Later that evening, Melanie tossed and turned in bed. She kept seeing Wade’s face flash in her mind’s eye. After more than two hours of not being able to fall asleep, she flicked on the television to the local news station.
The first thing she saw was
Wade’s smiling face. He was being interviewed. For a few moments, Melanie stared at the screen as if she were hypnotized. That was her Wade on the screen! With his golden blond hair and glittering green eyes, he was as handsome as ever. But something about the way he answered the reporter’s questions and conducted himself during the interview struck Melanie as being somewhat different than what she remembered.
He seemed more mature and less arrogant than he had been towards the end of their relationship. Of course, things hadn’t started off like that for them. They’d met the first week of high school and for the next ten years, they’d been virtually inseparable. For some reason, they had never gotten married. This was something that surprised everyone who knew the couple. They seemed like the perfect pair.
Melanie would have gladly accepted a proposal from Wade, but whenever the subject of marriage would come up, he would always change the subject. His unwillingness to broach the subject was quite a blow to Melanie’s self-esteem. She already had issues regarding her weight. She had always been a bit on the plump side, but she had a lovely face and she always wore stylish clothing that complimented her curvy frame.
When the televised interview with Wade ended, Melanie continued to stare at the screen. She had no idea what else to do. How would she be able to get to sleep? Her entire body was filled with an intense sexual energy. She could feel her pussy getting wet. She closed her eyes, leaned back, and moaned. Oh, God!
She suddenly felt so turned on. It had been so long since she had been this horny. That was the effect that Wade always had on her. His powerful, muscular body had always turned her on so much!
She pushed down the bed sheet and began slowly rubbing the insides of her thighs. Her body was aching and calling out for Wade. She began to say his name,” Wade, Wade, Wade, Wade slowly.” It was like she was trying to conjure him up, to make his beautiful physique appear before her, right there in the bedroom, on top of her, in between her legs, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tightly against him.
She desperately missed the way that he made love to her. He was the only man that she had ever allowed to penetrate her, to push into her most intimate parts. For the last several years, she had abstained from having sex, or perhaps she just had not met anyone with which she was compatible. Whatever the case, he was the only man she had ever had sex with. And she thought that she would never bring herself actually to give herself, so entirely and completely, to anyone besides Wade.
With her eyes closed and her legs spread, Melanie plunged two fingers into her wet pussy. It was so tight! She slowly worked her fingers in and out, careful not to go too fast or too hard. But it didn’t take long before her fingers were going deeper and deeper inside of her. And that’s when the images, the fantasies of Wade making love to her, began. She remembered how big and hard his dick would get when he made love to her.
She moved her fingers in and out. It felt so damn good to be touching herself and thinking of him. But what she really needed was the real thing.
Wade was relieved when his plane finally landed at St. Paul International Airport. Nervous energy shot throughout his body. It had been three days since he’d gotten a decent night’s sleep. He still wasn’t sure whether he made the right decision in going forward with the documentary project. But it was too late now. There was no turning back.
As the taxi brought him closer and closer to the town where he was born and raised, memories began to flood his mind, memories that he had long kept buried.
In particular, he remembered his first and only true experience of love. That love was for his high school sweetheart, the only woman that he had truly ever loved, Melanie Caldwell.
He couldn’t help feeling that things might have turned out differently, if only he hadn’t let his ego get in the way. If only he had appreciated the love that she was offering. But instead, he had lost touch with the small-town, warm-hearted, charming person that he was. He had begun to believe the headlines and the hype that surrounded his playing career. But that appeared to be over now. After only three seasons, and well before reaching his potential, his career looked to be finished. So now he was forced to begin thinking about living a completely different sort of life. He knew that some of the first people that he was going to visit were his former coaches and teammates. Yet it all seemed so strange to him. He was so anxious about having to see people who knew him so well. They would be able to tell instantly that something wasn’t quite right with him.
Melanie finally managed to get to sleep, but when her alarm rang at 5:30 am she felt completely exhausted. There was no way that she would be able to make it through the day on such a little amount of sleep, but she was not the kind of person to stay in bed while her employees were busy working. She wasn’t that sort of business owner. She always wanted to show her employees, and all the people in the town for that matter, that she didn’t think that she was better than anybody else.
Only fifteen more minutes, she said to herself, then I’ll get up and start the day. Just fifteen minutes. But before she reset the alarm, she remembered what it was that had kept her up all night. And then she remembered the powerful orgasm that she’d had only hours before. Suddenly, she felt a tremendous surge of energy through her body. The fatigue that she felt only moments before was completely gone. She was more than ready to start the day. She threw off the bed covers and hopped out of bed.
This was the day that she had been waiting so long for. It was finally here. She was excited. She was terrified. She had no idea how things would turn out. But she wouldn’t allow herself to think about that right now, especially any negative thoughts. When she saw Wade, she would know right away whether he still loved her. She would know immediately if they had any chance of making things work between them. Because that’s what she wanted more than anything. She wanted Wade back in her life. Life had been so hard without him, without his love.
Chapter 4
Wade could feel his legs getting weak underneath him, as he approached Melanie’s cupcake shop. She would be closing up in a few minutes. He didn’t have time to stand out in the street and contemplate whether he was going to go forward with this. Of course, he was going forward with it. Destiny had brought him back home.
Melanie was the love of his life. He was sure of that, absolutely certain. These past three years without her in his life had been tough.
The first few months were like one non-stop party. The Rangers were winning, he was playing well, and it seemed like every attractive woman in New York was throwing herself at him. He was a small town kid from the Midwest. All that attention went straight to his head. He had no idea how to handle it.
Eventually, his out-of-control ego became too much for Melanie. And then she found some very racy text messages on his phone. When she ran out of the apartment they shared in Manhattan; he didn’t even bother to run after her.
He took her love for granted, and he expected her to come back within a few hours. But she didn’t.
He pulled the door open and stepped into the shop. There weren’t any customers. A girl with orange hair was wiping the counter. She looked up and smiled at Wade.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we’re all out of cupcakes for the day. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.”
“That’s okay,” Wade replied. “Is the owner here?”
Melanie nearly fainted when she saw Wade standing in her shop. For a moment, which seemed to last forever, they stared into each other’s eyes without saying anything.
And at that moment, Melanie sensed that the love between them was still alive. There was something caring and vulnerable in the way that he looked at her.
He took two steps closer to her and then she rushed into his a
rms. They held each other tightly without saying a word.
Melanie had Stephanie close up the shop. She was anxious to spend as much time with Wade as possible.
They headed to Bert’s Diner, one of the most popular establishments in town. There was a big cheer when they walked through the door. The place was jam packed with diners, just regular old townsfolk, slurping down cold beers and mucking on hot food. It seemed like everyone in the place wanted to welcome Wade back home.
After a while, all the attention became a little bit embarrassing for him. All he wanted to do was sit down and have a bite to eat with Melanie. It had been so long since they had talked face to face.
When the enthusiastic welcome finally simmered down, they were able to sit down and place their order.
“You’re still just as popular as ever,” Melanie said, smiling.
“Yeah, well, it feels good to be back home. I would never get that greeting anywhere in New York. Especially, since I don’t do much playing anymore.”
Melanie could tell that something was wrong with Wade. He’d had his first concussion before their breakup. But that one was considered mild. The doctors had said that it wouldn’t be a big deal. Unfortunately for him, several more concussions followed over the next few years. Melanie had heard that he was struggling to get medical clearance to play again, yet she always figured that he would remain optimistic and determined, and he would eventually get things sorted out.
“What have the doctors told you?” She asked. There were concern and love in her voice. Wade stared at her warmly for a minute before answering.
“That there’s a slim chance that I’ll be able to play again in about a year. But one more concussion and I'm done forever. Everything that I’ve worked so hard for will be gone.”
“No, it won’t,” Melanie said reaching her hands across the table and placing them on top of his. That simple, loving touch sent sparks through her body. It was unlike anything that she had ever experienced. Or maybe it wasn’t. Maybe she was experiencing something pleasurable that she had experienced many times before.
Wade clasped her hands and smiled at her. Their eyes exchanged vows and promises of love and eternal happiness. Melanie felt that everything in the world had slowed down, like everything in the world had disappeared, leaving just her and Wade all alone.
She had the strong urge to start making out right then and there. Her whole body yearned for his touch, for his passion. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that some of the townsfolk were looking their way and giggling. That’s when she sighed and sat back in the booth.
“We should probably wait until we get someplace a bit more private,” she said.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Wade said. When he whipped his head around the diner, several heads quickly turned away, embarrassed to have been caught snooping.
Melanie and Wade stared at each other for a moment; and then they burst out laughing. It felt so good to be back together again.
********
“You were the one that wanted to stay in New York and be a star,” Melanie retorted. She had wanted the relationship to work out so desperately. It pained her to hear him suggest otherwise.
Wade sighed and looked away. Melanie kept her eyes intensely fixed on him. She wasn’t going to stand by and let him disparage her. If they were going to talk about their past issues and try to work through them, then they needed to be honest.
After several moments of tense silence, Wade finally spoke. “I know I did, Melanie and I’ve never forgiven myself. I’ve never been able to stop thinking about what we could have been. What we should have been.”
Melanie got off of the couch and walked to the other side of the living room. She was completely overcome with emotion. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.
She spun around and glared at him. “Why did you have to come back?”
Wade popped off the couch and rushed towards her. His eyes were on fire with desire. He grabbed both of her arms and stared deeply into her eyes.
“The only the reason that I came back is for you,” he said. “That’s the only reason.”
Melanie looked away. It sounded too good to be true. But she wanted nothing more than to believe what he was saying. The moment that he had put his hands on her, electric sparks began shooting throughout her body. There was no denying her attraction to him. He had the same rugged, handsome looks that had made her swoon so many years ago. He still had the intensity and magnetism in his eyes that she had always found irresistible.
Tears streamed down Melanie’s cheeks. She had been afraid that this would happen, afraid that she wouldn’t be able to control her emotions. And here she was completely losing her grip. It was all too much for her. They’d had so many plans together. They were the couple that all of the couples had envied. After the painful breakup, Melanie had begun to doubt seriously whether or not she would ever find love again. But right at that moment, love appeared to be staring her right in the face.
She slowly lifted her head and stared into Wade’s loving eyes. He was smiling warmly. He was the perfect man. He was the man she wanted. She was about to raise her lips to his. She wanted to give in, surrender herself to his loving embrace, but at the last moment, something held her back. She wasn’t going to be able to just yet. There were too many doubts and insecurities swirling in her spirit.
She pushed herself free of Wade and took several steps away from him. She brushed tangled hair out of her eyes and wiped the tears from her fleshy cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But I can’t do this tonight. Thank you for taking me to the diner. I didn’t realize how much I missed that place.”
Wade stood in the middle of the living room with a crestfallen expression on his face. He seemed like he was about to say something but at the last moment he bit his tongue. Then he sighed and shook his head.
“I think I understand,” he said. “I hope that I do.”
Once Wade was finally gone, Melanie felt a sense of relief mingled with excitement. It was a strange feeling, a feeling that she couldn’t remember experiencing for a very long time. She was relieved because their reconciliation seemed to be moving along way too fast. She wasn’t the kind of girl who was going just to hop into bed with her ex the first day that he came back to town, no matter how strong her feelings for him still were. And there was no doubt that she had hard feelings. But it would take her more time to figure out what exactly those feelings were. Jumping into bed with each other would only make that process much more complicated.
It had been years since she had been in any sort of relationship with a man. But she was sure that Wade had gotten plenty of experience in New York. Her lack of experience in comparison intimidated her a bit, but it wasn’t so big a deal that she wouldn’t be able to overcome it.
Chapter 5
The next day Melanie seemed to float through the morning hours. The shop was bustling with townsfolk coming in and out. And there were more than a few whispers about the star who had come back to town. Was he married? Would he ever play again? And, oh my God, he’s so handsome!
Melanie couldn’t help giggling whenever she heard his name come up. She had a pretty good idea of whether or not the golden boy would be getting married anytime soon, but she was definitely going to keep that bit of information to herself. And besides, nothing was definite. Even more, they hadn’t even discussed the subject of marriage directly.
What if he wanted to continue his acting career? What if he wanted to live in Los Angeles or New York? She didn’t feel like she would be able to handle life in the big city anymore. She’d always felt cut off when she lived in places like that. She had no roots in either New York or Los Angeles. These were things that they would have to talk about. She wasn’t doing herself any favors worrying about it.
Seconds later a catastrophe in the shop forced her to stop worrying about her love life and start worrying again about how she was going to get the bakery through the hectic Chris
tmas season.
All Hell broke loose a little bit after lunch. Fifteen customers were waiting in line, gossiping, greeting, hoping that by the time their turn came around, whatever it was they wanted would still be in stock.
Melanie had just taken an order for two dozen reindeer themed cupcakes. That’s when she heard a piercing scream from the back of the shop. Instantly, all of the customers became silent. Everyone was waiting for what would come next. A succession of piercing screams followed.
Before going to see what was wrong, Melanie took a deep breath and crossed herself. She knew that the screaming voice was that of Stephanie. She’d worked in the shop for many years. She never lost her cool or panicked. So, Melanie was anxious about what she was going to find when she got to the back of the shop. The moment Melanie pushed through the double door that led to the kitchen, she realized that something was wrong. It was a complete disaster! And it was pretty disgusting as well. The toilet was overflowing onto the floor of the back of the shop.
Melanie put her hand over her mouth and walked out of the badly flooded area. The dirty water had soaked through her socks and shoes. She felt disgusting knowing what might be in that backed up sewer water. She would definitely have to go home and change. But that was the least of her worries. She had a full-blown crisis on her hands.
It wouldn’t be long before the whole shop started to stink with the smell of that water. And if they didn’t stop the flooding and get all the water cleaned up as soon as possible, she would have to shut down the kitchen. There’s no way that it would be appropriate to have people preparing food in there. The conditions would simply not be sanitary. The last thing she wanted was to try and squeeze a few more dollars out of the holiday season and end up in deep trouble with the state health agency.
She sighed deeply as she walked into her office and quickly shut the door behind her. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to barricade herself in the room for long. But she definitely needed a few moments away from the madness.
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