Forever Yours, Kit - Signed Paperback

Growing up in the 80s, Kit and I were thick as thieves. I thought it couldn't get any better until that one magical night.

Then my father found out.

Terrified of what he'd do to us, I cut Kit off without a word--and shattered both our hearts in the process. I've spent ten years drowning my sorrows and regretting that choice, knowing he'll never forgive me. How can he, when I'm incapable of forgiving myself?

Until Kit suddenly shows up at my door and forces me to confront my demons. Even better, he seems willing to forgive and forget. Suddenly, a second chance is within my grasp, but how can I seize it when I'm more terrified than ever of hurting him?

How do I tell the man I hurt so badly ten years ago that I have loved him all this time?

Tropes: friends to lovers, childhood best friends, gay awakening, coming of age, second chance romance, found family, HEA

Introduction:
Hello and welcome to a new standalone book by Atreus Rosewood. (that’s me!)
This book is near and dear to my heart. I wrote it originally under my old pen name (Blake R Wolfe) with a very depressing ending. Well, after seeing so much popular media hardly ever letting gay characters be happy, I decided to completely rewrite the book from top to bottom. I removed some of the tragedy, got rid of the ending, and gave Ryan and Kit the happily ever after they so desperately deserved.
This is a brand new story, one that shows that no matter how dark your life gets, love will always be there to bring you back to the light. For all those gay kids like me growing up in tough places, it gets better. I promise. Don’t give up.

Trigger warnings:
-Alcoholism/Drug Addiction
-Detoxing
-Domestic Abuse
-Attempted Sexual Assault (not on the page)
-Suicidal Thoughts
-Stupid Boys

I hope you love this book as much as I do. After working on it so much, Ryan and Kit are as real to me as anyone else and I hope they become real to you too!
Thanks for reading.

P.S. Sign up for Atreus’s newsletter and get a free story! Grab your copy here  https://BookHip.com/BSQNZJH

 
May 10th, 2001
Dear Kit,

It was just supposed to be a normal day. But when I picked up my mail at the post office, I nearly had a heart attack. There was this unassuming looking cream envelope that I figured was nothing more than junk mail or maybe a long-lost birthday card. But when I turned it over and saw that loopy handwriting of yours that we always teased you about as kids, my heart nearly stopped.
I don’t know how you got my address, but you’re the last person I ever expected to hear from, especially after what I did to you…

But let’s talk about something else.

I appreciate the little doodle on the envelope. You were always so much more artistic than the rest of us. Your penmanship was always good, you could draw, and I’ve never seen anyone get their homework done so fast. I was always a little bit jealous of your natural talent, Kit. It didn’t matter what you tried to do, it always turned out nice.
Do you remember all the nudie pictures we tried to get you to draw for us back in middle school? None of us had any idea what a naked woman looked like and you were just as naive as the rest of us. But damn if you didn’t give it your best shot! It makes me laugh just thinking about it. I wonder if I still have one stashed away in a yearbook somewhere… maybe in my parent’s attic? Not that I really want to go back there to get it… but I might do that just so I can see all the old things we used to collect.
God I miss those days…

Speaking of the old gang, I heard Kevin is back in town. I haven’t gotten a chance to see him since he’s been so busy with getting settled in. It sounds like he got a divorce from that woman (whatever her name is) he met during college. I guess the people you meet in psych 101 aren’t exactly “till death do us part” material, huh?
Chris, as you know, already got divorced a couple of years ago. But he got to keep his son at least. You know how much he loves that kid. I’m convinced he never would’ve settled down at all if not for that little guy.

Is this the age we’re getting to? Divorcing age? It happens so often and yet, I never thought it would be all my friends getting divorced. They seemed so happy… and now… well they can barely stand to even share a nice word with their spouses. Chris is always getting in a fight with his ex-wife and I don’t know about Kevin. Thankfully he doesn’t have any kids to worry about, so I’m sure his transition will be a lot better.
Both of them will definitely turn out to be less of a loser than I did. That’s a pretty low bar…

Anyway, back to the guys. I still talk to Chris now and then. You know how loves to just go on and on about his passion projects. Apparently he is going to build a brand new bed for his boy and try to make it look like some cartoon character or something? It had a weird name, but it sounds fun. But you know how Chris is. He likes to bite off more than he can chew. He’s been doing that since we were kids. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, I believe it was him that sent us on that ridiculous adventure through the woods to find The Snatcher. I remember I had you all over for my birthday party and he told us that story, trying to scare the shit out of us.

It’s so stupid but… those summer days are my favorite memories. Riding our bikes all over town, getting into trouble, and getting hurt all the time. It drove our parents mad, but I’ve never had so much fun. It was a way for us all to escape, if only for a little while. And summers were those blissful months of freedom between the drudgery of school and homework.
Those were the golden days, especially for me. I wish things could be that simple and that we could all be together again.
But I can’t imagine I’ll ever find that kind of happiness again. These days my life feels pretty dark. But you know what? Things don’t look so dark when you’re perched on a bar stool under neon lights. Brooks and Dunn were onto something with that song. A cold beer and deep fried bar food helps pass the time until I have to go back to work.
Maybe I need a girlfriend or something… But that seems like a lot of work, right? Who’s gonna put up with my stupid ass other than you? Nobody else has that kind of patience.

How have you been doing? Is that a silly thing to ask? I know you have no good reason to reply to me after everything I did to you. I hope your life is everything you’ve ever wanted it to be. You deserve that.
You were always a great friend, Kit.

Sincerely,
-Ryan

P.S. I wonder if the kids nowadays still talk about The Snatcher? Maybe their parents use it as a way to enforce a curfew!

P.P.S. I hope you don’t mind if I write more letters to you. Something about talking to you like this makes me feel peaceful and that’s a rare gift in my life.