Bent not Broken

by Lisa De Jong

  “Yeah, I think she will too.”

  Melanie took one last look before we shut the door.

  “Are you ready to see our room?”

  She nodded and followed me in after I opened the door.

  Mom had made it comfortable, not overdone. It was a place where we could come to be alone at the end of the day—a place of peace and love and commitment.

  “Do you like it?”

  “How could I not? It’s ours.” Her face radiated joy.

  The combination of those words and the look on her face sent my heart racing, savoring the thought of our lives joined. No more weekend trips, no more sneaking in backdoors, no more hiding.

  Ours.

  Finally.

  With the sun shining, we spent the afternoon out in the back yard, talking as we sat on the grass. Melanie looked at where her garden would be. It was barren now, but I knew it would be incredible as soon as Melanie was here and tending to it. We picked out the perfect spot for a swing set, imagining a time a few years from now when we would catch our little girl as she came down the slide or push her on the swing as she giggled and begged us to push her higher.

  Evening approached, and Melanie still wanted to make dinner, so we picked up a few things from the store.

  Dinner was amazing. Melanie reveled in her new kitchen. I think she used every dish we owned. I’d never seen her freer. Only three more months, and we’d be able to do this every day.

  We ate at our little dining table, chatting and enjoying our food, the mood light between us.

  When my phone rang in my pocket, and I pulled it out and glanced at the number before shutting it off and turning my attention back to Melanie.

  “Who was that?” She smiled as she popped a piece of baked chicken into her mouth.

  “Oh, just Stephanie. She’s probably calling to remind me of our study group on Monday.” She always called a couple of days ahead because one of the four of us in our group always forgot if she didn’t.

  A frown crossed Melanie’s face, and she looked back down at her plate.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “It’s nothing.” She tried to wave it off.

  “It’s not if something’s bothering you.” We had promised each other a long time ago that whenever anything upset us we’d get it out in the open.

  “Honestly, it really is nothing. She just makes me uncomfortable.” She shrugged her shoulders and took another bite.

  Melanie had only met Stephanie once in passing. We were leaving a restaurant over Christmas break when Steph was coming in with her boyfriend, so I didn’t understand where this was coming from. Melanie had never been the jealous type because she had no reason to be.

  “You understand that I am only for you?” I squeezed her knee under the table, begging her to understand. “She’s just my study partner.”

  “I know. She just gave me a weird feeling, but I trust you.” She smiled, effectively closing the subject, because we both knew we didn’t have to worry about that kind of thing. Nobody would ever come between us.

  Later that night, we watched a movie on the couch, but Melanie never made it to the end. Her soft breaths were lulling me to sleep as well, so I picked her up and carried her to our room. I pulled the covers down and tucked her in, her brown ringlets falling all over her pillow.

  “So beautiful,” I whispered into her cheek as I kissed her good night. So unbelievably beautiful.

  I don’t think I’d ever even seen another woman’s face since the moment I’d met her. It was as if my mind couldn’t register anyone else.

  Crawling into bed next to her, I tugged her back close to my chest so I could hold her as she slept. I rested my hand on her belly, content in this moment.

  I felt a little thump against my hand, my other girl demanding my attention. I smiled into the back of Melanie’s head as I continued to feel the little movements under my hand, wondering how it was even possible to feel this way.

  ****

  We spent Saturday morning lounging around the house. It seemed we were always around somebody else, and we never had time to ourselves. It was great to be in our home just with each other.

  Around noon, we decided to go into town to shop a little. We browsed around, taking our time as we looked in store windows, holding hands as we strolled together.

  Melanie held up a baby name book with a questioning look, and I grinned and nodded. It was definitely time to start thinking about naming our little girl.

  The afternoon came and went, and sadness began to creep in as I thought of having to take Melanie back to her dad’s tomorrow. I had thought about asking her to come up here to finish school, but I knew that would be selfish of me.

  When Melanie’s feet started hurting, we went home to relax, but I felt anxious. We needed to talk about her parents. We couldn’t put it off any longer.

  Melanie had her back propped against the headboard with her feet up on a pillow as she flipped through the name book. I crawled beside her, pulling her against me.

  “Melanie, baby, we need to talk.”

  She frowned, set the book down, and straightened up a bit.

  “We have to tell your dad.”

  She sighed. “I know. I’m just so scared. Every day I leave my room promising myself that I’m going to tell him, but as soon as I see him, I lose my nerve. It was like I wanted to spare him the worry, but now I’ve let it go on for too long. How am I supposed to tell him he’s going to be a grandpa in three months? He’s going to lose it.” She clenched her fists in agitation.

  “I know he is, but we can’t wait any longer. You’re showing and people are starting to notice.” I raked my hands through my hair and breathed out heavily, the sound hanging in the air. “I talked to Erin. She said the whole school is talking about it. He’s going to hear about it, if he hasn’t already...we need to tell him tomorrow.”

  She bit her lip, fighting tears. I knew she was scared, but there was no way around this.

  I wiped the solitary tear that ran down my girl’s cheek, and she nodded against my hand, giving her silent promise that we’d get this out in the open tomorrow.

  “So what are we naming this little thing?” I affectionately rubbed her stomach, trying to lighten the mood. We had tonight left, and I didn’t want to ruin it with the worry of tomorrow.

  We flipped through page after page. There were so many names it was overwhelming. “Daniel, look at this.” She pointed to a name.

  I read it aloud, “Eva.” I let the name run through my head and it clicked in my heart. “It’s beautiful, Melanie.”

  She sat up a little further. “It means life in Hebrew. It’s perfect.”

  She placed both of her hands on her stomach and looked at me, an almost sad smile on her face. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

  “God, I love you, Melanie.” I kissed her, tasting her sweetness as I ran my hands over her belly, down to her hips.

  Melanie whimpered against my lips. She shifted and pressed her body against mine.

  I made love to her softly, slowly—carefully, her body still perfectly fitting with mine. Every touch was like fire against my skin, her love for me undeniable in the wake of her fingers.

  “Melanie, my love. You’re so beautiful,” I murmured against her cheek.

  Her breath tickled against my ear as a low, “Daniel,” tumbled from her mouth.

  The energy that bound our souls together was suffocating, her fire roaring through my veins.

  “Melanie, you feel so good.”

  Never could I desire another. There would never be anyone who could make me feel this way, anyone who could bring me complete ecstasy in one passing touch or ease my soul with the warmth of their eyes. There was only Melanie.

  ****

  Sleep was difficult, only coming in short bursts throughout the night. I felt anxious about meeting with Steve. Telling him that Melanie was six months pregnant, and we’d been hiding it from him this whole time, was not going to go over well.
If he had a real temper, this was sure to bring it out in him.

  Melanie stirred next to me in the early morning hours. Turning, she wrapped her arms around me, fingering the hair on the back of my neck, her simple touch soothing my nerves.

  “Hey, you awake already?” Her voice was raspy and low.

  “Yeah. Couldn’t sleep.”

  She sat up on her elbow facing me, her hair falling over her shoulder and pooling on the bed below her. Her skin was paler than normal in the muted morning light, her green eyes intense as they searched mine.

  Moving to cup my cheek, she ran her thumb beneath my eye to smooth away the stress. I had tried to hide my own fear about telling Steve, but it was obvious I was not looking forward to this any more than she was.

  I turned my head into her palm, kissing the tender skin there.

  Sadness washed over me once again at the thought of taking Melanie back. This was her home now, and I wanted her to be here with me. These next three months were going to feel like an eternity, and the worst was yet to come. After we got married in April, I knew it was going to be awful coming back to this house and our king-sized bed while she was alone in the small room at the end of the hall in her dad’s house. It was just so wrong.

  We lay together for what seemed like hours without saying a word, simply showing each other our love through touch. The morning slipped away and, as much as I didn’t want to, it was time to put an end to the procrastination. Melanie got up to take a shower while I packed her things.

  With reluctance, I started my car and drove us in the direction of Colorado Springs. Traffic was light, so at least we’d save a few minutes of worry.

  Melanie hadn’t said anything in the last half hour as she stared out the window. “Are you ready for this?” I asked, hoping to break her out of the worried silence she’d fallen into.

  She jumped, startled. “Oh.” She blinked a couple of times. “I guess as ready as I’ll ever be.” She bit her thumbnail. “I just don’t know what he’s going to say. I’m really scared.”

  I glanced at her. Tears ran down her face, the moisture on her cheeks reflecting the sun shining through the window.

  She groaned aloud into her hands, shaking her head at the thought. “What if he has you arrested or something?” she whispered, the true fear she’d been harboring coming out. It dawned on me then that she hadn’t been hiding this from Steve to protect herself from his wrath, but to protect me from it.

  “Melanie...” Reaching out, I brushed her hair aside, cupped the back of her neck. “I’d never let him keep you away from me.” I tried to reassure her with the promise in my eyes, a promise that no matter what, we would never be apart. She stared back at me, the fear that mingled with the devotion in her green eyes melting my heart.

  Suddenly, she jerked under my hand, every muscle in her body tensing as she screamed, “Daniel!”

  My head snapped forward, but there was nothing I could do. My vision barely registered the streak of red before my head filled with the sound of crumpling metal and shattering glass. Searing pain sliced through my chest as a desperate cry for Melanie fell from my lips. Her name pounded against my ears as blackness washed over me and forced me into darkness.

  Gripping the steering wheel, I gasped for air. I couldn’t tell if my chest was caving in against my heart or if my heart had ruptured through my chest.

  “Daniel, are you okay?”

  I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shake off the panic attack, and forced myself to speak. “I’m fine.”

  Minutes later, we arrived at the restaurant and I pulled up to the valet. I tried to regain my composure before I went in there and ruined everything. Today had been the single hardest day I’d had since coming back from Dallas, and it seemed thoughts of Melanie would not be kept at bay. I would have to smile and fake my way through this night. I prayed they’d do all the talking and I could just sit there, nod, and sign on the dotted line.

  I groaned when I caught my reflection in the mirror. Hair sticking up in every possible way, not one strand in accord, eyes puffy and red from this afternoon, hands visibly shaking—I was a complete disaster.

  I grabbed my bag when the valet opened my door. He gave me my tag, and I went around to gather Vanessa.

  We entered, greeted by a hostess wearing a black cocktail dress and heels. I hated places like this.

  “Do you have a reservation, sir?”

  “Yes. I have a business meeting with Nicholas Borelli and Shane Preston. I’m not sure if they’ve arrived yet.” I glanced around the restaurant. Never having met either of them, I had no idea who I was looking for.

  Studying the black book on the stand, she shook her head. “No, they haven’t arrived yet, but we can show you to your table.”

  She led us to a round table for six near a large bank of windows. Vanessa and I sat on the far side, facing the room. “This is very nice, Daniel.” Vanessa pretended to appreciate the room and then looked back at me through her eyelashes.

  Was she trying to flirt with me? I uttered a barely audible, “Mmm hmm,” before turning my attention to the menu, wary of making eye contact with her. This had been a complete mistake. I should have just come alone. It was becoming much too obvious that Vanessa thought this dinner meant more to me than just a need to have somebody accompany me to a dinner meeting. The accidental brush of her leg against mine under the table confirmed that.

  “Shit,” I swore at myself. This day just got worse by the minute.

  When a waiter arrived and asked what we’d like to drink, Vanessa gave him an exaggerated smile and ordered a water.

  “Whiskey, no ice.” I was in dire need of a drink.

  Vanessa began to make comments about the menu, trying to draw me into conversation, but her words didn’t register. I couldn’t think straight. My head started to spin, my skin prickling all over. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise up and stand on end.

  I tried to shake it off.

  Apparently, I had thought too much about Melanie today because my body was reacting as if she were near.

  Rubbing the back of my neck, I tried to brush off the feeling but couldn’t stop the panic from setting in when I realized I was finally going to lose it. My hands started to tingle with the palpable energy that connected Melanie to me, what made us one, and an intense longing filling my chest.

  I had to pull myself together.

  I stood to take a few minutes to clear my head when a strangled sob grounded me to the floor. My head jerked up, my eyes desperate to find what I so longed to see.

  My knees went weak, and I grasped the table for support when my eyes met with the emerald that owned my soul.

  Chapter Eight

  The ride to the restaurant was tense.

  My outright refusal had set Nicholas on edge and I didn’t think he knew how to deal with it.

  Nicholas pulled up to the restaurant valet. Katie and Shane waited on the sidewalk as the attendant helped me from the car.

  “Hey, Mel.” Shane’s smile was infectious. I could never resist it, my own spreading across my face as he brought me into a huge hug and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. If I hadn’t known him, I might have been a little leery of him, given that he resembled a younger version of my dad. He was just as tall and shaved his head, though his eyes were green where Dad’s were brown. He was muscular from years of hard construction work and so tanned it nearly washed out the sleeves of tattoos covering his arms.

  “Hey, Shane. Are you ready for this?” I patted his back as I hugged him, giving him encouragement for the evening.

  “Yep, I have a good feeling about it.” This would change everything for them. It was ironic that the one thing Nicholas thought was going to bring him power and recognition would actually bring him to his knees if everything went as planned.

  Katie and I exchanged knowing smiles as we stepped in for a quick hug.

  “Let’s go take care of some business.” Nicholas took charge, leading us inside. He held t
he door as Shane and Katie entered in front of us, placing his hand on the small of my back as I followed.

  Once inside, I felt that pull, the energy that bound my soul to Daniel’s, and I smiled as I brought my hand to the pendant. I fingered it, knowing it had somehow been brought back into my life to give me comfort.

  As the hostess led us deeper into the restaurant, the pull grew, expanded my chest. Goose bumps popped up all over my arms as my skin began to tingle.

  I ran my hands up each arm trying to chase away the feeling, hugging myself across my middle. Something was wrong. I’d never felt Daniel like this unless he was actually nearby. Maybe finding the pendant had brought too many memories to the surface and my mind had lost touch with reality.

  With each step, the feeling grew, almost suffocating.

  “Get it together, Melanie,” I scolded myself, trying to snap myself out of it.

  As I rounded the corner, my eyes landed on the head of hair that could only belong to one man. A wounded cry escaped my throat.

  Energy surged, and I could almost see it connect with him. His head snapped up and my eyes locked with his soul.

  I couldn’t look away. Every emotion I’d had in the last nine years flowed between us—the pain, the longing, the desire, the lost love, each one crashing and washing over us in waves.

  My fingers dug into Katie’s shoulder as I willed myself not to lose it in the middle of the restaurant. I couldn’t tell if I wanted to dive over the table and devour him or if I wanted to scream and pound his chest, releasing all the anger and hurt that he’d caused me in the last nine years.

  I don’t know how long we stared at each other before Nicholas finally tugged on my elbow. Anger burned on his face—a warning.

  Tilting her head, Katie studied me with concern. That concern grew when she watched me pry my trembling fingers from her shoulder. Shane looked between Daniel and me, seemingly clueless of its source, but not ignorant to my distress.

  Taking control of the situation, Nicholas extended his hand across the table to Daniel who had risen as we approached. “You must be Daniel. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Nicholas Borelli.” Daniel barely acknowledged him as he halfheartedly shook Nicholas’s hand, never taking his eyes off of me for more than a second.