me. Dimly, I am aware of her own orgasm tearing through her, her grip on me slackening. Then, I’m easing myself out of her, and collapsing onto the mattress in a heap of sweat.
“I missed this,” Belle admits, her body curling up against mine. I wrap an arm around her shoulder and press a kiss to the side of her head. “I don’t ever want us to be apart, Jake. Promise me you won’t ever lie again.”
I turn to face her and cup her face in my hands. “I won’t. I’m sorry I lied to you, sweetheart. I was afraid of losing you, but I know now that we’re stronger than anything that comes our way.”
Belle nods. “Yes, we are.”
Outside, the world is quiet, darkness taking over as I run my thumb across her jaw then back up her face. “What do you want to know? I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
“I want to know everything,” Belle whispers, snuggling against my side. I exhale, squeeze her shoulders, and begin my tale, only stopping when the first ray of light pierced the night sky, and we both lay exhausted and spent, but completely satiated.
Chapter Twenty
Belle
Now that my father has moved out by request and insistence of my mother, I am struggling between my happiness about where Jake and I are right now, and how my parents’ marriage seems to be ending.
While they still haven’t formalized any divorce proceedings, my mother says that she is unable to forgive him, and she may not for a while.
I understand.
Lola—the result of his affair—is almost the same age as me. As it turns out, Dad’s affair was with a woman in town with whom my mother attended school. And it was, in fact, around the same time when she was pregnant with me.
It is all so complicated, yet very simple when I come to think of it. It happens all the time.
What drives Mom crazy is that—in a small town like ours—they both managed to keep their entanglement a secret from everyone. Something like that takes a lot of lying, hiding, and sneaking around. My father had clearly invested a lot of effort and time to keep it undiscovered.
Every time Mother speaks of it, I see rage on her face and extreme sadness in her eyes. I cannot blame her.
I, on the other hand, am forced to juggle my empathy for both my parents, the mood swings from the hormones and my enthrallment for being reunited with my love.
Yes, I still do love him with all my heart, and cannot wait to grow old with him. Despite the heartbreak and hurt he has put me through, I find it in my heart to forgive him, turn over a new leaf, and hope for the best.
After a lot of convincing, my mother reluctantly succumbs to my wishes to allow Dad to give me away at the wedding. She tried her best to be civil, and not let her pain ruin the night for me. In spite of her insensitive behaviors sometimes, she still is a good woman.
Lying in bed at the ranch house, I recall the wedding night.
Right before Father and I walked out onto the aisle, he turned to me with a sad smile.
“You know, Belle?” He paused, pensive. “Seeing you like this reminds me of my wedding night. Sylvia looked as beautiful as you do now.”
Blinking with a smile, I tilt my head, feeling sorry for him.
“I don’t think I’ll ever stop trying to win her back,” he continued. “After all these years, she’s still the only woman I truly love.”
“Affair n’ all?” I shook my head.
“Yeah.” He bitterly scoffed. “Affair n’ all. If anything, it proved to me that I could never be with anyone else. She’s the one for me, even as my years approach their end.”
“Don’t say that.” I held his hand. “You two still have a long way to go. And I’m sure when all of this blows over, she’ll be receptive to a proper conversation.”
I lied. I was not exactly sure, but I was hopeful.
“I’ll do whatever it takes. Renew our vows, take her on a second honeymoon… anything.”
Taking a deep breath, I broadened my smile, adamant on speaking with her after the wedding. Perhaps Jake and I could convince her to at least listen to what dad had to say. After all, I knew—deep down—that he meant it. I was also certain, beyond any doubt, that she was unhappy without him.
As we made our way down