Learning to Forgive (3 page)

Tears
fell from her eyes as she recalled the occasion so clearly. She watched as
David ran his fingers through his hair.
“When?”

“The night I told you.
That day
I went to the clinic. I paid the fee, and then when my name was called I walked
out.”

“Why
are you telling me this? And why didn’t you listen to your friends?” he asked.

“Because
you want to stay married. I think it is time you knew the truth. I didn’t want
to be married to you then. You loved your first wife more than you loved your
children. Still do, from the way it sounds some days. I never wanted to be
someone you felt you had to keep. My friends were giving me advice, but when it
came to it, I couldn’t get rid of it. I knew, as I was sitting in that clinic,
I knew I already loved the baby growing inside me.” Molly covered her stomach
recalling the tenderness that had swamped her all those years ago. She’d never
be able to abort her child. It was not in her nature. She’d have been a single
parent before she considered giving up her baby.
 

She
saw the tears forming in his eyes. Her hand shook as she pressed the glass to
her lips. The brandy burned her throat on the way down. She hated alcohol in
all of its forms.

“What
made you change your mind?” David asked.

“I
couldn’t do it. Killing a baby because you wouldn’t want him was not the right
choice. I knew I’d regret it. I loved my baby Luke.” She chuckled to herself.
Luke was a fully grown man, and yet he was her baby boy. “I didn’t need you to
love my baby. If I hadn’t have gotten pregnant, would you have still married
me?” she asked.

“Yes.”
His response surprised her. David didn’t hesitate. “I’d decided that night when
I took your virginity that I would do anything to claim you. If you didn’t get
pregnant then I’d take you again and again until you were. Then you’d have no
choice but to be mine.”

Her
throat felt like it was closing up. “In all that time, when you thought about
it, you never once thought of simply asking me to be your wife?”

“No.”

“You
needed a baby to claim me?”

“No,
Molly.”

He
went to go to her. She put a hand up to ward him off. “I don’t want you to come
near me, David. So much time has passed. I don’t even think I care anymore.”

She
drained her glass then walked past him.

“Give
me a chance,” he said.

Molly
turned at the door to look at him. “What?”

“Give
me a chance to prove my love for you. Let me show you how it could have been
with each other.”

“Why?”

“I
was young, Molly. I fucked up. I know this. Please, give me a chance to prove
to you that you did the right thing in marrying me.”

She
knew she should refuse. When it came to David Sinclair she was weak. A sucker,
some might say. She nodded her head then left before he got a chance to pull
more from her.

Molly
walked back up the stairs to the room they’d shared for all the years of their
marriage. She went to the closet and pulled out some of her clothes. Slowly,
she made up the guest bedroom. He might spend the rest of their lives trying to
make it up to her, but she wasn’t spending another night in his bed.

She
returned to her guest room. The ring she’d thrown on the fire was by the bed.
David must have saved it from the flames.

Sitting
on the edge of the bed, she placed the ring on her finger. He’d cleaned the
burn marks off.

What
did it all mean?

Chapter Two

Three months later

Nothing
was working. Molly went out with him on dates at his request, and by the end of
the
evenings,
she’d go to her room without saying
much. Dinner was always a stressful affair. No matter how much effort he put
in, she rarely gave anything back. He missed the sweet, talkative woman she
used to be. When had she stopped being so open about her feelings?

His
sons were not helping. Blaze was busy dealing with his own love life. Chris had
told him to try harder. Trent didn’t speak. Luke and John were never alone with
him. Everything he tried to do, failed.

The
house was empty. After the disaster of his cooking breakfast that morning,
Molly had left to go to breakfast with their son. David walked up the stairs.
Instead of going to his own room, he walked into her bedroom, one of the guest
rooms she’d made up for herself a few months ago.

Her
scent greeted him the moment he walked into the room. David closed his eyes
feeling a great peace wash over him. For two months, he hadn’t been able to
sleep. He woke in a cold bed mourning her next to him.

Their
nights had been spent with each other’s arms wrapped around each other. How could
she give that up? It had been the best part of his day, going to sleep with her
by his side.

David
moved over to the bed. Her night-wear was on the pillow. He picked it up and
lay down, careful not to get his shoes on the bedding. He was a tall man, and
his feet hung over the edge of the small bed.

He
pressed the night-shirt to his face, inhaling her fragrance. David curled up
holding her shirt against him. For a few moments he felt peaceful and happy.
Molly was back and would walk out of the bathroom and curl up against him.

David
closed his eyes, drifting off into a memory.

****

Twenty years ago

The
day had been awful. Work was a constant, nagging hindrance around his
shoulders. A few of his business deals had fallen through. The only time he
enjoyed his day was when he got the chance to go home to Molly. She cooked him
a lovely meal and would sit with him. Sometimes she’d read to him the book
she’d gotten from the library. He tried not to show her how much he loved those
moments.

Isabella
had taught him a very valuable lesson in showing love. If he showed any ounce
of caring, others exploited it until there was nothing left except a pitiful
hole of despair.

“You
look a little stressed. Are you okay?” Molly asked, reaching over to squeeze
his hand.

“I’m
fine, Molly.
Tired but fine.”

“You
work too hard. You need a break. Maybe we could all go somewhere during the
summer vacation? What do you think?”

“I’d
like that. Book a time, and I’ll make arrangements to be there.”

“Okay.
I’m going to go and take a shower. Leave the dishes in the sink. I’ll sort them
in the morning.”

He
nodded his head. She leaned in close, kissed his cheek,
then
walked up the stairs. David finished his food with anticipation. He loved being
with her. She was so caring and giving. Her response to him was natural,
nothing forced or faked.

David
finished his meal then walked up the stairs. The sound of the shower filled the
bedroom. The door connecting the bathroom and their bedroom was open. For
several moments he stood admiring the shape of her body through the glass. She
was a mighty fine woman. His cock stirred with need. David stroked himself then
left the room to find the spare bathroom.

He
washed himself quickly then made his way back into his room. Locking the
bedroom door, he sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the back of his neck with
the towel.

She
came out several minutes later dressed in a silk negligee that plunged at the
front showing a great deal of breast. The negligee ended above the knee with a
split down the side to her waist. He’d purchased the negligee from a special
lingerie store. Molly looked damn hot in sexy silk nightwear. He loved feeling
her rub against him in the middle of the night.

“Wow,
you look tired. Here, let me help.” She took the towel from his hands replacing
the fabric with her touch. Her hands went to his muscles, rubbing the aches
away.

He
moaned. “You’re good with your hands,” he said.

She
chuckled. “You work too hard, David. You’re going to put yourself into an early
grave if you’re not careful.”

“Will
you miss me?” he asked.

“You
know I would.”

“Not
because of the money?”

She
slapped him like he knew she would. “I don’t give a rat's ass about your money,
David. You know that.”

In
a quick move, he caught her round the waist pulling her onto his lap. His hand
moved into the split at the side of her negligee, moving up to touch her full
tits. God, he loved her body so damn much. His cock pulsed with fresh arousal
at the thought of taking her again.

Most
of his days were spent thinking about how to take her. He wanted to do so much
and show her how amazing it was between them.

She
gasped, her smile disappearing.

“What
do you want me for?” he asked.

“Everything else.”
He
watched her swallow as he lowered his head.

“Do
you want me for this?” he asked, taking her lips with his own and tweaking her
nipple at the same time. She cried out opening her lips for his kiss. He moaned
when she squirmed on his lap trying to get closer to him. David stood up,
taking Molly with him. His towel fell in a heap on the floor. He didn’t care.
David pulled the negligee up and off her body. She wore no panties. Molly stood
naked before him. He took her lips once again, running his hand down her body
at the same time.

“Open
your legs,” he said.

Her
legs opened, and he pressed two fingers to her creamy wet slit. She was always
so responsive to his touch. Her cream soaked his fingers. David pushed his
digits inside her sweet cunt and felt her slick with arousal.

“You
want me,” he said.

“Always.”
She
whimpered, thrusting down onto his fingers. “Take me, David. I’m yours.
Always yours.”

Her
words drove him to the edge. He turned her around and made her kneel with her
ass in the air. David ran his hands over each delightful curve. He never grew
tired of her body. The lush curves were a constant turn-on to him. He stroked a
thumb down the crease of her ass as his other fingers teased her clit. His cock
was rock hard, pointing at her entrance, its tip leaking out pre-cum. He
grabbed his length, pressed the head to the entrance of her cunt and slammed
inside.

Molly
cried out, pressing back against him.

He
took her hard. His hands at her waist held her in place as he continually
fucked her. When that wasn’t enough, he moved her up the bed then turned her to
face him. David liked seeing the love shining in her eyes.

Kissing
her lips, he made love to her body over and over. The heat of the moment
consumed them, neither letting the other over the peak until they were both
there. David stared into her eyes seeing the love for him in her green depths.
He knew how she felt because he felt it all the time.

They
climaxed together, his release spilling into her womb as her cunt tightened
around him. They collapsed on the bed, naked, spent but content. Molly fell
asleep straight away. David didn't. He spent the rest of the night watching her
sleep. She looked so happy with a slight lift to her lips like she was smiling
in her sleep.

He
thought about how much he loved her. In the safety of her dreams, David was
able to tell her how he felt.

“I
love you, Molly.
With all my heart.”
He stroked her
cheek pushing the excess hair off her face.

****

David
came out of the memory. At the time he hadn’t been aware he’d made her pregnant
with John. The only time he’d told her how he felt was through sleep. He was
ashamed. Even after all these years he’d never told her to her face. After that
night, she’d booked the holiday, and he’d not gone with them. He recalled how
sad she’d looked, but she hadn’t said anything. Instead, she’d cancelled the
reservations she’d made and had taken them to the beach house. How many
holidays had he cancelled? There were too many to count. With Isabella, he’d
never missed one. What did he have with Molly? Broken promises and fucked up
memories.

He
felt angry and was infuriated with himself at his lack of words. No wonder
Molly wanted a divorce. He was a horrible man who’d never told her how he felt.
Getting off the bed, he evened out the bedding then made his way to where he’d
stored everything of Isabella’s. That woman, his first wife, had been the cause
of so much fucking pain.

The
anger inside him was building. The blood was pumping around his chest with so
much hatred. He couldn’t even remember why he’d kept all of her crap over the
years. David had
never
 
looked
through her shit since the day she died.

He
grabbed the box from the closet where he’d stored the damn thing. David pulled
it along, down the stairs then into the sitting room.