Forever and Always
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
“Meg, I dislike having to say this but Southern girls are so proper and naïve, or pretend to be, you refuse to face reality. You and your friends are intent on enjoying yourselves and not admitting that anything is wrong. You believe the world is full of mint juleps and magnolia trees and dates and football games and gossip!”
“Peer, I truly hope that you are wrong about the war in Europe bothering us very much so I will forgive you for your radical ideas about the world situation. However, you have really over treaded your bounds and stepped on all my toes about Southern girls. What you said is an insult and it will be treated as such. First, you should know that I do not drink mint juleps or anything else like that. I refuse to discuss the subject any further. As far as I am concerned life is to be enjoyed the best way it can be on this earth, as long as I don't hurt other people and do what I can to help them. Now I am going back to the dorm, with or without you.”
She rose to go. Peer reached for her wrist and held it, “Please don't go now, we haven't talked about what I want to say, Meg, I have to say it!” He tightened his grip on her arm as he pulled her to him. Swinging his free arm around her waist, he held her tightly against his body. Aware she would resist him, Peer blurted out, “Oh Meg! I love you so much. You can't know how I feel just looking at your beautiful face and holding the most perfect body this campus has ever seen!” She squirmed against Peer's large muscular frame, trying to free from her unexpected situation.
“Let go of me Peer, are you completely out of your mind? You know I told you before our first date that I am engaged and I don't do this sort of thing. Now release me immediately!”
“Meg, I am trying to tell you that I love you. I have loved you since the first day you walked into Ancient History 102 class, and I will love you forever. Meg, I have never been in love before, in fact I have never had a girlfriend before. I've always been too busy working on my dad's dairy farm and playing football. Once I asked him how I would know when I was in love.” Meg continued wriggling. Peer, finding it difficult to communicate but determined, continued, “He told me ‘you will just know!’” He tightened his grasp, as she almost broke loose.
“Then he said some things that I won't mention, which I didn't understand then, but I sure do now!”
. Peer finished his speech and knowing that he should not be doing this, lifted Meg in his arms, walked behind the path into the woods and placed her gently on the ground. Shocked by his actions, Meg fought to get up. With his body close beside her, Peer carefully pushed her back and slowly moved his leg over hers. Horrified and frightened by the predicament she found herself in, and not knowing what to do, she began to cry.
Realizing that her emotions were real, Peer thought briefly about ending the idea of seducing her at the end of the path between the forest and the river.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
It was in the early fall of 1941. Meg Graham and Peer Erickson were students at a southern state university. From the day they met they knew that their love would last forever and always. Peer, an esteemed football player, was from a remote village near the Canadian border. His father was a dairy farmer. Meg’s family was extremely wealthy. Initially, Peer was unaware of Meg’s abundant riches. Marriage was discussed but Peer felt that the war in
Meg’s mother, Octavia, allowed her daughter to make everyday mundane decisions but was unbending in her demand that Meg marry Thomas Parker. Thomas’ mother ruled high society and greatly influenced Octavia. Mrs. Parker wanted Meg for her daughter-in-law. Octavia was elated with Mrs. Parker’s choice.
As Peer had suspected,
From the events that unfolded during and after the Christmas holidays, Meg finally realized that she would never see Peer again. She carried her love for Peer in her heart and in her mind, with the wish that she could see him one more time. Then Peer would hold her in his strong arms and tell her how much he loved her, but knew that now she would have only the memory of Peer. Meg could never, nor did she desire, to surrender her wish.
The war finally ended in 1945 and Meg tried to live her life in the present, not in the past. She did the best she could, unaware of what the future held.
About the Author
Kelley Lanier is a retired librarian and comercial artist. Her hobbies are writing, painting and the study of Astrology. She spends her winters in central Florida and her summers on the coast of North Carolina. Kelley has a son, daughter and two grandchildren.