Forever Entwined

by M. C. Decker

  “I can’t think of anyplace I’d rather be,” I said, as I sat beside Ireland and put my arm around both my girls.

  Right now, even though everything seemed perfect, I still had an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  Ireland

  Checking the time, I rolled over and searched for my cellphone which I found amongst the mountain of bottles that were now lining the nightstand. It was just five-thirty in the morning. Looking down, I noticed that I’d fallen asleep wearing an old, tattered New Kids on the Block T-shirt and a pair of Bentley’s athletic shorts. I was fairly certain that the term “hot mess” accurately described my current state. Showers were really at a premium these days, too.

  I’d only gotten about three hours sleep since Rita and Martin had left two weeks earlier. Although I was disappointed our wedding didn’t happen, I was so thankful that their visit had aligned with Lexi’s birth. I wasn’t sure I would’ve survived our first week at home without them.

  Even though Lexi had been born about four weeks early, she was healthy enough to come home after just three nights in the hospital for observation. I’d been released after just twenty-four hours, so having to leave her for those two nights nearly killed me. Bentley nearly had to drag me home, but I realize now that those two nights were the last two nights until my daughter turns eighteen that I will ever sleep soundly at night. And, even then, I will probably still worry about her.

  Looking at Bentley, still asleep next to me, I sighed with contentment. Since we’d been home, we’d been so occupied with Lexi and with Bentley going back to work that we still hadn’t approached the subject of Staci, or our delayed wedding. I guess the more I thought about it, the more she didn’t matter. I knew Bentley loved me with his entire being and I loved him—that was all that truly mattered.

  Reaching over, I gently touched Bentley on his bare shoulder. “Let’s get married today,” I said, as he rolled over to face me.

  “Although I think that sounds like a fabulous idea. I’m sorry to say, we can’t,” he said with a frown.

  “What do you mean? You don’t want to marry me now? What am I saying? Of course you don’t want to marry me. Take a look at me! I’m honestly surprised you’re sleeping in the same bed with me.”

  “Ireland, that’s certainly not the case.”

  “Oh my god, I’m so dumb. You’re only sleeping in here because we never got around to setting up your bed in the spare bedroom. I’m so stupid. I can get my stuff out of there so you can have your own space. I’m so inconsiderate,” I stammered.

  “Would you shut up!” he said, capturing my lips with his. It was the most intimate we’d been since Lexi was born. Obviously, I hadn’t been cleared for sexual activity, and I wouldn’t be for a few more weeks, but even if we could we were both walking around like zombies. Bentley had even said he felt bad for making fun of Greg for all those weeks.

  “You know you’re beautiful and I’m staying in this bed for as long as you’ll have me—which I hope is forever. Besides, that’ll be Lexi’s room once we finally build that damn crib,” he said with a laugh. “And, I’m certainly not saying that I don’t want to marry you today! I just never went and got the marriage license, and I think we need to apply a few days in advance before we can actually get hitched,” he said with a wink.

  “I thought you got that the day Lex was born,” I said.

  “No, I was at the clerk’s office when you finally reached Mom, remember? Dad came in while I was in the middle of filling out the paperwork. I didn’t finish it and I never went back because I knew it would have an expiration date. I didn’t want to rush you if you weren’t ready. I know we’ve been through a lot, and we’ve just been really busy since Lexi was born.”

  “Don’t forget sleep-deprived,” I said with a yawn.

  “That too,” he said as Lexi began crying in the bassinet next to our bed. “And, there she goes. I’ll take this one. You try and get a little more sleep. It’s still pretty early. Once you wake up, I’m more than willing to get that application taken care of. You can be my wife by sunset on Friday.”

  “Friday it is then,” I said, as Bentley kissed me.

  Bentley

  Scribbling on the corner of the paper, I had hopes of getting the pen to work, but no such luck. Reaching in my pocket, I was relieved to find another pen. I made it about three words in when that pen dried up as well. Seriously? Is anything supposed to go right today? Looking down at my watch, I saw I had about thirty minutes to spare before I needed to meet Ireland to get my tuxedo fitted. As much as she insisted that she just wanted to do things casually, she sure was insistent on me wearing a tuxedo.

  Licking the tip of the pen, I was finally able to fill out the rest of the marriage application before handing it over to the clerk. She looked over the information, and began typing at her keyboard.

  “How long does this usually take? I told my fiancée that I’d meet her at an appointment, and I don’t want to be late,” I explained.

  “Just a few more minutes. I just need to verify some information before I can approve your application,” she said.

  Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I began typing out a quick text message to Ireland when the clerk spoke again.

  “I’m sorry, Sir. Have you been married before?” she asked.

  “Yes, why?” I inquired.

  “To a Staci Meredith Frasier?”

  “Yes, that’s my ex-wife. Is there a problem?”

  “I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’re still married. Your divorce was never granted.”

  “Excuse me? We both signed the papers. My lawyer handled everything. The divorce was final well over a year ago. There must be some sort of mistake.”

  “I do see here that the papers were filed, but just a week afterwards they were withdrawn.”

  “That fucking bitch,” I said under my breath.

  Rubbing my hand over my face, I turned around and left the office without speaking another word. I quickly dialed my attorney’s number.

  “Jake, this is James Bentley Roberts. It appears we have an issue and I need you to resolve it immediately!”

  I explained the situation to Jake who promised he’d look into the error, and get back with me immediately. He suspected it wouldn’t be resolved today though, and expected it to take a few weeks at least. So, basically, I wouldn’t be getting married to Ireland by sunset on Friday. How was I going to break this news to my fiancée?

  Ireland

  After Bentley told me that he was still legally married to Staci and we’d have to postpone our wedding for at least six months, I was angry and in shock—maybe you could even say irrational. But, seriously, how much more of my life with Bentley was this woman going to ruin?

  My knee-jerk reaction was to send Bentley packing, and I’d done just that. I knew deep down that it wasn’t his fault, but I was still hurting. He’d hardly had time to unpack all of his boxes since moving in just a few weeks earlier, but I didn’t initially want him around. Every time I looked into his eyes, all I saw was his past with HER. After all, for months, I’d been technically sharing my bed with a married man which ironically made me the homewrecker.

  He’d been gone for four days. He came by each evening after work to spend time with Lexi—nothing was keeping him away from his daughter. Each night, he tried to apologize and each night I would lock myself in the bedroom until he knocked on the door to tell me he was leaving and he’d be back around the next day.

  After Lexi and I both cried ourselves to sleep in the rocking chair on that fourth night, I knew that I couldn’t live without him. I needed to suck it up, and forgive him. He’d already made arrangements with his attorney, and the divorce process which he thought had been completed over a year ago was finally in the works.

  I woke up with a sleeping baby in my arms at around three in the morning. My eyes were puffy and still burning from the many tears that I’d shed. Gently standing, I placed Lexi in her bassinet and reached for m
y cell phone. I saw I’d missed two calls from Katie. She was probably just calling to tell me what a terrible mistake I was making by kicking Bentley out of my house. She’d be happy to know that after days of disagreeing with her and everyone else around me, I’d decided that they were all right.

  My thumb hovered over Bentley’s name for several seconds before I finally gained the courage to call him.

  “Hello,” he answered, groggily.

  “Hey, it’s me. I didn’t mean to wake you. Actually, never mind. Just go back to sleep. We can talk tomorrow when you come and see Lexi,” I rambled.

  “Ireland, don’t hang up! Is everything OK?” he asked, sounding more alert. “Is something wrong with Lex?”

  I swallowed back the lump that had formed in my throat. “No, nothing’s wrong. She’s sleeping. We actually both were until I just woke up missing you. Everything’s fine,” I said, my tears beginning to fall once again.

  “I miss you too, Shamrock. I miss you so much. I haven’t gotten much sleep all week. In fact, I’m pretty sure I was sleeping more when there was a screaming newborn two feet from my head,” he laughed.

  “Same here,” I chuckled. “Listen, Bentley, I’m sorry. I know it’s not your fault that you’re still married to Staci. I shouldn’t have reacted the way that I did. I’m acting ridiculous. I hope this pregnancy brain goes away soon.”

  “I don’t blame you, Ireland. After I went back to Staci after the accident, I can’t fault you for your actions. I would have wanted me gone, too. I think we finally need to discuss what happened when I moved back with her—once and for all. Then, hopefully, we can begin to put the past behind us and move on from all this mess with my soon to be ex-wife.”

  “I think you’re right. But, first, can you come home? I know it’s late, and we can talk in the morning, but I just need to fall asleep in your arms.”

  “You don’t need to say another word, I’ll be there shortly.”

  “Drive carefully. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  “You know I will. And, Shamrock,” he said, pausing.

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you,” he said, before disconnecting the call.

  I must have drifted back to sleep after I spoke with Bentley because I awoke a short time later to the mattress sagging next to me.

  I’m glad you came,” I said, opening my eyes.

  “Always,” he said.

  “Do you want to talk,” I asked, hesitantly.

  “We’ll talk tomorrow. Right now, I just want you in my arms,” he said, pulling me into his body as we both drifted off to sleep.

  Ireland

  The sun had barely risen above the horizon when Bentley rolled out of bed beside me.

  “Are you leaving already?” I whispered, trying not to wake Lexi. “We haven’t even had a chance to talk.”

  “No, I just thought I’d take a shower before Lex wakes up. I was hoping I could feed her this morning. I haven’t had a chance to spend a morning with her in a few days. I miss her little sleepy, morning face,” he said with a smile. That little girl definitely had her daddy wrapped around her finger.

  “Of course you can. I won’t disturb her until you get out of the shower, but you better make it quick because I think I just saw her wiggle a little underneath her swaddler.”

  Bentley leaned back over the bed, his biceps flexing under his weight, and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips. He left me yearning for more. Damn this having to wait six weeks. I was pretty sure the next few weeks would be pure torture. Maybe it’d be best if I made him stay away for a few more weeks, well maybe not for me, but for my vagina at least.

  Just as I heard the water to the shower turn on, Bentley’s phone vibrated from the bedside table. Thinking it may be Greg calling with a work-related emergency, I rolled over and reached for the phone. Glancing at the name that flashed across the screen, I wanted to puke when I saw it was actually Staci.

  I answered the phone without speaking a word.

  “Bentley,” she said, breathily. “Are you there?”

  “Bentley’s busy right now,” I nearly hissed. “Is there something I can help you with, Staci?”

  “Well if it isn’t the little home-wrecking slut,” she cackled.

  “Excuse me?” I said, trying to remain as calm as humanly possible so as not to wake the baby.

  “You heard me. Bentley is still my husband and there you are sleeping in his bed. He should be here with me and my son.”

  I laughed. I literally laughed. I let Staci get in my head once before and I’d be damned if I’d let her do it again. Even though Bentley and I hadn’t discussed everything in length yet, I’d already made the decision that Bentley was my future—my forever. “Bentley is ONLY your husband because of a legal mishap. You see, you wrecked your home and your family all on YOUR own. I wasn’t even in the picture when you decided you couldn’t keep your knees locked, so I highly suggest you watch who you’re calling a slut.”

  “I can’t believe you’re talking to me this way,” she said, acting hurt by my words. “Just wait until I tell Bentley the things you’ve said.”

  Before I had a chance to get another word in, Bentley grabbed the phone from my hand.

  “Staci, I’ve heard enough of this conversation to know that I’m done listening to your bullshit. You need to stop harassing Ireland, or I will have to take legal action. The only reason you need to call me again is if it involves our son. Everything else will be handled by our attorneys.”

  I could hear her fake sobs on the other end of the phone. “Drama queen,” I mouthed, rolling my eyes.

  He smiled at me before ending the call. “I mean it, Staci. Goodbye.”

  Before either of us could speak a word, Lexi let out a loud cry.

  “I’ll get her. Why don’t you jump in the shower? The water should be nice and hot. I heard you out here talking to Staci before I even had a chance to jump in.”

  “OK,” I said with a weak smile.

  “Ireland, don’t let her get back into your head. She means nothing to me. She hasn’t meant anything to me in well over a year. Even after the accident it never felt right between us.”

  “But you slept with her.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. I knew he was with her after the accident. He thought she was his wife.

  He sighed, knowing this conversation couldn’t be delayed any further. He picked Lexi up from her bassinet and breathed in her sweet scent. It was as if she gave him the strength to continue. “It only happened once.”

  I eyed him suspiciously. “Just once?” I questioned. “You were together for weeks. You mean to tell me you only slept with her once?”

  His head bobbed up and down. “I told you, something just felt off. I know now that it was because of you. My heart and my body knew you were missing. It just took my head a little longer to figure it out,” he paused. “So, after that first time I started making excuses. My head hurt, my shoulder was acting up, or I was exhausted from a long day at a site. Eventually, I think she just gave up and went back to her old cheating ways.”

  “I guess the bright side of all this is I can actually lose some of this baby weight before I have to go dress shopping,” I told Bentley, as we sat with a calendar open to the month of May. A few weeks had passed since we’d talked, and everything seemed normal between us—well as normal as things can be with a newborn.

  Bentley had circled May eighteenth as the day he’d be officially free of Staci. He promised that this time he wouldn’t leave it up to his lawyer, but he’d see to it himself that the divorce proceedings were finalized. No more surprises.

  “I think you’re perfect just the way you are, but I’m glad that you’re able to find a silver lining in all of this,” he laughed, reaching over and placing me on his lap so I was now straddling his hips.

  “What was that for,” I asked, curiously. We hadn’t been intimate since before Lexi was born. Dr. Rhoads had cleared me for sexual activity earlier in the week, but with every
thing going on with Staci I just assumed Bentley wanted to wait until after we were married.

  “Didn’t you have your postpartum exam earlier this week?” he asked, as his hand began creeping under the hem of my shirt.

  “Yes,” I said, biting the inside of my cheek. I knew he wanted me to elaborate, but I enjoyed teasing him just a bit.

  “And?” he continued. “What did the doctor say?”

  “She said everything was looking good.”

  “Like everything—everything?”

  “Maybe,” I shrugged, giving him a knowing smirk.

  “Don’t toy with me, Shamrock. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I’ve been dying to be inside you for weeks,” he said, candidly.

  “I just didn’t think you’d find this sexy,” I said, pointing at my body.

  “Have you hit your head? I’ll always find you sexy,” he said, removing my shirt in one fell swoop.

  As soon as the cold air hit my bare skin, I felt a chill run up my spine. I suspected it was more to do with the mounting anticipation of what was to come rather than the colder air. Bentley nuzzled his lips near the base of my neck as he began to feather kisses up toward my ear. He nipped on my earlobe while moving his hands down from my waist, to grip my ass through the thick, denim fabric of my maternity jeans—don’t judge, they’re so comfortable.

  “There’s too much between us. I need you now, Ireland. We’ve waited an eternity for this,” he breathed heavily into my ear.

  “You’ve waited six weeks. That’s hardly an eternity,” I laughed.

  “Trust me, six weeks without feeling you come undone around me is an eternity,” he argued.

  I secretly loved it when Bentley talked dirty to me. It was my own little obsession.

  Before I had a chance to say another word, Bentley slowly began parting my lips with his tongue, as if he were asking for permission to enter.

  His frantic behavior and assault on my lips made my core tingle in anticipation. I opened my mouth wider, telling him without words that he was what I wanted, too.