TANGLED HEARTS
BONUS chapter sponsored by Vee Aviwe❤️
- THAT DAY.
She can’t be sure if the sun has been shining differently or it’s just her. Yes it still rises and sets on the same directions that it did in the previous year but there’s just this difference… There’s something different about her days, she’s happier. She wakes up with a smile on her face and goes back to bed with that same smile. She hasn’t had sad days in the longest time. She’s happy and content about her life. Her family is happy and healthy too, they have a great relationship and her relationship with her sister has started to pick up since their last fight. Her career is right where she expected it to be, she’s doing well as and has no work related problems, she’s happy to be where she is. Her romantic relationship is everything that she’s ever wanted and wished for. She is loved, cared for, respected and they have a wild sex life. Who wouldn’t be happy? It’s only been a few weeks into the new year but she already feels like she has a lot to be thankful for, including the fact that she’s not letting her insecurities take the lead when it comes to her relationship with Shane. She has acknowledged that Shane is his own person and so she cannot sit and wait for him to disappoint her because that’s what’s expected when a relationship has been having a smooth sailing. She might not know what the future holds for both of them but she has a strong belief that whatever may come at them, it will never be her against Shane, it will always be the two of them against whatever problem that may arise.
She’s just about done getting dressed for work when he walks in the closet that is now filled with a lot of her clothes and shoes so much that you’d think she has officially moved in but she hasn’t. Shane just took it upon himself to buy her these things so she doesn’t have to keep packing whenever she moves between her apartment and his house. He woke up one day and suggested that they go shopping so she can have clothes in both places, she thought it would just be a few items for those days and she would wash them to keep them clean for the next time she visits but no, she stepped in a shop and the lover of fine things that has been hiding deep inside her due to insufficient funds just came out and showed off. Shane is not innocent though, he is to blame just as much as she is because he kept encouraging this behavior and told her over and over that there is no limit, that she could go overboard if she wanted and that is how the one side of this closet ended up looking like there is a woman who lives here full time. She loves everything too. The clothes, the shoes, the racy underwear that he loves to take off, the lingerie that she has paraded her body in for him a couple of times, the jewelry, ohhh the jewelry, what can she possibly not love about all this glamor? This man has been spoiling her and she’s been loving every minute of it.
“Someone is in a good mood,” he hugs her from behind and smells her favorite perfume and she just wants to melt at his warmness. She turns so she can look at him and he’s only wearing pajama pants, his chest is bare and he has no business looking this sexy for a man who just woke up.
“I’m always in a good mood, love,”she says with a smile.
” That you are, “he pecks her lips”you look beautiful,”
“Thank you. What are you doing up so early?” she asks because she knows he’s only planning on going to the office later on the day, pecks of being the boss, you show up when you feel like it.
“I gave Aaron the day off so I can accompany you to work,”
“That’s so sweet, but you need to get ready because I’m leaving in a few minutes,”
“I won’t take up most of your time, go make yourself something to eat in the meantime because you’re not leaving this house without breakfast,” he says and it’s not a suggestion, he’s trying to get her to break this habit of hers of skipping the first meal of the day.
” Yes sir, “she says and he smirks and they both go their separate ways.
There isn’t much time so the best she can do for breakfast is muesli, fresh berries and yogurt. She sits down and enjoys this and just as she’s still eating , Shane appears in his track pants, a t-shirt and sneakers, she also loves the casual side of him. “I’m almost done but I can finish in the car while you drive,”
“Who said I’m driving?” he asks and she gives him a knowing look. He set her up and now it’s too late to call Aaron.
“Shane,” she starts to whine and he shakes his head, letting her know she won’t win this one.
“No, baby. It’s for your own good, how am I going to get you a car when you don’t want to put your driving skills to work?”
“Aaron can drive me, I love being driven,”
“And you will always have that option but I need you to have some independence should you ever need to drive yourself. Come on, you’re driving your favorite car to work,” he tosses her the keys and makes his way out knowing very well she has no choice but to follow.
She’s been brushing up on her driving skills, yes, but she’s been practicing on a rather empty road and now this man wants to throw her in the middle of the morning rush traffic. This has got to be the first time that she leaves the house with a frown.
She scoffs when he still waits to get the driver’s door for her and it takes everything in him to not laugh, he knows very well that he’s treading on thin ice and his woman might just snap. He goes around the car and makes himself comfortable on the passenger side, sure enough to also put his seat belt on, and off they go after she gives him one last death stare. “I love you too, my Amerie,” he says so softly and she has to fight her lips to not carve into a smile and betray her.
.
.
.
After taking the car from Amerie and telling her that her Aaron would come fetch her he went back home and prepared for his own day. He’s had an easy start of the year and is learning to trust his employees to do a great job, they work for him and he only chooses the best so there is no reason for him to check every minor detail, as long as they are ready with a report or results when he requests it.
His mood is no different to Amerie’s mood. He is a man in love and he knows he doesn’t need more months to know that this is the woman that he wants to spend the rest of his life with. He knows that they still have a bridge to cross where their relationship is concerned and that would be her letting her parents know about them because the plans that he has for the both of them can not be done in secret.
He wants to ask her to be his wife. This took him by shock too because during the few relationships that he was in before meeting Amerie, he never saw any of those women becoming his wife, he never saw what he sees in Amerie and that is how he knows that she is the one. He cannot afford to lose her, he wants her to be his forever and he is willing to fully give himself to her, come what may.
He knows her parents might not agree due to their age gap, they might even think that he coerced her into being in this relationship but if they truly know their daughter then they will know that Amerie can’t be forced or coerced into doing anything that she truly doesn’t want. He understands that it might be a long way before they finally make peace with the fact that he is the man in her life and he also knows that there is a possibility that they might never accept him and even give her an ultimatum, he can only hope that things will not get that far because he does not see himself backing down, not when he knows that they both love each other so much.
He pushes those negative thoughts at the back of his mind when he parks his car in front of a jewelry manufacturing shop to collect the ring that he placed an order on two weeks before the end of the year when he knew that he wanted to ask Amerie to be his wife. He has everything planned out now and the only thing left is for him to get the ring and then days from now, he will pop the question.
Steven, the one who designed and made the ring smiles when his customer walks in. He was expecting him and he wastes no time showing him the finished product of what he paid for. A white gold emerald cut ring with little diamonds around the band. This is just as he envisioned it and has no doubt that his woman will love it when she finally sees it.
“You outdid yourself,” Shane praises the man with a satisfied look on his face as he scans the little piece of jewelry that is over a hundred thousand rands. Such a small price to pay for his one and only love.
“Only the best for you, sir. I see that I don’t even need to ask if you’re pleased with the final result, it’s written all over your face,” Steven says happily.
“Is it that obvious?” Shane smiles, eyeing the ring once again. He can already see what the rest of his life looks like from this point onwards.
“It sure is, I’m sure the lucky lady will love it too,”
“I’m the lucky one here, Steven. Love found me just when I was starting to make peace with possibility of being a loner for the rest of my life,”
“Love will do that to you, it will creep up on you and take you by surprise but one thing for sure, if you are ever fortunate enough to find someone who loves you without limits, don’t ever let go of them,”
“Oh, I don’t plan on ever letting go, she’s mine,” he says thoughtfully.
He concludes his business with Steven and then he leaves with the most priced possession in his pocket right now. There’s a difference even in his step, he’s a happy man and the plans he has promise for an even better future for both himself and his woman.
This mood lasts even when he’s in his office, meeting with the guy who manages his rentals and perusing through the monthly report. He trusts him but makes no mistake of trusting to an extent whereby he doesn’t even feel the need to check so he does this up until he is satisfied and the guy is sent on his way.
After that, he isn’t expecting to see anyone and it’s almost time to leave so he’s caught off-guard when his P. A. tells him that he has a visitor that didn’t make an appointment.
“Who is it?”
“She says her name is Gail, she said you would know who she is and all she needs is a few minutes of your time. She looks desperate, sir…”
“It’s okay, let her in”
She walks out and returns with Gail and then she excuses herself afterwards, shutting the door and leaving Gail standing there, feeling like she’s under a microscope with the way that Shane is looking at her.
“Just how much information do you have on me, Gail?” he asks and she can’t tell whether he’s angry that she’s here or not. The Shane she knew never made it difficult for her to see what he was feeling.
“I’m sorry, I promise I’m not stalking you,”
“That’s not what it looks like. First you show up at the cemetery and now this?” he narrows his eyes at her, further intimidating her but she made it this far, she has to say what she came here to tell him.
“I only came here because you didn’t call me, Shane,”
“That’s because I saw no need for all of this. We were kids, Gail. We weren’t grown enough to know what we wanted and everyone goes through that stage. I can’t imagine that they all do what you’re doing right now,”
“Maybe it’s because they never shared what we shared,” she argues “I’m not here to disrupt your life, Shane. I’m also not here to take you back to the past-”
“What are you here for then?” he asks coldly and she can’t understand why he’s being this cold. The truth is, Gail is a reminder of the period where his entire life turned upside down and he lost the only two people who ever loved him unconditionally. Seeing her is like seeing a glimpse of the chaos he once called life and he would rather not be reminded of it. He worked hard to get himself to where he is now, what Gail is doing will only make him start thinking of the past which he can’t change and that will only frustrate him.
“I’m here because we need to talk, Shane. I have some things that I need to tell you,”
“What things?”
“Can I take a seat? Please…”
“Go ahead,” he nods at one of the chairs in front of him and she thanks him as she sits and leaves her handbag on the other chair. There’s a knock and Frank pokes his head in.
“Hey,” He looks at Gail then at Shane and he has curiosity written all over his face.
“Yes Frank,”
“I, Uhh…I’m heading out. I just came to say bye and see if we can have drinks before I head home,”
“I’m a little busy right now, maybe later,”
Frank looks at the mystery woman with so many questions. One minute his friend is single and the next he has a young hot girl and a grown woman who is also good looking, in his circle. What’s happening?
“Yeah, sure… I see that… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,”
“Tomorrow,” Shane says and Frank excuses himself, still wondering who this woman is.
Shane turns his attention back to the nervous looking woman sitting in front of him. She’s playing with her fingers and he notices a mark around her ring finger which indicates that she’s had a ring on it for long. He wonders where it is, did she get divorced or did she take it off because she came to see him?
“Gail?”
“Yes?”
“You said you came here to tell me something,”
“Yes… I’m sorry but I’ll have to take it back to that day when I sent you a message asking to meet with you,”
“The day I got a near death beating from your father?”
She nods “I’m sorry about that… I didn’t know what he did until I heard him talking about it,”
“It’s okay, it was a long time ago and I’m over it, I’m sure he is too,”
“He died… A few years back,”
“Oh, I’m sorry about that,”
“Thank you, I know he used to torment you, so… I don’t expect much sympathy from you,”
He clears his throat, pushing back the memories of the hell that man once put him through”Can we get back to what you came here for,”
“Of course.. Sorry-”
“Stop apologizing,”
“Okay… Uhm… I’m so-” she stops and breathes “You’re intimidating, Shane… I don’t know you to be like this,”
“I’m not trying to scare you but I do get the feeling that you are stalling. I need to get going soon, Gail,” he sounds like he’s running out of patience so she knows to start talking.
“Okay, so that day. I asked us to meet because I had something important to tell you. My mother walked after I sent you that message, she already knew what I wanted to tell you so she snatched the phone and locked me inside my room then she went to my father. I’m sure that’s when he came to meet you instead of it being me. I never wanted things to work out the way that they did, Shane and after learning that I was carrying your child I just wanted to run to your arms and find comfort in them. Yes we were just teenagers but I had hope, I had hope that we could make it-” she rambles but he stops her because of everything that she’s just said, there’s one that’s standing out.
“Wait, what did you just say?” he must not have heard her right.
“That day I asked you to come meet me, I wanted to tell you that I was pregnant, Shane… I was carrying your child, our baby.”