AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That night, Martin sat outside, with a beer, alone. His thoughts had been on Rose before Sarah came to his office, but after, she consumed every part of his mind. He wanted to call her. He wanted to beg her to trust him. He wanted to plead with her. He would never hurt her how he had done, and he certainly would never allow another to hurt her.
Martin understood the importance of having a child, someone to pass down the bloodline, name, and family history, but he never thought much about it.
“What’s up?” His sister, Annie, asked as she walked out, her hand resting on her growing stomach.
“Just thinking,” Martin replied as she sat across from him.
“About Rose?” Martin nodded before taking a drink from his beer. “What is it about this girl, after all this time, that you can’t stop thinking about her?”
Martin wished he could answer her question, but the answer was far from simple. He hadn’t thought about Rose Denton until he walked into that bakery. Yet, since he had, she’d been all he did. Everything about her differed from the typical women he dated, and it called to him. He didn’t know if they would have a happy ever after, but he wanted the chance with her. No matter how long it took, he confirmed to himself.
“There is something about her, something magnificent. Something I could have seen earlier if I’d not been such an ass.” He admitted.
“Perhaps you see it now because you were an ass,” Annie suggested.
“You aren’t the same guy you were back in the day. That guy would never let his knocked-up sister live with him while her husband traveled.”
“I might have.” Martin looked at his sister.
Annie laughed. “You would have told me to suck it up and deal. Me being here would cramp your style.” She corrected him. Martin wished he could say she was wrong, but he knew better. “You certainly wouldn’t be going to run my errands or get me things at a second's notice.”
“Was I that bad?” He knew the answer before the words even left his mouth. “Never mind, I know I was.”
“Martin, you had a different set of obligations than I did, and I think you took a few missteps when it came to how you thought you needed to be. You know?” Annie gave him a comforting smile. “Dad, beat it in your head be strong, confident, powerful. But he never told you that didn’t mean you had to make others weak or powerless.”
“He would have kicked my ass if he knew how I got where I was. Not just back in school but in college as well. I wasn’t any better there.” Martin admitted.
“Yeah, he would have,” Annie confirmed. “But you’re not that man anymore, and you must forgive yourself. Nobody else will until you do.” Martin knew his sister was right. He had thought he had forgiven himself and grown into a better man, but meeting Rose and discovering her illness had proved him different. “Martin, can you see yourself with her? A real relationship, possibly even more? Knowing everything you now know?” He remained silent with her question. Sarah grunted as she stood and started her way back into the house. “When you answer that, you’ll know what to do.”
Annie ran her hand along his shoulder before she left; with a sigh, Martin sat back in his chair. He didn’t care about the kid's thing, though he knew Rose wouldn't believe him if he told her. She had been hurt in her life, and the result caused her to lose all self-worth of herself. The role he played in that he knew was significant, a fact he couldn’t change but one he’d spend as much time as she needed making up for. Though his sister was right, he needed to forgive himself and be the best man he could be, if not for himself but for Rose.
CHAPTER11
Rose
It had been a month since she last heard from Martin, and although she often checked for missed calls or texts, Rose felt a sense of relief. He had gotten the hint, she thought. He had moved on and moved on with his life, woman, kid, and job. He had gotten his good deed out and taken the fat girl from high school out. Gave her a perfect date. Provided memories she would take with her forever. She no longer feared running into him or any of his group at a reunion or in town.
Rose heard the bell over the bakery door; her gaze instantly shot in the door's direction. She held her breath, and the smile that had formed faded slowly.
“Why don’t you call him?” Rose glanced at Sarah.
“Call who?” She asked but didn’t want the answer. With a swift glide around her best friend, Rose made her way to her office. She closed the door behind her and went to the large window overlooking the park.
She had reverted to putting that happy face on. Her typical reply when asked how she was, okay. Her walls were higher than before, though this time was different. The bakery had always been a safe place for her; her ex even knew better than to go there. Martin could show up at any minute, and that made her nervous. Could she send him away if she saw him again? Could she tell him she didn’t want anything to do with him if she looked into his eyes? What power would that smile of his have over her and rational thought?
Rose remained at the window, her lips curled to a smile as she thought of their night. She could still feel his lips against hers. The softness they provided, even with the passion behind their movements. She ran her hands down her side, around to her back as he had done, and her breath hitched in her chest. He held her so close she could still smell his cologne. Anyone from their school would kill to be in his arms like that for a second, and she was. Martin could have anyone he wanted, so his words “I want you” replayed through her mind like a broken record.
Had it been a line? Perhaps one he used all his life? Was she just another mark along the headboard? She tried to tell herself that, but she knew better. Her heart told her differently, which only caused her further confusion. He had someone in his life. He had a child on the way, yet he did what her husband did. He cheated, lied, and used his charm to get what he wanted. He always got what he wanted; the words flowed from his mouth freely, and Rose could not unhear them.
She had never been so conflicted. She missed and wanted him, yet she couldn’t trust him and could never be ‘the other woman.’ This man had found a new way to torment her; Rose thought as she shook her head and ran her hands through her hair. Perhaps she should go to his house and tell his woman what kind of man she was with. Save her from the same pain she had suffered. As quickly as she grew angry, she remembered the way he spoke to her and looked at her.
“We need to talk.” Sarah quickly said as she barged into the office.
Rose scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Come on in.” Her tone was sarcastic.
“You wouldn’t have let me in if I knocked, and we need to talk,” Sarah stated.
“There is nothing to talk about. I’m fine.” Rose knew Sarah would never accept that; she had known her longer than anyone.
