Page 3 of Every Breath

“It’s just…I wonder if Damon’s watching us from heaven. I can’t help but feel his presence somehow.” She shivered.

“Of course, he’s looking down on us, and I believe he’s happy. Damon didn’t have a selfish bone in his body. He would never begrudge us our happiness. Before he died, he told me to look out for you and the children. I kind of suspect he wanted us to be together.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Knowing the kind of person he was, do you really need to ask?”

She paused for a moment, face uncertain. “I guess not. You have been wonderful to me and the kids.”

Rodney leaned down to kiss her full lips. Although she wrapped her arms around his neck to return his kiss, he could sense that she was holding back. He lifted his head. “Is everything okay?”

She sighed. “Yes, of course. I guess I needed some air. Could you do me a favor?”

“Anything for you, baby.”

“Would you mind very much if I have a few minutes alone?”

Unable to help himself, his grip tightened on her shoulders. “Why? This is our engagement party, and you’re standing out here like a recluse. People are asking where you are. You should be in there by my side.” Why did it always seem as though she was trying to find excuses to be away from him? This was supposed to be their night.

“Rodney, your fingers are digging into my skin. Let go.” She frowned at him, backing away when he released her. She rubbed her shoulders. “I have been by your side all night. I just need a moment alone, and I don’t really think it’s too much to ask considering you sprang this party on me at the last minute.”

Rodney steeled himself to present the very picture of contriteness, although he was bristling inside. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was holding you so tight. Forgive me.”

Brandi pursed her lips to show her displeasure, but he knew she wasn’t the type to stay angry with anyone for long. “I forgive you, but you need to watch it,” she warned.

“Of course, baby, but you can’t hold it against me for wanting to show off my beautiful fiancée. I want the world to know that you belong to me.”

“I think they already know because of this huge rock you bought me.” She laughed, holding up her three-carat diamond ring.

“Okay, I’ll go back into the party, but if you’re not back in ten minutes, I’ll come out to get you.”

“All right, I’ll be in shortly,” she promised, turning around again.

When she heard him walk off she looked up to the stars. They were so bright tonight. Everything was perfect. The food was excellent, everyone at the party seemed to be enjoying themselves, the twins were on their best behavior, and she was engaged to a man who adored her. She should have been happy, but something didn’t feel right. She gazed at the stars.

“Oh, Damon, am I doing the right thing? I know you wanted Rodney to take care of us, but I guess somewhere along the line he and I became closer. He is so good with the kids and DJ needs a man in his life. You should see him now. He looks just like you, and he’s growing like a weed. He’s nearly as tall as I am. I think he’s going to be tall like you, and Mya is eight going on thirty. She’s so smart, but, boy, she sure has a mouth on her you just wouldn’t believe.” Brandi paused for a moment, tears filling her eyes again at the thought of her children growing up without their father. This same thought plagued her from the night she saw Damon’s lifeless body lying in the hospital emergency department.

When Damon was killed, Brandi had been devastated. They were college sweethearts. From the time they were thrown together as partners for chemistry lab, they’d found that the chemistry between the two of them was far more interesting. They got married after they graduated.

Her husband was her best friend, her lover, the father of her children, and the man she loved beyond all others. Their love had always been strong, and with the arrival of the twins four years into their marriage, their love had grown stronger still. Brandi was so proud to be seen with her strong handsome man.

Many women eyed her with envy whenever she was out with her hunky husband. She also missed the nights he would make her body sing as he stretched her pussy walls so forcefully with each confident stroke of his masterful cock. He would drive her wild when he talked dirty to her. It was one of her weaknesses where he was concerned.

Like most married couples, they shared their ups and down, but their love was the kind that made people wish for what they had. Their lives together were the best ten years she’d ever experienced. Damon was one of life’s givers, deciding to become a police officer for the city of Philadelphia to make a positive impact on people’s lives. Even without his uniform he had touched so many in their community with his warm, generous nature. His job had kept her up most nights with worry, but when the call came that fateful night, it still shook her to the core.

Leaving the children with a neighbor, she rushed to the hospital hoping for the best but expecting the worse. Ignoring the security guards and Damon’s fellow officers who tried to stop her, she’d burst into the emergency department as a team of doctors and nurses tried to revive Damon. A hysterical mess, she vaguely remembered being led to the lobby. It was her worse nightmare come true when they pronounced him dead.

Damon’s death left a hole in her heart that she didn’t think could ever be filled again. She didn’t want to go out, or to see anyone, and didn’t care how she looked anymore. If she didn’t have the children to look after, Brandi probably would have crawled under her bedcovers and never poked her head out again, but DJ and Mya were only six.

They didn’t understand why their daddy was never coming home again, and although she put on a brave face for the twins when they were around, she would find herself crying uncontrollably when she was alone.

“I miss you so much, Damon, but being the kind of person you were, I know you wouldn’t want me to mourn you forever. Rodney has been such a rock.” She knew that if she’d to, she would have been able to make it through, but having Rodney around helped a lot. She believed he would raise her children as his own, but it wasn’t the same. Still, she owed him so much.

“Please give me a sign, Damon. Tell me that I have your blessing.” Brandi waited, hoping to see a star twinkle or some unusual celestial arrangement, but there was nothing. She was torn because she cared very deeply for Rodney, and she supposed she loved him, but her feelings for him didn’t come close to what she shared with Damon. To be fair, she told Rodney the first time he proposed that she couldn’t imagine loving anyone as much as she loved Damon, but it didn’t seem to have bothered him.

It was Rodney who made her realize that Damon would not have wanted her to go on that way. As Damon’s good friend and partner, Rodney had become a fixture in their lives, but after Damon’s death he’d taken more upon himself. He came to dinner every night, went to all the kids’ school functions, and took them on outings. After six months, he’d proposed. Brandi had been taken aback because not only was it too soon, but she’d never thought of Rodney romantically. So, she refused him. Despite her rejection, he didn’t stop being a part of their lives, and Brandi appreciated that.

It was one weekend when the kids had been with their grandparents that they had drifted into a real relationship. Brandi wasn’t even sure how it had happened, but she realized that she could do a lot worse. Rodney made her laugh, he was good company, and he was a very attractive man by anyone’s standards. If she were to be completely objective, Rodney drew more stares from women than even Damon had.

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