The Rest of Forever: A Guardian Angel Paranormal Romance Read online

  THE REST OF FOREVER

  Carrie Pulkinen

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and

  incidents are either the product of the author’s

  imagination or are used fictitiously, and any

  resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business

  establishments, events, or locales, is entirely

  coincidental.

  The Rest of Forever

  COPYRIGHT © 2017 by Carrie Pulkinen

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or

  reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written

  permission of the author

  except in the case of brief quotations embodied in

  critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Leah Kaye Suttle

  www.CarriePulkinen.com

  First Edition, 2017

  ISBN-13: 978-1541121065

  ISBN-10: 1541121066

  Published in the United States of America

  Table of Contents

  DEDICATION

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  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

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  EPILOGUE

  ALSO AVAILABLE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  DEDICATION

  For my parents. Your loving support has molded me into the person I am today. From drawing Mickey Mouse to dance to photography to writing, I’ve always loved to create art, and you’ve always been there cheering me on. Thank you.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  This book would not have been possible without the help of my friends. My critique partner Erin helps me with story structure and everything writing related. My husband Michel reads everything I write and finds all those words I accidentally leave out, but my brain fills in when I read it. Jeana is my proofreader. She finds my typos and instances when I—even though I know better—use *gasp* it’s instead of its. Leah Suttle designed my beautiful cover, and Missy encourages me to keep going, even when I feel like quitting.

  CHAPTER ONE

  April Carter awoke covered in sweat, clutching the sheets. Her heart pounded at the vivid details of her way-too-realistic recurring dream. She looked at Jared, snoring softly in bed next to her, and her stomach churned with guilt. She’d had the most incredible sex of her life in that dream, and it wasn’t with him. It never was.

  Peeling the damp sheets away from her skin, she slid out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom. Her boyfriend’s alarm wouldn’t be sounding for another fifteen minutes, and he’d be grumpy if she woke him early. She turned the knob and closed the door gently, slowly releasing the handle to minimize the noise.

  The hot steam of the shower should’ve washed away the tension in her muscles, but she couldn’t relax. Memories of her dream lover’s hands caressing her body had her insides twisting in confusion.

  Damian Perkins. Ever since he was hired on at her school, she’d been having dreams about the sexy history teacher. Dreams she shouldn’t have been having. She didn’t want to have them. She already spent her days working with him. He didn’t need to be invading her nights too.

  Trying to brush the once-velvet feel of his touch away, she vigorously rubbed her arms. She couldn’t control her dreams, but she wasn’t a cheater. Jared was the only man for her.

  She shook her head as she shut off the water and dried herself. She wouldn’t let it ruin her day. Not today. But why on Earth was she dreaming about Damian? Could she subconsciously—

  No. Get a grip, girl.

  She shook off the ridiculous thought and got ready for work.

  Jared usually left the small apartment while she was in the shower, but since she woke up early today, she caught her boyfriend at the door. “It’s a big day.” She straightened his tie and kissed him on the cheek before he picked up his briefcase.

  He wiped the lipstick off and loosened his tie. “The best of the year. Six o’clock is when it all goes down.”

  Her heart fluttered as she looked into his eyes. “Six? You’re going to be home by then?”

  “I’m taking off early for this, baby. See you tonight.” He winked and slipped out the door.

  April sighed and gazed at the ring finger of her left hand. There’d be a diamond on it tonight. Today marked the one-year anniversary of their first date. And if Jared followed the rules and spent three month’s salary on her ring, it was going to be a whopper. A smile tugged at her lips as she picked up her bag and shoved her grade book inside.

  With her hand on the doorknob, she glanced at the clock. Late again. Those teenagers aren’t going to teach themselves. She darted downstairs to the parking lot.

  The wind picked up as soon as her feet hit the pavement. Her scarf flapped in her face, blocking her vision for a moment, before it twisted and flew off her head. She gasped and jumped for the sentimental piece of silk, but it was no use. It floated across the parking lot, dancing in the wind. She trotted after it, determined to catch the gift her sister had given her before it landed in a muddy pothole.

  Tires squealed as a car skidded inches from where she stood. The smell of burning rubber assaulted her senses, and a hard body slammed into her, shoving her to the ground as the vehicle slid to a stop. Her back collided with the concrete, and sharp pain shot through her spine as the air whooshed out of her lungs. She lay there for a moment, her heart frantically beating as she tried to slow her rapid breathing. The throbbing pain in her shoulder made it difficult, and she was definitely going to bruise. Lovely.

  “You all right?” the driver called from the jet black Tahoe. She glanced at the man in the truck and slowly nodded her head.

  “Yeah. She’s fine,” her savior said.

  Gravel crunched as the car rolled by and exited the parking lot. April blinked and pushed up on her hands as her wavering vision refocused on the man who pushed her.

  Damian.

  Her coworker had appeared out of nowhere, and he was already on his feet, dusting off his pants.

  He didn’t even offer to help her up.

  “Did you have to knock me down? You ruined my new clothes.” She toyed with the torn hem of her designer skirt. Did he have any idea how long she’d had to save to buy this outfit? Luckily the tear was on the seam. She could fix it.

  He snorted. “Thanks for saving my life, Damian. Oh, you’re welcome, April. Don’t mention it.” He ran his hand through his tousled toffee-colored hair and narrowed his hazel eyes. “You know, you could show a little gratitude.”

  “You think you saved my life?” April scoffed. “The car was going, what? Twenty miles an hour? It would have stopped.” She rose to her feet and brushed the gravel off her legs. As she swept the back of her calf, she winced at the stinging pain. Bright red scrapes extended from her ankle to the back of her knee. Peachy.

  She opened her mouth to berate him some more, but her words caught on the lump in her throat as visions of their imaginary night together flashed in her mind.

  The dream.<
br />
  Heat flushed her cheeks, and she averted her gaze from his. She had no reason to be embarrassed. He didn’t know she’d been dreaming about making love to him for the past three months. He couldn’t know.

  But there was something about the way he looked at her...that knowing gaze, like he knew all her deepest, darkest secrets. She shuddered.

  “April, you...you know what? Never mind. I’ll see you at work.” He turned on his heel and marched to his ‘69 Mustang. Slamming the door, he peeled out of the parking lot without looking back.

  “Unfortunately,” she muttered as she picked up her muddy silk scarf and headed toward her own car.

  That man grated on her every last nerve. It was bad enough she had to work with him, but then he had to move into her building. Like she didn’t already put up with him enough. And his know-it-all attitude drove her insane. It wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t so damn good at his job. The kids loved him, and he knew more about history than her best college professor. She wasn’t sure which irked her more: his I’m-smarter-than-you attitude or the fact that he really was.

  She climbed into her car and adjusted the rearview mirror to check her face. At least her makeup still looked good, and she was having an amazing hair day, scarf or no scarf. She wasn’t going to let her little run-in with Damian get her down. She was getting engaged tonight, and nothing was going to ruin her day. Not even a torn Prada skirt.

  * * *

  Damian knew better than to expect gratitude from April. Still, a little thank you wouldn’t have hurt. If she only knew how much he did for her. How many times he’d saved her life.

  Of course, she didn’t know the things she did to him either. The way she made him feel. The reason he had to put space between them. He couldn’t let any kind of emotional attachment form between them. If she hated him, it would be easy to let go of his Charge.

  Easy for her, anyway.

  He chuckled as he pulled into a parking space. Only three more weeks and he could get away from the certain disaster his heart was heading for. He’d be done with April and with this place.

  He’d never understood the draw of small town life. Felicity, Texas, didn’t have much of anything. While all the neighboring towns blossomed during the housing boom, Felicity stayed the same old small town it had always been. Probably always would be.

  It was like living in a vacuum. People rarely got away. Even the lucky ones who went off to college eventually moved back.

  Then there were the ones like April. She grew up in this hellhole and starting teaching at her own high school. Didn’t she get enough of the place the first four years she spent there? Well, there were worse jobs. And worse places to live for that matter. Felicity did mean happiness. Maybe some people found it there.

  April May Carter. What was her mother thinking giving her a name like April May? It had to be a Southern thing. Damian grinned. She hated being called April May. Every time her grandmother said her name, she’d cringe. She’d chew on her bottom lip like she did when she was trying to keep her mouth shut. He’d have to make a point to use her full name today, just to grate on her nerves.

  April. The most stubborn woman he’d ever known. When she set her mind to something, there was no backing down. Even if she was wrong. But her strong will served her well as a teacher. The kids respected her, and she’d do anything in the world for them. Of course, that also had a lot to do with genetics. Damian knew April’s grandfather, and he had that same strong will.

  He strolled into his classroom with two minutes to spare and sat on the edge of his desk. The last student shuffled in just as the tardy bell rang, and Damian began his lesson.

  “All right, guys. Let’s talk about the fall of the Roman Empire.”

  * * *

  Most of the morning went by in a fog. April did her best to teach her students about the Romans, but her mind was in a diamond store picking out her engagement ring. She’d already forgotten about the torn skirt she’d mended with a safety pin. Only six hours to go, and she’d have a rock on her finger.

  April taught in the same room where she’d once learned. They’d torn down a few of the old school buildings and done some renovations, but it was the same old school. Nothing seemed to change in Felicity. Not the scenery. Not the people. Nothing.

  Maybe once she had a ring on her finger, she could convince Jared to get out of this Podunk town. She loved working with the kids, but sometimes she felt trapped. She wanted more than small town life could give her. She wanted to help kids with real problems. Inner-city kids. She knew she could make a bigger difference there. But every time she’d mentioned it to Jared, he’d shrug, tousle her hair as if she were a child, and say, “We’ll see, babe.”

  Her best friend Janice was already in the teacher’s lounge having lunch when she arrived. April beamed a smile, waltzed into the room, and settled into a chair next to her.

  “Tonight’s the night, Janice. I can feel it.” She pulled a tuna sandwich out of her lunch bag and opened a Diet Coke. “He’s even taking off work early.”

  “You’re sure he’s going to propose?”

  “Of course he is. It’s our anniversary. It’ll be perfect. I bought a new dress that’s amazing. Here, let me show you a picture.” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and flipped through the photos. “I took this one in the dressing room. Isn’t it gorgeous?”

  Janice looked at the picture and shook her head. “How can you afford these designer clothes? We make the same salary, and I get most of my clothes from Target.”

  April shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look good. I save my money, and Jared pays the rent. Designer clothes are my guilty pleasure. I’m not ashamed.” She flashed a smile, but then rolled her eyes when she saw Damian walk through the door.

  “Here we go. Asshole alert. Better put your boots on, Janice. It’s gonna get deep real quick.”

  Janice smiled and waved at Damian. “Why do you hate him so much? He’s not that bad.”

  “He’s an arrogant prick.”

  “Well, I think he’s cute.”

  “Yeah, until he opens his mouth.” April shook her head. Damian wasn’t cute. He was downright sexy, and it ate her up that she was attracted to him. There should’ve been a law against assholes like Damian being so hot. It wasn’t fair.

  “Oh, come on. You’re just jealous they hired him as department head when John left, instead of promoting you.”

  April huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not jealous. And I don’t want to be department head. I’ve got too much invested in the kids to have to deal with all that bureaucratic crap. But since you brought it up, don’t you think it’s kinda unfair to bring in a new department head midyear? I mean, he’s only been here three months.”

  “Yeah. I guess it is a little strange, but what can you do? Anyway...where’s Jared taking you tonight?”

  “I don’t know. I think he wants it to be a surprise, because he hasn’t mentioned it. I’m so excited! I’m finally gonna have a diamond on my finger. You’re going to be my maid of honor, right? We can go dress shopping together. It’ll be so much fun!”

  Janice pressed her lips together and looked at April in silence. Then she took a deep breath and sighed. “Of course. I will be your maid of honor whenever you get married. I just wonder...”

  April put down her sandwich and folded her hands on the table. “Uh-oh. Here it comes.”

  “What?”

  She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her silk blouse. “Whenever you just wonder about something, it’s usually something I don’t want to hear.”

  Janice shrugged and turned to toss her trash in the can behind her. “All right, then. I won’t say it.”

  “No. Go ahead, because you’re usually right. Seriously, Janice. Just say it.”

  “Okay. I just wonder about you and Jared. You talk about getting a ring and about your wedding, but I don’t hear you talking about being married to Jared. Do you r
eally want to marry him, or do you just want to have a wedding?”

  “Well, I...of course I want to marry him.” Why wouldn’t she? Jared was attractive and stable, and April would be thirty in three weeks. She certainly didn’t want to wind up being a crazy cat lady. And she didn’t want to end up like her mom—lonely and miserable.

  She and Jared had their ups and downs like any couple. He was a lawyer, and he worked way too much. She’d even suspected there might be another woman a time or two, but he always had an alibi. Lawyers worked crazy hours, and she would have to get used to it. Eventually.

  “Jared is educated, and he has a steady job. What more can a girl ask for?”

  Janice arched an eyebrow. “Just last week you said he’s more interested in sports than sex.”

  She waved her hand dismissively. “Passion is fleeting. Stability is the important thing when it comes to marriage.”

  “What’s this? You ladies planning a wedding?” Damian turned a chair around backward and straddled it, leaning his forearms on the table.

  “I’m sorry.” April sat up straighter. “I don’t remember including you in this conversation. Don’t you think you’ve done enough to ruin my day?”

  Damian narrowed his eyes at her and then smiled. “Okay. I can take a hint. Here.” He pulled a thick stack of papers out of his bag and dropped it on the table. “I rewrote the nine-weeks exam.”

  April picked it up and flipped through the pages. “I haven’t even covered some of this stuff, Damian. You can’t change the test a week before I have to give it.”

  “I just did, April May,” he drawled, mocking the Southern accent that was so prevalent in their town. “And you better catch up. I’d hate for a hundred kids to fail World History because their teacher couldn’t handle her new boss.” He grinned and raised an eyebrow.

  Her blood boiled. How the hell did he find out her middle name? And she did not talk like that; she always made a point to speak without an accent. She wasn’t a hillbilly, even if she did live in the middle of Hickville. He was baiting her, and damn it, she was going to take it.