Forever and Always

by Beverley Hollowed

  Her buzzer sounded and Melanie knew straight away she knew it was Sam. She quickly wiped her eyes and pressed the button to unlock the front door and took the latch of her apartment door. Two minutes later he walked into the apartment his jacket slung casually over his shoulder smiling bright but he stopped dead when he saw Melanie had been crying. She hesitated for a moment but then quickly rushed to him as he dropped his jacket to the ground and allowed him to pull her into his arms and the tears began to flow again.

  “Please don’t cry Melanie” he whispered softly as he pressed his lips against her neck. “Everything is going to be fine. I promise. I will look after everything”.

  Melanie buried her face in his chest and cried. Memories of how she would cry about her father back at the Cape and Sam holding her close quickly filled her head and she felt safe. Sam had always known how to make her feel better. In fact just being in his arms, breathing in his gorgeous scent instantly made her relax.

  Suddenly her heart break faded and her body became alive from Sam’s touch. She pulled back from his embrace ever so slightly and turned her face up towards his, their eyes locking with one another’s. Sam’s lips immediately found hers.

  Desire exploded inside her and she returned his kiss hungrily. She slid her hands up till her fingers found his hair and she grabbed it pulling his mouth closer to hers, kissing him deeper.

  Her kissed lit the fire inside Sam. Before Melanie had time to think he had her pinned against the wall beside the door. He dropped his hands down to her behind and gripped it firmly pulling her closer to him.

  “Oh God Melanie, I want you so badly” he groaned into her mouth. She could feel how much he wanted her as he pressed his erection against her making her moan with desire. He released her behind and slipped his hand inside her leggings. Quickly his eyes snapped up to meet hers. “You aren’t wearing underwear” he gasped.

  His mouth covered hers once again as he slid his finger over her pubic hair until his fingers found their goal. He softly stroked her making her cry out with pleasure. Then he slid his fingers back further and gently slipped one inside her feeling how ready she was for him.

  “Oh Sam...Please “she cried and the pleasure was already building up inside her. Abruptly he pulled his fingers from inside her and out of her leggings leaving her feeling empty and longing for him.

  He dropped to his knees in front of her and grabbed the rim of her legging. Slowly he eased them down her legs, kissing her from hip to hip as he undressed her.

  Standing back up in front of her, his lips met her hers once again. She quickly grabbed for the button on his jeans and pulled his trousers open and then slipped her hands inside them and pushed them down enough to free his erection.

  Suddenly he grabbed her by the hips and lifted her up.

  “Wrap your legs around me” he cried as he pinned her against the wall with his hips. She did as he said as he reached down and positioned himself properly. Then as his eyes locked with hers he slammed into her with such force and she cried out loud.

  He stilled for a moment and kissed her softly on the mouth. Then eased out and slammed into her again, this time not stopping. He moved in and out at an almost punishing pace, all the while never letting his mouth leave hers.

  Melanie could feel the excitement build up inside her as he kept up his steady pace. She had never made love like this before. She had always felt the immense passion in Sam whenever he touched her but this was different. Not only could she feel his passion but she could also feel his need to possess her completely. It was a heady feeling and it pushed her higher and higher then she had ever been before.

  “Sam” she cried loudly as she fell around him. Her orgasm almost ripping her in half. Her cry was enough for him to come too with such ferocity she thought he was going to break her in two and he called out her name with so much emotion it pulled at her very heart.

  He sunk to the floor with her still in his arms, her legs still barely holding on to his waste. When they reached the floor she sat astride him and pulled him into her as he buried his face into her neck.

  “Melanie I love you so much” he whispered as she stroked his hair softly. “Promise you will never leave me again. Losing you almost destroyed me. I was just a shell of a man but when I saw you and I kissed you for the first time in seven years I realised the man I used to be was still inside. It was like I had woken up from a horrible nightmare. And I now know I will be ok as long as I have you next to me”.

  “Sam I have never stopped loving you” she whispered. “I never will stop. Now that I have found you again I could never let you go. But you could break my heart so easily and I am scared I will never recover if you do”.

  “I will never hurt you Melanie” he said looking into her eyes. His eyes were filled with so many emotions. Fear, passion, desire but more than anything else, Melanie could see love. But then his expression changed as he took a deep steadying breath and it made Melanie feel nervous. “Marry me” he whispered.

  Chapter 19“Are you serious” Melanie whispered.

  “I have never been more serious in my life” he replied. “I love you Melanie and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That’s all I ever wanted since the first day I met you”.

  Suddenly Sam eyes were filled with sadness and he closed them and breathed deeply.

  “That’s where I went that morning” he said as he slowly opened his eyes and allowed his gaze to meet hers. Suddenly he reached over for his jacked that was on the floor where he had dropped it when he came in. Pulling it closer to him and lifted it off the ground and reached into the inside pocket. Slowly he pulled out a small black velvet box and held it out nervously to Melanie. “I went to buy this. I woke up early that morning after having the most amazing dream. We were on our beach and you were dressed in white with white flowers in your hair and there were lots of people standing watching as you said I do. When I woke up I knew in that moment I wanted that dream to be a reality. So I went to get this. I was going to ask you to marry me”.

  Melanie blinked from Sam to the little black box and back again to Sam as his words sunk into her. When it finally dawned on her the gravity of his words she gasped and her hand instantly flew to her mouth. A sudden sob escaped from deep inside her and her body shock. She began to sob uncontrollably.

  “Hey why are you crying” Sam asked surprised by her reaction. He pulled her to him and held to close unsure of what he should do or say.

  “Sam I am so sorry” she finally said. “I am so stupid. I have put us through hell for the last seven years. And why. Because I was a stupid insecure idiot who should have listened to you instead of jumping on the first plane home. But I was so hurt. I felt stupid and used. If I had just listened to you”.

  “Melanie I am not going to lie and say that the past seven yeas have been easy” he replied. “They have been hell. But none of that matters now. It’s all in the past. All that matters is now and the future. Our future. I love you Melanie O’Leary and I want you to be my wife. So I will ask you again. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes” she replied and laughed. “Yes I will marry you. I love you Sam. More than you’ll ever know”.

  ********************

  “Wow” Sam said as he flopped back into the bed gasping for breath. “I think you are trying to kill me”.

  Melanie giggled and she brushed the sweaty tendrils of hair stuck to her forehead back.

  “I don’t know what you are giggling at Ms O’Leary” he said as he rolled on to his side and leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips.

  “I am giggling because I am happy Mr. Cooper” she beamed.

  “Me too” he said and pulled her closer to his. “I never thought I would ever be this happy again Melanie. You have no idea how happy you make me. And now I get to spend the rest of my life making sure you will always be as happy as I feel right now”.

  Melanie closed her eyes and buried her face into his chest. Right in the moment she was truly h
appy. All the niggling doubts that she had were pushed far out of her head. In that moment she allowed herself to think that all there was in the world were Sam and her. The past didn’t matter. The future belonged to them and only them.

  She drifted off to sleep feeling completely happy and content.

  She dreamt of being on their beach. Of lying in the long grass and making love to Sam. She was in his arms and as he held her he told her again and again how much he loved her.

  When she blinked her eyes open the next morning the room was filled with a bright summer sun, “Too Bright” Melanie thought as she snapped her eyes closed again. She felt a bit achy after all of her and Sam’s physical activities the weekend but mostly she felt calm and happy.

  She rolled over in the bed reached out for Sam but the bed was empty. Her eyes flew open as she shot up in the bed searching for Sam. But he was gone.

  Instantly her breathing quickened and her heart began to pound in her chest and memories of their last morning seven years earlier flooded her brain. The memories were still so clear it was like yesterday. That was the day her life went into freefall and changed forever.

  She began gasping for breath as her heart drummed loudly in her ears. Her vision became a little blurry as tears filled her eyes. She quickly reached for her bedside locker to grab her paper bag but it wasn’t there. The panic inside her stepped up a gear as she fought harder and harder to breath as her body began to shudder.

  “Jesus Melanie” Sam voice came from the doorway and he quickly ran to the bed and grabbed her. “it’s ok baby I’ve got you”. He held her close to him. She could feel her whole body relax and she felt his arms around her.

  “Breath with me baby” he said in a very calming voice and pressed his lips to her neck and began to take deep, slow breaths. She tried to match his breathing but it was hard. Finally she could feel her heart starting to slow and her breathing became steadier. “That’s it, nice east breaths.”

  Finally her heart was beating normally again.

  “What happened” Sam asked loosening his hold on but not letting her go completely.

  “You left me” She finally managed to say when her rapid breathing was finally under control but was replaced by tears streaming down her face. “I woke up and you were gone”

  “I was just making breakfast for us” he replied softly.

  “I thought you had left again” she sobbed. “The last time you did, I lost you”.

  “Oh no Melanie” he replied pulling her to him again. “I am sorry sweetheart. I promise you could never lose me again”.

  Melanie wrapped herself tightly around him and breathed him in. She loved his smell. It made her feel like she was home.

  A short while later, Sam led her out of the bedroom to her small round beach coloured table and pulled out a chair for her. He disappeared into the galley kitchen and returned with a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon for both of them.

  “I have to leave for work soon “he said as they ate breakfast. “I am in until 8 0’clock but I would like to come back after that. I promise. Will you be ok?”

  “I am staying at Lucy’s place tonight” Melanie replied and Sam looked a little disappointed. She hadn’t told Sam everything about her call with Simon. She hadn’t really had the time. She wondered if she should tell him now. She didn’t want to keep secrets.

  “Ha” she thought to herself. “That’s not strictly true. You still haven’t told him about the baby and the fact you can’t have kids. You coward”. She had tried to tell him a couple of time the night before but somehow the words just didn’t come. She loved being with him so much but she was afraid if he knew he would leave her and she just wanted to hold on to him for a little longer.

  “Hey are you ok?” he asked pulling her from her thoughts.

  “I’m fi...” she stopped herself. “I am good”.

  “Good” he said and smiled and reached for her hand. “I don’t suppose I could get you to change your mind about your plans for tonight. I mean Lucy has had you for years. We have seven year to make up for”.

  “I really wish I could” she replied sadly. “You remember when you came home yesterday. Well Simon had called”.

  “Oh” he said as his body stiffened and he held her hand tighter.

  “He is getting in really late tonight” she explained. “He had said he wanted to come here from the airport. I didn’t really fancy a showdown at two in the morning. We have a dress fitting early in the morning I so I told him I was staying at Lucy’s. I told him I will meet him at his place afterward”.

  “I see” he said shifted abruptly and pulling his hand from hers.

  “Sam I am going to tell him tomorrow I am calling the wedding off” She said reaching out to take his hand back. “Simon is a good man. So I owe it to him to tell him to his face”.

  “I know” he said nervously, suddenly unable to look her in the eyes anymore. “I am just afraid if you go there on your own. He will somehow change your mind”.

  “Sam” she replied and quickly stood up and walked over to him and sat on his lap. “I love you. It’s only ever been you. I promise. Please trust me” she leaned down kissed him softly.

  “I love you too” he said when she pulled her lips from his. “And I trust you. Will you come and see me once you and he have talked”.

  “There would be nothing I would love to do more” she said and pressed her lips back against his softly.

  “I will call you this evening” Sam said getting up from the table and began gathering the breakfast dishes together as Melanie slid back onto her chair. “But you will have to give me your number”.

  “OK” she said feeling an unexpected ache in her heart. She wondered how long he had waited to delete her number from his phone. She had kept the same number all these years and a tiny part of her hoped someday he would call her. She had never been able to erase his.

  “Hey what’s wrong” he said putting down the plates he was holding and taking her by the arms, pulling her from her seat into his arms.

  “Nothing” she replied her eyes turned down unable to meet his. She mentally scolded herself for being so ridiculous.

  “Tell me” he said pulling her tighter and pressing his forehead against hers.

  “I am just being silly that’s all” she sighed. “I never changed my number, you know just in case you...but you didn’t even have it anymore”.

  Sam threw his head back and laughed loud. Melanie slapped him playfully on the arm and pouted and this made Sam laugh even louder.

  “I should have never told you” Melanie scolded him as she pulled away from his arms and grabbing the dishes off her table.

  She walked into the kitchen with them feeling a little annoyed and very embarrassed. She began to load the dishes into the dish washer. Suddenly her phone began to ring. She turned walked back out of the kitchen and Sam was gone. She sighed and picked up her phone from the coffee table where she had left it the day before.

  “Hello” she said a little more abruptly then she meant to.

  “Hi” Sam’s voice said softly from the other end of the line. Melanie turned around and saw Sam standing at the door of her bedroom holding his phone to his ear. Melanie just stood and stared at him speechlessly.

  “Guess I was waiting for that call too” he said as he put the phone down on the table and walked slowly to Melanie and pulling her into his arms once he reached her. His lips quickly found hers.

  “I could never erase a single part of you from my life Melanie” he whispered breathlessly when he released her. “When are you going to see just how much I love you? That I have never stopped loving you for a moment over the past seven years”.

  “We have been so stupid to have let thing go so far” she replied as she tenderly kissed his lips again. “I love you too Sam. It’s only ever been you”.

  “I wish I didn’t have to go to work” he said as he pressed his forehead against her once again. “But I already called in sick yesterday. T
hey would have my ass in a sling if I don’t go in today”.

  “You were supposed to be in work yesterday” Melanie asked. “Why didn’t you go”.

  “I was afraid if I let you out of my sight you would disappear on me again” he replied. “I was afraid if you had time to think you would change your mind about me. I can’t lose you again Melanie”.

  “I promise you will never lose me” she replied. “Forever and always, remember”.

  Ten minutes later Melanie reluctantly said goodbye to Sam as he left for work. She couldn’t help the big smile she had on her face whenever she thought about Sam. God she had missed him so much. He was all she had ever wanted in life.

  She rang Lucy and asked her about staying over explaining about her conversation with Simon the day before. Lucy was thrilled to have her stay over saying they could have a girly night. Melanie said she could bring a bottle of wine and they could order a takeaway.

  She got to Lucy’s at about eight having spent the day making a proper list of everyone she would need to contact the next day once she told Simon.

  She had been about to walk out the door to head for Lucy’s when her mobile rang.

  “Hey beautiful” Sam’s voice beamed down the phone when Melanie answered. His voice made Melanie’s heart skip. God she loved him so much.

  “Hey yourself” she said and smiled. “I miss you”.

  “I miss you more” he sighed down the phone. “I don’t suppose there is any chance I can change your mind about going to Lucy’s”.

  “Don’t tempt me” she replied suddenly feeling all breathless. She wanted Sam so badly. She wished she could wrap her arms around him and hold him so close to her.

  “Maybe I should drop by Lucy’s and try harder to tempt you to come home with me tonight” he said with such unmistakeable desire in his voice Melanie could feel it pull at her very soul.

  “Tempting as that sounds” she replied surprised by just how affected her voice sounds. “I don’t think that is a very good idea”.