My Weakness

by Alison Mello

  “I know, baby, I know. I couldn’t believe it either.”

  Kara shakes her head sadly and I know her heart is breaking for me. That’s how much she loves me. She knows what I went through when Zoey lost our baby. For Molly to allow me to believe she was pregnant, to show me a baby scan, to make me believe we were having a son…I can’t get my mind around it.

  We get out of the car and walk up the short path to Molly’s door. Kara knocks quietly and then stands back to take my hand in hers. She squeezes it gently, giving me a small comfort.

  Molly answers the door and looks shocked to see us, but soon her plastic smile fills her face. Why couldn’t I see before just how fake she was? I can see it now though, and that’s what matters.

  She asks us inside, and neither of us say a word as we walk through to take a seat in the lounge. Molly offers us a drink but we both decline, so she sits on the chair opposite us.

  “Is there something you need to tell me, Molly?”

  I offer her the opportunity to confess before I do anything else.

  “Like what, Reid?”

  “Something about our son?” my subtle emphasis on the word son has her looking at me funnily.

  “No, just that everything was A-okay at the last appointment I had. I heard his heartbeat and he’s perfectly healthy.”

  How she lies so smoothly I will never know. If she doesn’t want to answer, then fine, I’ll play along with her façade a little longer.

  “Oh right. When was that? Is there a reason why you didn’t tell me when the appointment was?”

  “It was two weeks ago. I did text you, but I never got a reply, so I assumed you weren’t able to come.”

  The lies just pile up so neatly. She’s a devious bitch, I’ll give her that.

  “So what about the fact that I didn’t get notice about your twenty week scan either, Molly? You sent me a picture message of the scan of my son, rather than allowing me to be present.”

  “Well, I texted you about that too.”

  “And you thought a text was enough, did you? You couldn’t have called me? Even if I hadn’t been able to answer, you could have left me a voicemail.”

  I never received any damn text and she knows it.

  The fact I didn’t get to go to her first or second scan, the fact that she’s never asked me along to midwife appointments like she promised she would, the pictures of the fake bump, only being able to see scan pictures but not to hear my son’s heartbeat…everything adds up to this woman being a completely sociopathic bunny boiler. I’m surprised there isn’t a fucking bunny stew on the stove right now.

  “I…umm…” she stutters, seeming to be lost for an answer for once.

  “Let me get this straight, Molly. You are pregnant with my son and I swear I’ll be there for you every step of the way. I promise to attend every scan, midwife, doctor, or hospital appointment you have. I give you money to buy things our son will need. But you can’t do something as simple as make a phone call? You can’t come to my house if you can’t get hold of me? You know where I live, for fuck’s sake. You know where my girlfriend works, you know my brother and his boyfriend. There are any number of ways for you to get a message to me. But no, I don’t get any fucking message because there isn’t one to get.”

  I stand up and begin to pace in front of the fireplace. The simmering rage from earlier is now bubbling through my veins and I want to get to the bottom of her goddamn lies. I want to get out of here, hit the gym, and beat the fuck out of a punch bag.

  “I don’t know what you mean, Reid.”

  “Cut the bullshit, you lying bitch.”

  I can’t believe those words just came out of my sweet Kara’s mouth. My lips quirk in a slight grin.

  “I beg your pardon?” Molly feigns being affronted.

  “You heard me. Tell the man the truth about your son,” she air quotes the last word with her fingers.

  “What about him?”

  “Well, you could start with the fact that he’s a figment of your sick, deluded imagination. Then you could show him your silicone bump.”

  “My what?”

  Molly stands and looms over Kara. I almost intervene, but Kara stands, beating me to it.

  “This!” she shouts as she lifts Molly’s top and exposes her sick lies.

  “How dare you,” Molly says as she struggles to pull her top back down.

  There’s the distinct sound of a slap and I look to see Kara’s face is bright red. I’m about to leap to her rescue, but I hear the sound of her retaliation as I see Molly’s head snap back from the sheer force of it.

  “Quit the shit, you bunny boiling little whore!” Kara says as she reaches to grip Molly’s arms to stop her slapping her again.

  “Stop this now!” I shout. “I want the truth and I want it right now. If you don’t stop lying, so help me god…it’s a good job I’d never hit a woman.”

  I am absolutely seething. The rage is rolling off me in waves and Molly must sense this because she sits back down in her chair and begins crying. She buries her face in her hands and wails loudly.

  “I…I…I never meant for all this to happen,” she manages between sobs.

  “Then what was supposed to happen, Molly? Why did you do this to me?”

  “Because I wanted you to love me as much as I love you.”

  “Love? You did this out of love? I think you need to learn the definition of the word. This definitely wasn’t love.”

  “I love you, Reid. I just wanted you to feel the same way about me. When I saw how you looked at Kara, I knew you weren’t really with me. We might have been together, but I was only a temporary substitute for the one woman you really wanted. I was jealous.”

  “So you thought if we were having a baby, I would come back to you?” I ask incredulously.

  Molly starts crying again and I just want to tell her to quit it and pull herself together. She’s the liar, she doesn’t get to be upset. I’m the wronged party, not her.

  “How did you find out it was a lie?” she asks quietly.

  “I saw you at the store, remember?” Kara asks, “Zoey and I saw you bent over a pram and we saw the bump and the wide strap around your back. I didn’t understand, but a quick check on Google confirmed what I’d seen.”

  Kara shoves her phone in Molly’s face and I see the shock register as she sees the photographic evidence of herself caught in a lie.

  “Oh, what a tangled web we weave,” Kara says in a mocking tone.

  “We’re done here, Molly. If you ever come near me again, I will go to the police. Do not contact me again. I don’t want to see your face, or hear your voice. Not for any reason. Am I understood?” I say as I reach for Kara’s hand.

  “Yes.”

  Her answer was so quiet I barely heard it, but I leave with Kara and don’t look back.

  “I’m so sorry, Reid.”

  “What for, baby? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  We’re back in my car and on the way to her house. I don’t know what she’s apologising for. She did what she knew to be right.

  “I can’t help but be sad that this is how you found out.”

  “Isn’t it just good that I found out at all? What do you think would have happened in another couple of months when she didn’t give birth?”

  “Well, at least then it wouldn’t be on me. At least I wouldn’t feel this crippling guilt for breaking your heart.”

  “Kara, you are my heart. You did the right thing for the man you love. You wouldn’t have been able to live with yourself if you knew and didn’t say anything.”

  “I know, it’s just…” She sighs and then goes quiet.

  “Nothing, Kara. Think nothing of this. We never have to think about this again. Molly isn’t a part of our lives, and I’m not having a baby with a bunny boiling bitch. I can’t believe you actually said what I was thinking back there. You were amazing. If you feel anything, it should be pride that you fought for the man you love.”

 
“Thank you,” she whispers as she turns to face me.

  “What for?”

  “For believing me and not thinking I was the one boiling poor little defenceless bunnies.”

  Her lip quirks in a slight smile as I look at her.

  “I could never doubt a word you say. Now can we please put tonight behind us? I’m hungry…and not for food,” I playfully growl out the last four words.

  The light shines bright in those gorgeous blue-green eyes, the ones I could look into forever.

  “In that case, put your foot down and get us home quicker.”

  I can’t believe this started with me thinking Kara was dumping me. I’m relieved that wasn’t the case. And I actually feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. This baby was never real. When I thought about having a baby with anyone other than Kara, it hurt my heart. But now? Now I can focus on being with the woman I love, and not having to worry about someone else giving birth to my first child. If I get my way, one day it will be Kara giving me the joy of my first child.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Kara

  3 months later…

  Reid and I have been living in a perfect little bubble since not long after we confronted Molly. I asked him to move in with me and he’s been here ever since. He still sees Jason and Liam, they’re always coming over or asking us to double date. It’s good seeing them so happy together. They’re the perfect couple. They got engaged two months ago, and I for one cannot wait for their big day. I know it’s going to be beautiful. Reid and I keep joking that we should help them plan a big gay wedding, but they laugh us off and say they’re going to wait a while before actually getting married. They want to do it on their anniversary next year, and though they said they wouldn’t start planning just yet, I’ve seen the scrapbooks lying around the house whenever Reid and I visit. Plus, Liam has a scrapbook he thinks I don’t know about at work. I catch him staring at it when he doesn’t know I’m around. I’d say I’ve learned the art of stealth pretty well.

  We’re going out tonight and I’m taking a shower after making love to my man. I’m stood here under the water with my eyes closed, remembering how it felt. I had multiple orgasms at the touch of his hand as well as his cock. I’m getting aroused just thinking about how good he felt as he spread my legs and licked me before finger fucking me and toying with my ass with the help of the wetness he coaxed out of me. I’ve never let a man touch me there before, and Reid and I are only just starting to venture into those kind of things. He’s so amazing when he has his mouth on my clit, one hand playing me like a fiddle and the other just dipping in and out of my ass in rhythm with the first hand.

  I let my head fall back against the tiles as I cup my breasts before dipping a hand down below to pleasure myself.

  A cough brings me from my reverie and I see Reid’s eyes focussed on my hand. I leisurely dip a finger inside myself and close my eyes.

  “Open your eyes, baby,” he demands.

  I obey and make eye contact with him. My one hand caresses my breast and pulls my nipple taut while the other dips in and out of me, making me moan quietly.

  Reid joins me in the water and dips his head to kiss me. I allow him access to my mouth, then he nibbles along my jawline and places feather-light kisses down my throat. He kisses down to the swell of my breasts before cupping them and sucking each nipple in turn. We’ve just spent the last couple of hours making love, yet here I am, ready to go again, and it feels like Reid is too if his erection pressing against me is anything to go by.

  Suddenly, his strong arms sweep my feet from under me, and my legs are wrapped around Reid’s waist. He claims my lips with his as he thrusts into me. I squeeze my walls around him and he moans into my mouth. Holding my hips tight, he builds an almost punishing rhythm. This isn’t slow, languid love making, this is pure sex. In an instant, he changes our position again, this time I’m facing the wall of the shower and bent over with my ass on display to him. I spread my legs to gain a better stance as he pushes himself slowly inside me. Inch by delicious inch he fills me again, and I’m soon moaning out his name as I reach my climax.

  ***

  At the rate we were going, I never thought we’d make our reservation in time, but here we are at The Olive Grove anyway. It’s such a beautiful place. It’s only been open for a few months and it’s good to have somewhere to go instead of Madison Avenue. Not long after we confronted Molly, she handed in her notice and we haven’t seen her since. But we stay away from the place now as much as we can. Liam and Jason had their engagement party there, but that was the last time we were there.

  We’re seated in a booth by the window that overlooks a gorgeous back terrace. There are delicate fairy lights strung up, and sofas that look large and comfortable. It looks like a little peaceful oasis. The waiter arrives with our menus and asks if he can get us some drinks. Reid orders a bottle of prosecco—we got a taxi to the restaurant so we could both drink—and the waiter returns promptly with a bottle and two glasses.

  We order our food and talk about Thea’s christening next week. Zoey and Brock decided to get married in the New Year and booked her christening first. Her dress is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen. Zoey and I searched a multitude of stores before she found ‘the one.’ She asked both Reid and I to be godparents in the end. Her asking Reid to be Thea’s godfather shocked me, but she said she doesn’t know a man she trusts more than him other than Brock. So that was it…although I’m not sure if he agreed more for her sake or mine. I’m just glad he did it at all.

  The food was divine. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed steak as much as the Chateaubriand I just ate. It was tender and lean, cooked medium, and coated in the most delicious sauce. I’m sure I could eat here every night of the week and never get tired of their food. After our plates were cleared, we decided to share a chocolate dessert. It was like a piece of heaven.

  Now we’re sat outside on the terrace and it’s just as wonderful as I thought it would be. Reid is sat next to me, but I don’t think he’s as comfortable as I am because he keeps fidgeting. I could quite happily curl up and go to sleep, it’s that comfortable here.

  “Kara,” Reid says, drawing my attention to him. “You know how much I love you, right?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “You mean the whole world to me. You’re my light in the dark, the sun to my moon. I will love you until the last breath leaves my body. I want to keep loving you for all that you are, all that you have been, and all you have yet to be. I belong to you, Kara, from now until the end of time. As the days pass by with you by my side, I couldn’t ask for a better person to be my wife…will you marry me?”

  Tears well in my eyes as I gaze down at the beautiful ring he’s holding out to me. I see a rich purple heart-shaped stone and am already in love with it without having to see the rest of it.

  My heart swells in my chest as I see the love shine in Reid’s eyes.

  “Yes, ohmygod a million times yes!”

  He takes the ring from its box and places it on my finger. I hold it up to gaze at it some more. It has an infinity symbol on each side of the heart, but with the added beauty of the top loops being shaped like hearts too.

  I’m lifted off the ground and twirled around. I hear a champagne cork pop and Reid places me back on my own two feet so we can each accept a flute of champagne from the waiter.

  “To my beautiful wife-to-be,” Reid toasts as he raises his glass and clinks it with mine.

  “To my handsome husband-to-be,” I toast in return.

  “I’m the luckiest man on the face of the planet,” Reid whispers as he circles an arm round my waist and draws my back against his chest.

  He moves my hair to one side and places feather-light kisses down the side of my neck and across my bare shoulder. I feel butterflies take flight in my stomach as he kisses his way back up and whispers sweet nothings in my ear.

  I never thought I’d see the day when the man of my dreams would become the ma
n of my reality, and that one day he would ask me to be his wife. I couldn’t be happier than I am right now. I probably have a grin on my face that would rival that of the Cheshire Cat.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Reid

  The day I proposed to Kara will be one I’ll always remember. I’d gone to pick up the ring a couple of days previously and it felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket. I wanted to ask her so many times, but I also wanted the timing to be right. I’d taken her to the Olive Grove but I didn’t want to do the cliché thing of putting it in the bottom of a glass of champagne or in her dessert.

  My mouth was dry, my heart was racing, and I couldn’t stop fidgeting. But her agreeing to be my wife erased all trace of nerves or doubt. I didn’t doubt my love for her, my only niggling little doubt said it might be a bit too soon for Kara after all we’d been through. However, I knew in my heart it wasn’t too fast, that actually, we had been in love with each other for a long time and had been too afraid to admit it. It’s just the natural next step to take with a woman I love. Yes, I’ve been engaged before, but it wasn’t the same. Zoey and I only did that because of the baby. I had asked Kara to be my wife out of love, not duty.

  Everything is good in my life right now. My brother is engaged to the guy he loves. Zoey and Brock are about to marry. Molly’s shit has been exposed, and getting rid of that has been like getting the monkey off my back. Kara has agreed to be my wife. Then there’s the fact that Jason and I are in the midst of setting up our own construction company—I finally gave in to his begging to go into business together. Kara’s bookstore is doing great. What more could I want or need?

  I’m getting ready at home, making sure I look smart in my black three-piece suit. I’ve got a tie that matches Kara’s dress and a crisp white shirt. She made sure to set everything out for me before she left to be with Zoey last night. We’d finally moved in together—or should I say I moved into her house when she asked me to a few weeks ago—and she’s always doing the considerate things that not only make my life easier, but make me smile.