Defining Moments (A Moments In Time Love Story 2) (15 page)

“You’ve got mail.” Heat waved a large manila envelope in the air.

Melisa looked up in surprise. She was sitting on the floor of her office, legs crossed, folding baby clothes. They’d found out three months ago that she was pregnant again, news that had shocked both them and the doctors, who had made her believe her chances of conceiving again were slim to none. But life had a way of surprising them. This baby was the comfort they needed.

As soon as they announced to close friends and family that they were expecting another baby, gifts poured in. And there were still so many baby clothes and toys from the one that never arrived. Melisa was surprised at how calm she was. This time around, things felt right. Some days her mind tried to talk her into doubting she would carry the pregnancy to term. Those days, fear gripped her and reminded her of how many babies she’d already lost. But she had come to think now was the right time. She couldn’t describe it, but she felt a deep peace that helped her believe the baby she now carried was the one she would hold in her arms. The storms that had plagued her life had passed, and it was safe now for her little one to enter her world.

“What is it?” She reached for the thick envelope.

Heat planted a kiss on the top of her head and stroked her stomach. “No idea. I found it at the door.”

Frowning, Melisa unsealed the envelope while Heat went to their bedroom to change into comfortable clothes.

She pulled out a thick bundle of typed pages with an elastic band around them, and a USB stick. She pealed the first page off and started to read. Tears sprang to her eyes when she saw who the letter was from.

Dear Melisa,

If you’re reading this, I’m gone. I don’t know how many breaths my lungs will still welcome, so I want to take this moment to thank you and to say I’m sorry.
Even though it was never my intention, I have hurt you deeply. For that I will never forgive myself. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. The only woman I have ever loved. Till the last minute, my heart will beat for you. It hurts to think you have chosen to give your heart to someone else, but you couldn’t have chosen a better man than Heat. He will be able to give you the love you deserve, and will make sure the light in your eyes is never switched off. Congratulations on finding each other. And thank you for giving me a piece of your heart for a while. It’s more than I could have asked for.

I know I have no right to ask you of anything, but it would mean a lot to me if you would say yes. With this letter I’m sending you a manuscript, the story of my life before you, with you, and after you.

Thoughts of you and my writing are what kept me going all these years. While alive, one of my dreams came true. I experienced true love. But I don’t have enough time left to wait for the other to materialize. Remember when, on our honeymoon, I made a joke that I wanted to become a published author? It wasn’t a joke. I wrote in secret but never had the guts to let anyone read my work. As soon as I finished writing a story, a poem, or whatever, I destroyed it. It didn’t matter, because writing was satisfaction in itself. But I want the story you’re holding in your hands to be told. I want the world to know what I went through as a child. Maybe then they will understand why I did what I did. Even if I don’t remember committing the crime. I want to leave a piece of me behind. Would you get the manuscript published for me? Please keep any royalties resulting from any sales, if there are any. A last gift from me to you and Heat. I can’t guarantee anyone will be interested in what I have to say and you might never see a penny, but if you do, please take the money and do as you wish with it. I owe you so much more, after everything I’ve put both of you through.

I love you, Melisa. I always will.

Now go and be happy. You deserve every bit of happiness life brings your way.

Scott

By the time Melisa finished reading the letter, the page was damp and the ink on some words had run.

“Sweetheart, are you okay? Who’s it from?”

Melisa gazed up at Heat. She hadn’t heard him enter the room. She handed him the now limp letter. Heat read it and, looking troubled, he gave it back to her. Then he knelt down and held her in the comfort of his arms. Together they wept for the man who had died with a guilt that wasn’t his.

After talking it through for hours, Melisa and Heat both decided to make Scott’s last wish come true.

“But before we do anything else, I think we should go away for a while, take a vacation. What do you think about two weeks away?”

“That’s a great idea.” They both needed to recover from the blows of the last few months. After several court appearances, she had been found innocent of insurance fraud, and could leave everything behind her.

While mulling it over, she remembered the offer Carlene had made her a few weeks back and beamed. “How about Austria?”

***

Within a week, Melisa had hired an employee to handle the sales side of the business, since Josie’s niece would not be available. Josie would do the baking and make sure the business ran smoothly in Melisa’s absence. Melisa felt guilty for imposing on her again, and had thought of closing the bakery instead, but Josie would have none of it.

As soon as they landed at Vienna International Airport, Melisa felt a weight roll off her shoulders. For the two weeks they would be in Vienna, she would do her best to forget everything that had happened and live in the moment. Next to her, Heat looked relaxed, too, and more handsome than ever in blue jeans and a soft blue shirt. He was the man of her dreams; no one could ever take his place. She couldn’t help being grateful that they had survived and were still together.

Many marriages would not have been strong enough to make it through the storms they had weathered. But Melisa had the feeling they had passed the test of fate, and from this moment on, they could move forward without fearing the future. It was almost a fresh start for them. She would give birth to a new baby in a few months, and their son had accepted them. Their family was finally complete.

Melisa slipped her hand through Heat’s arm and rested the other on her stomach. Despite what was going on back home with Scott’s story, she was at peace and happy. She was right where she was supposed to be. “I love you,” she said to Heat as she skimmed the sea of faces for Nick and Carlene.

“Oh, I know that. And I love you. This will be good for us.”

Melisa nodded. “I know that.”

In that moment, they spotted Carlene, who was waving at them frantically with the arm that wasn’t holding a squirming Daria. Nick stood next to them, the dimples Carlene had fallen in love with deepening as he beamed.

The four of them hugged and Nick led them to a black limousine waiting for them outside.

“I thought you didn’t like limousines,” Melisa teased Carlene as she reached for Daria.

“I don’t,” Carlene said. She never liked to flaunt their wealth in public. “But after what you two went through, you deserve to be treated like royalty.”

“Thank you,” Melisa said from the heart. “But it really is enough for us just to be here.”

Carlene smiled and shook her head at the chauffeur, who wanted to open the car door. She opened it herself for Melisa. “You don’t have a say in this.” She took Daria from Melisa again so she could put her in the car seat.

Melisa climbed into the cream leather and shiny wood interior, inhaling the smell of leather and cologne. She did feel like royalty.

Heat slid in next to her and held her hand as the limo pulled out of the airport and drove them to Nick and Carlene’s luxurious villa.

Vienna was a dream come true for Melisa and Heat. And Melisa had no idea how invigorating their time away would be. For two weeks, they allowed Nick and Carlene to spoil them; they took them to luxury restaurants, arranged sightseeing tours around Vienna (one of which was in a horse-drawn carriage), took them to exclusive balls, or left them alone to relax in their indoor pool, which was surrounded by floor-length windows with a magnificent view of Vienna spread out below them.

On the sightseeing tours, Melisa fell in love with Vienna and its marriage of new and old architecture. She enjoyed visiting and taking photos of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Imperial Palace, and the MuseumsQuartier, but her favorite place was the Schönbrunn Baroque Palace, which once used to be Empress Sisi’s summer home. It had magnificent gardens (through which she and Heat strolled hand in hand), a palm house, and even a zoo.

Melisa was having so much fun, she couldn’t imagine a better place to help her unwind.

***

“How are things between you and Heat, after everything that happened?” Carlene asked Melisa and sipped her mojito.

After swimming a few laps, they were lounging at the pool in their bathing suits, with their feet in the water. Heat and Nick were in the playroom building an indoor tree house for Daria, while she slept in her parents’ room.

“We’re in a really good place. What we went through actually made us stronger… I think. I keep waiting for him to revisit the issue of me lying to him, but he never does.”

“You think he’s forgiven you?” Carlene swept a hand through her new bangs.

“I don’t know. I hope so. I’m just happy we’re still together.” Melisa wriggled her toes in the water. “I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost him. It was foolish of me not to tell him everything from the start.” Heat was a good man and he loved her. He would have supported her no matter what she chose to do regarding Scott’s situation. How could she have forgotten that?

“You did what you thought was right at the time. And things turned out fine in the end.” Carlene halted and her eyes widened with horror. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. What happened to Scott was awful.”

Melisa shook her head and lifted her drink to her lips. She took a long sip. It was the most delicious non-alcoholic cocktail she’d ever had. “Don’t be. I know what you mean.”

Carlene stirred her drink with the straw. “I’m glad you’re honoring his last wish.”

Melisa placed her glass on the floor next to her. “Me too. I do wish he were alive to publish the book himself,” she said in a low voice then sighed. “I guess some things are just not meant to be.” Both Scott and their baby were not meant to live. She had come to terms with that. “The best thing I can do is focus on the future.”

Carlene raised her glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

They finished their cocktails in silence, wondering what the future held for them. Hopefully fate would finally loosen its grip on Melisa and let her breathe.

“I’d love to stay and talk, but I better go and get ready for my date.”

To celebrate their last night in Vienna, Melisa and Heat planned to have a romantic dinner in the famous Viennese Ferris Wheel while admiring the city’s rooftops
.
It would be the perfect way to end their holiday.

Even though there were no more battles to fight back home in Wisconsin, Melisa wasn’t exactly looking forward to going back. There were still a few more pieces of their lives left to pick up and glue back together.

Heat pushed open the rusted gate and closed it again behind him. Gravel crunched under his feet as he walked in the direction he remembered them heading on the day of the burial. He could smell the same damp earth that had permeated the air that rainy day.

A leaf fell on his head, but he didn’t bother brushing it away.

Oblivious to everything around him, he rehearsed under his breath what he was going to say. He felt crazy for even thinking of talking to a dead person, but there was something important he still wanted to say to Scott. In case he listened from wherever he was.

Being in a cemetery again made him uncomfortable. Funny how some people found peace in such places. Not him. He preferred to roam among the living.

When he reached Scott’s grave, he pushed his hands deep into his pockets and gazed at the headstone. He took a deep breath.

“I was pissed at you. Maybe I still am, for what you did,” he began, blinking the tears from his eyes. “I trusted you. What you put Melisa through is unforgivable. You almost destroyed her.” He shifted his weight. “But if you hadn’t run off, she and I wouldn’t be together. We wouldn’t be married right now. I guess I have you to thank for that.” He gazed into the distance toward someone jogging along one of the paths, then returned his eyes to Scott’s grave.

“I know she was the love of your life and that’s why you risked everything to come back. I came here to reaffirm the promise I made to you at the hospital. I meant what I said. I will take care of her. I will make sure she is loved each and every day of her life. I will love her as you would have.” He picked up a curled leaf from the grave and shredded it between his fingers.

“I also want you to know that I loved you. I never stopped. You were like a brother to me. Rest in peace now.”

He stuffed his hands back into his pockets and walked away, feeling lighter. He had said his goodbyes. Now it was time to move on with the woman he loved.

Melisa read the last line of
A Life Unlived
by Scott Bergfeld, and closed the book. She sighed as she studied Scott’s smiling face on the hardcover—a photo she herself had taken while they were married, when he had been happiest. He had opened his heart to the world about everything: the beginning of his journey in Boston, the fire, the guilt he’d lived with after his father’s death, his marriage to Melisa, and his life in hiding in a small town in Mexico, which he didn’t name.

As gut-wrenching as his story was, Melisa was happy he had written it all down—for him to get it off his chest, and for her to have something to remember him by. Apart from a few rounds of editing and formatting, there were no changes made to the story. Melisa and Heat had wanted Scott’s original voice to be heard, undiluted, not even if changes would make it more marketable. They didn’t care about the money. Their goal was to release it into the world and get it to readers—however few—who cared. Melisa only added a foreword, to inform readers of Scott’s innocence, and that he died without knowing.

“You okay?” Heat turned to his side and rested his head on his arm, watching her. “Emotional, huh?”

“Very.” She wiped her cheeks.

It had been two months since they published the book, and she only just felt healed enough to read it in its published state. The editors had done a fantastic job. The book packed even more of a punch than the raw manuscript had.

She placed the book in the drawer on her side of the bed and cuddled up to Heat, soaking up the warmth from his bare chest.

Heat placed a hand on her round stomach. “You know one reason I love you so much?”

“I can name a few.” Melisa laughed and kissed his smooth, muscular pecs.

“I love you for your strength. You have gone through so much and you’re still able to laugh. I’m so honored to be your husband.”

Melisa craned her neck to look up at his face in the dim lighting. “I’m the one who is honored. Heat, you have always been the man for me. I have loved you for longer than any other man. Being your wife takes my breath away.”

“You take my breath away, Mrs. Dane.” He paused. “Are you ready for a change?”

Melisa shook her head. “What do you mean?”

“Are you ready to marry me again? I want us to renew our vows. I want to give you the big wedding we didn’t have the first time. How about starting over?”

Melisa blinked. A new start. What would be better than leaving the past behind and reaffirming their vows to each other? “I’d love that more than anything.” She kissed him hard on the lips.

He kissed her back with hunger.

They made love like they hadn’t in a very long time. It was slow, passionate, and gentle, all-consuming and breathtaking. They fell asleep entangled in each other’s arms, looking forward to a bright future together.

***

Melisa opened her eyes at the same time Heat walked into their bedroom with a breakfast tray. “Good morning, fiancée, I’m sure you’re hungry after last night. I know I am.” He grinned at her, placing the tray on the bed.

“You’re the most wonderful fiancée in the whole world. And that looks delicious.” Melisa’s stomach rumbled as she eyed the scrambled eggs. “I’ll go and brush my teeth. I’ll be right back.”

She eased herself with difficulty out of bed and, still naked, wobbled to the bathroom. She hummed as she squirted toothpaste onto her toothbrush. Then something caught her attention. Something she hadn’t noticed before. She blinked twice and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, it was still there—a sparkling emerald-cut diamond on her left finger. Her first engagement ring and the wedding band she had worn before were gone. As she admired the ring, she felt someone watching her. She turned to find Heat standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and a triumphant smile on his lips.

“Like it?” he asked.

Melisa put down her toothbrush and went over to him. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I absolutely love it. How did you get it on my finger without me knowing?”

“That was easy. You slept like a rock last night. I bought the ring last week. Last night was the perfect time to give it to you.” He kissed the top of her head. “New ring, new life.”

They both laughed, and then Melisa got serious. “Well, in case you’re asking, the answer is yes,” she said. “Yes, I will marry you. I’ll marry you again.”