Read Online Lovestruck Forever by Rachel Schurig - Free Book Online

the business,
though her reception from critics and fans alike had been
overwhelmingly good. She was still green enough that she wasn’t
jaded—she was quite open about feeling weirded out by the
stranger aspects of being a movie star. She was a great help to both
Thomas and me when they shot the sci-fi flick Earth’s
End together in Los
Angeles a few months ago. And when Thomas decided to turn down his
next movie role to stay here with me while I took care of my mom,
Annie and Jenner immediately stepped up, offering him a role in their
local production of Death
of a Salesman at
Jenner’s theater.
    “You
made it,” Thomas said as we approached the actors.
    “Of
course we did,” Jenner said, shaking Thomas’s hand.
    Annie
hugged us both. “Holy crap, Lizzie, the food at this party is
incredible.”
    I
laughed. “My family is pretty serious about food.”
    “Sounds
like my kind of group.”
    “What
can I get you to drink?” Thomas asked, but Annie made shooing
motions with her hands. “We’re fine. Go mingle, this is
your party.”
    Warily,
I eyed one of my younger cousins, who seemed to be inching closer
with an overly casual look on her face.
    “I’m
afraid members of my family might mob you if we leave you alone,”
I told them.
    Annie
just laughed. “I think Jenner is probably an old pro at this
kind of thing by now.”
    “They
never mob me,” Thomas said, almost sounding offended. “Not
one of them has ever asked for my autograph.”
    “I
guess they don’t really see you as a celebrity. You’re
just Thomas ,”
I told him, laughing at the indignant look on his face.
    More
people had arrived, so we grudgingly left them to their fate of
autograph signing and headed off to greet our guests, who arrived in
a steady stream for the next half hour or so as darkness settled over
the back yard.
    “I
can’t believe all these people can fit in your parents’
garden,” Thomas told me, shaking his head as we looked out over
the scene.
    I
sighed, content, snuggling into his side. “We always manage to
make room for a party.”
    I
felt happier than I had in months. There had been a weight of worry
on my chest for so long now. First over my decision to leave home for
London in the first place, then over my family’s reaction to my
decision to return and live with Thomas. Then there was all the
stress of living in L.A. last year, all the pressure Thomas was
under. And my mom’s aneurysm and subsequent recovery. Sometimes
it felt like I’d done nothing but worry for the past year and a
half. But now those worries felt like they were lifting off my chest,
dissipating in the warm breeze that skittered through the back yard.
My people were here—all of them. My friends from London.
Thomas’s family. My family. Callie. Just about everyone that I
loved, all of them here for Thomas and me. And the struggles of the
past year had resolved themselves, for the most part. I felt almost
giddy as I surveyed our party, Thomas at my side.
    Eventually,
a few of my cousins pulled out their guitars, congas, and a
microphone, attaching it to the small sound system set up in the
corner of the yard. It didn’t take the guests long to get into
the spirit—the salsa music had half my family up and dancing
within minutes.
    “Come
on,” I said, tugging on Thomas’s hand. “We’re
dancing.”
    “I
don’t think I know how to dance like this,” he said
uncertainly, stealing a glance at Maria and her husband José,
who were twirling around the patio like a pair of professional
ballroom dancers. I smiled, loving when Maria let her hair down like
this. She looked younger when she was dancing, as if all the stress
of work, mothering, and being in charge of everyone simply melted
away. She’d always been the best dancer in our family, and no
matter how busy her grown up life was, she always made sure to get a
few songs in whenever we had a family party.
    “It’s
easy,” I told him. “Just put your hands on my hips and
follow