Forgotten Sweethearts: A Romance Novel

by Bender, Melissa

  He nailed me twice that night.

  I’d been trying to avoid it all night, but the urge was there. I wasn’t doing it purposely, but out of curiosity, reaching over, I lifted the napkin holder and saw that our initials were still engraved into the piece of wood. Memories flooding back as I remembered that day so clearly like it was yesterday.

  Brody, with a cheeky grin, slid closer towards the wall. I hadn’t had a clue what he was up to until I spotted the knife. “Brody,” I whispered. “You'll get us kicked out.”

  My parents, finally realising that there was no way they could keep us apart, agreed to let us go out on our first date. I made them drop me off a block away so they couldn’t embarrass me with giving him a lecture.

  His mum wanted to join us so his older brother drove him here and would take us both home once we’d finished our dinner. We were drawing this out for as long as possible.

  Looking up, he rubbed my foot with his underneath the table. “I don’t care. When we’re old and married, we can bring our kids back here to show them where it all began.”

  “Kids?” I raised a brow. “You’re getting ahead of yourself, aren’t you?”

  He silently laughed as he tightened his hold on the knife. “Babe, you’re the type of girl a boy marries. When we’re both eighteen, I’m going to ask you, and you’ll say yes.”

  “How are you so sure?” I asked back, taking a sip of my coke. “I could say no.”

  Shaking his head, he stood up slightly and leant over the table between us. “Because I know nothing will come between us. I’m going to love you forever.” He then kissed me on the lips and sat back down with a grin.

  “Me too,” I smiled, knowing I couldn’t ever stop loving him.

  He pushed the knife into the wood and began to carve out the letter B. “Keep watch; otherwise, it’s just going to be my initials inside a heart,” he chuckled. “And I definitely don’t want that!”

  I kept my eyes out, kicking him every time I thought someone was coming over, and when he had finished, inside a heart read the letters B.W 4 G.S… and I knew that we’d love each other forever.

  “You would have thought they’d replace that.” Brody’s voice broke me out of my daydream.

  I looked up. “I guess so. I still can’t believe you did that.”

  “I’d have done anything for you back then, Gabby,” he smiled sadly as I pushed the napkin holder back in place. It was just too bad some things didn’t last the way we had hoped for.

  Deciding we needed a change of topic before I burst into tears, or we ended up arguing over something petty, I picked up a piece of garlic bread and tore a piece off. “How about you tell us—?” I said at the same time Brody had spoken, “What did that—?”

  Blushing, oh God, was I really blushing? I smiled at just pointed towards him, “You go first.”

  “I was going to ask what that tosser wanted?” he said, nudging his head towards Richard.

  I couldn’t help the snort. “Brody.” I shook my head. “He could have heard you.”

  With a shrug, he replied, “He’s a sleaze, out with his wife and kids but was all over you.”

  I almost accused him of being jealous, but I bit my tongue instead. “No. He just asked if I wanted my old job back pretty much.”

  “You’re going back to work?” he asked, looking slightly surprised. “Didn’t think you were looking?”

  Nodding, why hadn’t he realised this? “I’m going to need to go back to work, Brody,” I said quietly. “I can’t afford not to.”

  I would never take Brody’s money from him especially if I weren't working. I just couldn’t be that type of woman. “I know. I just… it just took me by surprise that’s all. I hadn’t put much thought into it,” he said, looking quite annoyed but masked that emotion up quickly. “What were you saying?”

  “Oh, right,” I had almost forgotten. “Tell me about this deal at work. You sold a company obviously.”

  He nodded. “I did. We had a meeting at nine, and by half past, he’d signed the paperwork. He was so impressed with my proposal that he agreed to sign over three million in stocks, and I’ll have it tripled within the year.”

  “Wow!” I didn’t have a word. He had always been clever with maths. I should know. He did help me study before I had a test. “That’s great, Brody.”

  “It is. He’s even offering to throw in a family vacation for John’s and my family…” he kept talking and then began to go into the more detailed side of things, and I was actually listening until Noah decided that he was bored.

  “Ugh, that sounds boring, dad!”

  Brody chuckled. “I know, buddy, tell me about your day at school.”

  “Yep, we had a rocket launch at school, and mine went off the highest in class! It was so cool. I’m going to make one at home this weekend and let it off in my room.”

  I laughed, shaking my head. “Oh, I think you should do it outside. It might go through the ceiling, and then you’ll have to sleep with a hole in the roof.”

  “I guess so,” he said and thought about it. “I don’t want to have rain coming in my bed.”

  Lila piped up, “Daddy, Mama, I know what I want for my birthday!” she beamed, taking a bite of her cheese pizza. Yes, she got a cheese one. God bless her little heart. It was hard to say no when they smiled so brightly.

  Brody and I both raised our brows up, looking down at her. “Oh, yeah? What is that?” I asked.

  “Lila, you know I can’t get you a unicorn, right?” Brody teased with a grin. “Or a real fairy.”

  Her birthday was in three weeks, and so far, she had listed off things from a kitten to her own ballerina dancing stage. This child had a vivid imagination. She had watched Peter Pan, and for weeks, she begged and begged us to buy her a real Tinkerbell. She wanted to have a pet mermaid to swim in our pool after watching The Little Mermaid. Then when she asked to grow her hair as long as Rapunzel, I gave up listening. Her choices changed too much to keep up with.

  Giggling, she shook her head. “Nope, not that, daddy. It’s even better, and my friend has one so I would like one too, please?”

  “What is it?” I asked, intrigued by her enthusiasm.

  With a big bright smile, she set her food down and beamed brightly at us both. “A little baby sister!”

  Being in the middle of taking a mouthful of his coke when Lila had asked that unexpected and startling question, Brody was obviously not been prepared for it either and sprayed his drink out of his mouth, directly at me as his began a coughing fit.

  Lila just giggled.

  Noah rolled his eyes and took another bite of his pizza, completely uninterested.

  I just sat there, stunned as I reached for the napkins but found Brody had beaten me to them.

  “That was unexpected,” he laughed embarrassedly as he reached over to begin patting me down with a handful of napkins scrunched up on his hand. “I’m so sorry.”

  Wiping the droplets of coke from my bare skin and over the tops my breasts which he hadn’t noticed he was patting down now. “It’s okay. Honestly, I didn’t expect that either.”

  Pulling back, he genuinely looked remorseful as Lila sat patiently waiting for her answer. “Um, Lila…” This would have been amusing if we weren’t divorcing. “I don’t know. We just can’t give you a sister. It’s not something that we can just magically create. We can’t do it.” Brody glanced up towards me. I knew he felt bad. He would give her the world if he could.

  “Why?” she asked, dipping her dark brows down and looking confused.

  Oh, God, why did she have to ask me this?

  I really had no idea how to answer his. “Because it’s something that takes time and a baby wouldn’t be here in time for your birthday. Maybe, you could ask for a doll that is like a baby?” I suggested, trying to get her to that idea.

  I noticed Brody giving me a soft smile. “Thank you,” he whispered, and I returned the smile.

  For the remaining of dinner, Lila ha
d seemed to drop the idea of a new baby sister. I could only imagine if she kept wanting one, how she would react when we would need to tell her no. She didn’t like not getting her way sometimes. Plus, I already had one of those dolls bought and put aside for her with a pink stroller and little baby clothes. I doubted she’d want a baby sister once she had heard the crying or if came out a boy.

  We left the restaurant and began walking towards the ice cream truck near the beach, the kids ahead of us, skipping and seeing who’d get there first.

  Brody, beside me, asked, “About what Lila said…”

  “Oh, God, talk about random,” I grinned, looking over towards him, only to see he was already looking back at me. “She’ll forget about it by the morning, anyway.”

  “Maybe,” he said quietly, and I felt his fingertips grazing softly over mine, no holding hands, just a soft touch. “Did you ever think about another one?”

  I frowned a moment, a smile breaking out. “Another baby?” I asked, surprised by his question, but I was trying to fight off the blush that was spreading as we bumped hands again.

  “Yeah, I mean, they were born so close together, and we never really spoke about it, anymore.” He was completely right. We hadn’t.

  Nodding as I glanced back towards him, “I mean, I guess it’s natural for me to want a few. My sisters have big families, and I love babies. When Lila started school, I was really keen for another baby, but you were working a lot, and we fought. It wouldn’t have been fair to put that type of pressure on you especially if we weren’t really getting along so well. I just couldn’t ask you for that.”

  “You should have told me,” he said, and I couldn’t tell if he was relieved, mad or upset. “I wouldn’t have minded another one…” His words trailed off to a faint whisper.

  No more words were said until we walked up to the kids. Brody ordered ice cream for each of us. It was nice to see that he’d remember the flavour that I most loved without having to ask me — coffee bean.

  Walking back towards the car, I laughed as Noah came up towards me with chocolate all over his face. “Eww, you, two, need a bath when we get home.” I reached into my pocket and wiped his mouth with a napkin, then allowing him to give me a kiss.

  “Love you, Mama,” he grinned, and I melted on the inside.

  Brody and I hadn’t had one fight all night, and being honest, it was really nice. It was a relief to see that we could get along. We weren’t stressing, and I wasn’t getting annoyed by anything. Not even his coke all over my chest had pissed me off.

  “I hope they pass out in the car,” I said to Brody as we walked towards the car.

  “You think that after their ice cream? I bet they’re completely wired in the car,” he chuckled. Pulling out his remote control button and unlocking the doors, he came to a complete standstill and smiled. “What’s the stakes if I lose this bet?” He couldn’t be serious. He wanted to bet on this? “How about if I win then you don’t cook for a week?”

  I was confused. “Don’t you mean if you lose?” Did he hate my cooking that much?

  “No, if I win,” he said seriously. “And if I lose, the same applies.”

  “Uh, ok. Well, if I win, you can buy me a back massage,” I grinned back at him, not sure why I had said that, but a massage sounded pretty darn good right now. “If I lose, then I’ll keep on cooking.”

  Just as we walked around to the door, Brody blocked my view. “Do we have a deal?” he asked, walking closer and holding out his hand.

  “Okay, we have a deal,” I lifted my hand out, and we shook on it.

  It was reminding me of something that we’d have done as teenagers, not adults.

  Sitting in the front seat, I clipped up my belt and glanced over my shoulder. That was a fast bet. They were passed out. Brody glanced over too. Our faces near and our lips so close, I could feel his warm breath against my skin. My heart began to beat quicker as his blue eyes locked on mine.

  We sat there a moment, just staring. I couldn’t break contact, wanting to, but my eyes wouldn’t allow it. The nerves were there. Gosh, I was incredibly nervous. It was as if I had forgotten to breathe again… just like our first date.

  “Damn, you’ve got to be kidding me. You won,” he grinned, and something twinkled in his eyes. He knew he was going to lose our bet. But why, why would he have chosen not to have me cook for him for the entire week?

  We arrived home in complete silence, and Brody carried Noah as I lifted a slightly lighter Lila. They were both out like a light and didn’t wake when I had dropped Lila down much harder than intended. She bounced a little and then rolled over still asleep.

  “So much for their baths,” I sighed, noticing their dirty mouths.

  “Do it in the morning. It’s Saturday, anyway.” Brody was behind me when I turned around to walk out of the bedroom.

  We were in the passageway, and just an awkward tension was surrounding us. Maybe, us getting this divorce was a blessing in disguise. If we were not fighting now, then maybe it was just meant to be.

  Brody cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes never met mine as he spoke. “I’ve got some things to go get ready for tomorrow, work and all.”

  Just like that, I realised it was all just a show. There was no way that whatever had been going on tonight would remain. “Yeah, I’m pretty tired. Night.”

  I tried not to show him that I was hurt. I mean, why the hell should I care? Or why should I be hurt? This was him and me. We fought and didn’t get along. This is how it would always be, and I wished that it wouldn’t.

  Going to the guest house, I was barely able to sleep again. My head was pounding like no tomorrow, and the shower didn’t help. I slipped into the new red and black lace boxers and revealing camisole top, which I had bought when Cathy begged me to go into Bras N Things. God, I’ll never live that down. Although their panties and bras were extremely comfortable, they weren’t my usual style. But, hey, I now have a waxed genitals, so I can’t really talk. I went inside to the main house, wishing I had changed into something else, but the lights were off and at 3 AM. I doubted Brody would be up.

  The glass in my hand as I stood and leaned against the fridge, I waited for the water dispenser to fill my glass up. I wished my migraine away as I swallowed the two pills. I was about to lift the water to my mouth when I heard a noise. Turning, I let out a half scream, the cup in my hand thrown up and tossed at the figure standing in the doorway. My aim was terrible. Glass broke on the floor in front of Brody, and water sprayed over his chest.

  “Jesus, can’t you remember not to do that?” I said, still trying to catch my breath.

  Brody, only in a pair of tight boxer shorts, began walking towards me. He bent down, picking up the few broken shards of glass. He stood so tall before me. His eyes lowered to my body, and I internally groaned as I realised he was staring at the open fabric that revealed my stomach.

  “Sorry,” he said quite huskily and placed the remains of the glass in the bin. “I just wanted some water. I couldn’t sleep.”

  My lips parted, taking in the black Calvin Klein as he walked closer. I hadn’t been aware of how close we were until his body had me pushed back against the fridge.

  “Brody,” I said, feeling him against my belly. Oh God, he was so hard. I couldn’t even try to stop my fingers from tracing over his taut stomach muscles. “You need water?” My voice now was coming out a breathy whisper.

  He didn’t speak, but I felt him twitch against me. His eyes devoured me with every gaze. He slowly began to lift and slide beneath the thin satin material, caressing my stomach. I never let him touch my stomach. I had always been so ashamed. “Nice PJs, are they new?”

  “You bought them for me two weeks ago when I was mad at you,” I smiled with a blush. He had pissed me off, and I went shopping with his credit card.

  His eyes darted up, and a soft smile appeared. “Hmm, I have excellent taste then. I’ll have to buy you things like this more often, or you can do it
for me when I piss you off.”

  I tilted my head to the side, realising that my migraine had started to ease as his other hand came up and cupped my chin. His fingers on my skin kneaded the spot my shoulders and neck. “Feels incredible.”

  “How about I give you that massage?”

  “Oh, God, please…” I moaned, enjoying his fingers on me immensely. The tension in my head faded, and my spine tingled with each touch. I could let him do this for hours. The pleasure was almost unbearable as my eyes closed. Opening again, I realised it wasn’t the massage that felt so good. It was him… the sexual tension from today, in the gym, at the restaurant and the walk. I needed more.

  Without thinking about it, my hands slipped further down. One cupped his sac and squeezing it while the other began stroking his erection over the fabric of his boxers.

  He looked into my eyes, and it matched what I was feeling… lust, desire, need.

  Making a growling sound that drove me incredibly wild, his hands were now both cupping my breasts. God, we never did this. I pushed my chest out, urging him to continue. Damn, it felt good. My nipples hardened.

  His mouth neared as my hand stroked him still. “Like what you feel?” he whispered, huskily. “I do.”

  We were staring at each other, looking up at him through heavy hooded eyes, I nodded. “Yes.”

  Our bodies reacted with primal instinct. Within seconds, our mouths were on each other. Hungry and passionate, Brody’s tongue pushed into my mouth, and he kissed me so forcefully that I had to grip him by the waist to keep myself upright. I moaned. Every nerve in my body was on fire that could only be put out by him. Slamming my body back into the fridge, his hands almost enclosed around my throat as he pushed himself into me more. A guttural groan escaped his throat as I pushed back, grinding against him.

  We pulled away, breathless and panting hard. Biting my lip, I was craving what we didn’t have, and he was too. His hands were all over my body, touching my skin, but still, he was searching my face for permission.