by Marie Ahls
There was just one thing he needed to know. And she planned to tell him soon.
Chapter Three
In spite of her best intentions to have a serious talk with Davis all their casual non-dates ended up with them just having fun. Even in college when they had falling in love the first time dealing with his dad’s illness and his mother’s depression had kept him from being carefree.
Now he laughed and cried and spoke openly about his regrets. He admitted he liked her bright clothes and was happy to go to the art shows he used to complain about. He was careful not to criticize the work load that had her running home early each night.
Taking a deep breath and putting perspective in his life he found himself at the one place he had never gone. Julie’s doorstep.
She opened the door frowning then gave a sigh and smiled.” I was just thinking about you. I owe you the full truth and an apology.” she began as soon as the door. She broke off in a gasp as Davis took of her hands, pulled her close and kissed her hard on the mouth. After several heady moments of kissing he said.” This is the new start, a start that I hope can end in marriage.” Julie closed the door behind them, leaning against it for a moment. His mouth swooped down to capture hers. When he pulled back, he arched one brow, waiting” What about the fact that you never want children?” she asked. “I never didn’t want any I knew I couldn’t have any, but we can adopt…” Those words earned him a kiss that had her giggling and laughing in his arms.” That is wonderful because I have been fostering a little girl named Daisy for 3 years and am in the process of adopting. I didn’t want to introduce you until I was sure you wanted to stay. Are you sure?” Davis paused then spoke soulfully,” It is a challenge walking into a life that has never stopped moving, you have to jump on board and try to fit in.” With that there no need of any questions, or misunderstandings their love really was alright.
About the Author
Harmony Joy loves to write fiction, poetry, nonfiction and screenplays as well as practical publications and home-schooling textbooks. When she is not working she can be found with the love of her life, reading a good book or watching bad reality TV.
Always Mine
by E.S. McMillan
No secret will stay buried forever.
Shelby Davis has lived the past eighteen years trying to move on after the death of her husband. With the help of her now teenage daughter, time has continued to march on. When a secret is discovered, everything that Shelby has held on to dearly will be forever changed. Will Shelby be able to pick up the pieces and hold on to what had become her’s.
Always Mine
by E.S. McMillan
Prologue
Shelby
“Wake up Ellie. It’s the first day of your senior year.” I whispered to my now almost grown daughter as I made my way into her room and opened up the curtains. Letting the light stream in, I looked around the room and remembered the first time I placed her in this room and wished her sweet dreams.
“I just need five more minutes.” Ellie moaned, as she turned away from the light and pulled the purple comforter over her head.
“Baby, you have to get up.” I gently said a little louder.
“Please mama.” Ellie whined. I couldn’t help the smile that pulled at my lips. Looking at the girl fighting with me, I felt my heart explode with love for her.
“Ellie Marie Davis, it is time for you to get your butt out of bed and get ready for school. There is coffee brewing in the machine downstairs and I just brought up your laundry. Get up.” I said, with a hint of amusement in my voice.
“Yes mama.” Ellie acquiesced, as she sat up in her bed. Looking at the young lady with messy hair, I couldn’t help but think about her father. I lost Jacob eighteen years ago when he ran into one of the Twin Towers to help save some of the people that were trapped in the building. He helped thirty people escape to safety, but never made it out alive. I was angry for a long time. It wasn’t fair. Thankfully I had Ellie and she helped bring the light back into my life. I always felt as if Jacob left her in my care to help me get over losing him.
“Last year of high school.” I said, as I dropped onto the bed next to my daughter. “Get through today and everything after today will be a piece of pie.”
“You always say the weirdest things Mama.”
“Mama Sandra told me that on the day I buried your father.” I confided to Ellie. Remembering the words of my dear friend made the smile on my face grow a little bit more.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful to daddy’s memory or Mama Sandra. Are we still going down to Allenville for Thanksgiving?” Ellie asked, waking up a little bit more.
“Yes, but you need to get yourself to school before thinking about a holiday that is two months away.” I sassed, standing up and making my way to the doorway. “Take a quick shower and be down for breakfast in twenty minutes. I will have oatmeal and toast ready with your coffee.”
“Thank you.” Ellie said, as she climbed out of her bed and started to make her way to her bathroom.
“You don’t have to thank me. It has always been and will always be my job to make sure that you are taken care of.” I called out to Ellie.
“I love you.” She responded, before closing the door to the bathroom.
Elle
“Miss Davis, can you stay a moment after class?” My senior English teacher, Mr. Johnson called out to me as the bell rang, dismissing class for the day.
“Of course. Is something wrong?” I asked, as I placed my books and pen into my backpack. Making my way up to Mr. Johnson’s desk, I looked behind me and waved to my best friend. I would call Michelle when I left here and fill her in on the details on why I was asked to stay after class.
Waiting until the class emptied out, Mr. Johnson started searching through the papers on his desk. Finally finding what he was looking for as the door to the classroom slammed shut, he looked up at me and motioned for me to have a seat in the desk directly in front of him. “Thank you for staying after school Ellie. I know that this is your last class of the day and I promise not to take up too much of your time on the first day of school.” The smile on his face was warm and inviting, but I had a feeling that there was a not so friendly reason why he asked to stay after class. “Breathe Ellie. You are not in trouble.”
Letting out the breath that I didn’t know that I was holding, I relaxed into the seat. “What’s up Mr. Johnson?” I asked.
“Well, when I realized that you were going to be in my senior English class this year, I pulled your file and did a little bit of research on you.
“What did my file say?” I asked, feeling my curiosity grow.
“A better question is why are you in my class when you should be in A.P. English?” Mr. Johnson said, looking directly at me.
“Umm, I don’t know. I never really thought about taking A.P. English.” I admitted.
“Ellie. Do you mind if I call you Ellie?” He asked. “Your grades are phenomenal. You are clearly way beyond anything that I am going to teach in this class. I fear that you are going to be bored.”
“Oh no. I took your class on purpose. I have been looking forward to your senior class since freshman year. I am so looking forward to reading some of the classics under your guidance.” I gushed, knowing that I sounded just like a fangirl.
“Well, I am very honored and will do my best to challenge you this year.” He said with a twinkle in his eye. “Ellie, if you do get bored in my class, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I also teach the A.P. English class and would be more than happy to get you added to that one.”
“To be honest, I am good with taking it easy this year.” I informed Mr. Johnson.
“Oh, I will make sure that you are challenged. This will not be a class that you will be able to sleep through.”
“Good.” I said, as I started to gather up my bag. “Is there anything else that you needed from me?”
“Actually yes. Is your mother Shelby Lynn. Well, I
guess it would be Davis now?”
“Yes.” I nervously answered, freezing in my tracks.
“I went to school with your mother and father. We were all really good friends. I’ve known your dad Jacob since preschool. I lost touch with a lot of my friends when I moved away for college. I thought I would reconnect with some of my old crew when I moved back to teach here. I just really haven’t had the time to reach out to anyone.”
“Well, I can help you a little bit. My dad died right after I was born. He was one of the firefighters who volunteered to go to the city on September 11th. He helped saved a lot of people, but never made it back home to my mother. I was only three months old when he died.”
“I didn’t know.” Mr. Johnson said, as he looked at me.
“Well now you do.” I said, annoyed that I had to explain all of this again. Around here, almost everyone knew the story of local hero Jacob Davis and his widow, Shelby. “If there is nothing else that you need from me, I am going to head home before my mother gets worried.”
“Ellie, wait.” Mr. Johnson called out, after the shock wore off. “I am so sorry for bringing this up. I honestly didn’t know. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
“It’s fine. If there isn’t anything else that you needed from me, I will see you tomorrow.” I said, fighting back the tears that were building up.
“See you tomorrow Ellie. Please don’t forget about the homework assignment.”
“Fill out the contact information sheet you handed out and read the first three chapters of The Wizard of Oz.” I recited to Mr. Johnson from the doorway. “I got it.” Making my way down the now empty hallway, I couldn’t fight the tears that had built up while speaking to my English teacher any longer. They started rolling down my cheeks before I even made it to my locker down the hall. Stopping to grab my jacket and purse, I checked myself out in my small locker mirror and was so thankful that there was no one around to see me in the state that I was in. I didn’t want to answer any more questions from anyone. I was so ready for this day to be over.
***
“Ellie, is that you?” My mother called out, as I closed our front door behind me. “How was your first day of school?
“Fine. I have a ton of homework to do.” I called back out to her, as I made my way up the stairs. I wanted to avoid the barrage of questions that my mother always had for me after the first day of school.
“Ellie?” My mother called out as she placed the book that she was reading on the end table. Making her way out of the living room, “wait. I want to hear about your first day of school.”
Stopping on the top step, I turned to look at my mother. I studied her in the dim light of the hallway and noticed that she wasn’t the mirror image of myself that I was always told she was. “It was just a regular day. I went to all my classes, met my new teachers, and got way too many assignments for the first day of school.” I said, hoping that my answer was enough to satisfy my mother’s curiosity.
“Ellie Marie Davis. I don’t know what has gotten into you, but you will not speak to me like that. Why don’t you come downstairs with me, grab a snack, and try again?” My mother said, clearly more annoyed with my attitude than curious about how my day went. Turning around, she made her way back down the stairs and to the living room. Hearing the couch squeak, I knew that my mother had reclaimed her seat closest to the fireplace.
“Yes ma’am.” I mumbled, as I made my way back down the stairs. Walking into the living room, I stopped in the doorway and looked around. There was something out of the ordinary, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
“Come have a seat next to me.”
Walking into the room, I plopped down on the empty couch cushion next to my mother and felt her grab my hand. “School was cool mom.” I sighed, hoping to appease her curiosity about my day.
“Which teachers did you get?” My mom asked, turning in her seat to face me.
Taking a deep breath, “I got Mr. Johnson for English. He kept me after class on the first day.”
“What did I tell you about fooling around in class? School is a place to learn, you have the weekends to goof off.” My mother said, switching to her bad cop persona.
“I wasn’t in trouble.” I cried out, offended that she would assume the worse. “He had pulled my file and wanted to know why I wasn’t taking a more advanced class this year.”
“Oh!” Fell from my mother’s lips. The shock was written all over her face. She was embarrassed for her rush to judgement. “I’m sorry Ellie.”
“It’s fine mom.” I said, as I stood up and turned to make my retreat out of the living room.
“Ellie! Wait a second. Why are you in such a rush?” My mother called after me.
“I’m just tired. It’s been a long day and I have a lot of work that needs to get done.” I told her, hoping that it would be enough to end this line of questioning.
“Who’s your English teacher again? I can call the school and request a change of class if he is giving you a hard time.” My mother said, clearly trying to smooth things over with me.
“Mr. Johnson.” I sighed. “You don’t have to call the school. I can handle him. I think he just wants to make sure that I am not bored or something.”
“Johnson…Johnson…Johnson. Why does that name sound familiar?” My mother asked, as she stood up and made her way towards me.
“He said that he went to school with you and dad.”
“Is your teacher Cole Johnson?” My mother asked, as a light bulb went off in her head.
“Yes.” I said, hoping that this conversation would be over soon.
“Oh my! That is a blast from the past.” My mother said, walking past me. Stopping at the hall closet, she opened the door and reached up on the shelf. Finally grabbing what she was obviously looking for, she made her way quickly back into the living room. “Here it is.” Grabbing her reading glasses off the small end table, she placed them on her face and patted the cushion next to her. “You want to see what Mr. Johnson looked like when he was younger?”
“Not really.” I said, still a little upset from my earlier conversation with Mr. Johnson. Making my way slowly back to the couch, I sat down next to my mother and watched as she took a trip down memory lane.
“Oh, my goodness!” She exclaimed, with a huge smile on her face. “Look Ellie. Here is Mr. Johnson, your father, and me after Homecoming.” Pointing to the picture of a beautiful cheerleader standing between two football players. Each of the boys were kissing one of her cheeks and they looked like they had just won a million dollars. “This was right after the game where we beat St. Francis Prep. No one expected us to win, but Cole threw the ball with four seconds on the clock and your father caught it in the end zone.” The look on my mother’s face mirrored the look that was captured on her younger self in the picture. She was so full of happiness and life.
“How come I never knew that you were a cheerleader?” I asked, getting sucked into the moment.
“I don’t know honey. That was a lifetime ago. Back when things made sense and your father was still here.”
“I’m sorry mom.” I said, when I saw the tear trickle down her cheek. I knew that talking about dad was hard for her and I tried to avoid it whenever I could.
“Oh Ellie. You didn’t do anything wrong. This was one of the best days of my life.” Wiping away the tear that was rolling down my mother’s beautiful brown skin, “do you know what the all-time best day for me was?”
“The day you married dad?” I said, wishing that I could have been there to witness the epic love that was Shelby and Jacob Davis.
“That was a good guess, but nope.” My mom said, with a smile. “The all-time best day of my life was the day that I got to meet you.” Leaning into me, she wrapped me up in a hug that I didn’t want to end. I felt so safe and secure in her arms. I knew that nothing would ever hurt me as long as my mother was close by.
Pulling away slowly, I looked up at my mother. “Mom since we are looking at old
pictures, could we go through my baby book? It has been a while.”
“Are you sure?” My mother asked, hoping that I wouldn’t change my mind. Looking at me, she held her breath waiting to see what my next move would be.
“The box is in the hall closet?” I inquired, standing up and making my way to the small room that held so many memories for us.
“Yes.” She told me, as she released the breath that she was holding.
Ring…Ring…Ring.
“Hello.” My mother said, as she answered the ringing phone that was resting on the end table next to her. “This is Ellie’s mother. Who may I ask is calling?”
Stopping right in front of the closed door, I listened intently to my mother’s half of the phone call. I wondered who could be calling her from my school.
“Cole? It is so good to hear your voice.” My mother’s voice rang out. She sounded happy and it was nice. Even if the person who was making her happy was someone other than me or my dad.
Losing interest in my mother’s conversation, I opened the closet door. Pulling the light switch that was hanging from the single light bulb in the middle of the small room, I looked at all the boxes that neatly lined the walls. The box that caught my attention had my name scribbled across it in my father’s handwriting. Feeling a pull that I couldn’t explain to the box, I grabbed it and laid it down on the floor. Carefully pulling at the tape that held it closed, I opened the boxed. Smiling as my eyes saw the contents, I started to pull out my old baby clothes. Coming across a purple blanket that had my name stitched into the corner, I brought it up to my nose and inhaled. Hoping to uncover some lost memories, I stood in the middle of the closet holding the old blanket. Letting my eyes fall closed, my mind pulled up memories of my father that I thought were long gone.