, you guys. You’ve been working hard. How long until you think you can open up?” She looked at me expectantly.

  “I am hoping to open up next month. I still have to put out all the merchandise and work on hiring. Megan is putting together interviews for early next week.”

  “You’re still planning on spending the majority of your time here and not at Poppy, right?”

  “Yes, Megan and Brittany are doing a fantastic job running Poppy so I am going to focus on this store until it is up and running one hundred percent.”

  “Have you decided on a name yet?”

  “Yes! I’m going with Dahlia. You like?”

  “I love! So pretty.”

  Porter walked over to us and placed his hand on my waist. “I’m going to head out, Babe. I’ve got to go check on the worksite over on Miller Street.” He pressed a kiss against my temple and I felt his breath on my ear sending chills throughout my body. “Remember what we spoke about,” he whispered. “Be safe.” My eyes closed involuntarily and I leaned into him.

  “Always,” I sighed. He kissed my cheek and patted my bottom then walked towards the door.

  “It was good to see you, Kalli. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again before you head back to Seattle?” He asked, pausing at the door.

  “It’ll be hard to get rid of me,” she said with a smile.

  “Good,” he said, then he winked at her before walking out.

  “Your husband is so ridiculously attractive,” Kalli said wistfully. I noticed the blush on her face and smiled to myself.

  “Yes, I’m aware and so is he. I think he tries to make you blush.”

  “Mission accomplished,” she says quietly, making me laugh. “Can I help you with anything?”

  “No, you cannot. In fact, I was about to break for lunch. Want to join me?”

  “Definitely.”

  Thirty minutes later, we were seated at one of my favorite lunch spots, a little delicatessen in downtown Salem.

  “So, I haven’t heard much from you since the honeymoon. How was it?” Kalli asked, raising her eyebrows at me, a sly grin on her face.

  “Oh my goodness, Kal, it was wonderful. You have to go to Bora Bora sometime. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.” Kalli took a stab at her salad.

  “I don’t think it’s a place for single people, Ella. Bora Bora is a place for couples.”

  I looked at my friend and knew what she was thinking. I reached out and placed a hand over hers. “You’ll find someone, Kalli. You’re a great girl and any guy would be lucky to have you.” She inhaled deeply and nodded.

  “I know, I know.” She shook her head, seemingly trying to erase the thoughts she harbored there. “I’ve just never had a good track record with guys, and the whole thing with Kyle just really put a nail in that coffin.”

  I grimaced at her words. I knew she felt guilty about Kyle and I didn’t know how to help her let those feelings go. I had explained, time and time again, that she couldn’t be responsible for his vile and ultimately psychotic behavior, but she harbored those feelings of guilt deep and I couldn’t reach them. Honestly, we’d all been affected by Kyle and what transpired, but Kalli seemed to be the only one who didn’t have someone to help her move past it.

  “Don’t let Kyle and what he did make you miserable, Kalli. Don’t give him that kind of control. He doesn’t deserve it,” I stated, wishing she’d do more than listen, wishing she’d hear me. She nodded her head and let out a sigh. Then I watched as she plastered on a fake smile for my benefit.

  “How’s Megan holding up? Only four months until the wedding. Has she become a bridezilla yet?”

  “No, I think she is starting to see the appeal of doing it the way Porter and I did though.”

  “You mean eloping?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I think she’s getting bogged down by details and just wants to be married.” I shrugged. “It’ll be beautiful and over before she knows it.”

  “Why did you and Porter elope?”

  I thought about the question, trying to put together a good answer for her. “I guess, after everything that happened, we just wanted to be together. After a few months of trying to plan a traditional wedding, thinking about guest lists and table settings, all stuff that didn’t really matter to either of us, we just wanted to skip the planning and start the marriage.”

  “Well, that’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” she said with a grin. “Married life suits you.”

  “Porter suits me.” I couldn’t help but smile. I remember what life was like without him and I never wanted to be that person again. The idea that I could have gone my whole life without experiencing the way he made me feel was depressing. Everyone deserved to have someone love them the way Porter loved me. His love was transcendent. It lifted me up in so many ways. I would gladly spend the rest of my life trying to make him feel even a small semblance of how he made me feel. It was the least I could do.

  “So, you’ll be there tomorrow to try on dresses?” Kalli asked hopefully.

  “I’ll be there. It’ll be fantastic.”

  That evening when I walked into our rental house in Salem, I didn’t see Porter in the living room so I called out to him, “Babe, yo
u home?”

  “I’m in the bedroom,” he responded. I set my purse and bags down on the kitchen table and walked back to the bedroom.

  The house was small. Much smaller than I would have ever wanted, but it was only a rental while our house was being completed, so I knew I could deal with it in the meantime. It had been a struggle to find another house that was available so quickly. I never could return to the first house we rented in Salem, never could bring myself to walk back into the house where Kyle abducted me. No one blamed me and Porter didn’t want to go in that house either. We found another house to rent, albeit smaller, until ours was built and move-in ready.

  “Hey, you,” I said as I leaned up against the doorframe of the bedroom. I wanted to take a picture of him as he was sprawled out on the bed in my most favorite of Porter pastimes: lying in bed, in his pajamas, reading. Nothing sexier than a relaxed Porter reading a book. Well, there were a few sexier sides of Porter.

  “Hey, Babe. How was the rest of your day?” He asked as he laid the book down on his chest, pages opened up against him, saving his place.

  “It was good. I had lunch with Kalli and then just worked on the merchandise at the store for a little while. By the way,” I said as I walked to the dresser in the corner of the room, unbuttoning my jeans as I walked. “I’ll probably be a little late tomorrow evening. I am going to Portland to do some dress shopping.” I watched his eyes follow my movements as I pushed the pants down my legs, taking care to bend at the waist, carefully aiming my bottom at him, knowing he’d enjoy it.

  “I was planning on working in Lincoln City tomorrow, so maybe I’ll stay a little later and have dinner with my mom.”

  I smiled at him. Not only did I love his mother, Tilly, but the idea that he thought of her and went out of his way to spend time with her made my heart melt a little. I grabbed the hem of my shirt and slowly pulled it over my head. I watched as he swallowed hard, his eyes raking me over as I stood at the foot of our bed in just my bra and panties. He picked his book up and closed it, laying it on his bedside table.