Val sensed his presence
although she hadn’t heard him approach.
Maybe she had detected the familiar scent of his cologne. Still, she was not ready for the discussion
he wanted to have. Closing her eyes and
holding on to the railing, she enjoyed the few remaining moments of
calmness.
Tony’s hair was still
damp and he had dressed in dark jeans and a navy shirt. He stood at the sliding glass door watching
her, thinking as always that this woman was exquisite. He was in love with everything about her.
When he realized she
was stubbornly not going to acknowledge his presence, Tony stepped on to the
balcony and stood beside her. His
fingers unsnapped the ponytail clip so her hair hung freely. Then he wound fingers through her hair and
lifted it aside so he could kiss her neck.
Both her hair and skin were so wonderfully and familiarly soft. She stiffened and continued to look out at
the water.
He stopped kissing her
and walked away in frustration. When he
spoke, she tried to ignore the anguish in his voice. “What’s wrong with me wanting you, Val? You know I love you.” Did he really expect an answer?
She took another deep
breath and determined it was time to get the discussion over with. She couldn’t think straight around him and
was afraid he knew it. Val continued to
stare out towards the water as she spoke the words she had rehearsed in her
mind. “What am I supposed to say that
hasn’t already been said? Obviously, we
will always be connected because we have a child. But that’s not enough to build a future
on.”
When Tony didn’t
respond, she turned to see where he was.
The angle of the sun kept her from being able to see the expression on
his face but he stood just inside the doorway.
She was suddenly feeling trapped on the small balcony.
He said, “Let’s talk
about what wasn’t said three years ago.”
“What do you
mean?”
“Do you love me,
Val? We’ve been part of each other’s
lives for a long time; yet, those were words you carefully avoided,” he
explained. “I’ll admit you’ve made it
easy for me to be with Sherry. And I’ve
always been grateful about that. But now
I need you to say how you feel about me.” Valerie forced herself to swallow the anxiety
that was fluttering in her throat. She
didn’t want to answer that question.
Could she deflect the focus of his inquiry?
“Our relationship is
over, Tony. Why can’t you let go? Is all of this some ego trip because you want
to know that you were special? Will you
accept it if I admit you were?”
“Ego trip?” He stepped on to the balcony, his eyes
clouded with intense emotion. “This is
the same brother that begged you to be my wife.
For three years, I’ve put my pride aside and let you run the show. This is no damn ego trip, and you know it!”
“Tony –”
“Stop, Val.” He reached over to expose the ring still
hanging around her neck and gave a mocking smile. “I’ll get on with my life as soon as you do
the same.”
Valerie felt defeated
and wanted to wipe that smugness off his handsome, caramel-colored face. “Tony, why are you making this so difficult
for me?”
“Because we made a
mistake, and it needs to be corrected.” Tenderness laced every word.
“No; we made the right
choice.”
“Val, you made that
choice. I went along with it because I
loved you and our unborn child too much to keep fighting about it, but mostly
because I didn’t want to lose you and I was afraid that you would completely shut
me out.” He shook his head. When he spoke again, all the years of anguish
and isolation he’d felt surfaced in his voice and in those light brown
eyes. “I was wrong, Val. I should have argued with you; should have
made you understand how much I loved you and wanted a life with you.
“Well, now I’m asking
you to consider more than just what you want. I’m miserable without you; and I always have
been. I live for the weekends so I can
see you and spend time with our child.
Sherry belongs with both of us, and we all deserve better than weekend
visitation.” He sighed. “It’s not enough, Val. I need my daughter, but I also need you. We ought to be a family.”
“I can’t believe we’re
having this conversation. Tony, there
isn’t anything to say that hasn’t been said; and I don’t have time for a
journey down memory lane.” She tried to
push past him but Tony reached for her hand and held on to it. He felt the slight tremble of her fingers.
“Don’t,” he said
firmly, stepping closer. “I know you too
well, Val; I’m not buying your act. So
drop it.” His eyes looked deep into
hers. “I don’t want to fight with you,
but if that’s what it takes to make you stop running away from this discussion,
then get ready for a fight. We are
going to finish this. Today.”
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