Unbreak Me (Second Chances #1)

by Heather D'Agostino

  August 1997

  “Honey, I’m home,” Sean called out as he came through the door.

  “Be right there,” Melanie giggled.

  When he rounded the corner to enter the small galley kitchen, he stopped in his tracks. Melanie had a table set up in the dining area with candles. There was a large pan of lasagna cooking in the oven and a loaf of fresh Italian bread sitting on the counter.

  “What’s the occasion?” he shouted in the direction he thought she was in as he pulled the bread out of its bag. He quickly glanced over his shoulder and then pulled off a piece.

  “Hey mister, that’s for dinner,” she swatted him playfully on the butt as she rounded the corner.

  He jumped and placed the bread back on the counter. “I didn’t hear you, you startled me,” he spun around on her.

  “What’s all this about?” he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to her lips.

  “You’ll just have to wait and see. It’s a surprise,” she smiled up at him and he noticed she was practically glowing.

  “Surprise huh? I bet I can get you to tell me,” he cocked his eyebrows up and down and gave her that irresistible grin.

  He moved in front of her and placed his hands on the counter right beside her hips. He moved closer so his entire body was pressed into her and leaned so his mouth was right beside her ears. Turning his head at an angle, he placed a wet kiss to her neck right below her ear. He knew that spot always drove her wild and he usually could get whatever he wanted when he kissed her there. His right hand went to move off the counter to grasp her hip firmly pulling her into him. As he leaned in close again, he whispered into her ear, “How am I doing?”

  Not wanting Sean to ruin her surprise, she pressed her hands firmly to his chest and tried to escape his embrace as she sighed, “I’m not telling you no matter what you do to me.”

  Sean shook his head and smiled, “I must be losing my touch.”

  “No, I just have a perfect night planned and I don’t want you to ruin it,” she smiled and made her escape.

  As they made their way over to the table, Melanie placed the bread in a basket, the lasagna in the middle of the table and brought over two wine glasses.

  “Wine?” he smiled at her. “What’s going on? We never do this.”

  “Well, I figure we have reason to celebrate,” she sat and began knotting her hands in her lap.

  “Mel, I know you. Something’s up,” he rounded the corner and squatted down in front of her.

  “Well, you know how tired I’ve been lately? How we thought that it was probably from all the studying I’ve been doing? Stress from classes and finals?” she glanced down at her lap then back to his face.

  “Yeah, you’ve been under a ton of stress,” he reached up to run his fingers along her jaw.

  “Well,” she smiled “I’m pregnant.”

  “Wait, what?” Sean stammered.

  “We’re going to have a baby,” she smiled and then her face fell when he didn’t respond.

  Sean sat dumbfounded for a few minutes and then he saw tears begin to appear in the corners of Melanie’s eyes.

  “A baby? We’re going to have a baby?” he smiled and pulled her down into his lap.

  “So you’re happy about this? I mean, we haven’t been married that long and I’m still in school,” she had a look of confusion and happiness on her face.

  “Of course I’m happy. What could be better than you having my baby?” he sprang to his feet and crushed her in a hug, as he spun in a huge circle swinging her in the air and shouting, “I’m gonna be a daddy!”

  When he placed her feet back on the ground, he pulled her forcefully behind him towards the bedroom.

  “Wait, where are we going?” Melanie laughed.

  “More celebrating,” Sean grinned as he began to walk faster.

  “But what about dinner?” she pointed at the table.

  “Right,” he gave her a salute. He grabbed the bread off the table and carried it in his other arm. “Sustenance,” he handed it to her. She laughed and shook her head. Bread would have a whole new meaning in their house. Completely absorbed in each other, neither realized that the lasagna had been left cooking until smoke began seeping out of the oven. When the alarm began to sound Sean came racing out of the bedroom with a sheet wrapped around his waist. Shaking his head and laughing, he made his way into the kitchen. After flinging open the oven and tossing the burnt pan onto the stove he quickly jogged back laughing. Flopping back down on the bed he turned to her and chuckled, “it looks like this is dinner for tonight.”

  August 2012

  When she arrived home, she heard music coming from Katie’s bedroom. She crept down the hall so she wouldn’t disturb her. She could hear Katie singing along and talking to someone. As she got closer to the door, she noticed that it was cracked. She peered through the crack and the sight she saw brought tears to her eyes. Katie was lying across her bed holding a photo of Sean in her hands talking to it about her day. She couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, but she recognized the music. It was the same song that Katie always played when she was thinking about her dad. The CD had been a gift from Melanie when Katie was only a small child. She listened to it so much, that she’d recently loaded it onto her I Pod. Hillary Duff’s sweet voice wafted through the air telling her about someone watching over her as Katie sung along.

  Melanie crept closer as she heard Katie’s soft voice talking to the picture. It broke heart and moved her at the same time that Katie still did this. Melanie had known about the ritual for a while, but had never said anything to Katie. She figured she’d come to her on her own time.

  “I miss you so much daddy. I started a new school today. I met some nice kids; I think we’ll be great friends. I’ve got some pretty cool classes too...”

  “I know you’re up there daddy. I know you miss me as much as I miss you. Momma misses you too. I can see it on her face when she looks at me. She doesn’t talk about it about much. I know she tries to hide how sad she is so that she doesn’t cry so much anymore. She misses you too, though. I wish I remembered more about you. Momma does a good job filling in the gaps though.” Katie placed the photo back in its place on her nightstand and rolled over on the bed to stare at the ceiling. For Melanie, a precious memory surfaced...

  January 2008

  She’d just gotten home from a double shift at the hospital only to find Katie in tears. Mrs. Connors, Melanie’s neighbor who sometimes watched Katie after school, had shrugged when Melanie had asked what was wrong.

  “She just came in the door from the bus and threw herself across her bed. She won’t tell me what’s wrong.”

  Melanie thanked her and made her way back to Katie’s room. She gently pushed the door open and went to sit down on the bed. Katie looked up at her with a tear-stained face and climbed into her lap. Even at ten years old, she still enjoyed cuddling with Melanie, and Melanie was so thankful that her little girl still sought her out for comfort after a bad day.

  “What’s wrong sweetie?” she rubbed her back and brushed the tear dampened hair off her forehead.

  “I’m a freak!” Katie bawled as she gripped Melanie’s scrub top in her fists.

  “What? You are not a freak. Who told you that?” she placed her hand under Katie’s chin and forced her to look her in the eyes.

  “Michael Prescott. He says I’m a freak because I don’t have a daddy,” she began to break down again.

  “Well, Michael doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Melanie hugged her tighter. “You have a Daddy. He’s a special daddy because he’s an angel. He’s always watching you no matter where you are, and he loves you very much,” she smiled and kissed Katie on the forehead.

  “Momma, tell me about Daddy,” she pleaded and slid off Melanie’s lap.

  “Well...your daddy was a wonderful man. He loved you and me very much. He always called you his “Princess”. You had him wrapped around your finger. He melted whenever he would look at your s
miling face. I remember the day I told him about you, he was so happy he couldn’t stop smiling.” She leaned her head to rest on top of Katie’s. “Michael Prescott has no idea how special you are.”

  When Melanie had finally gotten Katie’s tears under control, she turned to her, “Wait here.”

  She got up and rushed to her room only to return a moment later with a photo of Sean. “Here,” she handed it to Katie. “You can keep this in your room now. You can talk to your daddy whenever you want to. He’s always listening.”

  She smiled, “Thanks mom.” She placed the photo on her nightstand beside the bed and smiled a watery smile. “I love you,” she threw her arms around Melanie and crushed her in a tight hug.

  “I love you too, sweetie and so does your daddy,” she stood and made her way to the door. “Dinner will be ready in a little while.”

  She left the room and made her way out to the kitchen. Later when she went back down the hall to tell Katie to wash her hands, she heard her talking to Sean. She sighed as a lone tear made its way down her cheek. She missed him so much. She felt so bad for Katie going through this, but talking about Sean seemed to be helping somewhat.

  August 2012

  Melanie reached up and wiped the lone tear that had escaped her eye. Just then she opened Katie’s door, and had tears streaming down her face.

  “I’m sorry mom, I didn’t know you were home yet,” Katie turned to face the door.

  “It’s alright sweetie. I miss him too, you don’t have to hide that from me.” She moved into the room and sat on the edge of Katie’s bed.

  “I know, I just don’t want to upset you. I talk to him everyday. I tell about what’s going on in my life,” Katie smiled.

  Melanie leaned over and embraced her in a hug. “Don’t worry about me. You can talk to your dad whenever you want to. You ready for some dinner? I’m making spaghetti. I want to hear about your day too.”

  “Sure, let’s eat. I have to tell you about some of the teachers there, mom. They are so cute,” she laughed and Melanie smiled back.

  Over dinner Katie told Melanie about meeting Sam, Hannah, and Anthony. She told her about Mr. Simon and how dreamy he was.

  “I don’t know if he’s married or not mom, but I think you’d like him,” she grinned.

  “Katie, don’t try and play matchmaker,” Melanie laughed.

  “You should meet Mr. Adams, too. He’s so hot,” Katie turned bright red as she said this. One thing she had gotten from her mother was her ability to blush. She looked like a mini Melanie when she did this.

  “Katie, all you can think about are boys!” Melanie gasped. “What did you learn about in class?”

  “I don’t want to talk about that. That’s boring. I want to talk about the boys,” she rolled her eyes.

  “Hannah’s really cool. I can see us being great friends. Actually, we have a history project to do together. Can she come over after school on Friday so we can work on it together?” she pleaded.

  “Sure, I’m ok with that,” Melanie smiled. “I’m glad you’re making friends so easily.”

  “You’ll have to pick us up from school though. She has soccer practice after school. I can just study while I wait for her,” she shrugged. “Maybe you can meet Mr. Simon or Mr. Adams then,” Katie joked.

  “Katie, stop worrying about my dating life,” Melanie blushed.

  “Mom, it’s been 11 years. You need to get back out there,” Katie got serious all of a sudden. “I’m going to be grown soon. You can’t spend the rest of your life alone.”

  “You worry about making good grades and let me worry about the men in my life, ok?” Melanie glared this time.

  “Fine, I’ll drop it,” Katie sighed.

  “Oh there’s this boy at school. He’s so annoying, mom. He thinks he’s soooo cool. Ugh!!! AND he thinks that he’s god’s gift to women. I mean really!!!” Katie tossed her hand in the air. “He bugged me most of the day, and then he wanted to walk me home. You should have seen his face when I shot him down. Ha!! It was priceless,” Katie laughed.

  “That’s my girl. You’re too young to worry about boys right now,” Melanie smirked.

  “You sound like Hannah’s dad. She told me he tells her the same thing,” Katie retorted.

  “Must be a smart man,” Melanie chuckled. “Now eat. You’ve got homework to do, then bed young lady.”

  “Yes, mom,” Katie sighed as she shoved another bite of food into her mouth.

  The week passed by quickly for both mother and daughter. Katie had asked Hannah about coming over after school on Friday so they could work on their history project together. Hannah had agreed to meet Katie after school at the baseball field. You could see the parking lot easier from there. Melanie had agreed to pick the girls up. In addition to Hannah having soccer practice, her dad was not too keen on her riding the subway to Katie’s house.

  “I’m glad your mom’s coming to get us,” Hannah told her. “My dad did not like the idea of me riding the subway. He’s afraid something might happen to me. I never get to go anywhere without a driver.”

  “A driver?” Katie gasped.

  “Yeah, my dad has a driver that brings me to school everyday. Usually my dad picks me up, but today I have you,” she shrugged.

  Katie sat in quiet contemplation, Sam had said that Hannah’s dad was loaded but she had no idea how truly loaded he was.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. My mom never let me ride the subway in New York. She said it was too dangerous, but she doesn’t seem to have a problem with it here,” Katie laughed. “I think she’s just glad that she doesn’t have to drive me around anymore.”

  Just then a dark silver F150 pulled into the parking lot. Hannah groaned, “Seriously,” and shook her head.

  “What?” Katie looked at her with confusion on her face.

  “That,” Hannah pointed at the truck, “is my dad’s truck. He only drives it when he’s been out checking on a job. I’m sure he’s here to check up on me. Make sure I’m going where I said I was.”

  When the truck came to a stop a few feet away, the girls rose to their feet and waited. The door opened and man climbed out. He was tall, about six feet from what Katie could tell. He had sandy brown hair that kind of flopped over his brow, bright blue eyes, with a slight amount of scruff on his jaw, and a beautiful sun kissed tan. He was wearing a grey suit with a white button down shirt and a dark gray tie. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked in the direction of the girls.

  “Hey dad,” Hannah groaned. “What are you doing here?”

  “Nice to see you too, honey,” he smirked at her. “I came to meet these people you’re going home with today. I happened to be in the area checking on the progress of a current project,” he shrugged.

  “Happened to be in the area? Sure thing dad,” she rolled her eyes. “This is Katie.” She waved her arm in Katie’s direction. “Her mom should be here any minute to pick us up.”

  Turning toward Katie, she continued, “This is my dad, Austin Montgomery.”

  “Nice to meet you sir,” Katie reached out to shake his hand.

  Just then the girls saw Melanie’s BMW pull into the parking lot beside the ball fields.

  “She’s here,” Katie pointed to the sleek black car.

  “Don’t embarrass me dad,” Hannah pleaded.

  “When have I ever done that?” Austin chuckled.

  Melanie emerged from the car dressed in a pair of blue scrubs with her hair blowing in the breeze behind her. Austin stood frozen in place. Hannah turned and smirked at Katie.

  “Look,” she pointed her thumb at her dad. “It’s like he swallowed his tongue.”

  Katie giggled and covered her mouth when Austin began to snap out of his trance. The girls turned to see him walking slowly towards Melanie. She had ducked her head down as she made her way to the group. She wasn’t paying attention and didn’t realize he was there until she got close enough to hear the girls laughing. Her head snapped up and she came to an a
brupt halt.

  “Mom,” Katie smiled. “This is Mr. Montgomery, Hannah’s dad,” Katie pointed to Austin. “Mr. Montgomery, this is my mom, Dr. Melanie Andrews.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Austin reached out to shake her hand.

  “Nice to meet you too,” Melanie responded. “And call me Mel, everyone else does.”

  “OK Mel, I’ve got to be at a building site until 6, but I can pick up Hannah after that if it’s ok with you,” he fumbled and looked at his feet.