ã€ŠConsequences of Lifeã€‹


 Chapter One

    Brooke Hart and her husband, Derrick had been married for three years when her beloved grandmother passed away, leaving her a large cash inheritance, with the speculation that it could only be used for buying a house. When Brooke started looking for a house for them, she expected it to be easy, but each one she looked at, had something she didn¡¯t like about it. After looking at over a hundred houses, she was about to give up, when she found a house that was perfect for them.

    Not only did she fall in love with the location, it had everything she wanted in a house. After watching the neighborhood children ride their bicycles up and down the street for a while, she knew it was the perfect place to raise their children, as it was located at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. With it being a dead-end street, she knew she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about cars speeding down the street while children, she hoped to have someday, played outside. As soon as they moved in, they began working on starting a family, but she didn¡¯t get pregnant.

    Derrick offered to go to the doctor to be tested and when he came home, he told her he was fine; therefore, she was the one who had the problem. Her dream had been of her sitting on the front porch and watching her own children play here, but she now knew differently. If they wanted a child, they would a have to adopt, but before they could start the adoption process, Derrick started spending less and less time at home.

    A month later, Brooke was sitting on her front porch drinking a cup a tea, watching the neighborhood children play kick ball when she saw Derrick¡¯s car coming down the street. Worried something was wrong, she frowned, as he wasn¡¯t due home for another hour.

    When he got out of the car, she stood to greet him, but instead of kissing her as usual, he walked right pass her and stepped into the house. Confused by his actions, she followed him into the house; neither of them speaking as she trailed him to their bedroom.

    When she saw him grab a suitcase out of the closet and started filling it with his clothes, her forehead wrinkled with puzzlement. ¡°Derrick are you going somewhere?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I want a divorce,¡± he said as he threw his underwear into the suitcase, refusing to look at her as he continued filling the suitcase.

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding, aren¡¯t you?¡± As Brooke stared at him, her eyes filled with the dullness of her disbelief of his statement.

    ¡°Nope, I will get my other belongings later,¡± he said without any emotion.

    She grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him to look at her. ¡°Does this have anything to do with the fact I can¡¯t have children?¡± Her eyes filled with tears, expecting him to say that was why he was leaving.

    He looked away, refusing to meet her eyes before he spoke. ¡°No, of course not,¡± he muttered, as he looked down at his clothes in the suitcase.

    She began wandering restlessly around the room, her mind full of what she could do to change his mind. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with that, then why are you leaving me?¡±

    He glanced over at her. ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed that we don¡¯t spend much time together anymore?¡±

    ¡°Whose fault is that?¡± She shouted at him, as he was the one who came home after she¡¯d gone to bed.

    His expression turned to one of anger. ¡°Are you saying it¡¯s all my fault? If it bothered you so much, why didn¡¯t you say something to me about it?¡± He watched her as he waited for her response.

    At his comment, she realized she should have talked to him about the fact he came home late each night, but after they found out they couldn¡¯t have a baby of their own, she¡¯d been hurting. So instead of trying to talk to him about how she felt, she went to bed, and the subject wasn¡¯t ever mentioned as weeks turned into months.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, I should have talked to you about our situation,¡± she muttered, but she¡¯d assumed once he came to term, she was sterile, things would go back to the way it had been before the devastating news. When it hadn¡¯t, she should have confronted him about coming home late each night. Still his leaving came as somewhat of a surprise to her.

    She returned to the bed and touched his arm to stop him from packing. ¡°We could work harder at our marriage, I¡¯m willing to do anything to save what we have; maybe we could go see a marriage counselor. We¡¯ve been marriage for five years, won¡¯t you give it another try,¡± she asked softly, hoping he would be willing to try to save their marriage.

    He shook his head as he looked up at her. ¡°No, I¡¯ve met someone new, someone who makes me feel alive, something I haven¡¯t felt in a long time. As soon as the divorce is final, we¡¯re getting married and starting a new life together.¡±

    She sucked in a breath from his statement, as she was furious that he had gotten involve with another woman while still married to her. ¡°If you leave me, you¡¯ll have to live with the consequences of this decision,¡± she threatened, hoping it would change his mind. ¡°So, I¡¯m telling you right now, if your relationship ends with this other woman, don¡¯t you dare come crawling back to me begging for me to forgive you,¡± she told him with tears in her eyes.

    He turned away from her soul-piercing eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Brooke, I hadn¡¯t meant for any of this to happen,¡± he muttered as he closed his suitcase.

    ¡°Yea, sure,¡± she replied hatefully.

    He looked up at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t really know how bad our situation was until I met Peggy.¡±

    ¡°How did you meet?¡± It didn¡¯t matter, but she was curious how the other woman had come into her husband¡¯s life.

    ¡°We happened to meet at a Subway restaurant one day at lunchtime, the place was crowded, and we happened to share a table. We got to talking, and before I knew it, I made plans to meet her there again the next day, and so it began. She makes me feel as if I¡¯m the most important person in her life.¡±

    Brooke wanted to beg him to stay, but realized his moving out was for the best, for if he didn¡¯t love her any longer, what was the point of trying to save their marriage. They had been so much in love on their wedding day, making her believe their marriage would last until one of them died. It was sad that it hadn¡¯t survived much more than five years, which made her wonder if their marriage, had been a mistake in the first place.

    ¡°I hope we can still be friends,¡± Derrick said, with great emphasis on the word friends.

    She didn¡¯t respond to his comment, as anything she would say would be hateful, and once she got started, it would only end with more spiteful words being said between them.

    Just before he walked out the door, he leaned over, gave her a quick hug and kissed her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch.¡±

    Then he was gone.

    After Derrick left, Brooke just sat there staring at the front door, as she expected him to come back home to tell her that it had all been a bad joke. When she realized the emptiness she had in the pit of her stomach was probably due more to the fact they had been a couple for so long, than actually being hurt about his leaving, she realized that her marriage had been over for some time, but she hadn¡¯t realized it.

    She stood and gave herself a good shake, as she needed to make some decisions, such as should she stay here in her house that she loved, or sell it and move into a small apartment? She cringed at that thought, as she hated the idea of moving out of her home.

    Needing to talk to someone, Brooke called her friend, Skyler Collins. They had been friends since they were in grade school and knew each other¡¯s dreams and desires for their future. When one of them needed a shoulder to cry on after a breakup with their latest boyfriend, the other one was always there to comfort and listen to them rant and rave about the no-good boyfriend.

    When Skyler answered the phone, Brooke told her friend that her husband had left her.

    ¡°What? I don¡¯t believe this.¡± Skyler shook her head. ¡°Were you expecting this to happen?¡±

    ¡°I must be honest that I¡¯m not shocked by him finding someone new.¡±

    ¡°At least that scum could have divorced you before he started sniffing around other women,¡± she said heatedly.

    Brooke smiled at her friend¡¯s words. ¡°You won¡¯t hear me disagreeing.¡±

    Skyler felt bad at her comment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Since technically he¡¯s still your husband, I shouldn¡¯t have said that. I just don¡¯t think highly of people who fool around while they¡¯re still married.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± And she did, as the two women had talked about this subject many time over the years. To them, one¡¯s marriage vows were sacred, and you didn¡¯t commit adultery for any reason. If you weren¡¯t happy in the marriage, end it first, then you could fool around as much as you wanted.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to sharpen my tongue so it will be nice and razor-sharp. So, you better tell him to run in the other direction if he sees me coming, as I¡¯m going to lash into him and tell him what I think of him for what he did to you.¡±

    Brooke chuckled. ¡°You do have a way with words.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m angry because he hurt my friend,¡± she stated loudly.

    Brooke smiled. ¡°Skyler, you might find this hard to believe, but I¡¯m not hurt. I can¡¯t explain it, but in a way, I¡¯m relieved this has happened.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t saying this just so I won¡¯t verbally attack Derrick, are you?¡± Skyler knew her friend well enough to know she would say that to protect the creep.

    Brooke laughed. ¡°Though I would love to see you cuss him out, I must be honest with you that it isn¡¯t all Derrick¡¯s fault our marriage fell apart.¡±

    ¡°How can you say that?¡± she exclaimed, as she knew how long Brooke had loved Derrick.

    ¡°Ever since we found out we couldn¡¯t have children; an invisible barrier had formed between us. I could have said something to him about him spending more time away from home, but I guess part of me just didn¡¯t care anymore.¡±

    ¡°You two thought you were in love with each other, and because you were dating, you naturally assumed marriage was the next step.¡±

    Brooke nodded as she took in her friend¡¯s words. ¡°You could be right.¡±

    ¡°Maybe marriage between you two just wasn¡¯t meant to be.¡± Skyler smiled to herself as she thought of Derrick¡¯s younger brother, Garrison. ¡°Maybe there someone out there who was too young for you when you married Derrick, so much so, you didn¡¯t even think about having a relationship with him. Now that you are both older, he wouldn¡¯t be considered to be too young,¡± she said knowing from watching Garrison whenever he was with Skyler that he felt something for her friend, something more than brotherly love.

    Brooke was confused by her statement. ¡°What on earth are you talking about?¡±

    Skyler would love to come out and tell her what she thought, but on the off chance, she was wrong, she had to keep quiet about her suspicion. ¡°I¡¯m just saying there is someone else out there who will be perfect for you.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long it will take me to be ready to become involved with someone new.¡± Since she didn¡¯t want to be alone for the rest of her life, she knew eventually she would have to see about meeting someone new, but that could wait for another day to figure out.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t close your eyes to someone you already know.¡±

    Brooke frowned at her friend¡¯s comment. ¡°Do you know something I don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I just meant you¡¯re a great catch and any man would be lucky to have you.¡±

    ¡°Skyler, that¡¯s so nice. I think the same thing about you.¡±

    Before saying goodbye, Skyler told her she hoped everything would get better for her, sooner rather than later.

    * * *

    After she hung up from Skyler, Brooke went to the bedroom to change the sheets on the bed, as it was time to start fresh and just as she started the washer, the phone rang. She hesitated to answer, as she was afraid it might be Derrick. But since they really didn¡¯t have any more to say to each other, she figured it must be someone else calling, so she answered the phone. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Brooke how are things going with you two this evening?¡± a woman¡¯s voice happily asked.

    Brooke cringed, as it was Katrina, Derrick¡¯s mother on the phone. By her words, Brooke realized she didn¡¯t know about her son¡¯s leaving her, which meant it was up to her to tell her mother-in-law that Derrick had left her. ¡°Katrina, I have some bad news for you.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked with a panic-filled voice.

    ¡°Derrick packed his bags and left me,¡± she told her emotionlessly.

    ¡°What? Why in the world did he do that?¡± Katrina was shocked by Brooke¡¯s statement. ¡°I thought things were going well for you two.¡±

    ¡°He met another woman and after the divorce is final, they¡¯re going to be married.¡±

    ¡°Oh honey, I¡¯m so sorry. All I can say is that I¡¯m shocked, as I never dreamed this would ever happen to the two of you. How are you handling this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay. I understand why he left as it was time for us to dissolve our relationship,¡± she muttered sadly.

    Katrina gasped, shocked by her statement. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Our marriage wasn¡¯t working any more. He worked all the time, coming home after I went to bed; we never talked anymore or spent any time together. We both knew it, but neither of us did anything to end it or try to make it better.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Katrina asked, hating the thought of losing her as a daughter-in-law.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I haven¡¯t thought much about it yet.¡± She fought her tears of frustration, as her future looked vague and dark without her husband. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll put the house up for sale as there won¡¯t ever be any children to put in this one.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I hate to see you sell your house that you love so much. I would ask you to move in with me, but that probably wouldn¡¯t be a good idea.¡±

    Brooke¡¯s eyes filled with tears at her comment. ¡°Thanks for the thought. That means more to me than I can express. Derrick wants this to be a friendly divorce, but I don¡¯t know if it will happen that way or not.¡±

    They talked a few minutes more before Brooke said she needed to go. Since her nerves were ragged by what had transpired here today, she decided to step outside to watch the sun set, as it always had a calming effect on her.

    After sitting there for ten minutes, she noticed a car slowly make its way down the street towards her, and as it got closer, she saw it¡¯s was Garrison¡¯s car. Brooke figured Katrina must have told Derrick¡¯s younger brother about the divorce. She wished she hadn¡¯t told her mother-in-law about the divorce, but then shook her head, as the divorce wasn¡¯t something she could hide for very long. Seeing him get out of his car, she bit her lip knowing Garrison was liable to ask questions for which she didn¡¯t have answers.

    * * *

    Garrison had stopped by his mother¡¯s house for a visit and after he¡¯d kissed her hello, she had given him some shocking news. He couldn¡¯t believe Brooke and his brother were getting a divorce, as the two of them had been an item since the summer Brooke had moved in next door to them. Derrick was eighteen, she was seventeen and Garrison was sixteen, and he¡¯d fallen in love with her from the first moment he¡¯d laid eyes on her. He¡¯d never let her know how he felt, not only was he too young for her back then, but a short time later, Derrick asked her out, and they soon were a couple. Garrison was greatly disappointed by their relationship, but he never let on about his attraction to the woman he¡¯d lost his heart to the first day they¡¯d met.

    Even after all this time, no one knew, except maybe his mother that he was in love with his brother¡¯s wife, as over the years, as she¡¯d seen him watching Brooke with love in his eyes.

    Brooke was a caring and loving person, one who never had a rude word to say about anyone, she always thought of others first, and went out of her way to help those in need. And because of these traits, Garrison was more in love with her now than he had been when he was a teenager.

    After college, Derrick and Brooke were married, which caused Garrison to realize she would never be his, and that being so, he started dating. He went out with quite a few lovely young ladies over the years, but none of them ever touched his heart the way Brooke did, so he never married.

    Neither of them were teenagers anymore and with Derrick out of the picture, Brooke would soon be free. Well, at least in the legal sense she would be available, but that didn¡¯t mean she would be interested in a relationship with him. Garrison wanted to help her heal from her loss of Derrick, and hopefully, she would come to realize how much he truly cared for her. And because he loved her, it didn¡¯t matter how long it took Brooke to get over her love for Derrick, he would wait for her.

    * * *

    Brooke watched as Garrison pulled into her driveway, parked the car, and got out. She had watched him grow from a scrawny teenager and thanks to his regular use of weight equipment, into a muscled bound young man. He outgrown his brother in height by a few inches, had broader shoulders, and was more handsome than Derrick. She had been attracted to him first, but since he was younger than she was, she didn¡¯t give it another thought. Not only that, but she never dreamed he would be interested in her.

    Over the years, she¡¯d been confused by the way, Garrison watched her whenever they were together. It was as if he was in love with her, but since he never said anything to her how he felt or made a pass at her, she figured the attraction must just have been just a figment of her imagination.

    Garrison didn¡¯t speak as he walked towards her, and once he reached her, he simply sat down next to her and took hold of her hand.

    When she noticed a warm tingling sensation where their hands touched, she looked over at him as she was puzzled by her responsiveness to him. They had accidently touched over the years, but she¡¯d never felt such an awareness like this before. She was confused by it, as the feeling was one of a mixture of longing and desire, making her wondered where these new emotions for him had suddenly come from.

    Suddenly, she liked the thought of him being in her life as something more than he was now, but since he was Derrick¡¯s brother; she doubted anything would ever happen between them. She waited for him to say something first, but he didn¡¯t, so she knew it was up to her to break the silence. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve talked to your mother recently,¡± Brooke stated without looking at him.

    ¡°Yes, I just left there.¡± He turned to look at her, waiting for her to tell him it was true.

    ¡°Then you know about your brother asking me for a divorce?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but she didn¡¯t go into any details. I¡¯m sorry for what Derrick has done to you,¡± he said without any real despair.

    Brooke hadn¡¯t noticed his tone as her mind was still on their joined hands. ¡°Garrison, it isn¡¯t your fault that your brother left me,¡± she said, smiling weakly as she looked over at him.

    ¡°Did he give a reason why he wanted to end your marriage?¡± Part of him wanted to hit his brother for hurting her, but the other part was thrilled their marriage was over.

    Brooke was sure his mother had already told him why Derrick had left her, but she told him again anyway. ¡°Just that he was in love with someone else, wanted to remain friends and that his leaving didn¡¯t have anything to do with the fact I can¡¯t have children,¡± she replied, masking her inner turmoil with a fake calmness.

    ¡°But you think it does?¡± he asked as he looked closely at her.

    ¡°Yes, as he¡¯s acted strange ever since he had the test done.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think that was?¡± he asked, as he watched her expression.

    Brooke shook her head. ¡°After he took the test it, other than to say that he was normal, he wouldn¡¯t talk about it.¡± Her eyes filled with tears. ¡°As if I wasn¡¯t normal just because I couldn¡¯t conceive.¡± Her emotions were churning in her stomach, as she wasn¡¯t ready to talk about this subject yet, especially not with Garrison.

    ¡°Why do you think he refused to talk to you about the test?¡± he asked softly.

    Brooke jumped up, turned towards him with anger in her eyes. ¡°How in the hell am I supposed to know the answer to that,¡± she screamed at him.

    As soon as the words left her mouth, she quickly covered it with her hands, as she was mortified for yelling at a man who meant a great deal to her. ¡°Garrison, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t take my frustration out on you, as you¡¯re my friend as well as my family,¡± she said tearfully, hoping her actions hadn¡¯t caused any damaging consequences to their relationship.

    Garrison smiled at her. ¡°Aw, I don¡¯t care. Besides, what¡¯s family good are for, if you can¡¯t vent your anger on them occasionally.¡± He wanted the grab her and plant a smoldering kiss on her, one that would let her know exact how he felt about her. He refrained, but just barely, as legally, she was still married to his brother.

    Brooke sat back down and put her hand on top of his, which was now resting on his knee. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore why he wouldn¡¯t talk about the test, as I knew the marriage was over long before Derrick asked for a divorce.¡±

    Hearing those words, gave Garrison hope she was ready to hear he that he was in love with her and wanted a relationship with her. He might be making the biggest mistake in his life, but he was willing to live with the consequences of his actions. Giving into his impulse, he stood, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her with all the love he had for her.

    Brooke was stunned as his kiss wasn¡¯t the brotherly kind, but one filled with passion and desire. A war of emotions raged within her, as she enjoyed the feel on his lips on hers. Not only that, but with his body up against hers, she knew he was aroused, which caused a thrill of excitement to surge through her at knowing some man other than Derrick found her desirable.

    What was even more baffling was her reaction to the kiss, because sexual desire was now raging through her to the point that she wanted to take him inside and make love to him.

    Since she had to be strong against the temptation of her desire for him, she started pushing at his chest as she couldn¡¯t get involved with Garrison right now, as legally she was still married to his brother.

    When Garrison¡¯s dazed mind finally realized she was trying to push him away, he quickly lowered his arms to his sides and took a step back. ¡°I¡¯m not going to apologize for that,¡± he said as he tried to calm his fast beating heart, as kissing her had been so much better than simply dreaming about it.

    ¡°I think it would be best if you left now.¡± If he didn¡¯t leave, she was liable to drag him to her bedroom, and that couldn¡¯t happen as then she wouldn¡¯t be any better than Derrick.

    Garrison was mad at himself for the way he had practically attacked her on the front steps of her home, but he simply couldn¡¯t wait another moment to feel her lips on his. ¡°Brooke, let me explain,¡± he uttered, as he was afraid, he had ruined their relationship with his kiss.

    Strange and mystifying thoughts were bombarding her mind, as her eyes teared up from her pen up desires for him. ¡°No, just go. I have a lot going on in my head right now and I can¡¯t deal with you and this kiss just now.¡± The thing that confused her the most was that she wanted Garrison in her bed, but why now, as before the kiss, she hadn¡¯t ever felt this way towards him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go, but this isn¡¯t over yet.¡±

    She watched as he slowly walked to his car. Since he¡¯d kissed her the way he had, she realized he must have romantic feeling towards her, causing her to wonder how long he had felt that way. Maybe that was the reason why he was always staring at her, but why hadn¡¯t he ever let on to her that he felt more than brotherly love for her?

    Then Brooke shook her head, as she realized he couldn¡¯t very well tell his brother¡¯s wife that he was in love with her. Besides, she could be completely wrong about the whole situation.

    No matter what might happen between them, she knew it had to wait until her marriage to his brother was over. The thought made her melancholy, as a divorce may take months to be finalized, and she found she didn¡¯t want to wait that long before she could be with Garrison.

    Before Garrison opened his car door, he looked back at Brooke. Seeing her gloomy expression, he wondered who was to blame for the heartrending expression on her face. Was it his fault because of his kiss or was it his brother¡¯s fault for leaving her for another woman? It was probably best if he didn¡¯t know, as most likely he wouldn¡¯t like the answer.

    Maybe he would call her tomorrow to talk about what had happened here tonight. Then again, maybe he shouldn¡¯t, as he didn¡¯t want his calling to her cause her to close down completely with him. He would wait a few days before he gave her a call, as they needed to talk about their situation.

    When he did call her, he decided to let her control the topic of their conversation.

    ¡°Garrison, I¡¯m glad you called.¡± Even though he¡¯d been her brother-in-law for all these years, since the kiss, all Brooke could think about was his wonderful kiss, which had affected her all the way to her toes. Thinking of his kiss made her wonder what it would be like to make love to him every night for the rest of her life.

    ¡°Really?¡± He let out the breath he¡¯d been holding, as he¡¯d been ready for her to tell him that she never wanted to see him again.

    ¡°I¡¯ve miss talking to you. I thought you should know that I¡¯ve heard from Derrick¡¯s lawyer and the divorced is scheduled for two months from today.¡±

    ¡°That seems quick.¡± Garrison was thrilled, as that meant she would be his, all that much quicker. That is, if she wanted to have a relationship with him, as they hadn¡¯t talked about it yet.

    ¡°That¡¯s what Derrick wants. Besides, the sooner the marriage is over, the sooner I can start living again.¡± She wanted to say more but didn¡¯t know how to tell him she wanted a relationship with him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you tomorrow,¡± he told her, then he quickly hung up, as he was afraid, he might say something he would later regret, such as he was in love with her.

    The next day, instead of calling, Garrison stopped by Brooke¡¯s home, arriving just in time for dinner, and so she invited him to eat with her, and of course, he said yes.

    They didn¡¯t speak of the kiss between them or about Derrick, instead they kept the topics on their jobs and the weather. It was a pleasant evening, and he stayed until ten that night. When he left, he had the strong desire to pull her into his arms and give her a breath-taking kiss, but instead, he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

 Chapter Two

    As the days slowly crept closer to the divorce, Garrison continued to come to see Brooke. It had been a month since Derrick had moved out and Garrison decided it was time to start working on his courtship with Brooke. Wanting to start out slow, he invited her out to dinner, and was quite surprised when she accepted his invitation.

    During dinner, they kept the conversation off Derrick, the pending divorce, and of course their kiss. After they had returned to her home, he asked if he could come in for a few moments with the hope of stealing another kiss from her.

    He was prepared for her to refuse to let him in, and was he was astonished when she told him to come in and she would fix them each a slice of apple pie she had made earlier that day. As soon as she closed the door behind him, he pulled her into his arms, brought his lips to hers, and gave her passionate kiss.

    His kiss had set her on fire, but she couldn¡¯t let it go any further. ¡°Garrison, what has come over you lately?¡± she asked nervously. ¡°The other day you kissed me on the front porch and now this.¡±

    He tightened his hold on her. ¡°I love you,¡± he stated, keeping his eyes on her face.

    At first, his words didn¡¯t register in her dazed mind, as she couldn¡¯t believe he just told her he loved her. ¡°You¡¯re kidding, aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked, trying to push him away.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m serious,¡± he said as he tightened his hold on her to prevent her from moving out of his arms. ¡°Look at me.¡±

    Brooke looked into his eyes, and for the first time, she realized she was seeing the love he had for her looking back at her. ¡°Garrison, in all the years I¡¯ve known you, you¡¯ve never gave me any indication you felt anything for me other than just brotherly love.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in love with you since the first day we met, but once you started dating my brother, it was too late to tell you how I truly felt about you. When you two were married, I had to hide my feelings for you, but now that you are free of him, I can show you how I feel.¡± His lips reached for hers.

    She stopped him before their lips touched again, as she was still married. As she looked at Derrick¡¯s brother, she wondered if a relationship with him was possible? What would the consequences be if she became involved with Garrison? The only one she could think of was the brothers¡¯ relationship with each other, but other than that, nothing came to mind. ¡°Garrison, have you thought how our new relationship will affect yours with your brother?¡±

    ¡°Since he is ending his marriage to you that means he doesn¡¯t want a life with you any longer, so you are free to be with whoever you want. He can¡¯t have a say on your life if he is with someone else.¡±

    ¡°If you are sure about this then once the divorce it¡¯s over, we can see if a relationship between us is even possible. Meanwhile, I refuse to get sexually involve with you until my marriage to your brother has ended,¡± she stressed, as she had to make sure he knew she wasn¡¯t going to cheat on her marriage.

    ¡°Can I still come over to see you?¡± He hoped she wouldn¡¯t say no, as he didn¡¯t know what he would do if she refused.

    She gave him a hard look. ¡°Only if you abide by my wishes and refrain from kissing me again.¡±

    Garrison gave her a weak smile. ¡°I will try my best.¡± He meant it, but he didn¡¯t know if he could restrain himself, for whenever he was with her, he wanted her in his arms and his lips on hers.

    * * *

    They didn¡¯t go out to dinner again as it felt too much like dating to her. Instead, Garrison would come over for a home cooked meal or he¡¯d bring in takeout. Sometimes they would watch television together and other times they would sit on the front porch and watch the neighborhood children playing.

    As it turned out, she was the first one to initiate the next kissing incident, as she was losing her heart to him and needed to feel the touch of his lips on hers. They had just finished doing the dishes, and before pulling the plug on the drain, Garrison stuck in hand into the water, brought it out and shook it at Brooke. She let of scream of surprise, then reached passed him, took a handful of water and threw it at him.

    Laughing, planning to do the same to her, Garrison reached into the water, but before he could, Brooke grabbed his hand, turned him to her and placed on kiss on his lips that was full of passion. She moved her hand to his zipper and rubbed it, as she was aroused and wanted him to know she wanted him.

    Garrison knew she wanted to wait until the divorce was over before having sex, so it was up to him to be strong, as he knew the consequences of such an action could hurt their fragile relationship. Reluctantly, he ended the kiss and quickly moved away from her instead of going to the next step and headed them towards the bedroom.

    They stared at each other, both breathless, as well as sexual frustrated.

    Embarrassed, Brooke¡¯s face was red. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Garrison.¡±

    He laughed. ¡°There isn¡¯t any reason to be sorry.¡±

    Tears filled her eyes. ¡°I told you there wouldn¡¯t be any kissing, and then I practically attacked you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you did, as now I know you have strong feelings for me.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how this has happened. Suddenly, you are all I think about, which make me wonder how long I¡¯ve had these feelings for you.¡±

    Her words warmed his heart, as he wasn¡¯t quite sure if she felt the same intensity as he did. ¡°Maybe we were meant to be a couple all along, only we were too young when we first met for it to happen.¡±

    She pulled him back into her arms. ¡°Oh, Garrison, that¡¯s exactly what Skyler said to me. I wonder if she had you in mind when she said it.¡±

    Garrison wouldn¡¯t be surprise if that was true, as he knew Skyler had seen his eyes full of love for Brooke for years.

    * * *

    As the days passed and things got more serious between her and Garrison, Brooke knew one of them needed to tell Derrick about their relationship. Since she wasn¡¯t really for him to know she was in love with his brother, she never called him, as she knew he would ask questions, such as how did happen or how long had it been going on. Questions she wasn¡¯t sure she could respond to, even if she did know the answers. She didn¡¯t know how to ask Garrison she wanted him to talk to his brother about them.

    She and Garrison stayed away from the bedroom, and she was relieved that he didn¡¯t try to change her mind, as it wouldn¡¯t take much coercion on his part to do so. It wasn¡¯t easy for either of them, but since it was important for her to respect her marriage vows to Derrick, they didn¡¯t give in to their desires.

    * * *

    On the day of the divorce, Garrison wanted to be with her in the courtroom, but she asked him to wait for her at his apartment. Brooke would love to have him with her, but she wasn¡¯t sure how Derrick would feel if he knew his brother was there for her, instead of for him.

    Garrison wasn¡¯t happy with her request but did as she asked. He should have told her, he was afraid that when the time came for the court to shear their union, Derrick would realize he was about to lose the best part of his life and call the whole thing off. If Darrick decided not to end their marriage, where would that leave him and his relationship with Brooke? While he waited, he paced his apartment, constantly glancing at the clock on the wall, cussing each time as the clock¡¯s hands weren¡¯t moving fast enough for him.

    Meanwhile at the courthouse, Brooke was nervous about to seeing her husband for the first time in two months. When she looked over at Derrick and saw him with his new girlfriend, she was surprised that she wasn¡¯t upset he had left her for this woman. Instead, she was relieved that their marriage was ending today, as she would be free to be with Garrison.

    When the girlfriend noticed Brooke looking her way, she leaned forward to show off her bust line, as to say, ¡®I have more than you¡¯. Brooke quickly looked over at Derrick to see his reaction to his girlfriend¡¯s actions, but he hadn¡¯t noticed as he was talking with his lawyer.

    The judge entered the room and silence filled the room. After determining there wasn¡¯t any chance of them mending their marriage, the court proceedings progressed quickly, and then with a pounding of the judge¡¯s mallet, their marriage was terminated.

    As Brooke walked out of the courtroom, she was smiling as the judge had stated that the house was to be hers, which was only fair since she had bought it with her inheritance. She left without speaking to Derrick, not because she didn¡¯t want to talk to him, but because he and his girlfriend seem to be having angry words.

    When Brooke arrived at Garrison place, he pulled her in his arms and kissed her. ¡°How did it go? Was it hard on you to see Derrick?¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    She smiled at him. ¡°Not at all, as I have you now. Have you met his new girlfriend? She came into the courtroom with him and was hanging all over him. Her blouse was cut so low I don¡¯t know how she kept her breasts from falling out.¡±

    ¡°Double sided tape,¡± he said without blinking or cracking a grin.

    Brooke laughed as she moved out of his arms. ¡°What would you know about that sort of thing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just going to say I had a girlfriend that used it and leave it at that.¡±

    She chuckled at his reply.

    ¡°I bought something for you,¡± he said as he took hold of her hand and started for the table.

    It was then that she noticed the bottle of champagne on the table. ¡°Is that for me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s to celebrate your divorce.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly a celebration as we both know I¡¯m better off without him.¡±

    He didn¡¯t comment, as he was unsure what to say, as they were talking about his brother. Instead, he opened the champagne and poured into each to the glasses.

    They click their glasses together and then drank the bubbling wine to celebrate, the end of one part of her life, and the beginning of another. As soon as they finished their drink, they placed them down on the table and started for his bedroom as now that they were free to express their love for each other. Soon their clothes were thrown all over the floor and the rest of the world was forgotten as they fell onto the bed.

    Afterwards while Garrison played with her hand, her mind was on the fact that she¡¯d had sex with her brother-in-law and started to panic, but then corrected herself, as now he was legally her ex-brother-in-law. She expected to feel guilty about the fact they¡¯d had sex, but she was now free to be with anyone she wanted, including Garrison.

    Garrison suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace. ¡°Let¡¯s fly to Las Vegas and get married tonight.¡±

    She was shocked by his statement, as she was unprepared for this development. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re rushing this a bit?¡± she asked.

    Her statement was like a slap to his face, as he thought she would have jumped at the chance of marrying him. ¡°You want to date other men?¡± he asked with a hurt filled voice.

    She pushed him away from her. ¡°Of course not,¡± she replied angrily.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose another day without you in my life and in my bed, I¡¯ve waited for you too many years as it is,¡± he said as he pulled her back into his arms. ¡°Is it because I¡¯m younger than you are?¡± he asked, thinking that was the reason she was hesitating.

    The age difference between them didn¡¯t bother her, just the fact that Garrison was Derrick¡¯s brother. ¡°No, it¡¯s just that my marriage to your brother was just finalized today.¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m like Derrick and somewhere down the road I¡¯m going to leave you for another woman,¡± he hissed.

    She put her right hand on the side of his face. ¡°Garrison, all I¡¯m saying is I just don¡¯t want to rush into a relationship where one or both of us could be hurt.¡±

    ¡°Brooke, who knows how long we¡¯ll be here on Earth and that being so, I don¡¯t want to waste another moment waiting for you to be my wife. Please say yes.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t sure if this new relationship would work for them or not, but for some reason it seemed right. Was she crazy to be contemplating marrying Garrison so soon after divorcing his brother? She could hardly think while she was in his arms, but she did know how she felt when she was away from him.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll marry you,¡± she put her hand up to keep him from speaking. ¡°But not tonight, as it¡¯s too soon,¡± she told him.

    Garrison leaned down to kiss her and so it was several minutes later before they could discuss about when they wanted to get married. Because they didn¡¯t want to be apart a second longer than necessary, they decided the wedding would be as soon as it could be arranged.

    They decided to start packing up some of his belonging he wouldn¡¯t be using for a while, so when the time came, most of his stuff would be ready to move into her house. After working until about ten that evening, they returned to Garrison¡¯s bed, and they made love once more.

    After Garrison fell asleep, Brooke just stared up at the ceiling, as her mind was trying to make sense of how this relationship had come about between the two of them. All she knew was once the kissing had started; there wasn¡¯t any way for either of them to stop. Their lovemaking was as if someone had put a match to a stick of dynamite, with the end being explosive for both. Even in the beginning of her marriage to Derrick, the sex hadn¡¯t ever been this exciting.

    When Brooke looked at the clock on Garrison¡¯s bedside table, she was stunned to see how late it was. It was time for her to return home, as she needed to be at work extra early in the morning to make up her lost time from this afternoon. She loved her job at a greeting card company, as she got to use her imagination to create beautiful cards.

    She dressed quickly in the dark so not to wake Garrison, as she knew if he woke up, he would try to prevent her from returning home. For some reason she wasn¡¯t ready to face him just yet but wasn¡¯t sure why. Maybe because she felt a tiny, bit guilty about making love to him so soon after her divorce from his brother.

    Once she was dressed, she soundlessly slipped out of his apartment. Needing to talk to someone about what had transpired with Garrison; Brooke called Skyler Collins. When she told Skyler about marrying Garrison, her friend wasn¡¯t surprised, as if she just knew they were meant to be together.

    When Brooke turned onto her street, she noticed Derrick¡¯s car was in the driveway. She was confused, as this was the last place, she thought he would be, especially at this time of night. She told her friend that Derrick was at her house, and so she needed to go. Skyler¡¯s last words to her were not to let Derrick back in her life, as he would just hurt her again.

    As Brooke got out of her car, she assumed Derrick would be waiting for her in his car, but as she got closer to it, she saw he wasn¡¯t in it. Realizing he must be in the house, she was filled with anger, as how dare he use his old house key to enter her home.

    As soon as she opened the door, without any type of greeting, he jumped out of the chair he¡¯d been sitting in and started questioning her. ¡°Do you know what time it is? Where have you been? Have you been out with some guy?¡± A serious facial expression covered his face and his voice was accusingly vile.

    ¡°Well, hello to you too. What are you doing here?¡± Brooke refused to answer his questions because she didn¡¯t have to anymore.

    ¡°This is my home,¡± he told her, as if that explained it all.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see how it is your home since you don¡¯t live here anymore,¡± she said with a slight tone of defiance. ¡°It¡¯s late, I think it would be best if you left and we can talk tomorrow evening.¡±

    When Derrick took a step closer to her, a muscle flinched in her jaw, as he reeked of the alcohol, which surprised her, as he wasn¡¯t a heavy drinker.

    ¡°Brooke, I¡¯ve made a mistake and I want to come back to you,¡± he said, taking another step towards her.

    She took a quick step back. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she replied in a cold voice. Even if Garrison wasn¡¯t in her life, she wasn¡¯t about to go back to the husband who had dumped her for another woman.

    ¡°Well why not?¡± He watched her closely, as he had expected her to jump at the chance of getting back together with him.

    ¡°Did you forget we ended our marriage this afternoon because of your love for Peggy?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s over.¡± He reached out and took hold of her hand. ¡°I want us to get remarried.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen as I¡¯m now involved with someone else.¡±

    ¡°How long has that being going on?¡± he asked as he gave her a hurt look.

    Her face filled with anger, as he didn¡¯t have the right to ask such a question. ¡°That sir isn¡¯t any of your business.¡±

    ¡°Well, tell him you have reconciled with your husband,¡± he stated strongly.

    ¡°That would be a lie, as you aren¡¯t my husband anymore. It was your choice to leave me so you could be with your girlfriend, so now you have to live with the consequences of that decision.¡± She moved away from him, as she didn¡¯t feel comfortable with him being so close.

    ¡°I want another chance,¡± he murmured as he started stripping off his pants.

    Brooke¡¯s eyes grew round as he began undressing in the middle of the living room floor. Sheer black fright surged through her as in his present condition, she wasn¡¯t sure if she could stop him if he decided to force himself on her. ¡°Derrick, what do you think you are doing?¡± she asked nervously.

    ¡°I want us to make love so I can show you how much I love you. It has been such a longtime since we have been together,¡± he said longingly, as he came towards her and when he reached her, he slowly put his hands on her right breast.

    ¡°No,¡± she croaked, as she roughly pushed him away. He stumbled backwards only because she¡¯d surprised him by her sudden action, that and the fact he was drunk. Otherwise, she probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to move him away from her.

    He tried to pull her back into his arms. ¡°Baby, don¡¯t be mad at me.¡±

    ¡°Derrick, I want you to leave,¡± she told him as she side stepped his reach.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere except to our bedroom.¡± Standing in just his underwear, he turned and started walking in the direction of her bedroom.

    With sex on his mind, Brooke wasn¡¯t about to go into that room with him, especially not in his present condition. Knowing she had to get away from Derrick before he could return to the living room, she rushed out of the house to her car, locking the door as soon as she could. When she arrived at Garrison¡¯s apartment complex and saw the lights were on at his place, she frowned, as that meant he knew that she¡¯d left. When she lightly tapped on his door, it was opened immediately and seeing the fuming man glaring at her, she knew she had some explaining to do.

    ¡°Where have you been?¡± he demanded. Seeing the tears in her eyes, he instantly knew something was wrong. ¡°What is it? What has happened?¡± he asked as he pulled her into his arms.

    ¡°Derrick was in the house when I went home.¡± She rested her head on his shoulder.

    Garrison gave her a panicked look as her statement floored him. ¡°What did he want?¡± he asked, holding his breath, as he was afraid of her answer.

    She moved away from him to set her purse down. ¡°Besides getting back together, he wanted to have sex with me,¡± she told him.

    Garrison expression quickly changed to one of distress, as now that Derrick wanted her again, he was afraid Brooke would go back to him. ¡°Your divorce was finalized just this afternoon and already he wants you back. What happened to the new girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about the girlfriend, nor do I care. All I know is that when I left the house, Derrick was heading for the bedroom in just his underwear. Since I could tell he¡¯d been drinking, I figured it would be best if I just left,¡± she told him as tears glistened in her eyes.

    ¡°I think you did the right thing.¡± Garrison pulled her back into his arms holding her tight. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll left your house now that you aren¡¯t there?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s probably passed out on the bed, but since the court gave me the house, he hasn¡¯t the right to be in it anymore. I could call the police, but I don¡¯t want to deal with any of that tonight.¡±

    ¡°Does he know about us getting married?¡± He watched her expression closely as he waited for her reply, as he was curious if she had told Derrick about them.

    Brooke laughed. ¡°How could he? I didn¡¯t know about that until earlier this evening.¡±

    ¡°We could move up the wedding date,¡± Garrison told her.

    ¡°If we do that, then we¡¯ll have to change all the plans we¡¯ve already made,¡± Brooke uttered as she shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s see what happens with Derrick before we start changing any of our plans.¡±

    Garrison was disappointed by her answer, because if they moved the wedding date up, it was a sure way to prevent his brother from remarrying her.

    ¡°We better get some sleep, as I need to leave here early enough in the morning, so I¡¯ll have time to run home to change for work.¡±

    The couple returned to bed, and after they cuddled together, she closed her eyes and was instantly asleep. Garrison would have liked to have a repeat performance of their earlier activity, but Brooke needed her rest, so he let her sleep instead waking her to make love to her again.

 Chapter Three

    The next morning, Brooke quickly got out of bed, grabbed her clothes, and hurried into the bathroom to dress.  Not wanting Garrison to wake up and ended up having a vocal discussion about her returning to her house, she quietly tipped-toed out of his apartment.

    When she got to her house, seeing Derrick¡¯s car was still parked in her driveway, she frowned as this wasn¡¯t a good thing.  When she entered her house, she heard Derrick snoring from the bedroom, and if she were lucky, he would stay that way until after she left for work.  She went into the kitchen and started the coffeemaker, then went into the bedroom to take her shower.

    When she entered the bedroom, she noticed Derrick¡¯s underwear was lying on the floor next to the bed, causing her to grimace.  Since she didn¡¯t want to see her now ex-husband naked, she grabbed the clothes she was going to wear today and hurried for the bathroom.  After she closed the door, she locked it to prevent her unwelcomed guest from entering while she took her shower and surprising her in the buff.

    She¡¯d been hoping to get out of the house before Derrick woke up, but her luck ran out just as she was stepping out of the shower.  When Derrick pounded on the door, she let out a scream, as she hadn¡¯t been expecting the loud knock on the door.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry baby; I didn¡¯t mean to scare you,¡± he muttered when he heard her cry out.  ¡°I hope I was good in bed because I don¡¯t remember a thing.¡±

    Brooke just shook her head thinking he was an arrogant ass.  Was he like this the whole time they were married, or did he change after meeting the other women?  Maybe it was the remaining alcohol talking, whatever it was, she was glad they weren¡¯t married any more.  ¡°Last night was great,¡± she uttered through the closed door, figuring it was easier to lie, than to tell him the truth.  ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a minute.¡±

    ¡°Open the door and I help dry you.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m running behind this morning, I can¡¯t be late to work,¡± Brooke said as she quickly dried herself off.  After she was dressed, she opened the bathroom door, and gasped as Derrick was standing against the doorframe.

    His proximity had startled her, causing her to back up a step.  She didn¡¯t want to look, but she had to know if he was decent, so she glanced down to his waist, relieved to see he wasn¡¯t buck-naked any longer.  Brooke hoped he behaved himself this morning, because if not, she knew with his strength, she wouldn¡¯t be able to fight him off.  ¡°Derrick, you need to go home, as I don¡¯t have time to talk to you this morning.¡±

    ¡°Honey, I am home, as this is my house.¡±

    He was really pushing her buttons, as he refused to listen to her.  ¡°Weren¡¯t you in court yesterday when the judge declared us divorced?¡± she asked him sarcastically.

    ¡°Yes, so what of it?¡± he asked, his eyes filled with his bewilderment of her question.

    ¡°That same judge declared this was my house, not yours.  Period, end of conversation.  Now I¡¯m telling you for the last time, get out of my house,¡± she said furiously.

    ¡°Honey don¡¯t be mad at me.  Like I told you last night, I want us to get back together.¡±

    ¡°How strange you didn¡¯t want to get back together before the divorce was finalized, so what happened between then and last night?¡± she asked, as she really wanted to hear his answer.

    He turned away.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean?¡± he answered with fake ignorance.

    When he refused to look at her, she knew there was more to it than he was telling her.  ¡°Yesterday you wanted Peggy Morales, then last night you wanted me.  What happened?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about Peggy,¡± he replied with an icy tone.

    ¡°Well I do.  I want to know what happened between you two?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Peggy thought I would get the house in the divorce.¡±

    Baffled by his words, she looked at him suspiciously.  ¡°She left you because you didn¡¯t get this house?¡±  Brooke asked, as she closely watched his expression.  ¡°That seems like a lame excuse to me.  Are you sure there isn¡¯t more to it than that?¡±

    ¡°If you must know, we had a big fight,¡± he told her frostily.

    ¡°What about?¡± she softly asked him.

    ¡°Babies,¡± he said, but didn¡¯t elaborate.

    ¡°What about them?¡± she questioned him.

    ¡°She wants them, and I don¡¯t.¡±  Derrick turned and walked away from her.

    His reply confused her.  ¡°Since when haven¡¯t you wanted to have children?¡±

    ¡°Brooke, what differences does it make?  I have just changed my mind is all,¡± he said, still refusing to look at her.

    Brooke shook her head.  ¡°I can¡¯t stay and discuss this with you any longer or I¡¯ll be late for work.  I¡¯ll fix you a cup of coffee for you to take with you.¡±

    He reached out and touched her arm.  ¡°What about us?  You can¡¯t just let five years of marriage go to waste.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t any us any more as our marriage ended at your request so you could be with Peggy.  I warned you if you ended our marriage, you would have to live with the consequences of your actions, so now that¡¯s exactly what you have to do.¡±

    Brooke walked to the kitchen where she grabbed a travel mug, poured coffee into it, and handed it to Derrick.  ¡°Here¡¯s your coffee.  Don¡¯t worry about returning the mug.¡±

    ¡°I want to talk to you some more.  Can I see you tonight?¡± he softly pleaded.

    Her head was beginning to pound from dealing with Derrick.  ¡°No, you can¡¯t come over tonight, as there isn¡¯t anything left for us to talk about.  Now will you please leave so I can go to work?¡±

    ¡°I guess I better, as I need to get to work myself.¡±

    The two of them walked to the front door, and as soon as he was out the door, Brooke shut and locked the storm door.  She waited until he¡¯d started backing out of the driveway before she closed the main door to the house, as she would be going through the garage door when she left.

    Brooke waited until she was at work to call Garrison to tell him what had happened with Derrick.  She mentioned that the first thing she had to do when she got home was to change the locks on all her doors, as she couldn¡¯t have her ex-husband walking into her home anytime he felt like it.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    He told her not to worry about the locks, because he was going to change them out for her as soon as he got off work at five.  They talked a few minutes more and then they said their good-byes.

    Sure enough, when Brooke arrived home that evening, Garrison was twisting in the last screw of the new lock he¡¯d bought after work.

    ¡°Oh Garrison, how can I thank you?  I should have done this when Derrick first left, but . . .,¡± she said as she reached him.

    ¡°I understand,¡± he interrupted before she could finish.  He was hurt, as he assumed that Brooke had been hoping Derrick would have come back to her.  Though he felt betrayed, it didn¡¯t stop him from taking hold of her hand.  ¡°You thought the two of you would get back together.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±  Her eyes watered up knowing she¡¯d unintentionally hurt Garrison.  ¡°The truth is I was I was hoping I wouldn¡¯t have to go to the trouble of changing the locks, but Derrick proved that theory wrong.  Can you stay for dinner?¡±

    ¡°Are you afraid Derrick will show up tonight and cause some trouble?¡± he asked, watching her like an eagle searching for his prey.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I say I¡¯m afraid, but for some reason he thinks he can just barge back into my life.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it has something to do with the fact you were married to him until recently.¡±

    ¡°I heard that once your trust is gone in a relationship, it¡¯s hard to get it back.  Since this situation with Derrick, I believe it¡¯s true.¡±  She turned to face him.  ¡°Garrison, I want you to know that even if you weren¡¯t in my life, I¡¯m never going back with Derrick.  I don¡¯t love him anymore; I love you and want to be your wife.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked, with his heart in his throat.

    Brooke walked up to him, moving so close to him that her breasts pressed against his chest.  ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.  You want me to prove it to you?¡± she whispered seductively as her hand went to his pants zipper.

    Garrison smiled at her.  ¡°I like the way you think.¡±

    They had just gotten into bed when they heard a hard knock on the front door causing them both to jump at the unexpected sound.

    ¡°Brooke, open this door,¡± Derrick shouted through the metal door.

    Brooke and Garrison didn¡¯t move, but simply looked at each other.  Neither of them took a breath while they waited to see what happened next.

    A fist pounded on the door.  ¡°I know you are in there.¡±

    ¡°What do you think we should do?  We can¡¯t ignore him, as he¡¯s seen your car in the driveway.¡±

    ¡°I guess we should get dressed and go answer the door.¡±

    Clothes were quickly thrown on and once Brooke was dressed, she started towards the living room with Garrison buttoning his shirt as he hurried after her.  She looked at him to make sure he was dressed, took a deep breath, and then opened the front door.

    Brooke wasn¡¯t surprised that Derrick was ready to step into her home, but she moved to block the door to prevent him from entering.  ¡°Hello Derrick.  What do you what?¡±

    ¡°I want to come into my home.  Why doesn¡¯t my key work anymore?  Why did it take you so long to answer the door?¡±

    ¡°Well, first of all, this isn¡¯t your home any longer.  Secondly, I have new door locks and lastly, but not least, it isn¡¯t any of your business why I took so long to answer the door.¡±

    ¡°Why is Garrison here?¡±  He looked past her at his brother standing behind her watching them, remaining quiet.

    ¡°That too, isn¡¯t any of your business.¡±  It was the perfect time to tell Derrick that Garrison was soon going to be her husband, but the words wouldn¡¯t come.

    ¡°He¡¯s my brother,¡± he shouted at her.

    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± she replied sarcastically.

    He stared at her for a moment before changing the subject from his brother.  ¡°Where is my key for your new locks?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be getting a key, as I had the locks changed in order to keep you out of my house,¡± she informed him.

    Derrick¡¯s face changed to one of anger.  ¡°You can¡¯t lock me out of my own home.¡±

    ¡°Derrick, this isn¡¯t your home anymore, so go away and leave me alone.¡±

    ¡°It will be my home if you let me move back in,¡± he said as he looked expectantly into her eyes.  ¡°I want another chance.  Please, Brooke let me come home,¡± he begged.

    ¡°The answer is still no, no matter how many times you ask.¡±

    ¡°One of these days you¡¯ll be sorry you kicked me out,¡± Derrick said hatefully before he turned and walked down the steps to return to his car.

    As Brooke stared out the door, Garrison came up behind her and put his arms around her.  Together they watched Derrick get into the car and loudly pulled out of the driveway.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± he asked as they stood there looking at the empty spot where Derrick¡¯s car had once been.

    ¡°He has changed, and it scares me, it¡¯s to the point, I¡¯m almost afraid to be alone with him.  I think he¡¯s already suspicious about us, but I don¡¯t want him to know we¡¯re getting married until the very last moment.¡±

    ¡°Ok, we¡¯ll wait until after the wedding before I move in, unless you change your mind.¡±

    Brook reached out and took hold of his hand.  ¡°Garrison, it isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t want you to move in.¡±

    ¡°I know.  You feel guilty for having feelings for me and our relationship.¡±

    Tears filled her eyes.  ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong.  I feel guilty for not feeling guilty, as I feel as our relationship was always meant to be.¡±

    ¡°Oh, honey.¡±  He pulled her into his arm and kissed her.

    Derrick was quickly forgotten as they returned to her bedroom to finish what they¡¯d started just moments before.

    * * *

    They may have forgotten about Derrick, but he certainly hadn¡¯t forgotten about them.  When he entered his apartment, he grabbed a can of beer and went to sit in front of the television.  He was hurt Brooke had refused to let him into his home, but what made him angrier was the fact his own brother could be there.  Somehow, that just didn¡¯t seem fair.

    As he sat there drinking, he began planning on how to get his wife back.  First thing was to quit asking to move back home, as it only made her mad.  Second was to ask her out on a date, as he knew from courting her before, just what to do to get her to fall in love with him again.  He smiled widely, because once that happened; he and Brooke would get married again.  Lastly, they would get remarried.

    It was a great strategy, but each time Derrick asked Brooke out, she told him no, which made him furious.  How was he going to patch up their marriage if she wasn¡¯t willing to spend time with him?

    Brooke hated refusing Derrick, but to accept would only give him false hope.  With her wedding to Garrison getting closer, time was running out to tell Derrick about her relationship with his brother, but she still couldn¡¯t find the nerve to tell him.

    * * *

    Knowing that Garrison was on good terms with her, Derrick drove over to his brother¡¯s apartment to get his advice, but when he arrived, he found that his brother wasn¡¯t home.  As Derrick sat in his car, he dialed Garrison cell number.

    ¡°Hello, Derrick.¡±

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at a friend¡¯s home,¡± he said, hoping his brother didn¡¯t ask who it was.

    ¡°Are you going to be home soon?¡± he asked as he strummed his fingers of his left hand on the steering wheel.

    ¡°No, we are just leaving to go out to dinner.¡±  Garrison wished his brother would hang up before he said something that would give away who his date was.

    ¡°Hey, would you mind if I join you so I can meet your new friend?¡±  Derrick asked, as he wanted to sabotage his brother¡¯s happiness.  This was selfish on his part, as he¡¯d had Brooke in his life for the past ten years, while his brother hadn¡¯t had anyone special in his at all.

    ¡°Derrick, you aren¡¯t invited.¡±  He hated saying that, but he wasn¡¯t ready to tell him about his relationship with his ex-wife, wishing they never had to tell him.

    ¡°Hey, is that any way to talk to your older brother?¡±  Derrick couldn¡¯t believe Garrison had spoken to him that way.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this woman is very special to me.  Our relationship is sort of fragile, so I need to take things slow.¡±  Of course, this was the perfect time for him to tell his brother that he and Brooke were getting married soon, but like Brooke, he chickened out.

    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll make it another time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, soon.¡±

    The two brothers said goodbye.  When Derrick put down the receiver, a plan began developing in his mind of how to meet his brother¡¯s new girlfriend.  He decided he would find out when their next date was, wait for Garrison at his apartment and follow him to her home.  It was a good plan and would have worked too if Garrison hadn¡¯t skipped going to his apartment after work that next night and gone straight to Brooke¡¯s home to take her out to dinner.

    Derrick parked outside his brother¡¯s house again the next Friday night, and this time he was able to follow Garrison.  When he stopped at Brooke¡¯s house, he never realized she was the woman his brother was seeing, just assumed he was there to talk to her.

    Remembering his brother saying his relationship with his friend was fragile, he decided they must have broken up and he had gone to there to talk to her about his pain.  He would call Brooke tomorrow and get the dirty details of his brother¡¯s breakup with his girlfriend.

    That being the case, Derrick decided to quit spying on his brother, but if he had continued his snooping, he would have seen just how much time Garrison and Brooke were spending together.  Not being a stupid man, he would have been able to figure out that some kind of relationship was going on between his brother and his ex-wife.

 Chapter Four

    It was several weeks later while Brooke was at the store picking up groceries and supplies, seeing a pregnant woman coming down the aisle towards her, she realized she was almost a month late with her period.  This hadn¡¯t ever happened before.  Could it be that she was pregnant?  She shook her head, no, as that wasn¡¯t possible as she was sterile.  It must be caused by stress of the divorce and the situation with her ex-husband.

    When Derrick had told her she was the one with the infertility problem, she¡¯d believe him, but what if he lied about the taking the test?  No, he wouldn¡¯t have done that, as he didn¡¯t have any reason to lie to her about something as important as his test results.

    When she and Garrison had started their relationship, assuming she was infertile, she hadn¡¯t bothered with birth control.  Afraid to get too excited; she slowly walked to where the pregnancy tests were and bought one.  If she were pregnant, she wondered how Garrison would take the news, as they hadn¡¯t ever talked about the possibility of a baby.

    Once home, she quickly did the test, then sat down on the toilet lid to wait.  Part of her prayed the test would show she was in fact pregnant, while the other part knew there wasn¡¯t any possibility for the test to be positive.  When the time went off, she stood to look at the results and so shocked by what she saw that she slumped to the floor.  Once there, she pulled her knees up to her chest, laid her head down on her knees and began crying.  She couldn¡¯t believe it; she and Garrison were going to be parents.  Now a baby was finally coming into her life, but Derrick wasn¡¯t going to be the father, but his brother.  The thought caused her to wonder if the problem really lay with Derrick, and he¡¯d lied to her about it because he was ashamed that it was his fault.

    Finally, Brooke quit crying and pulled herself together as she had to tell Garrison about the baby.  She stood and began cleaning up the bathroom of any sign of the pregnancy test and had just stepped into the kitchen when the phone rang.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Brooke, its Katrina.¡±

    Brooke wished she hadn¡¯t answered the phone, because besides Derrick, his mother was the last person she wanted to talk to right now.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking of you today and wondering how you are holding up?¡±  Derrick had talked his mother into calling Brooke to see how she was doing on what would have been a special day for them.

    Unsure why she was calling, Brooke was hesitant in answering Katrina¡¯s question.  ¡°Okay, I guess.  Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you realize what today is?¡±  Katrina hadn¡¯t talked to Brooke since the divorce, as she didn¡¯t know what to say to her about Derrick.

    Still shocked over the pregnancy test, the question puzzled her as she wasn¡¯t even sure what the date was.  ¡°I¡¯ve been busy and haven¡¯t given the date much thought.¡±

    She looked at the calendar hanging on the wall, stunned to see if she and Derrick had stayed married, today would have been their sixth wedding anniversary.  They hadn¡¯t celebrated last year because Derrick hadn¡¯t been home, arriving sometime after she¡¯d gone to bed, and weren¡¯t celebrating this year because there wasn¡¯t a marriage.    She was about to start a new life with his brother and had a baby on the way.

    So happy knowing she was finally having a baby, she started crying.

    ¡°Brooke, what wrong dear?¡±  She mouthed to Derrick that Brooke was crying, then instantly she regretted it, as it caused her to feel disloyal to Garrison.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything wrong.  These are tears of joy because I just found out that I¡¯m pregnant,¡± she told Katrina excitedly.

    ¡°You¡¯re pregnant!¡± she blurted out.  As soon as she spoke, Katrina quickly looked back at her son.  When she saw him sitting at her kitchen table with a grin covering his entire face, she groaned as she figured he assumed he was the father, which she didn¡¯t think was a probability.

    Derrick had told her that he spent the night of their divorce in Brooke¡¯s bed, but Katrina doubted Brooke was expecting his baby, as she knew Brooke and Garrison was now an item.  All she knew for sure was one of her sons was going to be hurt by this new development.

    She quickly turned her attention back to the phone.  ¡°Are you sure?¡±  Katrina gently asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve done a pregnant test and it came out positive.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± asked her ex-mother-in-law, soon to be mother-in-law.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to marry Garrison and have his baby.¡±

    At least now, Katrina knew who the father was.

    ¡°I wonder if Derrick was really tested years ago like he said he was.¡±  Brooke said as absent- mindedly as she played with the phone cord.

    Katrina was afraid of what the answer to that question might be, not only that, but she had to be careful how she responded since Derrick was standing in the room with her.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry dear; I really don¡¯t know the answer to that.¡±

    ¡°I guess it really doesn¡¯t matter now one way or the other now.  I need to go.  I¡¯ll talk to you later.¡±

    ¡°Bye, Brooke.¡±

    Katrina hung up the phone, but before she could say anything to Derrick about Brooke, he gave her a tight hug.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m going to see Brooke.  I¡¯ll see you later.¡±

    She was worried how Derrick was going to take it when he found out the baby wasn¡¯t his, as it was the last thing, he would be expecting Brooke to tell him.  Katrina knew it was time someone told Derrick about ex-wife and brother, but it wasn¡¯t going to be her.  Thinking it would be in Brooke¡¯s best interest if she knew Derrick was coming to her house, she quickly redialed her number to warn her about him knowing about her news.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Brooke, I¡¯m calling to let you know that Derrick was here when I called you.  I¡¯m sorry, but he knows about the baby and on his way to your house right now,¡± she muttered tearfully.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right.  Garrison and I should have told him about us from the beginning.  It hasn¡¯t been fair for you to have to keep secrets from him, and for that, I apologize that we put you in the middle.  When he gets here, I¡¯ll tell him everything.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Good luck.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.  I¡¯m going to need it.¡±

    After Brooke hung up with Katrina, she worried how she was going to tell Derrick that Garrison was the father of her baby.  But first, she had to tell Garrison about the baby, as she didn¡¯t want him to find out from someone else.

    She dialed his number, but it went straight to his voice mail.  ¡°It¡¯s urgent that I talk to you,¡± she said and then hung up, as her news needed to be told in person.

    Ten minutes later when Brooke heard a knock at her front door, she opened it and seeing Derrick standing there with an excited expression on his face.  She groaned as this wasn¡¯t a good sign, figuring Katrina had forgotten to mention that he thought that he was the baby¡¯s father when she¡¯d called.

    ¡°Hello, Derrick.¡±

    ¡°May I come in?¡± he asked with a smile, thinking this time she would let him in.

    ¡°No.¡±

    He gave her an offended look.  ¡°Brooke, we need to talk about the baby.¡±

    ¡°No, we don¡¯t have anything to discuss on that subject,¡± Brooke told her ex-husband.

    ¡°Okay, but I want you to know I¡¯ll be a good father, we can be remarried in no time and we¡¯ll be the family you always wanted.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t get me pregnant.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, of course I did.  We had sex the night of our divorce, so the baby has to be mine,¡± he said, giving her a knowing look.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be the father because we didn¡¯t have sex that night.  After you fell asleep in the bedroom, I left and spent the night with someone else.¡±  She should tell him about her relationship with his brother, but knowing it was going to hurt him, the words wouldn¡¯t come.

    He was so shocked by her statement; he decided to lash out at her.  ¡°Did you even wait for our divorce before the two of you became lovers,¡± he said in a leering voice.

    Her face instantly filled with anger at his statement, the nerve of him.  ¡°Unlike you, I waited until I wasn¡¯t married anymore before having sex with someone else.¡±

    ¡°Ouch.¡±  Her comment was like a slap in the face.  ¡°Do you even know who the father is?¡± he asked her nastily, with the intention of hurting her.

    Brooke offended by his cruel words, slapped his face as hard as she could.  ¡°How dare you ask me that question!  Of course, I know.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡±

    ¡°Since you and I are divorced, what I do or don¡¯t do regarding this baby is none of your business.¡±

    She was right, but he still wanted to know.  ¡°Are you going to have the baby?¡±

    Her face filled with rage.  ¡°You of all people know how much I have always wanted to have a baby.¡±

    Derrick took a step closer to her, and then reached for her.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry that was a horrible thing for me to say.¡±

    Brooke moved away from him and he didn¡¯t reach for her again.  ¡°You lied to me about that test, didn¡¯t you?¡± she asked him, quickly changing the subject of their conversation off her.

    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t want you to know I was to blame for you not getting pregnant, so I let you think it was you who was infertile.¡±

    ¡°What a loving thing for a husband to do,¡± she replied coolly.  ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t matter anymore.  So now that you know you aren¡¯t the father, you can leave.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s what you want?¡±  His eyes watched her closely, waiting for her to ask him to stay. ¡°What if your lover doesn¡¯t want to be a father to his child?¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t any of your concern.¡±  She didn¡¯t even have to think about that, as she knew that wouldn¡¯t be the case.  ¡°Bye Derrick.¡±

    ¡°Bye Brooke.¡±

    He turned and left her without looking back at her.  As he walked to his car, he wondered if they would have been able to save their marriage if he had been able to father a child with her.  He shook his head, as he was the one who broke up their marriage because of his involvement with another woman, not because Brooke couldn¡¯t have a baby.

    The thought of him never fathering a child, sadden him, but he couldn¡¯t do anything to change that fact.  He was sorry for cheating on her and wished he hadn¡¯t gotten involved with Peggy.  He couldn¡¯t change that now and besides; he¡¯d learned the hard way that you had to live with the consequences of your actions.

    * * *

    As Brooke watched him walk back to his car, she let out a slow sigh, relieved he¡¯d left as quietly as he had.  Of course, it might have been a different outcome if she told him Garrison was the father of the baby and they were getting married soon.

    Before Brooke closed the door, she was surprised to Garrison¡¯s car coming down the street from the opposite direction as Derrick had gone.  For him to be here so early, she figured Katrina must have told him about the baby as well.  Couldn¡¯t that woman keep her mouth shut?

    When he walked into the room, Garrison opened his arms to her and she walked into his arms, laid her head against his shoulder.  ¡°I¡¯m pregnant,¡± she muttered softly.

    ¡°So, I¡¯ve heard.¡±  All of Garrison¡¯s dream were finally coming true too, as not only was he going to marry the woman he¡¯d loved for year, they were going to have a baby together.

    I can¡¯t believe your mother told you about the baby.¡± She raised her head and looked at him.  ¡°I wanted it to be a surprise.

    ¡°It was a surprise all right, but Mom didn¡¯t tell me, my big brother did.¡±

    She began crying at the thought she¡¯d hurt Garrison by not telling him first.  ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I didn¡¯t tell you first, but your mother called to ask how I was doing since today would have been our sixth anniversary.  When she¡¯d called, I¡¯d just found out I was pregnant, and it sort of slipped out.¡±

    Garrison rubbed his left hand up and down her back.  ¡°Let it out sweetheart, you deserve this cry.¡±

    They stood there together and even after the crying ended, Garrison continued to comfort her.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that after years of dreaming of having a baby, it finally coming true.¡±  She moved away from him to look up at his face.  ¡°What did your brother tell you?¡±

    ¡°When he called, he told me that he was going to be a father and the two of you would be getting back together.  Since I knew that wasn¡¯t a possibility, when Derrick said he was coming over here, afraid of what he might do when he found out that I was the father, I thought it would be best if I were here.¡±  Garrison looked at her and waited for her to tell him that she had in fact told his brother that he was father, but she remained silent.  ¡°Well?¡±

    ¡°Well what?¡± she asked.  ¡°Since I can¡¯t read your mind, I haven¡¯t any idea what you are thinking.¡±  She felt bad for lying, as she knew darn well, what he was thinking.

    ¡°You did tell Derrick he wasn¡¯t the father, didn¡¯t you?¡±  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Garrison was sorry he had asked as he could tell by her expression that he had made a bad choice.  ¡°Never mind.  Forget I even asked that question.¡±

    Brooke forcibly moved out of his embrace.  ¡°Garrison, I think it would be best if you left now, before I do or say something, we will both regret later.¡±

    ¡°Brooke, please let me explain,¡± he said as he reached out and touched her arm.

    She took a step back out of his reach.  ¡°No, I have some decisions to make and it would be in your best interest if you weren¡¯t here to color them.¡±

    Garrison slowly started for the front door, his heart breaking, but he had too much pride to beg her to forgive him for his thoughtless question.  He opened the screen door and was about step outside when he suddenly realized that if he did, their relationship would suffer horrible consequences.

    Hell, with his male pride, having Brooke in his life was more important than having his dignity intact.  After waiting all these years for her, he wasn¡¯t going to take the chance of losing the woman he loved, so he turned and started towards her

    ¡°Brooke, I¡¯ve loved you for as long as I have known you.  I¡¯m afraid of losing you because most of those years you have been with my brother, first dating him, and then being his wife.  All I can say in my defense is that I¡¯m insecure when it comes to you and Derrick, as part of me still can¡¯t believe you have actually chosen me to be your husband.¡±  He waited nervously for her response.

    Tears began down her cheeks.  ¡°Not many men would be willing to admit to being vulnerable.  I¡¯m sorry I took your question the wrong way.  I told Derrick since we didn¡¯t have sex that night; there wasn¡¯t any way possible he was the father.  Then he told me that he¡¯d lied to me about his results of the fertility test.¡±

    ¡°Does he know about us yet?¡±

    Brooke shook her head back and forth but didn¡¯t look him in his eyes.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how to tell him we¡¯re in love and are going to be married next month.  I guess I was hoping you or your mother would be the one to tell him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never mentioned you wanted me to tell him our news,¡± he said softly.

    ¡°I know.  I guess part of me thought I should be the one to tell him about us, but I have been too weak to do so at any opportunity I¡¯ve had to tell him.¡±

    ¡°I know what we can do, we¡¯ll wait ten or eleven years and then tell him,¡± he said as he winked at her.

    ¡°Sounds like a good idea to me, but seriously, I think he needs to be told sooner than that.  It isn¡¯t fair for your mother to have to keep this kind of secret from him.¡±

    Garrison walked over to the telephone on the lamp table and quickly dialed a number.  Brooke bit on her fingernail, as she was uneasy about this, as she knew Derrick was going to be hurt by what Garrison was going to tell him.

 Chapter Five

    The phone was ringing when Derrick walked into his apartment, so he hurried to the phone.  Seeing by the caller ID, that Brooke was calling, he got excited, assuming she had changed her mind about them getting remarried.  He didn¡¯t care who the father was of the baby, he just wanted her back in his life.

    ¡°Hello Brooke,¡± he said lovingly as he sat down in his favorite chair.

    ¡°Derrick, this is Garrison.¡±

    Afraid something wrong with Brooke or the baby, Derrick jumped out of the chair.  ¡°Is something wrong with Brooke or the baby?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t anything wrong here,¡± Garrison told him.

    ¡°Then why are you calling me from Brooke¡¯s house?¡±  Derrick asked his brother with confusion in his voice.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to like what I have to tell you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±  Derrick couldn¡¯t even image why Garrison was at Brooke¡¯s house.

    ¡°I have been in love with Brooke for years, and when you left her, I told her how I felt about her.  You should know that we¡¯re going to get married.¡±  Garrison heard just silence on the other end of the phone.  ¡°Derrick, did you hear what I said?  Brooke and I are going to get married, the wedding is next month.¡±

    Derrick was speechless by his statement and it took him a few seconds before he could respond.  This was a nightmare, as he hadn¡¯t ever dreamed that his own brother would steal his wife from him.  ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just trying to figure out what you mean by years.  How could you be in love with her for years?  Brooke and I have only been divorced a few weeks?¡±

    ¡°I fell in love with her when we were just kids.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t a very funny.¡±  Derrick was beginning to get angry with his brother teasing.

    ¡°I¡¯m not joking, I really did.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too young for her,¡± he sputtered, as it was the first thing, he could think of to say.

    ¡°I was back then, but I¡¯m not now.  I just wanted you to know about our relationship from me and not from someone else.¡±

    ¡°How can you do this to me?  I have been trying to get back with Brooke since the divorce.¡±

    ¡°I know, but it was already too late for that even before the divorce.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure as you¡¯re not married to her yet,¡± he responded in a cocky voice.

    Garrison shook his head as he tried to get it through his brother¡¯s thick head that he wouldn¡¯t ever have Brooke again.  ¡°Derrick, you lied to her about results of the fertility test.  You left her for another woman and then only wanted her back, when the new girlfriend dumped you.  Even if I wasn¡¯t in her life, she wouldn¡¯t be remarrying you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± he told him hatefully.

    ¡°Yes, I do.  She and I have talked about the relationship the two of you had together.  She had been unhappy in your marriage for some time but didn¡¯t really realize it until you left.  Once you were gone, she actually felt relieved.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± he shouted angrily.

    ¡°Derrick, I¡¯m not lying.  Think about the last year of your marriage, how often did the two of you have sex?¡±  Before Derrick could answer, Garrison added.  ¡°With each other,¡± he added sarcastically.

    ¡°That¡¯s a mean thing to say, besides our sex life isn¡¯t any of your business,¡± Derrick told him.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, it isn¡¯t, but think about it, would you say you made love at least one a week?¡±

    ¡°I would say more like four times a week,¡± Derrick told him, as he couldn¡¯t very well tell his brother the truth about his sex life with Brooke.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s stretching the truth just a bit, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±  Garrison knew his brother was lying; as Brooke had told him, there hadn¡¯t been any sex between them for months before Derrick moved out.

    ¡°No, why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°How long were you having the affair with the new lady in your life?¡±

    ¡°That is none of your business,¡± he told Garrison hatefully.

    ¡°You¡¯re right again, your affair is none of my business, but it was Brooke¡¯s business.  She told me during the last three months of your marriage, the two of you didn¡¯t have sex at all.¡±

    ¡°She had no right to tell you that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll put it in a way you can understand.  Wouldn¡¯t you want the woman you were about to marry to tell you about her relationship with her ex-husband?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but not if that ex-husband just happened to be my brother,¡± he shouted into the phone.

    ¡°Why would that make a difference?¡±  Derrick didn¡¯t respond to Garrison¡¯s question.  ¡°Do you understand now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but if you were a good brother, you wouldn¡¯t have gotten involved with Brooke after our breakup in the first place.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not, but if you had been a good husband to Brooke, you wouldn¡¯t have left her in the first place.¡±

    Derrick gasped at his words.  ¡°Garrison, that¡¯s a low blow.¡±

    ¡°And your comment to me wasn¡¯t?¡±  He tried to keep his temper, but it wasn¡¯t easy.  ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m not a good brother to you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±  Derrick sadly responded to his brother.  ¡°Where do you and I go from here?¡±

    ¡°You accept Brooke and I are together, and we go on with our lives.¡±

    ¡°It will take some time for me to accept your relationship with my ex-wife, but I¡¯m willing to give it a try.  Does Mom know about you and Brooke?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she does.  We should have told you sooner about us and for that, I apologized, but we just didn¡¯t know how to tell you.¡±

    ¡°I can understand why you didn¡¯t.  Garrison, I don¡¯t want to talk about this anymore tonight.  I need to do some thinking and try to come to term with you and Brooke being an item.¡±

    ¡°There is one more thing I have to tell you.¡±

    Derrick sighed at the thought it was going to be more bad news.  What could be worse than his brother marrying his ex-wife?  ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the father of Brooke¡¯s baby.¡±

    ¡°Fine, you¡¯ve told me.¡±  Of course, now that he knew, he regretted thinking that he wouldn¡¯t care who the father of Brooke¡¯s baby was, as he did.  Garrison had been able to give Brooke the one thing he couldn¡¯t, making him wondered if he would ever be able to accept Brooke and his brother having a baby together.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we¡¯ve hurt you.  Bye Derrick.¡±

    ¡°Bye Garrison.¡±  Derrick hung up the phone.  As he continued to rest his hand on the headset, he thought of the mess he had made of his life, by leaving Brooke for Peggy.  His heart felt heavy, as Brooke had told him that night when he was packing, that if he left, then he would suffer the consequences if he decided to change his decision, and now he was.

    As he continued to sit there thinking, he slowly realized that if he had truly still been in love with Brooke, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten involved with Peggy in the first place.  Not only that, but Garrison¡¯s news would have torn him apart more than it had.  Maybe he just wanted her back because she was familiar to him and had been in his life for so many years.

    He knew this had to be hard on Garrison and Brooke, so maybe it would be best for all concern in this matter if he moved away for a few years.  The decision lightened his heart, as was going to find a different job and leave Kansas City.  How hard would it be for him to find another job, as he was an engineer for goodness sake, and a damn good one at that?

    Luckily, for him, he didn¡¯t have to find out the answer to that question, as the next morning his boss asked if he would be willing to transfer to their Phoenix office for a few years.  Thinking this was the answer he was looking for, Derrick quickly accepted the transfer, hoping that the time away would be enough for his family to heal.

    * * *

    Derrick took a week off to go to Phoenix with the hope of finding a place to live, luckily, he¡¯d found an apartment that first day.  Now all he needed to do, was go home to pack up his belongings and tell his mother he was leaving town.  He hadn¡¯t realized how hard it was going to be to tell his mother his news until he stepped into the kitchen of the house, he and Garrison had grown up in.

    Katrina had looked up when she had heard the door opening and smiled as Derrick entered the house.  ¡°Derrick, I didn¡¯t expect to see you today.¡±  When she saw her son¡¯s sad expression, she took it as a bad sign.  ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked him, expecting the worst she rushed towards him.

    Derrick took his mother¡¯s hand into his.  ¡°Mom, I am being transferred to Arizona,¡± he said, hoping she would understand why he had to leave Kansas City.

    Seeing he didn¡¯t look upset; she had the feeling this was a good thing for him.  ¡°You want this?¡± she asked, looking deep into his eyes.

    Derrick weakly nodded.  ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve made a mess of my life by my lousy decisions and in the process, I ruined my marriage, and may have even lost my only brother.  I realize it¡¯s entirely my fault I lost Brooke, and so I haven¡¯t anyone but myself to blame for this problem.¡±  Derrick looked miserably at his mother.  ¡°Garrison told me about his relationship with Brooke, and that the baby is his.  I don¡¯t think I can stay around here and watch the two of them making a life together.¡±

    ¡°Derrick, maybe you¡¯re right about leaving for a while.  I know Garrison didn¡¯t mean to hurt you, but once you left Brooke, he felt she was available for him to love her openly.¡±

    ¡°He told me he¡¯d loved her since we were kids.  His comment surprised me as he hadn¡¯t ever let on, he felt that way about Brooke.¡±

    ¡°I had an idea he did, but he never confided in me about his feelings for her until after your divorce.¡±

    ¡°He probably didn¡¯t want to put you into the middle, which would have been an awkward position for you.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to say good-bye to Brooke and Garrison?¡±

    ¡°No, I think it would be best if I just disappear into the sunset.  You can let them know after I¡¯m gone.  I¡¯ll give you my address and if they want to, they can write me.¡±

    ¡°When are you leaving?¡±  Katrina asked, already missing her eldest son.

    ¡°Since I¡¯ve found a place to live, I¡¯m leaving for Arizona tomorrow morning.¡±  When he saw the tears forming in his mother¡¯s eyes, he quickly put his arms around her.  ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not going to be in a different country, simply a different state.  Besides, I¡¯m just going to be gone for a few years and I promise to come home to visit as often as I can.¡±

    ¡°I know, but this will be the first time you¡¯ll be so far from us.¡±

    ¡°I got to get away for a while.¡±

    ¡°I know.  Can you stay for a bit?¡±

    ¡°Mom, I can¡¯t, as I have to pack up my apartment tonight, as the moving truck will be at there at six tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I love you,¡± she muttered tearfully as she hugged him.

    ¡°I love you.¡±  He moved out of her embrace.  ¡°I¡¯ll call you when I get there to let you know I arrived safely.¡±  Derrick waved as he stepped out of the house.  Once he closed the door, he took in a deep breath of the cool night air to try to calm the aching feeling in his chest.  He wondered if he would ever lose this empty sensation, as he didn¡¯t enjoy this hollowness in his heart, not one little bit.

    In the back of his mind, he knew he was doing the right thing in leaving town for a while, but part of him didn¡¯t want to go.  He got into his car and hurried to his apartment, once there he packed everything he could on his own.  When he was done, he returned to his bedroom where he set his alarm, undressed and got into the bed.

    The next morning, after all his belonging was packed in the moving truck, he looked around the living room one last time.  His eyes watered at seeing the empty apartment, as his heart felt the same way, then closed the door on his apartment for the last time, leaving the only town he¡¯d ever lived.

    * * *

    Brooke and Garrison¡¯s wedding was a simple affair, and to Garrison it seemed a bit empty because his brother wasn¡¯t there to be his best man.  After the wedding, the newlyweds took off to California to soak up some sun and play in the ocean for a week.

    They hired a moving crew, and while they were gone, all of Garrison¡¯s belongings were moved into Brooke¡¯s house, making it into his home too.  Since they were out of town, Katrina over saw the movers to be sure everything was moved in one piece.

    After the newlyweds returned home, they started getting the nursery ready for the baby.  Garrison wished his brother was talking to him, as he would have loved to tell him how things were going in his life.  He started to call him a few times, but each time he simply laid the phone back down, as he didn¡¯t want Derrick to feel that he was rubbing his life with Brooke in his face.

    * * *

    The next several months were busy ones for Derrick, and before he knew it, he finally felt settled in his new position at work and his life.  He gave up smoking and was now exercising regularly with a couple of his coworkers, which had reduced his weight by over twenty-five pounds.  He hadn¡¯t started dating, as he needed to heal a bit more, before he ventured out into the dating world.

    Seven months after he left in Kansas City for Arizona, he returned to Kansas City to celebrate Christmas with his family.  He was afraid it was going to be painful as this was going to be the first-time seeing Brooke and his brother since he moved away.

    When the agony he thought he would experience didn¡¯t materialize at seeing Brooke and Garrison together, he was relieved, as he assumed this was a sign that he was starting to heal.  He and his brother had a good visit together, but neither of them mentioned the situation that had caused a riff to their relationship in the first place.

    He thought Brooke looked beautiful, even though she was nine months pregnant with his brother¡¯s child.  He didn¡¯t know if she was always smiling because she was finally having a baby, if Garrison being her husband was the reason, or both.  Either way, he knew she was happy and realized it was time for him to get on with his life and find someone new.

    Up to now, he hadn¡¯t been looking for anyone to have a relationship with, but now he was ready, as his heart had healed from the breakup of his marriage.  There were a few attractive women in his office that had let him know they were interested in him, so maybe he could start there by asking one of them out.

    The next morning before leaving to go to the airport for his flight back to Arizona, Derrick checked the weather for his trip home.  All reports said a severe snowstorm was about to hit Indianapolis and its next target would be Chicago, where he had a two-hour layover.  He hoped they were wrong about where the storm was headed, that or it waited until after he left the area before it struck the city.

    As his plane landed, he could see it had already started snowing, but since the flakes were light, he wasn¡¯t worried.  Just in case the storm was going to hit the area, he would keep a close attention to the local weather report, with the hope his plane left before the brunt of snowstorm arrived.

    Derrick was hungry, so he headed to the restaurant to grab a quick sandwich.  After he finished eating, while waiting for his bill, he glanced around the room.  As he checked out the other occupants in the room, his eyes stopped on a beautiful woman sitting at a table by herself, who looked as if she was about to cry.  It broke his heart to see her so sad and wondered what horrible thing had happened in her life to make her so miserable.

    He frowned when he noticed tears had started running down her cheeks.  Wanting to bring her some comfort, he ordered each of them a drink, but once he had the drinks in his hands, he had second thoughts about joining her.  Would she think he was trying to pick her up?

    He wouldn¡¯t mind having sex with her, but that wasn¡¯t why he wanted to join her at her table.  There was something about her that drew him to her; an attraction that he couldn¡¯t explain.  He didn¡¯t remember ever feeling this way before, not even with Brooke, which confused him, as he was sure he¡¯d loved her when they were married.

    He knew he had handled the whole situation with her the wrong way and felt ashamed of himself for how he had treated her.  A husband who loved their wife didn¡¯t cheat on them, especially if they were a good husband, and he had been a good husband, that is until he met Peggy.

    Meeting Peggy and sneaking around behind Brooke¡¯s back had been exhilarating, something he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time.  Now that he thought logically about the whole thing, maybe he        hadn¡¯t been truly in love with Brooke.  Could that be why he¡¯d been unfaithful to her?  Not only had he cheated on his wife, he had ended their marriage because of the other woman.

 Chapter Six

    Mallory Ridge was sitting by herself in a dark and noisy bar in a Chicago hotel, looking out the window watching big flakes of snow fall to the ground.  As she sipped on her drink, she thought about her life, and the pain that came with it.

    When she was sixteen, her parents, Franklin and Kim Ridge were killed in car accident, and she moved in with her Uncle Eric Wells and his family, as they were the only family she had left.  It may sound like it would be the idea place for her, but it wasn¡¯t, for as long as Mallory could remember, her Aunt Charlotte and her cousin Erica had disliked her.  So, when she came to live with them, the two made her life a living hell.

    Hating Mallory as much as she did, Erica did anything she could think of to hurt her cousin, from throwing away her school term papers, to not giving her important telephone messages.  If Mallory refused to do something one of them asked her to do, Charlotte would threaten to send her away.  Because Mallory was terrified of being sent away, she struggled to get along with them.  Mallory never complained to her uncle about how she was being treated by his wife and daughter, as she was just thankful, she had a place to live.

    Her father and her uncle, Eric were half-brothers, Franklin was from their mother¡¯s first marriage, and Eric from her second.  Growing up, you rarely saw one without the other, and they remained close until the day her uncle had fallen in love with her mother, the woman her father was engaged to marry.

    When Franklin brought Kim Dobbins home to meet his family for the first time, Eric was instantly attracted to the woman.  So much so, that he ended his relationship with Charlotte thinking that when Franklin quit dating Kim, he would ask her out.  Of course, it didn¡¯t work out that way for Eric, as Franklin and Kim were already engaged at the time and were married a short time later.

    Eric was devastated as he was sure his brother would move on to someone else, leaving Kim available for the taking.  A month after the wedding, when they announced they were going to have a baby, Eric realized Kim wouldn¡¯t ever be his, so he went home and got drunk.

    Later that same night, Charlotte arrived at his apartment door and they ended up in bed, as the sex was the best part of their relationship.  A few months later, Eric found out that they were going to have a child together, and against his better judgement, he proposed to Charlotte.  He regretted his decision until the day she died, as her temper caused many arguments between them, especially after any family gatherings where Kim attended.

    Charlotte knew Eric was attracted to Kim, so she watched her husband closely whenever the two families were together.  Afterwards, Charlotte would tear into Eric, screaming that she knew he wished he had married to Kim, instead of her.  Eric always denied he had feelings for Kim, but Charlotte never believed him, as he wasn¡¯t good at hiding his feelings for his sister-in-law.

    Eric tired of dealing with Charlotte¡¯s anger, told Franklin it would be best if they didn¡¯t see each anymore because of Charlotte and her jealousy of Kim.  Eric would come over to their house occasionally, but the rest of the family didn¡¯t see each other again until Mallory moved in with her uncle¡¯s family the day her parents died.

    * * *

    Soon the tension in the house was so unbearable for Mallory that she got a job working after school and on weekends.  If she wasn¡¯t at work, she could be found at the library, at the home one of her friends, or anywhere else, just so she wouldn¡¯t be with her aunt and cousin.  Since her uncle was always out on the road on one business trip or another, he never knew the hell Mallory had to live with, nor the fact she was hardly ever home anymore.

    Finally, the day had arrived for Mallory to graduate from high school.  She had received a full academic scholarship to a college in California, thrilled to be leaving Missouri.  Just so she could get away from her family that much sooner, she would be starting school with the summer semester instead of waiting for the fall.

    Once she left home, she didn¡¯t look back, as a new chapter of her life was about to start.   Instead of going home each summer like most of her classmates, Mallory stayed in California working and getting experience in the business world.  The next four years were filled with her working on her education and making new friends.  Her Uncle Eric visited her every couple of months or so, which helped her not to feel so homesick, but she never told him how Charlotte or Erica had treated her while she had lived with them.

    When Mallory graduated, she got a job in management at a local winery and loved it so much, she planned to stay with the company until she retired.  She had been working at her job for just a year when she received a phone call from her Uncle Eric, saying they needed her help, as Charlotte was dying of cancer.  Erica was having a hard time taking care of her mother and keeping up with the housework at the same time, and so everything was a mess at home.  He begged her to come home to help.

    Mallory was torn, as everything in her life was going just the way she wanted it, that is, it had until her uncle¡¯s phone call.  She dreaded the thought of taking care of a woman who hated her, but since she owned her uncle for the two years she lived in his home, she decided to do it.  Besides, the doctors had only given her aunt less than three months to live, so how bad could it be?

    Mallory stepped in Edmond Redden¡¯s office and told her boss she had to go home to take care of her dying aunt.  He understood her need to help her family and told her she had three months, and at the end of that time, she either had to report back to work or give him her notice.  She thanked him and would let him know about her job as soon as she could.

    Her flight landed in Chicago for an hour layover before heading to Kansas City, the last place she ever wanted to be again.  Needing to know if her connecting flight was on time, she started for the Departure screen, as she got closer, she saw there was a large group of upset people in front of it.  Unsure what to expect, she hurried to the monitor.

    It didn¡¯t take her long to find out that her flight had been terminated, along with the other twenty departures that had been scheduled to leave that afternoon.  As she stood there listening to those around her complaining about their flight being cancelled, she felt sorry for them.  She on the other hand, was overjoyed at the cancellation of her flight, as now she had an additional day before she had to start being a nursemaid to her Aunt Charlotte.

    Knowing she needed to find a place to sleep for the night, she headed for the front door.  When she left the building, she wasn¡¯t surprised there was a line for taxis, as everyone must have had the same idea as she had.  The three women in front of her offered to share their taxi and she accepted.  They skipped the first three hotels, figuring they would already be full, and when they reached the fourth one, the taxi stopped, and the women all got out. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    When she arrived at the hotel lobby, she relieved they hadn¡¯t stopped at the first couple of hotels, as there was a long line of people wanting to check in.  The line moved quickly and when she asked for a room, she was overjoyed to learn they still had rooms available.  When the clerk asked about her luggage, she told them all she had was her carry-on as her suitcase was at the airport.

    Because she was too afraid, she might be sick on the plane, Mallory hadn¡¯t eaten anything since breakfast, so now she was starving.  Now that she knew that she had a reprieve, after she dropped off her carry-on in her room, she went downstairs to get something to eat.

    She stepped into the restaurant of the hotel, deciding to order a chicken dinner and a glass of water.  As she waited for her waitress to arrive to take her order, thoughts of going home filled her with dread.  Hoping some alcohol would numb those thoughts of what she was going to have to live with once she returned to the house of vipers, she ordered a strawberry daiquiri as well.

    So deep in thought about taking care of her aunt, she was oblivious of her surroundings.  So much so, she didn¡¯t notice a young man watching her from the other side of the room, nor the fact that she was crying.

    She didn¡¯t notice him until he stopped at her table with two glasses in his hand and she realized someone was standing beside her.  When she looked up, she was surprised to see a stunning looking man standing in front of her.  Mallory¡¯s mouth dropped open, but no words came out as she simply stared at him.  What was this gorgeous man doing standing in front of her?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but would you mind if I joined you?¡± he said, smiling down at her.

    So bewitched by his presents, it took her a moment to find her voice.  ¡°Please sit down.¡±

    He set the two drinks down before he put his hand out to her.  ¡°I¡¯m Derrick Hart.¡±  As he waited for her to reply, he started daydreaming about asking her to be his wife, which shocked him, since they¡¯d just met.  When their hands touched, he was stunned by the warm loving reaction he¡¯d felt, which only enforced his idea to ask her to marry him.  He hadn¡¯t ever experienced such a reaction to a person like that before, not even with Brooke.  Derrick couldn''t explain it, but there was something special about this woman as she called to his heart.  ¡°And you are?¡±

    Mallory reached out her hand, when it touched his, a quick tingling ran up her arm.  So startled by the sensation, she quickly let go of his hand, as it made her feel as if she was falling in love with him.  She had to shake her head to get her brain working.  ¡°I¡¯m Mallory Ridge.  It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°I hope I¡¯m not intruding?¡± he asked, hoping she would say he wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°No, of course not.  Please sit down.¡±

    ¡°Are you crying because your flight has been grounded?¡±  He knew from others in the room that the hotel was full of other travelers who had rushed to find a place to stay for the night.

    She quickly put her hand up to her face and wiped the moisture away.  ¡°No, I¡¯m not upset about that,¡± she said sadly.  ¡°In fact, I¡¯m thankful by the reprieve.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem excited about going home.¡±  His heart went out to her as he could tell she was hurting for some reason.

    She smiled at him.  ¡°How can you tell?¡±

    ¡°Something about the way you mentioned having a reprieve,¡± he replied with a smile.  ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to go home?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on my way home to Kansas City to help with a family matter that I don¡¯t want to do.  I¡¯m pleased for the delay, as I¡¯m not ready to deal with my aunt and cousin just yet.¡±

    ¡°I understand about family.  I¡¯m just returning to Arizona from a visit with my family, which was a very emotional trip for me.  You see, my ex-wife is now married to my younger brother, and they are expecting a baby in a few weeks, making the whole visit uncomfortable for us all.

    She wanted to ask him about his family situation, but decided against it, as it wasn¡¯t any of her business.  ¡°I have been away in California for the past four years, first at college and then with my job.  Before that, I lived with my Uncle Eric, my father¡¯s brother and his family after the death of my parents.¡±  Mallory had to stopped and looked out the window, as her eyes began to fill with tears at the thought of what her home life was going to be like while taking care of her hatful aunt.

    Derrick took hold of her hand.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    She turned and gave him a smile.  ¡°My aunt is dying and since my cousin doesn¡¯t want to take care of her mother anymore, my uncle has asked me to come home to help.  I owe my uncle a great deal for taking me in all those years ago, so I said yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice of you,¡± he said sincerely.

    Tears continued to sparkle in her eyes.  ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard for me to do, but I feel it¡¯s the least, I could do to repay him.¡±  She gave Derrick a weak smile.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry.  I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to hear about all my family problems.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s all right.  Sometimes it helps to be able to talk about what is troubling you.  Go on with your story,¡± he said as he handed her a cocktail napkin to wipe her tears.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, as she accepted it from him.  She quickly finished was left of her first drink, and then picked up the drink he¡¯d brought her.  As soon as she took a sip of the drink, she wondered if she should exchange it for one without alcohol in it, but since she wasn¡¯t going anywhere tonight, she decided it couldn¡¯t hurt.  ¡°Maybe after I tell you my story, you¡¯ll tell me why your ex-wife is now married to your brother.¡±  She simply had to know the story behind that situation.

    ¡°It¡¯s a deal,¡± he said, giving her a warm smile.

    ¡°I have a lot of resentments towards my aunt and cousin, as they made my years with them a living hell.  As soon as I could, I got a job just so I wouldn¡¯t have to be at home with them.¡±  Her words brought back all the pain she¡¯d lived with while live with her uncle¡¯s family.

    When Derrick realized she had lost the fight with the tears, he moved his chair directly next to her and gently put his arms around her.  When she didn¡¯t pull away, he began rubbing her arm and she rested her head on his shoulder.

    ¡°Let it out.  A good cry never hurts.¡±

    Mallory glanced up at him, looking directly into his eyes.  ¡°Derrick, I¡¯m such a terrible person, as I¡¯m not sorry she¡¯s dying,¡± she sobbed, then she quickly looked down at her hands.

    ¡°No, you aren¡¯t a bad person.  Your aunt was mean to you and you feel she is getting what she deserves for how she treated you.¡±

    Mallory jerked her head up and her eyes met his.  ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly how I feel,¡± she responded quietly.

    The two of them sat there for the next hour talking about their lives and of course, drinking.  When Mallory finally decided it was time to turn in for the night, Derrick offered to walk her to her door.  Since she wasn¡¯t ready to leave his company just yet, she accepted his offer.  They slowly walked to her room, hand and hand, each thinking about what was going to happen once they reached her room.  When Mallory opened her door, she turned to him, but before she could speak, Derrick¡¯s mouth latched onto hers.

    The kiss was so stimulating that it sent shivers down her spine.  Mallory knew she should push him away, but she didn¡¯t want him to stop, as she hadn¡¯t ever had a man affected her this way before.  Wanting to feel loved, she pulled him closer and practically melted in his arms as his lip continued to make love to hers.

    Derrick gently pushed her backward into the room, closing the door as they passed through it.  The heat between them continued to build as his hands continued to roam her body.  He knew he should stop, but it wasn¡¯t in his power to do so, as he wanted this woman too much.

    ¡°Mallory,¡± Derrick whispered.  ¡°I want you.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she muttered, as that was all she was capable to say to him.

    Their clothes were rapidly thrown in different directions throughout the room and soon they were naked on the bed.  They continued to kiss passionately, and without his mouth ever leaving hers, Derrick slowly moved on top of her.

    Since Derrick was sterile, and she didn¡¯t ask him to use anything, he continued with his lovemaking without using any protection.  Not only that, but because of the intense heat between them, he couldn¡¯t have stopped to take care of it even if he¡¯d wanted to.  A second later, he was surprised by her barrier, but the moment was too extreme for him to stop in what they were doing, and her virginity was quickly disposed of.

    Mallory not having any prior experience with sex was thrown by Derrick and his lovemaking.  She¡¯d done a lot of reading about sex, but she hadn¡¯t ever dreamed sex with a man would be so breathtaking, so invigorating, or so incredible.  Once wasn¡¯t enough for the couple, and after the second time around, they snuggled in each other¡¯s arms and fell into a deep sleep.

 Chapter Seven

    Early the next morning the phone ringing woke Mallory, she grabbed it as quickly as she could, hoping it wouldn¡¯t wake Derrick.  ¡°Hello?¡± she answered with a sleepy voice.

    ¡°Is this Mallory Ridge?¡± a strange man¡¯s voice asked.

    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± she replied slowly.

    ¡°This is Juan Perez, with American Airway; your flight has been rescheduled for seven this morning.  Will you be able to make this flight?¡±

    Mallory glance at the clock.  Seeing it was 6:15, she knew it didn¡¯t give her much time to get ready, but she had responsibilities to get home to, so she couldn¡¯t postpone her fate.  ¡°Yes, I can.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, Mallory glanced to the other side of the bed.  She expected to see Derrick sleeping there, but instead, the bed was empty.  Her heart sank at the sight, as he hadn¡¯t even bothered to tell her good-bye.  The tears slowly made their way down her cheeks, as not saying good-bye somehow cheapened the night¡¯s experience for her.  Then she shook her head, as what did she expect, but a one-night stand from a man she just met!

    She stuck her nose into the pillow he¡¯d used and took a deep breath.  The aroma of his aftershave filled her, causing her to think she would remember his scent for the rest of her life.  She was tempted to steal the pillowcase, which made her chuckle, but since she wasn¡¯t a thief, she dropped the pillow and got out of bed.

    Mallory hurriedly got dressed, grabbed her carry-on, and was out the door without realizing she didn¡¯t have her door key.  Since her time was limited, she decided not to wait for the elevator, but to use the steps instead.  She heard to ding of the arriving elevator, but she continued towards the steps.  If only she had waited another couple of seconds, she would have met Derrick coming out of the elevator returning to her room.

    * * *

    When Derrick woke, he knew he needed to have his belongings ready for when he got notice his flight had been rescheduled.  He jumped out of bed and quickly dressed; then he picked up Mallory¡¯s door key so he wouldn¡¯t have to wake her when he reentered the room, then quietly shut the door and rushed back to his room.

    When he went into the bathroom to pack his belongings, he saw the two-day bearded face looking back at him, and knew he needed to shave before he didn¡¯t anything else today.  When he was done, he threw everything into his shaving kit, and then packed it into his suitcase.

    After he zipped it up, he picked up Mallory¡¯s door key and hastened to the elevator.  As soon as the doors closed, he pushed the button for her floor.  As he stepped out, he turned left to go to Mallory¡¯s room, and so he didn¡¯t see a woman to his right walking towards the stairs.

    Just before he could open the door, his cell phone rang and the man on the other end told him that his flight was scheduled to leave in an hour.  Derrick was saddened as he was hoping the two of them could spend part of the morning together.

    As soon as he entered her hotel room, he knew he was too late to see her before he left, as her room was empty.  He felt like crying, as they hadn¡¯t ever gotten around to exchanging phone numbers or any other essential contact information.

    Meanwhile, Mallory had reached the front desk to check out.  It was then she realized didn¡¯t have her room key and told the girl she wasn¡¯t sure where it was.  She didn¡¯t think she had packed it with her possessions, but if so, she would mail it back to them.

    She was out the front the door in fifteen minutes flat, making it to the airport shuttle just in the nick of time, as the bus pulled away as soon as she sat down.  She fought tears as the hotel disappeared in the distance, wishing they had been able to say goodbye before they parted ways.  At that thought, she suddenly realized he didn¡¯t know how to get in touch with her if he wanted to, causing the tears to fall.

    Mallory didn¡¯t know if one could fall in love with someone at first sight, but to her, it felt as if she was in love with Derrick.  She regretted not telling him how she felt, but they barely knew each other.  It was too late now, but she wished she had thought to leave Derrick a message at the desk.  As soon as the thought came to her, she realized he probably wouldn¡¯t be interested in seeing her again, as he¡¯d gotten what he wanted from her.

    Before she knew it, her flight had arrived in Kansas City, and time for her to return to the real world and quit thinking about a man, she wouldn''t ever see again.

    * * *

    Mallory cringed as she walked into the front door of the house, she thought she wouldn¡¯t ever step back into again.  She kept reminding herself that she was doing this for Uncle Eric but was unsure how she was going to take care of a dying aunt she hated.

    Eric was relieved to see Mallory, as now there would be edible food on the table, clean clothes in the drawers, and the dust bunnies would be extinct.  He didn¡¯t notice Erica informing

    Mallory everything regarding to her mother¡¯s care, as well as all the housework was now her job to do.  Then without giving her mother another thought, Erica left the house to go have some fun, doing things she hadn¡¯t done since her mother had gotten sick.

    * * *

    When Derrick reached the front desk, he handed the clerk both room keys, and she gave him a bewildered look. ¡°I found this key in the elevator, so I thought I better turn it in.¡±  Relieved the woman didn¡¯t ask him about it.  He wanted to ask for Mallory¡¯s contact information, but knew she couldn¡¯t give out guest¡¯s personal statistics, so he remained quiet.

    As soon as Derrick reached home, he got on the computer to begin his search for Mallory or Eric Ridge in Kansas City, but reached a dead-end at each site.  Angry at the situation, he slammed his fist down on his desk just as the phone rang.  Annoyed at being disturbed, he grabbed the phone before it could ring a second time.  ¡°Hello,¡± he growled into the phone.

    ¡°Derrick is everything okay there,¡± Garrison asked his brother.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to be rude, but I was in the middle of something when the phone rang.  What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m calling to tell you that Brooke had the baby about twenty minutes ago,¡± he uttered excitedly.

    ¡°That¡¯s great.  Thanks for calling,¡± he said, afraid he might say something to his brother he would later regret, he quickly ended the call.   Derrick wanted to be happy for his brother, but he couldn¡¯t as they were talking about his ex-wife, the woman who should be his wife and the baby theirs.  He felt like a failure that Garrison could give Brooke a child, while he shot just blanks.

    What kind of man was he that he couldn¡¯t have given his wife the one thing she wanted the most in the world?  And because of his stupidity of getting involved with another woman, he lost the only woman he¡¯d ever loved.

    Sitting there looking at the computer screen, Derrick had to rescind that thought as he knew that he had fallen in love with Mallory Ridge, feeling something that he hadn¡¯t felt for Peggy or even with Brooke.  Was it even possible to fall in love with a stranger after just knowing her for one day?  He wondered if Mallory felt the same way, and if she did, he needed to find her.

    * * *

    Garrison was stunned by the sound of the dial tone in his ear, as he thought his brother had come to term with the fact Brooke was his now.

    ¡°That was a quick call.¡±  Seeing the odd look on her husband¡¯s face, she touched his arm.  ¡°Is everything okay with Derrick?¡±

    He looked over at Brooke.  ¡°I¡¯m not sure.  He thanked me for calling and then hung up on me.¡±

    She gave her husband a weak smile.  ¡°Maybe he needs some more time to accept our relationship.  Since we have Jenny Marie, it must be hard on him to know he can¡¯t be a father.¡±

    ¡°You could be right.  What he needs to do is find a woman with children and then he can be a father.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you suggest that to him.¡±

    Garrison laughed.  ¡°Chicken.¡±Stolen novel; please report.

    * * *

    During the day, Erica was too busy watching all her soap operas to help around the house, but as soon as her father came home, she jumped up and pretended she had done all the housework that Mallory had done that day.  She also got out of helping with her mother by using the excuse she was afraid she would find her dead, while Mallory on the other hand, couldn¡¯t wait to find the old battle-ax dead.

    She decided if she heard just one more cruel word from her aunt, uncle or not, she was going to pack her bags and leave.  If she could handle everything regarding her aunt¡¯s care by herself, then so could Erica.  Her cousin¡¯s problem was she didn¡¯t like to do work of any kind.  Charlotte was Erica¡¯s mother, not hers and she didn¡¯t have to put up with anymore of this hell.

    She knew when she first arrived home that this wasn¡¯t going to be easy for her, but now she wasn¡¯t sure she could continue doing this favor for her uncle.  Maybe if her aunt had been pleasant to her, she could accept doing all the work, but the woman was full of too much hate to be nice to her.

    Mallory was constantly running back and forth from her aunt¡¯s room for every minor thing she needed.  First, her pillow was too flat, then it was too fluffy.  It was too cold in her room, then it was too hot, and then it was too cold again.  It had been six weeks since she arrived back home, the doctors said death wouldn¡¯t be long now, but Mallory decided her aunt was going to live forever just to make her life hell.

    Doing everything that needed to be done in the house by herself, Mallory was exhausted.  Her emotions were as strung as tight as a rubber band that was stretched far as it could go, and given the right situation, it would snap in two.

    For the last few days, Mallory hadn¡¯t been feeling well, but chalking it up as stress and exhaustion, she didn¡¯t give it much thought.  That evening as she sat on her bed, she happened to think of how long she¡¯d been home.  Something nagged in the back of her mind, but she couldn¡¯t seem to grasp what it was.  Then it came to her like a flash, as she hadn¡¯t had a period since the night, she had sex with Derrick.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be.  Please no, I can¡¯t be pregnant,¡± she cried after realizing being pregnant would explain why she felt the way she did.

    Needed to be sure, before she went crazy, Mallory told her cousin she had an errand to run and would be back soon.  After she returned home, she rushed into the house, not giving her cousin a chance to stop her, she ran up the stairs to the bathroom, and hurriedly locked the door.

    She tore open the box and quickly used the test, then she sat down on the toilet lid to wait for the results.  As she counted the minutes, her eyes never left the test and it wasn¡¯t long before she had the answer she didn¡¯t want.  Yes, she was most defiantly pregnant.

    How was she going to tell her uncle?  Since this wasn¡¯t something she could hide, she would have to tell him as soon as he came home.  What would he think of her now?

    ¡°Mallory, my mother is calling for you.¡±  Erica hollered from the living room as soon as Mallory came downstairs.

    She held back the name she wanted to call her cousin.  ¡°Can¡¯t you see what she needs?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll miss my show,¡± she whined.

    Mallory shook her head.  Like mother, like daughter, both lazy, worthless bitches.  She couldn¡¯t take the chance of anyone finding the test, so she put it back in the plain brown sack and shoved it into the bottom of the trashcan.  She knew no one would find it there, as she was the only one who ever emptied the trash.

    Mallory hurried into her aunt¡¯s room, ¡°Yes, Aunt Charlotte.  What do you need?¡±

    ¡°I want a glass of water.¡±

    ¡°There is a full glass sitting next to you.¡±

    ¡°That water is stale,¡± she complained.

    ¡°Aunt Charlotte, I brought that glass to you not twenty minutes ago.  There¡¯s even still ice in the glass.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s flat.  Do you want me to tell your uncle you are refusing to help?¡± she asked with a wicked smile.

    Mallory almost hope she would tell her uncle and be kicked out, as then she would be free to go back to California.  Thinking her uncle would soon be losing his wife; she picked up the glass and walked to the kitchen.  She put ice in a new glass and then poured the water from the old glass into the new one, smiling the whole time.  She went back into her aunt¡¯s room and handed her the glass.

    Charlotte took a sip.  ¡°That¡¯s so much better.¡±

    Mallory smiled and walked away, figuring she had won that battle whether her aunt knew it or not.

    After dinner, Mallory asked her uncle if she could speak with him in private.  He said they could take a drive and get ice cream.  After they received their cones, they returned to his car to eat them in private.

    ¡°Well, what did you want to talk about?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Eric, you aren¡¯t going to like what I¡¯m about to tell you.¡±  She tried to fight the tears, but soon they were running down her cheeks.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be that bad,¡± he said, as he assumed, she was going to complain about his daughter.

    ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡±

    ¡°What?  Is this some kind of sick joke?¡± he asked, shocked by her statement.

    ¡°No.  During that snowstorm in Chicago I met a man and we had sex.¡±

    ¡°Mallory, what do you plan to do?¡± he asked, instead of telling her what she needed to hear.

    She looked at him with her head held high.  ¡°I¡¯m going to have my baby and raise it the best I can on my own.¡±

    His face filled with concern.  ¡°You think that¡¯s wise?  What about the father?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to find him to tell him about the baby.¡±  Embarrassed what had happened that night, she didn¡¯t tell anyone what she¡¯d done with Derrick.  But if she had told Skyler, her friend from high school, about that night with Derrick Hart, she would have told her exactly where to find the father of her baby.

    He was disappointed in her choice of having unprotected sex with a man she¡¯d just met, but he didn¡¯t tell her how he felt; as he was guilty of having unprotected sex himself once upon a time.  ¡°Since you aren¡¯t married and haven¡¯t a husband, the best thing for you to do is to get an abortion,¡± he said roughly, as he was thinking of Charlotte, wishing she had gotten one all those many years ago.

    Mallory uncle¡¯s comment disheartened her, as she was hoping he would say he wanted her to keep the baby and continued living with them.  She wanted to keep this baby so badly it hurt her heart to think of never seeing her child grow up.

    If she couldn¡¯t keep her child, adoption was the only other answer, the child would be better off with a couple instead of her trying to raise it on her own.  It would be hard on her, but it was better than killing Derrick¡¯s baby.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to abort my baby, so don¡¯t even bother taking about it again,¡± she told him angrily.  ¡°If you don¡¯t like my choice, then I¡¯ll pack my bags and leave as soon as I can get a flight to California.¡±

    Her response put the fear of God in him, as the last thing he wanted was for her to leave him alone with his dying wife.  ¡°No, I still need you to take care of Charlotte.¡±

    Mallory was hurt by his reply but didn¡¯t say another word on the trip home.  Once they entered the house, Mallory went straight to bed without talking to anyone.

    The next day, her aunt was bossier and demanding than usual.  Finally, Mallory told her cousin she had to leave, as she¡¯d made her first doctor appointment.  She had liked the doctor as soon as she met him; so much so, she told him everything about her situation, including that her uncle wanted her to get an abortion.  She mentioned that she wanted to keep the child but wasn¡¯t sure if that would be in the child¡¯s best interest.  The doctor recommended several adoption agencies, saying, no matter what she decided, he would help her in any way he could.

    When Mallory returned home from the doctor¡¯s visit, Erica gave her a dirty look.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡±  Mallory asked, not caring what her answer would be.

    ¡°It¡¯s your job to take care of my mother, not mime.¡±

    ¡°I came here to help, not to do all your work for you like I have been for the last six weeks.¡±

    ¡°You are just a poor relative.  You better remember that before I have Daddy throw you out.¡±

    She leaned close to her cousin¡¯s face.  ¡°You know what, Erica, I really don¡¯t care if you tell your daddy or not.  You know what else; I think you¡¯re a bitch.¡±  Mallory then simply walked off, not caring if Erica told her father what she¡¯d said.

    ¡°Mallory,¡± her aunt called from her bedroom.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡±  Mallory wiped the tears away and went to see what her aunt wanted this time.  ¡°What do you need, Aunt Charlotte?¡±

    ¡°Eric told me you slept with some stranger and now you are expecting his baby, you¡¯re such a tramp.¡±

    She was hurt as well as speechless, as she¡¯d never dreamed her uncle would tell her aunt about the baby.  There wasn¡¯t a need for him to tell his wife about her situation because she¡¯d be dead before Mallory even started to show.  She decided she wasn¡¯t going to take any more cruelty from her aunt.  ¡°I hope you when you die you rot in Hell.¡±  She turned and left the room.

    She had had it, she wasn¡¯t taking anymore from this family, and even though, she heard her aunt hollering for her, she kept on walking.  She went to her room, packed a few items into her suitcase, grabbed her purse, and walked out of her room.

    When she reached the living room, her cousin was sitting watching television.  ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of your mother¡¯s bitter tongue and doing all your work, so I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Erica jumped up and raced after Mallory.  ¡°You can¡¯t leave, who is going to take care of my mother?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯ll have to start taking care of your own mother, as well as the rest of the duties as none of it is my responsibility.  Good luck.¡±  Mallory continued her way to the front door, not looking back as her cousin called after her.  ¡°I¡¯ll get the rest of things when I know where I¡¯ll be staying.¡±  She walked out the door with Erica right behind her yelling at her to come back.

    ¡°Mallory, you can¡¯t leave me here alone with mother.  What if she dies,¡± she complained.

    Mallory didn¡¯t even acknowledge her cousin, but simply got into the car her uncle had given her to thank her for taking care of her aunt and drove away.

    It felt good to get out of the house.  She would get a motel room for now, and in the morning make a reservation to fly home to her old life.  She had just stopped at a stoplight when her cell phone rang.  ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Mallory, what happened at the house today?¡±  Eric rudely asked her.

    ¡°I have done everything for that woman for almost two months.  Not once has she ever told me thank you, let alone say anything nice to me.  Today she called me tramp.¡±  Mallory took a deep breath to calm herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry; your Aunt Charlotte shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡±  Please come back.¡±

    ¡°No.  I¡¯m your niece, but since I¡¯ve been home, I been treated more like a servant.  I¡¯m not coming back to take care of that bitch; I¡¯m going back to California to my job and my life.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t expect Erica do everything by herself.¡±

    His words hurt her.  ¡°Why not?  I¡¯ve done it all without any help from Erica these past six weeks, as she¡¯s too busy watching television all day to help me.  Of course, as soon as you come home, she jumps up and acts as if she has done everything.¡±

    ¡°Now Mallory, you know that isn¡¯t true.¡±  Eric said in Erica¡¯s defense.

    Mallory didn¡¯t say a word to her uncle, but merely disconnected the phone.  She smiled, knowing Uncle Eric would soon find out the truth about Erica.  When the phone rang again, she let voicemail pick up the message, as she didn¡¯t have anything more to say to him.

 Chapter Eight

    After finding a motel for the night, she stopped at a fast food restaurant and got a sandwich.  As she sat there eating, she decided she had to do what was best for her child¡¯s sake and so she decided to give up the baby, which caused her to start crying.  Once the tears ended, Mallory called Mr. Redden and told him about her news about the baby, telling him she needed to make some decisions about the baby before she could come back to work.

    She was touched when he said he wanted her to come back and would even give her a raise so she could afford day care.  To give her plenty of time to consider what she wanted to do, he said he would hold the job for additional two months.  She thanked him and told him she would be calling him as soon as she made a final decision.

    The next day, Mallory decided to listen to her uncle¡¯s new voicemail.  ¡°Mallory, I love you and I was wrong about Erica.  I realize now she wasn¡¯t doing anything to help around the house.  Your aunt doesn¡¯t have much time left, and you should be home with family during this time.  I love you, good-bye.¡±

    ¡°During who¡¯s time, mine or his?¡± she asked aloud, and then she deleted the phone message.  Just as she finished getting rid of it, when the cell phone rang in her hand.  What if it was her uncle calling?  She looked at the caller ID before answering and smiled when she recognized the number as belonging to her friend, Skyler Collins.

    ¡°Hello, Skyler.¡±

    ¡°Mallory, I just heard what is going on in your life.  I want you to come live with me and we¡¯ll raise the baby together.¡±

    Tears began pouring down her cheeks.  ¡°How did you find out?¡± she asked, touched that Skyler wanted to help her.

    ¡°I ran into your cousin at the store earlier today and she told me you were a tramp because you¡¯re pregnant and didn¡¯t even know who the father of the baby was.  She said her father kicked you out of the house because you wouldn¡¯t help with her mother after all she¡¯d done for you.  Like I believe either of those lies.¡±

    ¡°If sleeping with one man makes me a tramp, what does that make her?¡±

    Skyler laughed.  ¡°My mother taught me not to say words like that.  Why didn¡¯t you call me instead of moving to some motel?¡± she asked her voice full of hurt.

    ¡°I just had to get away.  We haven¡¯t talked much in the last four years, so I didn¡¯t even think to call you.  Besides, I¡¯m thinking about going back to my old job.¡±

    ¡°We were once best friends, but we let time and distance, come between us.  Come stay with me and we¡¯ll raise the baby together.¡±

    Mallory hesitated.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to intrude on your love life.¡±

    ¡°Not going to happen, besides, I¡¯d love to have the company.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get my stuff and be over.  Thanks again, Skyler.¡±

    Skyler gave Mallory the direction to her apartment and soon she was knocking on her friend¡¯s door.  When the two friends got together, they hugged and then talked for hours catching up on each other¡¯s lives.

    Mallory blushed as she told Skyler about meeting Derrick in a Chicago bar one snowy night; she refrained from giving out his last name in respect of his privacy.  She went on to say somehow, she had fallen in love with him and so it had felt right to have sex with him.  She wanted to find Derrick to tell him about the baby and would keep trying until she found him.

    When Skyler heard Derrick¡¯s name, she didn¡¯t think for a minute they were talking about Brooke¡¯s ex-husband, as that Derrick lived in Arizona, not Chicago.

    The next day, Mallory called her boss and told him she was going to stay in Kansas City and keep the baby.  He said he understood and wished her the best.  She wasn¡¯t sure what she was going to do to support herself and her child once he was born, but with her college degree, she was hoping to find another decent paying job as soon as she was able.

    * * *

    Derrick had been trying to find Mallory for the past three months, but so far, he hadn¡¯t been successful.  If only he had thought to leave a note when he left to take his shower, but he hadn¡¯t, as he never dreamed, she would be gone when he got back to her room.

    Finally, hoping he would have better luck finding her if he was in the same city as she was, he took a leave of absence from his job, packed his suitcase, and made his way to Kansas City.  He didn¡¯t call his mother, as the last thing he needed to hear was her talking about Brooke and Garrison and their new daughter, Jenny, which made his heart sad to know he wouldn¡¯t ever be a father.  Not only that, but he didn¡¯t want to have to answer a bunch of questions of why he was trying to find a girl he hardly knew, as he wasn¡¯t sure if he could explain it.

    As soon as Derrick arrived into his hotel room, he grabbed the phone book and started looking through it.  When he couldn¡¯t find any Eric Ridge in the book, he wanted to throw it across the room.  Thinking the man might go by a different first name, he called every Ridge in the phonebook asking for Eric or Mallory, but he struck out.  So, discouraged by striking out of finding Mallory, and needing to talk to someone, he called Garrison as he was the only, he could talk to about this.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Garrison answered the phone, while trying to calm a crying baby.

    ¡°Garrison, is everything okay there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the baby¡¯s hungry, and Brooke was taking a bath.  Hold on a minute so I can give this little one to her mommy.¡±

    Derrick listened as his brother set the phone down, and when the baby¡¯s cries ceased, he knew Jenny was getting nourishment from her mother¡¯s breast.  He quickly blushed at thinking of Brooke¡¯s breasts, as he¡¯d lost the right to think of them some time ago.  Besides, that chapter of his life was over.

    ¡°Derrick, I¡¯m back.  Is everything okay?¡±  Garrison was concerned as this was the first time, he had called him since he found out about his relationship with Brooke.

    ¡°Not really.¡±  Now that he had his brother on the phone, he wasn¡¯t sure how to continue.

    ¡°What seems to be the trouble?¡±  He wondered if Derrick would confine in him as he once did.

    ¡°In December when I was on the way home, my flight got cancelled in Chicago.  While I was there, I met a beautiful woman.¡±  Derrick smiled at that thought of their night together.  ¡°You aren¡¯t going to believe this, but I fell in love with her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful.¡±  And he meant it, as now he knew his brother was getting on with his life.  ¡°Tell me about her,¡± he asked sincerely, as he really wanted to know.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Derrick felt that his brother truly meant it, so he poured out his story to Garrison, not leaving anything out, including the sex.  ¡°I sort of lost her before I had her personal contact information.¡±

    ¡°She sounds like she¡¯s the one, so what are you going to do to find her?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m calling.  I need your help to find her.¡±

    Garrison was thrilled by the fact Derrick had called him for his assistance.  Wanting to help his brother find the woman, he loved; he gave him a few suggestions.  One of the ideas was since Mallory¡¯s aunt was dying, he should check the obituaries for her death notice on the off chance she¡¯d already passed away.  He told him to call him back if he wanted his assistance in trying to find her.

    Derrick promised to call soon to let him know how things were going and they said good-bye.  After he hung up from his brother, he started exploring the Internet for the obituaries.  He quickly found the website he needed, but he struck out as no one with the last name of Ridge had died in the last few weeks.

    It was late, he was hungry and disappointed at not finding her.  He couldn¡¯t do anything about the disappointment, but he could take care of one of his other problem.  Thinking the hotel restaurant would be the quickest way to have dinner, he started downstairs.  Since the place was busy and he was alone, he decided to eat at the bar.  He¡¯d finished his meal, enjoying the last of his beer, when a young woman sat down on the barstool next to him.

    When he glanced over at her, he could tell she had been crying.  ¡°Excuse me, are you all right?¡± he asked just to be courteous.

    ¡°Yes, thank you for asking.  I¡¯ve just had a bad day is all.¡±  She smiled when she noticed that he wasn¡¯t wearing a wedding ring.  Boy, she would love to get into his bed.

    ¡°May I buy you a drink?¡± he asked to be friendly.

    ¡°Thank you, I would like that,¡± she said, giving the handsome man her sexiest smile with the hope he would invite her to one of the upstairs rooms.

    Derrick motioned to the bartender, ordered her drink, and then introduced himself.  ¡°Hello, my name is Derrick Hart.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you.  I¡¯m Erica Wells.¡±

    When he introduced himself to her, it never dawned on him that she could be a relative of Mallory¡¯s, as the two women didn¡¯t look anything alike.  ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±

    ¡°Talk about what?¡± she asked as she glanced down at his crouch and back up to his face.

    He fought from laughing, as he knew where her eyes had been.  ¡°The reason you¡¯re so upset.¡±

    ¡°Oh that.  My cousin is an ungrateful bitch,¡± she spat out angrily.

    He smiled.  ¡°I see you¡¯re having family problems.¡±

    ¡°Yes.  My cousin owes a lot to my parents as she came to live with us when her parents were killed several years ago.  Our fathers were brothers, and because of that, my father felt obligated to take her into our home.¡±

    Her story made him think of Mallory and her situation, as their stories were extremely similar.  His luck had been so bad lately; he never dreamed this woman was talking about the same woman he was trying to find.  ¡°That was good of him.¡±

    ¡°After my cousin graduated high school, she went away to go to college, returning only recently to help me take care of my dying mother.¡±

    Derrick¡¯s ears had perked up when he heard about this woman¡¯s mother dying, as he remembered Mallory telling him that was the reason, she was returning to Kansas City.  Could this be Mallory¡¯s cousin or was he grabbing at straws in the desperate need to find her.

    ¡°Then a couple of weeks ago out of the blue, Mallory packed her bags and left, leaving everything for me to do for my mother.¡±  She gave him a hard look.

    When she mentioned her cousin¡¯s name, he almost gasped, but since the last names weren¡¯t the same, Derrick still wasn¡¯t positive they were talking about the same woman.  Before he could jump to any conclusions, he had to be sure.  ¡°Why do you think your cousin, Mallory Wells left like that?¡±

    ¡°Her last name is Ridge, Mallory Ridge.¡±

    Bingo.  Derrick was so ecstatic, he wanted to jump up in the air and scream, but instead, he forced back the smile that tried to creep out at knowing he had found Mallory at last.  Besides, if this woman saw how excited he was, she would be curious and start asking questions.  ¡°How come the two of you have different last names if your fathers were brothers?¡±

    She took a sip of her drink before answering his question.  ¡°They were stepbrothers, had different fathers, but same the mother.¡±

    He was greatly relieved to know Mallory hadn¡¯t lied about who she was.  When he couldn¡¯t find any signs of her or her uncle, he was beginning to think she had lied to him about her last name, as he¡¯d never guessed the two brothers would have different last names.

    ¡°She and my mother had words, so she packed her bags and left.  My mother died a few days ago.¡±  She let out a fake sob.  ¡°I was the one to find her and it was so horrible.¡±

    ¡°That must have been rough on you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was,¡± she said giving him a tear-filled expression.  If she told the truth about that day, she would have to admit she was relieved that her mother was dead.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your lost,¡± he muttered as he patted her hand.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±  Erica laughed.  ¡°But Mallory is getting her punishment now.¡±

    ¡°How is that?¡±  Derrick could hear the hatred this young woman had for her cousin and was utterly shocked by it.

    ¡°She¡¯s pregnant and can¡¯t find the father of the baby.¡±  Erica smiled wickedly at him.

    Derrick felt as if a fist had slammed into his stomach at hearing this woman¡¯s cousin was pregnant, as it meant he wasn¡¯t the one to get Mallory in that condition.  If he couldn¡¯t get Brooke pregnant in the five years they were married, he couldn¡¯t have impregnated Mallory in one night.

    ¡°Does she know who the father is?¡± he asked just to be polite.

    ¡°She says it was some guy she met in Chicago, but I bet she been with so many guys she doesn¡¯t have the slightest idea who the father is,¡± she said viciously, and then winked at him.

    Was it possible that he could be the father of Mallory¡¯s child?  Could the changes he¡¯d made in his lifestyle since the divorce have returned his fertility?

    Suddenly he was listening to every single word she said.  ¡°What is Mallory going to do about the baby?¡±  He held his breath, as he figured if he played his cards right, he would soon know where she was staying.

    Erica frowned.  ¡°She¡¯d been staying at a friend¡¯s house, but after my mother died, she came home to help my father take care of packing up her belongings.¡±  Erica suddenly moved her hand towards Derrick¡¯s leg.

    Derrick jumped when he felt her hand on his thigh.

    ¡°Would you want to have sex with me?¡± she asked, not even trying to act shy.

    Her offer of sex had stunned Derrick, as he wasn¡¯t interested in this woman in any way.  Since she knew where Mallory was, he had to be careful how he replied, as he didn¡¯t want to make her mad.  That is, not until after he knew how to find Mallory.

    He took hold of her hand and moved it off his leg.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m involved with someone right now.  If you give me your phone number, I¡¯ll call you if things don¡¯t work out between us.¡±

    Erica smiled, as she hoped things fell through for him and his lady friend, as she wanted this man.  ¡°I¡¯d like that.  I¡¯ll be leaving around eight in the morning to visit my aunt in St. Louis for two weeks, but you can call my cell phone anytime.  I¡¯d cancel my trip, but she¡¯s expecting me, or I could come upstairs with you tonight,¡± Erica told him excitedly, putting her hand on his zipper.  When he jumped, she giggled at the panic she saw in his eyes.

    After he removed her hand, she quickly wrote down her name, phone number, and address for him.  Derrick¡¯s hand shook as he reached for the paper that would take him to Mallory.  He hoped Erica didn¡¯t notice, because if she did, she was bound to ask why he was acting this way.  He was relieved she was too busy flirting to pay much attention to his hands.

    He said good night to Erica and hurried back to his room.  Needing to know if his lifestyle changes could have affected his ability to impregnate Mallory, he grabbed his laptop to log on the Internet.  He was totally surprised to learn that smoking and stress could reduce one¡¯s sperm count, which could explain why Brooke hadn¡¯t ever gotten pregnant while they had been married.  Now that he had met Mallory, he was glad the two of them hadn¡¯t had any children while they were married, as this way he could start fresh with someone new.

    He closed down his computer and put it away; figuring the sooner he was asleep; the sooner morning would come.  But once in bed, he began wondering if Mallory would accept his marriage proposal.  There was the possibility that she would she refuse, thinking he was only asking her because she was pregnant with his child.  He had to find a way to reassure her that wasn¡¯t why he wanted to marry her but wasn¡¯t sure what that would be.

    * * *

    When Erica arrived home that night, she excitedly told her father about meeting a man named Derrick Hart while she was out.  As she spoke about the young man, she¡¯d met earlier that evening, Eric smiled; as he was glad, she¡¯d met someone and hoped this new relationship would take her mind off her mother¡¯s death.

 Chapter Nine

    Derrick didn¡¯t sleep well that night as he kept having nightmares of Mallory refusing his proposal, and by the time he woke the next morning, his head was pounding.  Thinking a hot shower might help, he turned the water to the hottest setting he could stand, then quickly undressed and jumped into the shower.  He stayed in there for a good fifteen minutes, and as the water pounded on his back, the stress in his neck and back slowly began to dissipate.  Knowing he needed to start his day, he washed, then stepped under the spray and rinsed off the soap.

    After Derrick was dressed, he went downstairs for breakfast and began his wait, as it was only six o¡¯clock in the morning, far too early to go to Mallory¡¯s home.  As he watched the minutes slowly tick by on his watch, he drank another cup of coffee.  When the time finally showed seven, early or not, he couldn¡¯t wait another second at not knowing if he and Mallory had a chance or not.

    He got into his rental car and started for where Mallory was staying.  Just as he turned the last corner, he saw Erica standing in the driveway, and not wanting her to see him; he quickly pulled over and parked.  He watched as she got into a car, and when she started his way, he quickly ducked his head.  When he was sure, she wasn¡¯t coming back, he started his car and headed towards the driveway Erica had just left, pulled in and parked.

    Derrick took in a deep breath, and excited at knowing he was about to see Mallory again, he walked to the front door with a bound in his step.  When he reached the front door, he knocked on it.

    He hoped Mallory would answer it, but instead, it was an older man in his bathrobe who opened the door, which he assumed was Eric Wells, Mallory¡¯s uncle.

    ¡°May I help you?¡± asked a man with a cold voice and an unfriendly expression.

    ¡°I would like to see Mallory.  Is she here?¡±  He tried to look around the man and into the house.

    ¡°Yes, she is.  Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit early in the morning for visitors?¡±  Eric wondered who this man was and why he wanted to see his niece so early in the morning.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that sir, but it¡¯s important that I speak with her,¡± he replied anxiously.

    Eric gave him a look that told him that he wasn¡¯t happy with his early caller.  ¡°May I ask what this is regarding?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s personal, sir,¡± Derrick said, as he wasn¡¯t about to tell this man he had impregnated his niece.  ¡°I¡¯ve come from Arizona to see her.¡±

    Eric gave him a strange look.  Could this be the father of Mallory¡¯s unborn child?  ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°My name is Derrick Hart, and it¡¯s very important that I speak with her.¡±

    Eric looked at him strangely, as he remembered Erica talking about this very man.  ¡°Don¡¯t you mean you are here to see Erica?¡±

    Damn.  This wasn¡¯t going to be as easy as he thought it was going to be, as he never thought Erica would tell her father about meeting him at the bar.  ¡°No.  I want to see Mallory Ridge.¡±

    ¡°Last night Erica told me about you, do you want to explain that to me.¡±  Eric gave him a cold look, as something wasn¡¯t right here.

    Derrick had to be careful how he responded, as the man in front of him wasn¡¯t an idiot and most likely could tell if he lied to him.  ¡°I met Erica last night, and she told me where I could find Mallory,¡± he replied truthfully.  ¡°If I write Mallory a note, could you give it to her?¡±

    Eric gave him a confused look.  ¡°I got the impression from what she told me you were interested in her.¡±

    Could this get any worse?  ¡°I¡¯m sorry if she got the wrong idea.  I don¡¯t mean to be disrespectful to your daughter, but Erica was a bit intoxicated last night, so she may have missed understood what I wanted,¡± he said, hoping the man at the door believed him.  ¡°I told her I was here in town to see a woman I knew, but I didn¡¯t know where to find her and she was able to tell me where I could find your niece.¡±

    Eric knew the man¡¯s statement was true, as he¡¯d seen for himself that she was slightly inebriated when she came home.

    ¡°May I see Mallory?¡±  Derrick was worried, for if her uncle refused to let him see her, he wasn¡¯t sure how to get him to change his mind.

    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want to see you, will you leave peacefully?¡±  Eric asked nervously, as he had the odd feeling this young man was the father of Mallory¡¯s baby.

    Derrick smiled at the man¡¯s concern that there might be trouble.  ¡°Yes, of course.¡±  He just hoped she would see him, as he wasn¡¯t sure what he would do if she refused.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get pen and paper for you.¡±  Instead of asking the young man in, Eric closed the door in Derrick¡¯s face while he retrieved the necessary items for Derrick.  When he reopened the door, he handed Derrick the writing material, but his eyes never left the man before him.

    Darrick quickly wrote out what he wanted to tell Mallory, folded the paper and handed it back to Mr. Wells, hoping the man wouldn¡¯t read it before giving it to her.

    Eric took the note.  ¡°You can wait out here, because I¡¯m not sure Mallory will want to see you.¡±  He closed the door again and went upstairs to Mallory¡¯s room.  He would have liked to read the note first, but it wouldn¡¯t be right if he did.  He knocked on Mallory¡¯s door and waited for her to ask him in.

    ¡°Come in.¡±  Mallory didn¡¯t look up as her uncle entered her room.

    Eric wasn¡¯t surprised to see her dressed, as she was an early riser.  ¡°Mallory, I have a note for you.¡±

    Mallory looked up at him with a surprised expression.  ¡°You wrote me a note?¡±

    Eric chuckled.  ¡°No, not me.¡±

    ¡°Why would someone write me a note?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s from a young man.¡±  He handed her the note and watched Mallory closely as she opened the paper.

    She started reading it, and it wasn¡¯t long before tears started down her cheeks.  When she finished reading it, she looked up at her uncle smiling.  ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°He is waiting on the front porch.¡±

    She didn¡¯t even debate for a second if she should marry Derrick, though they had had only one night together, she knew she didn¡¯t want to live her life without him.  Mallory jumped up and ran out the door, dropping the note as she ran from the room.

    Eric curious of what the note said, he picked it up to read it.

    I love you.  I have been searching for you since the night we met, and I know about the baby.  Will you marry me, as I love you and don¡¯t want to live without you for another day.  Derrick.

    Eric was puzzled.  Who was this man?  How long had she known him?  Was he the father of her baby or just a man didn¡¯t care who the father was?  Was she going to marry this man?

    Mallory threw the front door open and nearly launched herself into Derrick¡¯s arms.  ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re here.¡±  Before he could say a word to her, Mallory¡¯s lips were on his.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    After a breathtaking kiss, Derrick took hold of her hand.  ¡°I take it your answer to my question is yes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± she replied tearfully.

    ¡°How soon can we get married?¡± he asked nervously, afraid she would want to wait until they got better acquainted.

    ¡°Today, as soon as we can get our marriage license,¡± she muttered breathlessly.

    He gave her a stunning grin.  ¡°That¡¯s wonderful.  I was having a hard time finding you, so I decided to come to Kansas City in the hopes I would have better luck.  I arrived yesterday, checked into a hotel, then went downstairs to for some dinner.  I ate at the bar and was finishing my drink when our cousin sat down next to me, and we got to talking.  She told me about you and then she propositioned me.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± she exclaimed.  ¡°Erica really did that?¡±  Mallory laughed.  ¡°She is going to have a fit when she finds out about this as she¡¯d rather die than do anything to help me.¡±

    Eric clearing his throat made them jump apart.  ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to introduce me to your friend?¡±

    They both gasped at hearing Eric¡¯s voice, each hoping the man hadn¡¯t heard what was being said just moments before he spoke.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Uncle Eric.¡±  Mallory took hold of Derrick¡¯s hand.  ¡°This is Derrick Hart and he¡¯s the father of the baby.¡±

    ¡°I see.  So, you two are going to get married.¡±  It wasn¡¯t a question, but a statement.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Derrick and Mallory said simultaneously as they looked lovingly into each other''s eyes.

    ¡°When?¡± he asked, as he watched the two.

    ¡°As soon as we can arrange the wedding.  I love him, Uncle Eric.  I fell in love with him from the first moment I saw him.¡±

    ¡°You did?¡±  Derrick exclaimed.  ¡°I fell in love with you the instant I saw you sitting at that table looking so sad.¡±  Derrick leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.  ¡°Let¡¯s see about getting this wedding planned.¡±

    ¡°Let me get my purse.¡±  She rushed inside, grabbed her purse and returned a second later.  ¡°Bye Uncle Eric, I¡¯ll see you later.¡±

    They walked down the sidewalk together, leaving Eric standing at the door watching them.  As he observed them get into the car, he hoped Mallory wasn¡¯t making a mistake by marrying this young man after such a short relationship.

    * * *

    They stopped at a fast food restaurant so Mallory could eat some breakfast before they spoke to her minister.  After they talked to him about performing a wedding for them, they ran to the courthouse to get their marriage license.  Four hours later, they were married, with Skyler Collins standing up with the bride and Garrison as the best man for his brother.

    After the wedding, introductions were quickly made for those who didn¡¯t know the other.  Mallory was surprised that Skyler was friends with Derrick¡¯s first wife as well, making her wish she¡¯d told her Derrick¡¯s last name weeks ago.

    If Skyler she had known that the two Derricks had been the one and the same person, she would have told Mallory how to find Derrick, which would have saved her friend a great deal of pain.

    When Derrick told Mallory that he wanted to introduce her to his ex-wife, she was nervous that the meeting would be uncomfortable, but she worried for nothing, as she was warmly welcomed by Brooke.  She gave her a hug, telling her that she was glad she¡¯d married Derrick, as he deserved to have someone special like her in his life.

    Garrison was ecstatic that Derrick had been reunited with Mallory as she had mended their relationship without even being aware of it.  The two brothers hadn¡¯t really spoken much to each other since the day Garrison told Derrick he was marrying Brooke, and even at Christmas, they had kept their distances from each other.  But when Derrick ask his assistance to find Mallory, Garrison was right there to help his brother search for the woman he¡¯d fallen in love with on a cold snowy night.

    There was a small reception at the church for them, and afterwards the newlyweds headed back to his hotel for their wedding night.  The next morning after having breakfast, Mallory returned home to pack up all her belongings.  After they put all everything of hers in the trailer they had rented, they were ready to start their trip to Arizona.

    She hugged her uncle.  ¡°Uncle Eric, I want thank you for taking me in and loving me like your own daughter.  I love you and will miss you terribly.¡±

    ¡°I know you love me.  I do have to apologize for the way your aunt and cousin treated you over the years.  I didn¡¯t know anything about it until one night toward the end of Charlotte¡¯s life.  Afraid she was going to go the hell because of the way she treated you, she enlightened me on some incidents from your childhood.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Eric,¡± Mallory interrupted.

    He took hold of her hands.  ¡°Let me finish.  I was shocked when Charlotte confessed to all the abuse you had to put up with from the two of them.  She told about the way she was constantly threatening to throw you out into the street and the treatment you received from Erica.  If I¡¯d known, I would have put a stop to her threats.  I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    It meant a lot to her that he acknowledged the problem, as well as his apology.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it anymore.  That¡¯s all behind me, besides I¡¯m happy now.  I¡¯ll write to you as soon as I get settled in my new home.¡±

    They hugged once more.

    ¡°Bye, Mallory.¡±

    ¡°Bye, Uncle Eric.¡±

    * * *

    On the way home from the wedding, Brooke told Garrison that Derrick looked happier than she¡¯d ever seen him.

    Garrison looked over at her, wondering if she might be jealous that her ex-husband had moved on with his life.  ¡°How do you feel about that?¡±

    ¡°Feel?¡±  She gave him a puzzled look, as she wasn¡¯t sure what he was getting at.

    He stopped them in the middle of the church parking lot by putting his hand on her arm.  ¡°Are you jealous he found another woman to love?¡± he asked, while looking deeply into her eyes, seeing her expression at his words, he instantly regretted his question.

    Anger filled her eyes.  ¡°Of course not.  What kind of person would I be if I wanted Derrick to suffer because he¡¯d left me for another woman?¡±

    Garrison reached over and took hold of her hand.  ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by my question, I was just curious.¡±

    She quickly jerked it away.  ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me.  You¡¯re afraid that I still have feelings for your brother, aren¡¯t you?¡±  She watched his expression at her comment.

    ¡°No, of course not,¡± he quickly denied, without turning to look at her.

    Too quickly in Brooke¡¯s opinion, so she took hold of her husband¡¯s hand.  ¡°Garrison, Derrick and I never had the type of relationship you and I have.  In my heart, I think my marriage to your brother was a mistake, as we were too young to realize what we felt for each other, wasn¡¯t the ever after kind of love.  Now that you and I are married, things are the way they were meant to be.¡±

    He turned to look at her with tears glistening in his eyes.  ¡°Honey, that¡¯s one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me.¡±

    * * *

    After the newlyweds were gone, the house seemed so quiet and still.  Eric decided to take advantage of it while it lasted, for as soon as Erica found out whom Mallory had married; all hell was going to break loose.  Especially when she found out that, she had been the one who had helped Derrick find Mallory.

    It was late Sunday night Eric heard the door open; he stood and went to greet his daughter at the door.  ¡°Hello sweetheart.  Did you have a good time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did.  It was good to spend time with Aunt Donna.  We were so busy all week that I didn¡¯t have time to call you.  I¡¯m going to go to my room to unpack and then I will be down to tell you about my trip.¡±

    Eric knew that as soon as she realized Mallory was gone, she would be back downstairs to question him about it.  He dreaded having to tell her about Mallory marrying Derrick, and knew he wouldn¡¯t have a long wait, for as soon as Erica walked by Mallory¡¯s room, she would know her cousin had moved out for good.

    As Erica passed Mallory¡¯s room, she glanced into the room and was shocked to see how empty the room was, as it looked as if no one had ever lived there.  Knowing something was wrong, she ran to Mallory¡¯s closet to make sure her cousin was gone.  Seeing every piece of clothing of Mallory¡¯s was missing from the closet, she checked the dresser and found it was empty too.  She smiled as this told her that her cousin was gone for good, as even when she had left to go to college, Mallory hadn¡¯t taken everything with her.

    Erica rushed back downstairs to find her father.  ¡°Dad, where¡¯s Mallory?¡±

    ¡°She married the father of her baby and moved to Arizona with him,¡± he told her, as he watched her expression.

    ¡°What took him so long to find her?¡± she asked, not really caring about his answer.

    Eric knew the fireworks were soon about to start.  ¡°He was trying to find her but wasn¡¯t having any luck because he was looking for Mallory Ridge.¡±

    His comment didn¡¯t ring any bells for her from that night at the bar with Derrick.  ¡°How did he finally find her?¡±

    Here it comes, he thought.  ¡°You told him where to find her,¡± he said, his eyes never leaving her face.

    ¡°Me?¡±  She gave him a bewildered look.  ¡°How could I have told him, as I don¡¯t even know who the father of her baby is?¡±

    ¡°You remember Derrick Hart, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Erica was afraid of what her father was about to tell her.  ¡°Yes, but what does he have to do with all of this?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the father of her baby.  He showed up shortly after you left for St. Louis to propose to Mallory, and they were married later that day.¡±

    Erica was dumbfounded.  ¡°I can¡¯t believe I told him all about Mallory and the baby.  If I had kept my big mouth closed, he wouldn¡¯t have ever found her.  That being so, I might have had a chance with him.¡±  She could kick herself, as she wouldn¡¯t have ever done anything to help that bitch of a cousin of hers.

    ¡°Erica, Derrick was determined to find the women he was in love with, so I doubt you could have changed his mind from his mission.  Don¡¯t forget, Mallory was looking for him too.  At their wedding, I found out that Mallory¡¯s friend Skyler knew Derrick, so even without your help, one way or the other; they would have found each other.¡±

    ¡°Whatever,¡± she muttered without looking at her father.  ¡°I guess I will go on to bed now as this day hasn¡¯t ended well for me.¡±

    As he watched Erica walked away, he was ashamed to call her his daughter, as she was as cold natured as her mother had been.

 Chapter Ten

    Six months after the newlyweds moved to Arizona, they found out that his company was transferring them back to Kansas City.  Since they were given only a six-week notice, there was a great deal of traveling back and forth between the two states as they looked for a house to buy in Missouri.

    They couldn¡¯t find a place they both liked, and Mallory was getting discouraged.  The first house had only one bathroom, which wouldn¡¯t work, as they wanted at least two.  The second house, the master bedroom was too small; the third house didn¡¯t have a basement, and on and on it went.  Derrick told her they wouldn¡¯t buy a house until they find the one, they wanted.  If they didn¡¯t find a place in the next two weeks, they would have to move into an apartment.

    On the last weekend before they had to start looking for other living arrangements, they both fell in love with a ten-year-old house.  It was perfect for them, as it had three bathrooms, two full and one three-quarter bath.  The master bedroom was spacey, with an enormous walk-in closet and the bathroom had two sinks.

    The yard was perfect for them as it already had a play area built there.  They both fell in love with it, and the best part was the owners was anxious to sell they were willing to let them move in and pay rent until closing.  There was only one thing wrong with the house, and that was it was five houses down from Brooke and Garrison¡¯s home.

    Mallory had been so excited about the house, telling the realtor she wanted this house, but when Derrick told her that his brother and ex-wife lived just a few doors down from her dream house.  She debated if they should live so close to his ex-wife.  She didn¡¯t worry about Derrick and Brooke still having feelings for each other, as she knew that wasn¡¯t the case.  Since they were going to see each other at every family gathering, and their children were going to be less than a year apart, she had to get along with Brooke, so maybe living near wasn¡¯t all that bad.

    * * *

    Soon they were living in their new home, and she was the happiest she ever been in her entire life, so thankful they had found each other again.  Every morning when she made the bed, she would pick up Derrick¡¯s pillow, sniff it, and smiled, as it always reminded her of the most wonderful night in her life.

    At first, Derrick was worried how Mallory would feel about the two of them spending time with Brooke, but she seemed happy to do things with his brother and ex-wife.  When Brooke offered to help Mallory with decorating their new home, Derrick was worried it would be too much for her to accept.  He kept quiet, as he wasn¡¯t going to influence her either way, as it was her decision if she wanted Brooke¡¯s help.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    It seemed strange to Mallory to be friends with Derrick¡¯s ex-wife, but not wanting to be the reason Derrick didn¡¯t spend time with his brother and his wife, she accepted Brooke¡¯s offer of help.  Soon the two women became friends, and Mallory forgot about Brooke¡¯s previous relationship with her husband.

    Katrina had been afraid how her two daughters-in-law would react around each other, but she was pleasantly surprised how Brooke had warmly welcomed Mallory to the family, and Mallory had graciously accepted her friendship.  She was thrilled both of her sons were happily married and brothers again thanks to Mallory and her relationship with Derrick.

    The months passed quickly, and soon Mallory¡¯s due date for baby arrived, her labor started in the middle of the night, and she¡¯d been sound asleep when a contraction woke her.  Fuzzy with sleep, she assumed they had plenty of time before the baby came, and so she went back to sleep.  Two hours later, a contraction woke her for a second time, and she started timing her contractions, and was shocked when she realized they were already two minutes apart.

    She woke Derrick, and he quickly dressed.  They grabbed her packed bag and rushed out the door, in the hope of reaching the hospital before the baby made his appearance.  They hadn¡¯t gone three miles when her water broke, causing her to think they weren¡¯t going to make it to the hospital in time, and she began crying.

    Derrick was concerned, as he really didn¡¯t want to deliver their child, especially not on the dark highway.  When he saw the hospital up ahead, he let out a breath of relief, and soon was pulling the emergency entrance.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to walk in,¡± Mallory told him when he stopped the car.

    His eyes grew round.  ¡°Are you kidding?¡± he asked, as he assumed, she would be in too much pain to walk.

    She gave him a weak smile.  ¡°No, walking is good for labor.¡±

    ¡°Well at least let me help you inside before I move the car.¡±

    Derrick took hold of her hand and they walked into the emergency room.  Once Mallory was in a wheelchair, he left to move the car.  When he returned, he was taken to change and then he joined his wife for the last stage of her labor.

    Derrick¡¯s eyes filled with tears as he held his son, a child he never thought he¡¯d have.  Joshua Eric, named after her uncle, weighed in at eight pounds, and had full head of dark brown hair.

    Once Mallory was settled in her room, she called her uncle to tell him the baby was here, and she was doing fine.  When she told him what Joshua¡¯s middle name was, he was so touched that he cried.  As with every conversation they have had during the past six months, her uncle asked her if she was happy and again, she assured him she was.

    Mallory and the baby came home three days later, and she was thrilled to be home in her own bed with her husband, as sleeping hadn¡¯t been easy for her as at night while in the hospital.  Her bed felt empty without Derrick, the hallway way at the hospital had been filled with sounds of footsteps of the medical personal walking back and forth between rooms which had disturbed her rest.

    Waiting for her husband to bring the baby to her from his bassinet, she thought of the day when she¡¯d first read his note asking her to marry him.  She smiled, as she had never been sorry for saying yes.  If nothing else, the last few months had showed her that she had made the right choice when she decided to marry Derrick Hart.

 Chapter Eleven

    Skyler Collins was waiting for the apple pie she¡¯d made for a party at Brooke¡¯s house to come out of the oven before going to the bathroom.  As soon as she placed it on the cooling rack, she started out of the kitchen, but the loud pounding at her front door stopped in her tracks.

    She really needed to use the bathroom before answering the door, but she realized that the pounding wasn¡¯t going to stop until she opened the door.  Unsure who could be beating at her door, she peeked out the viewer in the door before opening it.  When she saw a policeman standing there, she quickly opened the front door, and then the storm door so she could speak to him.

    Richard Torres, the officer at the door, was angry with women in general as yesterday he had found his wife of two years in their bed with another man.  Even though he wanted to knock his wife¡¯s lights out for being unfaithful, he kept his cool and simply walked out of the house.

    He couldn¡¯t retaliate against his wife for her actions against him, but he could do something to the woman in front of him who had murdered her husband in cold blood.  Before she could ask why he was there, he roughly grabbed hold of her.  ¡°You¡¯re under arrest for the murder of your husband, David,¡± said Richard.

    Her eyes grew big.  ¡°What?  I haven¡¯t murdered anyone, especially a husband that I don¡¯t have.¡±  She didn¡¯t like the look the policeman was giving her.

    ¡°Yea, like I¡¯m going to believe that one.¡±  He roughly turned her around and handcuffed her.

    She had to find a way to get this officer to release her.  ¡°Who do you think I am?¡±

    ¡°You are Belinda Applegate, you killed David during a jealous rage when you caught your husband with his girlfriend at the Smoky Gray Motel.¡±  Because of his wife¡¯s actions, he understood why she did it, but since it was wrong to murder someone, she was going to have to pay for her crime.

    She was relieved to know this was all a simple oversight, one that could be fixed quickly.  ¡°That¡¯s where your mistake is, as my name is Skyler Collins.¡±

    ¡°You can straighten out the confusion at station,¡± he said coldly.

    ¡°If you would just look at my driver¡¯s license, it would show you I¡¯m not this Belinda person you think I am.¡±

    ¡°I was told to arrest you, so that is what I¡¯m going to do.¡±

    ¡°Could I at least use the bathroom before we go?¡± she asked softly.

    His cold eyes peered at her.  ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait, as I was ordered to bring you directly to headquarters.¡±

    ¡°Just remember if I pee my pants, it¡¯s your fault,¡± she replied hatefully.

    ¡°No, problem.  Now let¡¯s go,¡± he said as he jerked her out the door.  He didn¡¯t care if she had an accident but hoped it wouldn¡¯t be in the backseat of his car, as then it would be his job to clean up the mess.

    ¡°Could you at least grab my purse?¡± she asked coldly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t have time,¡± he muttered as he started pulling the front door closed.

    She wanted to call him a stupid idiot, but controlled the impulse, as it would only make the situation worst.  ¡°My ID in there, if you don¡¯t take it, I won¡¯t be able to prove my identity.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± he said hatefully.  ¡°Where is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hanging on the coat rack next to the front door.¡±

    He jerked her with him as he entered her house to get her purse.  ¡°Are you happy now?¡± he asked once the item was in his hand.

    Her cold eyes looked back at him.  ¡°No, but it will have to do.¡±

    Once she got to the station, everything was chaotic, as no one would listen to her as she told them repeatedly that she wasn¡¯t Belinda Applegate, and therefore she was innocent of the murder.  As she was being processed, she kept telling them that she needed to use the bathroom, but they just ignored her.  After she was fingerprinted and had her picture taken, she was taken to a conference room and left alone with her hands still handcuffed behind her back.

    ¡°Hello,¡± she called out to the mirror.  ¡°Please I need to use the ladies¡¯ room.¡±

    Though no one came to help her, some sixth sense told her that someone was watching her from the other side of the mirror and figured it was that nasty officer wanting to see her suffer for some reason.

    Richard just grinned at her pathetic voice.  Now that she was in the room alone, he yearned for her to have accident, especially because he wouldn¡¯t have to be the one to clean it up.

    Or so he thought.

    Just when she thought the situation couldn¡¯t get worst, she started getting an aura, which indicated she was about to get a migraine.  She wasn¡¯t surprised, as it was probably caused by the stress of being arrested and held for a crime she didn¡¯t commit.  She knew from experience that if she didn¡¯t take her medicine soon, she would be throwing up her lunch.

    Detective Greg Matthews had just stepped into the room with Richard when he heard him laugh.  ¡°What is going on in there?¡±

    Richard hadn¡¯t heard him enter the room, and so he was surprised when Greg spoke.  ¡°Nothing,¡± he replied, his facial expression showing that he was lying.

    Greg stepped to the window to see for himself what was happening in the other room.

    ¡°Please, could someone bring me my migraine medicine that¡¯s in my purse,¡± she called out towards the two-way mirror.  The migraine was to the point it was starting to make her ill.  ¡°If I don¡¯t have it soon, I¡¯m going to be sick,¡± she said, with tears filling her eyes.

    Before either man could react, she did just as she said would happen and because the room was bare other than the table and three chairs; she bent over and started vomiting on the floor.  With her hands behind her back, she couldn¡¯t even keep her hair away for her face, and soon it was soiled as well as the floor.

    Then matters got worst for her, as the force of her vomiting caused her to lose control of her bladder, and soon the floor was covered with urine as well as puke.  She was in tears, as none of this should have happened to her.  First, she wasn¡¯t the person they wanted, secondly, she had simply wanted to use a bathroom and lastly, she wanted to have her medication.  Even if she had been a criminal, wasn¡¯t she entitled to use the bathroom and have her medication?

    Help finally arrived, but it was too late to be of much good to her.  A woman officer entered the room, undid her cuffs, and gave her the migraine medicine and a glass of water.  Once that was done, she helped her to the lady¡¯s shower so she could clean up, and afterwards, she was given a pair of sweatpants and a top that belonged to the same officer.

    After Skyler was returned to a new room, a detective came in to question her, something that should have happened just moments after she¡¯d been placed in a room.  Once he started asking her questions, it didn¡¯t take long for the misunderstanding to be figured out, as the woman they wanted used to own the house Skyler was now living in.

    Meanwhile, Richard had the chore of cleaning up the mess left behind because of his inhuman treatment of Skyler.  Not only that, but he was facing a severe reprimand for his treatment of her, especially since if he had checked out her driver¡¯s license at her home; she wouldn¡¯t have been arrested in the first place.

    After Skyler was released, she decided to file a complaint about the treatment she had received at the police station and the actions of the arresting officer, as none of this would have had to happen if the arresting officer hadn¡¯t been such an ass.  Besides, even if she had been guilty of the crime, she shouldn¡¯t have been treated the way she was.

    The media caught wind of her ill-treatment and that evening; the news was filled with her story.  It wasn¡¯t long before she had been contacted by police officials offering her a five-thousand-dollar check to retract her statement.  The money would have been nice, but she was insulted by the bribe, so she told them they couldn¡¯t pay her enough to withdraw her comment of how she¡¯d been treated at their precinct.

    It wasn¡¯t long before other victims came forth with their stories of mistreatment at the same precinct.  Within hours of her arrest, Richard, her arresting officer, the man who tried to pay her off and several other high officials were fired.  Everyone who had complained of misconduct received a very large compensation for what had happened to each of them, a great deal more than five-thousand-dollar check.

    The next day Skyler decided to sell the house that was partly responsible for what had happened to her with the police.  She decided to use Richardson¡¯s Realtors, as she¡¯d seen their commercials for years, so she picked up the phone and dialed their number.

    ¡°Richardson¡¯s Realtors, how may I help you?¡± asked a female voice.

    ¡°I need a realtor,¡± she told the woman.

    ¡°Jarvis Elder is available.¡±

    Maybe she would be lucky and could start looking for a house today.  ¡°Is he in the office right now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll connect you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Skyler said, just before she heard a phone ringing in her ear.

    ¡°This is Jarvis Elder; how may I help you?¡± asked a deep male¡¯s voice.

    ¡°My name is Skyler Collins; I need to sell my house and buy another one.¡±

    Her name rang a bell, but he didn¡¯t know why that was.  ¡°I¡¯m sure I can help you find the perfect house.  If you want to come in, we can get started on the information to sell your house, as well as start a house loan.¡±

    ¡°A loan won¡¯t be necessary.¡±  She had received enough money from her settlement that she planned to pay cash for her new home.

    ¡°I see.¡±  Jarvis was curious, as most everyone took out a loan to buy a home.  ¡°What price range are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°Between one hundred seventy and two hundred thousand.¡±

    Her answer caused Jarvis to smile, as she had to have a good amount of money in the bank to buy a house in that price range.  He couldn¡¯t wait to meet this woman.  ¡°Did you have a floor plan in mind?¡±

    ¡°I want a ranch-style home under five-year-old, three bedrooms, at least two bathrooms, a basement and a large walk-in closet in the master bedroom.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll check the listings and see what I can find with that requirement.  Do you have a preference of what part of the city you want?¡±

    ¡°My job is in North Kansas City, so I would like to stay in the Northland, stay south of KCI airport and Liberty, but other that, I don¡¯t really have any other requirements.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do a search and will email you a list later today.  Once you¡¯ve had time to go over it, let me know which houses you would like to look at.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a plan.¡±

    After Skyler received Jarvis¡¯ email with the house listings, she called him about the houses she wanted to look at.  They made an appointment to meet the next day and she took the day off from work so she would plenty of time to look at each house.

    After they hung up, Jarvis got on the Internet and researched her name.  He hit the jackpot when he read about her incident with the police, and learned she¡¯d received a large settlement.  The exact amount wasn¡¯t mentioned, but he just knew he had to get his hands on it.

    When Skyler walked into his office, Jarvis was entranced, as she was simply beautiful, and having money, made her all that more alluring.  Once introductions were over, he asked her to sit down so they could decide which order she wanted to view the houses she wanted to see.

    ¡°The Briarcliff housing addition has some beautiful homes,¡± he told her knowing the cheapest house for sale in that addition was for six hundred thousand dollars.

    Skyler laughed.  ¡°Those homes are huge; I wouldn¡¯t be comfortable in a place like that.¡±

    He was stunned by her reply, as she hadn¡¯t said she couldn¡¯t afford it, only that it would be too large.  ¡°You don¡¯t know that until you go in one and view one.  There are five for sale in that area, I¡¯m sure we could find one you like.¡±

    Not only didn¡¯t she have any desire to live in a mansion, she didn¡¯t like the way he was trying to get her to buy a more expensive home.  ¡°My answer is no, and if you aren¡¯t going to listen to me, then I¡¯ll get a different realtor,¡± she said forcefully, as she wasn¡¯t going to be pushed into buying a house she didn¡¯t want, just so he would get a large commission.

    He instantly realized he¡¯d pushed her too far.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry; I didn¡¯t mean to offend you,¡± he said, hoping she wouldn¡¯t fire him.

    Not only did Jarvis sell her home, he found her a house just a five-minute drive from Brooke and Mallory, and a fifteen-minute drive from her job.  She loved the backyard that was up against a wooded area filled with all sorts of wildlife.

    Jarvis was hoping she would buy a more expensive house, but he did get her to accept a date with him, so that was at least something in his favor. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    * * *

    Since starting her job three years ago, at Logan¡¯s Make-Up, a cosmetic company, Skyler had moved up to second-in-command scientist.  She loved her job, but even after all the great innovations she¡¯d given to the company, she hadn¡¯t gotten a raise to go with the job title.

    When she asked Lyle for an increase in her salary, he told her he couldn¡¯t give her one, because then she would be making more money than his son Roger, who also worked at the company.   Since her situation wasn¡¯t ever going to change, she had started looking for a new job, but in the meantime, Skyler would do the best job she could.

    During her off time at home, she¡¯d been working on a new creation, and just this week, she¡¯d finished fabricating the last section for a formula for the men¡¯s cologne market.   She wanted to double check her work one more time before Monday, so she hit the print button on her computer.  As the printer began spitting out the pages, she closed down her computer for the night, got her purse out of her desk and reached for her coat.  When she looked at the clock on her desk and saw she still had five minutes before the end of the day, she decided to double check the printout before she left.

    As soon as she began scanning the page, she saw not only were there four of the numbers in the chemical formulation transposed, but her chemical creation that would make this perfume outstanding was also missing.

    She smiled at the errors, as she had done this on purpose to protect her formula from theft by her fellow coworkers.  She chuckled for if this formula was used as it was now, they would be surprised by what they produced, as the scent would smell worse than a skunk¡¯s spray.

    She wondered how she could have forgotten to make the corrections to the formula, then she shook her head.  Since she¡¯d been working such long hours at night to get this formula created, she¡¯d simply hadn¡¯t thought to make the corrections or add the most important part to the formula to this file.

    Knowing it wouldn¡¯t look good to present the perfume formula this way, the errors would have to be fixed but since it was time to leave, she left the printout in her desk, grabbed her coat and was out the door two seconds later.

    Saturday morning, she made her corrections on her flash drive from her personal computer, then didn¡¯t give the formula another thought until Monday when she arrived at work.  When she reached her desk, she went to throw the incorrect copy away, but it wasn¡¯t there.  This confused her, as it should be where she left it.

    Thinking it might have fallen off her desk, she looked around for it on the floor, when she didn¡¯t find it, she was mystified to what could have happened to the missing page.  She didn¡¯t have time to worry about it now, as it was time for her to leave for the meeting.  Besides, it didn¡¯t matter where it was, as the formula wasn¡¯t good to anyone the way it was.

    She was just about to walk out the door when the phone on her desk rang.  She debated about answering it, but thinking it might be important, she returned to her desk and picked up the phone.  ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Is the Skyler Collins?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is.  How may I help you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Herb Goodman, the president of Dixon¡¯s Cosmetics.¡±

    She almost cried out with joy, as she had sent her resume to his company just last week for the position of head scientist.  She knew from researching his company on the Internet, he had created his company ten years ago and was a competitor of Logan¡¯s Make-Up.  If she got the job, it would be poetic justice, as Lyle would be sorry for not giving her a raise.

    ¡°I¡¯m calling to offer you the job of our new scientist.¡±

    ¡°Me?  You want me!  I can¡¯t believe it.  This is wonderful news.  When do you want me to come for an interview?¡± she asked excitedly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he replied, smiling at her enthusiasm.

    Her face instantly filled with disappointment.  ¡°I don¡¯t understand.  Why don¡¯t you want an interview with me?¡± she muttered, her voice filled with bewilderment.

    He laughed at the sound of her question.  ¡°I¡¯m very impressed with your resume.  So much so, that we want you on board, so you see, an interview isn¡¯t necessary.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so honored.  I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± she muttered, a bit embarrassed by his words.

    ¡°Say you¡¯ll take the job,¡± he said jokingly.  ¡°Your starting annual pay will be one hundred thousand, with yearly raises, as well an assistant to help you with your work.¡±

    She felt like she was walking on a cloud, as not only would she be making a considerably more money with his company, but she would also be getting raises and have an assistant.

    Someone knocked on her door, and when she looked up, she saw one of her coworkers pointing at her watch.  She nodded at her to let her know she¡¯d seen her.  ¡°I really would like to talk more to you about this but need to go as I¡¯m late for a meeting.¡±

    ¡°Call me after your meeting and we¡¯ll make definite plans of when you want to start.¡±

    ¡°Perfect.  I call you as soon as I can.¡±  She said a quick goodbye, grabbed her printout and started for the meeting.  When she arrived at the conference room, Lyle Logan was already speaking.  He gave her a disgruntled look because she was late, but didn¡¯t say anything to her about that fact, but kept on speaking.

    ¡°As I was saying, Roger will be the first to present his formula for the new perfume creation.¡±

    As Skyler watched Roger stepped up to the podium, she wondered what kind of product he¡¯d come up with this time, as none of his ideas had ever been a useable formulation.  That being so, she didn¡¯t think this one would be any good either.

    When she saw her incorrect formula on the screen, she was quite surprised, as she didn¡¯t think he was the type to steal another scientist¡¯s work.  She forced herself not to smile, as Roger looked nervous standing up there.  She noticed how he kept looking over at her, as if he was waiting for her to speak up about what he¡¯d done.  Because she wanted him to sweat for a few moments, she didn¡¯t accuse Roger of stealing her formula.  She waited until he asked for any questions before she stood.  ¡°Is the formula for a solid or liquid form product?¡± she asked, keeping her eyes on his, as she knew he hadn¡¯t any idea.

    Roger had been expecting her to confront him for stealing her idea, so her question threw him, making him wonder if she recognized it was her formula.  ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet,¡± he said in the hopes she wouldn¡¯t ask anything else.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t created the perfume from this formula, have you?¡±

    Roger was stunned by her statement, as he¡¯d been expecting her to say something totally different.  ¡°Not yet, but I plan to do so soon.¡±

    ¡°Since your formula has several errors in it, you better fix them before you do,¡± she said with a knowing smile.

    Roger looked at the hard copy in his hand and then looked at her.  He didn¡¯t believe there were any errors in her formulation as she was too good of a scientist to make errors; she was just trying to get him to confess to what he¡¯d done.  ¡°There aren¡¯t any errors in my formula,¡± he stated firmly.

    Skyler smiled at him.  ¡°Since your so-called formula is mine, I know for a fact that there several errors, including some missing key ingredients.¡±

    The audience in the room all gasped at her accusation, then they looked over at Lyle to see what he was going to do at her statement.

    ¡°Skyler, I don¡¯t appreciate you accusing my son of doing something dishonest,¡± Lyle said loudly as he moved to stand next to his son.

    ¡°And I don¡¯t appreciate him stealing my work off my desk and trying to pass it off as his,¡± she said shouted.

    ¡°You either apologize or you¡¯re out of a job,¡± Lyle told her.

    She picked up her corrected formula, as there wasn¡¯t any way she was leaving it for them to use, besides, she had created this on her personal time, not during working hours.  ¡°Fine, I resign.  I wish you luck with Roger¡¯s version of my work,¡± she replied with a sarcastic grin.

    She walked out of the silent room with her back straight and her head held high, and just as she reached the door, she heard the applause of her fellow coworkers, causing a warm sensation in her chest.

    She returned to her office, sat down at the computer and systematically brought up all her files.  Then she quickly deleted all the information on each file, and once that was done, she saved the empty file under the same name and then closed it.  She did this to all her files, so if someone opened one of her files, they would be disappointed to find she hadn¡¯t left anything else for them to steal.  Since they were not just deleted files, but blank files, there wasn¡¯t any way for the IT department to retrieve the lost information.  When she was done, she put her belongings in a box, grabbed her purse and the houseplant she kept on her desk, and left her office for the last time.

    Since she didn¡¯t need this copy, as she passed the shredder, she inserted her printed formula into the machine.  After the paper was shredded, she grabbed a handful of the strands from several locations, as this would prevent anyone from being able to put it back together if they tried to do so.  She went to the kitchen recycle can and dumped them in, as she knew no one would think to look for the missing sections here among other shredded papers.  Now she could honestly say she didn¡¯t take any of the formula with her.

    She said goodbye to everyone she saw, and most of them gave her a thumb up, all proud that she had stood up for herself, but before she could step out of the building, Lyle stopped her.

    ¡°I want to check your purse to make sure you aren¡¯t stealing anything that belongs to my company.¡±

    She wanted to laugh, as she knew he thought she had the corrected formula on her.  ¡°Go ahead and search, as I don¡¯t have anything to hide.¡±

    Lyle was disappointed that he didn¡¯t find what he was looking for, as he knew his son probably had stolen her formula.  ¡°Okay, you are free to leave.¡±

    As she as she stepped out of the office building, Lyle ran to her office to find the file with the correct formula and was quite surprised to discover all her files were empty of any data.  Hoping there was some way to retrieve the formula, he called Tech Support hoping they could find what he needed, but there wasn¡¯t anything for they could do for him.

    * * *

    Once she was in her car, she looked at her watch and was surprised to see it was only nine in the morning.  Since most of the day was still left, she called Mr. Goodman to ask him if she could start working for him today.

    Herb was thrill by her call but confused why she decided to leave the other company so suddenly.  ¡°What happened to cause you to leave so quickly?¡± he asked, as he was sure she would have wanted to give her boss a two-week notice.

    ¡°I refuse to work for a man who would let his son steal my creation and pass it off as his own, and then expect me to apologize to him.¡±

    Herb was impressed by her integrity to stand up for her principles.  He wanted to ask her about the formula that had caused the problem, but thought it was best if he just let it be.  Instead, he told her to come on over, and she told him she was on the way.

    * * *

    Needing someone to talk about her news, Skyler called Jarvis and told him about quitting her job and about accepting the new one.  She expected him to tell her how happy he was for her, but instead, he asked was how much more money she would be making at the new company.

    She was hurt by his lack of compassion of her leaving a company she¡¯d put her heart and soul into all these years.  So much so, that she told him she was taking a 10 percent pay cut.

    He told her she was making a mistake in taking the new job and thought she should go back and apologize to her boss.  Instead of telling him to take a flying leap, she thanked him for his input and hung up on him.  When he called back a second later, she let it go to voice mail, as she wasn¡¯t ready to forgive him.

    * * *

    When she reached Dixon¡¯s Cosmetics, she was taken to Herb Goodman¡¯s office.

    ¡°Skyler, I¡¯m so glad you have decided to join our company,¡± he said as he took hold of both of her hands.

    At the contact of his hand, she was filled with a warm feeling, as if she was been touched a family member and her face showed it.

    Herb laughed at her expression when they touched.  ¡°You look like I feel, as touching you is like finding my lost sister.  Who knows, maybe we are related,¡± he uttered, though he doubted she was actually his sister.  ¡°My adopted parents told me that I had a twin sister, but she had been taken by a different family before they arrived.¡±

    She was shocked at his statement.  ¡°I was adopted when I was a baby, but that¡¯s all I know about my family.¡±

    ¡°Really?  When is your birthday?¡± he asked excitedly.

    ¡°March 12<sup>th</sup>, 1989,¡± she muttered.

    Herb grabbed her hands in his.  ¡°That¡¯s mine too.  I think we should do a DNA test.¡±

    She laughed at his comment.  ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be necessary.¡±

    ¡°Of course, we should know for sure.¡±  He squeezed her hand that he still held.  ¡°You don¡¯t believe we are related.  Why not?  His eyes watched her as he waited for her reply.

    ¡°For one, I don¡¯t see that we look anything alike.  For another my parents never mentioned I had any siblings.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they didn¡¯t know,¡± he said, as he didn¡¯t want to insult her parents.  ¡°We¡¯ll do the test and then we¡¯ll know for sure.¡±

    ¡°Okay if it will make you happy, but don¡¯t be too disappointed when you find out we aren¡¯t related.  On a different note, I want to thank you for offering me a job and hope I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡±

    He laughed.  ¡°That isn¡¯t going to happen as I know what a brilliant creator of wonderful scents you are.¡±

    He showed her around the building, introducing her to all the employees, including the vending guy who was filling up the candy and pop machines.  He left her office for last, and when they reached it, she was surprised to see Cindy Finch, her childhood friend standing there smiling at her.

    ¡°Cindy, what are you doing here?¡±  She was shocked to see her, as her friend was the last person, she expected to be her assistant.  She knew Cindy had worked for this company for the last five years, but she hadn¡¯t been expecting this.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been promoted to be your assistant,¡± she replied, happily looking at Skyler.

    ¡°You never said a word to me,¡± she uttered, fighting tears.

    ¡°We wanted it to be a surprise.  We thought we had more time to prepare, but your call this morning threw us in a panic,¡± Cindy told her with a chuckle.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she said, giving them a smile.  ¡°By having my friend as my assistant, I know that you really do want me to work here,¡± she replied tearfully.

    ¡°We want you to be happy, so you¡¯ll stay for a long time.  Now let¡¯s go look at your office.¡±

    She was greatly surprised by the fact that it looked out on a wooded area, not much different from the one she had at her new home.  ¡°This is perfect,¡± she replied tearfully.

    Herb reached out and touched her hand again.  ¡°Cindy told me about your office at home, saying the view helped you create, so I wanted your office here to be as inspiring as well.  We¡¯re excited to have you join us.¡±

    The rest of the day was a busy one, as she and Cindy started working on a new scent for Herb¡¯s latest project.  Of course, most of it was already completed, as all she had to do was change a couple of the chemicals in her old formula, turning the scent she¡¯d created for Logan¡¯s Make-Up for men into something special for women instead.

    * * *

    Two hours later, Janet, one of her coworkers from her previous job called her on her cell phone.  Skyler wasn¡¯t surprised when Janet told her that the entire office now smelled as bad as a skunk and the whole building was going to have to be closed for at least a week to let it air out.

    Just as she hung up from Janet, her phone rang again.  Seeing by the caller ID that it was Lyle, she almost didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°Skyler, this is Lyle.  I¡¯m calling to apologize for what happened regarding your formula.  I want you to come back to us and I will give you that raise.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I¡¯ve already accepted a job with Dixon¡¯s Cosmetics.  In fact, that where I am right now, sitting in a beautiful office, looking out to the woods.¡±

    He was distraught, because of his stupidity, he¡¯d lost the best scientist he¡¯d ever had and now she was employed at the last place he would ever want her to work.  He knew that with her working for his competitor, his company would soon be in deep financial trouble.  ¡°You want me to beg for your forgiveness?¡± he asked, trying to keep his anger out of his voice.

    She had to let him know, no matter what he said or did, she wasn¡¯t returning.  ¡°No, as it won¡¯t do you any good because you should¡¯ve believed me in the first place.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my son,¡± he said sadly.

    ¡°I understand that, but so far, he hasn¡¯t created one good formula, so what made you believe this one would be any better?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right and I¡¯m sorry.  While we are on the phone, I wanted you to know something has happened to your computer, and all your files have been deleted.  Because of that, I¡¯ll need a copy of your formula.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have it,¡± she said with a smile on her face.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.  I demand you to give me that formula,¡± he insisted.

    ¡°Just before I left your company this morning, I put the only copy I had into the shredder.  If you want it, you¡¯ll have to splice all the pieces together or use your son¡¯s copy to create the perfume, as I destroyed my only hard copy of it,¡± she uttered sarcastically.  Of course, she left out the part that she had taken some of the shredded strips from the pile and thrown them away in a different location.  Nor did she tell him about the new formula she had made out the old one.

    ¡°His copy of the formula was bad as you well know,¡± he roared.  ¡°You didn¡¯t have the right to destroy it as that formula was company property.  Since I paid for your time to create it, I¡¯m going to sue you, if you don¡¯t give it to me the formula.¡±

    ¡°You can try, but since I created it at home on my own time, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll win,¡± she uttered, with a big smile on her face.  As she¡¯d found that she could create better at home in front of the sliding doors that looked out over her back yard, than in the tiny room that was called her office.  It was so small; she swore it use to be a broom closet before they made it into her office.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    ¡°Maybe so, but can you prove that I¡¯m lying?  You can¡¯t prove anything other than I produce a formula your son had in his hand, which you still have.¡±

    ¡°That may be true, but if you try to use that formula, I will sue you.¡±

    Since she had changed a few compounds of her formula, changing it from a man¡¯s cologne to a woman¡¯s perfume; she was sure she was safe from being sued.  ¡°I¡¯m done with you and your company, so I appreciate if you don¡¯t call me again,¡± she stated loudly, then disconnected the call, then turned off her cell phone.

    If nothing else, her experience with Roger taught her, completed or not, she always had to protect her formulations.  So, from now on, not only would she keep her notes separate from the chemical blueprint, she would divide the recipe into two parts, keeping only the basic ingredients in her computer.  The main part, the part that made her formula so unique, she would keep on her flash drive, locked in her safe at home.  If someone did try to steal her next creation, the design would be worthless to them, the same way it had been for Roger.

 Chapter Twelve

    Skyler decided to call Mallory, as she needed to talk to someone about her day, but before Skyler could tell her what happened at Logan¡¯s Make-Up and about her new job, Mallory started talking about the baby.   She was happy for her friend but was disappointed she hadn¡¯t let her talk about her life.  After listening to Mallory talked about the baby for twenty minutes, she finally told her friend she needed to go.  She thought about calling Brooke but decided it would probably be the same scenario with her.

    When she pulled into her driveway that night, she was surprised to see Jarvis was standing on her front porch with a large flower arrangement in his hand and her anger slowly dissipated.

    ¡°Jarvis, what are you doing here?¡± she asked as she got out of the car.

    ¡°I want to take you out to dinner to celebrate your new job.¡±  He¡¯d figured that even though she had taken a cut in pay, she still had a great of money for him to get his hands on.  Besides, with her talent, she would soon be making a great deal more and he wanted to be in her life so she could share it with him.

    ¡°That¡¯s so sweet of you.  Let me put these in a vase, and then I¡¯ll be ready to leave.¡±

    They had a nice romantic dinner at her favorite restaurant and when they got home, Jarvis came inside with her and no sooner had she closed the front door that he knelt on one knee.

    ¡°Skyler, will you marry me?¡±  He smiled at her surprised expression to his question.

    She blinked at him, as he had completely surprised her.  ¡°Jarvis, we¡¯ve only been dating for a few months.¡±  She wasn¡¯t sure she was in love with this man, but she was tired of being alone while her friends were married and had a baby.  She wanted what they had, maybe Jarvis was the answer.

    He stood, pulled her into his arms and kissed her.  ¡°I can¡¯t live without you, and I want to marry you as soon as possible,¡± he muttered in her ear, as the sooner they were married, the sooner he could get his hands on her money.  ¡°How about June fifth?¡± he asked excitedly.

    ¡°For what?¡± she asked as her mind was still in shock from his proposal.

    He took hold of her hands.  ¡°For our wedding day, of course.¡±

    She shook her head, as June wouldn¡¯t give her much time to plan a wedding.  ¡°Any special reason for that date?¡±

    ¡°My parents were married on that date, and it would mean a lot to my mother for us to be married on the same date.¡±

    Something told her to refuse his proposal, as why was his mother even coming up in this conversation.  ¡°What kind of wedding were you thinking of having?¡± she asked without accepting his proposal.

    ¡°I want us to have a grand affair, with all the bells and whistles.¡±

    His words stunned her.  ¡°Who¡¯s going to pay for this elaborate affair?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Well you are of course, as weddings are paid by the woman and her family.  If you¡¯re worried about having time to plan the wedding, you needn¡¯t worry, as my mother is going to make all the arrangement for our wedding,¡± he told her excitedly.

    Skyler had to bite her tongue, as she couldn¡¯t stand his mother.  ¡°That¡¯s sweet of her, but I want to plan my own wedding.¡±

    ¡°She wants to do it, as it will make her to be happy.¡±

    Once again, she refrained from making a nasty remark, as it was more important for her to be happy.  ¡°Jarvis, it¡¯s very unlikely your mother and I will be able to agree on anything,¡± she stated, and it was true, as Helene Elder liked to argue with her regarding anything.

    ¡°She may surprise you, just give her a chance,¡± he insisted.  ¡°She and my dad eloped, so she didn¡¯t get to plan her own wedding, and planning our wedding will help make up for that.¡±

    Somehow, it didn¡¯t seem right she wouldn¡¯t have a say in her own wedding.  ¡°If I¡¯m paying for the wedding, then I guess that means you are buying the rings.  I¡¯ve always wanted to have a three-carat diamond.¡±  She watched his expression as she spoke and had to force herself not to smile at his shocked expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can afford that large of a diamond,¡± he told her.

    ¡°Then I¡¯m not paying for the wedding your mother wants,¡± she stated with a smile.

    It took him a few seconds before he could respond to her, as he knew she could afford to pay for both the rings and the wedding without putting a dent in her pocket.  He would simply buy her a knock off diamond and she wouldn¡¯t ever know the difference.

    ¡°I could move in here with you right away, and after we¡¯re married, we can start looking for a larger home,¡± he told her

    She was shocked by his statement, as he of all people knew how much she loved her home.  ¡°Jarvis, I don¡¯t want a bigger house.¡±

    ¡°The place isn¡¯t very grand,¡± he stated, not caring how his remark about her home sounded to her.

    Her lips grew tight as his statement offended her.  ¡°The house might not be grand to you, but this is my home, and I love it.¡±  His words hurt her, as this was her dream house.  ¡°Then maybe my answer to you should be no.¡±  She forced herself not to grin at his traumatized expression.

    Jarvis quickly peddled backwards.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry.  I know you haven¡¯t lived here but for a few months, but after we¡¯re married, it will be our home, and I don¡¯t want to live in this house.  I¡¯ve just listed a 300,000 house that will be perfect for us, besides, with the money you have from the settlement with the police station, we could live in a mansion.¡±  As soon as the words were out, he was sorry, as she hadn¡¯t ever told him about the incident or about receiving a settlement.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    She knew by him mentioning the money, he must have researched her and found the article about her treatment at the police station and the settlement.  Not only did his statement make her angry, but also it was in poor taste.  The money left after buying her new home had been put into investments and couldn¡¯t just take out it out without paying a penalty.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that money isn¡¯t available.¡±  Not to him anyway, it wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± he asked, trying to keep his anger out of his voice.

    ¡°The money has been invested, and it¡¯s going to stay there, as it¡¯s for my future.¡±

    ¡°Once we¡¯re married it will be my money too.¡±

    His comment made this quick proposal more sense.  She wasn¡¯t an idiot, if she did marry him, she would be sure he signed a prenuptial agreement before the wedding, and if he didn¡¯t sign it, then there wouldn¡¯t be a wedding, simple as that.

    ¡°I think we could go out to dinner to celebrate us getting engaged.¡±

    She figured he must be desperate for the marriage, as she still hadn¡¯t accepted his proposal.  She would wait and see where their relationship went before actually saying their vows.  Besides, it might be fun to watch him work at getting her to say yes. ¡°That would be nice.¡±

    Of course, three days later, Skyler wasn¡¯t surprised that she hadn¡¯t liked any of Helene¡¯s suggestions for her wedding.  Not only didn¡¯t they agree on one single aspect for the wedding, Helene wanted to invite over one hundred guests to the wedding, while Skyler wanted to invite only a few of their closest friends to her wedding, the wedding she was paying for.  The last straw was the dress Helene had picked out for Skyler, as it was one of the ugliest dresses she ever seen.  Skyler was going to have to put an end to Helene¡¯s help, as no matter what, a bride should be able to pick out her own dress.

    The next time Jarvis was over, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring case, opened it and brought out a bright and shining three-carat diamond ring.  Since she knew, he wouldn¡¯t have put out the dough for a real diamond; she naturally assumed it was a Cubic Zirconia.

    Once the ring was on her finger, he began kissing her, slowly moving her towards her bedroom and soon they were lovers.  The experience wasn¡¯t what she would have liked but figured it would get better in time.

    While they were still in bed, she started to tell him again about his mother, but then his cell phone began ringing.

    ¡°I have to get this.¡±

    She expected him to let it go to voicemail, but it had a special ring, telling him exactly who was calling him. When he answered the phone, angry that he had taken the call while they had been in bed together, Skyler got up and started dressing.  Hearing his side of the conversation, she quickly realized his mother was on the other end, and that Helene was talking about the wedding dress she¡¯d chosen for Skyler.

    It had to be now or never, because she¡¯d decided either the wedding would be the way she wanted it or there wouldn¡¯t be one.  Now all she had to do was get Jarvis attention long enough to tell him what she¡¯d decided.

    ¡°Jarvis, we need to talk,¡± she said after he hung up from his mother.

    ¡°Yes, we do.¡±

    Skyler gave him a look, as she couldn¡¯t figure out what he wanted to talk about with her.  ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go into the kitchen and I¡¯ll fix us some coffee,¡± she said as he started getting dressed.

    Neither of them said anything until she turned on the Keurig to heat the water.  ¡°What did your mother want?¡±

    ¡°With my dad gone, she¡¯s all alone, so she has decided to move in with us.¡±

    Skyler so shocked by his statement, she gasped out loud.  He had to be kidding, as there wasn¡¯t any way she would ever live in the same house with that woman.  ¡°No,¡± she said forcefully.

    He gave her a puzzled look.  ¡°What do you mean no?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to say this just once.  I will have the wedding I want or there won¡¯t be a wedding, as I refuse to let your mother ruin our special day.  And if she moves in with us for even one day, I¡¯ll pack your stuff up and throw it out the front door and immediately file for a divorce.¡±

    He was shocked by her statement, as he had been expected her to say it was fine for his mother to live with them.  ¡°You can¡¯t mean that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do.  Your mother and I don¡¯t even like each other.  Jarvis, you have to choose, either me or her, as there isn¡¯t any way the two of us could live in the same house without coming to blows.¡±

    How dare Skyler expect him to choose her over his own mother!  ¡°I can¡¯t turn my back on my mother,¡± he started, assuming Skyler loved him enough to accept his mother in their home.

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to, I¡¯m just asking that your mother doesn¡¯t live in the same house with us.¡±

    He felt if he made her feel guilty, he could get her to change her mind.  ¡°I¡¯m not going to abandon my mother,¡± he said softly, giving her a pleading look.

    Suddenly, she had a feeling in her gut that told her that if she went ahead and married him, she would suffer horrible consequences, ones so bad, that she would always regret her decision to let him her life.  With that, she took off her engagement ring and handed it back to him.  ¡°Since you¡¯ve chosen your mother, you¡¯ll be wanting this back.  I hope you and your mother will have a nice life together.  Now please leave my home,¡± she said, with her back straight, as she wasn¡¯t going to back down.

    ¡°Skyler, you can¡¯t mean this,¡± he asked staring at the Cubic Zirconia ring in his hands.

    ¡°I do mean it, as I refuse to play second fiddle to your mother for another day.¡±

    Her comment made him mad, as what a rude thing to say about his mother.  ¡°When you change your mind, give me a call,¡± he said, turned and walked out the door.  He was confident that once she came to her senses, she would be calling him to take her back, deciding that when she did call, he would make her wait a few extra days before he took her back just to teach her a lesson for breaking up with him.

    She didn¡¯t respond to his comment, but simply closed the door before he could say anymore.  Once the door was closed and locked to prevent him from walking back in, she leaned against it.  Suddenly she felt relieved that this farce of a relationship was over.  It was then she realized she hadn¡¯t really been in love with him, for if she had, the breakup would more traumatic for her.

    Skyler called Brooke and Mallory asking them to meet her for drinks to tell them that her wedding to Jarvis was off.  The two women were very supportive, telling her they thought she¡¯d done the right thing by breaking up with him.   Behind her back, Brooke and Mallory were doing a high five, relieved to know Jarvis was out of their friend¡¯s life.  He may have had Skyler fooled, but they knew he was just after her money.

    * * *

    When Jarvis returned home, he called his mother to tell her there wasn¡¯t going to be a wedding.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Helene Elder answered.

    ¡°Mom, there isn¡¯t going to be a wedding.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked, disappointedly, as she knew Skyler was wealthy, enough that she¡¯d planned to buy new bedroom furniture and clothes on her penny.

    Jarvis didn¡¯t know quite what to say, as if he told her the truth, it would break her heart to know she was the cause of broken engagement.  ¡°We couldn¡¯t agree on some important matters regarding our marriage.¡±

    ¡°Maybe after she has had time to think about her decision, she¡¯ll call and make up.¡±

    ¡°I can only hope.¡±

    ¡°Give her a week and I bet she¡¯ll be missing you.¡±

    But the call from Skyler would never come.

 Chapter Thirteen

    Isaac Ackley glanced over to where Skyler sat with her lunch front of her, concerned when he noticed the tired expression on her face.  He knew she¡¯d been putting in long hours lately in the hopes of finishing their latest project, but he was afraid it was more than work that had her upset.

    Wanting to cheer her up, he started towards her.  When he reached her table, he scanned the food in front of her; he became worried, as he could tell she hadn¡¯t touched any of it at all.  ¡°You should try to eat something.¡±

    Skyler gasped as she looked up at him, as she hadn¡¯t even noticed Isaac had joined her.  ¡°I know, but my stomach just won¡¯t stop rolling.¡±  She kept her hands on her belly hoping if she tried hard enough, she could will it to calm down so she could eat at least some of her lunch.

    ¡°Do you want to talk about what¡¯s bothering you?¡± he asked.  He wished she would say she¡¯d broken up with that idiot boyfriend of hers, but that would never happen, as according to some of the women in the office, he was too much of a catch to throw back.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just been under a great deal of stress lately.¡±  As she¡¯d been worried about getting her latest project done before the deadline.  She knew Isaac was interested in her but had kept his attraction to himself because of her engagement to Jarvis.  She knew that if she told him about her breaking up with him, most likely, he would ask her out on a date.

    She wasn¡¯t sure if she was ready to get back up in the saddle just yet, but if she did, it wouldn¡¯t be with a coworker.  For if the romance ended, it would be very uncomfortable for them to continue working together.  And for that reason alone, she wouldn¡¯t get involved with him.

    Isaac crossed his arms.  ¡°You best start talking, as I¡¯m not leaving until you tell me what¡¯s wrong.  After you tell me, I promise to do my best to make you smile.¡±

    At his comment, she did give him a weak smile.  ¡°It mostly because of work, but some of it is the fact that I broke up with Jarvis,¡± she said, watching his expression for his reaction.

    He frowned, as he knew she had loved the man enough to marry him, so he now understood her expression.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡± he said sincerely.  ¡°Was he unfaithful?¡±

    ¡°No, he wanted his mother to live with us.¡±

    He made of face of surprise.  ¡°Ouch!  Why would he want that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure really.  Since she and I can¡¯t stand each other, I refused to marry him and live in the same house with that women.  When I told Jarvis, he had to pick one of us, I was quite stunned that he chose his mother over me.¡±

    ¡°What a dumb man,¡± he muttered while trying to think of a way to ask her out.

    She simply nodded.

    ¡°If he¡¯s smart, he¡¯ll be calling soon to tell you that he¡¯s sorry and that he wants you back.¡±

    She shook her head.  ¡°He should have thought of that before he opted for her, as now it¡¯s too late.  His decision had consequences, so he will have to live with them.¡±

    ¡°In that case, would you go with me to the company party tonight?¡± he asked, crossing his fingers under the table in the hopes she would say yes.

    She was worried that if she accepted his offer, he might think there was a chance they would become an item.  ¡°Thank you for asking, but I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    He was disappointed by her response.  ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think coworkers should date as I¡¯ve heard too many stories of what happens once they quit dating.¡±

    ¡°How about if we go as coworkers and nothing more,¡± he said, knowing very well when the evening ended, he planned to steal a kiss from her.  He knew she found him attractive, as he¡¯d seen how she¡¯d looked at him when she first started, and if he played his cards just right, maybe he could get her in bed.

    ¡°Then I¡¯d be happy to go with you tonight.¡±

    Isaac wanted to dance for joy but refrained from showing his excitement of her acceptance.  ¡°You better eat up, or your stomach will be growling during our afternoon meeting,¡± he said as he stood.  ¡°I¡¯ll see you in the conference room.¡±  He waved goodbye, then took off with a happy step to his walk.

    She ate what she could, then cleaned up her lunch mess, and headed back to her office to get some writing materials for their meeting.  When she entered the conference room, she took a chair at the far end of the room.  When Isaac entered the room, he headed straight for her.

    ¡°Do you mind if I sit next to you?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± she replied, now regretting accepting his offer to the company party, but didn¡¯t say so as he sat down next to her.

    As the room filled up around them, they talked about work related items until Herb Goodman entered the room.  When everyone became quiet, he told the employees that they needed a new woman¡¯s perfume for the Adler¡¯s Account.  As an incentive, they were making it into a contest and the person with the best formula would receive a check for ten thousand dollars.

    Isaac just knew he had to win, as the money would be enough to pay off his credit cards, which were all maxed out.  As he sat there trying to calculate a new formula in his head, Skyler leaned over to his ear.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to turn in the new formula I just finished working on at home for the contest.  I call it Rose Petal.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± he muttered.  Since she had a reputation for creating exceptional scents, he knew he had to find a way to get his hands on her new formula and enter it as his.  Since she¡¯d been working on it at home, he figured that where he needed to be in order to get his hands on it.  Since time was critical, if he was going to steal it, it would have to be tonight or never.

    He had some Rohypnol at home, a well- known date rape drug that was odorless, colorless and tasteless.  It would be perfect for what he needed tonight, as when it¡¯s slipped into a drink, it promoted loss of inhibition, memory loss, and confusion.  It would be perfect for tonight, as he didn¡¯t want her to have any memory of him being in her home when she found out that her new formula had been stolen. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    * * *

    When they reached the hotel, Isaac told her that he was going to get them some drinks.  He ordered two glasses of wine, and after the bartender handed them to him, he quickly dropped a tablet into one of them.  Once it had dissolved, he picked up a swizzle stick, placed it in the glass, and mixed the drug into the wine, then dropped the swizzle stick into the trash and started towards Skyler.

    Skyler thanked Isaac when he brought her a glass a wine, but she just held the glass as she visited with some of her coworkers.  As they stood there talking, she was confused why Isaac was staring at her the way he was.

    When she realized he was waiting for her to take a sip of her drink, she didn¡¯t know what to do, as she hated wine.  Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she put the glass up to her lips and pretended to take a drink.  As soon as she did that, Isaac sighed.

    Skyler was confused by his reaction, as it didn¡¯t make any sense to her why he wanted to be sure that she drank the wine he¡¯d brought her.  Then it came to her that since he hadn¡¯t asked her what kind of drink she wanted; he¡¯d been worried she might not like what he¡¯d selected.  It never occurred to her that it could be drugged, as she trusted him.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I see Marsha Davison over by the stage.  I need to talk to her before the program start, but I¡¯ll be back in a moment,¡± she told him.  ¡°I¡¯ll meet you at our table.¡±

    ¡°Okay, see you in a bit.¡±

    On her way to see Marsha, Skyler stopped at the bar and ordered a Screwdriver, leaving the full glass of wine behind.  By the time, she¡¯d finished with Marsha, it almost time to find Isaac and go sit down.  On the way to her table, she stopped at the bar and got a second one to have with her dinner, relieved Isaac didn¡¯t ask anything about the wine he had brought her.

    Not used to more than one drink, Skyler was tipsy by the end of the evening.  So, when Isaac followed her into the house, she didn¡¯t think to stop him from kissing her.  Then one thing leaded to another, and soon they were headed toward her bedroom.  She hadn¡¯t planned to go to bed with Isaac, but he created a hot fire in her, something Jarvis hadn¡¯t ever accomplished in all the time they¡¯d been together.  The bed activity was fast and furious, and five minutes later, she had passed out.

    Isaac didn¡¯t feel guilty for what he was about to do, which said a lot about his character.  Since she was one of a greatest chemist in the country, he knew that once he had her new formula in his hands, he was going to be the winner of that ten-thousand-dollar price money.

    He quickly dressed, then hurried into the living room where Skyler had her laptop.  When he reached it, he quickly opened it up and pushed the power button.  When the desk top screen appeared, Isaac let out a soft sigh of relief to see she didn¡¯t have password protection on her computer.

    When he opened the computer files, he swiftly found the file marked perfume formula, but before he could do anything else, he heard a noise, and his head jerked upwards.  Thinking he¡¯d been caught, his heart started pounding in his chest and his mouth suddenly went dry.

    When he saw the tom cat heading his way, he relaxed, and his attention returned to the laptop in front of him.  He took the flash drive out of his pocket, inserted into the computer and without even bothering to open the file, he swiftly copied it. Once that was done, he removed the flash drive and stuck it into his pocket.  He turned off the power, closed the lid of the laptop, and placed it back where he found it.  Once that was done, he made his way to the front door.

    As he closed the door, he was grinning, as with the amount of drug he¡¯d given her, there wasn¡¯t any way she¡¯d remember him ever being in her home.  So, he when he presented her formula as his and she accused him of stealing her formula, and he knew she would, he would just claim he¡¯d come up with the same formula on his own.

    * * *

    The next morning when Skyler woke, she was a bit embarrassed to the fact she and Isaac had slept together last night.  She turned her head to see if he was awake and was surprised to see the bed was empty next to her.  Being that it was still early, she assumed he must be somewhere in her home, so she threw on some clothes and went to search him out.

    Finding the house empty, she decided it was for the best as it could be embarrassing for both.  With that in mind, she headed for her laptop to finish working on her formula for the Adler¡¯s Account, and so engrossed with working on her new creation, Isaac was soon forgotten.

    * * *

    That Monday morning meeting started with Herb Goodman saying that Isaac would be presenting first.

    Isaac walked up to the front of the room, stuck his flash drive into the laptop and began clicking on the keys.  He wasn¡¯t sure what was going to happen once Skyler realized what he¡¯d done, but with her not having any memory of him being at her place last night, it would be her words against his.

    Once he was ready for his Power Point presentation, he turned to his coworkers as he brought up the screen with the stolen formula on it.  ¡°I call this simply Rose.¡±

    When he heard a female gasp, he knew Skyler was now aware of what he¡¯d done, but when she didn¡¯t speak up to accuse him of stealing her formula, he assumed she had decided not to say anything, so he went on with his report.  After he was finished, he asked if anyone had any questions, and Skyler stood and faced him.

    When Skyler saw her partial formula up on the screen, she couldn¡¯t believe this had happened to her a second time, but she wasn¡¯t worried by what Isaac had stolen.  ¡°Have you even looked at your so-called formula?¡±

    ¡°Since I created it, of course I have,¡± he said bravely, then looked over at the screen, and as soon as he saw the formula, he instantly knew he¡¯d made a huge mistake.

    ¡°If you had created it; you would have known it wasn¡¯t a complete formula,¡± she replied with a wicked smile.  ¡°You stole it from me on Friday night.  I bet you drugged that glass of wine you gave me, thinking that I wouldn¡¯t have any memory of you inviting yourself into my bed.¡±

    Skyler so angry with Isaac, she didn¡¯t realize she¡¯d just told all her coworker that she¡¯d had sex with Isaac.  ¡°Since I didn¡¯t drink any of it, my memory of that night is very clear.  The whole date was just so you had an excuse be in my home to steal my formula, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Herb stood, livid for something like this had happened at his company.  ¡°I want you both in my office immediately.¡±  Since he was aware why Skyler had left her last company, he was worried this incident may cause her to leave this one too.  He dreaded the thought, as hiring her had been one of his greatest accomplishments.

    Once they were in his office, he closed the door and motioned for the other two to sit down.  ¡°Isaac, can you verify that the formula is actually yours?¡± he asked, though he knew who had truly created the formula.

    Skyler started to interrupt, but Herb held his hand up to silence her.  His actions made her wonder if he thought she had lied about the incident at Logan¡¯s Make-Up.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s mine.  I haven¡¯t any reason to steal someone else¡¯s formula,¡± Isaac replied hatefully.

    ¡°Isaac, you have ten thousand reasons to steal someone else¡¯s work.  Everyone in the room knew what you had up on the screen wasn¡¯t a completed formula.  You still want me to believe you created that formula?¡±

    ¡°In the excitement of the contest, I¡¯d simply forgot to finish it.¡±

    Herb doubted his words but decided to give him a chance to admit it on his own.  ¡°If that¡¯s true, then finish it now.¡±

    Knowing he¡¯d blew it, as there wasn¡¯t any way he could do that, he decided it was best just to admit the truth.  ¡°Okay, I stole her formula.¡±

    ¡°You know what this means don¡¯t you?¡± he asked the young man before him.

    ¡°It means I just screwed myself out of a job.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Isaac was escorted to his office where his belongings were quickly packed up.  After everything was in boxes, he and his belongings were escorted to the front door, where he was told never to return.

    After Isaac had been taken care of, Skyler and Herb returned to the meeting.  When Skyler presented her formula to the group, she also passed out a small sample of her creation to everyone to try.

    Herb was thrilled with her inventiveness of having a sample of her perfume and everyone in the room raved that she had to be the winner as her new creation was perfect for the Adler¡¯s account.

    Skyler felt bad that Isaac had lost his job, but he had done it to himself.  It wasn¡¯t going to be easy to replace him, but luckily, for her, that job wasn¡¯t her responsibility.  Of course, with his dismissal, some of his responsibilities would fall on her until they hired someone new.

 Chapter Fourteen

    When Holden Dawson arrived home from work, his mind was on finding a way to get his wife back in his bed.  She was angry with him because his company was sending him to the Bahamas, and he wouldn¡¯t let her go with him.  Since he would be busy with meetings and unable to spend time with her, he¡¯d told her that there wasn¡¯t any point of her going along.  Hurt by his refusal, she told him to sleep in the guest room.

    As Holden stepped into the kitchen, Lisa gasped, as he didn¡¯t usually come home until straight up five, and the clock had just struck four.  ¡°Holden, I didn¡¯t expect you for another hour,¡± she said tensely.  She slowly moved to the salad bowls that were on the counter and stood in front of them, hoping her husband hadn¡¯t noticed her jumpy behavior.  ¡°Is everything okay?¡±

    Holden was confused why his wife of two years was acting as if she was guilty of something.  He couldn¡¯t think of what it could be, other than she regretted keeping him out of her bed.

    ¡°I finished working on my project, so instead of starting a new one, I decided to come home early to get ready for my trip.  Is there anything I can do to help with dinner?¡±

    Her eyes turned to him.  ¡°Why would you ask that?¡±

    He gave her a perplexed look, as he didn¡¯t see anything strange by his question.  ¡°Since I¡¯m home early, I was offering to help with dinner.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.  You go watch the news, and dinner will be ready at our regular time.¡±

    He thought about giving her a kiss before he left the kitchen, but she turned away from him.  Thinking she was still mad at him, he went on into the living room, sat down in his favorite chair and turned on the television.  When a story came on about Dixon¡¯s Cosmetics, he soon forgot his wife¡¯s strange behavior.

    * * *

    Lisa couldn¡¯t believe the one day she didn¡¯t want her husband to be in the house, Holden had come home early.  But she wasn¡¯t going to let that fact change her plans, as she didn¡¯t think she could wait another day to carry out her mission.

    When the timer rang, she grabbed two potholders and took the roasting pan out of the oven.  Once it was out, she shut the oven door with her foot, and set the pan on the counter.  After she cut some of the meat and put it in a serving dish, she put it on the table.  She then returned to the kitchen to get the rest of their meal, and after everything was on the table, she called Holden that it was time to eat.

    When Holden entered the dining room, he was surprised to see Lisa was still acting oddly.  He hoped she would tell him what the problem was before the meal started, and if not, it was going to be a long stressful meal.  After he shook the bottle of Ranch dressing, he opened it and poured some on top his salad.  After he closed the lid, he picked up his fork and stuck it into his salad to mix the dressing, then he stuck the fork into a piece of lettuce.  Just as he was bringing up to his mouth, he heard a sound and glanced up at his wife and was confused why Lisa was staring intensely at him instead of eating her own dinner.

    ¡°Are you going to tell me why you¡¯re acting so nervous?¡± he asked, his fork posed close to his lips.

    Lisa let out a forced laugh as she quickly glanced away from the salad on his fork.  ¡°I¡¯m not nervous.¡±  Of course, that was a lie, as she was poisoning her husband tonight.  She wasn¡¯t trying to kill him; she only wanted him to be too ill to go to the Bahamas so she could go with Lenny Porter on the trip.

    Lisa had met Lenny last year at one of her husband¡¯s company dinner parties, and a short time later, they started seeing each other on the sly.  Since the tickets were already bought, she would go in her husband¡¯s place and once there, she would tell Lenny that she was expecting his child.  She hoped he would ask her to marry him, as then she would leave her husband and they could start a life together.

    She¡¯d only married Holden because of his money he¡¯d inherited from his father, and if he hadn¡¯t made her signed that blasted prenuptial agreement, she would have divorced him months ago.   Now that she was expecting Lenny¡¯s child, she thought that when she divorced her husband, thinking she was having his child, Holden would pay child support.

    The two had come up with a plan to poison Holden.  Lenny had given her some Botulinum Toxin that he had left over from some of his Botox experiments.  The amount she¡¯d used for a man Holden¡¯s size would only cause unexplained sudden loss of strength, some muscle weakness, and maybe some problem with his breathing.  It wouldn¡¯t be life threatening for Holden, but for her it would be a different story.

    Lenny told her to be careful when she handled the toxin, as they knew from a prior experience with a Botox treatment that she was extremely allergic to the toxin.  Since Lisa suffered from severe migraines, her doctor thought that Botox might help relieve the headaches.

    At the time of her one and only treatment, the doctor had only injected the first of twelve injections, when she started having trouble breathing as well as a mild case of muscle paralysis throughout her body.  Since the needle was still in her skin, the doctor quickly pulled back the plunger and withdrew as much of the toxin as he could, and his swift actions had saved her life.  She was then rushed to the hospital, where she remained for two weeks recuperating from the toxin reaction.   So, if she should accidently ingest any of the dose, she was giving her six foot, two-hundred-pound husband to weaken him, the toxin would kill her within seconds.

    She had put Botulinum Toxin in his salad bowl, the one with the grated carrot, while her carrots were cut into bite size pieces.

    ¡°You sure have me fooled.  Are you sure there isn¡¯t something wrong but you¡¯re too afraid to tell me?¡±

    His question hit too close to home.  ¡°Not of course not.  It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve fixed a new recipe for the roast and I¡¯m worried you might not like it.¡±

    Holden ate the lettuce off the fork, then stuck it into a small piece of meat and ate it.  ¡°It¡¯s very good.  I think you should fix this again sometime.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡±  Hoping to get his mind off her not eating, she jammed her fork into the lettuce and placed it in her mouth.  She had chewed several times when she felt a tightening of her muscles of her throat as paralysis began to creep through her body. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Stunned by the feeling, Lisa looked down at her salad bowl and seeing the grated carrots in her bowl, she instant realized her mistake.  In her apprehension of what she was planning for her husband, instead of giving the poison laced salad to Holden, she had accidently given it to herself.  Though it was now too late to rectify her error, she hoped that once she died, Holden would be accused of killing her, as she hated him that much.

    When Holden realized something wrong with his wife, he jumped up and rush to her side, but before he could reach her, she fell from her chair.  He knelt to her in the hope of being able to help her, but when she quit breathing, he knew it was too late to offer her any aid.

    He called 911 and explained what had happened, and as soon as help arrived, Lisa was taken away.  Holden sat down on the front porch and cried for the loss of the love of his life.  Once he was able to compose himself, he called work to tell them he wouldn¡¯t be able to go on the trip because of his wife had just passed away.

    When Lenny learned that Holden¡¯s wife had died, he was glad, as he knew Lisa was expecting him to marry her, but he had just been using her to get back at Holden for getting the promotion instead of him.  He knew what must have happened, but curious if Holden knew his wife had tried to poison him, he drove over to his place so he could speak with Holden.  When he arrived at Holden¡¯s home, he was surprised to see his friend sitting on the front porch crying.  Now felt bad for the affair he¡¯d been having with his wife, as Holden¡¯s tears told him that he¡¯d truly loved his wife.

    When Holden saw Lenny pull into his driveway, he quickly wiped his tears away.  Since the two of them had been on bad terms since he got the promotion, he was stunned to see him here.

    ¡°I just heard about Lisa, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± he stated sincerely as he laid his hand of his friend¡¯s back.

    ¡°Thanks, Lenny.¡±  Holden was touched that he had drove to his home instead of just calling.

    ¡°Do you know what happened?¡±  He didn¡¯t tell Holden what he thought it might be the cause of her death on the off chance he was wrong.

    Holden shook his head.  ¡°Don¡¯t know yet.  We were eating dinner; she took a bite of her salad and then she fell to the floor.¡±

    They were still sitting there when a police car and a second car arrived and parked in front of the house.

    Lenny didn¡¯t like the looks of this.  ¡°Why are they here?¡±

    ¡°I guess they¡¯re here to investigate Lisa¡¯s death,¡± Holden told him.

    Lenny began to panic, as he didn¡¯t want to be connected to the death of Holden¡¯s wife.  ¡°I think I better go.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for stopping by.  I can¡¯t tell you how much this means to me that you took the time to come see me.¡±

    Lenny felt like an ass now for getting involved with his wife, as it hadn¡¯t been Holden¡¯s fault that he¡¯d gotten the promotion instead of him.  He just hoped his friend never learned that he¡¯d been screwing his wife; for they wouldn¡¯t ever be able to mend their friendship.

    Two men got out of the dark sedan, and two officers followed behind them.  Lenny nodded at them as he walked pass them to his car, and the four nodded back at him.  He hurried to his car and quickly left before they could question him.

    Holden stood as the men walked towards him.

    ¡°I¡¯m Detective Greg Matthews, and this is my partner Thomas Parker.  Just got a call from the coroner, who told us your wife died of Botulinum Toxin.  We want to search your home for any clues that might tell us how your wife happened to ingest the poison.¡±

    ¡°Our dinner is still on the table.  I didn¡¯t touch anything after the ambulance took Lisa away.¡±

    Greg studied the man before him.  He could tell the man had been crying, which told him that he was sad at the loss of his wife, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have anything to do with her death.  ¡°Do we need to get a search warrant?¡±  Greg asked him.

    Holden shook his head.  ¡°No need, as I haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡±

    Their meal and dishes were taken away to be analyzed, and after the remains of their meal had been tested, the detectives returned to take Holden in for questioning.

    ¡°We¡¯ve found the toxin in your wife¡¯s salad, but not yours.  Her fingerprints were found on both bowls, but yours were only on the bowl that wasn¡¯t tainted.  Care to explain why that is?¡±  Detective Parker asked.

    ¡°Lisa fixed the salads, as well as placed everything on the table.  I don¡¯t understand how the poison came to be in our home or why it was just in her food.¡±

    ¡°Are you telling us you didn¡¯t poison your wife?¡±  Thomas asked him, keeping his eyes on Holden¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Why would I want to do that?  We were happily married,¡± he replied, giving the officer a sincere look.

    ¡°I have to tell you that if we decide to press murder charges against you, it will be for two deaths.¡±  Detective Parker watched him closely for his reaction.

    ¡°Two?  Are you saying Lisa was pregnant?¡± he asked.  Tears filled his eyes at the thought of losing his wife and the child he hadn¡¯t known about yet.

    Detective Parker was surprised to see the man¡¯s reaction.  ¡°Yes, didn¡¯t you know?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been very careful in that regard as my wife wanted to wait another year before starting a family,¡± he replied while looking off to the distance.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re a scientist, do you have access to the toxin that killed your wife?¡±

    Holden looked back to the detective.  ¡°Not really.  The gentleman that was at my home when you arrive the first time, works with the toxin, but I handle just cancer treatment drugs.¡±

    When Lenny learned of Holden¡¯s arrest, he knew he had to come forth with the truth of the incident that had killed Lisa, as he couldn¡¯t live with himself if Holden was sent to prison for something, he wasn¡¯t guilty of doing.

    Though Holden was innocent, he wasn¡¯t surprised when he was arrested for the death of his wife and unborn child, but wondered how could the toxin have gotten into her salad bowl?  After Lenny¡¯s confession of giving Lisa the drug and that he was probably the father of the baby, Holden was released.  Learning of Lenny¡¯s involvement with Lisa and thus partially to blame for the death of his wife and her child, he refused to speak with his friend.

    * * *

    Knowing that his wife had been unfaithful, Holden was saddened to learn the baby hadn¡¯t been his after all.   As days turned into weeks, then into months, Holden slowly began to heal from his wife¡¯s betrayal.  Just when he thought, his life would soon be normal again, Jackson¡¯s Drugs, the company he worked for, decided to file bankruptcy and let all their employees go.

    Since he wasn¡¯t a US citizen, with his wife dead and no job to speak of, he knew he would have to return to Canada.  Returning to the country he was born wasn¡¯t so bad, but after living here for as long as he had, he thought of United States as home.  A week later, Holden received the paperwork that was about to change his life.  Needing someone to talk to, he called his good friend Max Grove to see if he could help.

    ¡°Max, this is Holden.  I need your input on my situation, as I¡¯ve just received my deportation papers.  Can we meet somewhere for lunch and talk over what options I may have?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll meet you for lunch at our usual place.¡±  Max already knew all about Holden¡¯s dilemma, as he was aware what the lost job meant to him.

    The two men met a Wendy¡¯s restaurant and after they¡¯d received their order, they went to sit down in the far corner of the restaurant that would offer them the most privacy.  After they discussed all of Holden¡¯s options, they decided to apply for an extension, hoping he would find work in the meantime.

    A week later, Holden received a month extension, which stated that if he didn¡¯t find employment or find a bride in the allotted time, they gave him, he would have to return to his home country.

    Holden applied to every job he could, even the ones he was overqualified for, as right now, it didn¡¯t matter what kind of job he had, only that he had one.  He had a few interviews, but he wasn¡¯t ever hired and before he knew it, his extension was about to end, so he called his friend again.

    ¡°Max, my time is almost up.  I need help your again.¡±

    ¡°Meet me at Wendy¡¯s and we¡¯ll discuss what options you have left.¡±

 Chapter Fifteen

    When lunch time arrived, Skyler decided to have a quick sandwich at the local Wendy¡¯s Restaurant.  After she had gotten her food, she went over to a table by the window, and sat down.  She hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to the two men sitting at the table behind her, as her mind was on Isaac and his betrayal, as she¡¯d lost a friend this morning.  It wasn¡¯t until Skyler was cleaning up her lunch that she heard what was being said behind her, and thinking it was an interested topic, she continued to listen to their conversation.

    ¡°Holden, all you have to do is find a wife in the next twenty-four hours, and then you¡¯ll be able to stay in the county,¡± Max Grove told his friend.

    Holden shook his head.  ¡°It would be easier for me to find a new job as a scientist than for me to find some stranger to marry me on this short of notice.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± he said sarcastically.  ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯ve been trying to do for the last month?¡±

    ¡°A real friend wouldn¡¯t mention that,¡± Holden teased his friend good-naturally.

    Max shook his head.  ¡°Holden, I am a real friend, but I can¡¯t produce a miracle out of a hat.¡±

    ¡°What woman would want to marry an unemployed scientist?¡±

    Hearing that question and thinking she could be of some assistance, Skyler stood and started towards their table.  As her eyes fell on the young man who need a job or a wife, her mouth fell open, as he was one of the best-looking man she¡¯d ever seen, who had the bluest eyes that were at this moment looking directly at her.

    When Holden saw someone had stepped up to their table, he looked up and was surprised to see a beautiful woman staring at him.  ¡°May I help you,¡± Holden asked her.

    Skyler blushed at being caught staring at him.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry to intrude, but I happened to overhear your predicament and I thought I might be able to help you with your problem.¡±

    ¡°Not only do you have some nerve listening to our private conversation but then have the gall to give us advice,¡± Max told her loudly, angry this woman had eavesdropped on their private conversation.

    ¡°Max, will you please shut up and let the woman talk.¡±  Holden turned back towards Skyler.  ¡°Would you care to join us?¡±

    ¡°Okay, how can you help my friend?¡±  Max¡¯s cold eyes never left hers.

    She didn¡¯t take offense to the friend¡¯s rude behavior.  ¡°Thank you.  First, I must apologize for listening to your confidential conversation.  I didn¡¯t hear why you had to find a job or a wife, but when I heard you were a scientist, it caught my attention.¡±

    ¡°I originally came here on a job visa, and when I married my wife who was a US citizen, I didn¡¯t need to worry about being deported, but she died six months ago.  Recently the company, I was working for let all their employees go, which caused me to lose my visa.  Because of those factors, I¡¯m being deported to back to Canada,¡± Holden told her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear about your wife,¡± Skyler told him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± he replied, thinking of his wife¡¯s infinity and the fact that she¡¯d tried to poison him so she could be with her lover.

    Shocked by his statement, she started backing away as she was uncomfortable by the fact, he could say something like that about his deceased wife.  ¡°I think I should be going,¡± Skyler said.

    Holden instantly regretted his earlier reply.  ¡°Please wait and let me explain about my comment, then you¡¯ll understand why I said what I did.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m listening.¡±  She would listen, but that didn¡¯t mean she was going to believe a word he said.

    Holden promptly told her about Lisa dying because she had tried to poison him, but instead she¡¯d accidently ingested it herself.

    Skyler was shocked by what he told her, so much so she wasn¡¯t sure if she believed him.

    She looked over at Max and he nodded at her.  ¡°He¡¯s telling the truth.  If she hadn¡¯t ingested the poison herself, Holden might have been the one who¡¯d died.¡±

    ¡°Where do you work?¡±  Holden asked to get her mind off his comment about Lisa.

    ¡°I work for Dixon¡¯s Cosmetics.¡±

    Holden smiled at her comment.  ¡°They¡¯ve been in the news a lot lately.¡±

    ¡°I know for a fact that we have a job opening as one of our employees was fired just this morning.  What are your credentials?¡±

    When he told her the names of the two companies, he¡¯d work for over the last five years, Skyler knew that Scott Raine, the HR manager would be crazy not to hire this man to take Isaac¡¯s place.

    ¡°If you like, you can come back to the office with me and fill out an application for the job.  I can¡¯t guarantee Scott will hire you today, but at least you¡¯ve given it a shot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± he replied with a smile.

    ¡°In case you don¡¯t get hired today, couldn¡¯t you get an extension to stay here until you find another job?¡±

    ¡°I did, but that time is now up.¡±

    ¡°I tell you what,¡± she started; as she¡¯d decided this man should be able to stay in this country.  ¡°If you don¡¯t get hired today, I¡¯ll marry you myself.¡±  She waited for the feeling of dread to hit her, but it didn¡¯t appear.

    Max laughed.  ¡°Now why would you do that?¡± he said in a nasty tone, wondering if she knew how much his friend was worth.

    She looked coldly at Max.  ¡°I just feel with Holden¡¯s experience, he¡¯d be a great asset to our company.  That and I would hate to see him sent back to Canada when I could have prevented it.¡±

    Max started to say something else, but Holden interrupted before he could.  ¡°Thank you for your offer, but don¡¯t you have someone in your life that you rather marry?¡±

    ¡°I did, but he chose his mother over me, so now he¡¯s history,¡± she stated, not hiding the relief of not marrying Jarvis from him.

    ¡°His stupidity is my good fortune and I accept your offer with the option that we dissolve the marriage with an annulment after I get a new job.¡±

    ¡°I can live with that,¡± she muttered.  She was a bit disappointed to know it wouldn¡¯t be a long-lasting marriage or one where they would have sex.  She blushed when thoughts of making love to this good-looking man filled her head.  ¡°Since we don¡¯t know each other, we should sign a prenuptial agreement to protect our assets,¡± she said quickly, hoping to take the man¡¯s mind off her blush.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°That¡¯s the smartest thing you¡¯ve said so far,¡± Max piped up.

    Holden wondered what had caused her cheeks to turn a shade of light red, but his friend¡¯s comment caused him to give Max a look that said for him to keep out of their conversation.

    Skyler didn¡¯t notice the exchange between the two men as she was digging in her purse.  ¡°Here is my business card.  Do you want to follow me to the office to fill out the application or stop by later?¡± she asked as she looked up at Holden.

    He took her card.  ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be late getting back to work, so I¡¯ll be there as soon as I can.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in any hurry.  If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll sit with you while you finish your lunch.¡±

    Holden grabbed what was left of his fries and quickly stuck them in his mouth.  ¡°That¡¯s okay, I¡¯m ready to leave,¡± he said, as he didn¡¯t want to lose the possibility of getting a job.

    The three of them stood and started for the door.  When they got outside, Holden started walking her to her car.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked, as she was afraid that he had lied to her about looking for a job.

    ¡°I¡¯m walking you to your car.¡±

    Her eyes widen by his comment.  ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡±

    He smiled at her.  ¡°I know I don¡¯t have to, but a gentleman should always walk a lady to her car.¡±

    She put her hand up to her lips and whispered behind her hand.  ¡°I should tell you that I¡¯m not always a lady,¡± she said with a smile.

    He chuckled at her comment.  ¡°I find that hard to believe.¡±

    ¡°You should hear me when I get angry as sometimes, I say some very colorful words.¡±

    Holden laughed at her statement.  ¡°If we ever get married, I¡¯ll have to be sure not to infuriate you.¡±

    He opened her car door and she looked back at him.  ¡°Somehow I don¡¯t see you ever doing anything to make me mad at you.¡±

    He smiled an ornery grin.  ¡°The day¡¯s still young.¡±

    She chuckled.  ¡°I¡¯ll see you at my office.¡±

    * * *

    When Holden pulled into a parking spot, she started towards his car, reaching it just as he got out.  ¡°Isn¡¯t your friend coming in with you?¡± she asked when she saw Max had remained in his own car talking on his cell phone.

    ¡°No, he¡¯s trying to find a way for me to stay in the country if this interview doesn¡¯t pan out.¡±

    ¡°Have you two been friends long?¡± she asked, thinking the two men didn¡¯t seem to be of the same caliber.

    ¡°Since we were in grade school.  He moved here after he was married, so he was able to help me with all the paperwork necessary for me to work in this country.¡±

    Skyler took Holden to the Human Resource office and introduced him to Scott.  After he filled out the application and handed it to him, Scott told him that he had several other applications to go over and would contact him as soon as he could.

    When Holden stepped out of HR office, Skyler hurried to him.  ¡°When do you start?¡±

    ¡°He let me fill out an application, but I didn¡¯t get an interview as he has several other applicants to meet with first.¡±

    She was surprised by his statement, as she assumed Scott would jump at the chance of hiring someone with Holden¡¯s experience.  ¡°You showed him your resume?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he didn¡¯t seem all that impressed.¡±

    She shook her head in anger.  ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s an ass and is planning to fill the position with one of his relatives.¡±

    Holden laughed.  ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do, as he¡¯s already hired five of his cousins.  He wants to hire more, and before you know it; his family will be running this company,¡± she replied angrily.

    ¡°Want else can I do?¡± he asked helplessly.

    ¡°I would like for Mr. Goodman to see your resume before Scott has a chance to rule you out as an employee, but he¡¯s out of the office until next week.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve done your best to get me a job, so don¡¯t feel bad that it didn¡¯t work out.¡±

    ¡°If we hurry, we can get married at the courthouse today, and then at least you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being sent back to Canada while we wait for Mr. Goodman to return.¡±

    He took hold of her hand.  ¡°I really appreciate your marriage offer, but I can¡¯t let you do it.¡±

    ¡°I should tell you that not only am I not a virgin, but I¡¯ve been with two different men this week,¡± she said as if he hadn¡¯t spoken.  ¡°I know that sounds sort of bad, but Jarvis was my fianc¨¦e.  When we broke up Isaac was helping me mend my broken heart by getting me tippy and taking me to bed.  Of course, when he tried to steal my formula for a new perfume, things fell apart with the two of us.¡±

    ¡°Skyler, you don¡¯t have to tell me your life sexual history.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do, as my husband you have the right to know.¡±

    He gave her a weak smile.  ¡°I¡¯m not going to hold you to your marriage offer.¡±

    ¡°I bet Max would tell you that you¡¯re making a mistake if you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll accept that bet.¡±  He squeezed her hand as they started towards the parking lot, he was instantly stunned by the desire the simple touch had caused.

    When he got to his car, he motioned for Max to step out.  ¡°I need you to tell this woman why I can¡¯t marry her.¡±

    Max just shook his head to the negative.  ¡°I can¡¯t do that my friend as I think she¡¯s the answer to your prayers.¡±

    ¡°Max, you can¡¯t mean that,¡± he said giving his friend a confused look.  ¡°Skyler and I are complete strangers; how do you expect us to actually get married?¡±

    ¡°You said you would get an annulment once you got a job, so what¡¯s the big deal.¡±  He¡¯d been on the phone to check Skyler out, not only was she a brilliant scientist, but she had plenty of her own money.

    Holden turned back to Skyler.  ¡°Skyler, if we¡¯re going to get married, it would have to be today.  What about your job?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call and tell them that something has come up and will be back to work tomorrow.¡±

    Holden shook his head in defeat.  ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it.¡±

    Max had to protect his friend¡¯s money just in case Skyler wanted some of it for marrying his friend.  ¡°Before you can get married, you both need to sign a prenuptial agreement.  Once that¡¯s done, we¡¯re good to go.  Where do you suggest we get a copy of one?¡±

    ¡°I just happen to have one at my house, and since it hasn¡¯t been filled out with any names yet, we can use it.¡±

    Neither men asked why she had a copy of a prenuptial agreement at her home nor did she explain.  How could she explain she thought Jarvis wanted to marry her only because of the money she¡¯d gotten in the settlement with the police and thinking that, she was willing to marry him just the same?

    The men followed Skyler to her house.

    After the necessary paperwork had been signed, the group started for the courthouse.  While Max drove, Skyler and Holden sat in the back and talked about their lives.

    * * *

    Their wedding had been quick, as it had to be squeezed in between two scheduled weddings.  Maybe it was because she had been the bride, but Skyler hadn¡¯t minded the hurried service, as she felt it was the most beautiful wedding ceremony she¡¯d seen in her life.  What she found strange, was even though he was a stranger, she didn¡¯t feel any of the upheave she had felt with the idea of marrying Jarvis.

    After Holden had kissed his bride, a warm happy glow flowed through Skyler, causing her to have thoughts of staying permanently married to her new husband and starting a family with him.

    ¡°What are we going to do about our living arrangements?¡± she asked as she looked into his eyes.

    Holden took hold of her hand.  ¡°Since this isn¡¯t a real marriage or be a long one, it would be best if we continued to live in our own places.  That way, when the marriage ends, we won¡¯t have to move our stuff again.¡±

    ¡°I guess that would be best.¡±  What he¡¯d said did make a lot of sense, but she was a bit disappointed, as how would they consummate their marriage if they weren¡¯t even living in the same house.  As that was the only way, she knew how to keep this man in her life.

    ¡°Where would you like to go for dinner?¡±  Max asked them as they stepped out of the courthouse.

    ¡°How about the bowling alley?¡±  Holden asked as a joke, wondering if his new bride would react the same way the last woman he¡¯d asked had at that question.

    Skyler gave him a perplexed look, as his choice for dinner was surprising.  Then again, knowing the local bowling alley had great food; she could understand why he¡¯d asked.  ¡°I don¡¯t think we should,¡± she told him with longing, as if they went there to eat, she would want to bowl.

    ¡°Why not?¡± he asked, surprised she sounded disappointed, instead of being angry at his suggestion.

    ¡°If we did, I¡¯d want to bowl a couple of frames while we¡¯re there,¡± she replied as she looked at him.

    His mouth dropped open, as he hadn¡¯t been expecting her to indicate that the only reason, she didn¡¯t want to eat at the bowling alley was because she¡¯d want to bowl while they were there.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t in any hurry so we could play a game or two after we¡¯ve eaten.¡±

    ¡°We should probably change our clothes, as we may shock everyone in your suit and my dress.¡±

    Max put his hand on his friend¡¯s shoulder.  ¡°No, you can¡¯t go there, as I want to take you to some place nice to celebrate your wedding.  How about having dinner at the Outback?¡±  He asked, as he wanted to show his support of his friend¡¯s hurried marriage

    Not wanting to hurt his friend, Holden asked Skyler if they could go to the bowling alley some other time and she nodded.  ¡°The Outback it is.¡±

    Once they were seated, steaks and several bottles of champagne were ordered.  After dinner, Max drove them back to Skyler¡¯s home, goodbyes were said, and he went on his way.

 Chapter Sixteen

    After his friend drove away, Holden, being the gentleman that he was, he walked her to her front door.  ¡°Skyler, I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll ever be able to thank you for marrying me.¡±

    ¡°You could kiss me again,¡± she said, as the amount of alcohol she¡¯d consumed had removed her some of her inhibition.

    Since Holden was greatly attracted to his new wife, he decided to grant her request as it might be the only opportunity, he¡¯d ever have to kiss her.  But once he started kissing her, he couldn¡¯t stop.  He picked her up and carried her to her bedroom, her clothes quickly disappeared and soon they were both lying naked on her bed.

    Enjoying Holden¡¯s kisses, she didn¡¯t think much about it when his lips left hers and started kissing her neck, then the kisses started downwards on her body.  She assumed he was headed for her breasts, so she didn¡¯t stop him, but then his kisses started downwards once more.

    When he passed her belly button, she realized where he was headed and knew she had to stop him.  ¡°Holden, what are you doing?¡± she asked as she tried to pull her body away from his mouth.

    ¡°If you have to ask, I must not be doing something right,¡± he replied with an ornery grin.

    ¡°I want you to kiss me,¡± she said, hoping to get him to return to her lips so he would stay away from the area below her belly button.

    ¡°I am,¡± he muttered.

    ¡°I mean I want you to kiss my lips.¡±

    He simply smiled and continued kissing down her body.

    Knowing where he was headed, she was glad it was dark in her bedroom, as she knew she had to be turning red.  ¡°Holden, we barely know each other,¡± she said as she tried to push him away from her body.

    ¡°We¡¯re married,¡± he uttered without removing his lips from her skin.

    ¡°I know that.  Please stop, as I¡¯m uncomfortable with you what you¡¯re doing, as I¡¯ve never done this before.¡±

    He stopped kissing her and looked up at her.  ¡°Never?  You and Jarvis were going to be married; you¡¯re telling me he never kissed you there?¡±

    ¡°Our relationship wasn¡¯t that . . .¡± she stopped, as she wasn¡¯t sure how to explain.

    ¡°You¡¯re missing out on something wonderful.¡±

    He didn¡¯t quit where he was going, and soon she was gasping and begging him not to stop.

    * * *

    The next morning as the sun shone into her bedroom, Skyler woke, but her eyes remained close as she was reliving making love to Holden.  When she felt a hand touch her face, she smiled, and her eyes flew open.  ¡°Holden, we goofed, as we had decided we weren¡¯t going consummate our marriage.¡±

    Holden leaned over her so he could look her into her eyes, and as he did, his lower half of his body touched hers.  ¡°That was the plan, but somehow we lost sight of that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s going to cause us a problem as a divorce may take months to be finalized.¡±

    ¡°Skyler, no one but the two of us knows what we¡¯ve done, so it won¡¯t make a difference how we end our marriage.¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± she replied slowly, as she just realized how her new husband¡¯s body was reacting to their close contact.

    ¡°Skyler, I want you,¡± he muttered as he lowered his lips to hers.

    She would love to have a repeat performance of last night, so she excepted his kiss.  Soon she was flying, and as she recovered from Holden¡¯s lovemaking, she wondered how she would ever let him go.

    Holden leaned over and kissed her one more time, then got out of bed to get dressed.  He didn¡¯t look at Skyler but could feel her eyes on him as he put his clothes on.  ¡°You stay in bed and I¡¯ll let myself out.¡±

    ¡°Bye Holden, I¡¯ll call you as soon as I hear something about the job.¡±

    He waved, then left the room.  Skyler remained where she was until she heard the front door closed, then she got up and started her day.  She left for work just as she did every morning; only this time it was different, as today she was a married woman.

    Since their marriage wasn¡¯t going to last, she didn¡¯t tell anyone, not even any of her friends, that yesterday she¡¯d married a total stranger.  Sitting at her desk, she couldn¡¯t keep her mind on her work as she was thinking about the three men she¡¯d been with this week.  Thank goodness, she was on the pill, as this was her most fertile time of the month.  If she got pregnant, she wouldn¡¯t know whom the father was until after the baby was born.

    When the phone rang on her desk five minutes later, Skyler didn¡¯t think much about it, as she hadn¡¯t any idea this call was drastically going to change her life.  ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Is this Skyler Collins?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is.  How may I help you?¡±

    ¡°This is Fuller Pharmacy.  I¡¯m afraid I have some bad news for you.¡±

    ¡°Bad news?¡±  She couldn¡¯t imagine why they were calling her; let alone what bad news they would have to tell her, as her only medication was her birth control pills.

    ¡°It has come to our attention that the manufacturer of your birth control pill has been sabotaged by a disgruntled employee.  To get back at the company, he replaced thousands of your brand of pills with a placebo.  We are calling all our customers to inform them of the problem.  If you come in, we¡¯ll replace your prescription with another manufacturer¡¯s product.¡±

    She couldn¡¯t believe this was happening to her, especially now as she¡¯d just had the thought that she didn¡¯t have any reason to worry.  Damn, just her luck.  ¡°Have any of your customers announced they¡¯re pregnant?¡±  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how we learned of the problem.¡±

    His answered didn¡¯t reassure her at all.  ¡°I see.¡±

    If sleeping with three different men in three days wasn¡¯t bad enough, now she had this to worry about.  If a baby had been created this week, any one of the three men could be the father.  First thing she would have to do was tell Holden, so he would know a baby was a possible result of their night together.  And if it turns out that Holden wasn¡¯t the father, how would that fact affect their marriage status?

    ¡°Do you have reason to be worried?¡± the pharmacist asked.

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s too soon for me to know either way.  Thank you for calling me to let me know,¡± she replied slowly.

    ¡°We want you to call us if you are pregnant, as there is going to be a lawsuit against the manufacturer.¡±

    Like a lawsuit would fix this problem if she were expecting a baby.  ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll call as soon as I know.¡±

    * * *

    Skyler expected Holden to call her all week, but each day ended without her talking to him.  When Friday afternoon arrived and she still hadn¡¯t heard from him, she decided she wouldn¡¯t hear from him until he was ready to dissolve their marriage.

    Since she needed to talk to him about the birth control situation, but didn¡¯t have his number to contact him, she decided to ask Scott for it.  As she got closer to Scott¡¯s office, she was surprised to hear someone speaking who sounded a lot like Holden.

    She hurried her steps and arrived at Scott¡¯s office just as he was thanking Holden for stopping by, but they were going to hire someone with more experience.

    Skyler was outraged by his statement.  ¡°Scott Raines, if you don¡¯t hire this man, I¡¯m going to make sure Mr. Goodman knows you turned him away so you could hire another one of your worthless relations for the job.¡±

    ¡°Skyler, I suggest that if you want to keep your job, you apologize to me for that rude comment,¡± he stated, eyes full of his anger at her statement about his family.

    Skyler simply laughed, as she wasn¡¯t afraid of losing her job.  Herb had personally hired her, and so if Scott did fire her, he would simply hire her back.

    ¡°Go ahead.  I dare you to fire me,¡± she goaded to Scott, hoping he would do something stupid, which would cause him to lose his job as the result of his actions.

    ¡°Skyler don¡¯t lose your job because of me,¡± Holden told her, grabbing hold of her arm.

    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re fired.  Get your belongings and get off the premises,¡± Scott stated loudly, furious at the woman before him.

    She had to laugh at Scott¡¯s audacity to fire her as he had just sealed his fate.  ¡°Fine.  Do you want to tell Mr. Goodman what you just did or should I?¡±

    Scott gave her a bewildered look.  ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°You know what?  Since it¡¯s Friday afternoon and I¡¯m out of a job, I¡¯m going home to start on my weekend.  I hope you enjoy yours, as come Monday morning, you¡¯re going to be sorry for what just happen here today.¡±  She gave Scott a wicked grin.

    She turned to Holden.  ¡°How about coming over to my place?  I have a great stew recipe in the crockpot, I¡¯ll fix some corn bread and you can help me eat some of it.¡±

    Scott was stunned that she would offer a man she didn¡¯t know over to her house for dinner.  He was even more so, when Holden accepted her offer and they walked hand and hand down the hall together.

    ¡°Skyler, what are you going to do now that you lost your job?¡±  Holden asked as soon as they were out of Scott¡¯s hearing.

    Skyler patted his hand, as she smiled at him.  ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about it.  As soon as Herb finds out what Scott has done today, he¡¯ll be the one out of a job, along with all his worthless cousins.¡±  She giggled at the thought of Scott¡¯s actions blowing up in his face.

    When Holden entered her home, the first thing he did was smile, as the most delicious aroma was coming out the kitchen.  ¡°If that smell coming out of your house is any indication of your cooking, I say I¡¯m in for a treat.¡±

    She shook her head at his declaration.  ¡°It isn¡¯t anything fancy.¡±

    He took hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze.  ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be fancy to be good.¡±

    They had a nice dinner and after they¡¯d cleaned up the dishes, they sat down to watch some television.  Skyler knew now would be the perfect time to tell him about her situation with the birth control pills, but she was afraid if she did, he would run out of her house screaming.  Wanting to enjoy what time she had with him, she kept her news to herself, as it may be a false alarm.

    Holden took hold of her hand as they watched a movie.  He kept stealing looks at her, and the more he looked at her, the more he desired her.  He couldn¡¯t believe this beautiful woman had married him and was legally his.  He didn¡¯t say anything to her, but he hoped she would ask him to spend the weekend with her.  Holden got his wish, and when Monday morning arrived, he was still in her bed.

    * * *

    When Herb Goodman arrived at work on Monday morning, he was quite distraught to learn what Scott had done to his best chemist.  And just as Skyler predicted, Scott and his five cousins were soon out on the street as Herb now had a reason to fire Scott, as well as all his family.  As before this situation, he didn¡¯t feel right firing a man just because he didn¡¯t like him.

    First Herb had to call Skyler and get her back to work, and once that was done; he would have to hire a new HR person, along with six new chemists.  Damn, he didn¡¯t need this headache.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Skyler answered phone as Holden closed the bathroom door.

    ¡°I want to see you back in the office as soon as possible.  I fired Scott for his stupidity and all his relatives who shouldn¡¯t have been hired in the first place.  Now I must replace all of them as well as Isaac, and I don¡¯t know even know where to start,¡± he said, his voice full of anxiety.

    ¡°I¡¯ve recently met with Holden Dawson, who applied for Isaac¡¯s position, but Scott refused to hire him.  He used to work at Jackson¡¯s Drugs, and since he¡¯s unemployed now, he could start today.  Since the company he worked for closed so recently, he may be able to get some of his old associates to come work for us.¡±

    Herb let out a sigh of relief.  ¡°I knew I did the right thing when I hired you.  If you think he would be a great asset to us, hire Holden immediately; as I don¡¯t want to take the chance that some other company will hire him first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him as soon as we hang up.¡±

    ¡°Ask him to check into the other employees, especially whoever used to be the HR person.  Anyone he hires is fine with me, as I don¡¯t trust my judgment any longer.¡±

    ¡°Scott had you fooled.  How were you to know he was going to replace some of your good employees with his cousins?¡±

    ¡°Just call me back when you know something either way, and then get here to work.¡±

    She laughed.  ¡°Give me fifteen minutes.¡±

    Just as they hung up, Holden opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

    ¡°Guess what?  I have been told to return to work, and the best part is I¡¯ve been asked to hire you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great news.¡±  He was happy with her statement, but also saddened by the fact that once he was employed again, Skyler would want an annulment.

    ¡°You know what else Herb told me?¡± she asked with a bright grin, not knowing what was going on in his head.

    ¡°No, what did he say?¡±  His eyes studied her as he waited for her to reply.

    ¡°Since the company needs five more chemists and a HR manager, Herb wants you to call some of your old colleagues and offer them a job.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call Alyssa first, she was the head of HR; she¡¯ll know who else should be hired.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call Herb back to tell him you accepted the job, and then I need to get to work.¡±

    * * *

    While Skyler was on the phone to Herb, Holden called Alyssa on his cell phone.

    When the phone rang, Alyssa checked caller ID before answering.  ¡°Holden, how are you doing?  Any luck finding a new job?¡±

    ¡°I just got hired at Dixon¡¯s Cosmetics.¡±

    Jealousy filled her, as that was her dream company.  ¡°Oh, Holden that¡¯s wonderful.  From what I¡¯ve heard, that¡¯s a great place to work.¡±

    ¡°Are you sitting down?¡± he asked, smiling with excitement.

    ¡°Yes, why do you ask?¡±  She was puzzled why he asked the question.

    ¡°You won¡¯t believe this, but I¡¯ve been asked to hire you.¡±

    ¡°Holden are you teasing me?¡± she asked tearfully, glad she was in fact sitting down.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.  Their former HR manager was fired today.  So, do you what the job?¡±

    Alyssa let out a squeal.  ¡°Yes, I want it.  This is such wonderful news.¡±

    ¡°Good.  Mr. Goodman has asked that your first task as the new HR manager is to hire five of our colleagues for scientist positions that have recently come available.¡±

    ¡°I know just the five to call.  As soon as they accepted the job, I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    Holden gave her the address of the office, telling her that after she¡¯d hired everyone, to come to the office and asked for Herb Goodman.

 Chapter Seventeen

    Holden¡¯s first activity at his new job was to meet the owner of the company.  Skyler was with him when he entered the room and he was surprised by the man, as somehow, he thought the man would be a great deal older, but he looked to be Skyler¡¯s age.  Not only that, but he was a good-looking man with a body that said he worked out regularly.

    Holden wondered if Herb had hired Skyler because he was interested in her, because if he did, he didn¡¯t have a chance keeping Skyler as this man was worth millions.  Then again, if there were anything going on between the two of them, wouldn¡¯t Skyler have mentioned it before they were married?

    ¡°Herb, this is Holden Dawson.¡±

    Herb stood up from his desk and came to meet Holden.  ¡°Mr. Dawson, welcome to our company, I¡¯m quite overwhelmed that you have accepted the job to work for us.¡±

    ¡°I thank you for the job, as well as hiring some of my previous coworkers.¡±

    Herb reached over and touched Skyler¡¯s hand.  ¡°You have Skyler to thank for that happening.¡±

    Holden¡¯s heart sunk, as this wasn¡¯t a good sign.  ¡°She told me a great deal about the work I¡¯ll be doing, and I can¡¯t wait to start working your next creation.¡±

    ¡°Once again, that¡¯s all Skyler¡¯s doing,¡± he said, touching Skyler¡¯s hand once more.

    ¡°Alyssa was thrilled when I offered her the HR position,¡± Holden uttered.

    ¡°Yes, she told me so when I met her.  I must say that I¡¯m very impressed with her.  Not only has she already hired the other five chemist we needed, but she¡¯s better looking than Scott,¡± Herb told them in a joking voice.

    Holden didn¡¯t know what to think of the man¡¯s comment.  Was he interested in Skyler or not?  ¡°Alyssa is young, but very experienced in her line of work.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me gentleman,¡± Skyler interrupted.  ¡°Since the new employees will be working on my new formula, I¡¯m going to go introduce myself to them and see how they are settling in.¡±  Skyler left the room, shutting the door behind her.

    Herb waited until Skyler had closed the door before speaking again.  ¡°So, I don¡¯t step on any toes, are you and Alyssa involved?¡±  His eyes were pinned to Holden¡¯s as he waited for his reply.

    Herb¡¯s question brought relief to Holden¡¯s heart to know he wasn¡¯t interested in his wife.  ¡°No, we¡¯re just good friends, she¡¯s more like a sister to me.¡±

    ¡°I understand as I feel the same way about Skyler.  I felt a bond with her since the first day we met.  In fact, she maybe my sister, so we¡¯re having our DNA tested.¡±

    Holden was stunned by in comment, as this was news to him.  ¡°Skyler didn¡¯t mention that to me.¡±

    ¡°Since we are just assuming based on the fact, we were both adopted and have the same birthdate, we aren¡¯t telling anyone yet.  Since you aren¡¯t involved with Alyssa, you wouldn¡¯t mind if I asked her out?¡± he asked, quickly bringing the conversation back to Alyssa.

    Holden chuckled.  ¡°You can ask her, but don¡¯t be surprised if she says no, as she takes her job very seriously.¡±

    * * *

    The day after Holden¡¯s co-workers from his previous job were hired, Cindy called in sick.  Since Skyler was expecting a guest, she sat down at Cindy¡¯s desk to wait for him to show up.  Wanting to keep busy while she waited, she turned on Cindy¡¯s computer and started working on her newest project.  When someone cleared their throat, Skyler looked up.  ¡°Hello, may I help you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Keith Baker, one of the new chemists who were hired yesterday.  Today¡¯s my first day, as I was out of town yesterday and couldn¡¯t make it back in time to start with the others.¡±

    ¡°Holden told me you were at a funeral.  I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.  I was told to see you about starting my new job.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call Jake who¡¯s in charge of the lab to come get you.¡±  Skyler made the call, and after she hung up, she turned back to him.  ¡°He will be here in a few minutes.  Once he gets here, he will take you down to the lab to show you want he needs for you to start on.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful.  Would you go out with me sometime?¡±

    Skyler was shocked by his statement as they had just met.  ¡°Thank you for your lovely offer, but I¡¯m married,¡± she automatically replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± he said with a grin as he assumed, she was teasing him, for he knew for a fact Cindy was single.

    Her expression changed to one of disgust.  ¡°Well I mind and I¡¯m sure my husband would to.¡±

    Keith laughed at her joke.  ¡°Since he isn¡¯t here just now, he doesn¡¯t ever have to know.¡±

    Just then, she saw Holden come up behind Keith.  ¡°Would you believe me if I told you that he¡¯s standing right behind you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t,¡± he said, continuing with the joke.

    ¡°How about if I slug my fist in your face?¡± said a cold voice behind Keith.

    The man expecting the worst, quickly spun around to face the woman¡¯s husband.  When he came face to face to Holden, and saw it was his previous coworker standing there, he grabbed hold of Holden¡¯s hand.  ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re here.  I want to thank you personally for helping me get hired here.¡±

    ¡°Well if you don¡¯t stay away from my wife, you won¡¯t have a job much longer,¡± he hissed angrily.  As soon as the words left his mouth, he looked over at Skyler.  Seeing her bewildered look, he wondered if he had made a mistake by his comment.

    Skyler was surprised by his statement, but as the words sank in, it gave her hope that maybe he wanted to stay married to her.

    Keith¡¯s face filled with puzzlement.  ¡°Alyssa told me not more than five minutes ago that Cindy was single.  You¡¯re saying you married her?¡± he asked his friend.

    Holden laughed, but didn¡¯t answer his question.  ¡°There has been a mistake made here, as this isn¡¯t Cindy, but her boss, Skyler Collins.¡±

    Keith¡¯s face turned red as he turned back to Skyler.  ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.  When you said you were married, I naturally assumed you were just teasing me.  I didn¡¯t mean to be disrespectful.¡±  He hoped she believed him, as he didn¡¯t want to lose this job.

    Skyler tried to keep tears from appearing, as by Holden introducing her by her maiden name, she knew Holden didn¡¯t want Keith to know the truth of their marriage.  Ever since their wedding night, she had been fighting her feelings for her husband, with the hope the longer they were married, the more of a chance he would want to remain as her husband.

    She knew that if she wanted to stay married to him, she needed let him know what she wanted, but of course, now wasn¡¯t the time.  That and she still hadn¡¯t told him about the birth control pill mishap.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°Now that I realize there some confusion between the two us, I think we should start over,¡± Skyler said.  ¡°If you come back tomorrow, I¡¯ll be happy to introduce you to Cindy.¡±

    * * *

    Later that day, Skyler was just about to turn a corner when she happened to overhear several of her coworkers talking.  She hadn¡¯t planned to stop and eavesdrop on their conversation, but when someone mentioned Holden¡¯s name, she had to know what was being said about him.

    ¡°Have you seen that new guy, Holden?  My God he¡¯s hot,¡± said Shelia, pretending to fan herself.

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t ask me out, I¡¯m going to ask him,¡± Annie commented.

    Mary Lou laughed.  ¡°You two don¡¯t stand a chance with him.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡±  Shelia exclaimed.  ¡°That isn¡¯t nice.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get your panties in a wad.  Haven¡¯t you seen how he acts when he¡¯s with the new HR manager?  There is something between them I tell you, as those two are too chummy not to be involved in some sexual way.¡±

    When tears started forming, Skyler knew she had to get away before she started bawling, so she turned and started back the way she¡¯d come.  Once she reached her office, she closed the door and leaned against it for support.  Hearing the women talk about Holden and Alyssa, she wondered once their marriage ended, if he would get involved with Alyssa.

    Before she could call him to tell him she wanted to talk, she found out that there was a problem with the new perfume¡¯s production.  The next few days kept her busy, and though she saw Holden, she never got the chance to talk privately to him.

    Her new perfume was a hit, and so the demand for the new scent kept production extremely busy.  Herb wanting to keep their name in the news, asked Skyler to come up with a new cologne for men to go a long the woman¡¯s version of A Rose Petal.

    Skyler and the other scientist worked day and night to come up with just the right scent, but each time they came up with one, she thought it was too feminine.  She didn¡¯t discard any of them, as they could be used at a different time for another project.

    Each night when Skyler finally arrived home, she quickly ate a salad, took a shower and then crawled into bed.  Each night she would dream that Holden was holding her, but when she woke in the morning, she would find herself wrapped up in her sheet and alone.

    So busy with work, Skyler didn¡¯t listen to what her body was telling her.  The day they finally perfected the man¡¯s cologne, Skyler realized something was off, so she went to the doctors.

    Six weeks after the pharmacist called her about the problem with the birth control pills, the unlikely dilemma came to pass.  With the knowledge that she was going to have a baby, Skyler couldn¡¯t put off telling Holden about the birth control pills catastrophe any longer.

    Just before quitting time, she picked up the phone and called him.  ¡°Holden, I have a slight problem,¡± she said when he answered.

    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked absent mindedly as his attention was on the paperwork in front of him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it over the phone.  Could you come over to my place after dinner tonight?¡±

    He assumed she wanted to talk about starting the annulment procedure, which was the last thing he wanted.  ¡°I¡¯ll bring a pizza and after we eat, we¡¯ll talk.¡±  Hopefully, while they ate dinner, he could think of something that would change her mind about ending their marriage.

    ¡°If it¡¯s all right with you, can you skip the pizza and just come over to the house.¡±  There wasn¡¯t any way she would be able to eat knowing what she had to tell Holden.

    He didn¡¯t like the sound of the sadness in her voice.  ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    Tears ran down Skyler¡¯s cheeks, and hopefully, Holden couldn¡¯t tell that she was crying.  ¡°Please, I don¡¯t want to discuss this on the phone.¡±

    Holden could hear by her voice that she was crying, which told him that she had awful news to tell him.  ¡°I¡¯ll be there as soon as I can.¡±

    Ten minutes after five, Holden was standing on her front porch, ringing her doorbell.

    ¡°Come in,¡± she said as she stepped back to let him enter.  She tried to smile, but her nerves were wound too tight to do it justice.

    ¡°I¡¯m here now, so tell me your news,¡± he said nervously, as he assumed, she was going to end their marriage

    She looked him in the eye.  ¡°There was a problem with my birth control pill and I just found out that I¡¯m pregnant.¡±  There, she said it, now the ball was in his court.

    Before she could say anything else, without batting an eye, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.  ¡°This is wonderful,¡± he announced, then he gave her a quick kiss.

    She was touched by his statement.  ¡°You aren¡¯t upset?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re married, so why would I be upset?¡± he asked, as his hand stroked her face.

    ¡°Because there¡¯s a possibility one of the other two men that were in my life before we met could be the father,¡± she said as she moved out of his arms.

    Holden shook his head.  ¡°Since you¡¯re my wife, no matter who donated the sperm, I¡¯m going to be the child¡¯s father.¡±  He had to be sure she knew he was here to stay.

    She wondered how she¡¯d come to be so lucky to be married to this man.  ¡°We got married with the plan that after you got a job, the marriage would be annulled.  Since you have been working for the last month and a half, that time has arrived.¡±

    During the time they¡¯d been working together, he¡¯d fallen in love with his wife, so her statement shocked him, as he¡¯d thought she had felt the same way.  ¡°You want to have our marriage dissolved?¡±

    She looked at him expectedly.  ¡°That was the plan we decided on before we got married.¡±  Even though she could be expecting his child, she had to let him go, as she couldn¡¯t force him to stay with her.

    He grabbed her arms and pulled her back into his embrace, as he wasn¡¯t going to give her up without a fight.  ¡°I refuse to give you up because I¡¯ve fallen in love with you.  And since I think you feel the same way, there isn¡¯t going to be any more talk of ending our marriage.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± she muttered, tears started down her cheeks, as she was thrilled by his statement.  She¡¯d fought her feelings for him since the first moment she¡¯d seen him, and now wondered why she had even bothered.

    He let go of her and looked her.  ¡°We¡¯ll get married and start fresh.¡±

    She smiled at him.  ¡°No, there isn¡¯t a reason for us to get married again, as we¡¯re already married.¡±

    ¡°I know, but it wasn¡¯t much of wedding,¡± he told her as he watched her expression.

    ¡°Holden, it was a perfect wedding as that service made you mine.  Of course, I had a short honeymoon, so maybe you could give me another wedding night in place of another wedding.¡±

    ¡°Your wish is my command,¡± he said just before he kissed her.

    The kiss lasted several seconds before she gently pushed him away.  ¡°Since we¡¯re going to stay married, I think we should move in together.¡±

    He nodded.  ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, I¡¯d like to move in here with you.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you wouldn¡¯t want a fancier house?¡±

    He gave her a strange look.  ¡°I thought you loved your home.¡±

    ¡°I do, but Jarvis complained it wasn¡¯t good enough.¡±

    ¡°Well I already know he¡¯s an idiot, so what else is new?¡± he asked with a chuckle.

    She snickered at his comment.  ¡°Do you want to move in here tonight?¡±

    Instead of answering, he picked her up and carried her into the master bedroom.

    * * *

    The next day at the morning meeting, Holden stood and waited until the room became quiet.  ¡°I have an announcement to make.¡±  His eyes roamed around the room.  ¡°Some of you may have already guessed that I have a thing for Skyler,¡± he said.  When there were several chuckles, he smiled.  ¡°But what most of you are aware of, is we were married before I came here to work.¡±

    The room was quickly filled with everyone talking at once.

    ¡°Please let me finish speaking.¡±  He smiled over at Skyler.  ¡°In about seven and a half months, we¡¯re going to have a baby.¡±

    The room was then filled with everyone offering their congratulations.  The couple spent the next ten minutes answering questions about their marriage, and once all the questions had been answered, the meeting was ready to start.

    Keith patted Holden on the back.  ¡°I still feel bad for asking her out.¡±

    ¡°I realized then that I couldn¡¯t let her go, so thank you for flirting with Skyler.¡±

    ¡°Something I¡¯ll make sure I never do again.¡±

    The two men laughed.

    Herb was surprised by Holden¡¯s statement, as he wasn¡¯t aware the two were married, but since they were, he felt now was the best time to tell Skyler his news.  When he stood, the room became quiet.

    ¡°Before we start the meeting, I need to talk to Skyler alone for a minute.¡±

    She wrinkled up her forehead, as she couldn¡¯t figure out why he needed to speak to her before the meeting.  ¡°Herb, is something wrong?  Can¡¯t it wait until after the meeting?¡±

    He gave her a brilliant grin.  ¡°Nothing wrong, but we need to talk before we get started on the meeting.¡±

    As soon as they stepped outside and closed the door, he took hold of her hand.  ¡°This isn¡¯t the place I wanted to tell you this, but it will have to do.  I just found out the results of our DNA test.¡±  He squeezed it hard.  ¡°You are in fact my sister.¡±

    ¡°Really, it seems so unreal.  I just can¡¯t believe how we found each other, or I should say you found me.¡±  What were the odds of them ever meeting since she wasn¡¯t looking for any family?

    ¡°Do you want to tell the people in the meeting room our news or do you want me to?¡±

    Skyler looked over his shoulder to the room behind him.  ¡°Maybe you should as I¡¯m still in shock of finding a twin brother that I didn¡¯t even know existed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a second to tell Holden, and then I¡¯ll make the announcement.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Once they reentered the room, Skyler returned to her seat.  She leaned over to Holden.  ¡°Herb got the test results back and we are brother and sister.¡±

    Holden smiled at her.  ¡°That¡¯s wonderful.¡±

    ¡°Herb is going to make an announcement now regarding our relationship, but he wanted you to know first.¡±

    Herb went to the podium.  ¡°Since we are making announcements regarding Skyler, I have one more to make.¡±  He looked over at Skyler to be sure she had informed her husband and she nodded.  ¡°To make a long story a lot shorter, she and I have found out recently that we are twin siblings that were separated at birth.¡±

    Again, the room was filled with people talking.

    Skyler smiled as now she had a family again, as her adoptive parents had been deceased for over five years.

 Chapter Eighteen

    Jarvis waited six months before deciding he¡¯d given Skyler long enough time to come to her senses.  He drove to Dixon¡¯s Cosmetics, planning their wedding in his head as he made his way to her office.

    When he gave his name to Cindy, she became worried, as she knew he was the last person Skyler would want to see, especially now that her pregnancy was showing.

    ¡°Well?¡± he asked when the woman just stared at him.  ¡°Are you going to call her and let her know I¡¯m here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±  Cindy picked up the phone and dialed Skyler¡¯s extension.

    ¡°Hello, Cindy,¡± Skyler answered.

    ¡°Jarvis is here to see you,¡± she said, keeping it professional.

    ¡°What does he want?¡± she exclaimed, scared of why he was here.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±  Cindy kept her eyes down as she spoke.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see him as then he¡¯ll know about the baby.¡± she whispered in a panic voice.  ¡°Cindy, I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    ¡°I could call Holden.¡±

    ¡°No, I think that might make matters worse.  I must find a way to hide my belly, so he won¡¯t know about the baby.  Give me ten minutes before you let him in.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sure this is what you want to do?¡± she asked, as she was concerned about her friend.

    ¡°It would be best to talk to him here, so he won¡¯t have a reason to come to my home.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let him know.¡±  Cindy said.  After she hung up the phone, she looked at Jarvis.  ¡°If you will have a seat, she will be able to see you in a few minutes.¡±

    Jarvis wished he could hear Skyler¡¯s side of the conversation, as by the receptionist response, he didn¡¯t think Skyler was happy to know he was here.

    Meanwhile on the other side of the door, Skyler was scrambling to find a way to hide her belly.  She thought about just staying behind her door and not letting him in, but then gave up on that idea.  She returned to her desk, lowered the chair¡¯s height, and moved it in as close to the desk as she could.  If she could keep her waist hidden, she just might get away without him learning about the baby.

    As she waited for him to walk through the door, she wondered if she would feel some sort of attraction to him, but instead, when he opened the door and she saw him for the first times in months, she was relieved that he wasn¡¯t in her life any longer.

    ¡°Jarvis, what are you doing here?¡± she asked as soon as he closed the door to her office.

    He expected her to greet him by giving him a hug, but instead, she remained sitting behind her desk, with her hands on her desk, which he didn¡¯t take as a good sign.  ¡°My mother says that you can plan our wedding.  She¡¯s also agrees not to move in with us, but just come over occasionally for a visit.¡±

    She struggled not to make a rude comment at his statement.  ¡°Well that¡¯s nice of her,¡± she replied softly.  Somehow, she didn¡¯t believe him.  ¡°You be sure to thank her for me,¡± she said with a forced smile.

    Her pleasant reply gave him hope that they could patch up their relationship, as he really need to get his hands on her money.  ¡°I will.  So, when do you want to get married?¡±  He smiled at her, as he counted the things he could buy once he had his hands on her money.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.  I can¡¯t marry you, because you¡¯re too late.¡±

    He frowned at her answer.  ¡°Too late?  What is that supposed to mean?¡± he asked hatefully.

    She wasn¡¯t about to tell him the truth, as she was embarrassed by the fact, she had married a total stranger just two days after breaking up with him.  ¡°If you had truly loved me, you wouldn¡¯t have ever let me end the engagement in the first place.¡±

    ¡°You rather have a man that didn¡¯t give a damn about his mother?¡± he yelled.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you to never see your mother again or stick her in a hole and forget about her.  I was simply asking to plan my own wedding and have her live in her own home instead of with us, the same as millions of other couples do.  It was nice to see you, but you need to leave now, as I have work to do.  Please tell your mother I said hello to her.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Her words came as a shock to him, as he¡¯d been sure that when he told her his news, she would run back to him.  Fury filled his eyes as her dismissal meant the loss of a great deal of money in his pocket.  ¡°One of these days you¡¯re going to be sorry for this.¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t, as I have a new man in my life,¡± she said determinedly, instantly regretting from making the comment.

    ¡°That didn¡¯t take you long.  Is there marriage in your future?¡± he asked in an offensive tone.

    She wasn¡¯t about to tell him that she was already married, so she didn¡¯t respond to his question.  ¡°You and I broke up over six months ago, so what I do or don¡¯t do isn¡¯t any of your business.¡±

    Jarvis turned and without saying another word to her, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door closed behind him, as his temper couldn¡¯t prevent it.

    * * *

    Herb had just walked up to Cindy¡¯s desk, as Jarvis stepped into Skyler¡¯s office and closed the door.  Herb turned to Cindy.  ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Jarvis,¡± she said, wishing she were in the room with her friend.

    ¡°I wished I could have slugged the slimy creep for treating Skyler the way he did.¡±

    Cindy reached up and placed her hand on his.  ¡°It all worked out for the best, so let the anger go.¡±

    Herb smiled.  ¡°Yes, Holden is the best thing to ever happen to Skyler.¡±

    When Skyler¡¯s door was thrown open a short time later, Cindy and Herb looked that way.  Seeing the rage on Jarvis¡¯ face, the two felt better knowing that whatever Skyler had said to him, had greatly upset him.

    Cindy started to get up and go into her office, but Herb stopped her.  ¡°Give her some time, as this had to be an emotion meeting for her.¡±

    She gave him a hurt look.  ¡°That¡¯s why I want to talk to her.¡±

    ¡°Call Holden and let him take care of this.¡±

    Cindy didn¡¯t like his suggestion, as Skyler had been her friend since they were kids.  ¡°Do I have too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you can talk to her afterwards.¡±

    Cindy nodded, then picked up the phone and dialed Holden¡¯s extension.

    ¡°Hello Cindy.  What do you need?¡±

    ¡°Jarvis just left Skyler¡¯s office; I think she may need you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there,¡± he said in a rush.

    Holden hung up and practically ran to Skyler¡¯s office, luckily, it was only three doors down from his.  When he reached her door, he rushed inside, and his eyes went to Skyler¡¯s desk.  Seeing her sitting there crying, he closed the door behind him and hurried towards her.

    When she heard the door closed, she looked up with panic in her eyes, as she was afraid Jarvis had returned.  Seeing it was Holden standing there, Skyler stood and rushed towards him, meeting him in the middle of the room.  His arms quickly embraced her, and she immediately felt better now that she was in his arms.

    ¡°Did he give you a hard time about the baby?¡± he asked as he held her.

    ¡°As far as I know, he didn¡¯t notice that I was pregnant.¡±

    Her statement floored him so much that he took a step back and looked at her.  ¡°How could he not notice?¡±

    ¡°I never stood up.¡±  She told him about their conversation, and that when she told him she had someone new in her life, he¡¯d gotten mad and had stormed out.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s almost quitting time, let¡¯s go home so you can relax.¡±

    ¡°Give me a few minutes as I know Cindy must be biting her nails at not knowing all that went on in here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go turn off my computer and meet you in the lobby.¡±

    Skyler followed Holden out of her office so she could talk to Cindy, and when Holden joined them, they said goodnight, and left.

    * * *

    Two months later, Holden decided to take his wife out to dinner at 54<sup>th</sup> Bar & Grill, which was just down the street from the office.  They left the restaurant, hand in hand oblivious of their surroundings, as they were discussing what baby names they wanted.

    Hearing a loud gasp of shock, Skyler looked up to see Jarvis and his mother heading towards them.  Her hand quickly fell to the enlarged belly, but at eight months pregnant, there wasn¡¯t any way she could hide her pregnancy.

    The instant Jarvis noticed her belly; he naturally assumed he¡¯s the father and hurried towards her.  ¡°When I came to see you at your office that day, why didn¡¯t you tell me you were expecting my child?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m having my husband¡¯s child,¡± she stated as calmly as she could.

    He looked over at Holden, then back at her.  ¡°How long have you two been married?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°What difference does that make?¡± she asked, though she knew why he had asked.

    ¡°Just tell me,¡± he demanded angrily.

    She had to tell him the truth, as she knew him well enough to know that he would be checking into marriage certificates as soon as he got home.  ¡°Holden and I got married two days after you and I broke up.¡±

    Jarvis was quite shocked by her answer.  ¡°What makes you so sure that he¡¯s the father and not me?¡±

    ¡°I was on birth control pills until we were married, and since we wanted a baby right away, I stopped taking them and here we are.¡±  Actually, she didn¡¯t stop taking the pills until after she found out that she was pregnant.

    Jarvis eyes narrowed.  ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.  I demand a DNA testing immediately.¡±

    She gave him a smirk.  ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯re going to have wait until she¡¯s born, as I¡¯m not doing anything to risk my daughter¡¯s life just because you think you¡¯re her father.¡±

    ¡°Once I find out that you lied, and are in fact having my child, I¡¯m going to sue you for custody.¡±

    Skyler didn¡¯t doubt for a moment that he would do just as he threatened, but she couldn¡¯t let him think she was worried, so she laughed.  ¡°That¡¯s such a ridiculous statement.  Even if this child was yours, why would you think the courts will give you the child?¡±

    ¡°Because you were keeping the baby a secret.¡±

    She patted her belly.  ¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s possible.¡±

    Jarvis¡¯ face turned red.  ¡°I meant from me and you know it.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t notified any of the other men I¡¯ve dated in the past, so why would you be any different?¡±

    Her statement simply made him madder.  ¡°You will be hearing from my lawyer,¡± he said loudly.  He took hold of his mother¡¯s arm and they headed for the restaurant.

    As soon as Jarvis was out of sight, she let the tears fall.  ¡°What are we going to do?¡±

    ¡°Even if he is the father, it is very unlikely that he will be able to get custody of the child.¡±

    She looked hopeful at him.  ¡°You really think so?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do.  Let¡¯s go home so you can get some rest.¡±

 Epilogue

    Sure enough, the next week Skyler heard from Jarvis¡¯ lawyer.  He demanded, which made her laugh, that she has an amniocentesis to determine her child¡¯s parentage.  She had already talked to her doctor about doing this procedure and he assured her that unless they thought the baby had a birth defect, he refused to do the test, as it may cause her to miscarry.

    Even though she was worried that Jarvis was in fact the child¡¯s father, it was a great relief to know that she could honestly tell Jarvis that test wasn¡¯t possible to be done as it could hurt the baby.  Not only that, but she wanted to make Jarvis wait as long as possible for the results of who was the father of her child.

    She had her doctor contact the lawyer to tell him that his client hadn¡¯t any grounds to force such a procedure done.  The lawyer told the doctor in that case, the child¡¯s DNA would be tested as soon as the infant was born, and doctor said that was fine.

    * * *

    The time finally arrived for Skyler to have the baby, Holden was with her the whole time, and she was exhausted by the time the baby arrived six hours later.  Their daughter weighed in at eight pounds, with a hearty pair of lungs, which meant she was in good health.

    When Skyler saw the nurse walk into the room pushing Kandi in her bassinet, tears filled her eyes, as she could hardly wait to hold her daughter.  When the baby was in her arms, she looked down at her precious bundle to study the infant¡¯s face to see if she could tell who had fathered her, but the face looking back at her didn¡¯t give her any clue.

    ¡°Mrs. Dawson, we have received a court order to have your daughter¡¯s DNA tested,¡± Lilly told her.  ¡°Do you know anything about this?¡±

    Skyler smiled at the nurse.  ¡°A man I dated before I met my husband, thinks he¡¯s the baby¡¯s father and demanded the test.¡±

    ¡°And is he?¡± she inquired, though she didn¡¯t have the right to ask.

    She started to lie in case the nurse was on Jarvis payroll, but decided what good would it do to tell a fib at this late date.  Skyler gave her a weak smile.  ¡°He could be, but so could my husband.  My ex-boyfriend threatened that if the child is his, he¡¯s going to try and get custody of her.¡±

    The nurse¡¯s face softened.  ¡°You must be scared.¡±

    ¡°Yes, very much so.  The waiting for the test results will be hard.¡±

    ¡°I thought the mother usually had custody of the children.¡±

    ¡°Anymore it depends on the judge, as some think children should live with their father.¡±

    * * *

    When Skyler received the DNA report, she and Holden sat down together to open the envelope to review the results together.  When she saw who her daughter¡¯s father was, she turned and began sobbing into her husband¡¯s chest.

    Worried that results weren¡¯t the one they wanted, he tried to comfort his wife.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry.  You don¡¯t have to worry, as I¡¯ll still love Kandi as if she¡¯s my own child.¡±

    Skyler moved away from her husband to look at him.  ¡°That isn¡¯t why I¡¯m crying.¡±

    He gave her a bewildered look, not realizing what she¡¯d meant by her comment.  ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m crying because she is your daughter.¡±

    Holden was shocked by her statement, as he never believed that he was Kandi¡¯s father.

    She smiled at the dazed expression he had on his face.  ¡°You seemed a bit stunned by the news.  Didn¡¯t you think it was a possible that you were her father?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how that could be possible.  I truly thought Jarvis was her father, since you were with him first.¡±

    ¡°I have to admit that I thought that too.¡±  She gripped hold of his hand.  ¡°I¡¯m so glad that you are her father.¡±

    ¡°So am I.¡±

    * * *

    When Jarvis received the results of the DNA testing, he was furious, as he just knew Skyler had done something to change the results to benefit her.  If she thought that he was just going to accept the results of this test, she was sadly mistaken.

    He had to find a way to do his own DNA test.  He wasn¡¯t sure how he was going to go about it, but he wasn¡¯t going to rest until he proved that he was the child¡¯s father.  Realizing other than breaking into their home and do the test on the child, which would be illegal, the only other choice he had was to come out and ask.

    The next day, there was a knock at the door.  When Skyler opened the door, the last person she expected ever to see again was standing there.  ¡°Jarvis, what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe the hospital¡¯s results, so I want to do my own test.  If you deny me, I¡¯ll go to court to get one.¡±

    ¡°Since you aren¡¯t going to be happy until you do your own test, you might as well come in.¡±

    Jarvis was surprised she had let him in without a court order.

    ¡°If you wait here, I¡¯ll go do the test on her.¡±

    He reached out and took hold of her wrist.  ¡°No, as I don¡¯t trust you.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± she heatedly muttered.  ¡°Follow me.¡±

    When they stepped into the baby¡¯s room, Jarvis¡¯ eyes went directly to the crib.

    ¡°Can I hold her?¡± he asked, as Skyler picked her up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck.  Just do the test and leave us alone,¡± she replied angrily.

    Jarvis studied the infant in her arms as he took the cotton swab out of the packet.  He held back a grin, as he swore, she looked the same as he had at that age.

    Holding the baby, Skyler opened her daughter¡¯s mouth so Jarvis could run the swab against the inside of her cheek.  ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like before you leave?¡± she asked coldly.

    ¡°No, this is all I need.  Thank you for doing this.¡±

    She didn¡¯t respond, as she was afraid whatever she said would only make matters worse.  After Jarvis had left, Skyler closed the door and leaned against it; hating the fact, he still thought Kandi was his.  She hoped he would accept this test, as she knew it would show the same results as the last one.

    * * *

    Jarvis smiled as he got into his car, thrilled how well his plan played out, as ten minutes after entering the baby¡¯s room; he was leaving with the child¡¯s DNA.  Now all he had to send off the sample and wait for the results.  He paid extra to have a rush on the test, and once the results were available, they would email him, as well as mail the final report with the proof of him being the baby¡¯s father.

    The whole time he waited, he made plans for raising his child.  Furniture, diapers and other necessary baby items were bought, turning the bare spare bedroom, it into a nursery.  A nanny was hired, and she would start as soon as he had custody of his daughter.

    Each day, he hourly checked his email, but each day went by without any notification from the lab.  Then the day came that there was an email from them.  He was ecstatic, as he knew it wouldn¡¯t be long before his daughter would be with him.

    He clicked on the attachment and quickly read the lab¡¯s findings.  Tears filled his eyes, as he was stunned to see that the lab showed that the child wasn¡¯t his.  How could that be, as he knew he had to be her child¡¯s father?  Skyler must have gotten the lab to lie about the results of the test.  He and Skyler had been together first, so it wasn¡¯t possible for her husband to be the child¡¯s father, birth control pills or not.

    If Skyler thought some simple saliva test was going to prevent him from being with his daughter, she had another thing coming.  He wasn¡¯t going to allow anyone to prevent him from having his daughter.  The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, which caused something in his brain to snap, making him to go to the cabinet and grabbed his handgun.

    He knew that Dixon¡¯s Cosmetics had a daycare, and since his child was now two months old, Skyler would be taking her with her to work so that was where he was going.  He called his mother and the two of them started out to get his child.

    * * *

    Cindy had just sat down at her computer when she happened to look out the office door to see Jarvis and an older woman, who must be his mother coming down the hall.  As he got closer and she saw his expression, it scared her, as it was full of hatred, which meant he was here for a friendly visit.  Not about to take any chances with her friend¡¯s life, she dialed 9-1-1, telling them that she expected there was going to be trouble at their office and to send an officer.

    Patty, the 9-1-1 operator told Cindy they said they would send someone out as soon as someone was free, but before the call could be disconnected, she heard words that turn her blood cold.

    As Jarvis stepped in front of her and pulled out a gun, Cindy¡¯s eyes grew round; as she knew, she was going to die.  ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me,¡± she cried.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°You should have been nicer to me,¡± he said with a sinister grin, then he pointed the gun at her heart.  He smiled as he pulled the trigger, hitting his target square on.

    As her face filled with pain, the phone in her hand fell to the floor, and she collapsed onto her desk.

    Patty was shocked to hear the gun blast, then she quickly dispatched help, though she was afraid it was already too late for the woman on the phone.

    He walked pass Cindy¡¯s crumpled body and entered Skyler¡¯s office, but she wasn¡¯t there.

    With the idea Skyler might be with the baby, he headed out of her office.  As he passed Cindy¡¯s desk, he didn¡¯t bother to look over at the assistant, as there wasn¡¯t a need as he was an excellent marksman.  He put his gun out of sight, stepped out of the office, closing the door behind him.  When he saw a man standing by the drinking fountain, he moved towards him, leaving his mother to follow.

    ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m looking for Skyler.  I believe she¡¯s in the day care center, but I don¡¯t know where that is.¡±

    ¡°Go down to the end of the hall and turn left, the daycare is there on the right.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, man.¡±  Jarvis turned and started down the hall.  He wasn¡¯t in any mood to take any rudeness from Skyler¡¯s coworkers, so if the man hadn¡¯t been friendly, he would have shot him as well.

    * * *

    Cindy had been shocked when Jarvis had pulled out the gun, but more so when he had cold bloodily shot her.  Lucky for her, due to a birth defect, her heart was off centered in her chest, so the bullet had missed her heart.  Never had she been glad for this defect as she was today, as the imperfection had just saved her life.

    When she collapsed to her desk, she landed on a baby blanket that Skyler had forgotten when she left for the day care.  Not only did the blanket soften her fall, but it also helped apply pressure to the bullet wound to prevent her from bleeding out.

    After landing on her desk, she played dead by not moving a muscle and taking very slow breaths.  She wasn¡¯t surprised when Jarvis hurried into Skyler¡¯s office and hearing him returning, she held her breath, praying he wouldn¡¯t look her way.  As she knew that if he noticed she was still alive, this time, he would make sure he¡¯d killed her for good.

    When she heard the office door closed, she took in a loud inhale.  She grabbed the phone, disconnected the line, picked it back up, and then dialed Skyler¡¯s number.

    * * *

    Skyler had just laid the baby down after burping her when her cell phone rang.  Seeing it was Cindy calling, she became concerned, as her friend usually just paged her if she needed her.

    ¡°Cindy, what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Jarvis is here with a gun and is willing to use it,¡± she told her friend.

    ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone,¡± she assured her friend.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong about that, as he¡¯s already shot me, so he means business.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± she cried.  ¡°How badly are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°If my heart was where it should be in my body, I would be dead right now.¡±

    ¡°Oh Cindy, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±  Skyler felt awful that her friend could have been killed because of her.

    ¡°The police have been called, but Jarvis will probably reach you before they can get here to stop him.¡±

    No sooner had Cindy said the words, the door to the daycare center opened, and Jarvis stepped into the room.

    ¡°I¡¯m here for my daughter,¡± he said in a cold tone.

    Skyler had to stall so the police would have time to arrive.  ¡°How many times do I have to tell you that she isn¡¯t your daughter?¡±

    He gave her a threatening look.  ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    ¡°You have had two DNA test, and they both showed she isn¡¯t yours.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, because once you¡¯re dead, she will be mine,¡± he replied with a sneer.

    She shook her head, as she didn¡¯t understand his reasoning.  ¡°Killing me isn¡¯t going to make Kandi yours.  Besides, the police are on their way, and they are going to arrest you and take you to jail for shooting Cindy.¡±

    His eyes grew round.  ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    ¡°She told me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying.  Once you and these women in here with you are dead, the police aren¡¯t going to know I was even here.¡±

    Skyler laughed.  ¡°Of course, they¡¯ll know.  When Cindy called 9-1-1, she told them it was you who shot her, while your mother watched.¡±

    ¡°Your friend is dead,¡± he spit at her.

    ¡°Sorry to disappoint you, but she¡¯s alive.¡±

    ¡°No, she isn¡¯t, as I shot her in the heart not more than five minutes ago.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong about that too.¡±

    He smiled an evil grin at her.  ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bet on that.¡±

    ¡°Do you mind if I put this call on speaker phone?¡±

    Jarvis frowned, as he didn¡¯t realize she had been on the phone when he came into the room.  ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Cindy.¡±

    He chuckled, as he knew she was lying.  ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    Skyler hit the speaker button.  ¡°Jarvis doesn¡¯t believe you¡¯re alive.  Could you tell him something only you and he would know?¡±

    ¡°He said to me, ¡®You should have been nicer to me.¡¯, pointed his gun at me, smiled and shot me in the chest.¡±

    Jarvis¡¯ eyes grew wide.  ¡°That¡¯s not possible.  I put a bullet into her heart.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where you made your first mistake, as I don¡¯t have a heart,¡± Cindy commented.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter as I¡¯m not leaving here without the baby,¡± he said as he reached up and pointed the gun at Skyler¡¯s head.

    Skyler squeezed her eyes closed and said a quick prayer.  When a gun shot was heard, she expected to feel pain, but instead, she heard someone fall to the floor.  Her eyes flew open to see whom he¡¯d shot and was happy to see Amy and Ressa were both unharmed.  Then she looked down, and gasped at the sight before her, as Jarvis lay on the ground with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.

    She let out a scream when the door busted open, but instead of Helene being there, three men dressed in Swat uniforms had entered the room.  Realizing what must have happened, she quickly looked towards the window, and seeing a small hole in the window at the same height as Jarvis¡¯ head, she realized how he¡¯d been killed.

    * * *

    While the three women were occupied with the swat team, an unseen woman snuck into the room.  Once everyone¡¯s attention was off the babies, she quickly grabbed the baby in the crib marked Kandi.  She silently tucked her into her coat, and without any of the women knowing she¡¯d been there; she stepped out into the hallway.

    Seeing the police officers heading her way, she tensed, but continued walking.  Hoping to throw off suspicion, she smiled at them as if she belonged here.  Instead of stopping her, as they should have, they rushed by her.  Once they¡¯d passed, the woman walked as fast as she could towards the front door.  She hoped she could get out of the building without them returning to talk to her, for once, she was out of the door, it would be free sailing.

    Just as she stepped outside, she heard the door behind her lock, making her assume the office building was on lock down because the baby had been discovered missing.  Not wanting to get this far and be caught, she ran to her car.  She didn¡¯t want to take the time to secure the infant in the car seat she¡¯d bought but knew she couldn¡¯t take the chance of anything happening to her granddaughter just in case there was a car chase.

    Once the infant was strapped securely into the car seat, the woman closed the door and moved to get in the front door.  When she looked up and saw more police entering the parking lot, she swore.  If she wanted to get out of here without being caught, she had to be creative.

    Since she was parked on the far side of the parking lot, the police weren¡¯t aware she was there.  Knowing she had just a few moments before she was noticed, she moved to the end of her station wagon and opened the tailgate like a door.  She quickly pulled back the carpeting and jerked up one of the folding back seats, as the station wagon could seat up to ten people.

    She hurried to the baby, unhooked the infant carrier from the seatbelt, took it out of the car, and carried it to the back.  After she placed it on the floor, she closed the lid to the back seat, and replaced the carpet, hiding the sleeping baby inside.

    She got back into her car and after taking a deep breath; she started it and slowly started towards the exit of the parking lot.  As she expected, a policeman asked her to stop.

    ¡°I need to check your car,¡± the officer said to her.

    ¡°What is the problem, officer?¡±  As if, she didn¡¯t already know.

    ¡°Not your concern ma¡¯am.¡±  He quickly scanned the car, and when he didn¡¯t see any sign of her having a baby with her, he returned to her window.  ¡°Thank you, you may proceed.¡±

    She gave him a smile, told him to have a good day, and continued on her way.  In a hurry to get away when she came to the green light, she didn¡¯t look either direction to see if it was clear but headed through it.  If she had just turned her head to the left, she would have seen the fast speeding truck heading her way, which had a drunken teenager at the wheel.

    Just as the front end of her car entered the intersection, the Dodge Ram truck slammed into her vehicle so hard, the woman was killed instantly.  Aaron, the driver of the truck had his air knocked out of his lungs by the airbag, but once he regained his equilibrium, he knew he had to get away before the cops could arrest him.

    Not only, for running the red light and causing this accident, but the fact he was stinking drunk.  Aaron was trying to unhook his seatbelt when he felt a presence at his left.  As he turned his head and saw the police officer standing there, he knew his luck had just run out.

    Meanwhile, the second officer was checking on the driver of the station wagon.  Finding her dead and the vehicle empty, he moved towards the truck to see if he was needed there.  After the driver of the truck was placed in the squad car, the first officer returned to the crash station wagon as the ambulance and tow truck had arrived.

    * * *

    Once Skyler knew Jarvis was dead, and no longer a threat, she moved to the crib to get her daughter.  When she looked down, seeing the crib empty, she screamed, and before her tears could fall, she was in her husband¡¯s arms.

    ¡°Someone has taken Kandi.¡±  She looked around the room with panic in her eyes.  ¡°I don¡¯t understand, she was in the crib when Jarvis was shot, I don¡¯t see how anyone could come in and take her without being seen.¡±

    As soon as security was aware of the missing infant, they quickly locked the building down with the hope that the culprit hadn¡¯t already left the building.  When they started viewing the tape from the company¡¯s security cameras and saw the perpetrator entering the daycare center, Skyler was bought into the room to see if she could identify the woman.

    ¡°That¡¯s Jarvis¡¯ mother.  He must have gotten her to believe in his illusion that Kandi is his daughter.¡±

    They continued viewing the tapes and were dismayed to see Helene had left the building before the office had been locked down.  ¡°We¡¯ll send out an Amber Alert.¡±

    * * *

    Joe, the tow truck driver, was used to see such things, as hauling away smashed cars was part of his job.  Seeing the station wagon¡¯s condition, he wasn¡¯t surprised to hear the driver had been killed, as the truck had hit it so hard, the front door was now where the driver used to be.  He started to hook his truck to the car, but stopped when he heard a faint, but distinct sound coming from inside the station wagon.

    He was confused, not by the sound of a crying baby, as it was one, he familiar with, but mystified because it was coming from the smashed vehicle.  ¡°Hey officer,¡± he shouted to the nearest man.

    George looked over at him with tears in his eyes as he¡¯d just learned the woman had kidnapped a child, and since the vehicle was empty and all the windows were smashed, he assumed the child had been thrown from the car.

    ¡°Come over here.  I think there is a baby in here.¡±

    ¡°What?  How is that possible?¡±

    Joe acquainted with this model of vehicle was aware of the hidden seats and so he quickly opened the back door.  As he did so, the crying became louder, causing him to work faster.  As soon as he raised the lid of the back seats, and saw the child, he smiled.  He grabbed the car seat and brought it out with the unhappy infant.

    One of the paramedics hearing a crying baby, hurried over to them.  The baby was quickly checked out, and all were surprised to learn she hadn¡¯t been hurt in the crash.  Not only had the car seat protected her, the tight quarters of where she¡¯d been place, had kept her safe from harm.

    George swiftly called headquarters to inform them that the baby had been found alive and in good condition, but they were sending her to the hospital to be checked out just to be sure.

    Skyler and Holden were overwhelmed to learn their daughter was alive and unharmed, they hugged each other, then left to go to the hospital.

    * * *

    A week later, Skyler was going through her mail, stunned to see there was a letter from a law office.  When she opened it up, she was confused to see the letter was from Jarvis¡¯ lawyer.  As she read, she learned that Jarvis was so sure Kandi was his daughter; he had named her his beneficiary.  Not only that, she had also inherited all his mother¡¯s estate as well.   With the insurance money from both, it came to a great deal of money.

    Skyler was in a dilemma, as she didn¡¯t feel right keeping any of it since Jarvis wasn¡¯t Kandi¡¯s father, nor did he have any relatives she could give the estate.  She and Holden came up with the idea to set up an annuity for the homeless shelter in Jarvis¡¯ name, a gift that would keep giving for many years, helping a great deal of people.