Ben & Matilda- Infinite Promise

by Tania De Melo

  “Okay, I just jumped in here. Did you get your ass kicked by a girl?” Bane asks.

  “No, I didn’t. They're just assholes,” I reply, then shut off my phone, not wanting to be involved in this conversation any longer—it could go on for days with those guys.

  I’m sitting in the model home looking over some paperwork when my first client for the day walks in.

  “Mrs. Sims, good to see you.”

  She offers a smile. “You as well, Ben, and please, call me Elaine. This is my daughter, Alex. I brought her along today to help me pick out the final details.”

  A woman steps out from behind her. A drop-dead gorgeous woman. Tall, slender. Perfect pale skin and auburn hair that frames her face, accentuating her hazel eyes.

  Good, God!

  I extend my hand. “Hi Alex, I’m Ben.” Shit, my hands are all sweaty. “Ladies, please have a seat, and I will show you some of the samples that we have available. If there is something you want that I don’t have here, just let me know. I can order in what you prefer.”

  The two women take a seat, Alex, directly across from me. I can’t take my eyes off of her. I’m lost in this woman.

  Elaine clears her throat, grabbing my attention. I turn to her, and she shoots me a knowing smile.

  “Sorry, here are the samples,” I offer, my face flushed with embarrassment that my client has caught me ogling her daughter. Although, with a woman as breath-taking as Alex. I’m sure her mother is probably used to it. “I’ll leave you ladies to look these over. Would either of you like coffee, tea, or water?”

  “I would love some water,” Alex requests.

  “One for me as well, Ben. Thank you.”

  I head over to the fridge that is fully stocked with refreshments and retrieve two bottles, handing them to the women.

  “I’ll just be in the other room if you have any questions.”

  They both nod their understanding.

  With the house being open concept, I still have a clear view of them sitting at the kitchen table from the living room. I can’t take my eyes off of her.

  Trying to regain some sort of focus, I run my hand down my face and grab my phone from the table next to some of the files I was working on.

  “Okay, question. And I don’t need any perverted responses. Is it unprofessional for me to ask out the daughter of a client?”

  Kai is the first to answer. “It isn’t unprofessional if she’s hot. Send me a pic, and I’ll let you know.”

  I had to know Kai would be the one to not take this seriously. “I’m sure Ginny wouldn’t appreciate finding a picture of another woman on your phone.”

  “Hah, that’s what you think. She’s sitting right beside me, and she’s the one that’s asking for the visual,” he responds.

  Of course.

  “Not a good idea to mix business with pleasure, son. Not even if she’s a looker. I’m a big no,” my father replies.

  “I’m with Dad. But Gwen’s always good with things like this, you should ask her,” says Liam.

  “I’m siding with Kai. Go for it. Especially if she has a kickin’ body,” Ewan adds.

  “That’s a split. We need Bane for the tiebreaker,” Kai says.

  Bane Chimes in. “I’m here. From a legal point of view. As long as all the paperwork is signed, and no one can back out of the deal if you manage to piss her off, then go for it. Nothing to lose. Well, I should add, it also depends on who the girl is.”

  I look over to the kitchen table at the two women, heads buried in samples, then type into my phone. “It’s Mayor Sims, daughter.”

  “Are you crazy!”

  “Shit, and here we always thought you were the smart one.”

  “You don’t shit where you eat, man!”

  “I obviously didn’t beat enough common sense into that head of yours when you were younger.”

  “Wait! The mayor has a daughter?”

  “Yes, one that he had managed to keep away from you boys growing up, and for a good reason. That girl is his pride and joy. His only child...his only daughter,” my father explains.

  “Okay, so, what you're telling me is it would be a bad idea?” I ask.

  “Yes!” The same message comes from all of them.

  “Fine!” I send the text, then place my cell on the couch beside me. I look up to where the women are once again and let out a sigh. Damn, she’s gorgeous. But they’re right; it would be a bad idea.

  “I think we’re done here, Ben. But I’m still stuck on the paint color. Would it be a horrible imposition if I were to borrow a paint chip deck for a couple of days?” Elaine asks.

  I stand and make my way to the women. “Not at all, and there’s no rush. It doesn’t take much time to get the paint order in. It’s all the other stuff that can take several weeks.”

  “Perfect,” Elaine replies with a smile. She looks to her daughter, then back to me. “My husband and I will be going away for a couple of weeks. Maybe you and my daughter should exchange numbers in case anything comes up. I trust her to make any decisions on my behalf.” She winks then offers me a smile before walking off.

  Alex lets a groan. “I want to apologize for my mother. She has this incessant need to try and set me up with any single male in the general vicinity.”

  I laugh. “No worries. You should meet my mother, although, her track record is pretty good when it comes to matchmaking.” Alex laughs, and the sound sends a warm shiver through me. “Listen, I may be jumping the gun here. But what would you say to maybe grabbing drinks this weekend?”

  “I think I would like that,” she replies.

  I smile. “Perfect, hand me your phone.”

  ***

  “Man, you are setting yourself up for disaster,” Kai lets out.

  Having finished early for once, I decided to join my brother’s at O’Fallon’s for drinks—big mistake.

  “I can’t believe you asked her out, even after we told you not to,” Liam mentions.

  I shake my head. “How did you guys even find out?”

  Ewan lets out a laugh. “Seriously, you have to ask? Mrs. Sims mentioned it to Mrs. Clark, who mentioned it to Mrs. Carter in the salon. Mrs. Boswell overheard and called Mom right away. So, then, Mom text the girls on their group chat, and they told us.”

  Ugh—Emerson’s Women’s Society phone tree, how could I forget.

  “Look, it’s just a drink, maybe two,” I reply.

  Kai pinches his brow. “That’s how it all starts...just a drink, then two. Next thing you know, her daddy’s knocking on your door with a cocked shotgun in hand.”

  I land him with a derisive glare. “Okay, I hardly think the mayor of Emerson is going to wield a shotgun through town to hunt me down.” As I look around the table, they are all giving me an ‘oh, yeah, he would’ look. “Whatever!”

  “Sorry about the wait, boys.” We all turn to the perky voice.

  “Hey, Elise. Where’s Jimmy?” Kai asks.

  She shrugs. “Off with his newest conquest. I don’t ask questions. I just take the shifts whenever he needs someone to watch the bar for him.”

  “Yeah, I thought you were working at Gimmer Accounting?” Liam says.

  She nods. “I am, but a girl needs her mad money. So, don’t forget to leave a generous tip. Now, what can I get you?”

  ***

  Seeing as we were all together, the night ended up going a lot longer than we had intended. It wasn’t until Elise threatened to call our wives because we were getting too rowdy, that we decided to call it a night. However, we left her a great tip, so she was happy in the end.

  When Liam and I enter the kitchen, the house is quiet.

  “I’m Starving,” I say.

  Liam lets out a snicker. “Oh, I’m hungry, just not for food. I’m going to go upstairs and see if I can wake up my wife.”

  I shake my head. “Brother, if you go upstairs half in the bag pawing at Gwen, she’s going to put your ass in the dog house.”

  He flicks his han
d at me. “Pfft, she loves when I get frisky.”

  “Okay, yeah, dude, overshare not required.”

  Liam lets out a laugh and heads toward his inevitable demise.

  I open the fridge perusing through what leftovers are available that Sammy hasn’t managed to get his chubby little mitts on. “Ah, roast beef...Perfect!”

  I pull out the dish setting it on the counter, then grab the mustard and sliced bread. Then a thought occurs to me. I should turn on the lights. I reach over to hit the switch, but stop when the garden light from outside catches my eye. “Why’s that on?”

  I move to the window, and when I look out, there she is. I stand there for a moment.

  She’s reading a book. She always loved to read. I take a deep breath. Should I go out there?

  Screw it.

  My inhibitions are down, no time like the present to get past this awkwardness between us. I abandon my late-night snack and head for the kitchen doors. She spots me as soon as I step out.

  “Hey, you guys made it back. Gwen was ready to send in the cavalry, but then she got an obscure text from Liam, and she figured he was drunk and would eventually find his way home.”

  I laugh. “Yeah, the four of us had a few too many. Which reminds me, Li and I are going to have to get up early to grab our vehicles. I’m pretty sure after five a.m., we will be illegally parked.”

  “Do you think they would issue a parking ticket to the police chief?” She asks, pondering it.

  “I think Ewan’s on first shift, so it’s a possibility.” We let out a little chuckle, knowing that is exactly something Ewan would do. “Do you mind if I take a seat.” She shakes her head and moves over to make room, so I sit beside her. “I can’t believe this swing is still standing. My dad built this for my mom when we were just little.”

  Ati snickers. “Aldric Adair only builds quality.”

  “Touché! So, why are you up so late?”

  She pulls the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “Couldn’t sleep, I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

  “I know the feeling. It’s like my brain is permanently wired on overdrive.”

  We sit for another moment in silence before I can’t take it any longer. “Ati, I hate that there’s this tension between us.”

  “I know me too. Things used to be so easy with us.”

  I nod. “Yeah, they were. So, how do we get back to that?”

  Ati looks to me, the side of her lip between her teeth. Shit! That look used to drive me crazy for her.

  “As cliché as this is going to sound, it still holds some validity, so here it goes. I don’t think we ever got closure. There were a lot of emotions between the two of us that were never dealt with when things ended.”

  She’s right, there were.

  “You’re right, and that was my fault. I didn’t know how to deal with it all. Shit, I still don’t know how to deal with everything going on in my life. My dad had to come in and help me out,” I reply, then look to her. “Ati, how I ended things wasn’t right. The way I treated you was horrible. You didn’t deserve it.

  She lets out a sigh. “You know, I’ve thought about it here and there, and as time went on, I started to realize what Gwen was always telling us. We just weren’t at the same point in our lives to make it work. I was young and in love. I didn’t want to believe we weren’t going to be together forever. So, when you ended it, I was angry at you for not wanting to try. For just giving up on us...on me.”

  Her words hit hard. I don’t think I ever realized that I hadn’t just broken her heart, but in some way, I also let her down and broke her trust. Broke a promise I had made to love her forever. The thing is...I don’t think I broke the last one, because I don’t think I ever stopped loving her. But what we had is over. I made that decision, and even if it was the stupidest one I ever made, at this point, I can’t change what is done. She’s moved on with her life. She’s moved on to a good life. One that will only get better for her, and give her everything she deserves and what her heart desires. It just kills me that I won’t be a part of it the way I want to be.

  I look into her eyes. Those emerald eyes. I could always get so easily lost in them. “Ati, I wish I could go back. Make things right between us. We still may not have ended up together, but maybe we would have ended on better terms. Been able to stay friends.”

  She nods. “Yeah, but no point in looking to the past. Let’s just work through today, and look forward to the future.” She offers out her hand. “Friends?”

  I give her a smile and take her hand, but instead of giving it a shake, I pull her into a hug. She comes willingly. “Friends!”

  When we pull away, there’s a lingering moment where our mouths are touching corner to corner. Neither of us too quick to ignore it. Or maybe it’s just me holding on to her a little tighter at that moment to save the memory of her touch. When she sits up straight, there’s something in her eyes, but I can’t make it out.

  “I should get to bed,” she says.

  I nod. “Yeah, me too.

  “Goodnight, Ben.”

  “Goodnight, Ati.”

  She turns to walk away but stops and turns back, letting out a chuckle. “You really asked out the mayor’s daughter?”

  My eyes widen in horror. Dammit—the girl’s group chat. Of course, Ati would be on it. Well, I can’t deny it now. “Yeah. The guys think I’m crazy.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say you’re crazy. But maybe sleep with one eye open. I’d hate to lose you as a friend when I just got you back.”

  I laugh. “Noted.”

  She heads in, and I watch as she disappears into the darkness of the house.

  I feel better knowing that we made amends and that I was able to apologize for what I did eight years ago. But now the place in my heart where I held the memory of her, feels only pain. The pain of knowing I will never have her in my life again, the way I truly want to.

  Chapter Five

  -Matilda-

  I enter my room and shut the door behind me. My breath comes out in a whirlwind, and the tears immediately after. It’s over. It’s been over for years, and I know that. Yet, I feel like my heart has just been ripped out.

  Dammit.

  I pound my fist at my chest, trying to numb this pain.

  “Get it together, Ati—this is ridiculous. He’s not yours. He was never yours.”

  I walk to the other side of the room, falling to my bed. Curling into a ball, I pull up the comforter, hoping the weight of the cover will provide some sort of refuge, but there is no reprieve.

  There’s a light tap at my door, then it opens. It’s dark, but I can make out Gwen’s silhouette. She walks in, sitting beside me on the bed, then pulls me up in her arms.

  “It’ll be okay.”

  “Why does it hurt?” I ask.

  She sighs. “Because at some point, love always does.”

  “When will it stop?”

  “Oh, sweetie. Unfortunately, if I think you feel the way you do about Ben. I don’t know that it ever really goes away. Over time, you just learn how to fill the void with other things that make you happy.”

  I pull out of her embrace, wiping my tear-stained cheeks. “It’s funny, in an ironic kind of way. The one thing I always wanted was some sort of end to us…to what happened years ago. I got that today. But now, I want it to go back to when I could still have hope there was a maybe.”

  The room is dark, but with the moonlight shining through the window, I can see the love and care in Gwen’s eyes. “Did you tell him how you feel? And not what you conjured up to save face, but what you are really feeling.”

  I shake my head. “No. It would be futile. He moved on long ago, that much was obvious. It was just eating away at him because of how he ended it. Now, that we have to still see each other, he didn’t want things to be weird, seeing as how we share family.”

  “I know you don’t want to hear this, Ati. But maybe that’s the answer you need. You are a resilient woman; you’ve proved that t
ime and time again. This is not going to be the exception.” She lets out a breath. “Look. You’re going to be starting work in a few days. A whole new adventure. One that is going to introduce you to a lot of new experiences and with that; a lot of new people. It’s going to take time. But you need to close that chapter of your life. Start a new one.”

  I bring my knees up, resting my forehead on them. “Gah, I know this. I understand I can’t change things to make them the way I want. Damn free will. You’re right though, I have an opportunity to make a new start for myself, and I can’t do that with my past playing like an old rerun in the back of my head.”

  Gwen stands from the bed. “I think we need a shopping day. Thea and Bane will be home with the baby tomorrow. The party is pretty much all set up. Get some sleep, and once I get the boys settled for the day, we are going to distract you with some retail therapy. I just wish I knew if it was a boy or girl.”

  I let out a laugh. “They’re not giving in. Jenny’s making the reveal cake for the party, and I heard Maia tried to bribe her, but she said she was under strict orders to zip her lip. Odd, seeing as how the baby will be right there, she could just pull off the diaper and be like ‘surprise.’ But then again, what fun would that be? And besides, Thea and Bane deserve the whole experience.”

  “They do! So, we wait and buy a crapload of toys instead,” Gwen replies.

  I let out a laugh—this baby is going to be spoiled.

  ***

  “Wow! Looks like you ladies cleared out the toy shop,” Liam mentions as he brings in

  the last of the bags from Gwen’s SUV.

  As I look around the living room filled with bag after bag of toys and other much-required baby essentials, I think and note that we may have gone a little overboard. But hey, it’s Thea’s, first baby. One that Bane and she have been waiting a long time for.

  Gwen takes a seat on the couch after checking in on the boys. “Yeah, we may have been sucked in, but the sales were so good, we couldn’t say no.”

  Liam lets out a chuckle. “Of course not!”

  “So, what’s for dinner, babe?” Gwen asks with a smile.