Beautifully Broken (16 page)

“I promise to keep my clothes on,” he joked, smiling at her.

 

“Where is the bathroom?” Cali asked.

 

“Down the hall, third door on the right,” Edwin responded.

Cali pulled her pajamas out of her bag and went to the
bathroom to change. She came back into his room and he
was already in bed. She got into bed beside him and
turned to face him, they just lay there staring into each
other’s eyes.
“You know you’re the only girl I have ever slept with and
all we do is actually sleep.”

“Well isn’t that interesting,” Cali said a little
uncomfortable. “Ya I guess this relationship is very
different than what you’re used too.”

“Ya well I’m not used to having feelings. It’s always just
about sex, but with you it’s about everything else.”

His comment made her feel good and bad at the same time.
She felt confused, what did he mean? Did he not want her
that way or did he mean she just meant more to him than
the other girls. It was kind of weird for her that he had
been with so many women, how could she ever compare?

“I am in love with you and I have never felt this way about
anybody and I want to be with you but I just can’t…” Cali
said in such a soft voice it was almost a whisper.

“Cali, it’s ok. I totally understand. I wouldn’t ever want to
do anything to hurt you, I love you too,” he said moving in
close to her as he touched her face.

“I love kissing you.”

He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her good night. He
held on to her really tight. She felt something she had
never felt before. She felt loved, safe and protected.

Chapter 17
Cali opened her eyes. The room was bright and filled with
sun light. She rolled over to see Edwin but he was not
there. She got out of bed, got dressed, brushed her hair
and teeth and went down stairs. He was in the kitchen
cooking breakfast. He smiled when he saw her.

“Well good morning sleepy head,” Edwin said, looking at
her.

 

“Ya what time is it?” she asked, while stretching and
yawning.

 

“Ten thirty,” he said, looking at his watch.

 

“Have you been up for a while?” Cali asked.

 

“Ya I got up early and went out to the super market, we
needed some food,” Edwin said.

 

“Breakfast smells good, is there anything I can help you
with?” Cali asked as she walked into the kitchen.

“No just have a seat everything is just about ready. Here
is your coffee” he said, pouring her a cup and handing her
the cream and sugar.

“Thank you,” Cali said, reaching for the cream.

She sat down on a stool at the breakfast bar and watched
him. She was so content just sitting there. She wanted to
remember every moment of him because she knew she was
going to jail. She couldn’t run forever and he might turn
her in himself once she told him what she did. She was so
happy she met him; now going to jail wouldn’t be as bad.
She finally got to experience something good in her life.
She finally found her prince.

“Here is your breakfast my dear,” Edwin said handing her
a plate with bacon, over easy eggs and toast.

 

They both took their breakfast outside and ate on the
deck, watching the ocean.

Breakfast was so lovely. The sun was out and shining
down on them and the birds were singing. The ocean
waves were rolling in, everything was beautiful. Every
moment was bitter sweet because she knew she had to tell
him the truth. All those magical times she had with him
would soon be over. How could he still love her after he
finds out she was a murderer? How could he forgiver her
for the things she has done when she couldn’t even forgive
herself?

They didn’t talk during breakfast. They ate and enjoyed
the beauty of the morning air. After breakfast they cleaned
up the kitchen together and then both sat down in the
living room with another cup of coffee. He sat on one
couch and she sat on the couch across from him so they
were facing each other.

“Ok, so Veronica I think we should come clean with each
other about everything,” Edwin said. He seemed as
nervous as she was.
“Yes I think I owe you that much since you helped me
escape from the police. If you don’t mind I hate the name
Veronica, I always I have, I never felt like a Veronica. I like
Cali better.”

“I like Cali better too. It suits you,” he said, smiling and
looking into her eyes. Cali didn’t understand why he was
so nervous. His story couldn’t be as bad as hers, could it?
“So I am James Edwin Vex, I am co- owner of Vex
international soft wear company. We make computers, cell
phones and electronic stuff.”

“My dad’s computer was a Vex and so was my cell phone,”
she said letting him know she knew his company.

“Remember the story I told you about my mother, brother
and I going horseback riding?” She shook her head yes.
“My father was away on business, he was staying at our
family cottage as he had been working in the next town
over from the cottage. My mother decided we should go up
there and surprise him with a visit. My brother Carl didn’t
want to come he wanted to go hang out with his friends.
He was a teenager and going to the cottage with the family
didn’t seem fun to him, but I was so excited. My mom
packed up the car and we drove four hours to the cottage.
When we got to the cottage, my dad wasn’t there so my
mom and I spent the day by the lake. She made us diner
and later I went to bed, while my mom waited up for my
father. I wasn’t sleeping like I was supposed to be. I wanted
to see my dad so when I heard his car I got up out of my
bed and I was watching from the stairs. My dad came into
the cottage with Vicky, my mom’s twenty two year old
niece; she was also my dad’s secretary. They were
hanging off each other and kissing, my mother was in the
living room sitting on a chair by the fire place. They
walked into the room where my mother was, I couldn’t see
what was going on from the stair case. My mom was
yelling at my dad and he was yelling at her.

“Really John, my niece? Of all the women to have an affair
with you pick my sister’s daughter? Am I that horrible of a
wife that you would want to hurt me that much?” she was
crying and screaming at him.

“No you’re not horrible, you’re fucking perfect, too
perfect. You’re good at everything. I can never keep up
with you. I am never good enough. It doesn’t matter what I
do you are just better. I couldn’t take it anymore I wanted
to be with someone who thinks I am amazing, someone
who doesn’t question everything I do. My love for you has
turned into resentment,” my father screamed back at my
mom.

“So then you divorce me, you don’t sleep with my niece
you stupid fucking idiot, I can’t believe this. I am sorry
you feel this way because I love everything about you. I
think you are amazing and I have never wanted to be with
anyone else. You’re a real idiot. I want a divorce. I am
going to take you for every penny you’re worth, you
pathetic excuse for a man,” My mom yelled at him.
“My dad left the room. I saw him walk into the kitchen and
then a few moments later he went back into the living room
with something in his hand, but I didn’t know what it was. I
snuck down the stairs and watched hidden where no one
could see me. My mom and cousin Vicky were arguing
when my dad went back into the room.

“Oh don’t you worry princess your mom and dad are
going to be hearing about how you are sleep with my
husband. You broke up my family,” My mom yelled at her.

“Oh stop kidding yourself Aunt Jenny your marriage was
already over and this family was already broken,” Vicky
yelled back.

They stopped yelling when my dad went back into the
room. I still couldn’t see what he had in his hand so I
moved closer. I heard screaming but I didn’t hear what
they said it all happened so fast. Bang! Bang! I went
running into the living room crying, my mom and cousin
were both lying on the ground, blood was everywhere. I
ran to my mother and touched her head but it was too late,
she was dead. I looked up at my dad; he had this blank
expression on his face and tears in his eyes.

“What are you doing here?” he screamed.

“You killed my mom,” I screamed and cried out loud and
stood up and walked over to him, he still had the gun in
his hand.
“I am sorry James I loved you,” my dad said as he picked
up the gun and aimed it at my head. I don’t know what
happened next. I just kept thinking;
I don’t want to die.

“Noooooooooo!” I screamed as I ran under the gun and
pushed my dad to the ground. I picked up the gun and
pointed at him. “I love you daddy.” “Those were my last
words before I pulled the trigger. I went flying across the
room from the kick back of the gun, but my dad was still
alive. I didn’t want him to die I was so scared and didn’t
know what I was doing. I picked up the phone and call 911. I
was so scared, I just cried on the phone. We were so far
out of town by the time the ambulance arrived my dad had
bleed out and he was dead. I hid in the closet but they
found me. I wished that he had of killed me.

“I was eleven years old when I saw my mother and cousin
die at the hands of my father. I was eleven years old when
I shot and killed my father. After that I shut down and
stopped talking. They put me in a mental institution for
troubled youth. That’s where I met Carly. She was a patient
there too. Neither one of us should have been in a
relationship we were both too messed up to help each
other. I was hospitalized until I was twenty-one, then I was
released, out into the world of the unknown. Everything
and everyone was strange to me. I have never really told
anyone what actually happened that night until now”.

Cali had tears running down her face as she got up off the
couch and walked over to him. She held his hand, he didn’t
look up at her he kept his head down but he squeezed her
hand tightly. She slowly put her arms around him not sure
how he would react she gently hugged him. He looked up
and wrapped his arms around her so tightly and they both
cried together.

“Sometimes when we are faced with obstacles that we are
not capable of handling nature takes over; kill or be killed,
it’s instinct to fight to protect ourselves. What happened to
you was not your fault. You were a little boy put in a
position that you were not equipped to handle. You
wanted to protect your mother but you couldn’t. Your
father was someone who was supposed to love and
protect you and he was holding a gun at your head. You
did the only thing that came natural to you. Anyone can
just give up, it takes a stronger person to live to fight to
keep going,” Cali whispered in his ear. Her words of
advice and wisdom were meant for him, but she took
comfort in what she said and reminder herself she was not
all bad.

He pulled away to look in her eyes, they both sat there
holding on to each other.

 

“I think meeting you was the best thing that has ever
happened to me,” James whispered.

 

“I feel the same way,” Cali smiled with tears in her eyes.

“How is it that you understand everything I have been
through and you make it sound like its ok?” James asked.
That was the moment she was going to come clean and tell
him everything, open herself to him completely she shut
her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and
her mouth to tell him everything but she was startled when
she saw a man standing in the hallway. He had tears in his
eyes and he was watching them. She didn’t know how long
he had been there or who he was, she was scared.

He was tall and had light brown hair and brown eyes; he
was physically fit and muscular. He was a good looking
man in his thirty’s, wearing a business suit and had a
briefcase in his hand. Their eyes met and it sent shivers
down her spine.

“There is a man standing in the hall way and he is
watching us,” Cali hugged James and whispered in his ear.

James jumped up and looked at the man standing in the
hallway; they looked into each other eyes for a long time.
It was an intense moment they both were shaking and had
tears in their eyes.

“What are you doing here?” James asked the man.

“I came to see you, I need your signature for the merger to
go through and I knew you were here. Marie and I stopped
by on our way to her parent’s lake house, we are going
there for the weekend,” the man responded.

“Cali this is my older brother Carl,” James said looking
over at her. “Carl this is my girlfriend Cali,” James looked
over at his brother and gave him a look. “Yes my
girlfriend, so I would appreciate if you were nice.”

“I’m always nice, even when you keep everything from me,
but tell some girl you barley know,” Carl said walking into
the living room. “Nice too meet you Cali,” Carl said
shaking her hand, Cali could feel the tension between
them, she didn’t know what to do.

“It’s nice to meet you also,” Cali said shifting her body
towards James.

 

“So where’s Marie hiding?” James asked annoyed that his
brother was there.

“I’m here,” Marie walked out from the hallway. She was a
tall, pretty lady with caramel, brown hair. Her eyes were
hazel and she had an oval shaped face with thin lips and
high cheek bones. She was wearing a dark blue pencil
shirt and a light blue blouse. “Hello James,” she said,
walking over to him as she gave him a hug and kissed his
cheek.

“Cali this is my sister in-law Marie,” James said
introducing them. “Marie this is my girlfriend Cali.”

“Hello Cali, why don’t you and I take a walk around the
property and let these two talk for a bit?” Marie asked her
face full of concern.

“That would be nice,” Cali said looking at James for
approval, she didn’t want to leave him if he needed her for
emotional support, but she knew he needed to talk to his
brother. He looked in her eyes and smiled and nodded his
head.

Cali grabbed a sweater and headed for the door.