Un-Break my Heart: Book 2 (The Heart Trilogy) (11 page)

Returning to the corner table I slid in next to James and saw the troubled look on his face. He slid the vodka and coke in my direction and took a sip before turning to me.

“You’re really worried about tonight” I nodded, unable to put into words the depth of my fears and insecurities. He reached for my free hand and placed his over it. The warmth was a sharp contrast to the icy feel of mine and I knew he felt it too as he rubbed his hand up and down over my pale skin.

“It will be ok. I’ll make sure of it as the past needs to stay well and truly in the past” he said, grinning at me and trying to illicit the same response from my lips.

“I’ll have to keep a close eye on Charlotte though as if my diary provoked such a strong reaction in her, then meeting the catalyst of that event might be all she needs” I paused for a sip of vodka “She may be my daughter but she inherited her Dad’s quick temper”

Now my worries had suddenly increased two fold as I thought about trying to protect my daughter from the woman who had relished in ruining my life.

The conversation left the party as we shared stories about our children growing up and all the funny things that kids will do to get their own way. By the time we headed home most of my dark mood had passed but I knew that a pill later before we headed out might help any further rising of the blackness that could engulf me at a moments notice. I vowed to face my fear head on and with James beside me, perhaps things would not be as bad as I imagined.

Chapter 18

Arriving back at James’ house we entered the quiet and in the kitchen we could just make out the faint sound from the studio next door.

“Darren and Sophie are going to meet us there” James said, reading the note on the kitchen table.

“My parents will follow us in their car as they might want to go early and we can take Charlie and Mitch with us” James said. He flicked the switch on the kettle and then moved through to open the patio doors to let Jester into the garden. I followed James over and wrapped my arms around him as I looked down to the line of apple trees. James must have sensed my smile as he looked over and smiled too. We were both remembering that moonlit night. I could still recollect the scent of the honeysuckle that wound its way around the trunks of a couple of the trees, the pale silver of the moon casting shadows between the branches.

I could just make out the shape of Peter and Pam’s bungalow beyond as Jester disappeared in that direction.

“No chance of repeating that night” I whispered.

“Not unless we ever find ourselves alone here” James replied. His lips found mine and I surrendered to his touch, hoping it would continue to push down the tide of worry that ebbed and flowed inside of me. As Jester bounded back through the door he didn’t stop until he reached the kitchen as if he already knew that Mitchell and Charlotte would appear shortly. Pouring more tea for all of us I looked at my daughter glowing with energy and love, it was like a force field around the two of them.

“We’re going to head up and start getting ready” Charlie said “I need to look my absolute best” I saw her glance across at me and knew that she was worried about this evening too.

“Ok” James replied, I nodded too and smiled at Charlie.

“I guess I’ll do the same” I said “That shower in your room looks wonderful”

“I think I might need to help you get ready” James replied. He followed me up the stairs and as we passed the main bathroom I could hear two lots of giggles escaping through the door.

“Like Mother, like Daughter” I joked.

“Well you gave her the idea if you put it in your diary” James laughed.

“It’s the best idea” I joked back.

Inside the room I started to pull off my jumper and jeans as James did the same. The mirrors caught my eye again and I watched with unadulterated desire the view of my soul mate, lover and friend. James turned the docking station on and picked up my iPod.

“So what shall we listen to if we’re making new memories” I took it from him and scrolled through all the music it held and found another of my favourites. As Heaven by Bryan Adams filled the room James pulled me into his arms.

“Another good choice my personal DJ” he murmured.

             
“Oh, thinking about our younger years

              There was only you and me

              We were young and wild and free

              Now nothing can take you away from me”

The lyrics once more told our story, our fingers found familiar paths across each other’s bodies. Each touch, each kiss left an invisible trail of love that only we could see. With the final shudder of my orgasm mingling with his I sighed and realised that James really did keep me “coming back for more”

Pulling me into the shower James grabbed the shower gel and poured it into the palm of his hand. I turned so that it ran down my spine and despite the heat I shivered at his touch. I felt the circular motion of his palm on my skin as he worked the gel into a lather that ran down my ass and tickled the nerve endings there. James’ fingers followed the crack and glanced at my already super sensitive clit. I moaned and pushed against him as he turned me around and then started the same process on my breasts. My nipples sprang to life beneath his touch and ached with a fierce passion that ripped through the rest of my body.

Gently he pushed me back against the cold tiles and I gripped him tightly as he lifted me up enough so he could enter me once more. Carefully we moved together as once more our passion and desire joined us together.

“Christ I can’t believe we’ve just done that again so soon” James breathed. His face pressed into the crook of my neck.

“Hey we’re still young enough” I whispered back

With wrinkles appearing we emerged from the shower and dried off and I started to pull open my case to find my curlers. I had already hung my dress up and James had even presented me with a drawer of my own which had made me smile. James lay on the bed and watched as I wound my hair into the curlers and then while they set applied my make up. Outwardly I tried to present a calm exterior but inside my whole being was churning up and down, like a storm at sea. As I finished off my hair and makeup James started to get dressed too, he wore the same suit from our weekend together and a lovely blue floral print shirt this time. I struggled with the catch on my bra as the nerves had started to surface.

Stepping towards me James slid his hands around to cup my breasts and I felt a surge of adrenaline spike though my body once more. Then after a quick tweak of my nipples he moved them around and fastened the catch.

“Later” he breathed in my ear, as he then proceeded to plant some feather light kisses on the nape of my neck. A few curls lay there as I had fastened the rest up with my silver butterfly clip that Sarah had given me for my birthday. Stepping into my dress I wiggled it up and then turned to survey the view in the mirror. James stood directly behind me and I could see the hot look in his eyes.

With a final kiss on my lips he let me go.

“I’ll pop down and see if Mum and Dad are nearly ready”

“Ok, I’ll just grab my bag” I replied, knowing that this gave me the chance to take one of my pills and drop another into my purse just in case. Heading down the stairs I could still hear music coming from Mitch’s room and I entered the lounge to see James heading back up the garden, his parents a little way behind him.

“You still look as beautiful now as you did when James first bought you home” Peter said, dropping a kiss on my cheek.

“Perhaps I’ll get a dance with you later” Peter joked “I don’t remember managing it at James’ party all those years ago”

“I might let you Dad” James joked as we finally heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

I drew in a sharp breath at the sight of my daughter and Mitchell when they entered the room. Charlie wore her hair loose but had also been at her set of curlers and finished it off with a gold hair band just visible beneath the curls. Her white dress showed off her summer tan and teamed with her gold heels and handbag I knew she had dressed to impress and not just Mitchell but his mother.

“You look stunning” I said, smiling at her. I watched as Mitch never took his arm from around her waist and his eyes from her. They held a look of awe and wonder meant just fo
r
Charlotte.

“We’re all ready then, just follow me in the car” James said, turning to his parents. Jester looked up at us all from his basket, his sorrowful face looked even more mournful at the sight of us leaving. James dropped a quick handful of treats into his bed and rubbed his head.

In the car James put the radio on and I soon realised we were listening t
o
Leon’s Saturday evening show. I hardly ever got to see him with my Monday to Friday schedule of work. Sitting in the front next to James I smiled across at him, my muscles were working hard to maintain a look of normality. Behind the mask I hid the rage and hatred I still felt for this woman. I had spent most of my life acting but tonight was like that had been the rehearsal and this was the performance. Charlie sat behind me and I felt her hand creep forward over the seat and touch my shoulder. I knew she must have a faint idea of how I was feeling about this evening but she wasn’t the one the bitch hated, that was me.

We headed out of town and as Charlie and Mitch chatted in the back I found James’ hand creeping across to stroke my leg. His touch soothed me a little and when “Lola’s Theme” by the Shape Shifters started to play I smiled. It was one of my favourite dance tunes from the not so distant past.

“Turn it up Mum, I love this song” Charlie asked.

             
“Looking back I know I was walking around in disguise

              It’s a fact, I was just a lost soul I needed a guide

              And the moment that you came to change my life

              (Looking back together yeah)

              You fired up my heart and made me smile”

I heard Charlie singing along from the back seat and I spotted her clutching Mitchell’s hand tightly. James gave my leg a soft squeeze.

Chapter 19

Pulling into a long driveway that sparkled with all the lights that were strung between the trees I breathed in and held it. Getting closer was this impressive farm house and beyond shone further lights of a marquee to the one side of the house. There were a large number of cars already parked either side of the driveway so James slotted the car into the space and his parents next to us. I quickly took a second to pull down the visor on the windscreen to check my appearance. My blusher tried to conceal my paleness but all it managed to do was highlight it further. I reached to rub my scar but it was hidden beneath the bangles I had bought so I twisted that instead.

Stepping out of the car I looked around for James, who was talking to his parents as Mitchell took Charlie’s hand in his.

“Are you ok Mum” Charlie asked, turning to look at me.

I nodded and James held out his hand to me and I took it. He must have felt the river of ice running though my veins as he held it even tighter. We were ushered into the main hallway and I took in the opulent surroundings. The light cast from the chandelier that bounced across the mirrors on the walls.

“How did she manage to afford this” I asked James. Waiters drifted past with trays filled with champagne glasses and James took a couple as we headed through the hallway.

“She re-married after we divorced, she is now Felicity Carmichel-Astaire, her husband was loaded and owned the Carmichel-Astaire Health Spa’s across the country. He died about five years ago, slipped and fell in his hotel swimming pool” James whispered, as we continued into the marquee.

“Oh” I replied “So he left it all to Felicity then”

“Yes, she did very well”

Mitchell spotted Darren and Sophie and with Charlie in tow they headed over to them. The rest of us followed and we chatted amidst the crowds of people already there. I noticed the crowd of Darren and Sophie’s friends in the one corner and Sophie’s parents and younger sister looking slightly lost in the far corner. The rest of the people in the marquee were in their fifties and sixties, elegant and refined in their suits, the women polished and false behind the façade of a youthful appearance that was manufactured. I knew that I didn’t fit in and I circled the bangle around my wrists in a nervous gesture.

Through the crowds I saw Felicity; she parted them like a queen in her palace. She was wearing a tight red dress, with matching heels the size of skyscrapers. Her long black hair fell loose, artfully falling over her shoulders and my heart started to race as she stepped ever closer.

“My handsome boys” she said her voice loud enough for the rest of the guests to hear. She reached out for Darren and pulling him close she left her red lipstick mark on his cheek.

“Sophie dear, you look beautiful tonight, just right for my eldest son” she said. Then her attention turned to Mitchell as she did the same to him, marking him out as her own. I watched Charlie try to hide her scowl and replace it with a fake smile so bright I was sure Felicity would be blinded by it.

I waited nervously as Felicity turned her attention to James, after a cursory hello to Pam and Peter. I noticed their sighs of relief as they were able to step away and wait for the showdown that was bound to come.

“James, how lovely to see you looking so happy for a change on this wonderful occasion” she smirked. I watched him try to avoid the full on embrace that she ended up giving him, as he let go of my hand. I felt my heartbeat increase ten-fold as I hesitated on the brink of fight or flight. Scanning the room I could see the nearest doorway out as I fought for breath. My heart was pounding so much that it was all I could hear in my head. Then I spotted Charlie standing to the one side, her hands clenched into tight fists, she was ready to fight for me so how could I think of fleeing.

The moment seemed to take a lifetime as Felicity eventually let go of James and turned to stare at me. Her smile hesitated for a split second as she realised who I was.

“Felicity I’d like you to meet Stephanie” he said. He moved to stand beside me, his arms wrapped around my waist pulling me as close as possible. It felt like he was trying to be a shield, protection against the barbed edge of her words that were waiting like arrows to fly, to pierce, to wound me.

Felicity stepped forward and extended her hand towards me, slowly I did the same. We were like two tigers in the long grass, each protective of their young and ready to attack if they were threatened.

“So lovely to see you again Stephanie, you look just as I remember” she purred, as her hand grasped mine and held it. I could feel her sharp nails digging in ever so slightly before she withdrew it again.

“Well, I hope you enjoy the party, I believe Melissa is here somewhere” Felicity said to James “I’m sure you haven’t forgotten her”

With a broad grin she turned and walked away, confrontation over but as always she left me with questions and fears. Who was Melissa? Who was she to James? I was about to breathe out when Felicity stopped and turned. She stood directly in front of Charlie.

“It’s so nice to see a Mother and Daughter with such similar taste in men” then without waiting to hear any reply she was off. I noticed the young man that trailed around behind her, like a lady in waiting to her summons. I was still trembling as James pulled me even closer and touched his lips to my forehead.

“Well that wasn’t as bad as I thought”

“Who’s Melissa then” I said, I needed to know immediately as my suspicion had been aroused.

“Just a woman I dated for a while after I split up with Felicity, I didn’t know at the time that she knew Felicity. It was nothing more than a passing fling” James soothed.

All the time I stared into his eyes and knew that he was telling the truth but it still made the jealousy rise inside of me, a molten green volcano that burned away my intelligence. I felt his hand drift up my spine and then travel the nape of my neck.

“She means nothing to me” he declared.

“I’m sorry I should have realised that you would have seen other women in the time we have been apart” I said “I just didn’t need your ex bringing it up tonight” James nodded as his fingers continued to stroke, sooth and ignite my passion all at the same time. Looking around I realised that Charlie and Mitchell had joined Darren and Sophie’s friends as the band continued to play until Felicity approached the stage.

“Good evening friends and family, I’m so glad you could join us tonight to celebrate the engagement of my eldest son Darren to his lovely girlfriend Sophie” Felicity paused as the crowds cheered.

“Please everyone can you raise your glasses and wish them all the best for their future lives together” she declared, holding up her glass of champagne. I noticed her scan the crowds until her gaze rested upon me once more, as she seemed to be staring me down in defiance. I ignored her and watched as Sophie and Darren smiled around at everyone as they sipped their drinks together.

With the buffet laid out in the main house the band started playing and I watched as Charlie and Mitchell couldn’t resist the lure of the music and took to the dance floor.

“Shall we join them” James asked, as he took my hand and led me forward. Felicity had also decided to do the same as the young man who had been trailing behind her held out his arms. Circling the floor other couples joined us and I closed my eyes, trying to erase the image of my enemy so close. Suddenly another couple swept by and I heard a female voice.

“Hi Jim, fancy seeing you here” she said. I opened my eyes to see a lithe, young blond speaking as her partner kept them close enough.

“Hi Mel, yes it’s nice to see you too, but if you don’t mind I’d like to dance not talk” he said, cutting her off as he spun me around and away.

“She’s very beautiful” I said, quietly.

“Yes, but once you get past that there’s not much there” he replied “She was only ever a fling, nothing serious and not a patch on you”

Leading me from the floor we headed into the main house for some food and to find Pam and Peter. I couldn’t help but stare at the extravagance of the surroundings I was in.  Excusing myself I headed for the rest room, trying to appear calm but hoping that I wouldn’t bump into either Felicity or Melissa. Inside I calmly re-applied my lipstick; I twisted my bangle off and looked down at my scar. I was determined to get through this evening without the help of a pill; I needed to do it so that I could completely move on with my life. I was about to turn the handle on the door when I heard voices outside and I paused to listen.

“Your ex-husband is looking hot tonight” a female voice said.

“I guess so, I can’t believe he’s gone back to her of all people” I knew the voice was Felicity, it was unmistakable.

“She is very beautiful although not classically like you, is that her daughter with your son Mitchell” the female said again.

“Yes, hopefully it won’t last long with either of them, especially if I get my way” Felicity said. I listened as their heels clicked away on the floor and I could no longer hear the rest of the conversation.

Looking down I realised that I had worked my one bangle loose and I was rubbing my scar furiously. What did her comment mean? I knew she was a dangerous adversary and I was determined to find out what she was planning, especially if it involved Charlie. Slipping out of the door I made my way back to where Pam and Peter were sitting, I looked around for James but he was no where in sight.

“Felicity wanted to speak to James in private” Peter said “Something about making sure Darren and Sophie had enough money for their move t
o
Manchester”

“Ok, I might just check on Charlie” I said, the fear already plunging deep daggers into my imagination. I picked up my drink and headed outside to the garden hoping the fresh air would clear the black haze started to fall. I took one of my pills and then headed around the outside of the house to the marquee.

I was startled to hear loud voices coming from a window just ahead, I knew without a doubt it was James and Felicity. I crept closer; part of me knew that overheard conversations always meant the worst.

“How could you not tell me who Mitchell’s new girlfriend was” Felicity screeched “I don’t like her, she’s got her claws into him so tightly that he can’t see her for what she really is”.

“Charlott
e
is a lovely girl and I don’t think she possesses claws at all, I have not seen Mitch this happy with any of his previous girlfriends” James said calmly, although his voice had deepened to get his point across.

“She’s a little whore, have you seen the dress she’s wearing and the way she wraps her body around him” Felicity continued. There was silence followed by the sound of skin hitting skin.

Moving closer I peeped round the edge of the window and saw Felicity cradling the side of her face.

“You take that back, besides you can talk, cradle-snatcher” James shot back with “I’ve seen the way you treat Daniel who looks only a few years older than your son Mitchell you’re a disgrace” I watched as he turned towards the door. Felicity reached out for him and pulled him back into her arms.

“I’m sorry for what I just said” she sobbed, her act changing from angry mistress of the house to little girl lost in an instant.

“I guess I wasn’t ready to see you with anyone else again, I miss you so much, don’t you remember how good we were together” she purred. I couldn’t tear my eyes away as the bitch ran her hands over my man, while he stood stock still. His face looked cold as stone, impassive at her plea’s and I felt smug.

Forcefully he pushed her away and folded his arms across his chest.

“I think it’s time I was heading home now, with my family. You would be wise to think carefully before you say anything more about our children and their choice in girlfriends and if you dare to interfere…..” he didn’t finish the sentence just left the lightly veiled threat hanging between them. He opened the door and I breathed out and was about to head back round to meet him when he stopped.

“So lovely to see Stephanie back with you again, I hope you’ll be happy together after all you’re both so pathetic I can hardly bear to see you all over each other” she hissed, the real Felicity had appeared again, the bitch that she was. James stared back, the anger evident in his taut face and clenched teeth; I hoped he wasn’t going to say anything more.

I looked up into the clear starry night and took a couple more deep breaths before I headed towards the lights of the marquee, knowing that James would come and find me there. The familiar strains of “I’ve had the time of my life” was being played by the band and as I stepped into the white palace I spotted the dance floor ahead clear as Charlie and Mitch wove their magic spell. I was just as captivated watching them that I jumped when I felt strong arms wrap around my waist.

“Missed you” he breathed, softly kissing my hair. I turned into his arms and reached up to run my hand down the side of his face.

“Everything ok” I asked. He nodded.