“You left me, not the other way around,” she barely whispered to him. “Why would you say my father paid you off? Why are you saying any of this? I don’t understand,” she cried. Being in this spot was making it all new and fresh. The pain from that day still haunted her, especially when she looked into her son’s face.
They both looked into one another’s eyes as they tried to figure out what the other was talking about.
“Why don’t you tell me about that day?” he finally asked her. He was starting to have a really bad feeling in his gut.
“Why would you want me to humiliate myself still?” she questioned him. She couldn’t believe he was so horrible that he’d get enjoyment out of her pain.
“Please just tell me everything that happened after we said goodbye that night?” he asked her and the change in his tone alerted her that something was wrong. He didn’t sound condemning or accusatory. He sounded as if he really wanted to know what she’d done, so she began to relive the worst day of her life.
She told him how she had gone home and told her dad everything and that he’d been supportive. She told him how she’d gone to the church and waited until the sun sunk from the sky. She explained she’d never been more devastated in her life and when she found out a while later she carried his child the pain had been two-fold. It was horrible. She was crying once more by the end of her talking.
Derek said nothing, as she told him the truth of that morning. He had no doubts what she said was true. He now understood it had been her father all along and the man had succeeded at breaking them up. Her father was truly a horrible man, because he must’ve known the child she carried was his and yet he still hadn’t tried to fix things. The man deserved everything that had happened to him in the last couple of months and so much more.
Derek finally took her chin in his hands and lifted her sad eyes up to meet his. She looked so heartbroken and it killed him to know he was responsible for her pain. She hadn’t left him, he realized and his heart was bursting with joy. He loved her even more than he did when they were still young and naive.
He loved the woman she was, both now and then and he couldn’t believe they’d wasted so much time and he’d purposely tried to hurt her. He felt at an all-time low and vowed to make it up to her the rest of their lives.
He said nothing as he continued to gaze down into her beautiful, sad eyes. He slowly lowered his head and captured her lips with his. The kiss was gentle and filled with the love that was overflowing from him. He kissed her for several minutes, before trailing his lips across her cheeks, to kiss away the tears and then he lowered his head to gently nip the smooth silk of her throat.
She was no longer crying, as he continued to gently kiss her all over her mouth, face and neck. He didn’t pull her close against him, as he didn’t want to hurt her beautiful gown but his gentle touch showed her so much love it was indescribable.
He reluctantly pulled away from her and once again looked into her eyes. “Jasmine, I have so much to apologize for, so very much,” he started. “I was there at the church that morning. I was there early because I couldn’t wait to run away with you,” he said and her eyes were rounding in confusion.
“Your father showed up. He told me you didn’t want to be with me any longer and he offered me a lot of money to start my new life. I actually believed the man. I was so angry with him and extremely angry with you. I thought you’d flung me aside, like a piece of trash and I vowed to have my revenge from that point on,” he said, with regret in his voice. He didn’t give her a chance to speak as he continued.
“I was hurting so bad and that thought of revenge was what motivated me but when I saw you again, I realized I still loved you. I lied to even myself and said I just wanted to take you to bed and then leave you, like you’d left me but that wasn’t true either. That first time we were together again, after so many years, knocked me off my feet. Every time I touch you, it’s never enough. It’s so much more than sex. It’s because I love you even more today than I did ten years ago. Please tell me you’ll forgive me and this wedding can be a real marriage,” he pled with her.
Jasmine listened to him, with hope starting to fill her heart. By the time he was finished speaking, her chest was so full she didn’t understand how her heart wasn’t beating right through. She was saddened to realize all the years they’d wasted but she realized none of that mattered anymore because he loved her and she truly loved him and they could be a real family.
“I’m so sorry Derek. I really thought you had just walked away from me all those years ago. I never once suspected my father but I should’ve. He’s not a good man and over the last few months I have really come to realize that. I’m sorry he cost you half of our child’s life. I should have tried harder to find you,” she said.