Bent not Broken

by Lisa De Jong

  Her hands felt wrong against my skin as she ran them up under my shirt to remove it. But I let her anyway.

  “Please, just for one minute, let me forget.” I spoke to myself, trying to will it all away, unaware I’d said the words aloud.

  “Yes, Daniel, forget,” she pleaded with me as she removed the last barrier between us. I slammed into her, praying it would fill some of the void I felt inside.

  It only grew.

  “Why am I doing this?” I shook my head against the crook of her neck, trying to will the guilt away. All I could see was Melanie’s face.

  My heart cried out for her, “Melanie...Melanie...Melanie,” longing for the only thing that could make it complete.

  “I’m not Melanie,” she said, her voice bringing me back. “It’s Stephanie.” She reached out and touched my face. “Let her go. Don’t you see it? Now we can finally be together.”

  I pushed her away. What had I done? I quickly gathered her clothes and tossed them at her. Guilt assaulted me from every direction.

  “I’m so sorry, Stephanie...I can’t believe I did this...” I raked a hand through my hair. “I...you know I will never love anyone but Melanie. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.” I couldn’t believe the mistake I’d just made. I dug through the pile of clothes on the floor to find my boxers.

  “No!” She shook her head, vehement. “I can feel it, Daniel. This all happened for a reason. It was the only way for us to find each other.”

  I felt sick. I had trusted her and thought she cared about me as a friend, but now it was clear. How could I be so blind?

  Fear consumed me during the drive to Melanie’s house. Every doubt I’d ever had about myself came to the surface, insisting I wasn’t good enough, reminding me of what I’d done. I tried to shove it down, to stamp it out, to allow only the assurance of Erin’s revelation and the promise of the pull from within Melanie’s house to guide me. Yet my stomach was still in my throat. I gathered all of my courage, bracing myself against the possibility that Melanie could, once again, reject me. But I was through living with the questions; it was time to get answers. I would deal with the consequences later.

  My palms were sweaty from gripping the steering wheel. I’d been sitting outside her house for more than twenty-five minutes. I swallowed hard, wiping my hands against my jeans. When I opened the car door, her presence intensified. My feet no longer felt heavy, but quickened in anticipation. This was it. I bounded up to her porch, standing in front of her door. Another wave of uncertainty washed over me, leaving me unsure of myself again. I felt like I would go crazy with the constant surge of emotions, each one pushing me forward or dragging me back.

  Lifting my hand, I hesitated before rapping against the heavy wooden door. The bell somehow felt too formal. Why I even bothered, I didn’t know. Melanie would have already known I was near.

  I ran my hands incessantly through my hair as I waited for her, dread creeping through my veins. The house remained completely still. I banged against the door, this time louder. “I’m not leaving until you talk to me, Melanie.” I leaned my forehead against the door and pounded my palm against it. Her presence was so strong, I felt as if I could touch her. I realized then she was leaning against the other side, the door our only barrier.

  “Please, Melanie,” I whispered against the wood, my heart begging her. There was a shift in the air and the sound of metal sliding. The door cracked open, but only a lock of her brown hair was visible.

  “You shouldn’t be here, Daniel.” As much as she wanted me to be believe what she said, I knew she was lying. The pull was overwhelming, and even if I’d wanted to, I could never have walked away.

  I pushed against the door, nudging it open a little more. “We have to talk, Melanie, and I’m not leaving until we do.”

  I felt her give in and the door swung open wide. I tried to gather myself as I stepped forward.

  I stood in a massive living room, the furniture pristine, unused, and completely uninviting. I cringed, thinking of Melanie living in this place. There was no hint of her in it whatsoever. The house was devoid of any warmth.

  Slowly, I turned back to her, mentally preparing myself. My breath hitched and a lump formed in my throat when we came face-to-face. She was so beautiful; it made it impossible to think straight. She appeared to be in her pajamas, pink sweats resting low on her waist and a pink tank top. Her creamy shoulders were exposed, accentuating her brown curls that fell over them.

  But I only allowed myself to focus on her face. Her expression was so sad and guarded, her emerald eyes glistening as she fought to hold back tears.

  It was hard to breathe with the weight on my chest. Everything rode on this one moment.

  “Melanie.” How did I even start? The pull to hold her was so intense, it made it difficult to form words, but I fought it. We had to talk.

  She stood feet from me, her breathing even, though she couldn’t hide the tremors rolling through her body. She looked so scared, so broken, but even that couldn’t mask the love shining in her eyes when she looked at me. I couldn’t help but voice my own.

  “I love you.”

  Her lip quivered and she sucked it in, her eyes never leaving mine. Tears broke loose, running quickly down her face. “I know.”

  I swallowed and allowed the pain to come. I wouldn’t hold back. She had to know how deeply she’d wounded me.

  “What you said in my office the other day…I couldn’t live another day with you believing that I don’t want you. You have to understand, nothing was more devastating than finding out you’d left me.”

  The painful memory flashed in my mind. “She’s not here.” Peggy looked at me in confusion as if she thought I should know exactly what she was talking about. “Melanie got married, Daniel. Didn’t you know?”

  “What?” Melanie’s forehead wrinkled, her voice suddenly high. “What are you talking about...the day you found out I left you?”

  “When I went to Dallas to get you, Melanie. The day your mom ripped my heart out.”

  Peggy’s voice filled my mind. “She’s happy, Daniel. Let her go. Find someone that makes you happy like she has.”

  “For almost five months, I hardly slept or ate. I spent every minute worrying about you, dreaming of you, longing for you. I tried so hard to respect your wishes to stay away and let you heal, but it was too much. I had to come for you.” Each word became more heated than the last as the anger I’d always ignored was released. It was never my intention to come here and hurt her more, but it was time we were honest with each other.

  “Do you have any idea what that felt like? Finding out that the one person I loved most in this world had left me for someone else, and she never even had the decency to tell me goodbye? Even then, I never stopped loving you, wanting you—ever.”

  Melanie’s face twisted in rage.

  “How dare you,” she seethed, inching closer, her hands balled in tiny fists, “come in here and lie to me after all this time! If I wasn’t good enough for you, you should have just told me. It would have broken my heart to hear you say it, but you know I would have respected it...accepted it.” She stood inches from my face. “But to find her in my house...it was cruel, Daniel.” I could feel her anger dissipate, hurt taking its place. Her hands that had been fisted at her sides fisted in my shirt.

  I stared down at her, my mouth hanging open as I tried to process what she was saying.

  “Who?” I stuttered.

  “Stephanie!” Melanie screamed.

  My hands trembled at the mention of Stephanie’s name.

  How the fuck did Melanie know about Stephanie? I reached out and grasped her upper arms, forcing her to look at me.

  “Melanie, please.” I was begging, pure and simple. “That meant nothing. I was so broken after you left...I...I—”

  “Broken after I left? I left?” she cried. “I never left you! I could never leave you...ever.” Her voice softened as she reached out and caressed my cheek. “You w
ere everything to me, my life, my soul.” She removed her shaky hand, taking a step back, withdrawing from me.

  Pacing, I desperately tried to remember every detail of that time. What the hell was she talking about? Stephanie? I fiercely rubbed my palm over my face. I spun back to her, speaking to her from across the room. “Did you know I came to Dallas for you, Melanie?”

  She shook her head and my heart sank. She never knew I came for her? Is that why she thought I didn’t want her? Did she feel rejected because I waited too damn long? I knew I should have gone. Every part of me had insisted I go.

  That still didn’t explain how she knew about Stephanie.

  God, I hated having this conversation with her, but we had to get it all out. No hiding.

  I tried to phrase it so I didn’t sound like the asshole I knew I was. “Did...did you know I was with Stephanie after I came back from Dallas?” Even now, that memory made my skin crawl.

  Melanie shook her head, her lips pressed together. Her face was agonized as she forced herself to say it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she refused to look at me. “No, Daniel. I found out about Stephanie when I got to Colorado.”

  I sucked in the air I couldn’t seem to find. Reeling, I tried to wrap my mind around a fact I had never thought possible. Melanie had come back to me.

  “When did you come to Colorado?”

  She didn’t hesitate, having no need to search for the date. “July seventh.”

  I choked. July seventh. I didn’t go to Dallas until the sixteenth. I tried unsuccessfully to control my shaking as everything clicked. From across the room, I stared at my beautiful girl, realizing what I should have known all along. She didn’t leave me.

  My heart rejoiced and broke at the same time because Melanie had believed something very, very wrong, believed something so wrong it was powerful enough to destroy two lives—our lives. The possible scenarios ran through my head, each of them leading back to the same person.

  “Melanie, what happened when you came to Colorado?” I closed my eyes against her words, bracing myself for the rage I knew was sure to come.

  I squeezed them tighter when a loud sob erupted from her. Her pain echoed around the room. “Stephanie,” she forced out, her voice choppy, “told me you were happy...with her.”

  I bit back the growl that rumbled in my chest. How could someone be so cruel, so selfish to look an angel in the eye and lie, the intent only to steal and destroy? And how could Melanie have believed her?

  I looked back to Melanie. Her eyes were still shut as if she were trying to block the memories.

  I called softly to her, coaxing her eyes to meet mine, desperate to reveal the truth, “Melanie.” I took a tentative step forward when she opened her eyes. “I would never choose her over you. I don’t know what she said to you, but whatever it was, it was a lie.”

  Swallowing, I took another step, narrowing the gap between us.

  “It’s true, I slept with her, but not until I’d found out you were married, and even then, it wasn’t because I wanted her,” I whispered through a pained confession. “I’ve only ever wanted you. Every second since the moment I first felt you when your dad dropped you off in my driveway and every day since, it was you.”

  Her face went white, the light reflecting the tears on her face. “She lied to me.” Such a simple statement, but I knew those words meant more to her than anyone could ever know. She struggled against her tears as she painfully ground out the words, “Nine years, Daniel. Nine years, and now it’s too late.”

  “No, don’t say that,” I commanded. “Do you really think it’s an accident that I’m here, Melanie? You know as well as I do that we were brought together again. I can’t live without you. I haven’t lived a day without you,” I pleaded as I risked another step forward.

  This couldn’t happen. I wouldn’t let it. We’d been through too much, and it was time to make it right.

  She shook her head, looking at the floor. “I won’t come between you and your family. As much as I love you, Daniel, I refuse to be that person.”

  Of course she thought I was with Vanessa. I should have realized what she’d meant when she said I had her. She had always been one of the most honorable people I knew. This was yet another thing that proved to me she was still the same girl I loved. She would give up what she wanted in order to do what was right.

  Exhaling, I ran my hand through my hair, searching for an explanation. “I’ve never cared about anyone since you, Melanie, but I’ve been with a lot of women,” I stressed the word, praying she’d understand without having to go into all of the sordid details. I wasn’t proud of my exploits, but I refused to hide them from her. “Vanessa and I aren’t together. We’ve never been. It was one night, just like all the rest. She caught up with me the very day I saw you again. That was the day I found out about the baby.”

  Melanie stared at me from across the room, her eyes intense as she absorbed everything. My stomach was twisted up in knots, my body rigid as I waited—waited for her to decide. We both knew what this was. She had to make the choice.

  Neither of us said anything. The room suddenly felt small, as if the ceiling had dropped and the walls closed in, drawing us together. Energy swirled around us, her breath so heavy I could taste it. Our chests heaved as we realized how much we’d lost, how much we’d suffered, and how we’d been robbed of so much time. Stronger than all the regrets, though, was the force churning in the air, boiling, surging in our veins. It reminded us of where it had led us, standing mere feet from each other, insisting we didn’t waste another minute.

  Chapter Seventeen

  He’d always wanted me. Somewhere deep within me, I’d always known. Always. He’d lived the last nine years exactly as I had—alone—each of us in our own way. The energy built as we both stood staring, unable to move as our minds rejected the lies we’d once believed. It was all so clear. Part of me felt foolish, so naive to have fallen for another’s envy. But really, it’d had much less to do with Stephanie than with the insecurity I’d allowed to control my life. But now was not the time for regret.

  “Daniel,” I called to him softly and without hesitation. I raised my hand, my fingertips hovering in the air as I beckoned him to me.

  Relief washed over his face, and he closed the space between us. Our fingertips met, our spirits rejoicing in the contact.

  My heart stuttered as his eyes traveled from our fingers to my face. His mouth turned up in the saddest, sweetest smile I’d ever seen. “I missed you,” he whispered.

  I nodded, never agreeing with a statement more. Tears continued down my cheeks as I returned my own small, sad smile.

  Wiping my tears away, his smile grew, true joy finally shining in his eyes, but his words were still filled with grief. “I missed this face.” He dropped my fingers to hold my face in his hands. His touch was soothing, filled with a love that stirred every nerve in my body. “And this mouth.” His thumb ran over my bottom lip before his mouth captured mine in a slow, adoring kiss.

  I clung to him for support, my legs weak as I stared into his eyes. His love was so intense, yet his soul held so much sorrow. I wondered if his hurt went so deep that he could never heal.

  “And these eyes,” he choked out the last as he gently brushed his lips across each of my eyelids. He pulled back, his hands gripping my shoulders. “I missed nine years.” With trembling hands, he held me, his anguish apparent, and I could hold back no longer.

  Taking his face in my hands, I pulled his mouth down to mine, the desperation in my touch demanding that he never let me go.

  His reaction was instant.

  One hand found my lower back while the other dove into my hair, pulling me even closer. His lips were fervent, but gentle and sweet—always sweet. My body caught fire, desire coursing through me as I fully gave myself over to him. This time I wouldn’t hold back.

  “Melanie,” he murmured as his mouth overtook mine. Surging warmth spread over my body as his hand traveled down my spine to join t
he other at the small of my back.

  I pulled back, gasping for air.

  It was hard to grasp that less than an hour ago, I’d roamed this house, sinking deeper and deeper into a depression I was sure I would never recover from. The incident in Daniel’s office had undone me—in a devastating way—sending the failing grip I had on my heart spiraling out of control.

  But now.

  Now he was mine.

  Scorching eyes searched mine, filled with need. He must have found his answer in the flush of my face, because his hands abruptly moved to my thighs, lifting. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his waist.

  I whimpered as he pressed into me. I longed to feel all of him. He crashed his lips back to mine and began to walk, whispering against my lips, “Where?”

  I nodded toward the guest room. “There.”

  His eyes darted behind me, and he carried me to the room, never breaking our kiss. Kicking the door shut behind us, he carried me across the floor to the end of the bed. The sheets were still twisted and tangled from my night of sleep.

  Carefully, he laid me down, taking a step back to stare down at me with intense eyes. I’d never felt more loved, more cherished. Wetting his lips, he swallowed hard, his words thick in his throat. “I love you, Melanie.”

  “I love you...more than anything.”

  He stood above me, his body visibly trembling. “This is forever.”

  Propped on my elbows, I looked up at the beautiful man standing before me, his statement simple as he promised we’d never be apart again.

  I whispered back, “Forever.”

  I would take nothing less.

  The room was dim, the windows covered, the sun a faint glow through the slats of the shutters. His face softened and he slowly crawled up the mattress to me, kneeling between my legs. His hands rested on either side of my head, his body hovering above. Dipping down, he lightly grazed his lips over mine.

  “How did I ever stay away from you?” Gentle fingertips caressed my cheeks, my lips, ran over my chin and down my neck. His palm came to rest on my chest, his fingers splayed out over my heart. It thrummed in devotion against his hand.