Forbidden Forever (19 page)

I get ready and put on a
navy blue pantsuit with a light blue ruffled blouse underneath. My
hair is loosely pulled in a low bun to the side of my neck and I wear
my black lace heels to finish everything off. I look very
professional even though the rumor is I fucked my boss in his office.
Luckily for me, I did. I smile a wicked grin as I walk in the kitchen
to meet the love of my life. He is standing there in his two piece
navy suit and I giggle over how we match without even trying.

"One of us should
go change," I admit.

"Why? I think we
both look edible," he jokes.

I roll my eyes at the
way his brain works and how laid back he is about it all. He reaches
out and tickles my side as I squeal. Callie walks around the corner.

"Ugh, get a room."
She rolls her eyes and smiles jokingly.

She gets that from her
mama. She reaches in the fridge for the orange juice and sits at the
bar. Chance hands me the coffee he made for me and I join her. Kaleb
comes in and leans against the counter with Chance and asks him if he
heard about the surf competition that is coming up in a few weeks.
Chance is silent for a moment and then expresses how Kaleb should
enter it. Kaleb tells us he just has to get my permission and a
physical. I smile and tell him to get me the paper this evening and I
will sign it and I will make him a doctor's appointment without
thinking we live with a doctor. Chance offers to take care of that
end of it and I feel a little excitement that I am dating a doctor. I
laugh at my thoughts and even though it doesn't matter what he does
for a living, I have to admit it is cool. I am sitting there watching
everyone interact and it hits me. We are a family. I have wanted this
whole relationship with Michael but he grew to be so angry we never
had it.

I get nervous energy
shooting through my body just knowing I have to see him today. I am
glad Kaleb will be there with us but sad that he has to be put
through this with his own dad. Chance and I ride into work together
for the first time. It is sweet but I also feel like a home wrecker
when we pull into the parking lot. I know I shouldn't care what
others think but I do and Sierra has told me the gossip. She always
defends me but really no one knows the story, the connection, or how
happy we both are now. Chance wants to walk in together so we can get
it over with and also show he is beside me. Here goes nothing. It
feels like the first day of work when I walk in, the butterflies are
doing back flips in my stomach. We walk down the hall to our office
and make it unnoticed. Woo, I feel a small sense of relief fill my
body. The moment we step in our office I leap at Chance and wrap my
arms around him.

"What's wrong,
baby?" he says as worry in his voice deepens.

"I felt like I was
waiting to be burned at the stake," I express to him with my
heart in my throat.

"You don't have to
do this. I don't want you stressing yourself over things like this."
He pulls me over to sit on his lap.

I cuddle in his arms and
lay my head on his warm chest. "I have to be strong and be a
role model for my children. I don't want them to see me as weak. I am
not weak. I can and will do this." I take a deep breath and pull
myself up over the mountain and I don't look back.

Chance has a lunch
meeting with the hospital big wigs so I have lunch with Sierra. I
miss her so much. I can't wait to tell her about my mini vacation and
hear all about her and John. She texts me little tid bits here and
there, but I want to see her expressions as she talks about him. I
have a strange feeling that she has met the one. I meet her down in
the cafeteria and we get in line to place our food order. I have had
several people come up to me and ask if I am okay and tell me it is
great to see me. I have not felt like a home wrecker in the least
little bit. We sit down at a table and start eating and I tell her
all about the trip and how lucky I am that my kids have grown so
adjusted to the new living situation. We all seem to be happier now
that there is no tension in our house.

Living with Michael had
everyone on edge all the time. Chance is one of a kind and he loves
spending time with everyone. Last night, he started teaching Callie
how to play the guitar because she expressed an interest, and he has
already been surfing with Kaleb almost every day since we moved in.
Life is almost perfect except the shadow that lurches over me all day
long. I have to get this nagging feeling deep down in my gut that he
isn't done with me yet to disappear. He can't hurt me anymore.

"So, John and
Brooke met and they seemed to have hit it off pretty well. We are all
going to the skating rink Saturday so Brooke can compete against
John. The other night they went on and on about who was better,"
she informs me.

"That is so
awesome. I hope she kicks his ass." I laugh.         

"He said he wasn't
going easy on her. It seems they're both competitive as hell."
She shakes her head amusedly.

"I am meeting
Michael tonight to talk with him so he will leave me alone. Kaleb is
going with me," I blurt out. I know she is about to set the
kitchen on fire in rage.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN
MEET MICHAEL? Are you crazy? Chance approves of this?" she
questions me.

"It is my decision
and he won't leave me alone until I do it. I have no choice. I want
this marriage to be over so I can move on and focus on being happy."
I try to assure her.

It doesn't work and she
puts her fork down and doesn't pick it up again. "I don't agree
in the slightest," she says and doesn't back down.

She hugs my neck and
tells me she loves me before I return back to my desk. I rearrange
things that Chance has strung all over his desk. I notice a new frame
sitting in the corner and it is a photograph of me on the balcony
looking out into the ocean. I don't recall him taking it, but
somewhere in the moments when I was lost I my thoughts staring out at
the waves, he must have taken it. The thought made me smile that even
in his quietest moment he was thinking of me. I sit at his desk and
look around at all the motorcycle toy models that are layered on his
desk and spot another photograph. This one is of Callie and Kaleb. I
pick it up and look at it. They are so beautiful. The two best things
I ever did in my life. Chance caught them being nice to each other,
which is a rare feat in itself. They were jumping in the waves and
smiled toward each other. The photo was priceless. I'm a little
jealous I don't have one for myself.

"Those are my
awesome kids," a deep voice startles me from the door opening.

"Your kids are
pretty damn awesome," I reply back. I stand up and walk over to
him and place my arms around his waist.

"I love you
morefinity, Dr. Turner," I say.

"Morefinity?"
He raises an eyebrow at my chosen words.

"It's something I
came up with because more isn't enough and everyone says infinity,"
I explain.

"Ah, I like it
morefinity." He winks. Damn, I love that sexy face.

Chance and I arrive at
home just in time for me to get out of my work clothes and get Kaleb
for us to go meet his father. We pull into The Waffle Cone, which is
an ice cream shop by the pier. I figured it was quiet but still
public enough that I would feel safe. Kaleb gets us both a root beer
float while we are waiting for Michael to arrive. After waiting for
ten minutes for him, he walks through the door. My heart skips about
twenty beats and the breath in my lungs cause pain as I try to find
my breath. He doesn't look angry. Rather, he looks almost nervous as
he makes his way to the table. I shoot back away from him and more
toward Kaleb when he joins us.

"I don't want to
harm you. I just want to apologize," he utters.

"Well, go ahead and
say what you need to say." I place my lips into a thin line.

He turns to Kaleb. "Son,
I am sorry for what I did to your mother. I can't take it back but I
hate that you hate me like you do." He tries comforting him, but
Kaleb has barely acknowledged him.

Michael turns to me and
begins his speech. "Laney, I am sorry for what I have done to
you in the past and the recent present. I cannot take back the pain
or trauma I have caused you, and I know it would take forever if not
a lifetime for you to forgive me, but I love you and I miss our
family. I just want you to give me another chance," he begs.

Chance, all I can think
of is Chance and how much I love him and how much of a wonderful,
caring man he is to me and my children.

"Michael, we are
over. I don't miss our life together. I can't remember the last happy
time we had together. I just want it all to be over. You made your
bed and now you have to lay in it," I firmly tell him.

"Okay, I just
wanted to try one last time before I signed on the dotted line and
ended something that lasted so long. I will meet with my lawyer
tomorrow," he calmly murmurs.

He stands, nods at Kaleb
and walks out. Kaleb and I finished our floats when a group of guys
walk in and wave at Kaleb.

"Hey, Mom, those
guys are training for the surfing competition," he whispers
excitedly.

One of the young boys
walks over and punches him on the arm in one of those
Dudes,
what's up
moves. Kaleb asks if he can go hang out with them and
they will bring him home later. I agree and he walks me out to my car
to see I get there safely. I drive back to the condo and realize I
left my debit card on the table so I turn around and go back to The
Waffle Cone to get it. I get out of the car and turn to walk inside
when I see Michael standing face to face with me.

I jump nearly three feet
high from the shock and then I yell, "What the fuck, Michael?
You scared the shit out of me."

"I decided I want
you to come home and I am not taking no for an answer. Get your ass
in my car now," he screams.

A lump surrounds my
windpipe and by the time I make out my call for help, Michael opens
my car door and pushes me inside. He pries the keys out of my hand
and cranks the car. I reach for the handle to get out and BAM, a
burning, stinging sensation stretches over my face. He back hands me
so hard I can only focus on the pain for a few seconds until I
realize what had just happened. I struggle to get out of the car but
with every move I make, he hits me again. I can feel the side of my
face swelling and I remember the last time I felt this way. He nearly
killed me.

"Where are you
taking me?" I yell.

"Stop fucking
yelling and stop making this harder than it has to be. I love you and
I don't want to hurt you." He raises his voice.

"Love doesn't hurt,
Michael. This is not how you show someone you love them. Please let
me out," I beg. Beg for my freedom. Beg for him to see that love
isn't like this. I am reliving every moment that has brought me to
this place. The love I had for him before all the years of torture.
The loneliness I felt all those year he ignored me and made me feel
like I was nothing. I try to calm myself down so I can think of a way
to escape.

"Please just listen
to me. Let me explain." he murmurs.

I have given him a
lifetime to explain his reactions and he never once wanted anything
to do with me. Now that he has lost me, he wants to fix what he
broke. I just can't go through another year with someone that has
made me hate everything about myself. Over the past year I have grown
into someone who is strong and independent. I have a life that
doesn't include worry, hate, or fear. I have a life that is full of
joy and love. "It isn't me you want. It is the life you wished
you had all those years we were married. Now you have a chance to go
find someone to complete it. Please, let me go," I sob.

He doesn't speak and
pulls into the driveway of his house. I don't move because I am
trying to think of a way to get away from him. He walks around to my
car door and yanks it open. He reaches for my arm and I grab ahold of
his with my teeth. I bite as hard as I can and try to push him away
from me. It isn't enough to stop him. He grabs the back of my head
and slams my face into the concrete driveway. I can feel the small
pebbles sink into my flesh as he holds me down. "Stop fucking
moving!" he yells.

I try not to move
because I can feel the concrete cutting into my face. He picks me up
by my arm and shoves me toward the house. I try to walk as slowly as
I can, hoping someone will walk out of their house and see that I
need help. He opens the front door and pushes me inside. I run into
the kitchen and he tackles me to the ground. I hate being in this
room where he nearly killed me once. I will not let him get the best
of me this time.