Forbidden Forever (18 page)

He cocks his head to one
side and chews on his lip for a moment. "I can see you in that
corset with your breasts popping out of your dress," he
playfully teases.

"Is that all you
think about, Dr. Chance Turner?" I ask.

"Well that, and how
much I fucking love you." He sweetens up his voice.

I roll my eyes. "Sure,
sure. That's what is always on your mind." I giggle.

We stroll the Plantation
house and walk the farmland, then Chance says it's time to walk the
mountain. It is a nice breezy day but I am still thinking to myself
about how I am going to walk this mountain. I'll probably slide down
the stone and injure something. Once we get about halfway up, we stop
and take a break. The stone is cool to the touch even at this time of
day. We sit and relax, looking up at the sky and the town below. It
is beautiful up here and I am really excited to get to the top now,
so I tell Chance to stop being a lazy butt and we start walking
again. We don't really talk a lot going up the mountain because I am
too interested in the view, and I am lost in my own thoughts.

I think about the one
and only vacation I went on with Michael to the beach. We took the
kids there and stayed for a weekend. Michael was so cold and hateful
that the kids and I stayed out at the beach almost the entire day. I
kept applying sun block to all of us and shaded us the best we could,
but I was so worried about the kids I ended up getting blistery
burnt. He never looked in my direction once for two weeks after that
and never once asked if I needed anything. Here I am now walking up a
mountain with a man who has asked me several times if I was okay,
needed a break, and made me apply sun block twice since we have been
here at the park. How things changed from living in fear of a monster
to living in happiness with a prince. We reach the top of the
mountain and, holy shit, the view is spectacular. We can see probably
fifty or so miles of the state; Atlanta's tall buildings are even
more beautiful up here and look like their own rectangle mountains.
People are just laid back, taking in the amazing, tranquil view, so
we join in.

"What are you
thinking?" Chance asks me.

"Well, honestly I
have been thinking about how much my life has changed in just a few
months. I left my husband and fell in love with someone I never
thought existed for me, and you actually love me. I never thought I
was worthy of such love," I admit, shamefully but honestly.

"Exist for you? I
don't know how someone so truly wonderful inside and out could think
so little of themselves. Sapphire, you are worthy of so much more
than you give yourself credit for. One day I hope you will see what a
priceless treasure you are." He sincerely speaks from his heart.

"I can feel your
love for me. I know it is real, but I have to admit I am scared for
the day that you wake up and hate what you see in front of you,"
I whisper.

"Laney, I fear you
will do that to me." He softly puts his hand to my face and
looks me in the eye.

"I will never hate
anything when I look at you. I hope one day to bring you a sense of
peace from the life you had before. I promise all relationships don't
end up like your and Michael's. Ours will be forever!" he
assures me.

With that I feel better
and I lean over to kiss him. "I love you!" I whisper.

"I love you more!"
he whispers back.

We take the sky ride
down the mountain and walk toward the Memorial Law. We take our seats
in the VIP terrace seating and Chance goes to get us some food. We
are starved after the long day, and really thirsty. He comes back
with BBQ sandwiches, fries, drinks, and a funnel cake. I don't know
how he managed it but he actually carried all of this by himself.
Must be what those large, sculpted arms are for. Oh damn, those arms
are sexy as hell in that blue Quicksilver tank top he is wearing.
Night falls and before I know it, this awesome laser shows starts.
Chance didn't tell me about this because he wanted me to be
surprised. I am mesmerized by the lights as they dance through the
lawn and created jaw dropping images and stories on the side on the
mountain. I am so glad I got to see this and even more glad that it
was shared with him. He acts like a kid in these surprising moments
and I know he loves to see me react, but I think I love it more how
he gets so pumped up.

It makes the experience
even more memorable. He wraps his arms around me and we watch the
moving lights as they entertain us. I love being this close to him.
The way we just fit together like pieces of a puzzle is so unreal.
The show comes to an end and I am glowing with my new light up beads
as we walk to meet the SUV. Chance is even wearing some light up
glasses. I swear I love this man. Back at the hotel we enjoy some
quiet time together before returning to our crazy life. When we
return, I have to finalize my divorce and put that part of life
behind me. I am looking forward to my future for the first time in as
long as I can remember. My personal future. Usually I only think
about my children, but now I think about myself in the picture as
well. These past couple days have been so much fun. I feel like a
teenager experiencing the fun parts of life instead of a soon-to-be
divorcee with two nearly grown children. I love it.

The morning sun beams
through the open window and the smell of my favorite Starbucks
vanilla double shot latte is invading my soul. That's right. I am
madly in love with my coffee; the warmness from the minute my hands
touch the coffee cup all the way to the last drop that slides down my
throat and opens every crevice of my body. Good till the last drop is
right. I am not ready to go back to reality so I savor every drop and
every moment before we leave to go back the Sunshine State. I start
to get up to fix myself but Chance grabs my arm. I stop and try not
to breathe on him with this horrible breath. I know he's seen me
without makeup but I'm just waiting for him to start hating what he
sees. His hand is warm on my flesh and as much as I want to wrap
myself up in them, I have to go brush my teeth. Once I return from
the bathroom I walk straight over to him and kiss him on his moist
lips. Chance helps get everything packed and calls for the bellboy to
take everything to the SUV. The trip from Atlanta to Jacksonville
doesn't take that long but we have another hour and a half to two
hours, depending on traffic, to get home. I text Callie and Kaleb in
a group message and let them know we are almost home in hope that
they will be there. I have missed them so much and I hope that the
next vacation includes them as well. Callie texts back quickly and
says she will be home waiting. Kaleb takes thirty minutes to respond
and his texts are short and sweet with K and see you soon.

I love taking the scenic
route home. It is so peaceful watching the beach pass by and hearing
the sounds of the waves crashing over. Chance has the windows down
and my hair is a hot mess but I don't complain. I love being so
relaxed and carefree when I am with him. I am starting to stop the
habit of sucking in my stomach, it is difficult as hell but I am
getting better. The cool breeze flowing through the window is enough
that I need a light jacket. The October air here in Florida isn't
cold, just mainly the breeze from the ocean. Chance must see the
goose bumps because he rolls up the windows and reaches for my hand
and entwines our fingers. His warm hand send a chill down my spine,
or maybe it is the electricity between us that sends a spark to my
soul. Chance drops me and the luggage off at the elevator and goes to
park the car. I am waiting for him to return when I notice a dark
figure walking toward me. As the shadow uncovers his face, I see that
it is Michael.

"What are you doing
here?" My voice cracks.

"I have wanted to
talk to you but you won't give me a chance. I am tired of going
through lawyers. I need you to talk to me," he explains.

I can feel the fear of
him being here taking over and I back up to the wall. "Do you
love him?" he says.

I don't answer.

"Is this why you
left me?" His voice is louder this time.

I start fidgeting with
my hands and I remember that my hair is windblown and I am in sweats.
I bet he is laughing on the inside that I still look like pure hell.

"Michael, we are
over and this has nothing to do with him. It has to do with you and
the years of mental abuse you beat into my head. Not to mention you
beat me nearly to death." I firmly speak out the words, trying
not to be afraid even though deep down I am in the closet, hiding
behind the clothes with my head between my knees and eyes closed
tight. Where the hell is Chance?

"All I want to do
is talk. Agree to talk to me and I will go for now," he
pressures me.

"Fine, I will talk
to you. I will text you where," I answer.

He leaves and I fall to
the ground and cry. I cry because I don't ever want to see him and
because I fear what he will do when I do see him again.

Chance comes running
when he sees me on the ground. He is yelling my name and saying the
words, "Laney, are you okay?" I pick my head up out of my
hands and utter the name Michael. He looks around. "Where?"

"Gone! He left but
he won't stop until he has his way," I mutter.

"What does he
want?" he asks.

"He says he just
wants to talk to me," I reply.

"Not alone, he
isn't. Someone will be there with you." Chance's voice gets loud
and his tone is something I would fear if I knew it was toward me.

He helps me up and takes
the luggage as we get into the elevator. The door opens and Callie
and Kaleb are standing there with flowers and balloons. Their faces
droop when they see that I have been crying.

Chance says, "I
called them and told them we were here when I parked the car." I
hug them both in one big mama bear hug.

"I'm okay. I just
had a run-in with your father at the elevator," I tell them.

"What did he do to
you?" Kaleb angrily asks.

"Kaleb, son, I am
fine, really. He caught me off guard and I just got scared. He just
wants to talk with me." I try and assure him.

He looks so angry; I
have never seen him this way before. He kisses me on the cheek and
does a horrible job at pretending that he is okay. He grabs our bags
and takes them to our bedroom. He is in there longer than I would
like, but I know he needs to be alone. Callie gives me another hug
and I can see the concern in her eyes.

"How was your
trip?" she asks, trying to get my mind off of things.

It works for now. I tell
her about the concert and leave out the personal parts, and then tell
her about the Mountain and how I want to take her and Kaleb there
sometime. She tells me about her weekend and how Brooke went on a
date with the boy from the pool. They really hit it off and they are
all going on a double date this weekend. I'm glad little Brooke
finally found someone to hang out with. I remember growing up and how
much fun it was to go on double dates with my friends. It made it
just a little less awkward. Chance brings me a mixed drink of some
sort that tastes like Kool-Aid, but it helps take the edge off. He
sure knows how to make things better. I see his concern and I know he
will not let it pass for long. He wants to know what I am going to do
about seeing Michael again. I think about it as we all sit and they
stare at me while I drink. You would think I was a fragile piece of
stained glass that could break at any minute.

My heart breaks for my
loved ones here in this condo. They have been through so much
heartache. My beautiful kids who have seen more than any child should
at their age. This amazing man who gave up his life to be with
someone who has all this excess baggage. I wish there was a way I
could take all the pain from them, but instead I just want to help it
end. Kaleb comes to join us in the living room. I sit up and tell
them I am going to meet Michael tomorrow after work and hear what he
needs to tell me. Chance just listens instead of being controlling,
which is what I need him to do.

"I have thought
about it and this is the only way to get it over with and move on,"
I tell them.

Callie grudgingly agrees
while Kaleb tells me that he wants to go with me. I look at him,
unsure if that is what I want, but I can see deep into his eyes that
this is what he needs: to confront his father and to protect his
mother. I agree. I text Michael the meeting place and time. He
responds quickly with the okay, and now I wait until tomorrow. My
first day back to work since everything has happened. Everyone knows
about Chance and I and they also know about the beating from my
husband. I don't want to go back there and face people's looks and
gossip but I have to work. I refuse to live off of Chance without
contributing anything. Chance spent hours begging me to stay home and
not go back to work. Who would I be if I don't own up to the damage I
caused by staying married to an asshole and then having an affair
with my boss? Man, I really can screw a lot of stuff.