Broken Dreams

by Kelly Elliott

  “Mmm…that sounds like a good idea,” she whispered.

  I sat back and pulled my seat belt back on, and then I drove the longest two miles of my life. I parked the truck and said, “Hold on, baby. Let me get the door and help you out.”

  I ran around the front of the truck and opened her door as she held her hand out for me to help her down. I guided her to the side of the house over toward the giant oak. I stopped her back far enough to where she would be able to see it as soon as I took off the blindfold.

  “Are you ready?” I whispered in ear.

  She nodded her head and clapped her hands. “The surprise is outside?”

  “Yep.” I started to untie it and said, “Don’t open your eyes until I say so.” I let the scarf drop from her eyes as I watched her face. “Open your eyes, Court.”

  She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Her mouth dropped open, and she brought her hands up to her mouth. When I saw the tears building in her eyes, I knew I had done the right thing by surprising her. I knew how much she loved surprises.

  She just stood there and stared up at it. She dropped her hands and turned to look at me. The tears were streaming down her face as she said, “You remembered what I said about the tree house. When? I mean…how? I mean, did you build this, Reed? It’s amazing. It’s the most breathtaking tree house I’ve ever seen,” she said between sobs.

  I nodded my head. I was afraid if I tried to talk, I’d start crying like a pansy-ass. She threw herself into my body and held on to me as tight as she could. I must have held her for a good five minutes while she cried and kept saying thank you over and over. She pulled back, and I used my thumbs to wipe away her tears, and then I gently kissed her on the lips.

  “That day I brought you out here to show you around, I knew I would be building this for you. When we got back to Layton’s, I began drawing out the design. Then, when you told me you were pregnant, I knew I would be building it as soon as we got back home.”

  She sucked in a breath of air and said, “This is what you’ve been doing?”

  I smiled and nodded my head. “Layton and I have been taking care of the ranch in the mornings and then meeting Kevin and Richard over here in the afternoons to build it. I’ve been nervous as hell to show it to you.”

  She pulled back and gave me a shocked look. “Why in the world would you ever be nervous to show it to me?”

  I shrugged my shoulders and said, “I was worried you weren’t serious or that maybe you would want to be a part of the design. I just always want to make you happy. There is nothing in this world that I love more than making you smile.”

  When the corner of her mouth lifted and she peeked up, I knew what she was thinking.

  “I know the first surface that needs to be broken in,” she said.

  I let out an exaggerated gasp. “Our future kids’ tree house? You want to have sex in our future children’s tree house?”

  She slowly nodded her head and said, “It’s ours for a little while.”

  I glanced up at the tree house and then back down at Court. My dick jumped at the idea of making love to her up there. I grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the staircase that snaked around the tree and led us up to the deck of the tree house. Courtney let out a giggle and mumbled something about not being able to wait to tell Whitley.

  As I pushed open the door, I looked back to see her face.

  “Oh, Reed,” she said in a hushed tone as she looked in every direction.

  We had built the tree house all around the tree. The main room contained a few beanbag chairs. There was a flat screen TV on the wall, and under that was a wall that contained built-in cabinets.

  “Oh my God. There is a TV in here?” Courtney said.

  I laughed and said, “Layton and Kevin insisted. They said the kids wouldn’t be able to use it for a few years, so we might as well make it fun for us. We just put these chairs in here until you pick out some other stuff.”

  She looked at me, stunned. I took her hand and led her into the other room that had two sets of bunk beds that Kevin had made out of cedar. All the wood was cedar, and it smelled so damn good. Courtney put her hand up to her mouth and shook her head.

  “I didn’t have a chance to buy any mattresses or anything like that.”

  “Reed, what about the weather? Won’t the heat and cold ruin this stuff?” she asked as she looked around the room.

  “No, baby. The whole thing is insulated, and we have it ready to add air and heat.”

  She spun around and stared at me with her mouth dropped open. “What the hell? Our kids’ tree house is going to have air and heat? They’re not even born yet, and you’re spoiling the hell out of them already!”

  I threw my head back and laughed. I didn’t want to say anything, but I loved how she also kept referring to multiple kids. “Well, I figured we can enjoy it until they get older.”

  Courtney walked up to the ladder and asked, “Where does this go? To a bathroom?” she said with a giggle.

  I walked up and whispered in her ear, “This leads to my favorite part of the whole tree house, the crow’s nest. Here, you go first. I don’t want you slipping and getting hurt. There is a small landing at the door. Just open the door and step on out.”

  As she climbed up, my heart started pounding.

  “Why does it have a lock on it?” Courtney asked as she looked down at me.

  “Well, I figured when the kids are little, we will want to keep it locked, so they don’t go up here without us. I’ve built up the walls pretty high to keep them from falling over. This is the only area that does not have windows.”

  I made my way up to the landing and stood there while she smiled at me.

  “Reed, you’re going to make an amazing father.”

  I gave her a weak smile and said, “I hope so.”

  I reached around her and pushed open the door. She turned around and let out another gasp.

  Rose petals covered the floor, and white lights were draped across the walls. The sun was beginning to sink into the western sky, and the colors of the sky were amazing. The view would only get better the closer we got to sunset. In the corner was a blanket, a bottle of grape juice, two wine glasses, and Courtney’s favorite thing right now, chocolate-covered grapes. I gagged every time I saw her eat them, but she loved them.

  She spun around and looked at me with the most adorable smile on her face. She scrunched up her nose and said, “You planned this. How did you know I’d want to make love in the tree house?”

  I made my way over to her and took her in my arms. I placed my finger on her chin and brought her soft lips to mine. I kissed her slowly and gently before pulling back some. “I figured you for sure would want to look at it. I was hoping I could have my way with you, and you would go along with it.”

  She pushed her fingers through my hair and looked into my eyes. “I love you so very much. I don’t even have words to tell you what this means to me that you built this. My heart is aching because it’s filled with so much love for you.”

  I took her lips in mine and began kissing her like I couldn’t get enough of her. Our hands were all over each other’s bodies. Before I knew it, we were spreading the blanket on top of the rose petals, and I was burying myself into my wife’s body. I slowly began letting go, losing myself in her love. I felt whole when I was making love to Courtney, and I knew she felt the same way. The way we stayed together for so long after we made love, almost like we were afraid to break the connection, was one of my favorite things. Nothing would ever come between us. I would never hurt her, and I’d kill anyone who tried to hurt her.

  “Reed?”

  I was lying on my side with Courtney pulled up next to me, her soft skin feeling like heaven to me. “Yeah, angel?”

  “I think I’m ready to go break in our shower.”

  I smiled as I kissed her on the head. “Oh yeah?”

  She turned around and made a funny face. “Yeah. You really stink from all that sweaty wo
rk you did today.”

  My mouth dropped open before I started laughing. I looked down at my body, picked up my arm, and gave myself a good smell. Holy shit, I really do stink.

  I stood up and quickly began getting dressed as I watched my beautiful wife get dressed. We grabbed the blanket, grape juice and grapes, and headed back down the tree house. I took her hand in mine as we made our way to the front door. I unlocked the door, opened it, and then bent down and picked up Courtney. I carried her into the house and kicked the front door closed before I walked straight back to our master bathroom.

  It didn’t take long before I had her up against the wall in our shower.

  “Heaven…you are pure heaven,” I said as I came inside her while listening to her say my name as she came at the same time.

  After sex in the kitchen, sex in the living room, sex up against the hallway wall, and then sex in our bedroom again, we were exhausted. We both lay on the bed, panting.

  “I don’t think my dick is going to work for a week,” I said, trying to catch my breath.

  Courtney laughed and rolled over as she began running her fingertips up and down my chest. “I hope not. We have a couple of more bedrooms, the dining room area, the laundry room—”

  “Stop! Stop the madness. Holy fuck. I’m getting tired from just thinking about it.”

  Courtney dropped onto her back and said, “I think I’m going to sleep for at least twelve hours.”

  “Agreed,” I said as I pulled her body next to mine.

  The last thing I remembered was Courtney saying, “We can’t forget about the other bathroom and the half bath, too. Next week, we can tackle those.”

  I woke up to Courtney’s phone ringing. She had thrown her purse on the window seat of our bedroom, and it had gone off three other times. I knew she was tired from the rough night she’d had. She must have thrown up five times. I slowly got up and rubbed my hands down my face.

  “Make it stop, Reed. Please make it stop.”

  I smiled as I stood up and looked down at my beautiful angel. Even when not feeling good, she was breathtaking. It had been a month since we got married, and it still felt like yesterday.

  Standing up, I made my way into the bathroom, only to stop when Court’s phone started ringing again. I headed over toward her purse and reached in to grab her phone. One quick look revealed it was her brother, Tyler, calling.

  “Court, it’s Tyler,” I said with a yawn.

  “Fuck him! It’s Saturday morning, and I don’t feel good,” Courtney said in a whiny voice.

  I laughed as I answered it. “Hello, Tyler. It’s Reed. Yep, but she is still half-asleep. If you really want me to wake up the sleeping beast…she, um…had a tough night last night. Okay…here she is.”

  I tapped Courtney on the shoulder, and she flopped over and glared at me. She slowly sat up and gave herself a few seconds to see if she was going to get sick again.

  She must have been feeling better since she reached for the phone and said to me, “Traitor. No sex for you today.”

  “Uh-huh. You already told me at three this morning that you were never having sex with me again because I made you sick.”

  She gave me a slight smile and put the phone up to her ear. “This better be good, you dickhead, for waking me up so early on a Saturday.”

  I started to make my way into the bathroom.

  “Reed…”

  I stopped and waited, just incase Tyler was going to tell Court that Noah was coming to the wedding after all. I made my way back over to her and sat down.

  “I’m so sorry we didn’t RSVP, Tyler, but I didn’t really think I had to since I’m your sister and in the wedding. No…I haven’t talked to Mom, and no, I haven’t bought my tickets yet. Um…who all is in the wedding party?” She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then snapped them open. “Yeah, that’s a real shame about Noah still not being able to make it.” She nodded her head and reached for my hand. “Oh, that’s a shame. I’m sorry to hear that.”

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head. The slight smile on her face told me that Noah was still not attending the wedding.

  “Okay. Reed and I will book the flights today, I promise. I’ll be there, I promise. I know I told Mom we might not be able to make it, but we will. Yes. I can’t wait to see y’all, too. I love you, too, Ty. Later.”

  She hit End and let out a breath. “He’s not going to be there.”

  Her chest was heaving up and down, and I pulled her to me.

  “Oh, thank God. He’s not going to be there, Reed.”

  “Good, because I would have killed him. I hope you know that,” I said as I gently moved my hand up and down her bare back.

  She pulled back and looked at me. “I just figured he’d somehow try to be there. I already had my excuse ready for why we couldn’t attend, but now…” She smiled bigger. “Now, you can finally meet my family, and I can see my brother get married.”

  Something doesn’t feel right about this whole thing. “He’s still on that business trip he couldn’t get out of?”

  Courtney took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. I knew just talking about him upset her.

  “Yep. When Tyler suggested changing the wedding date, Meg freaked. The place they are getting married at has a year-long waiting list.” She let out a giggle and said, “I never thought I would love Meg as much as I do right now!”

  “So, I guess we’re heading to New York in two weeks.”

  She smiled and said, “I can’t wait for you to meet my family.” Her smile faded, and she looked away.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked as I turned her face back toward me. I hated seeing her upset or frightened.

  “Shit. I just realized something. This whole time I was preparing not to go to the wedding, and now that we are, I only have two weeks to prepare you for my dad.”

  My heart dropped in my stomach as I watched Courtney get up and head toward the shower. She was mumbling something about her dad, his guns, and his baby girl.

  Oh yeah. That sick feeling just got about ten times worse.

  The moment we stepped foot into my parents’ house, Reed had my mother, my sister Sissy, and Meg all wrapped around his finger. My father, on the other hand, kept calling Reed the little motherfucker, even when I begged him to stop. I knew, deep down inside, he loved Reed. My dad could see how happy Reed made me, and that was all my father cared about—my happiness.

  I was sitting in a chair next to my grandmother as she showed me how to crochet. I was attempting to make a baby blanket. I would do about ten rows, and then Grams would check it and rip out at least three rows, saying I was doing it too loose or too tight. I was beginning to get pissed-off.

  Tyler came and sat down next to me as I worked on my pale yellow blanket.

  “Hey,” he said as he hit my knee.

  I smiled up at him and replied, “Hey yourself. Are you getting nervous? Tomorrow is the big day.”

  His eyes lit up, and I knew that look. I’d seen it almost two months ago in my own eyes.

  He shook his head and said, “Nah. I’m just ready to make Meg happy until the day I die.”

  I smiled and nodded my head as I looked out into the kitchen. Reed was laughing at something my father was saying, and when he looked at me and winked, I had to catch my breath.

  “He makes you happy,” Tyler said.

  I snapped my head back and looked at him as I smiled probably the goofiest smile ever.

  “He makes me so happy. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life,” I said as I peeked back at Reed.

  Tyler took in a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. “Courtney, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure. You can ask me anything.”

  “What happened between you and Noah? I mean, I really thought you liked him, and I know he liked you. I know something happened because Noah told me he was in love with you, and you destroyed him.”

  My breathing picked up, and my hands started to shake.
I quickly looked at Reed, but he’d moved, and now, his back was facing me. I need him. Reed, please turn around.

  “Court? Are you okay?” Tyler asked as he touched my hand.

  I jumped and pulled my hands back.

  “Jesus Christ, Court. What in the heck is wrong? You look like you saw a ghost.”

  I swallowed hard and somehow built up the courage to talk. The whole time, I kept my eyes on Reed. “Tyler, I don’t want to talk about Noah—ever. Please just let it go. It was in the past, and I’d like to keep it there.”

  “He was right.”

  I snapped my head and glared at Tyler. “Excuse me?”

  “Noah—he told me if I tried to talk to you about him, you would get mad and say you didn’t want to talk about it. Court, I have to ask. Did you cheat on him or something? He’s still hung up on you after all these years. I mean, he’s moved on finally, and he is engaged now…”

  That poor girl. If she only knew what type of a man she was marrying…

  “And he seems happy now, but when he asked me not to—”

  I was pulled out of my moment of daydreaming, and I stared at Tyler. “When he asked you not to what?”

  Tyler stood up and gave me a weak smile as he slowly shook his head. “Nothing. Never mind. I’m just really glad you’re here, Court. I love you and Sissy more than anything.”

  I smiled as I stood up and set my piece of work to the side. “I love you, too.”

  “Congratulations on the baby again. I’m really glad you found Reed and that he makes you happy.”

  I gave him a kiss on the cheek and grinned. “Thank you, Tyler, and yes, Reed makes me beyond happy.”

  As I watched him walk away, I had the strangest feeling come over me. I felt like that sixteen-year-old girl again, deathly afraid to be alone because he might be here. I found myself looking around.

  Tyler was saying good-bye to everyone. He was heading to his bachelor party. He had asked Reed to go, but then he’d made the comment that Reed would most likely feel out of place. Tyler had almost seemed like it bothered him to say that, but he’d said it. Reed had no desire to go, but it still pissed me off, and I had every intention of talking to Tyler about it after the wedding. My parents had made me promise to wait. They had also been upset by how rude Tyler had acted, and it took everything out of me not to junk-punch him.