Unbreak Me (Second Chances #1) (22 page)

“Well,” Hannah giggled. “We were supposed to go over to Mr. Simon’s for dinner. Dad was bringing things out to the hall and making a pile to take to the car. I was right behind him, and he asked me to pull the door shut because I was letting all the heat out. Well, he failed to mention that he’d already locked the door, so I didn‘t happen to grab his keys. When I pulled it closed, I successfully locked us out. Without a phone, I might add. We walked down and knocked on the surrounding doors, but no one was home – everyone had gone places for the holiday. So we sat in the hallway for a while hoping that the neighbors might come home and see us. We could hear the phone ringing inside, but couldn’t get to it. After an hour passed, Dad gave up and broke that small window out right there,” she pointed at the little square in the door,“to get in. He cut his hand, and we spent Christmas in the emergency room while he got stitches,” Hannah shook her head.

Austin held up his hand and brushed back his sleeve showing Melanie the scar that now graced his right wrist. Melanie giggled and shook her head.

“I guess we all have our moments, huh?” she mused.

After dinner was finished, Melanie helped Austin carry the dishes into the kitchen and load them into the dishwasher. The girls went into the family room and flopped down on the couch to gaze at the tree. When the kitchen was clean, Austin and Melanie soon joined the girls.

“We have a tradition in our family that we read “A Christmas Carol” on Christmas Eve,” Melanie turned to Austin as she pulled the book out of the box of gifts she’d brought.

“Sounds nice,” he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “Give me just a minute.”

He rose from where he was sitting and moved over near the fireplace on the far wall. Leaning over, he moved some items out of the way and turned a switch. A hissing noise began as he leaned in with an Instaflame and lit the gas logs.

“We just started using the fireplace last week,” he shrugged. “I thought it’d be nice tonight.”

“Sounds wonderful,” she sighed as she drew her feet up under herself and settled onto one end of the couch.

When the fire was blazing, Melanie shifted until she was comfortable and opened the book to begin reading. The group of four spent the next several hours listening to her read. Austin was completely lost in the story as he listened to her voice. He kept thinking he could listen to her forever.

As the rhythmic cadence of her voice filtered through the room, he slowly began to drift off, and his head lolled against the back of the couch.

It was so realistic that it couldn’t be a dream…

He was coming in from a long day at work and pulling at his tie to loosen it. He could hear soft singing in the background and laughter coming from the kitchen. He glanced around the house at the toys strewn about and chuckled. The evidence of a happy family surrounded him. When he rounded the corner, there she was. She stood by the counter, stirring something in a large bowl, singing to herself as a little boy sat playing on the floor with some pots and pans. He was laughing as he drummed along. She was singing a nursery rhyme along with the banging as she caressed her swollen belly. Flour dotted her face and the large t-shirt she was wearing. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head with a few stray pieces flying wildly about. She laughed as she swayed from side to side.

“Dada,” the little boy cheerfully clapped his hands together.

“Hey buddy,” he smiled as he picked up his son.

“You’re home, how was your day?” she spun and kissed him on the cheek.

He stood there not speaking as he surveyed his surroundings, trying to take it all in.

“Austin?” she looked at him quizzically. “Austin,” he felt a nudge. “Austin
,”
wake up.”

His eyes slowly fluttered open to see Melanie leaning over him as she shook his shoulder. Had it really just been a dream? It seemed so real. He looked around trying to get his bearings. He was on the couch in the loft.
It was just a dream...
he sighed to himself. He looked over to see Katie and Hannah both fighting to stay awake. Katie was just releasing a huge yawn when Melanie turned to her, urging her to go to bed.

“The sooner you go to bed, the sooner it will be morning,” Austin told Hannah.

The girls pulled themselves off the loveseat and trudged back to Hannah’s room calling “goodnights” over their shoulders.

“I’m really glad you guys decided to stay here tonight,” Austin pulled Melanie against his side, still thinking about the lingering dream. It
had
to mean something.

She snuggled up to him and leaned her face onto his chest, “Thanks for having us.”

“It’s no problem,” he trailed a finger down her cheek and gripped her chin, pulling her into a soft kiss. “I love having you here.” He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. “Well, we have another tradition that I want to do tonight with just the two of us.”

Melanie stiffened as she thought back to his playfulness in the parking garage. She pulled back slightly and made a move to pull away from him. Austin tightened his grip, “Where are you going?” He reached in behind him and grabbed a box that was hidden beside the couch, “Here, open it.”

She looked at him and wrinkled her brow.

“We always got to open one gift on Christmas Eve in my family. I want you to open this one tonight. Just the two of us,” he smiled and pushed it toward her encouraging her to open the box.

She visibly relaxed as she observed the box. It was a small and wrapped in silver paper with a red bow tied around it. She picked it up and ran her fingers along the ribbon.

“Go ahead, open it,” he coaxed, his eyes soft and full of love.

She smiled at him and began tearing the paper. When she got the paper off, a small blue Tiffany box was revealed. Melanie gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Her brain was moving so fast through all the possibilities that the little box may hold. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for this.

oooooooooo

Austin silently took the box from her hand, opened it, and grinned at her. He then moved to turn and face her.

“Melanie, I love you. I want to be with you more than anything in the world. I want to wake up with you and go to sleep with you beside me every night. I want eat breakfast with you and share the morning paper with you everyday. I want everything with you. I never thought I’d find love again, and I was ok with that. I never thought that there’d be another woman out there that would make me feel complete again, but there was. You complete me, Melanie,” he moved to the floor, “Will you marry me?”

She glanced from him to the ring and back to him. With tears in her eyes, she nodded wordlessly and threw her arms around his neck, launching herself at him.

“Yes,” she whispered in his ear as her body pressed into his. She pulled back just in time to crash her lips to his. He plunged his tongue in to meet hers in a fiery kiss as his hands reached around her back. She surrendered to the fire burning its way through her body. Everything yearned to be acknowledged by Austin’s touch. A shiver went up her spine as she pushed herself further into his embrace. A laugh escaped his lips as they toppled backwards onto the floor. The ring box tumbled to the side, now forgotten, as the fire between them grew. A groan made it’s way up his throat as she ran her hands up through his hair and gave gentle tug. He rolled to the side, effectively pinning her down with his hips as he kissed his way down her jaw and throat. She giggled and gasped when she felt his erection pulsing against her leg. When he brought his lips back to hers, she nipped at them playfully.

“Oh god Melanie, I want you so bad,” he gasped as he felt her rock her hips underneath him.

She giggled again and broke the kiss, leaving him panting and desperate for release. “Me too, but we have to stop. I want our wedding night to be special.”

She kissed him softly on the cheek and pushed herself up on her elbows. He shook his head vigorously to try and come out of his lustful haze.

“I do, too,” he moved to sit on his heels and helped her to rise to a sitting position.

He reached over to the tiny blue box and lifted it in his fingers. “Hard to believe that this little thing can have such an effect on you,” he chuckled.

He opened the box and removed the ring. Lifting her shaking hand in his, he slid it onto her finger. It was a beautiful, one-carat, princess cut diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds. She tilted her hand from side to side in the firelight admiring it.

“It’s beautiful, Austin,” she smiled and kissed him again.

“Time for a new tradition,” he winked.

She looked at him, confused, as he pulled her up and moved to the area between the fireplace and the tree.

“Dance with me,” he whispered in her ear.

The two stood there barefoot in the firelight, swaying to the music on the stereo. Austin pulled her as close as he could, pressing her hips into his as she looped her hands around his neck and placed her head on his chest. She could feel the evidence of their make out session as his body had yet to calm all the way down. His heart was still thundering in his chest, mimicking the pulsing going on below as he hugged her to him.

ooooooooooo

As they both began to relax into one another, the soft sounds of a saxophone drifted over the sound system. “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” filled the air. As it played, Melanie began to hum along and sing the words quietly, almost whispering. She absentmindedly twirled her fingers in his hair as she thought about what the lyrics really meant at this moment in her life. Her troubles were going away. She was happy, and based on the last few moments that had passed, she would have golden days in the future. Austin had made this a perfect Christmas Eve.

As they continued to sway to the soulful music, she raised her head to look into his eyes. “I love you,” she whispered. “More than anything. You’ve made this Christmas perfect.”

“I love you too,” he answered and pecked her on nose. He smiled when he noticed her checking out the ring again.

“It really is beautiful, Austin,” she sighed. “So much more than I ever could have imagined.”

“I’m glad you like it,” he chuckled.

He leaned in to offer another kiss. This one was different from earlier though. This one was soft and slow. It conveyed no need to rush; they had time on their hands.

ooooooooo

They both knew that tonight symbolized an entire future together. No longer would sadness or heartbreak control their lives. Tonight love and comfort would surround them and carry them into a future together.

Chapter 20

Christmas Morning 2012

After staying up most of the night talking and enjoying each other’s company, Austin had convinced Melanie to go sleep in his bed. If she hadn’t been so tired, she probably would have fought him on it. She had climbed into the soft sheets in the wee hours of the morning as Austin made himself comfortable again on the couch. She yearned of the day when she would feel him pressed up against her, skin-to-skin, making love.

ooooooooo

After she was in the privacy of his room, Melanie had changed into a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. This was not her normal sleep attire for the wintertime. She had packed heavy fleece pjs, but wanted to feel close to him. With the bare minimum covering her, she felt as if she was already snuggled next to him. The sheets were still as soft as she remembered, and as she sunk deeper into the warmth, she breathed in his scent and fell into a deep sleep dreaming of the day he would join her.

In the dark, she felt two strong arms wrap around her and pull her close to a muscled chest. The smooth skin of his arms flexed and he tugged her tight against him.

“
Oh Austin,” she whispered.

“
I know baby,” he moaned. “I want you so bad.”

His hand trailed down her belly, grazing over her thigh searching for its destination. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder, and sealing her lips to his as she rocked her hips back against him.

“
Mmmmmm,” she groaned as she attempted to turn in his arms.

Sensing her desire, he loosened his grip on her as she turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. She trailed a hand lower and squeezed his backside as he groaned in pleasure. As his tongue plunged into her eager mouth, his nimble fingers began to pleasure her. Her hips rocked, gentle at first and then with more force as he picked up speed. Soon his thumb began to press on the throbbing bud as she panted in pleasure. The hand that she had placed on his butt began to move and make it’s way around to the front of him. Her fingers wrapped around his cock and squeezed gently. He broke the kiss and threw his head back as a groan erupted from his throat.

“
I…I can’t wait Melanie. You’re killing me here. I want you so bad,” he ground out as he moved to roll atop her.

“
Austin, make love to me,” she gasped as she wrapped her legs around his waist using her heels to push him towards her.

She felt him push himself into her, and she gasped in pleasure. Her eyes rolled back in her head as he slowly began to move…

“
What’s that?” she asked as “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” began to play in the background.

Melanie began to rouse from her sleep. She glanced around in a haze; her body was still flushed with desire from her dream. Her hand was strategically placed at the apex of her thighs. She yanked it away as if she was burnt by the contact. She saw her bag sitting by the beside table and could hear whistling coming from the out in the direction of the kitchen. She shifted in the bed as embarrassment washed over her face. Had she really just dreamed that? She silently wondered if the gasping that she was now doing to control her breathing was any indication of what she must have been doing in her sleep.
It’s just been too long, that has to be it,
she told herself. The dreams had been more persistent lately. Once she and Austin were married, they could be together and the dreams would stop, right?

ooooo

Austin awoke early… He knew the girls would not sleep in this morning. They were already early risers and the added excitement of Christmas morning was going to get them up even earlier. He’d put on a pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt before he went to bed the night before, and he shivered slightly as he sat up on the couch. He moved over next to the fireplace to turn the gas back on and get a fire going. There was a chill in the air, and he hoped to warm the place up before Melanie awoke. He glanced to the side as he squatted in front of the hearth. There was the silver paper from last night’s gift giving. He picked it up and smiled to himself. She’d said yes. He couldn’t be happier right now. Well he could if she would have let him accompany her to bed last night, but he’d wait. That’s what she wanted. It was going to kill him, but it would definitely be worth it.

Once he had the fire going, he moved into the kitchen to brew some coffee and begin preparing breakfast. As he opened the fridge, he began pulling out the fixings and started whistling. Christmas tunes were pouring from him as he pulled pots and pans out to make a big spread. He had the makings for French toast sitting on the counter, and sausage over by the stove. He pulled out a cutting board and began forming sausage patties with his hands. Nibble fingers pressed to meat into small disks as he placed them in the waiting pan. He had his back to the rest of the house, and failed to notice that Melanie had gotten up and was making her way toward him. He continued whistling and set the frying pan on the stove. Melanie rounded the corner and crept up behind him. She reached around his middle from the back and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. She giggled as he jumped slightly at the contact.

“Morning,” she yawned. “Got any coffee?”

“Mornin’,” he looked over his shoulder, “I like waking up like this.”

He turned slightly in her arms, but held his out to the side. “I can’t hug ya right now. I’ve got sausage meat all over my hands. Give me a minute to finish this, and I’ll give you a proper good morning,” he stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. “Help yourself,” he pointed to the coffee pot to his right.

She giggled and stepped back away from him. She moved to the right, fixed a cup of coffee for herself, and headed back into the family room. She walked over to where she had left one of her over night bags and began digging through it. She wanted to find her robe. Her current sleep attire left little to the imagination, and the chill in the air along with her previous arousal was still slightly evident. She felt she needed to cover herself before Austin noticed. Before she could stand back up completely, she felt Austin come up behind her.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

She shivered slightly as his breath tickled her ear. “Looking for my robe.”

“I like what you have on right now,” he grazed his finger across her bare shoulder and leaned in to kiss it, and just like that her nipples stood at attention again.

She blushed as she glanced over her shoulder to look up into his eyes and saw nothing but adoration. She knew what he was thinking and she had to admit, she was thinking about it too. She turned in his arms and placed a kiss to his lips. As she began to pull away, he reached up and gripped the back of her neck pulling her back to him. He deepened the kiss and pressed his body into hers letting her feel that he was just as turned on as she was. She moaned lightly and pulled back. He touched his forehead to hers and trailed his fingers down her cheek.

“I don’t wanna wait to marry you. I wanna set a date today. We’ll go where ever you want, but I don’t want a long engagement,” he was breathless from their kiss.

“I don’t want to wait either Austin. All I care about is being your wife. I don’t need a fancy wedding. I already had one of those. We can talk about this later, when the girls are up,” she sighed and leaned into him.

Just then Katie and Hannah came rushing into the room. They plopped down on the floor and looked up patiently waiting to open their gifts.

“Whatever you’re cooking in there,” Hannah pointed into the kitchen, “it’s smoking.”

Austin glanced back at the kitchen door and saw the smoke coming out. With a yelp, he dashed back in hoping he could save the sausages before they were burnt beyond repair.

After Austin retreated into the kitchen, Melanie continued to rummage for her robe. When she found it, she slid it on and tied it around her waist. She moved over and sat down on the couch to watch the girls dig through the gifts.

“Hey Dad,” Hannah called. “Can we start?”

Katie was bouncing on her knees with excitement and smiling from ear to ear.

“Sure!” he yelled back. “I’ll be in there in a minute.”

Katie moved over beside the box that she and Melanie had brought and began pulling wrapped gifts out.

“Here,” she handed Hannah a green and red box. “This is from me.”

Hannah took the box and tore into it. When she got it opened. there was a small wooden jewelry box. It had a hand carved flower on the top.

“Thanks,” Hannah smiled.

“You’re welcome,” Katie returned. “Open it up.”

Hannah lifted the lid and squealed when she saw what was inside. There was a small half of a gold heart. It was strung on a small gold chain. Hannah lifted it to get a better view and her smile got even bigger, if that were possible.

“I have one, too,” Katie grinned. She pulled her necklace out of her collar. “See, when you put them together they make a heart,” she held it up. “We’ll be best friends forever.”

Hannah threw her arms around Katie’s neck. “I love it. Thanks. Here, your turn.”

Katie took the box from Hannah’s hand and tore into it. When she got it open, she found a Barnes and Noble gift card at the bottom. She smiled and looked up at Hannah. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I know how much you like to read. I thought this way, you could pick out whatever book you wanted,” she grinned.

Austin walked into the room as they were picking up the wrapping paper. He watched the girls tearing through the paper and smiled. They were laughing and bursting with “thank you’s” and “you’re welcomes”. Melanie was sitting on the couch smiling at them with a dazed look on her face. He moved over and sat down next to her. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her to him.

“Having a good morning?” he kissed her cheek.

“Very much so,” she smiled. “Merry Christmas. Here,” she handed him a box. “You haven’t opened yours from me yet.”

Austin smiled at her as he ran his hand along the side of the box.

“Go ahead,” Melanie coaxed.

Austin began to tear the paper off the box. When he finished opening it, he found a vintage Ted Williams jersey. He ran his fingers along the soft fabric and smiled, “Wow, thank you. Where did you find this? I’ve been looking for one for awhile.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled. “Hannah mentioned a few times in last couple of months that you might have gotten on Ebay in the late hours of the night searching for this,” she giggled. “Let’s just say that my brother-in-law owed me a favor. He has connections.”

“Oh really?” he smirked. “I’ll have to thank him then, and I’ll give you a proper thank you later,” he murmured. “Should we tell them now?” he glanced at her.

“Sure,” she smiled.

“Girls,” Austin tried to get their attention. “Come over here for a minute.” He motioned to the couch. “We have something we want to tell you.”

Once the girls had come over and made themselves comfortable, he looked down at their expectant faces, “Last night I asked your mom,” he looked at Katie “to marry me and she said yes.” He laughed like a schoolboy and pulled Melanie closer to him.

“Really?” Hannah squealed and launched herself at him.

“Really,” he laughed.

Katie scurried over to Melanie and grabbed her hand to look at the ring that she just now noticed. “Oh Mom, it’s beautiful!”

“So, are you two okay with this?” Melanie asked.

“We’re better than ok,” Katie laughed.

“We’ve been waiting for this for the past month!” Hannah giggled.

“You have, have you?” Austin shouldered into Hannah.

“So when’s the wedding?” Katie blurted out.

“We haven’t discussed that yet,” Melanie glanced at Austin.

“Where are we gonna live?” Hannah asked. “Are you guys going to move in here?”

“Well, your place is bigger than mine,” Austin shrugged at Melanie. “I figured we’d move in with you, if that’s okay.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Melanie laughed.

Just then Katie looked up at Austin. “Can I call you Dad?” she asked.

Tears welled in Melanie’s eyes as she watched a smile appear on Austin’s face. “There’s nothing I’d like better,” he chuckled.

Katie rose up on her knees and slid over in front of him. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, “Thank you... Dad,” she began to sob.

When she looked up at Austin’s questioning face she clarified, “For making us a real family.”

He nodded and rubbed her back. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

Melanie couldn’t hold back any longer. The tears that had welled in her eyes were now falling freely down her cheeks. Hannah observed this and rose to move beside her. She hugged her sideways and looked up at her face, “I love you too, Mom.”

Melanie caught the reference and looked down at Hannah. She tightened her grip and kissed the top of her head. Austin broke the silence by pointing at the kitchen. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but there’s a wonderful breakfast in there that’s just waiting for us to eat it. I’m starving,” he laughed.

The rest of them soon joined in on the laughter and rose to move into the dining room.

“This was the best Christmas ever,” Hannah mused.