Twelve-year-old Bryan looked up briefly from his Nintendo DS, a small, handheld game console. “Everything okay, Mom?”
“Sure. Did you finish your homework?”
He didn’t answer but gave a disgusted sigh, his brown eyes returning to the game. Riley didn’t look away from the TV.
“Well, did you?” Mickelle pressed.
“Leave the boy alone,” Riley snapped, throwing a glare her way. “He’s old enough to take care of himself.”
Mickelle swallowed hard, biting back sharp words as she so often did. Tears stung her eyes. Obviously he was still mad about the washing machine, and he wasn’t going to let her forget it any time soon.
Bryan’s DS dropped to his lap. He looked back and forth between Riley and Mickelle, his long blond bangs falling into his eyes. “I’ll do it now, Mom,” he said in a low voice. He left the room and didn’t return.
An hour later, when Mickelle went to check on Bryan after tucking Jeremy into bed, his light was off and she assumed he was asleep. Tiptoeing softly into the room, she saw him lying half under the covers, one arm dangling off the bed. She tucked the blanket around him, kissing him softly on the forehead. “I love you,” she murmured. Then she went to her room, lay down on the bed, and sobbed.
When Riley came in, he watched her in silence for a while. Finally he spoke. “I’m sorry.”
She recognized the tone and knew what was coming next. Everything would be all right now. For a time. She stopped crying, though her heart was still heavy.
He stared at her with sincere brown eyes so much like Bryan’s—the beautiful, sensitive brown eyes she’d fallen in love with. “Do you want a divorce?” He always asked that after he’d made her unhappy. She supposed it was his way of asking for forgiveness.
She pushed herself wearily up on one elbow. “Of course not. I love you.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks.
He sat on the bed and ran his finger along her arm. Then he pulled her close and kissed her. She didn’t resist, although she had no real desire to be near him. If she drew away, he would become sullen and angry, and she would have to face more days of loneliness and isolation.
Later, while he was dressing for bed, she went into the kitchen and ate a glazed donut she’d saved from the day before. She ate it quickly and eagerly, licking the sugar from her lips and enjoying the peace of the quiet house. How wonderful it was to eat something alone, without having to share with the children or clean up after them! Though she loved them deeply, their demands were difficult to keep up with—and she only had two. She didn’t know how her sisters, Talia and Brionney, each kept up with their five, and Lauren her six. Even her brother, Zack, who lived in France, had four boys. Brionney’s youngest were twins, born in Alaska where they were living at the moment. Mickelle hadn’t seen the boys yet, but she’d heard they were a handful.
The indulgence of eating the donut made her feel better, though she wasn’t prone to binging. Her own eating was the one thing she could control in her life. She wasn’t as slim as when she was first married, and certain places could use a little toning, but she still fit into her clothes. On good days, she knew she looked attractive.
“What are you doing?”
Mickelle started. She looked up to see Riley, dressed in striped pajamas, staring at her from the door. “Just having a snack,” she said quickly. “I didn’t eat much at dinner.”
He approached and eyed the empty donut box. “Well, you don’t want to get fat.”
She stood and put her arms around his thick chest. She was tall for a woman, like her grandmother, and he was on the short side for a man, so she looked straight into his eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t. And I’ll buy you some more donuts tomorrow.” Of course, that was the real reason for his comment. She massaged his back with her hands.
“Ahhh, that’s nice.” He put his face against her neck, and his hot breath sent warm shivers up her spine. For this moment, at least, she forgot about wanting to escape her marriage. They had problems, to be sure, but they could work it out. Love lingered in her soul like a seed ready to sprout and bloom.
“Want to watch a little TV before we turn in?”
Though it was already past ten, Mickelle nodded and went with him into the living room. She thought fleetingly how she wished the basement were finished, or at least partially, so they could have a family room. No, she corrected herself. I should be grateful we have three bedrooms upstairs so the boys don’t have to share.
She sat on the couch, and Riley settled in front of her on the floor. She continued to rub his shoulders while he picked up the remote and found a late-night show on one of the local channels. Though she was tired, she quickly became caught up in the movie.
Abruptly, Riley’s shoulders jerked out from under her hands. His body began to twitch violently. A seizure. He hadn’t had one of those for years.
Mickelle dropped to her knees and tried to hold him so he wouldn’t injure himself. She knew she shouldn’t, that she was in danger of being hit, but she felt so helpless just watching. His arms and legs thrashed like the tail of a beached fish, and his eyes rolled in helpless terror. The jerking motions seemed to last forever.
“Are you all right?” she asked when the seizure had finally ended.
“What happened?”
“You had a seizure.” When he didn’t respond, she asked, “How do you feel?”
“I’m fine.”
But she could tell he was shaken. “I’ll call the doctor.” She started to her feet.
He grabbed her hand. “It can wait until tomorrow.”
Mickelle hesitated. As a child, Riley had been hit by a car while riding his bike, and while healing his brain had developed scar tissue that had caused seizures throughout his life. They’d been controlled fairly well by medication, but three years earlier the doctors had been able to remove the scar tissue, and the seizures stopped. He’d continued the medication in decreasing dosages for another year, but he had been medication-free for the past two. The doctor had told them he would most likely never suffer another seizure in his lifetime.
So why had he?
“Come on. Let’s go to bed.” Riley lurched heavily to his feet. “I’m okay, really.”
Mickelle tried to take his arm in the narrow hall, but he shrugged her off. He slumped onto their bed, and she watched him for a moment to make sure he was all right. Then she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Afterward, she checked the boys to make sure they were safe in their rooms. When she returned, Riley was snoring softly.
She touched the back of his head tenderly before kneeling to pray. Please help him, she pleaded.
Riley had changed since the seizures had stopped three years ago. Before, he had been sullen, hesitant, and shy. Now, while still reserved around others and at times very sullen, he was more outgoing and confident. He also seemed more self-centered and quick to anger. Though all the changes weren’t positive, Mickelle believed he was progressing emotionally in ways he hadn’t been able to as a child and young adult, when the constant fear of having a seizure loomed over him. Sometimes she wondered if he was reliving the youth he’d never been able to enjoy—perhaps that was the reason for his truck and the new stereo system. This could simply be a phase in his delayed development. He might actually be growing into the man she thought she’d married.
As she slipped between the covers, an uneasy feeling crept into bed with her. Riley appeared all right now, but what if he wasn’t? Would the seizures return again? She knew that would break his heart.
Mickelle fell asleep wondering what the next day would bring.
END OF SAMPLE CHAPTER. To purchase This Time Forever, please visit the Kindle store. Or go to the next page to learn more about the author.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Ann Nunes learned to read when she was four, beginning a lifetime fascination with the written word. She still reads everything she can lay hands on, from children’s stories to science articles.
&nbs
p; She began writing in the seventh grade and is now the author of over thirty published books, including the popular Ariana series, The Huntington Family series, Eyes of a Stranger, and Saving Madeline. Her novels Before I Say Goodbye (2011), Imprints, An Autumn Rain Novel (2010), Fields of Home (2008), and The Independence Club (2007) were chosen as Whitney Award Finalists.
Rachel and her husband, TJ, live in Utah Valley and are the parents of seven awesome children—three boys and four girls. Rachel writes Monday through Friday in a home office, taking frequent breaks to read or swim with her kids.
To read about upcoming books, visit Rachel’s website at http://www.RachelAnnNunes.com.
BOOKS BY RACHEL ANN NUNES
Autumn Rain Novels (Paranormal Romance)
Imprints
Shades of Gray
Final Call
Line of Fire (Sept 2012)
Romantic Suspense
Eyes of a Stranger (Autumn Rain series prequel)
Tell Me No Lies
Women's Fiction
Flying Home
Fields of Home
Saving Madeline
Before I Say Goodbye
The Gift of Angels (novella)
A Greater Love
A Heartbeat Away
Huntington Family
Winter Fire
No Longer Strangers
Chasing Yesterday
By Morning Light
The Independence Club
Ariana Series
Ariana: The Making of a Queen
Ariana: A Gift Most Precious
Ariana: A New Beginning
Ariana: A Glimpse of Eternity
This Time Forever
Ties That Binds
Twice in a Lifetime
Love Series (Romantic Suspense)
A Bid for Love
Framed for Love
Love on the Run
Romance
To Love and to Promise
Tomorrow and Always
This Time Forever (also part of Ariana series)
Bridge to Forever
Where I Belong
A Greater Love
This Very Moment
In Your Place (young adult)
For Children
The Problem With Spaceships: Zero G (chapter book)
Daughter of a King (picture book)
The Secret of the King (picture book)
This Very Moment Page 21
