Forever

by Mary Wasowski

  “I’m not ready to be a mom. Walker isn’t ready to be a father. This baby could not have possibly have come at a worse time. We are still learning so much about one another, and he wants me to just pick up and leave New York. His father has caused me so much stress with him constantly threatening me. Freddy, I don’t know which way is up, and you’re leaving in a few days. Where will that leave me?”

  “You are not alone Reese. You need to trust your man. He loves you. I can delay my trip for a few days. Let’s get you to the doctor and confirm what this is before you worry for one more minute.”

  “Freddy, I can find out right now if I’m pregnant by just taking a box test. I would rather do that first. Can you go down to the pharmacy and pick one up for me?”

  “I’ll be back in fifteen.” I never saw Freddy move so fast, but I had to know before I would even think of telling Walker… Speaking of whom, where is he?

  “Hello,” he answered his phone in a curt tone.

  “Hi babe, where are you? I thought you would be home by now.” I heard voices in the background, here and there. I heard Walker asking for some privacy.

  “I’m so sorry, Reese. I’m in the office with my father and some of his lawyers. I thought this would have been done by now, but I still have some things to iron out. The next few days and probably through the weekend, I’ll be tied up with this. The offices in California are ready and we‘ll be going through a transitioning phase from New York to the west coast.”

  “Walker, what about school? Should you be missing that much?”

  “Reese, I have everything covered. My last course load is very light and, hell, I can graduate now if I wanted to, but I’ll wait to do the traditional walk in May. Let me get through with what I have to do here and I’ll call you as soon as I can. You know I hate being without you, but this is for our future, baby, and I can’t wait to begin it with you. I love you, gorgeous.”

  “I love you…” The line clicked off, and I hung up. I hadn’t decided on anything yet and Walker was acting as if I did. I hadn’t had the opportunity to explain Europe yet, or the fact that I may be pregnant with his child. I had Marsha to deal with, who still awaited my answer. I felt as if I was being pulled in all these directions and just needed a moment to take a breath.

  Freddy came back and waved the pregnancy test box at me. Time to find out if I’m knocked up…

  Five minutes later that felt like an hour, Freddy held up the stick and gave me a half smile. “Congratulations mama, you’re pregnant.”

  I instantly put my hand to my stomach and began to cry. Freddy folded me into his chest and rubbed my back in small circles. “Shh, don’t cry, it’s going to be okay. You will be an amazing mother, and he or she is going to be gorgeous.”

  “Freddy, I’m pregnant with Walker’s child. I’m going to be a mother.”

  “Um…yes, I believe we covered that, Peaches. Do you want to lie down for a while? You are turning pale again.”

  “No. I’m fine, Freddy. More than fine, I’m happy. He loves me, Freddy. He has told me every day since we’ve been together. This baby is a blessing, and he will be happy. I just know it.” I hugged my best friend and kept reassuring myself that all would be okay. It just has to be.

  The next few days were hard on me. Not seeing Walker didn’t help, but we talked twice a day. I just carried on with school and managed to work on a few jobs. I had visited a doctor in the city and began taking my pre-natal vitamins. I was about six weeks pregnant, and I pretty much narrowed it down when we conceived.

  Although it was very cold, the walk home helped me clear my head. I turned back a few times and felt as if someone had been watching me, but this is New York, so I tried to shrug it off. Me and my crazy imagination made it home in time to see Freddy off. “I’m not going to cry, Mackelstein, so don’t even give me that look.”

  “I wouldn’t dare, and I am going to miss you more than anything in the world. Have you told him yet?”

  I shook my head no. “You are the only one, Freddy, and of course my doctor. The timing is off, but finally tomorrow I’m going to dinner at his place. I promise I will tell him then.”

  “It will be fine, Peaches. I’ll call you when I get settled, and you can tell me all about it.”

  I couldn’t help but feel like this was goodbye for Freddy and I. I didn’t want to let him go. We’ve been closer again, but our lives are changing at a rapid speed. Who knows where we will be in the future? The thought of it made my stomach hurt, and I didn’t think Freddy would appreciate me getting sick on his beautiful new suit. “I love you, best friend. No matter where we are in this big wide world, please don’t ever forget that.” Freddy kissed my cheek and quickly entered his car. I knew he was struggling as much as I was.

  I waved him off, and then let my held back tears flow and flow until I had none left. The apartment was so empty. Everything in here belonged to Freddy’s family. Freddy had taken his personal belongings with him, and all that remained was the few mementos that belonged to me. My entire life was still packed in boxes back home in Georgia.

  A short while later I had phoned Nana, and her voice warmed my heart. We talked for over an hour, catching up with everything in my life. Well, almost everything. She too had a secret portal to my thoughts, but I never shared my pregnancy news with her. I needed to tell Walker first.

  Life was about to change for me. In a few months I would be graduating NYU with my degree in hand. I would give up modeling and marry Walker. He hadn’t asked me yet, but I knew that’s where we were headed. Now we had a baby to look forward to. Yes, life was perfect, and tomorrow can’t come soon enough. I will be back in the arms of the man that I love.

  I hurried home from school, scrubbed, plucked, and buffed as quickly as I could. My insides were ablaze with thoughts of Walker occupying my mind all day. It had been days since we’d been together. I had missed my boyfriend so much. I just wanted to lose myself in him and have him lose himself in me. I glanced in the mirror; I looked hot and ready for my man. He had sent a car to take me back to his apartment. I rang the doorbell, and there he stood, looking breathtakingly handsome with his eyes burning all for me.

  “Get in here, you.” Swept up into his arms, Walker wrapped himself around me, circling his tongue with mine, and letting out moans of pleasure as we kissed. “Oh how I have missed you, Reese. I need to get you naked right now.”

  “Walker, hold on…I need to tell you something first.”

  “Later, baby. Whatever it is, my answer is yes. I’ve waited too long to be with you, and I need to see you right now.” He took me right there up against the door, my panties off with one rip. No condom I noticed, as Walker pounded into me, and I screamed out his name in pure ecstasy. Walker took no mercy on my body, it was a feeling that I couldn’t get enough of. We made love over and over again, until he collapsed on me. We were in front of the fire place, holding each other, and our breaths slowly returned back to normal.

  “I’ve missed you so much Reese. I will never be away from you again; my heart can’t bear the distance or the ache that never seems to go away until we are joined together.”

  I tried to tell him about the baby, but he just stopped me with more of his kisses, and his talking of our future. I reminded myself that tomorrow was another day. I let him do as he wished tonight, and tomorrow I would tell him that he was going to be a father. I was his, and had been since the day I let him in my heart. He owned me, body and soul, a possession he couldn’t live without. I had no doubts about us because we belonged together. This was what he had promised…“Forever,” and I was so ready to say yes to him.

  Sunshine peered through the floor-to-wall windows. It looked like a beautiful day, as I rolled over to find a note and a flower on Walker’s pillow.

  Good Morning Baby,

  You looked gloriously beautiful naked and sated. I couldn’t bear waking you. Something has come up that needs my attention, but I will be back as soon as I can. I’m bringing you back
your favorite breakfast: pastries, coffee, and of course the main entrée, me. Keep our bed warm for me.

  Love, Walker

  “Our bed”… the sound of that sends thrills through me. Yes our bed, hurry home my love, so I can show you how much I love you.

  “WALKER!” I CALLED out to him, but realized he’s not back yet. I drifted back to my contented sleep until the sound of the constant ringing of the doorbell woke me out of my slumber. Whoever it was would not take a hint. Wrapping myself up with a sheet with my robe nowhere to be seen, I hurried to the door thinking it’s Walker who had forgotten his key. “You’re back!” I exclaim, and my eyes look up to not Walker, but his father Phillip and his lawyer who I had met before.

  I wrapped the sheet tighter around my flushed body, as the two men just strode in past me. They didn’t even wait for me to say a word. “Hello, Ms. Mitchell,” his father coldly hissed at me.

  “Hello, Mr. Reed. Walker is not here at the moment.”

  “Yes, I know, Ms. Mitchell. You are the one I have come to see. Please get dressed and meet me in the living room, now.” I simply nodded at him and ran back to the safety of Walker’s bedroom. What the hell is he doing here? What does he want with me? Should I call Walker? I take a few calming breaths and hold my hand over my stomach. Please let me get through this with his father, and please Walker, come home.

  I re-joined the two men and offered coffee, but they declined, and I was told to sit. Mr. Reed’s lawyer fumbled through his briefcase, while Mr. Reed regarded me in his usual cool manner. I prayed that I wouldn’t get sick, or maybe that would have be a good thing for me to do. I didn’t, and fearfully waited until he spoke.

  “Ms. Mitchell, I have given you every opportunity to end your relationship with my son, but you defy my requests at every turn. You have left me with no choice but to strike at you in a way that you will understand.” He turned to his lawyer and he handed me two sealed envelopes. I looked up at him, and Mr. Reed gestured for me to open it up. My hands were trembling with what I already knew what the envelope contained. I gasped and covered my mouth with the grainy images before me. It was the pictures of stills from the movie that was produced from my stolen pictures. I quickly ripped them up, threw them at his feet, and shot daggers with my eyes at Mr. Reed.

  “What is this, Mr. Reed? You can’t scare me with these pictures. As horrific as they are, I have told Walker about them, and he doesn’t care. He knows this wasn’t my fault, and I was completely victimized as well as the other girls that were involved.”

  “Ms. Mitchell, that may be true, but I don’t think your future employers will be happy to know that they have hired a past porn star to teach at their institution, pretending to be a role model for young impressionable children.”

  “Mr. Reed, I am not a porn star! How dare you come in here and speak to me this way.”

  “How dare you defy me, Ms. Mitchell? Did you think that I was simply going to forget about that scene that YOU were responsible for on New Year’s Day? You tried to turn my son against me, and that will not be tolerated.”

  “You can’t blame me for that, Mr. Reed. You have alienated your son all on your own, with your continued interference in his and my life. You are doing it right now by threatening me once again. You need to leave.”

  “No, my dear, you are the one that is leaving. I will make sure those pictures get stapled to every single job application you apply for, so no parent will want you teaching their children. Aren’t you curious what’s in the other envelope? Please look inside.” I tore open the envelope and found the deed to my grandparents’ home, land, and business. I sank to my knees, and began to cry. I looked around and focused on the door, willing it to open with Walker walking through it.

  “Why are you doing this to me? Please, Mr. Reed, why?”

  He bent over to lift my chin, and he answered coldly. “You are the one that is doing this, Ms. Mitchell. Only you can stop it. As you can see, Ms. Mitchell, I own everything, and with one phone call, I can have everything your grandparents hold dear…leveled. And the life they have at this very moment will cease to exist.” He looked at his watch, and I could almost hear the ticking of his Rolex. His lawyer held his head down almost in shame. “Like I said, Ms. Mitchell, all this can disappear if YOU disappear, and never bother my son again.”

  “Mr. Reed, please don’t do this. I love your son, we are getting married, and I’m pre…”

  “Pregnant? Yes, I am well aware, my dear. You and your bastard child will vacate my son’s life today, and you are never to contact him again. It didn’t have to be this way, Ms. Mitchell. All you had to do was end things with my son, let him be happy with Elizabeth. But no, you trap him by getting yourself pregnant. Well I don’t care what you do, but Walker is out of your life. If you don’t do exactly what I say, then you only have yourself to blame. What’s it going to be, Ms. Mitchell? You can quietly leave here now, and leave your grandparents’ lives intact, or I place my phone call?”

  I can’t take anymore. I managed to stand up and simply agreed to his terms. He had broken me and shattered my life to pieces. He won, and I had no choice. I couldn’t let him hurt my family because they have sacrificed everything for me. I would not let his one phone call destroy their life. His lawyer handed me another envelope that contained a check for one hundred thousand dollars. I am to take this and start over. I can’t believe this is happening, and how the hell am I going to explain this to Walker?

  “Mr. Reed, I’m begging you, please don’t do this. I love him so much, and he’s never going to believe that I just left him. We have shared so much together, I can’t hurt him like this. Walker will never understand me suddenly leaving him. We have made promises to one another, and today he planned on asking me to marry him. I have already said yes to him over and over again. This will completely destroy your son, Mr. Reed. Please I am begging you, don’t make me leave him.”

  “I will take care of my son, Ms. Mitchell. You don’t have to worry about him anymore. You have an hour to leave New York, and I don’t expect to ever lay eyes on you again.”

  The two men stood and turned away from me. I was crying, shaking, as my world crumbled around me. This man completely decimated me in minutes. The devil himself appeared before me in the form of Walker’s father. I had no choice but to obey him, or he would hurt my family.

  I so wanted to stay and wait for my beloved to return, but Mr. Reed probably had people watching me. Now I know for certain that I was followed the other day. How could he know that I was pregnant? I had just found out myself. This man respected no one, especially me. I was carrying his grandchild, and he didn’t care. He called our baby a bastard. He was the bastard. I looked to the door, still no Walker. I had no choice but to leave.

  I collected what I had at Walker’s apartment, and left him a letter with my tears that have fallen down on it. He is going to be completely devastated when he returns home to find me gone. How can I do this to him? I once again fought against my own conscience. Should I stay and tell him everything? And risk destroying my grandparents? Mr. Reed has vowed to level everything that they have. I can’t allow that to happen, it will destroy them if I don’t do what he wants.

  So much for me being strong and fighting the great Phillip Reed. He has me exactly where he wants me. I’m in a no win situation and if I stay and wait for Walker, I may be able to stop his plans for today, but it will only be temporary. He is a powerful man and is not in the position he is by sheer luck. He probably has taken down mightier adversaries than a small town girl like me. Then again, I do threaten him because he knows his son loves me, and that is the one thing he has no control over. This is why he is going after my family. My grandparents are my Achilles heel, and I would never let anyone willingly hurt them.

  As I looked around the room, and remembered every bit of Walker, I begged internally for him to forgive me. I took our picture that he kept on his nightstand of us. It was a collage of four pictures of our happy times togeth
er. He said he kept the same one in his wallet and one at his office in his father’s building. I never had the chance to get my own copy, so I stowed this one in my bag. As I entered the car that would drive me away from Walker’s home and away from the only man that I would ever love, I already mourned his loss.

  Silently, my tears constantly flowed down my cheeks. I held my hand to my stomach, the one connection that I had left to Walker. I don’t know how I’m going to fix this, but there has to be a way to stop this man. I can’t let this be the end for Walker and me? We promised on our love that we would have our “Forever” I can’t let this be it for us.

  I clutched my beautiful locket, and silently prayed on it. Walker told me this was his heart, and I belonged to him. I will not be the one to break his. I will find a way back to you my love. I promise I will.

  The End…for now

  For Reese’s story. We continue on with Walker.

  “SIR, FORGIVE ME for speaking out of turn, but you can still make this right.”

  “How, Miles? Tell me how I can turn back the clock, and undo what I just did to that poor girl? A girl who begged me on her hands and knees to accept her and allow her to be happy with my son… my only son. It’s too late for me now, and too late for her. Did you make the call yet?”

  “Our man at the airport should be checking in at any moment.”

  “I can’t return to the office until I know for sure that she boarded her flight. Please call him now; surely the plane has taken off.” My lawyer was about to call for a status when his phone began to buzz in his pocket.

  “Jacobson.” He answered curtly. He listened attentively to his call and then looked over to me. I watched and listened as Miles continued to relay my instructions to the caller.