A Broken Forever(74)

Richard believed I was sick, and Kacie knew the basic facts behind my disappearance. She was completely supportive, not just of my time away, but of really letting my past go. Never knowing about Stefan kept Kacie from wholly comprehending the severity of my broken heart. All Kacie knew was he had come back and screwed with my head in every way possible. Little did she know that my confusion and stress weren't here because Stefan reentered my life-it had never left.

She offered to be my shoulder to lean on, but that would involve me explaining things and right now I just wanted to forget. Kacie promised the salon would be bouquet free when I came back to work, and in return, I promised to pick up a few of her shifts. In the entirety Kacie and I had been friends, never had I been such a total flake when it came to work. If I would have not shown up to our beauty school classes a few times a week, I had no doubt she would have thought twice about becoming business partners.



       
         
       
        

As for Richard, I was already sick with heart ache; once I added the guilt I had for feeling this bent out of shape about another man, I felt completely destroyed. It was over and I wanted to move forward, finally devoting every piece of me to the man I agreed to marry.

My days were spent curled up in a ball, crying and sleeping off the pain. The two nights following my separation from Stefan, I slept on the couch. I convinced Richard that I didn't want to be up every few minutes, waking him in the process, if I was feeling sick. Of course, you can't just tell a doctor that you are going to be sick without them immediately snapping into job mode. In the end, it all worked out. We cuddled together on the couch before we went to sleep, and each night he was sad to leave me alone, but I promised it was alright. The truth was that I refused to use Richard as my comfort each night while I cried out the last of my memories of Stefan.

On the third morning I woke up and I truly felt different. The sorrow wasn't weighing upon my chest, pulling me into the darkest quarters of my heart. My soul was almost … lighter, if that were even possible. It was difficult making sense of the emotions, but I began wondering if all that pain was done for. Missing Stefan was as natural for me as breathing, but as I inhaled the air around me I didn't feel that crippling need to have his arms holding me.

This day was starting in a wonderful way that I hadn't experienced in far too long. I knew it was time to make things right and get my life back onto the track it was headed in before chaos reared its ugly head. After taking a shower, and dressing for the day I set off to be the good housewife for my deserving fiancé.

Gathering and beginning the laundry was my first step, cleaning up the last traces of my meltdown over the past became the next. From there I vacuumed, scrubbed the tile floor in the kitchen, and created a shopping list. After I switched over the loads of laundry I hopped into my car, and was on a mission to fill our home with all the foods that Richard loved. These minimal efforts to turn this all around had me smiling.

In the past when I gave Richard my full love and attention, it still never felt true. Without a doubt in my mind I knew I loved this man, but because of Stefan, I had never been able to fully give myself to him. For the first time, I was free of my regrets and able to move forward with the life I wanted to lead. Upon returning home I put away the groceries, switched the laundry from the washer to the dryer, and while I folded the first load of clean clothes I called Kacie.

I wasn't surprised when her voicemail picked up, and was ready to leave a message.

"Kacie, it's me! Sorry about the last few days, I'm such an awful friend! It's so wrong that I left you all there alone because of personal issues. I promise to make it up to you and the others and I can proudly say I will be back to work in the morning! All is well on my end. Well, honestly, all is fantastic! Can't wait to tell you all about it! Love you, Kace!" 

As the clock ticked closer to Richard's arrival home from work I got out the fresh new ingredients to make his favorite dinner, roman chicken. Grilled chicken breasts, fresh veggies and seasoning. By the time Richard arrived home and sought me out in the kitchen, the entire house smelt fantastic and I became downright giddy to see him.

Richard's smile slowly grew as he took in the sights around him. More than anything I saw the way he observed every little movement I made to see if all of this was for real.

"Welcome home, baby!" I greeted him happily, throwing my arms around his shoulders for a hug.

"All of this is for me?"

Before I answered I sealed my lips over his, pouring my heart into our kiss. The sweet touch warmed as Richard's mouth opened just slightly as I slid my tongue against his. His arms wound around my waist, pressing even deeper into me. It had been so long since a single kiss excite Richard sexually, but with his hard growing length pressing against my thigh, I knew I wasn't mistaken. Before our simple hello turned into a pants-off kind of greeting, I pulled my face from his.