Always (With Bonus Material) (Always & Forever Book 1) Read online

  Always

  Copyright © Kindle Alexander, 2014, 2019

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Edited by Jae Ashley

  Cover art and interior print layout by Reese Dante

  http://www.reesedante.com

  First Edition March 2014

  ISBN: 978-1-941450-00-0

  Published by: The Kindle Alexander Collection LLC

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, Kindle Alexander LLC, [email protected]. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without permission from Kindle Alexander, LLC. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author's rights and livelihood is appreciated.

  Always 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 any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

  Trademark Acknowledgements

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following trademarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Advil: Wyeth, LLC

  American Medical Association: American Medical Association

  Band-Aid: Johnson & Johnson Corporation

  Brunello di Montalcino: Consorzio Vino Brunello di Montalcino

  Cadillac: General Motors LLC

  Chivas: Chivas Holdings (IP) Limited

  Corvette (Stingray): General Motors, LLC

  Day-Timer: ACCO Brands Corporation

  Duke University: Duke University

  Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care: Benjamin Spock

  Hugo Boss: Hugo Boss Trade Mark Management GMBH & CO.

  Kleenex: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.

  Lamaze: Lamaze International, Inc.

  Levi's: Levi Strauss & Co. Corporation

  Lincoln Town Car: Ford Motor Company

  Mickey and Minnie Mouse: Disney Enterprises, Inc.

  National Geographic (magazine): National Geographic Society Oral Roberts Christian University: Oral Roberts University Pac-Man: Namco Bandai Games, Inc. Pampers: The Proctor & Gamble Company Rolaids: Chattem, Inc.

  Rolodex: Berol Corporation

  Twilight Zone: CBS Broadcasting Inc.

  Tylenol: Johnson & Johnson Corporation

  Yale: Yale University Not-for-Profit Corporation

  Yves Saint Laurent: Luxury Goods International (L.G.I.) S.A.

  Table of Content

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  The Life Saver

  The Adams Family

  Silver Bells

  Father’s Day

  The Great Snow of 86

  Dedication

  To our amazing readers, family and all our wonderful friends, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Without your continued support and encouragement, we wouldn't be here.

  Perry, you’re missed every day.

  Kindle, you’re forever in our hearts.

  True love is eternal, infinite, and always like itself. It is equal and pure, without violent demonstrations: it is seen with white hairs and is always young in the heart. ~ Honore de Balzac

  Chapter 1

  Present Day

  The elegantly decorated hospital room looked regal and stately, much like the man lying in the bed in the center of the room. Kane Dalton entered in almost a dead run, moving as fast as his seasoned legs could carry him. Worry etched fine lines into his face. He paid no attention to the luxury surrounding him. Instead Kane's panicked gaze focused only on the man lying on the gurney with tubes and wires attached to several machines. Avery Adams had his eyes closed, taking short shallow breaths. He looked lifeless and pale, a far cry from the exuberant man Kane had grown to love beyond any measure of reason.

  The tears that threatened finally broke Kane's resolve and spilled over, running down his cheeks. Thank God he'd made it there in time. Avery slowly turned his head, opening his eyes to look at Kane. Their gazes met and his heart lurched in his chest. The mental prayer replaying over and over in his head exalted its chorus, begging God to keep Avery safe and there with him for a little while longer.

  Avery never lifted his head. Instead, he let those amber eyes pierce Kane's soul, just like they always had. For the briefest of moments, the world slowed, and he took the steps separating them. Kane wasn't sure of all the details, only that Avery had collapsed in his office surrounded by his staff, one of them being their daughter. She'd given him just enough bits and pieces of information to know the problem had to do with Avery's heart, a long-diagnosed concern. Kane hadn't hesitated; he immediately dropped everything and drove himself to the hospital, not waiting for a driver to pick him up. His greatest fear now played out right in front of him.

  They both ignored the hospital staff working feverishly to prepare Avery for emergency surgery.

  "Baby, don't cry," Avery whispered as Kane clasped his hand.

  "I'm not," Kane replied, searching Avery's handsome face. Kane willed himself to remember every single detail of this moment. A forever frustrating piece of Avery's hair had fallen down across his forehead. This particular piece of hair could never fully be tamed. Kane absently lifted a finger, moving the strand back with the others. It was a move he'd done a thousand times over the last forty years, but for some reason, this time the simple gesture caused the tears to fall with a little more force as his gaze landed back on Avery's.

  "Give me a minute, please," Avery said to the room.

  "Sir, we have no time. They're waiting for you in surgery" a nurse said, ignoring Avery completely.

  "It wasn't a request." The force with which Avery said the words was in direct contrast to the pale older man lying in the bed. Every eye in the room turned toward him. Only the nurse had the nerve to answer.

  "You have one minute before you're transported upstairs, sir," she said before she hurriedly shooed everyone else out of the room. Avery's
eyes never left his.

  "Kane, I'm going to be fine. I'm not ready to leave you, honey," Avery said, his voice back to the loving tone he always used with Kane.

  "You don't know that." Kane leaned in, bringing his face close to Avery's, placing a simple kiss on his slightly parted lips.

  "I do know it. I love you. I don't want to leave you. Forty years isn't long enough. I need at least another twenty," Avery whispered, and Kane's tears fell, dripping down onto Avery's face. Kane used the pad of his thumb to wipe them clean, but the effort was made in vain.

  The flow never stopped.

  "I love you," Kane whispered.

  "I don't regret anything. You made me the man I am today," Avery whispered.

  "You made me whole," Kane replied.

  "Kiss me before I go in," Avery requested, his voice weaker now than only moments before. Kane kissed him, meeting Avery's small swipe of the tongue with one of his own.

  "Sir, we have to get you upstairs," the nurse said from the doorway. Kane stood when he saw Avery might fight for another minute. He never released his grip on Avery's hand.

  "You fight for me," Kane said, trying to put on a brave face.

  "Take care of our family. Make sure our grandbabies know how much I love them."

  "Don't…" No more words would come. They both knew the gravity of the situation. Severe heart disease ran throughout Avery's ancestry. Avery had lived longer than any male in his family tree, but the odds were stacked against him. They both knew, at any point, time could run out.

  "I love you, always," Avery said, his eyes still holding Kane's as they began to wheel him from the room.

  "I love you, always." Kane forced himself to move and bent in to kiss his husband again. He willed himself to remember every detail of their tender kiss before Avery was pushed out from underneath him. He watched as they wheeled him away. Watched as the door closed with a firm click, and he still stood there staring at the thick oak wood. His life had just been pushed through that door, and now the helplessness was setting in. He could feel his body begin the slow steady tremble as he scrubbed his hands over his face, wiping away the tears in frustrated swipes. If only Avery would have eaten better. Stuck to the diet Kane had no problem sticking to. If Avery wouldn't have stolen those bites of cake and if Kane hadn't turned a blind eye… If Kane had made Avery walk more, work less, and disciplined him harder for straying off course. If only.

  "Here, Daddy." Kane looked up, surprised to see Autumn standing in front of him. He hadn't heard her enter the room. She held a handful of tissues, and he accepted them, wiping at his face. He took the minute to pull himself together. He had to remember his children before he allowed himself to break down completely. Avery's only request had been to take care of their family, and their children needed him to be strong.

  "They have a private waiting room ready for us. It will be a while." Kane looked down at Autumn. Their daughter had always looked so much like Avery—she had his eyes and mannerisms. The thought tugged at his heart and filled him with pride at the same time.

  He wrapped an arm around her lean shoulders, letting her guide him out the door.

  "He said he would be back. He wasn't done with us." Kane smiled, trying for playful, possibly falling short as Autumn wrapped both her arms around him, giving him a tighter hug as they walked down the quiet hospital hallway.

  "I know. Robert's here. Daddy, he's got the best care he can have." His strong, smart, beautiful thirty-four-year-old daughter was worried. He could tell by the small quiver in her voice.

  "I know, baby…I know." They entered the small waiting room provided for high profile guests. Avery was almost as high as it got in this small community they lived in.

  "I brought fresh water and a fruit tray. There's a restroom right through this door. Can I get you anything else?" a young woman asked from the doorway.

  "No, we're fine. Thank you," Kane said, going straight to the window along the back wall. A nice view of a park sat right outside. Normally, Kane would have loved that. He had always loved taking his children to the park to play, but today he stared outside, not caring about the view in the least. Autumn pushed a chair up behind him.

  "Sit, Daddy. You have to take care. Dad's gonna need you to take care of yourself, since he can't. He fusses over you as much as you fuss over him, and I'll be in trouble if he finds out I didn't do what he thinks I'm supposed to do for you." Kane let her fuss in Avery's place. A distraction to keep her mind occupied. Avery did that too. When something weighed heavily on him, he always threw himself into another project whether it be cleaning house or yard work, he found something to expend his nervous energy.

  Even though their children were well into their thirties, they were a tight-knit family. All four of them were very close still today, and if something happened to Avery, it would shake them all to the core. The sobering thought had Kane taking a seat, still staring out the window. He could hear the silent prayer still unconsciously ringing through his head.

  "I remember the birthday party we had at the park in Stillwater. What was I, like six years old? I loved that birthday party," Autumn said from directly behind him. He couldn't help the smile that touched his lips as he thought about that day.

  "That was Avery's very bad idea." His smile grew wider and a slight shiver ran up his spine as he remembered the blistering cold wind. Who had an outdoor birthday party, in early March, in Stillwater, Minnesota? No one but them.

  "It's one of my fondest memories. Robert's too, we talked about it just last week. Here's a bottle of water." Kane stayed in memory lane, letting his thoughts get lost in the moment. The small prayer pushed back to the forefront, taking up residence in his mind.

  Please, God, don't take him from me. Not yet.

  "Daddy, tell me again how you and Dad met. It's my favorite story." Kane looked up as she pulled her chair closer to his at the window. She took his hand, threading their fingers together.

  "Tell me. I haven't heard the story in years. I want you to tell me now," she said, nodding, frantic tears finally welling up in her amber eyes. Avery's eyes. She worked hard to try and distract him, as well as herself, and he needed to let her. He gripped her hand tighter as he thought back all those years ago.

  Chapter 2

  April, 1975 ~ Minneapolis, Minnesota

  "How in the hell did I let them talk me into this?" Avery said aloud to no one as he walked through his somewhat small, yet highly decorated, one bedroom condominium in downtown Minneapolis. He knew the answer, but still let the question take hold in his mind. The weather was just too damn cold outside to think of anything else.

  Avery hadn't been back to Minnesota for any real length of time since he'd graduated from college over fifteen years ago. Even then, his choice to attend school in Minnesota was more of a public show of support; a family legacy kind of deal. All Minnesota had ever been to him was a place his family spent some of their summer months vacationing in a grand timber-framed getaway sitting along the St. Croix River. They had ridden horses, played in the fields, and shared dinners outside on the patio watching the boats drift by, which was rare quality time considering his prominent fast-paced family lifestyle.

  The Adams ancestry had claimed their Minnesota land back in the settlers' days. Thousands and thousands of acres bordering Canada and it was all passed down from generation to generation. The roots of Avery's family tree ran deep in this state from all the way back to the fur-trading and logging days. He still owned all that land today. The upkeep was expensive as hell, and he couldn't remember the last time anyone spent time there, but the Adamses were considered the first family of Minnesota.

  This state was the foundation that catapulted his grandfather to win his bid and become the beloved two-term president of the United States. As it turned out, Washington DC was the only thing that could entice an Adams out of Minnesota. They had never fully returned, apparently, until now.

  It was clear why the Democratic Party picked Minnesota for Avery t
o begin his political career, between his family's roots and the progressively liberal attitude of the state, he was a shoo-in. What he couldn't understand was how he had ever been talked into tossing his hat in next year's Senate race. His own father, Alan Adams, had grown up in the White House and never had anything good to say about the experience. Alan chose business over politics, taking their family wealth into the multi-millions over the course of his life. His grandfather and father were both movers and shakers in their own chosen fields, yet neither could outrun the heredity of heart disease. Their deaths at reasonably young ages were the main reason Avery lived his life in such a way that he never took anything too seriously. Again, apparently until now.

  His mother had taken over the reins of the family's holdings. At the time, it had been a natural step. She already ran much of their family business during his father's overseas travels. His mom was progressive, one of the most influential women in the world, and stood poised to make her own mark in the worldwide fight for women's rights. Kennedy Adams was really quite untouchable and currently sat aboard a yacht, coasting the Caribbean, technically where Avery figured he should be at this very moment.

  Instead, he had opened his new Minnesota law office. His official campaign office would open next week when they made the big announcement. No time for coasting the Caribbean in his near future. These decisions were made. Besides, overall, politics fit him far better than business. Avery had an innate ability of understanding the hardships of the world, reading a situation for what it was and connecting to those involved. For whatever reason, people liked him.

  This wasn't a decision forced on him. He'd weighed the options and felt this path would serve him best. Avery wanted this. He wanted to give back to this great country. To help people, and move the United States forward again. It was an honor to be back in Minnesota.