Give Me Forever

Give Me Forever Layla Hagen Dear Reader, If you want to receive news about my upcoming books and sales, you can sign up for my newsletter HERE. *** Give Me Forever Copyright © 2023 Layla Hagen Cover: Uplifting Designs Photography: Wander Aguiar Copyright ©2023 Layla Hagen All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. 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 fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Table of Contents Copyright Page 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 | Sam Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Eight Epilogue Chapter One Sam –––––––– "I think she looks a lot like Travis," Gran exclaimed, cooing over the newborn. My brother Travis became a father last night. As a pediatrician at the hospital, I checked in on my niece right after she was born. Luckily, I was on shift when my sister-in-law’s water broke, and my brother rushed her right in. The dude was a basket case, which would've been funny if I didn’t feel sorry for him. I’d seen lots of dads lose their cool when their first baby was born. They wanted to do everything right, as did my brother, but at the same time felt so helpless throughout it all. Dr. Johnson performed the delivery, and I was there to give Travis moral support afterward. Currently, I was keeping a close eye on Bonnie, Travis’s wife. She was happy but tired, which was to be expected. Our gran and parents were overwhelming her, and I was completely surprised that my brothers and their better halves hadn't shown up too. I’d cautioned them that the new parents needed rest, but I'd expected them to completely ignore me. I was glad they didn't. "Everyone, come on, out of here. You've had enough visitation time. Let them rest," I said. "Nonsense," Gran said. "Everyone else can go. I'll stay here and rock this sweet girl to sleep." She seemed unable to take her eyes off the baby. I cleared my throat, using my stern doctor voice. "No, Gran. It's best if we leave them alone. The baby will fall asleep anyway, and Bonnie also needs to rest." Gran looked at me severely. "Young man, don't think you can tell me what to do just because you have a doctor's coat on." I grinned. "Yes, I can." "Beatrice, come on," Mom said. "He’s right. Bonnie needs rest." Bonnie smiled sheepishly. "Beatrice, I promise that once we're home, you can come visit as much as you want. But now we’re all exhausted." At once, my grandmother's demeanor changed. She blinked, nodding before returning the baby to Bonnie's arms. I was grateful that she was at least listening to Bonnie. I knew this was a momentous day for both my grandmother and my parents. It was only the second grandchild in the Maxwell family. Even though there were six of us brothers, along with two very close cousins, only my brother Tate who had a daughter. "It's been a while since we've had a baby in the family," Mom said, as if reading my thoughts. Paisley, Tate’s daughter, was a teenager. He was about to have a second kid soon. Boy, time flies. "No problem, Mom. We’re happy you stopped by. Come on, I'll walk out with you," Travis said. Taking the now-sleeping baby from Bonnie’s arms, he put her in the crib next to the bed. Bonnie instantly fell asleep, and we all walked out as quietly as possible from the room. Once Travis closed the door behind him, Mom exploded. "Oh, she's so pretty. I wanted to snuggle her the whole time, but Beatrice hogged her." The look on Gran’s face was priceless as she said, "It's my great-grandmother privilege." Mom glanced at Travis. "I'm sorry we monopolized your time with Bonnie and the baby." She sounded truly apologetic. "We thought about waiting until you were home, but..." "She considered it for maybe five seconds before deciding it was impossible," Dad interjected with a grin. Travis chuckled. "It's all good. Bonnie is beyond happy that the family is embracing her like this. She's just tired." My brother was right. Bonnie’s mom was an insanely cold woman, so I could see how our family would be a welcome change. Bonnie always seemed happy to be around the Maxwell clan, but I was going to advise her to take it easy with visits. The birthing went fine, but she needed to rest up here where people could help her. Once she got home, any relaxing with a newborn would go out the window. "Listen, Sam, what's the policy on bringing your own food here? The breakfast we got sucked, and I want to spoil my woman," Travis said. I waved him off. "Don't worry about it. I'll cover for you. Buy something delicious for you two to eat. The hospital food is nothing to brag about, but it could be worse. Speaking of food, do you all want to go to the cafeteria?" "Are we keeping you from anything, son?" Dad asked. "No, I took the shift last night, so I'm off today. I just wanted to hang around and see if Bonnie needed anything." But I was starved, too, and wouldn’t mind a strong cup of coffee. "All right, then. Let’s go," Mom said as we all went downstairs. The place was semifamiliar to me. It was only my second month here, as I’d recently relocated