Always and Forever by Soraya Lane

stopped her. He’d done this for her, for them. The last thing he needed was her getting all sentimental over a car that didn’t deserve it. It had been an average vehicle that she’d gotten used to driving, not something she’d loved. “How can we even afford this one?”
    “You let me worry about what we can and can’t afford. Besides, they gave me a pretty good trade-in price for your car. Now jump in and try her out!”
    His enthusiasm was contagious and she wasn’t about to be the party pooper at her own party. “I hope it has a roof that works,” she grumbled.
    “Course it does, baby,” Matt assured her, opening the passenger door for her. “Your carriage awaits.”
    Lisa sat down and burst out laughing, the clouds above her lifting, happiness taking over. “We actually own a Cadillac!”
    Matt joined her, sitting behind the wheel. “We sure as hell do.”
    “This is crazy,” she muttered.
    “You already said that,” he said with a grin. “The day I suggested the road trip in the first place.”
    Lisa sighed and leaned back in the seat. It was incredible. She’d never been super into cars, but there was something about the Cadillac that made her feel like someone else. “We’ll be like Thelma and Louise.”
    “Thelma and freakin’ Louise?” Matt spluttered. “I ain’t no Louise.”
    “Bonnie and Clyde then,” she said with a smirk.
    “I can roll with that.”
    “ Ohmygod, please don’t tell me you stole this car? I don’t want to actually be Bonnie and Clyde.”
    Matt gave her a long hard stare, one eyebrow raised. “No, sweetheart, I didn’t steal the car. Don’t be crazy—even I’m not that stupid.”
    Lisa shut her eyes and rested her head back again. It did feel good. The car was beautiful, her husband was bending over backward to make her happy, and they were about to go on the adventure of a lifetime. It might not be what she’d seen in her future, but she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, not after all the blows she’d received over the last year. It was time to try, and she was going to make a damn good effort at doing exactly that. For both their sakes. Because she’d been with Matt since she was barely a woman, married her childhood sweetheart. Their problem was that everything had always been easy between them; they’d never had to face any obstacles. Until now. And now life was testing both of them in ways she’d never imagined possible.

    “You ready to roll?” Matt called out, shutting the trunk and stretching as he glanced over at his Chevy. He couldn’t believe that his pick-up was going to be parked up without him. The only thing about it he did like was that it meant he wasn’t going to be working for a bit, and after a busy few years building houses with his teams of guys, it was nice to take a decent break.
    “Almost.”
    He jogged up the two steps of their house and headed down the hall. He stopped when he reached their bedroom. Lisa was bending to pick up a bag and the look she gave him was pure guilt.
    “Another bag?” he asked, groaning at the thought of re-packing the trunk to make anything else fit.
    “I don’t know how long we’re going to be gone,” she said, flashing him a smile that made him groan again. “You want me to look good though, right?”
    “Stop with the guilt,” Matt growled, trying not to laugh. “Of course I want you to look good!” It felt good laughing, just joking around. Made him remember how things had always been between them.
    “Okay then.” The two words sounded like a breath of air, a gentle whoosh as she blinked and fixed her beautiful hazel eyes on him, a peacefulness there that made him smile.
    “Come on, let’s go,” he said, crossing the room and taking the bag from her before she could change her mind.
    “You have the camera?” she asked.
    “We have the camera. And the iPads and our phones and the list and just about everything from your closet.” Lisa punched him on the arm and