Bitter Sweet Kisses

by S M Mala

  ‘No, that’s not all.’ Harry stepped closer and within seconds, had planted a soft kiss on Jonah’s lips. ‘I wanted to say I am hopelessly and desperately in love with you. I’ve known it from day one. I’ve never felt it about another man. Give me a chance, give us a chance. I know we could be happy. I can’t let you go, not like this.’

  Jonah felt sick to his stomach and equally confused.

  ‘You loved him more than me.’

  Sophie had Amelia in her arms, who was resting her weary head against her mother’s shoulder. She was holding in her shock at seeing both the men she had loved in an embrace. ‘Why don’t you stop your silly games?’

  Suddenly he released Jonah, who stepped back looking confused and anxious.

  ‘Why do you want to spoil everything?’ her ex-husband asked her, getting annoyed. ‘Why couldn’t you have left him alone?’

  ‘Why can’t you leave him alone?’ She was furious at the gall of Harry, who stood totally still. ‘Do you think kissing him with your bitter mouth is going to turn him into what you want? Haven’t you caused enough damage to us already?’ Sophie hugged her child close to her chest. ‘Go away and leave us in peace.’

  ‘I’m going to, but I think he’s not following his heart.’ Harry stepped closer towards her, then suddenly stopped. He was looking at their child in awe. ‘She is a beauty. And I wished I could have loved her but I can’t.’

  ‘Don’t you dare lay a hand on Milly,’ hissed Sophie, knowing she was on the verge of angry tears. ‘She’s my baby, not yours.’

  ‘She’s ours,’ Jonah said, gulping hard and walking towards them. ‘Harry, leave us alone. Whatever you want isn’t going to happen. I don’t feel the same way you do.’

  ‘I think you’re making a mistake,’ whispered Harry, shaking his head solemnly. ‘This can’t be what you want. Surely you can see this domesticated bliss is going to strangle you.’

  ‘Right now, I want to strangle you so you can stop trying to hurt my wife. Haven’t you done enough? Why the continuing hate campaign? All Sophie ever did was love you and wanted to make you happy. All you ever did was hurt her because you could.’

  Sophie closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before looking down at Amelia’s face; her innocent child. Then she looked at Harry, seeing a small resemblance. It hurt to know that this man didn’t care for the little girl.

  And from the sound of it, was currently in love with Jonah.

  ‘You can’t fuck my husband. You don’t have to sign the adoption papers. Just go away. Find something else to fascinate over.’

  ‘I want Jonah,’ he replied, which didn’t shock her, but made her realise he was deadly serious.

  It hurt.

  That bit she couldn’t deny. Knowing her husband had lusted for someone else. Loved another.

  The same man who she fell in love with and married.

  ‘And I fell in love with him the first moment I set eyes on him,’ she whispered, looking at Jonah, who seemed relieved at the comment. ‘I can see where you’re coming from but for once, just accept you can’t have him. This is a game you can’t win.’

  Harry glared, unable to speak from the look of it, then she felt Jonah’s arm around her shoulders. He leant forward, gently kissing Amelia’s head.

  ‘This is my family,’ she said, looking at Harry. ‘You have to let it go. It will never happen. I won’t let it.’

  ‘Listen to her.’

  Jonah took a deep breath and could feel Sophie was trembling. ‘I can’t forgive your deceit with Onya, and trying to sabotage Sophie’s happiness and life. Taking Milly, while scaring the living shit out of us. That’s why you haven’t been around. You know it was a pretty low life thing to do.’

  Knowing Harry so well, he could see the anger in his ex- agent's face then noticed Sophie fearfully look up at him.

  ‘I want to be with Sophie. Help raise Milly. If you care for me at all, you’ll allow me this happiness.’

  ‘I made you into who you are. Gave you the opportunities and spent the time to get you recognised, and the success you so desperately wanted. And now, you tell me that you’d prefer this suburban land of boredom?’ He let out a strained laugh. ‘Forgive me Jonah, but you seem to have forgotten what I’ve done for you.’

  ‘At what price? It’s never going to happen between you and me. I hate to think that was the only reason you were interested in me.’

  ‘You’re talented like I said.’

  ‘Take Milly into the house. I can deal with it,’ he said to Sophie.

  ‘Jonah?’ Her eyes showed concern as she held her daughter.

  ‘I need to speak to him alone.’

  Glaring at Harry, Sophie shook her head.

  ‘Leave us in peace,’ she whispered, kissing Amelia’s forehead. ‘We deserve to be happy, regardless of what you think.’

  She walked away, back into the house, but he could see her constantly looking over from the patio doors.

  ‘I’m grateful for everything you did. I’ve financially paid you back, as you know. And I told you, again and again. I appreciate your interest, but if it was to get me on my back, you were wrong.’ Jonah glanced at the house, seeing his wife cradle the child. ‘And we have so much in common. We both fell in love with Sophie, one way or another. For that, I will be eternally grateful. If it weren't for you, I’d have never met her.’

  ‘You’re making a mistake!’ Harry said, frustrated before walking quickly up to him, as Jonah backed away. ‘I’m moving to the States in a couple of days. There’s so much potential for you out there. You need to think about your future, your creativity.’

  ‘You’re leaving?’ Jonah was a little startled. ‘For how long?’

  ‘For as long as it takes to get established. I have the contacts, and this is a fantastic opportunity. Jonah, we’d make a great team. You could still work, and I know you have an eye for spotting talent. I’ve rented a big apartment in New York, and it’d be perfect. No strings attached. I hear what you’re saying.’

  Words failed Jonah.

  Harry had thought it all out, and his appearance was to convince him to run away.

  Leave Sophie.

  ‘She would have never done that to you.’ Jonah sighed. ‘Sophie would never have betrayed your trust. And now you want me to act the same way you did? What is it, Harry? Don’t you want her to be happy? Do you hate her that much?’

  ‘You think I hate Sophie?’

  ‘Don’t you?’

  ‘I love Sophie,’ he said as if insulted by the comment. ‘I might not have treated her well, but I never stopped loving her. Did she tell you after the situation in the nursery, I asked her to take me back?’ Jonah noticed Harry looked confused. ‘She made me angry that night, and I behaved appallingly because she mentioned your name. It made me realise that if you found out about Onya and me, you’d never forgive me.’

  ‘I’ll never forgive you for hurting Sophie when she had Milly in her arms, then come to my home when you knew exactly what you’d done. You made her suffer afterwards, didn’t you? Sophie needs to trust in another human being, and that’s me. I would never leave her. She’s the only person I want to be with.’ Knowing he was crossing the line, he said it. ‘There’s no bitterness in her body, and I don’t want ever to stop tasting her. To me, that woman has the sweetest taste of all. Pity you never realised.’

  Harry double blinked at the response before glancing back at the house.

  ‘Are you really in love with her?’

  ‘I am,’ he said, opening the door so Harry would go. ‘And most of all, I would never leave her side because she’s carrying my child. We have a welcome addition to our family. Aren’t you happy for us?’

  Jonah knew the horror of Harry’s expression said it all.

  ‘What are you doing here?’

  Sophie stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Harry a few weeks later as she walked across the park to go home. ‘I thought you’d gone.’

  ‘I wanted to speak to you al
one.’

  ‘Why? You said all you had to when I saw you last, confessing how you felt about Jonah.’ She bit her lip hard and didn’t want to show how upset that day made her feel. ‘Another trick? Are you going to take me for a ride in your car? I don’t like pigs though I’m looking at one right now.’

  ‘I hear congratulations are in order. Pregnant again,’ he said, stepping closer. ‘Is that what you want?’

  ‘I want to have his baby and I am.’ Sophie couldn’t hold back. ‘That’s what he wanted more than anything and now Jonah is really happy.’

  ‘Does he realise when you have that baby, you’ll love him less?’ Harry glanced away. ‘That’s what you did to me.’

  ‘I didn’t love you less. It’s you that stopped loving me.’

  ‘That’s not true.’

  ‘Harry, you wanted out and the day you knew I was pregnant, you changed. Right now, I don’t even have to explain myself as we’re not married. But I will never forgive about how you treated me and took my baby. That’s unforgivable!’

  ‘I know you’re angry with me and-.’

  ‘You were in love with him when we were married. Then to be spiteful, you got that whore to steal my child.’ Sophie shook her head slowly from side to side. ‘I don’t want to see or speak to you again. The very sight of you makes me feel sick.’

  Harry stepped closer and she noticed he looked fresh-faced and healthy.

  Sophie wondered what was going on and stared straight back at him.

  ‘I love you, Sophie. I always have and always will. I never meant to hurt you. What I felt for Jonah came by surprise and I couldn’t help it.’

  ‘I don’t want to talk to you.’

  ‘But I need to clear the air between us. Don’t you think I saw how you looked at me that night with Onya? The question in your eyes as if you’d never seen me before and the pure horror on-.’

  ‘Or I saw you for the first time in all these years and didn’t know who you were,’ she quickly interjected. ‘Who are you, Harry James? What did you want to do with me other than shredding my heart to pieces?’

  ‘But you fell in love with him and he fell in love with you. I never expected that.’

  ‘Go away and leave us alone.’

  Taking a deep breath, he looked genuinely upset. She’d not seen that look for a long time and didn’t know how he wanted her to respond.

  ‘You asked him to come away with you. Jonah. My husband. How can you not want to hurt me? And Amelia? What has that child ever done to you?’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘I think I hate you right now, do you know that?’

  ‘I get it.’ He looked up at the sky and then down back at her. ‘But you got everything. Jonah, my child and a family.’

  ‘You only wanted Jonah.’

  He then grabbed her and smothered his mouth over hers as she pushed him away.

  This time, the kiss was less bitter but still unpalatable.

  Furiously, she shoved him away and shook her head, wiping her lips at the same time as he smirked. Sophie started to walk away from him, knowing he had turned up to upset her.

  ‘I’ll always be around. You do know that don’t you? You can’t wash your hands of me,’ he shouted out. ‘I care about you both and-.’

  ‘So much so you’d want him to watch me screwing you to get the adoption papers!’ she barked, storming up to him and something inside her was raging and she lunged forward and slapped him so hard across the face, her hand instantly stung. ‘That’s a tenth of how it felt when you hit me!’

  Harry looked like he was going to cry as he clasped his cheek with his palm.

  ‘Sophie, forgive me, please?’

  ‘Never,’ she whispered, shaking her head. ‘I forgive you and say it’s okay, you’ll worm your way back in, and who knows what you’d want to do next. I’m not being held to ransom and if you won’t allow for Jonah to legally be her father, then it doesn’t matter. He is emotionally, and that’s what matters.’

  ‘If he’d had fucked me, then I would have known.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘He wasn’t good enough for you but he’d have been perfect for me,’ he said, closing his eyes. ‘You might not believe it, I want you to be happy and to find someone who would treat you right, but it wasn’t supposed to be Jonah. And for that, I won’t ever forgive you.’

  Then he turned and walked away, leaving her speechless as she knew Harry would never be out of her life for good.

  Mainly because she had what he really wanted.

  Jonah Bauer.

  It made her want to laugh out loud.

  So she did.

  ‘Don’t shout.’

  Jonah was holding Amelia in his arms when he spotted Sophie in the park speaking to Harry. ‘Let’s not tell mummy we can see her.’

  ‘Mama!’

  He didn’t know what to think.

  Harry was calm and he could see how angry Sophie was.

  He then saw Harry lunge at Sophie to kiss her.

  Jonah’s heart went into his mouth for a second before he noticed his wife pushed him off and stormed away. It was when Harry shouted something out, she turned and smacked him hard in the face.

  That’s when he held his breath and watched the shy woman he loved let rip. Amelia was distracted by some pigeons as Jonah held his breath and waited to see how Harry would respond.

  There was a conversation and then Harry walked off, leaving Sophie standing there. It was evident by his body language; he was upset with her.

  Suddenly she started to laugh and he was taken aback by her reaction.

  It was then he realised he loved Sophie Bauer more than anything else knowing she had chosen him, not Harry, to spend the rest of her life with.

  And that made him laugh too.

  ‘Twins.’

  Jonah was still shell shocked even though she was six months pregnant and humongous. She was lying on the sofa as he was sat at the other end, massaging her feet. ‘They’re big girls in there.’

  ‘Or boys.’

  ‘I want a house full of females. Shouldn’t we find out the sex?’

  ‘We had sex, hence this!’ She pointed to her rotund tummy.

  ‘I’m so happy!’ he said, on the verge of tears once again. ‘And there’s nothing wrong with me at all! I made two babies.’

  Sophie looked at him and then clicked.

  He was worried he couldn’t get her pregnant.

  The snide comment Harry made months back had certainly hurt his pride, but not his constant desire to try and get her pregnant.

  ‘Hey, Soph, I can capture the memory of when they come out. Make an exhibition dedicated to my three children.’

  ‘Hold a minute,’ she said, making him stop massaging her toes, by pulling her feet away. ‘You’re not going to photograph anything between my legs.’

  ‘It could be a beautiful theme based on life.’

  ‘You won’t have a life if you focus on my lady bits.’

  She was unsure what was going on. The last time she told someone she was pregnant, he grunted and started to behave badly. This time, she was met with a constant response of delirious delight, which she wasn’t used to.

  ‘And your breasts are majestic. I intend to bury my head in them tonight.’

  ‘They’re very sensitive, and so am I.’

  ‘I don’t mind that, one bit. It makes it easier for you to come.’

  ‘All heart. How am I going to cope?’ she asked, letting her head flop back. ‘It was hard enough with Milly.’

  ‘It’ll be fine.’

  ‘Three little children? I don’t know how I’m going to do it alone,’ said Sophie, the panic growing. ‘I wouldn’t know where to start.’

  ‘But you’re not alone. You have me.’ Jonah seemed puzzled, then smiled. ‘I’ll be there every step of the way, and will even stop work for six months.’

  She looked at him and noticed since Harry’s visit; the mood had lifted in Jonah.

  It was a
s if there was a sense of relief but she was still pissed off with Harry’s impromptu visit to her, which she still hadn’t told Jonah about.

  ‘I love you Mrs Bauer.’

  ‘I love you.’ She moved closer to him, touching his lips with her fingers. ‘Are you sure you’re all right about this? Being a first time, double dad.’

  ‘Triple,’ he corrected, then the wide smile crossed his face. ‘Of course, I am.’

  ‘And I’m pleased about Fadwa,’ she sighed, starting to smile. ‘Everyone knew how badly she was being treated. Her husband’s family can do what they want, but she wasn’t given a custodial sentence.’ Sophie looked at Jonah, who was smiling at her. ‘How can things get that bad?’

  ‘You tried to help her, Soph. She knew you had her best interests at heart.’

  ‘But it crosses my mind hadn’t I turned up, and then he might not have lashed out. Anan must have put two and two together, knowing I met her through a cry for help.’ Rubbing her head, she couldn’t get it out of her mind. ‘A man died and two children lost a father.’

  ‘Yeah, but Madison now it going to hold the mantle for you when you’re on maternity leave.’ Jonah laughed out. ‘If only they knew her hand in kidnapping women out of homes.’

  ‘Freedom fighter!’ she laughed out. ‘She’s going to be a good girl from now on and-.’ The doorbell went, and she crossed checked the time. It was after eight in the evening. ‘Are we expecting anyone? Or it’s Madison wanting to kidnap you.’

  ‘I’m taken,’ he said, jumping up and going to the door.

  He returned with a courier envelope addressed to Sophie.

  ‘For you,’ Jonah sat next to her before starting to kiss her neck. ‘Might be important.’

  Opening it slowly, she turned to look at him as he planted a long kiss on her lips, submerging his tongue in her mouth. She was easily distracted as he pulled the envelope out of her hands and ripped it open before releasing her.

  ‘Let’s see if this is a final demand based on your credit card bill,’ he grinned as she elbowed him gently. ‘Not that I’m complaining about your large, sexy underwear.’