Page 48 of Beyond our Forever

“But Beth is still here.” More excuses.

“She won’t think it’s weird, so please let me come in with you, baby,” he pleads again. “Let me love you as you like, as I know how to…”

But what about his blonde?

And the stranger who sent me the flowers and the bottle of wine?

“But what’s going to be different this time?” That’s the million dollar question.

“Everything,” he promises, looking me in the eye. “Let me come in, Ilythia, both of us know I’m not perfect, but I am perfect for you. Just think about that and then let me stay.”

He sighs and so do I.

“Let me stay, because you’re my madness and my sanity. Because I don’t want to leave, because I want to be with you, I need to hear you say that you want me.”

I’m about to say yes. I open my mouth to utter that simple syllable which has so much power, but then I hear a commotion coming from behind me in the house and Beth crying out in alarm.

“Aaron, no!”

What’s going on with my son?

Chapter 14

Past

Whoever walks on roses must also be prepared to tread on thorns. That phrase perfectly sums up what our next years were like.

“Even though it hurts me to admit it, your place is next to that fucker,” Warren told me as we said goodbye that morning at the airport, where a flight to Detroit awaited us.

It was hurting my brother as much as it was hurting me, because he’d become very attached to Aaron. Our baby was his first nephew and my brother was crazy about him. According to Warren, Aaron was his spitting image, although everyone else thought the baby must have been a cloning experiment, since my son had come out just like his father.

“Promise me you’ll come visit us soon,” I pleaded as I hugged him again.

“As if you could stop me.” He smiled, but I could see he wasn’t happy, those eyes just like mine were full of sadness, my brother was about to break down. “See you on Thanksgiving.”

“Take good care of them, you’re responsible for the people I love the most,” he told my husband and my heart shattered, my brother wasn’t a man who usually made great expressions of affection.

He was a macho man, and according to him, a very tough one. But I knew him well, we were very close and this was the first time that we would be apart. Until a few months ago, it had been just him and me, we’d been inseparable. When your parents are destitute, you get used to taking care of each other, looking after each other, protecting each other.

I think at that moment he felt the harsh blow of reality, now my companion in life would be another. My husband, the man to whom I had linked my life.

With all my soul I asked God to give him a good woman, someone who would discover the treasure that was Warren and love him forever.

“You’d better go.” Warren released me before looking at Bruce. “Call me when the plane lands.”

They gave each other a man hug, with slaps on the back and everything. Although neither of them said anything, they got along pretty well. They had trust and respect, and every now and again they would meet up for a drink without me.

Warren tenderly stroked Aaron’s head one last time as he slept peacefully in my arms, then walked us over to the end of the security line.

A part of me wanted to stay there with him and comfort him, but I was on a different path now and my place was with my husband. My brother would always be there for me, but life moves on, we grow and we have to keep going.

When we got to Detroit, the last thing I had was time to wallow in sadness. Just taking care of Aaron, my days passed between sleep deprivation and a hectic schedule.

Bruce was really busy, he had a heavy load at school, plus he’d managed to get a part-time job at one of the architectural firms his professor had recommended him for. That gave us some financial security, so when my period was again conspicuous by its absence and the home test was positive, we didn’t panic this time. Noah was on the way and we were both thrilled.

My life had already changed in so many ways in such a short time. I had stopped being Ilythia as I became a wife and mother, but I didn’t mind. I barely had time to brush my hair but my husband and children were all I cared about, they were my whole world.

It wasn’t difficult for a man as talented and dedicated as my husband to make his mark in the competitive world of architecture. By the time he finished his master’s degree, he had several great job offers, but loyal as ever, he decided to accept the offer from the company he’d been working for since we arrived to the city.

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