Moments in Time: The Complete Novella Collection Read online

  Carlene shook her head. “It’s no big deal, Nick was called on an emergency business trip to Austria and wanted me to accompany him, but I chose to come home instead. I know I still have a long way to go, but I can’t wait to get started on the nursery. I also want to be here for you.” She paused. “So, can I come in?”

  Melisa stepped aside, laughing. “Sorry, for a moment there I forgot it’s your house.”

  Hand still on her stomach, Carlene’s eyes lit up even more as she observed the interior, as if walking into the house for the first time. “I still can’t believe I live here. I never want to forget what a blessing this is. I still want to share it with you. Our offer still stands if you want to stay for a while longer.”

  “That’s not going to happen. Do you know how hard it is to be around people in love when your own love life sucks?” She squeezed Carlene’s shoulder. “I’m joking. I’m very happy for you. Nick is a wonderful man.”

  “He is, right?”

  “Stop digging for compliments.” Melisa’s gaze dropped to Carlene’s hands. “Where’s your luggage?”

  “In the car. I’ll get the bags later.”

  “No, I’ll get it for you. You drove yourself?”

  Carlene frowned. “Why not?”

  “I thought Nick was the kind of man who’d hire a driver for his pregnant wife. He treats you like an egg already.”

  Carlene laughed and sat down. “He insisted I call Simon to drive me, but I’m pregnant, not sick, and perfectly capable of doing everything you or anyone else can do. And the car was already parked at the airport.”

  “I agree. But I hope you’ll let me make you a cup of coffee. I also made muffins yesterday. Want some?”

  Carlene lifted her legs onto the sofa and leaned back against the cushions. “You know what I really want? Why I couldn’t wait to get back here? I want to hear all about you and Mr. Heat. Any good news?”

  Melisa sighed and sat. “I wish there was. Carlene, I might have made the biggest mistake of my life. Maybe I’ll never get a chance to make things right.”

  “I don’t want to make you feel bad, but I agree… You made a mistake. He took you into his home, cared for you, and bought you back your business. I think this guy loves you and was trying to make up for the past in actions rather than words. That’s what counts, right?”

  Melisa remembered the careful way he’d changed her bandages, the way he’d blown on the chicken soup before giving it to her. The way he’d kissed her the day she left his house. The hurt in his eyes when she kicked him out of Carlene’s house. “I wish there was something I could do.”

  “There’s always something you can do. Do you know where he is?”

  “Boston.”

  A mischievous grin split Carlene’s face. “Why don’t you go and find him? I’ll ask Nick if you can use the jet. Go and tell him you’ve loved him all these years.”

  Melisa perked up. “You think so?”

  “I think you should act now before it’s too late.”

  “Okay, okay.” Melisa glanced at her watch and hopped from the couch. “Shit, I was leaving for work when you arrived. Josie must be wondering where I am.” In that moment, her phone vibrated inside her purse and she dug inside for it. Speak of the devil.

  “Melisa, where are you? This place is mobbed with customers. Can you get here within the next hour?”

  “I’ll be there sooner. I’m on my way,” Melisa said and hung up. She kissed Carlene on the forehead. “Arrange the jet.” She couldn’t believe the words leaving her mouth. She would be flying in a private jet. A private jet. “I’ll go and get my man back.”

  “About time, too. Now go to work. Take my car. “Carlene threw Melisa the car keys.

  “Thanks.” Melisa caught the keys and bounced out of the house, drifting on clouds. She was finally close to being whole again. Heat was the one part of her that had been missing all those years, and she had to give him another chance. If she could have him back, she would have everything. The man she’d never stopped loving for most of her life. And her beloved Mel’s Delights. When bad things happened, they happened in spades, and it turned out to be the same for good things as well.

  She climbed behind the wheel of Carlene’s Porsche, feeling like a million dollars, and started the ignition. She drove as fast as she could while still staying under the speed limit. Until all the papers were drawn up to make her the owner of Mel’s Delights again, she was Josie’s employee, and she would be respectful.

  As she parked the car on the other side of Mel’s Delights, she frowned. Mel’s Delights was empty. No one was going in or out, and through the windows she saw no commotion whatsoever.

  She slid out of the car, locked it, and crossed the road to the other side. The closed sign hung on the door. Why? She pushed the door, but it was closed. “Strange,” she said to herself. Mornings were the busiest time of the day. She opened her purse to get her cell so she could call Josie, but then she saw the key. The key that had changed everything. Pursing her lips, she pulled it out and unlocked the door.

  She shook her head. Even though no one sat at the small round tables, soft classical music played in the background, and as she breathed in, she caught a whiff of baked cheese and something meaty. Josie must be having an early lunch in the back booth, so Melisa headed there. The closer she got, the more she smelled something else… something spicy with a touch of sweet. Perfume? No, cologne. Before anymore thoughts formed in her mind, she turned the corner, and then she startled and her mouth dropped. “Oh, my God, Heat?”

  Heat, wearing jeans and a white shirt with the top button open, lifted himself from a chair and came to her. “Surprise,” he said in a low voice.

  Melisa swallowed, lost for words. On the ride to Mel’s Delights, she had rehearsed all the things she would say to him when she found him in Boston. Now he was here, and words failed her. “I… What are you doing here?”

  “In the messages you left, you asked for me to come back.”

  Melisa smiled, her heart pounding like hell. “I did, didn’t I?”

  Heat moved closer and took her purse from her. He hung it on a chair, and that’s when Melisa saw everything else. The royal table was covered with a crisp, white tablecloth and on top of it were sparkling silver serving dishes, a bottle of what looked like grape juice, water glasses, and a bouquet of red—not yellow—roses.

  Melisa inhaled deeply and moved toward the table. She sat in the chair on which Heat hung her purse; her legs weren’t going to be able to keep her upright any longer. “Heat, you did all this for me?”

  Heat sat and reached for Melisa’s trembling hands. “Mel, I hope you know by now that I’d do anything for you. Thank you for calling me back.”

  “Thank you for returning.” A tear plopped onto Melisa’s cheek as she squeezed his calloused hands. “Heat, I’ve been lying to myself all this time, telling myself I don’t give a damn about you. I married Scott. Even though I loved him and we were happy together, he was not able to erase my memories of you, as I’d hoped.” She lowered her gaze. “He wasn’t you.”

  Heat shifted his chair forward and lifted Melisa’s chin so they were looking each other straight in the eye. “I am so sorry for how I treated you years ago. I guess I got a taste of my own medicine. Look, when Lorene came over, I panicked. I wasn’t thinking straight. We’d been together for a long time, so even if we had broken up, I still felt guilty.”

  Melisa nodded as her eyes filled with tears. “I understand. So, you decided to get back together.”

  Heat’s lips curled into a smile as he shook his head. “We talked for a long time that night and then she left. What you don’t know is I told her I was in love with someone else.”

  Melisa cocked her head to one side and her stomach swirled. “Me?”

  “You. When you saw me talking to her again the next day, it wasn’t because we were together again. We had a lot to discuss.” He paused and raked a hand through his hair. “She told me she was pregnan
t, and I was telling her I would be there for the child, but she and I were over.”

  Melisa removed her hands from his and her stomach tightened painfully. “You have a child?”

  “No, I found out later it was a lie.” He closed his eyes, his thick eyelashes brushing the top of his cheeks. “I was really relieved, because I could move on with you.” He opened his eyes again. “I wanted to tell you all that, but after you saw Lorene and I together, you disappeared… for a whole year.”

  Melisa looked down at the table. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I had to get away.”

  Heat came to her side of the table and she peered up at him with tear-filled eyes. “I’m so sorry. I’ll never forgive myself for doing that.”

  Heat pulled her out of the chair and so close against his body that she heard his heart beating. “Melisa, let’s leave that in the past. It took years, but we’re here now. We’ve arrived where we belong.” He buried his face into her red hair and kissed the top of her head. “I could never love any woman as much as I love you.” He tipped her head back and kissed the tears away from her cheeks. “Don’t cry. We can both be happy now. We can start over. I love you, you hear me?”

  Melisa nodded. The love in his eyes helped her brush aside the guilt from the past. “I love you too.” She pressed her lips to his and kissed him passionately, brushing against his velvet lips and then melting into the warmth of his mouth.

  Heat curled a hand around her neck and shared with her the kiss they both desired.

  Melisa wrapped her arms around his neck and drank him in. “I love you so much,” she said against his moist lips. “Gosh, I’ve waited so long to say that.”

  Heat swept her off her feet, and she wrapped her legs around him as he moved her to a nearby empty table. He lowered her down on it and with his eyes fixed on hers, dark with the desire he was about to pour into her, he removed her clothes and unclasped her bra. He lowered his lips to her breasts and kissed every surface, sprinkling little I love yous all over her.

  Melisa melted beneath his touch and reached forward to unbuckle his belt frantically while he sucked at her nipples.

  “Hmmm… you taste so good,” he said and moved lower down her body, sprinkling it with kisses. Unable to reach his belt any longer, Melisa wove her fingers into his hair instead. Then she arched her back as Heat slid her panties down her thighs, and lowered his face between her legs. “Oh, my God,” she gasped as he tasted her there and massaged her with his lips and tongue in rhythmic motions.

  “You taste good here too.” He moved his tongue in circles, building the tension in Melisa’s lower belly.

  When she was on the verge of an orgasm, he straightened up and finished unbuckling his belt, releasing his erection. Then he pulled a condom from his pocket and slid it on. He moved her legs and butt close to the edge of the table and slid into her.

  “Oh…” Melisa curled her legs around him again and held onto his shoulders, kneading the hard slabs of muscle between her fingers. “You feel so incredible.”

  “And I love making love to you. Back then and now.”

  Heat increased his speed while gripping the edge of the table for support. The harder he pounded into her, the farther the table moved toward the wall.

  With every push, Melisa’s heart fell deeper into the sea of his love. Together they rode the waves, until she forgot there had been a time he wasn’t hers, a time she was angry at him, a time she loved someone else. Right now, all that mattered was them and nothing else.

  She climaxed first and then he pulled her from the table. He whirled her around and made love to her from behind until he came, too. It was the most beautiful sex, because it was finally stamped with the approval of their love.

  “That was wonderful,” Heat said. He lifted her right arm and kissed Melisa’s burn scar as Melisa cringed. “You’re beautiful, all of you.” He got dressed and handed Melisa her clothes.

  Melisa didn’t try to hide the scar. She had made peace with it. If it weren’t for the fire, they wouldn’t be here. “Thank you for returning to me. And thank you for Mel’s Delights.”

  Heat brushed her damp her from her face. “This is your place. I want you to be happy. I’m determined to spend forever making you this happy. You’re worth it.”

  Melisa leaned her head on his chest and closed her eyes. “I’m happy just knowing you’re here to stay.”

  “Forever, Mel. I never want to spend a moment without you. Be my wife.”

  Melisa registered the adoration in his eyes through the curtain of her tears. “There’s nothing I want more than to be your wife.” She blinked. “But let’s enjoy what we have now first.” Until she was ready for marriage, she would move into Carlene’s old apartment as planned.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I don’t get why you won’t let Heat in completely,” Carlene said as she and Melisa sprawled on the couch, watching a romantic comedy. “You’ve been dating for four months and he makes you so happy.”

  Melisa shifted and leaned against the couch. Carlene was right. Heat made her happier than she’d ever been in her whole life. And he had given her the best present anyone could have given her. Mel’s Delights was now officially hers again, and she would forever be thankful for that. After the day he professed his love to her, even if she did not exactly accept his proposal, they were on cloud nine. A ring wasn’t necessary; they belonged together. “I don’t see the rush. I love him. He loves me. Neither of us is going anywhere.”

  Carlene lifted her legs and placed them on the coffee table, stroking her stomach. Six months into her pregnancy and she was gorgeous. The hair she had never really liked shone like spun silk, and her face was clear and glowing. “I think there’s more to this. Is there… more to this, Melisa?”

  Melisa sighed and switched off the TV. Carlene was her best friend, and she had always felt guilty for not sharing her darkest secret with her. She’d learned one important lesson in the last year; the past has a way of catching up whether you’re ready for it or not. It’s always just a matter of time. “There is more.” Her shoulders sagged. “The reason I couldn’t shake Heat off just like that after our one-night stand was because the night we made love changed my life forever. We made a baby.”

  Carlene was quiet for a long time, staring into space as she rubbed her tummy in circular motions. When she spoke, her voice was low, as if she was afraid someone might hear. “Where’s the baby?”

  “He was adopted by a family in Madison. When I found out I was pregnant, my mother sent me to Madison to live with my aunt and have the baby there. When I returned a year later, it was as if nothing had happened.”

  ***

  Carlene urged Melisa to open up to Heat about her secret for a whole week before she gave in. He deserved to know, but during every dinner, while lying in bed after making love, cooking together, going for walks, she tried to bring it up, but the words never came, as if they were stuck somewhere in her throat. She was terrified of the consequences.

  “I have a feeling there’s something you’re not telling me,” Heat said two weeks later when he picked Melisa up for lunch. “Mel, is there something I don’t know?”

  Melisa slipped her arm through his as they crossed the road. Good thing he couldn’t see her face. Life was funny like that: You spent years pushing something to the back of your mind, trying to forget it, until something happened that unlocked the door and suddenly, it refused to stay hidden anymore. But if she told Heat what she hid inside her heart, it would change everything. Ruin everything, maybe. Turn happiness into tragedy. If she didn’t tell him, maybe he wouldn’t find out, and they could get married and live a happy life together. She would have to pull herself together before he read everything from her face. No, she couldn’t tell him. She wasn’t ready. “Why would I hide anything from you?”

  “I don’t know,” Heat said, opening the door of the pizzeria, which was a few blocks from Mel’s Delights. “I can’t get rid of this feeling that something is wrong.�
�

  Melisa shook her head and entered the restaurant, headed for the booth in the back. On the days Heat was off work, he often dropped by to take her to lunch.

  They both sat and Heat reached for her hands, kissed her knuckles. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

  Melisa nodded. “Yes… of course.” She disentangled her fingers from his and picked up the menu, flipped the pages, even though she already knew the menu by heart.

  Heat was silent for a while, watching the top of her head. “You never gave me a good enough reason why you won’t marry me. We love each other. I don’t see the point in waiting. We’ve waited long enough to be together.”

  A waitress in her teens appeared at their table and took their orders.

  When they were alone again, Melisa lifted her gaze to meet Heat’s. “You’re right. I’ve never loved a man as much as I love you. Let’s get married.” As she said the words, joy of a kind she had never known flooded her heart.

  What good would it do to tell him about the baby who now belonged to someone else? If she told him, he might never forgive her, and they would lose what they had found. It would open wounds in Melisa that had never healed completely. The first was from giving up her first child, and the second from losing the baby she had made with Scott. If she told this secret to Heat, she might never recover from the slap of the consequences.

  Only one thing remained for her to do. The right thing. She would marry him and they would start a new family. She would give him another child and they would have a good life. Though her plans might sound selfish, they were best for everyone.

  ***

  Melisa and Heat didn’t waste any more time. They got married two weeks later, in a small Vegas chapel with only Carlene and Nick, Lucy, Josie, and a handful of Heat’s friends present. Afterward, they honeymooned at Nick and Carlene’s penthouse in Hawaii.

  ***