Learning to Forgive (5 page)

David
watched as Malcolm made some notes on the chart by his bed. David reached out
and caught Malcolm’s hand. “Please, I’m asking as a friend. I did this for you
and
Tilly
. Remember? I talked to her all those years
ago and tried to make her see reason.” Malcolm had been on the verge of an
affair. When David had learned of the nightmare his friend was about to create,
he’d done everything he could to help his friends. Fortunately, Malcolm hadn’t
strayed, and they were a loving, happy couple.
 

Malcolm
looked at his hand. David knew he was clutching with desperation, and he felt
desperate. If he didn’t think of something soon, Molly was going to leave him.
He couldn’t have that. No matter what anyone thought about him, he’d loved that
woman since the first moment he met her. He would do anything to keep her.

“I
was a fool, Malcolm. For twenty-five years, I’ve let her down. I wasn’t there
for her. Please, I beg you, do this for me, and I’ll be the best damn patient
you ever had.”

Tears
sprang to his eyes as he spoke the words.

“Okay,
I’ll talk to Molly. No acting up to this. I’m a doctor, and I don’t want you to
ruin a perfectly pristine career for me. I hope to retire in a few years.”

“You’ll
never really retire, Malcolm. It's not inside you to.”

“I
want to be at home with
Tilly
. I’m finishing up my
time and spending the rest with her. I’ll get your family.” Malcolm patted him
on the arm and left the room.

David
lay back and closed his eyes. He needed to rest in order to come up with a plan
of action. Molly wouldn’t stay with him forever unless he showed her how important
she was to him.

He
knew he’d do anything to keep her with him, anything.

Over
the years, he had done anything.

Chapter Four

Twenty-four years ago

David
watched Molly in the nursery. She was feeding Luke, and his other boys were
downstairs doing their homework. For the first time since he could remember,
they were a family. Molly was his wife. He saw the ring he’d bought glinting on
her finger. It was a simple cut diamond surrounded in gold. The lady in the
shop had cooed over the expense as he made the purchase, and he remembered her
voice grating through him.

“You’re
absolutely perfect,” Molly said to the baby in her arms. David found himself
always watching her. No matter where they were or what they were doing, she
captured his attention unlike any other female. She looked beautiful, glowing
almost, as she got up and put their son to sleep.

Several
minutes later she came out of the nursery and closed the door. She stopped the
moment she saw him. The small light in her eyes began to dim as she looked in
his eyes. He’d noticed the light dying inside her. David knew it was his fault.
He would say or do something, and a little piece of her that he adored would
fall away. She’d stopped bringing him lunch into work because he’d told her he
was embarrassed by her attention. Why had he said such awful things? Was he
trying to push her away? Was he punishing her for what happened with Isabella?
She didn’t have the first clue, but she was going to make sure he answered them
or explained
himself.The
best part of his day had
been when she came to his work place and handed him lunch. Sometimes she’d sit
with him, and they would each lunch together. Isabella never made such small
sacrifices. He’d ruined it.

“You
didn’t bring me lunch today,” he said.

“I
was tired. Besides, you can get lunch from the cafeteria. You said so
yourself.” She brushed past him. He reached out catching her arm then pressed
her against the wall. Her floral scent invaded his senses, making any common
sense leave him.

“I
like you bringing me lunch.”

She
shook her head. “I can’t do this, David. You either want my company or not. You
were clear last time not to bring you lunch.”

“I
was wrong. I want you to bring me lunch from now on.
Every
day.”
He didn’t know where the words were coming from, only that he had
to speak them.

“Why?”

“Because I need you.”
David
knew his words confused her. He would tell her one thing and then another. No
matter what he did, he couldn’t stop himself from hurting her. Before she had a
chance to argue, he slammed his lips down on hers. They were the few moments in
his life when the sun really shone. Molly never resisted him no matter how much
she tried. She was his shining light, the main reason he got up every morning
and worked. How could he have loved anyone else in his life?

Was
his father’s prediction correct? That a Sinclair was only ever bound to love
one woman? It was a cruel fate as he’d picked the worst woman in the world to
love.

Her
arms wrapped around his neck cutting off all thought. Ever since she’d been
pregnant, Molly had begun to wear dresses. David pulled the fabric of her dress
up her thighs. Her little whimper let him know she wanted him as much as he
wanted her. The attraction inside him was sharp and instant. His cock pulsed
with a fresh wave of arousal. He needed inside her sweet pussy.

Closing
his eyes, he pressed his face against her neck breathing her in. She consumed
him like a never-ending fire. Each time he thought he was happy and sated with
her a few days would go by, and then his need would reawaken. Her fingers
tugged at the hair at the base of his neck.

“You
need a haircut,” she said.

“You
can do it another time.” He eased his zipper down and pulled the length of his
cock from his pants. Without waiting, he lifted her up, felt the moist heat of
her pussy, and then eased inside her. She gasped, the walls of her cunt
squeezing him as he pushed through each little ripple of her muscles. Molly was
so wonderfully tight.

David
pressed her against the wall, and she wrapped her legs around his waist and
held on. He wanted to pound inside her, but he held himself back, slowing his
thrusts. Her fingers played with the hair at the base of his neck. David knew
he would purposefully leave it long so she would always have an excuse to play
with his hair.

She
gasped, her head falling back exposing the top parts of her breasts. He pushed
the top of her dress down exposing a plump pale breast with a dark red, almost
brown, nipple. Licking his lips, he latched on to the glorious bud sucking her
inside his mouth.

Her
hips thrust up to meet him as he drove all the way home. He was totally gone
from her small sounds and the feel of her wrapped around him. It was more than
he could bear. David held onto her hips as he pounded inside her. She held on
as he rammed into her tight cunt. Stars exploded along his vision, and the
sound of her cry echoed off the walls of the corridor as her climax erupted. He
sucked her nipple into his mouth, and the tightening of her pussy sent him over
into bliss.

A
growl echoed off the walls. David pumped his hips releasing his seed inside
her. He never used condoms. The feel of her sweetness was too good to give up.

He
kissed her lips, a small brush, and she turned her head away. David didn’t
comment. After sex came some of the most awkward moments of his life.

Her
fingers continued to stroke his hair, and he rested his head against her
breasts wishing with all of his might that the world could stop right now. She
was in his arms, and peace had settled over him.

Like
so many times before, a sound from downstairs invaded the moment. “I have to
go,” she said in a whisper.

“No,
I’ll go.” He pulled out of her, tucking his flaccid cock back into his pants.
There was so much he wanted to say and do. Instead, he kissed her head and left
her standing there.

Why
couldn’t he bring himself to show her the love he felt? It hurt him all the
time, and he knew it was killing her.

Chapter Five

Molly
stood outside the hospital room staring through the window as each of his boys
hugged him. Her hands were shaking, and her mind couldn’t rid itself of the
image of him falling. What would she do if he left her? She shook her head.

Don’t think like that, Molly. He
has hurt you too much to think about everything else.

“Are
you listening to me, Molly?” Malcolm asked.

She
shook her head. “I’m so sorry. The last health check up said he was fine. I
don’t understand how this can happen.”

“I
know what you mean. Illness and disease can strike at any time. Also, the time
taken to interpret the test results can be a factor. I imagine his doctor would
have told him the results from his last tests within the next week
..”

Molly
nodded her head batting the tears away. “I’m sorry.” She wiped the tears away.
Malcolm offered her a handkerchief. “Thank you. So, this could have happened to
anyone?”

“Yes.
David’s health is probably what stopped it going into a full scale heart
attack, but even the healthiest forty-year-old or even younger can have a heart
attack.”

“Thanks
for that, Malcolm.
Just another fear to keep me up at night.”
Malcolm pulled her in close and hugged her. She’d known him for as long as
she’d been married to David. He’d been one of the few friends who accepted her.
Most of his friends had thought she’d gotten pregnant for his money. His money
had been the last thing on her mind when she had gotten pregnant.

“I’ve
been talking to David. He told me about the divorce,” Malcolm said.

She
chuckled. “He won’t sign it. I’ve had my lawyer make copies, but he just keeps
burning it.”

“I’m
sorry, Molly. David loves you. You should know that.”

“No,
he loves his first wife. Always has and always will.” She thought about what he
had said before he collapsed. He must have been drunk or something.

There was no alcohol with him.

He was telling the truth!

She
forced those thoughts down. In the early years of their marriage he’d spent
every available moment telling her how he could never love her. She didn’t hate
him for that. David had made sure she never expected something he couldn’t
give. How, after twenty-five years of not expecting anything, could she easily
give in to his few declarations of love?

Their
children were now grown. There was nothing keeping them together except the
love she felt for him. She was tired of feeling this way. Molly knew she should
never have started their marriage expecting nothing. At the beginning of their
marriage, she’d thought it would be easy to live without love. She’d been
wrong.

“I’ve
known David all his life, Molly. He loves you. Yes, he believed that crap his
father said, but I think he knows the truth.”

Molly
shook her head. She couldn’t think about that right now. Too many years had passed
with the seeds of doubt inside her, and now she couldn’t give herself the time
to hope. Hope had been her only company for the years of her marriage. Hope
that he’d fall in love with her and hope that he’d come to see her as someone
other than a babysitter.

“Anyway,
I don’t think now would be the best time to bring up the divorce or to leave
him. He needs rest, Molly.”

“What
about a nurse?” she asked. Spending all that time caring for him would make it
impossible for her to slap him with a divorce now. She would never be able to
do it. Molly knew she still loved him with her whole heart.

“I
don’t think a nurse will help him as much as you. You’re his constant, honey.”
He tapped her shoulder. She pulled out of his embrace and stared through the
glass. David was looking at them. She smiled then raised her hand to wave.

“You
know I’d never do anything to hurt him, right?” she asked, turning back to
their friend.

“I
know.”

“I
guess I’m staying.” She gave him a smile then signed whatever paperwork he
needed.

“I’ll
go and fetch the prescription. I want you to remain here overnight so that he
will rest. I know how he gets when he’s away from home,” Malcolm said.

She
didn’t understand his comment. “I’m going to go and sit with him.”

Molly
walked into the room. She took the seat next to him. He moved his hand across
to her. She smiled and took his hand, interlocking their fingers as he
continued to talk with the rest of the boys.

When
visiting hours were over, she kissed each of their boys and then took a seat
next to the bed. Chris was on his way back to the beach house. She sat down,
staring at the monitor that was attached to David’s finger. Her hands shook as
she rubbed at her temples.

“Are
you all right?” he asked.

She
nodded her head. “I’m a little tired. You gave me a fright.”

“I’m
so sorry. About the divorce—”