HAPPY FOREVER AFTER

He draped a blanket over her, then sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her pale lips and the bruised circles under her eyes. He picked up a cool lock of her hair, not wanting to wake her, but needing to touch her, even if it was only a silky tress wound around his finger.

He missed her. And he hated that she wouldn’t accept his help. He hadn’t meant to put such a schism between them. How was he going to make her understand that he cared? When she wouldn’t even let him say anything or make a suggestion without fighting him.

His concentration at work had been shot. Since that day she announced she loved him… Or used to love him. He wasn’t sure she still did. Not after he had been a jerk… He hadn’t even known what to say. Except that the urge to take care of her and protect her was stronger than ever.

He remembered that look in her eyes when he called things off in her office. He squeezed his eyes shut. Bowing his head, he didn’t will the mental picture away. No, he conjured it up over and over, punishing himself with the memory of the sadness that had darkened her eyes.

He hadn’t asked for her love. He didn’t want it. He had earned a PhD in how faithless love was. People threw that word around to abuse, betray and abandon others. Love deceived, used and…died. It left pain and disillusionment and loss behind. It changed people for the worse, not the better.

Intuition had warned him that if he allowed Emma in, if he risked opening to her, when she left-because experience had taught him the leaving was inevitable-the wreckage would be much worse than the damage Jade had inflicted. He didn’t want to be played for the fool by love again.

And if she really did love him, he didn’t deserve it. All he had done was hurt her.

He leaned down to press the lightest of kisses against her cool cheek.

As he drew back, she came awake with a start, eyes flashing open. For one fraction of a second, a sleepy, welcoming light shone in her gaze. It was the warmth of sunrise, bathing him in a glow of promise. All the turmoil in him settled and he was renewed.

Then a deep vulnerability hollowed out her gaze. She broke eye contact, glancing around in confusion, rolling onto her back and sliding to put more distance between them.

“I was only going to lie down for a minute while my stomach settled.” she said.

The shadows came back into his soul, like wraiths in their cold emptiness. “Stay here. You obviously need the rest.” He set his hand on her hip, trying to reassure her, but she was already rolling away, pushing off his touch with the tangle of the blanket, kicking her feet toward the far side of the mattress.

“Emma” he said to her back, watching her stiffen at the gravity of his tone. He walked to the other side of the bed and made her get back on the bed.

“Relax,” he said. “I won’t hurt you, so I don’t understand why you keep doing this… why you keep running away from me. I will go get your food”.

He stood up and minutes later he was back. She sat upright and then took the plate and glass from him.

He sat beside her as she ate. His scrutiny made her uncomfortable and so she focused on her food, not looking up.

“Ignoring me isn’t going to help,” he said.

She paused, set her fork down and then leveled a stare at him.

“I can find a way to take care of myself, Daniel. You don’t have to do this” she said.

His jaw tightened. “No” he shook his head. “You need me. You know you do. You are pregnant… with my baby. And I want to help. I know that you and I have a lot to work out, but right now let’s take things one at a time. Right now, you need help that I can provide. You need someone to take care of you. You need top notch medical care. I can give you all of those things.”

Emma thrust a hand into her hair and leaned back. He immediately leaned forward, slipping from the bed and going to his knees in front of her. He touched her arm, tentatively, as if afraid she would recoil.

“I’m sorry that I yelled at you earlier. But the thought of you being here alone scares the crap out of me. The doctor confirmed my fears that you are not okay and I know you might think I don’t but I… I want this baby, Emma. I want both of you to be safe. Come with me, Emma. You know this has to be worked out between us. You have to think about the baby.”

She held up a hand, furious that he would try to manipulate her with guilt. But he caught her hand and lowered it, and then ruthlessly pressed his advantage.

“You can’t keep going to work,.” he said. “The doctor said you have to rest or you risk the health of your child as well as your own. If you can’t accept my help for yourself, at least do it for our baby. Or is your pride more important than his or her welfare?”

“And what are we supposed to do when we get to your house, Daniel?” she asked.

“You are going to rest, I’m going to take care of you and we are going to figure out our future.”

Her stomach lurched. It sounded so ominous. Their future.

She was a fool to agree. She would be a fool not to agree. She had to accept his help for her baby’s sake. She sighed deeply.

“Emma?” he touched her hand gently.

“I will go,” she said in a low voice.

Triumph flashed in his eyes. “Then let’s get you packed and get the hell out of here.” he said.

———————————–

When Emma woke the next morning, she struggled to make sense of her surroundings. Then she remembered. She was at Daniel’s house.

In a matter of hours, Daniel had had her packed and hustled into the car. By the time they had arrived at his apartment, she was dead on her feet.

Once inside, he showed her the room she was going to stay in and she took her bag and headed towards it. The last time she had been here. She was happy. She thought.

Down the hall was his bedroom where she and Daniel had made love countless times.

Once again, she’d been reminded of how much of an idiot she was to come back here.

But this morning she felt resigned to her fate. After a quick shower, she dressed and padded into the living room where Daniel was already sitting typing on a laptop. He looked up when he heard her come in.