Color of Forgiveness

by Madeleine Beckett

  As for love? No fucking way is he in love with Myra. He barely even knows the woman. He’ll admit he has some feelings for her. He does truly care about Myra. He misses her almost to the point that it hurts when she’s not around and he feels protective of her. He knows he’s felt jealously; just the thought of Ray or that fucking ex of hers anywhere near her makes his fists clench in anger. And, yes, he’s attracted to her; he can’t keep his damn hands off of her when she’s around but that doesn’t mean he loves her.

  “Dad, I’m done with my homework,” Jackson shouts from the hallway.

  “Shit,” Chad mutters as he stuffs his face with two more humongous bites of pie before getting up and tossing the plate on the counter.

  “Gotcha gro take,” he mutters unintelligibly while chewing and pointing towards the hallway, “gruv boys.”

  Dylan frowns and shakes his head, having no clue what he said.

  Chad continues chewing as he waves ‘come on’ at him. He follows Chad out of the kitchen and to the stairs. “Gotta go take care of the boys,” Chad finally says after he swallows his bite. “I’ll be right back.”

  Dylan steps back into the living room where Natalie lays on the couch. He listens to her talk about the baby. His heart aches when she puts his hand on her belly so that he can feel his niece moving. Flashes of feeling Mel move in Sabrina’s belly hit him hard, almost knocking the breath out of him.

  Natalie gives him a tearful goodbye and makes him promise that he’ll stop back by tomorrow to visit her some more before he leaves town. He tells the boys and Chad goodbye, his eyes staying longer on Joseph as he memorizes his face, his little hands, and notes how much taller he is.

  On the drive back to his parent’s house, he allows himself to visualize what Mel might look like now if he were still alive. For just the briefest moment, he pictures Mel standing next to him. He’d be so proud of him. Breathing heavily, he frowns, rubbing that painful spot in the center of his chest and tries to think of something else.

  * * *

  Myra gets off the airplane with butterflies frantically chasing each other in her stomach. She feels ridiculous having this reaction considering she just saw Dylan yesterday, but she can’t help it. Just the thought of seeing him again sends her adrenaline racing.

  She makes her way to the baggage claim area and stands by the carousel watching for her luggage when she hears a voice in her ear. “Hey,” he says quietly, making her jump.

  “You scared me,” she says breathlessly as she turns around to face him. A black baseball cap covers most of his hair and the scruff on his face is a little longer. He’s wearing a white T-shirt with an unbuttoned brown plaid shirt over it paired with faded jeans and his work boots. He takes her breath away. His eyes are soft as they stare down at her and she sees that “look” that Susie was telling her about. He looks at her like he only has eyes for her, like she’s the only person in his world, like she’s… beautiful. It makes her legs weak and causes her heart to beat erratically.

  As she stares up into his intense eyes, it hits her. She is completely and totally in love with this man. She’s not sure when it happened or how but she just knows. She loves him exactly as he is with all of his flaws and brokenness.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he says softly as he wraps his arms around her. “God, you’re so beautiful,” he whispers, his voice deep and husky.

  His eyes dip to her lips. “I really want to kiss you, really fucking badly but I… I’m trying to do things right this time.”

  Myra frowns and stares at his lips. She doesn’t want Dylan to do what’s right. She wants the old Dylan back; the one that couldn’t keep his lips off of her, the man that couldn’t control his hands around her. She knows they have a ton of things to still talk about and work out, but right now she doesn’t care.

  So in the middle of the crowded airport with people bustling all around them, she stands on her tip toes, pulls his head down towards her and crushes her lips against his. She puts everything into that kiss; her longing for him, her compassion for him over the pain that he carries for his lost son and her love. He groans into her mouth and pulls her body tight against his. His scruffy beard scratches roughly against her skin, but it doesn’t matter. She sucks his lower lip into her mouth, causing a deep growling sound to vibrate in his chest. He kisses her back with just as much passion.

  Someone clears their throat. “Dylan?” a woman’s voice calls out.

  Dylan pulls his lips away from her. “Holy shit,” he mumbles before his head snaps around to look behind him. “What the hell… I mean, what the heck, Mom. What are you doing here?”

  Myra peeks around Dylan’s shoulder to see an extremely attractive older couple staring at them. She cannot believe his parents are here and caught her attacking their son. She wishes she could hide in a suitcase. The woman’s face contorts into outrage as she stares at Dylan. “Dylan Andrew Lawson, don’t you ever address me like that. I raised you better than that. I don’t care if you are an adult now, I am your mother and you will not speak to me like that. Do you understand?”

  Dylan looks down at Myra and slightly shakes his head. He drops his arms from around Myra and turns around. “Sorry,” he says to his mom. “What are you doing here?” he asks in a strained voice.

  Dylan’s mother takes a step towards Myra and holds out her hand. “Please excuse my son’s behavior. I’m Sherri.” She grabs Myra’s hand with both of hers. Myra can’t help but admire how truly beautiful she is even with the small laugh lines around her eyes. Myra can only imagine how incredibly breathtaking she must have been as a younger woman. Looking into her eyes, she sees Dylan’s eyes reflected back. They are the exact same color.

  “I’m Myra... Myra Sommers.”

  “It’s wonderful to meet you. You are even lovelier than Dylan said you were.”

  Sherri turns to the man standing behind her. “And this is Dylan’s father, Dennis.”

  Dylan’s father is equally attractive. She can see the resemblance to Dylan in the strong jaw line and cheekbones. Dylan definitely has good genes. “Nice to meet you,” he says with a smile as he shakes her hand firmly.

  Dennis looks at Dylan and holds his hands up. “Son, I had nothing to do with this. This is all on your mother. I’m completely innocent. She dragged me here against my will. I tried to tell her this was a terrible idea.”

  “Dennis, hush. Last time I checked, I didn’t need Dylan’s permission to go to the airport or anywhere else for that matter,” Sherri says quickly, shooting a glare to her son before tucking her arm through Dennis’s. Myra can’t help but smile at how cute his parents are.

  Glancing up at Dylan, her brows furrow slightly when she sees his panicked face, his cheeks a bright red. He leans down and whispers in her ear. “I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking embarrassed.”

  Reaching for his hand, she entwines her fingers with his and squeezes, looking up and giving him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” she mouths. And it is. Other than being mortified that they caught her assaulting their son with her lips, she actually finds it sweet that they came all the way to the airport just to meet her.

  “Myra, I begged Dylan to bring you home so that we could meet you, but in case you haven’t figured it out yet, he’s a bit stubborn and hard-headed. But I just had to meet you. I know this is a bit soon to throw this on you and it’s still quite a ways away, but I wanted to see if you had any plans for Easter yet. I’d love it if you two could come spend the weekend with us. I’ll fix a huge Easter dinner and you could meet the rest of the family. What do you think?” Sherri asks eagerly.

  Myra looks from his mom to Dylan for some guidance on how to answer. He’s staring straight ahead, throwing daggers at his mother with his eyes. She can see the muscles in his jaw clenching. He swivels his head towards her and his expression immediately softens. There’s so much fear and concern in his eyes that it makes her heart hurt. She’s not sure what to make of this whole situation. Does he not want her to spend
time with his parents? Is there a reason he didn’t want her to meet them?

  She looks back at Sherri. “Can you excuse us for just a minute? I need to talk to Dylan.”

  “Oh, absolutely,” Sherri says as she tugs on Dennis’ arm. “We’ll just be right over there.” She points towards the exit.

  Before Myra can say anything, Dylan grabs her hand and starts walking in the opposite direction. “Myra, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe they showed up like this. This is a fucking nightmare. I—”

  She stops walking and places a hand on his chest. “Dylan… stop.”

  He stops talking and stares at her with his brows furrowed.

  “I know you had nothing to do with it, but I think it’s incredibly sweet and wonderful that they drove all the way out here just to meet me. You’re not embarrassed for me to meet them are you?”

  “Embarrassed? What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I mean, she said you didn’t want them to meet me…”

  “No. I did want you to meet them. I just… I didn’t want to scare you off. I’m always screwing shit up with you and I wanted to take things slow this time and do things right. I knew meeting my parents definitely wasn’t taking things slow. I don’t want to fuck things up this time and lose you.”

  “You’re not going to lose me. I’m not going anywhere. How should I answer her?”

  “Well, I’d be really damn proud to introduce you to my family, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. If this is too soon…”

  “No, I’d love to go with you.”

  Dylan gives her a half-grin. “You would?”

  “Yes, I would.”

  A huge grin spreads across Dylan’s face. He grabs Myra’s hand. “Okay. Let’s go tell them.”

  They walk over to where Dennis and Sherri are waiting. “Well?” Sherri asks, looking back and forth between them.

  Myra looks up at Dylan wanting him to answer. He stares back down at her and with his eyes locked on hers and says, “We’ll be there,” in a quiet voice.

  Sherri squeals in delight. “This is just wonderful. Well, we’re going to let you two get on the road. I’m sure you’re exhausted from your flight and ready to get home,” she says to Myra with a smile.

  Sherri throws her arms around Dylan. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry for showing up like this, but sometimes mother’s just know what’s best for their children. And you know that I love you dearly.” Myra’s heart melts as she watches her kiss his cheek so lovingly. Her eyes mist up as her heart desperately longs for her own lost family.

  “I love you too, but I’m gonna hold a grudge for a while for this little stunt you pulled,” he says to his mom with a smirk.

  Sherri laughs lightly before turning to Myra and pulling her in for a hug. Myra melts into her, enjoying the motherly affection that she’s been denied for so long. She smells like freshly cut flowers. Sherri whispers in her ear, “He needs you. Thank you for giving me my son back.”

  When she pulls away, Myra can see the tears pooling in Sherri’s eyes. She’s not quite sure how to interpret her words because she can’t think of a single thing that she’s done that could bring him closer to his family. But Sherri’s eyes are so full of warmth and sincerity that she decides to just accept it. She smiles and nods at her.

  As Myra watches Dennis and Sherri leave the airport hand in hand, she realizes that not only does she love Dylan, but she has fallen in love at first sight with his parents as well.

  * * *

  Dylan shuts Myra’s trunk and turns towards her. “Are you hungry? Do you want to get something to eat before we head out?”

  “Yeah, that would be great.”

  “I know this little diner not too far from here where we could get a sandwich. You want to follow me there?”

  “Sure.”

  Dylan leads the way the short distance from the airport to the diner. Once he gets parked, he grimaces as he gets out of his truck. He twists back and forth trying to stretch his back out.

  “Are you okay?” Myra asks as she comes up behind him. “Is it your back?”

  “Yeah, that flight yesterday just about fucking killed me. As soon as we get back to Nyssa, I’ve got to get my back adjusted.”

  “Do you need some painkillers? I’ve got some Ibuprofen in my purse.”

  “Nah, I can tough it out,” he says as he grabs her hand and entwines his fingers with hers.

  After they’ve been seated and placed their orders, Dylan looks up at Myra. He’s got something he wants to ask her, but his mouth suddenly goes dry. He grabs his Coke and takes a quick drink.

  He clears his throat. “I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Anything,” she says quietly with a hint of a smile on her lips.

  “Well, I was thinking that—” he says before getting interrupted by his phone ringing.

  “Jesus Christ. Hang on,” he grumbles as he digs his phone out of his shirt pocket.

  “Goddamn it,” he says as he stares down at the caller ID.

  “You okay?” Myra asks. He looks up at her and knows exactly what he has to do.

  “Yeah… it’s Sabrina. I don’t have any more secrets. I’m going to answer this and put it on speaker, all right?”

  “You don’t have to…”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Okay,” she says with a nod.

  He hits the button and puts it on speaker. “Yeah?”

  “Dylan, I’m so glad I caught you. What are you doing?” Sabrina’s voice purrs through the phone.

  “I’m with Myra right now,” he says with no hesitation in his voice, his eyes glued to Myra’s face.

  “Oh.”

  “What do you want, Sabrina?”

  “Well, I wanted to see if you were going to be home this weekend. I wanted to stop by.”

  “Why?”

  “Just to talk… and I wanted to see if you got the bill for the tombstone yet so I can pay my half.”

  “That’s not necessary. I’m taking care of it.”

  “Oh no, I want to pay my share.”

  “Fine, give me your address and I’ll mail you the bill.”

  “Well, I’d really like to do this in person instead.”

  “That’s not gonna work because I plan on being with Myra this weekend.” Myra flashes him a shy smile. “Look, I don’t want any misunderstandings between us. I’m with Myra now and I think she’d be pretty fucking pissed if she knew I was spending time with you no matter how innocent it was.” Myra nods her head at him in agreement.

  “But I—”

  Dylan cuts her off. “Is there anything else you needed?”

  The phone remains quiet for a long moment before Sabrina sighs loudly. “I guess not.”

  “All right… well, I gotta go.”

  Dylan ends the call and looks up at Myra. “I want to make this clear. I don’t have any feelings for Sabrina any more. What we had… it ended a long time ago. I don’t know why the hell she’s choosing now to suddenly try to get back into my life when I haven’t heard from her in so long but I need you to understand that.”

  “I understand. You can’t help it if she calls you. You saw what a hard time I had getting away from Trent.”

  Dylan’s eyes narrow a bit as a wave of completely irrational jealousy floods him simply from hearing her say that asshole’s name. Thankfully, their food arrives.

  “Dylan?”

  “Hmm?” he mumbles around a mouthful of cheeseburger.

  “What were you going to ask me before Sabrina called?”

  He holds up a finger to let her know he needs to finish chewing his bite. Picking up his Coke, he takes a big gulp then clears his throat. “Well, I… I thought since we were going to try to start over again and shit, well, I wanted to know if you’d… Will you go on a date with me?”

  “A date?” she repeats, her face lighting up.

  “Yeah...”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Okay, then.” Dylan stares at her, smiling
goofily, and she at him, as they finish their meal. When they’re done, they walk out to their cars and he opens her door and stares down at her for a moment.

  “I wish we were riding together,” he says, knowing he sounds like a pussy but not really caring.

  “Me too.”

  “At least it’s only an hour drive.”

  “Yeah.”

  His eyes lower to her lips. Moving a little closer, he swallows. “I’m going to kiss you again,” he whispers. “Is that okay?”

  She nods and wraps her arms around his neck. “It’s always okay,” she whispers. “You don’t ever have to ask.” He leans down and touches her lips with his own. He kisses her softly, gently several times loving how soft and perfect her lips feel against his. But before he knows it, the kiss escalates and his hands are in her hair and he’s pushing closer and closer to her, groaning into her open mouth. He can’t do this shit right here in a goddamn parking lot. Pulling his lips away from hers, he leans his forehead against hers for a moment to catch his breath.

  “Sorry about that,” he says in an out-of-breath voice. “You are really fucking irresistible.”

  She giggles and hugs his neck, causing him to chuckle. When she gets in the car, he closes the door and follows her out of the parking lot. Just as they’re about to get on the highway, his phone rings.

  Frowning, he digs it out of his pocket. He rolls his eyes when he sees the caller ID. This cannot be good. “What?” he answers angrily.

  “So… how old are you, bro? I can’t believe you got caught making out with your baby girl right in the middle of the fucking airport by the old parental units. Damn, bro. You got it bad,” Chad says before cackling loudly. Dylan bristles as this confirms exactly why he didn’t want his family to know about Myra in the first place. But then, without realizing it, he cracks a smile. Chad’s definitely an asshole for teasing him… but the reason for the teasing had definitely been very worthwhile.