FOREVER BELOVED (Billionaire Love Series) by Jessa Eden Read Free Book Online Page B

maid service. I loved the cheery tangerine color
on the walls and the large windows, which let light stream in. My
favorite, though, was the high vaulted ceilings, which were two
stories high.
    He was happy here. He liked his little social
club and the fantastic gourmet food they served. I was always up to
sharing a meal with Charly.
    “Did you bring me anything?” he asked, always
thrilled when I added something to Charlie’s boxes.
    “Here you go,” I said, handing him a long,
teal envelope as I walked through his living room.
    “Another letter?”
    “Yep.”
    His blue glance lit up with curiosity. “How
many do you think you’ve written Beau?”
    “Good question...I don’t know. In the
beginning, it seemed like I wrote him every other day. Back then is
kind of a blur, though. Maybe a hundred?” I asked, not really
sure.
    “Could be. I remember the first stack of
letters you brought me. I thought to myself that girl truly loves
Beau.”
    I smiled at his recollection. “Still do. He
doesn’t think so, but you have the proof.”
    After I started writing all those letters to
Beau, I passed them off to Charly’s safekeeping. I think,
subconsciously, I thought it would somehow bring Beau back to
me.
    What I didn’t expect was for those letters to
birth a project I ended up working on for over twenty-two years as
I catalogued Charlie’s life. It started when I had Emma take
pictures of me every month while I was pregnant, in a side profile
shot where I held my hands underneath my growing belly. I liked
tracking my progress and my obsession grew from there.
    After Charlie was born, Beau’s granddad
surprised me with a video camera. I had that clunky video recorder
out all the time. I wore that sucker out, taping all of Charlie’s
milestones from his first smile to his first roll over to his first
taste of banana.
    When I wasn’t taping my baby, I was writing
down all the cute little things he used to say. When he outgrew his
toddler years, I kept his prized toys and the frayed blankie he
called Be-bop.
    Once he got into school, I saved art
projects, drawings, report cards, and favorite books. As Charlie
grew older, I made a record of everything in high school from his
first day to graduation.
    I slowed down a little when he went to
college, but I still filmed his graduation and his first day of
work at the salon, even though he begged me to shut off the camera
on my phone.
    I was determined to give Beau a chance to
watch his son grow up, even though it was second hand. It was the
best I could do.
    “I’ll add this to the rest,” Charly said,
waving the envelope around in his weathered hand.
    “How many boxes are there now?” I asked.
    Charly had offered to store all the boxes I
had accumulated over the years. It seemed right to let him be the
guardian of Charlie’s records.
    “Oh, there must be seven or eight, now.”
    We walked toward his spare bedroom and he
opened the walk-in closet where the collection was stored.
    “Do you think Beau will ever see any of these
mementos now that he knows about Charlie?”
    “I think all of your hard work is going to
pay off, my girl. He’s gonna devour all of these boxes pretty
soon.”
    “I hope you’re right.”
    “The day is coming when I’m gonna open this
closet and hand him these boxes.”
    That thought terrified and thrilled me.
    The past laid out bare for what it really
was.
    “I don’t even know how he’ll react, and that
scares me,” I admitted, terror reflected in my gaze.
    A comforting smile spread across Charly’s
kind face. “Give Beau credit. He’ll do right by this. You’ll
see.”
    I tried to hold on to the faith Charly was
giving me. I wanted Beau to have access to all the time he had lost
with us. More importantly, I wanted him to understand the love I
had poured into this project.
    Maybe...just maybe, I had reason to hope.

CHAPTER EIGHT

    Beau:
    During the off-season, my attention turned to
building up the team and working with the