Learning to Forgive (15 page)

“And?”

“And another anniversary for us to celebrate.
I love you, Mrs. Molly Sinclair.”

“And
I love you.”

She
closed her eyes relishing the feel of his love and body warmth. The future
looked promising, and once again she was struck by how powerful forgiveness
was.

Epilogue

Trent
Sinclair watched Elizabeth as she sat on the corner seat by the window. She was
reading a book. He saw by the way she pronounced each word that she was
struggling with a few words. His heart went out to her. She hadn't had a good
start in life. In fact, she had had a pretty shitty start in life. There were
times throughout the night when she’d woken up screaming. The fear of her past
was still very much with her. He thought about Elizabeth, and whenever he thought
about her, he couldn’t stop the thoughts of Ben. He remembered the other man
from one of his visits to the local gay bar.

When
Trent had seen Ben at his brother’s house, he’d been gone. What was he supposed
to do? Elizabeth had fallen for him, and he’d fallen for her. Neither had
mentioned their feelings to each other. The kisses and touches between them had
grown over the last few weeks. She’d looked so beautiful at his parents'
renewal of their vows.

So had
Ben.

Shut up. You don’t want him.

Yes, you do.

“Trent,
are you all right?” she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. She’d walked
closer, the book forgotten on the window seat.

“Yeah,
I’m fine.”

“You’re
thinking about him, aren’t you?”

“What?
No.” He chuckled, picking up a pen to mark more of her work. She’d been
demanding more work from him for her to do.

He
didn’t like giving her too much in case she started to hate learning.

“Yes,
you are. I didn’t even say his name,” she said.

Trent
put down the pen he was holding. They had no secrets between them. He’d told
her about his sexuality. She’d never once judged him, and he hadn’t judged her
past either. She sat down next to him. He reached out touching her knee. Trent
always found a great deal of comfort by touching her. She didn’t push him away
either. For that small mercy he was thankful.

“Does
your father know?” she asked. He’d told her about Molly cornering him at
Christmas. He shook his head.

“I
don’t know what to do, Elizabeth.” Trent couldn’t believe he was talking to his
best friend and the woman he’d come to have feelings for about his conflicting
emotions.

“You
have to do what is right,” she said. He watched as she got up. “I think you
need time to think about what you want, Trent. I’m going to go home and let you
think about it.”

“You
don’t have to go,” he said, reaching out to take her hand.

She
smiled down at him, tapping his hand. “Yes, I do.”

Elizabeth
moved away to put her coat on. He followed behind her wondering what to do to
stop her leaving. “I don’t want you to go.

“I’m
not going anywhere, Trent. I’ll be waiting for what you decide.” She kissed his
cheek. “You’re a good man, and you’ll figure this out.”

He
watched her leave his apartment. Trent closed the door and slumped against the
hard wood. Why was he the one to suffer with this dilemma? Both of the people
he wanted were Erica’s friend and family. No matter whom he chose, he knew he’d
be hurting someone.

Trent
pushed his thoughts aside and went back to where he sat. Elizabeth needed him
for far more than his own conflicting emotions. Pushing all thoughts of Ben and
Elizabeth out of his mind, he picked up her work-sheets and began marking them.

She
really was a brave woman.

****

Elizabeth
walked home to her apartment. Erica had wanted her to move in with her, but
she’d refused. There was no way she was going to impose on her sister. Chris
looked like a starving man whenever he looked at Erica. The least she could do
was give them the time they needed together. She walked the distance to her
apartment thinking about her sister. Erica had done well for herself. She was
well-educated and had a decent man who loved her.

When
she’d been alone at night with only the stars to keep her company, Elizabeth
had always wondered what had become of her sister. She loved Erica as if she
were her own child.

Shaking
her head, she moved up the staircase and unlocked the door. She moved toward
the bookcase that Trent had installed for her. Reading was her new passion.
She’d never been able to understand any of the words before. With Trent’s help,
she was able to read. Her reading was slow, but he was patient and always
prepared to take the time with her. She grabbed a book, flicking through the
pages. The smell was amazing as well. She loved everything about books.

Her
thoughts turned to Trent. He was hurting inside; she knew this and saw it every
day. Didn’t he know she’d be happy for him no matter what? Yes, she’d fallen in
love with Trent Sinclair the moment he agreed to help her. He was the first man
to sit down with her and go through every syllable and word until she began to
make sense of it. No matter how much she was ashamed, he made sure she didn’t
leave a session without learning something. His patience was his greatest gift.

A
knock sounded at the door. Frowning, she moved to answer it.

Ben
stood on the other side.

“Hello,
Ben,” she said.

“We
need to talk.”

“Did
Trent send you over?” she asked. Had he made his decision already? Panic
gripped her. She would be happy for him, but then she’d have to find someone
else to tutor her.

“No,
Erica told me where you lived.”

“Oh,
you’d better come in.” She let him in, locking the door behind him. Elizabeth
rubbed her hands together trying to warm them up. “I don’t have much. Do you
want a coffee?” she asked.

“Coffee
would be great.”

Ben
sat down on her couch as she walked into the sparse kitchen. Men were so large
that they took up so much space. Would he be offended if she asked him to wait
outside?

Stop it, Elizabeth. Get yourself
together.

She
finished his coffee and took it to him. Staring at the small space next to him,
she put her large behind down on the chair opposite.

“How
can I help you, Ben?” she asked.

“It’s
about Trent.”

Licking
her lips, she put her cup down on the floor next to her, tucking her feet
underneath her. Her whole body was shaking. Trent had been the first really
good person she’d gotten to know. She was terrified of losing him.

“I
can’t help you.”

“Look,
I know what you’ve been through.”

Elizabeth
gasped. “Who told you?” she asked, feeling raw at someone else knowing about
her past.

“Erica
told me. She wants us to get along.”

“She
shouldn’t have told you anything. That is private.” Elizabeth got up from her
seat and moved toward the kitchen. She began cleaning anything she could get
her hands on. In the past when she was scared, cleaning always helped her to
keep her focus on what was happening.

Ben
came up behind her. She felt his presence against her back. “You shouldn’t be
afraid, Elizabeth. I’d never take him away from you. I know what it means to
love someone as they hold you steady.”

She
turned to face him. “What are you trying to say?”

“I
know Trent is struggling with his feelings for both of us. I think there is a
way for both of us to get what we want,” he said.

“I
thought you were gay? You don’t want women. That is what Erica told me.”

“I
don’t want women, but I want Trent.”

“What
are you suggesting?” she asked, confused by his sudden attention. He leaned up,
tucking a curl behind her ear.

“I
suggest we don’t give Trent a choice. If you can handle me being with Trent,
and I can handle you being with him, then I think we have a solution.”

Elizabeth
frowned. “Huh? What? You’re not making any sense. Have you been drinking?”

Ben
chuckled.

“I
suggest we seduce him together.”

The
End

www.samcrescent.wordpress.com

Other Books by Sam Crescent:

www.evernightpublishing.com/sam
-crescent

If you enjoyed this book, you may
also like:

The
Good Sister: Part Two by London Saint James

Tempting
Her Best Friend’s Father by
Jenika
Snow

The
Good Student by Stacey
Espino

Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com