Broken (16 page)

We were walking around the
mall when we came upon a pet store. In the store's front window
there were about ten kittens running and playing in it. I saw the
most adorable little calico kitten just lying in the corner. The
kitten’s fur was red, white and black. It had the cutest little
freckles on its nose. We went inside, and I asked the girl who
worked there if I could hold the kitten. She went and got it out of
the window for me. As soon she handed the kitten to me, I fell in
love. It curled up in my arms and began purring.

Garrett took one look at
me and said impatiently, “Let’s go.”

“Alright . . .” I said
sadly. I walked the kitten over to the girl who had handed it to
me.

Just as I was about to
hand the kitten back, Garrett said, “What are you
doing?”

I looked at him confused.
“I am giving the kitten back. You said let’s go.”

“I meant let’s go pick out
a collar,” he said.

“What?” I said,
confused.

He walked up to me and the
girl rubbed the kitten’s head. “I can tell you are already in love.
Go pick out a collar for it,” his voice began to soften.

“Are you
serious?”

“Yes, as serious as a heart
attack,” he laughed.

I turned to the girl. “I
guess we are taking him home.”

“Actually, he is a she,”
she said smiling at me.

“
Awwww. It’s a girl!” I
squealed. “She needs a pink collar.”

Garrett rolled his eyes
and laughed. . . .

My phone ringing woke me from my
daydream. I was hoping it was Garrett calling me from the road, but
it was my mother. “Yes, Mother,” my tone was cold.

“
Leila, I didn’t intend
for that to happen. I was just so shocked to see Garrett with you.
You haven’t brought anyone home with you since you two broke
up.”

“
No, Mother, you never
intend for anything to happen. You don’t know the whole story and
after what you just pulled you will never know the whole story,” I
snapped at her. “I’m tired, Mom, I am laying down. I will call you
tomorrow.”

“Leila, I was just looking out for you.
I love you. I don’t want to see you hurt.” She said with worry in
her voice.

“I love you too, Mom, I will talk to
you tomorrow.”

As I lay in bed, my mind began to race
thinking about how I was going to explain all of this to Helen.
What was she going to think and say? Had I just undone every step
of progress I had made over these last few months?

My phone rang and snapped me out of my
deep thoughts. It was Garrett calling to tell me that he was home
safe. I was elated that he called. In the back of my mind, I
wondered if my mother and I had scared him off. He told me he was
exhausted from the day and would give me a call tomorrow. I began
to worry I would never hear from him again. My freaking mother and
her big mouth. I lay in bed tossing and turning until I fell asleep
from complete exhaustion.

The next morning the sun
was shining through my window, and it was blinding me. As I rolled
over onto my stomach to block the sun from my eyes, I felt a warm
body next to me. At first, shear panic ran through me.
Oh my God, what did I do?
It certainly wouldn’t be the first time I didn’t remember
bringing a guy home. I cringed at that thought.

As I slowly opened my eyes I heard,
“Hey, Babe.”

“
Garrett?” I asked
confused. “What are you doing here?”

He rolled over to face me. “After we
hung up I tried to fall asleep and all I could think about was you.
When 4:00 a.m. rolled around and you were still on my mind I jumped
back in my car and came back. I needed to feel you next to
me.”

A smile grew across my face. “I
couldn’t get you out of my mind either,” I whispered. “I’m so glad
you’re here.”

I snuggled my body up against his and
closed my eyes again. I felt him wrap his arms around me as I tried
to move closer into him. In his arms I felt so safe, and I never
wanted this moment to end.

Chapter
1
3

Since Garrett lived forty-five minutes
away and his job sometimes required him to travel out of town and
to work long hours, we only saw each other on weekends. Even though
we spoke on the phone every night, I couldn’t help but feel he was
going to leave me again. Even though he told me over and over that
he loved me, my insecurities were getting the best of me. My
insomnia had come back, and I couldn’t help but blame myself for
what happened to Garrett. The guilt of his accident weighed heavily
on my mind. Most nights I would lie in bed staring at the ceiling.
My thoughts always went back to if I didn’t have the abortion,
Garrett would have never joined the Marines, and he wouldn’t have
gotten hurt.

This was the new topic Helen and I had
been discussing since Garrett and I got back together. It had taken
up several of my sessions now, and Helen was really encouraging me
to bring Garrett to one of my sessions. She felt that if we both
dealt with it, it would help both of us with our relationship. She
had told me on numerous occasions that if we ever wanted to further
our relationship, we needed to deal with it. I was still unsure if
I was ready to bring Garrett in on all my dysfunctional
ways.

On the weekends I wasn’t photographing
weddings, we would take turns staying at each other’s place, but he
usually stayed at my place because of Molly. Sometimes he would
even surprise me and be waiting for me when I came home from a
wedding.

I came home after a wedding one night,
it was late and after midnight. As soon as I walked in the door, I
smelled the scent of pine. As I stepped into the living room, the
entire room was lit by a beautiful Christmas tree with presents
underneath it. I looked over to the couch. Garrett and Molly were
fast asleep.

I quietly crept over to him and kissed
the top of his head. He woke. “Hey, Babe,” he said sleepily. “How
was work?”

“It was work. . . What have you and
Molly been doing? What is all this?” I asked directing my attention
over at the tree. .

“It’s our first Christmas tree,” he
said sleepily as he sat up.

I crawled on top of him, straddling
him. “You two have been very busy,” I whispered in his ear nibbling
on it.

“Ah . . . I love it when you do that,”
he gasped.

He wrapped his arms around me and
unhooked my bra. I rested my body up against his bare chest, his
warmth was so comforting.

I moved my mouth to his and gently ran
the tip of my tongue along his bottom lip and bit it softly.
Pulling my shirt over my head and removing my bra, he leaned down
towards my breasts slowly teasing one nipple then the other. His
body looked so beautiful with the lights from the Christmas tree on
him.

I stood up slowly, grabbing him by his
belt loops and pulling him to stand. I unbuttoned his jeans and
removed them and his boxers. He unfastened my pants and pushed them
down. I stepped out of my pants and pushed him onto the couch. I
sat with my back to his chest and guided him into me. Sitting on
top of him with my hands on his thighs, I moved my hips in a
circular motion. He began pinching and pulling my
nipples.

“
Yeah, Babe like that. .
.” His breath was staggered and his face buried in my hair. I began
to move faster and the circles became smaller.

Grabbing my hips, he pushed me off of
him and led me to the side of the couch. Bending me over the arm,
he guided his cock into my pussy and thrust inside of
me.

“
Uuuuhhh.” I gasped.
Moving his hand from my hip, I guided him in between my legs to my
clit. He gently rubbed my clit. “Make me come, Baby,” I
exhaled.

“
Oh,” he moaned. “I’m so
close.”

I began thrusting my hips against his
hips–– I so badly wanted him to come. He moaned loudly again and
gripped his fingers into my hips. I felt his orgasm explode inside
of me. Once I felt him, I let go. I put my head down on the couch
and his body fell on top of me. My body quivered from the
aftershocks.

“
I take it you like the
tree.” He laughed.

“
I love it.”

We crawled into bed and snuggled. I
loved feeling him next to me. We were laying in the dark, but I
could see the glow of the Christmas tree from the living
room.

“
So, what are your plans
for Christmas and New Year’s Eve?” I asked.

“
Ummm . . . I hadn’t
really thought about it,” he said. “I will probably stop by my
parent’s at some point on Christmas. I figured you would be working
on New Year’s Eve?”

“
I am working on New
Year’s Eve but only until ten. So you can come by and hang out at
Danny’s while I work or you could hang out here. I want to see you
on Christmas too.”

“I want to see you too, Babe, but I’m
not ready for another confrontation with your mother.”

“Why don’t you spend the night here on
Christmas Eve? We can spend Christmas morning together. I can make
us a nice breakfast, eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes. Then we can
go our separate ways for the day and meet back either here or at
your place?”

“Sounds like a plan, Babe,” he said
sleepily. He kissed me on top of my head and we fell
asleep.

Chapter 14

By the time Christmas morning arrived
Garrett must have put twenty different gifts for me under our tree.
I felt so overwhelmed by everything he’d done. He was now driving
here almost every night of the week to spend the night. He said he
didn’t like the fact that I lived over a bar. We had gone to the
local hardware store and purchased a deadbolt for my door. He said
any drunken asshole could find his way to my door. On weekdays, he
would get up at the crack of dawn and drive to work. I could tell
this routine was beginning to wear him down.

On Christmas morning, we slept in. I
woke before he did, so I let him sleep. He looked so beautiful
lying in my bed. I never wanted him to leave. I snuck out from
under his arm and tiptoed to the kitchen. I wanted to make him a
special breakfast. Money was tight for me, so I couldn’t spoil him
the way he did me with gifts. I had borrowed a waffle iron from my
mother to make us Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped
cream. I also bought eggnog flavored coffee for him because he was
a coffee drinker unlike me. One of his gifts was a small coffee
maker to leave here. He’d been going out every morning and buying a
coffee.

Once I had everything
perfect, I quietly crept back into my room. Crawling back trying
not to wake him I gently took his arm and wrapped it around me and
pressed up against his bare chest.
His
regular body temperature must run five degrees warmer than a normal
human
. He was always so warm, and I loved
it. I was usually freezing. He began to stir.

“
Hey,” he said sleepily.
“Merry Christmas, Babe.”

“
Did I wake you?” I asked,
softly caressing his face. “Go back to sleep.”

“
Mmmm. . . What smells so
good?” He asked.

“
Oh, that is just a little
something I whipped up for us,” I smiled.

“
You cooked?” He asked
shocked.

“
Ha ha ha . . . Very
funny. Yes, I cooked. I never said I couldn’t cook. I said I didn’t
like to cook, there's a difference.” I sat up. “Are you hungry? You
want to eat?”

“
I’m starving, but I am
not ready to eat . . . Yet,” he said, winking at me. He pulled me
back down on the bed.

“
Again?” I said jokingly.
“You haven’t grown sick of me yet?”

“
I could never get sick of
you,” he said turning very serious. His body was directly over
mine. His eyes were glued onto mine making the butterflies start to
flutter again.

“
I love you,” he
whispered.

Rolling over onto his side, he slowly
and gently moved his hand up my t-shirt to my breasts. He touched
one nipple and then the other. They instantly became erect from his
touch. I moaned softly. I reached down into his boxers, he was
already hard. I laughed.

“
It doesn’t take much with
you, Babe. I swear I just hear your voice and I get hard,” he
laughed.

“
Hold that thought,” I
said as I jumped out of bed.

“
Where are you going? You
can’t just leave me here with a raging hard-on,” he yelled after
me.

“
I’ll be right there!” I
shouted from the kitchen.

I returned to my bedroom with my arms
behind my back and a huge smile on my face.

“
What is the look for? You
look like you are up to no good,” he said with his sexy
grin.

“
Well, that depends on
what you classify as no good,” I said walking over to
him.

I pulled the can of whipped cream from
behind my back, and I began shaking it. The look on this face was
priceless. I wish I would have had my camera. He pushed himself up
into a sitting position.

“
Get your sweet ass over
here with that,” he said patting the bed.