Never Forgotten Love

by S. M. Stryker

“Harlow, I’m not going anywhere. If I had my way you would be with me here, living in this house right now, but I know you need time, nothing is going to change my mind. You have my heart and you have had it since I was four years old. I love you Harlow girl.”

  “You would really have me move in here with you? Even this soon after getting together?”

  “Harlow, I knew you for eight years, I knew your personality, and I knew who you were. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are going to be together, but I want you to be comfortable and ready when I ask you.” Harlow cups my cheeks pulling my lips to hers she kisses me. I love you Beck.”

  “I know you do, you will get your dream because it has always been my dream,” I say as I kiss the top of her head. We sit Harlow wrapped in my arms until the water starts to cool. We climb out of the tub and go to the shower to wash off. “Stay the night with me,” I say.

  “I didn’t bring anything to wear.”

  “I don’t know, my shirt looked pretty good on you tonight,” I chuckled, with a wicked smile.

  “Ok, I just need to let Nicole know. I think she was going out with Richard tonight.”

  “Really? Well, maybe we did make a love connection. That’s great, Richard’s a really great guy, and he deserves to find love.”

  After getting out of the shower, Harlow sends a text to Nicole letting her know she is staying the night. I pull out a new toothbrush for her and a t-shirt to sleep in. As she is getting ready for bed, I go to the kitchen and clean up, putting the food away. I check the front door and lock the deck doors, setting the alarm. I still cannot believe my mother found out where I lived. I’ll have to file a restraining order on Monday, she is the one that didn’t want me in her life, I won’t let her interrupt my life out of her need for…God only knows.

  When I return to the bedroom, I make sure Harlow knows that I set the alarm and give her the code to deactivate it if she wants to go outside and I am not up.

  We crawl into bed; I lay on my back as Harlow curls up to me and lays her head on my chest. It feels so good, so right, this is home. My arms are wrapped around her waist; it doesn’t take long for me to fall fast asleep.

  Chapter Eleven

  I AWAKE TO THE SMELL OF COFFEE, bacon and some kind of pastry being baked. I would say that I feel like a little kid waking up to the smell of a wonderful breakfast, but I never had such memories when I was a child. I get out of bed and make my way to the bathroom brushing my teeth. I walk into the kitchen and have to smile as Harlow is cooking in the kitchen, she hasn’t noticed me yet, and she has flour on her cheek and nose, just as she did when she was a kid. That’s the memory I held onto as I grew up. I walk in and wrap my arms around her kissing her on the neck. “You smell so good.” I lick her neck and nibble on her ear as I close my eye and inhale deeper, letting her fragrance envelop me, as my desire for her is evident under my robe.

  “You’re going to starve if you keep that up,” she laughs as she finished her sentence, and she realizes what she had said. “Ok, ok, you know what I mean, you didn’t eat dinner last night, you need to eat this morning.”

  “I do believe I did eat last night,” I said as I let out a low chuckle and winked at her.

  “Cute!” she laughs shyly. “I thought it would be nice to eat outside on the deck since we didn’t get to last night.”

  “That sounds great. I’ll turn off the alarm and set the table.” I snuggle up behind her again, inhaling her scent. “God, you smell good, I really like the way your new perfume mixes with your chemistry, and yeah, I could really get used to this. I don’t think I have ever slept so well.”

  I open the doors up to let the air circulate through the house. I set the table and pour orange juice and coffee as the timer goes off on the oven. Harlow pulls scones out of the oven. I take the butter and raspberry jam and set them on the table as we bring the food out and have a nice relaxing breakfast.

  Harlow left a little later in the day. Being the owner of a bakery means being up in the middle of the night to do baking while everyone else is still warm and cozy in their beds so when they get up for work they can stop by her bakery and pick up their coffee and pastries for the day. The house feels empty without her here. It’s funny how much I miss her already.

  Monday morning comes fast. Today is Raven’s first day on the job. I show her how to answer the phone system and how to operate the office equipment and most important, the coffee maker. I tell her to make sure to get the name of the person calling if they call to talk to me and not to put calls through from my mother.

  At lunch, I go to the courthouse getting the paperwork I need for my restraining order against my mother. So far, I haven’t heard from her since the Saturday night incident. I would think I was lucky, but I know my mother better than that and it is just a matter of time, I feel it.

  Raven is doing a great job she’s a quick learner. She is our personal gopher right now since the phones aren’t very busy.

  I sit down with Richard and fill him in on the weekend, and he fills me in on his. He and Nicole did go out on Saturday night for dinner and dancing and they really like each other. “I’m really glad you two are hitting it off, we thought you would.”

  “Oh, so this was a silent blind date?”

  “Well, only between Harlow and me. She told me about her aunt and I told Harlow about you, and both you and Nicole are almost identical, you work in similar fields of work, you’re workaholics, other than you are a man and she is a woman…” we both laugh at that. I clear my throat and say, “I was thinking about asking Harlow to move in with me…”

  “That’s kind of fast don’t you think?”

  “I know, but, it’s like nothing has changed, we’ve picked up where we left off. I know it sounds crazy, but I know she is the one, she always has been.”

  “I understand I just want you to be careful. She still comes with some baggage.”

  “We all come with baggage Richard, no matter who we are.”

  “Yes, but she come from a recent abuse, and I know what you are going to say, you have worked to get over your childhood and the abuse you went through. She is still in it. She won’t have closure until this guy is caught, and then she might be drawn back into the middle of it. Did you find out anything more on the ex?”

  “No, he’s vanished. No one knows where he is. Mitchell is coming in today and I’m hoping he has something for me.”

  “Do you think he is still hot after her?”

  “I don’t know what to think. I mean who would do that to a father of a girlfriend? The guy is a few beers short of a six-pack,” I chuckle.

  “Well, just be careful, Nicole told me some of the story. Did Harlow tell you she was having nightmares?

  “No, but I wouldn’t doubt it after what she went through. I’ll talk to her. She hasn’t had any in the few times she has stayed over.”

  “Well, keep your eyes open.”

  “I will.”

  “By the way I wanted to talk to you about maybe hiring a couple tech people, starting off slow, I don’t want to start off to fast and have issues down the line, I don’t want to worry about growing pains, what do you think?”

  “I think that’s one of the only ways we’re going to grow the business. You and I can only do so much, and as we get more business, we will need more techs. I don’t want to lose business because of our timelines; our roles are going to have to change to keep up with all the business aspects too. I think it would be a great idea.”

  “Ok, I’ll list the job openings in the next couple days then,” he says.

  I start to walk back to my desk to start to fill out the papers for a restraining order when I see Mitchell at the reception area talking to Raven. I have to smile at his body language. I don’t ever think I’ve seen Mitchell look so relaxed and with such a big smile on his face especially with a woman. If I didn’t know better, I would think he is crushing on Raven. I clear my throat and they both look up at me, Mitchell looks like he just was cau
ght with his hand in the preverbal cookie jar, standing up straight from the position he had leaning on the reception counter. “Uh, hey Beck, I was just uh, introducing myself to uh, Raven here.” Shit, he’s blushing. This is just too funny.

  “Uh huh, I can see that.” I continue to glance between the two of them.

  “Nice to meet you Raven.” As I am turning to walk back to my office, I catch Mitchell winking at Raven, and chuckle.

  “You to Toby.”

  I turn and Mitchell follows me back to my office. I sit down as Mitchell shuts the door behind him and takes a seat across from me. I look at Mitchell with a big smile still on my face.

  “What?”

  “Uh huh…”

  “What uh huh?

  “Toby?…Mitchell, how many years have we known each other? Eight, nine years or so wouldn’t you say?”

  “Yeah, there about.”

  “And how many times have I seen you interact with a female?”

  “Never,”

  “Exactly.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that you have never interacted with a female because they didn’t appeal to you. Now little Miss Whitehorse out there, not only did you interact with her, you flirted with her and you had the biggest smile on your face that I have ever seen. Plus, you gave her your first name. It had taken six months before you gave it to me. If I didn’t know better, I would say that you kind of like our Fair Raven.”

  “God, I just love her name,” he says as he goes into a daze.

  “Earth to Mitchell.”

  “Oh, Sorry, I was just…”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Man, I don’t know what it is about her, but there is just something about her. I never get involved. I’m sorry; I’ll keep my hands off.”

  “Mitchell, I don’t care if you see Raven that is up to the two of you. It’s none of my business you are both adults. I just thought it was funny because I have never seen you act like that before.”

  “You really don’t mind?”

  “Nope.”

  “Ok, well maybe I will ask her out.”

  I smile and shake my head. “Now back to business, have you found out anything about Harlow’s ex-boyfriend Brad?”

  “No, not as of yet. Whatever he is doing, he’s off the grid. He hasn’t used his bank accounts or credit cards.”

  “So what do we do? How can we find him?”

  “We are just going to have to be patient, he will surface, and when he does he will screw up and then we will be able to get him.”

  “Mitchell, it’s been six years already, what makes you think he is still holding a vendetta?”

  “Beckett, do you really want to take that risk? If what Brad did to Harlow’s father is any indication of what he is capable of then yes, he is out there and still looking. Paul told me it wasn’t easy finding anything on Harlow as well. It’s because she went off the grid too. That’s why you couldn’t find any information on the web about her; there is nothing in her name. However, it’s just a matter of time. If Brad happens to follow her parents down or he remembers anything about friends and family, she might’ve mentioned when they were together he could find her that way as well. He’s biding his time until the time is right, then he will make his move, and we’ll be ready for him.”

  “I hope to God you are right, I can’t imagine what Harlow’s been going through the last six years.”

  Mitchell stands to leave, “We will get him, it’s just a matter of time.”

  “Thanks, Mitchell, I appreciate your help on this.”

  “What are friends for Beck; I’ll let you know if I find anything.” Mitchell walks out and closes the door behind him, as I sit and think about all he has told me as I run my fingers through my hair.

  The week seems to fly by. My restraining order was filed and signed it just has to be delivered, and interviews have been set for the new tech job, it’s been a productive week.

  Harlow’s parents are coming down for the weekend so I won’t see much of her this weekend. I’ll go over to see them though. I want them to understand what happened ten years ago when I lost contact with Harlow. I am hoping they’ll understand and not harbor ill feeling for me.

  Then I think, maybe I should invite everyone over to my place for a barbecue. It would be a great way to see them and Harlow and Richard could come to see Nicole too.

  I call Harlow and ask her if her family would like to come over for a barbecue. I feel like it’s my way to pay them back for everything they did for me. Then I ask if she thinks it would be ok to have Richard come over too since he was my family. She thought that would be a great idea and that way we can all clear the air. Harlow will talk to her parents and Nicole, and I’ll talk to Richard.

  Harlow calls and we plan for her family to come over Saturday afternoon. I let Richard know and sit down to make my list of things to do and the food I need to get. I think I am more nervous about Harlow’s parents coming over than when she came over. It has been a long time since I have seen them and I want to make a good impression. I want them to know that if Harlow and I do get together that I’ll be able to take care of her. I never told her that Richard had given me fifty percent of the company as a college graduation present so I know I’ll be able to take care of her and for that matter, if she ever wanted to stay home when we have a family, that won’t be an issue either.

  I stop at the store on the way home Friday evening to pick up all the groceries I’ll need for our barbecue.

  Saturday morning I put a couple salads together and do some last minute odds and ends before they arrive. I set up my iPod and start my playlist of calming music. I think I could use a shot of something to calm my nerves down. Richard luckily arrives before everyone else. It’s funny, he’s just as nervous as I am too, and I have to laugh that a forty-year-old man is nervous about meeting Nicole’s family. I quickly pull out a lime two shot glasses and the Patron Silver. I cut the lime and pour the tequila as we both take a shot. I wash the shot glasses and put them away. Perfect timing, as I close the cabinet doors the doorbell rings, I walk to the door and check the peephole to make sure it’s not my mother again. Luckily, it was Harlow and her family. I open the door inviting them in. Harlow’s parents look at me in awe, they haven’t seen me this tall, it’s funny what ten years does. “Mr. and Mrs. Bennett, it’s so good to see you again, I hold my hand out to Harlow’s dad, he looks down at my hand then back to my face, I’m thinking shit, he is pissed.

  He knocks my hand out of the way and takes a step toward me, I am thinking shit, shit, then he put his arms around me saying, “What’s with this formal shit kid, I thought we were closer than that, and it’s Michael.” I let out the breath I had been holding and smile.

  Then Mrs. Bennett steps over, her eyes brimming with tears. “Oh Beckett, it’s so good to see you. I’m so sorry about what you’ve been through.” Her tears are now rolling down her cheeks.

  “Thank you Mrs. Bennett, but it’s been a long time, and I’m fine now.”

  “Please Beckett, call me Rachael.” I pull her into a big hug. “I can’t believe how tall you have gotten; I don’t think I would have recognized you.”

  “I just want to tell you and Michael thank you and how much I appreciate everything you did for me and taught me. What you taught me not only showed me what I wanted to do with my life, but it showed me who I wanted to be too. I don’t know what I would be like if I didn’t have you two to hold me accountable. I look at you as my parents, since I didn’t have one.” Now Rachael is outright sobbing, Harlow leaves and comes back with tissue for her mother.

  “Oh Beckett, I wish I would have known just how bad it was, I would have done something. I remember when Harlow came home from your house that first day of school and she said you were home alone. My God, I thought she had just gone to the store for milk or something, I didn’t realize she was out all night long. I thought…I just don’t know what I thought, who leaves a young child at home
alone?”

  “Really Rachael, I’m fine. It was all I knew, I didn’t know any different so it doesn’t bother me, and as I got older you were there for me, and I want you both to know how much I appreciate it and you. I also want you to meet Richard.”

  I introduce Michael and Rachael to Richard. Nicole walks over to him and plants a kiss on Richard’s lips.

  I invite everyone in and out to the deck for drinks. Harlow helps me in the kitchen with the drinks and I give her a gentle kiss. “I was so nervous about your parents today, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was a nice surprise that they weren’t upset with me. The way your dad looked at me when I opened the door and then he knocked my hand back, I thought for sure he was going to deck me.”

  “I talked to them and let them know what had happened. Besides, they’ve always loved you; they just didn’t know why you stopped all contact. They understand now.”

  We get the drinks and take them outside. I grab the appetizers I had fixed earlier, taking them out to the deck and arranging them on the table. When Harlow and I sit down her parents start to ask me what happened after we moved, I filled them in on the whole sordid story, the looks on their faces fall with my explanation of my childhood. I try to turn their attention to Richard since he was now dating Nicole.

  When everyone was ready, I start the barbecue for the steaks. As it was getting hot, I start bringing out the salads, warm up the barbecue beans, and corn on the cob. For dessert, I made a fresh berry cobbler; I put it in the oven so it will be hot when we are ready for it.

  The evening is going well until the doorbell rings. I look at Harlow with a look of dread. Richard looks at us. He stands to walk to the front door. I follow him grabbing the papers from the court. If it’s my mother, this will be the easiest way to have her served the restraining order. Richard asks for the papers and looks through the peephole, he turns and looks at me and gives me a nod that yes it was she. He told me to go back out with my guests, and that he would take care of my mother. There’s no way I’d be able to go back outside until I knew this situation with my mother is taken care of. I stand behind the door as Richard opens it and Cheryl tries to push her way inside. Richard held tight to the door and blocked her entrance. “Can I help you?” he asks.