by Ivy Jordan
Twelve hours ago, I thought I knew what was best for me. Now, I had no idea.
“I will. I promise,” I said, and then said my goodbyes. I couldn’t handle listening to Caroline right then. Even though she hadn’t said it, all I could hear in her voice was ‘I told you so.’
My phone rang. It was Elijah. My heart raced as I contemplated what to do. Was I ready to talk to him?
“Hello?” I answered, swallowing my pain.
“Hey, I’ve missed you,” he said.
“I bet,” I snapped.
There was a long silence as I bit my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. “I have,” he said, his voice so smooth it made me sick. He was good, I’d give him that. But, then again, he’d had plenty of practice from what I just heard.
“How’s Charlie?” I snarled, oozing my sarcasm through the phone like a tornado through an Indiana barn.
“She’s better. Is something wrong, Claire?” he asked.
I was fuming. Is something wrong? Just that I almost fell for your bullshit! Ugh! I was so mad, but I wasn’t sure how to handle this. We’d never said we were exclusive, but I’d assumed. I felt like a fool. A damn fool!
“I’m just not in the mood to play your game,” I said calmly, proud of myself for not screaming through the phone.
“My game?” he asked.
Wow, he actually sounded confused. Did he really think I wouldn’t find out?
“Yeah, you know the one you played with Lucy,” I said, sucking the trickle of blood from my bottom lip.
There was a long silence, one that told me he knew he was busted. The jig is up.
“I don’t know who you’ve been talking to,” he said sternly.
“Lucy. Lucy is who I’ve been talking to. And she’s been talking to all the other girls you just dumped, and Dr. Knoll, who said this is your routine. Guess you were getting bored with me now too, huh? Moving on to find a new harem? Well, count me out!” My voice rose with anger that I couldn’t control.
My hand was shaking as I held the phone to my ear. Silence. Nothing but silence.
“I haven’t seen Lucy in months, not since I’d seen you,” he explained.
“Yeah, you had plenty others,” I snapped again.
“It’s not like that, Claire.”
“Dr. Knoll told Lucy exactly what it was like, Elijah. Good luck, and goodbye,” I said, fighting back my tears as I hung up the phone.
My phone rang immediately after I hit the end button. It was Elijah, wanting to plead his case again, no doubt. I wasn’t interested. My heart was broken, and the last thing I needed was for him to suck me back in to whatever sick game he was playing.
I dreaded going into work the next day, but I knew I had to. Dr. Jaxton had been good to me, giving me a chance when no one else would. Even if it was only as a favor to Elijah, he still constantly praised me for my work.
I opened my laptop as my phone beeped repeatedly. I glanced at the screen noticing seven texts had come through, all from Elijah. I clicked delete all, shut off my phone, and started looking into university nursing programs. I knew I didn’t want to stay around here. I couldn’t. I needed a change, but still wanted to be close enough to my dad to visit at least once or twice a month. Everything I clicked, University of Phoenix kept coming up. That was a five hour drive. It was still close enough to visit, but far enough away from Elijah. I couldn’t believe I was picking up my life and moving on yet again. I thought I’d finish school, come back home, get a great job, meet Mr. Right, and live happily ever after. So much for that dream.
I found a school with a full campus, signed up, and hit submit. That was that.
I crawled into bed and tried to sleep. All I could think about was Charlie. She was the sweetest little girl I’d ever met, and I was truly in love with her. I hated not saying goodbye, but I knew it was for the best.
The next day at work, I avoided Elijah like the plague. Any texts he sent, I deleted instead of reading, and any calls, I ignored. When he tried to approach me at work, I’d find something to busy myself with, or lead him into a public area if he chased after me, rendering him unable to spill any personal drama. One thing I had to give him was he was a professional man at work. I wasn’t even sure anyone there knew we were dating, except for Dr. Jaxton, of course.
The first week was rough, but after that, I started to grow numb to seeing Elijah in the building. I no longer had to duck into the bathroom to cry, or call Caroline for a quick pep talk. I was growing stronger, even though my heart still ached for him, and for Charlie.
The e-mail came through, telling me I was accepted into the nursing program at the university right outside of Phoenix. I should’ve been delighted, but instead my heart felt heavy and stale, like old bread.
“I hate to see you leave,” Dr. Jaxton told me, resting his hand on my shoulder.
He hadn’t said anything, but I was pretty sure he knew that there was trouble between Elijah and me. If they were truly as close as Elijah made them out to be, I was also certain he knew exactly what that trouble was. He didn’t try to talk me out of it. He simply wished me luck, and told me my job would be there if I ever wanted to come back.
I typed up my formal two-week resignation letter, handed it to him, and thanked him for giving me the opportunity when no one else would. “You deserved it. You’re a fine nurse,” he said cheerfully. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out here,” he said, quickly changing his tone to a sad one.
“Me too,” I said, fighting back tears as I glanced across the hall to the door with Elijah’s name.
I left work that day feeling sadder than I had since the day of the breakup. It felt so final. It was final. I was leaving, and Elijah would be gone from my life forever.
Chapter Ten
“I can’t believe you’re really leaving,” Caroline said, hugging me tightly into her chest.
Tears fell down my cheeks, burning my skin as I tried to control my sobs.
“You’re only a few hours away,” she assured me, pulling back to stare into my eyes.
I couldn’t look at her, not directly. I wanted her to believe I was strong, and if she got one glance into my soul, she’d know I was weak, and that my heart was still yearning for Elijah.
“I know,” I muttered, wiping my tears away quickly.
“I’ll come visit you too,” she said cheerfully.
“Good,” I replied, trying to sound perky.
“I’ll pay you back. Every dime,” I insisted.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “No way.”
It didn’t matter how much money she had, or would have after being married to her multi-millionaire Todd. I was paying her back, every dime. I was grateful that she shelled out the cash for my nursing program, and that she’d lined up an apartment and part time job for me through a friend of Todd’s. All that was left now was to go home, pack my final boxes, load them into my car, and drive away.
“I better get home and pack,” I said.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asked with her motherly concern.
I nodded, but was unable to speak. My bottom lip started to tremble, but I quickly pulled myself together before anymore tears filled my eyes.
“You fell in love with him, didn’t you?” she asked.
Her hand reached out, stroked my hair from my cheek, and then her motherly stare caused me to break down into tears once again. “Yes,” I sighed, wiping the tears from my cheeks as quickly as they fell.
I’d never admitted that to her, to anyone. I hadn’t even admitted it to myself until that moment. I had fallen in love with him, and truth be told, I was still in love. “I’m so sorry,” she said softly, hugging me once again.
I pulled back, wiped away the last tear, and forced myself to put on a smile. “It’s for the best. I’ll be fine,” I insisted.
“Yes. I know you will be,” she agreed.
“I better go if I want to avoid driving at night,” I said, kissing her cheek and squeezing her han
d before letting go to leave.
I packed my last box, stared at the apartment I’d actually started to like, and said my goodbyes. I shoved the box into my trunk, climbed into the driver’s seat of my car, and sat there, breathing, thinking, and trying to find the strength I needed to actually leave.
I felt a hand on my shoulder as I pushed the key into the ignition. I turned to see Elijah standing at my open window. His eyes were filled with sadness, and his hand trembled as it pressed against my tensed shoulder.
“You can’t leave,” he said softly.
“I have to,” I said, fighting back any tears I had left. I didn’t want him to see me cry. He didn’t deserve to know how well he’d played me.
“No, you don’t,” he insisted, tears welling up in his own eyes.
Is this part of his game? What does he want from me?
“Did you ever read any of my texts, or listen to any of my voicemails?” he asked.
“No,” I admitted.
I started the car, rolled up my window, and struggled to hold it together. I needed to get away from him. This was why I deleted his texts, and blocked his number after so many voicemails. My heart was still in love with him, and his words, his pleading, his excuses; they were all like poison to me.
I put the car in reverse and looked in the rearview mirror to see his black Porsche parked behind me, blocking me from leaving. For a moment, I thought about ramming into it, pushing it out of the way with my car, and releasing some of my anger at the same time. He’d deserve it if I did. But, I didn’t. I couldn’t. It wasn’t me.
I rolled down the window. “Elijah, please let me go.”
“Not until you listen to what I’ve been trying to tell you for a month,” he insisted.
I was already packed. I was enrolled in school. My apartment and job was waiting. I’d already turned in my keys to this apartment, and my job was already gone at Dr. Jaxton’s, so even if he pulled at my heart strings, I had no choice but to leave. “Okay. If I listen, will you please move your car and let me leave?” I asked.
A tear fell from his eye, landing on his chiseled cheek. “Yes,” he gasped.
I stepped out of the car, leaned against it, and watched as he shifted from foot to foot. He acted like a nervous teenager, not the player I’d known him to be.
“Yes. All those things Dr. Knoll said about me were true, at one time,” he said.
I rolled my eyes.
“Lucy, I truly wanted to make things work with her. That’s the only reason she met Charlie. She was great with Charlie, but something about her just didn’t feel right to me, so yes, I still dated. That was wrong. I should have broken it off with her. But, Charlie loved having her around,” he said, taking a deep breath.
He reached for my hand, but I pulled back. So far, his words didn’t impress me. “Is that it?” I asked.
“No,” he sighed. “I hated being alone. I didn’t know what to do when my wife died. I had Charlie, and she wanted a mother so badly. She deserved one. But, I loved my wife; she was the love of my life. My whole world fell apart when she died,” he said, his eyes filling with tears, and his lip starting to tremble.
“I treated women like they were being interviewed for that position, for Charlie’s mother, my wife, the love of my life. I never could find anyone I felt that same feeling for, that tingle, that passion. That is, until I met you,” he said.
He reached for my hand and this time I let him take it. My heart was swelling in my chest, and my eyes were watery as his deep-blue eyes sank into mine.
“I hadn’t even seen Lucy, or anyone else. But, once I realized I was in love with you, that Charlie was in love with you, it didn’t matter if I’d seen them or not, I had to break it off,” he explained.
“So, you broke up with them all for me?” I asked.
“Yes, even ones I hadn’t seen for six months, one I hadn’t even dated in almost a year. I wanted to make sure they all knew not to call me, not to show up at my office, and I needed Lucy to know not to show up at my house,” he said.
He gripped my other hand, stared me deep in the eyes, and then knelt down on his knee. “I love you, Claire. I’m madly and hopelessly in love with you. If you leave, I’ll never get over it. I’ll never get over you,” he said.
My body pushed into his, my hands pulled from his and gripped his shoulders, pulling him up to me. He grasped me tightly, drawing me in close, his lips pressing into mine as my body melted in his arms.
“I already talked to Dr. Jaxton, your job is still yours. Go to school here, I’ll pay to get your apartment back, hell, I’ll pay for a better one, just please don’t leave,” he pleaded. “I love you, Claire,” he said.
“I love you too,” I said.
I wished I’d read all those texts, or at least listened to his voicemails. I couldn’t believe I’d been so quick to judge him, so quick to run away from him. Never again. I will never again run from Elijah.
Epilogue
I felt Elijah pull me into him, his erection pressing against my backside. “Happy anniversary,” he whispered softly in my ear.
I rolled over, falling into his arms as he leaned down to kiss the tip of my nose. “Happy anniversary,” I whispered, smiling inside and out with joy.
His lips pressed against mine, his hands searched through the sheets for my hips. I loved waking up next to him. Even after four years of marriage, it still felt so new, so exciting.
His mouth lowered to my neck, making me giggle as he let his lips slide down my shoulder, and then to my breast. My giggles quickly turned to moans as his tongue swirled around my erect nipple, and his fingers found their way inside my panties. He pushed into me, twisting his fingers to make me squirm. “You make me crazy, woman,” he teased, mounting me with a powerful movement that left me breathless. My hands slid his sleep pants down, gripped his cock firmly, and stroked him as he rocked his hips toward me.
My legs fell open beneath him as he straddled me into position. His hands pushed my nightgown up past my hips, and my panties aside as he pushed his hard cock into my warm pussy. I was ready. I was always ready for Elijah.
My arms wrapped around him, pulling him close to me as his mouth kissed my neck, and his hips rocked into me with a steady rhythm. “This is how you’re supposed to start your morning,” he whispered in my ear, and then gently nipped at my soft lobe.
“You’re the doctor,” I teased, grinding my body against his.
My clit slid against his abs, the friction of the hard ripples against my swollen flesh was quickly working me closer to an orgasm. I let out a moan, louder than expected as the waves of pleasure rushed through my body. Elijah’s eyes widened, his lips curled into a smile before pressing against mine to hush my excitement. I knew Charlie was still asleep, and that my pleasure was more than enough to wake her. He let out a growl, bit at my shoulder, and suddenly the warmth of his cum filled me. I giggled as he rolled off of me, breathing hard to catch his breath while lying on his back. “And you say I’m too noisy,” I teased.
He grinned, jumped up from the bed, and ripped the sheets away from my body. “Come on. Get up, lazy bones. We have a big day planned,” he said playfully.
I wanted to stay in bed where it was warm, and where he could hold me all day, make love to me all day. “C’mon,” he insisted, this time pulling at my hand like a kid dragging their mom out of bed on Christmas morning.
It was my graduation day, but he was just as excited as I was, maybe more so in this very moment. “Okay,” I chuckled as I climbed out of bed.
My head was dizzy as soon as my feet hit the ground. I sat back down, gathering my composure before attempting to get up again. “I did a number on you this morning eh?” he gloated, helping me back to my feet carefully.
He turned on the shower, jumped in, and I started to undress to join him when my stomach started to feel funny. My mouth began to water, and I knew whatever was causing my stomach to roll was coming up quick.
I pushed open the to
ilet seat lid, leaned over and puked as Elijah peeked his head out of the shower curtain. “Wow. I didn’t mean to make you sick,” he said jokingly.
I wiped my mouth, flushed, and shut the lid so I could sit down. I still felt woozy. “I don’t know what’s wrong. Maybe it’s just nerves,” I said.
“You were nauseous the other day,” Elijah said concerned.
“Yeah, because you made me watch you eat oysters,” I laughed.
His eyes filled with excitement. He shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, naked and dripping everywhere. “What are you doing?” I asked.
He grinned, but didn’t answer. I watched him drip water all through the bedroom as he pulled a bag down from the closet shelf. It looked like an old doctor’s bag, like the ones they’d carried in the old days when making house calls. “Oh God, are you going to make me an elixir?” I teased as he continued to dig around inside the bag.
“I know I have one here somewhere,” he mumbled.
“One what?” I asked, trying not to laugh at him acting so frantically.
“Here it is,” he said, pulling out a pregnancy test.
His smile was so wide I thought his lips would split. “Are you serious?” I asked.
“Yes. You’ve been nauseous, you just got sick, you’re hornier than usual, you have that glow, and those beautiful breasts of yours have gotten a bit bigger,” he said.
“We haven’t even been trying,” I insisted.
“But we haven’t been trying not to,” he persuaded. “Just humor me,” he said, pushing the stick in my direction.
I didn’t want to even think it was possible. I couldn’t handle the let-down if it wasn’t true. This was everything I ever wanted. I was a nurse practitioner, was married to the man of my dreams, had a beautiful ten-year-old step-daughter, my family close enough to visit every day if I wanted. This would be the final detail to my fairytale ending.
I took the stick, lifted the toilet lid and slid down my panties. I wiped away the mess we’d made between my legs and took a deep breath. “What if I am?” I asked nervously.
