Read Johnson Family 1: Unforgettable for Free Online

isn’t a forever thing. It’s just a for now thing. I have plans.”
    “True.” Fatherhood hadn’t been in the cards for him, either, but that didn’t stop her from fantasizing, wishing she could have been the woman to make him change his ways. To extinguish the wanderlust that had driven him to seek adventure on the other side of the world. To make him want to settle down and start a family.
    “I promised not to keep you, so I’m going cut to the chase.” He tucked a hand in the pocket of his trousers. “I know the way things ended between us years ago wasn’t the best, but I was wondering if we could keep in touch. The truth is, Ivy, I’ve never forgotten about you, and I thought maybe we could…be friends at least.”
    Friends.
    To hide the sudden pain from his suggestion at the inadequate substitute, she looked down at the pen in her hand. There were so many reasons why she couldn’t be friends with him, none of which she could share. She couldn’t tell him that even though the longing had subsided over the years, she’d never stopped thinking about him. She couldn’t tell him that he had a daughter—not after he’d told her he didn’t want to be a father. Not after she’d lied and told him she’d taken measures to make sure she didn’t get pregnant.
    “Atlanta was a long time ago. I’ve moved on.” She filled her voice with a coolness she didn’t feel, hoping the same sentiment was reflected in her eyes and would fool him into walking out without a backward glance. “I was happily married for seven years before my husband passed away, and I think it’s best that we keep the past in the past.”
    Her words swept the friendly expression from his face. “I know we’ve both changed a lot, and I’m not asking to revisit the past,” he said. “All I’m asking is—”
    “You’re asking for something I can’t give. I’ve moved on,” she said in a firmer voice.
    Her reaction confused him. She could see it in his eyes. “So you can’t see your way to be friends?” He laughed softly, as if the idea of not accepting his offer of friendship was preposterous.
    “I have plenty of friends. I don’t need anymore.”
    “You’re serious?”
    “You sound surprised.”
    He studied her. “Maybe we should try this again.”
    He stalked toward her, his footfalls silent on the carpet. She stiffened at his closeness and fought to breathe normally. Surely she could handle being this close to him, even though she could smell his cologne, even though she could reach out and touch him if she wanted to.
    He looked her right in the eye, and she held her gaze steady.
    She was almost as tall as him in her heels. Five feet eight and a half inches, but she rounded up to five-nine, because what was a half-inch more? He used to tease her about that. He always teased her about one thing or another—her picky eating habits, her prissiness.
    “Did I do something to upset you?” he asked.
    “What makes you say that?”
    “Because I have the distinct impression you don’t want me here.” He examined her face. “Am I right? You don’t want me here?”
    She set the pen on the desk with a measured motion and lifted her gaze to his. “I don’t understand why you want to be here or what your expectations are.”
    “I don’t expect anything. I don’t want anything,” he said.
    “Except to be friends,” she clarified.
    “Yes.”
    “Good, we understand each other.” She exhaled a deep breath. “You want to be friends, but I don’t.”
    He frowned. His dark, contemplative gaze searched her face. “Why?”
    “I told you, I have plenty of friends already.”
    “If this is about the way our relationship ended, you knew the deal when we got involved. I never lied to you. It doesn’t make sense that you’d still hold a grudge after nine years.”
    He was right. He’d been up front from the beginning, making it clear that their relationship was a summer fling and nothing more because he had big plans