by Tiana Cole
Chloe continued walking, hoping that Mrs. Evans would get the hint soon and stop bothering her. “He is handsome.” She realized she had stopped by the feminine products. She pretended to be really interested in one of the products. Lucky for her, this was the thing she needed to do.
“Well, I need to get my supper.”
Chloe nodded her head, thankful.
Before everything happened, she loved how the people in this town were always telling her how great Richard was and how happy they were to see them together. And how happy Richard obviously was to be with her. She remembered how once they got engaged, it got even worse. And now with rumors that they were separated, people were approaching her everywhere, simply wondering what had happened. She used to think that the interest from neighbors and fellow citizens of the population was endearing and a quality that made small towns so unique and lovable. For the first time since she'd came to this town, she wished that people wouldn’t be quite so involved in everyone else's business.
***
Richard ran his hands through his hair for the hundredth time that evening, stressing like he never had before this past month. He didn’t have any idea what he was doing. Looking up from the dinner he was making, he watched as Ben continued to draw picture after picture on copy paper, all featuring the mother he'd lost in a horrible car accident. The food he was preparing would probably go untouched, because Ben happened to be an extremely picky eater. Although he said he liked something, once Richard sat the food in front of the boy, he wouldn’t even take a bite, making up some reason why it wasn’t good or he wasn’t interested in it that night.
This little boy was lost without the woman who'd raised him, and Richard was lost trying to raise him too. Every morning he would wake up and cry for his mother. And each time it happened, Richard would rush into his bedroom and try to comfort him the best he could, but most of the time it didn’t work. The boy would just sob until it was out of his system and he was too tired to cry anymore.
“Daddy?”
Richard snapped himself out of his thoughts. “What’s up, buddy?”
“Can we go to the park tomorrow?”
“I don’t see why not. It’s my day off, and there isn’t anything I would rather do than spend the entire day with you.”
A small smile spread across his son’s face. That smile was so happy. That was one of those moments that he thought about whenever he had a free second to breathe throughout his busy day. Even the small indication of happiness when Richard had done something he enjoyed was enough to make him feel like he could be the father his son needed. They were few and far between, but everyday things seemed to get a bit better.
Dinner went well and he'd made a mental note that spaghetti was a meal that Ben enjoyed, just like Chloe. He also made a note to buy Prego sauce. It wasn’t one he normally would buy, but he had found it in the refrigerator, remembering how he'd found it on the bed the day Chloe left and placed it in there without a thought.
‘Chloe.’ Richard shook the thoughts of her from his head as he continued to clean up from supper. His heart hurt and he could hear it break as he just thought about her, and the worst part was that he didn’t completely understand why she was so angry. He had apologized again and again about not telling her about Ben. It made sense that she was upset that he hadn’t told her sooner, but it couldn’t be bad enough to be the end their relationship. He wasn’t exactly proud of how he'd acted at the time, as he thought back to that day in the clearing he wished he’d ran after her or tried better to explain. He tried to make that up to her every passing day. Yet, the more he talked to her, the angrier she seemed to get. Not to mention the fact that she wouldn’t even talk to him back.
Every day he made the attempt to talk to her, but she ignored him. She was shutting him down over and over again. Today was the first time he’d gotten any reaction out of her, and it was only when he'd mentioned Ben. It wasn’t a verbal reaction, but it was close.
He kept playing this scene in his head as he gave Ben his bath and read him a book. He continued to think about it as he tucked his son in and gave him a kiss. And he thought about it even more as he lay alone on his bed in the completely dark room. If they could have a conversation, maybe she wouldn’t be so angry. If anything, she needed to know the entire story.
And then he heard the dreadful scream.
Richard ran into Ben’s room and pulled him into his arms. The little boy sobbed into his chest. All thoughts of Chloe were left in the bedroom: right now, his son needed him.
“Mommy. Mommy. I want Mommy.” Ben cried and wailed at the top of his lungs. Tears streamed down the cheeks of the young boy.
“I know, buddy.” Richard tried to console him. He patted his back and swayed back and forth, trying to soothe his son’s woes. He knew how it felt to want a woman: it would make Richard scream to the top of his lungs to if he had no other way to control the longing.
Richard continued to rock his child until he fell asleep. Slowly, he put his child back into bed and made his way to his own. He was so tired and emotionally worn out that he was asleep the moment his head hit the fluffy pillow.
He wasn’t prepared for the early morning arousal, as Ben shakily crawled into bed with him. Richard’s eyes blinked open harshly.
This was the first morning in two weeks that Ben hadn’t woken up in the morning in tears and wailing. And it was the first morning he had made his way into Richard’s bed. Happy tears formed in his eyes and Ben curled up close to him. The only thing missing was Chloe.
“Okay, buddy. We can’t stay in bed all day. You mentioned something about the….um… park.”
Ben sat up in the bed with a smile on his face. He was happy that his father remembered. Richard was proud of himself for remembering too. ‘This is going to be a good day,’ Richard thought gladly, as he ushered his son to get dressed and eat breakfast.
Chapter 14
Chloe had woken up with the yearning to go out and get some sunshine on her skin. It was the first morning that she didn’t open her eyes and feel the urge to throw up. Things were starting to look up, so she decided to spend the day with a good book under an oak tree or at a picnic table in the park.
As soon as she'd thought of the idea, she threw on a loose t-shirt dress and her flip-flops to make her way out of the house with her newest novel. She couldn't wait to relax in the park.
Lying on a thick blanket in the sun, Chloe focused her attention on the book she'd brought. It was the first time in a while she'd had the time to just read with no other distractions. Her mind tried to focus on one thing and not the other; she had had a lot of trouble doing that lately.
It wasn’t lost on her that the book in her hands was the book she had taken from Richard’s house on the first night they had dinner together. She pushed those thoughts aside and delved into the book. This might be one of the last times she could spend the day on her stomach and elbows reading, as her body was growing with new life, and things were about to change dramatically for her.
She read one paragraph before her mind wandered to the last time she had been to the park. It was the day of the big BBQ cook-off. The whole town was there that day. Besides the BBQ cook-off, there were a number of different activities happening all around the park. It kept everyone, no matter where peoples' hobbies or interests were, entertained.
There was one memory that stood out from that summer day and evening more than any other. It started when the judges of the BBQ contest called her and Richard onto the stage.
“Let’s head over to the BBQ contest.”
He reached out his hand and Chloe took it. He pulled her up and into his arms, which enveloped her and pulled her in an embrace. His lips touched her, sending waves of pleasure through her body. He was the only man she knew who could give her pleasure with nothing but a kiss.
The crowd was pretty hectic when they reached the bandstand where they were going to announce the winners. People were standing around engaging in
friendly conversation. Chloe had never been to a BBQ contest, so she had no idea what to expect or what it would entail. It definitely seemed to be something really important in this town, since it was all everyone had been talking about for the past two weeks.
A silence fell over the crowd as three men walked onto the stage. The tallest one reminded Chloe of one of those chefs she had watched on the cooking channel. He had on a chef coat and jeans. When she saw his cowboy boots sticking out from the bottom of his jeans, she gave a little giggle. She would never have seen a man wearing cowboy boots where she used to live.
“Thank you everyone. We are glad you all decided to join us for the thirtieth annual BBQ contest.” Everyone began to clap.
“Before we begin announcing the results from today’s delicious entries, we had a request,” the shortest of the three men interjected.
“That’s right, Adam,” the third man interrupted. “Can Dr. Richard Marlen please come up here onto the stage?”
Chloe turned to look at her boyfriend. Why would he need to be going up there? Richard took a step forward and turned to look back at Chloe.
“Please join him, Miss.” The first man on stage looked right at her.
Chloe reluctantly took Richard’s hand and followed him through the crowd. People parted ways and bodies shifted as they made their way toward the stage. Richard stopped at the bottom of the stairs and indicated for Chloe to go first. She took the steps cautiously, afraid she would fall in front of a town of people. Once she reached the middle of the stage, she stopped and turned toward Richard, waiting for him.
“Chloe… I know we haven’t known each other for very long…” It suddenly felt like everyone in the whole park had stopped moving, talking, and even breathing. Chloe felt as if she wouldn’t be able to take another breath. “And I completely understand if you think this is too soon. I just needed to tell everyone how I felt about you, and that I plan to spend the rest of my life with you.” Chloe and the crowd gasped as Richard got down onto one knee and pulled a tiny box from his pants pocket. “Chloe Feldman, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
The crowd seemed to lean in, waiting for Chloe to give the answer that Richard was waiting for. In her head, Chloe tried to make sure that she hadn’t fallen into some dream again. She had fantasized about being proposed to by Richard a few times but this felt real. She wanted to pinch herself, but feared that the people watching would think there was something wrong with her.
Chloe looked down at the man kneeling before her, and she knew the answer to his question. She knew it as if it were the only answer possible:
“Yes…. I will marry you.”
Richard stood up and pulled Chloe into his arms. He never imagined he would find someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but now that he'd found her, he wasn’t going to let her go. He kissed Chloe on the lips and the crowd cheered. Tears filled the eyes of some older women and the kids scrunched up their face at their public display of affection.
When they parted, he brought the box between them and pulled the ring from its cushioned pillow. He slowly slid it perfectly onto her finger. The crowd gave another cheer and they sealed their lips in a kiss again. Chloe was overcome by joy and pressed herself tightly to Richard.
“Congratulations.” The tallest of the men stepped up to them, obviously wanting to get on with the real reason everyone had gathered. Chloe and Richard broke the kiss and smiled at the man’s evident irritation.
Richard took Chloe’s hand and led her back down the stage steps. They didn’t stop until they reached the picnic table where they'd started the day. Most of the people were still at the stage waiting for results, which gave them a little extra time alone.
“If you want to have a long engagement, we can,” Richard whispered into Chloe’s ear as he pulled her in for another hug.
“Oh, so you don’t want to marry me right now?” She joked, as he gave a little nibble to her ear.
“I would marry you right here and right now if we had someone to do it,” he assured her.
“I thought I saw a preacher…” Chloe was interrupted by Richard’s mouth crashing onto hers.
This was how she wanted to spend the rest of her life: with this man. Finally, she had found the one good man out of all the horrible ones. Now that they were engaged, things could only get better. It seemed like the plan of marriage and then children was near. Nothing could go wrong now.
Chloe looked at the ring on her finger for the millionth time since Richard had put it there, and even though she told herself she needed to return it, she couldn’t. Instead of feeling the love, which had always surrounded her when she looked at it, now there was only pain. She wished she could foretell the future and know exactly where they would end up, because at that moment in time it felt like they would be in a standstill forever.
“Ben, you need to stay up here.” Chloe instinctively looked up when she heard Richard’s voice more as a force of habit than wanting to make eye contact with him. He was standing on the other side of the clearing, obviously frustrated with his son, who was venturing closer and closer to the large, deep lake which was in the center of the park. “The water is off limits.”
Ben continued to head toward the water against his father’s wishes, and Richard finally dropped the items he was carrying in his arms and went after his son.
A part of her wanted to yell out to him and let him know she was there, but she wouldn’t allow herself to do that. Until she knew what she was going to do about their situation, there was no reason to talk to him. It would only confuse and sway her decision. She would either get angry or sad, neither of which she wanted to do today. Instead, she decided to lay low and watch Richard interact with his son from her spot on her blanket. She was fascinated by his unsuspecting and natural reactions.
Richard reached Ben at the lake’s shallow sandy edge just before he had the chance to take a step into the murky water. He scooped the boy up in his strong arms, causing an explosion of giggles to erupt from the boy. A smile spread across Chloe’s face as she watched the innocent and affectionate display. It was good to see this fatherly side of him. It was a whole different entity he’d never shown before. Even as a doctor with patients, the amount of love and compassion he had for the boy through his mannerisms were far beyond anything Chloe had seen at a normal day in the office. ‘Maybe he really wouldn’t make too bad of a father,’ her thoughts echoed in her mind, as he headed back up the hill with Ben in his arms.
They reached the location where he had dropped the items. Richard put his son on the ground and pulled a few rubbery green balls out of the bag he had dropped. Before he could even turn around to show them to Ben, the young boy had ran off toward the lake again.
Chloe gave a little giggle as she watched the scene unfold. The look of frustration on Richard’s face only increased and his fists balled up stiffly. He was clearly aggravated.
What she had heard from Julia about him having a rough time with the little boy he decided to raise must be the honest truth. ‘It was only his fault,’ thought Chloe. ‘If he had made it a point or put in the effort to be a part of the little boy’s life from the start, he could have the relationship he seemed to be trying to have now. But he made the choice to run away from his responsibility the moment he knew about it. She wondered how different things would have been if Ben had been in his life when they met in the first place. Would she and Richard have even started to date?
Chloe continued to watch as Richard brought Ben up the hill and then the boy started making his way back to the water, over and over again. And no matter what Richard tried, the boy was a stubborn little thing. After the fifth attempt of getting into the lake’s water and being diverted by his father, the little boy had finally had his fill. With one ear-piercing screech, a meltdown began.
She watched as Richard tried everything in his bag of tricks to settle the boy down. From what she heard over the screeching, it took a bribe of going for ice cre
am to finally calm the boy down. As Chloe painfully watched it all, what she really wanted to do was to go and help the whole time: but she knew that if she wasn’t going to be a part of their lives, then interfering now wasn’t going to help. It would only cause for problems in the future.
A sliver of regret settled over her body as Richard helped the boy up the hill one final time. He grabbed the bag of toys he'd brought and the two headed off toward the parking lot with Ben piggybacked on his father. The look of not only frustration but also fear that had appeared on Richard’s face was enough to spoil how optimistic Chloe had felt at the start of her day. She packed up her stuff and headed to her car. She had a lot more thinking to do.
Chapter 15
“Say that again?” Richard hoped that he hadn't just heard his babysitter say she was sick and couldn’t watch Ben that day.
“I’m sorry Richard, but I have been up all night throwing up. I can’t possibly watch Ben today. When I get off the phone with you, I am calling my mom to come pick up my own two kids. I don’t want to infect anyone.”
“Okay, I understand.” As a doctor, he completely understood, and would make the same decision for himself or his patients if he were in the same situation. But that didn’t make hearing it any easier. “Just rest, drink plenty of fluids, and if it gets worse, call, and I’ll get you in to see me.”
Once he hung up the phone, he had no idea where to even go from there or who to call. He never thought about what would happen if he didn’t have a sitter on any unexpected day. Those were the kinds of things seasoned and responsible parents did. Clearly Richard was just learning as he went through his day. He couldn’t take the day off of work since he had patients who desperately needed to see him. Every time he thought he had this parenting thing under some control, he was knocked on his ass by something else. It was never just peachy keen.