Chapter 2
I should've bought you flowers and held your hand
Should've gave you all my hours when I had the chance
Take you to every party cause all you wanted to do was dance
Now my baby's dancing but she's dancing with another man...
"Hello, Rick."
Her and that damn voice. Former sheriff deputy Rick Grimes thought to himself, feeling a peculiar mixture of excitement and restraint as he came face to face with his ex wife for the very first time in over seven years.
Tiny beads of perspiration peppered his brow as the room seemed to rise ten degrees in temperature within a matter of seconds. A thick blanket of humidity invaded his personal space causing him to free the top two hex wood snaps on his raw denim western style shirt. His nerves were shot to hell. He looked around aimlessly turning his electric blue gaze to the patrons occupying the severely overcrowded little shop.
A small boy with butterscotch skin and bright blue eyes caught his attention.
Is that what he woulda looked like?
He only allowed his thoughts to wander for a few seconds, but that proved to be a few seconds too long. A lump formed in his throat and suddenly he'd forgotten how to swallow... how to breathe...how to think. The excitement he felt just seconds ago was now gone leaving only sadness and regret in its place.
He'd be here now if it wasn't for me.
The aromas of various coffees and pastries attacked his unsettled morning stomach as if the presence of the woman in front him didn't already have it twisted in knots.
Michonne stood before him looking tasty enough to nibble in a tangerine colored Gucci sheath dress that hugged her body tight like an obsessed lover. She was rocking a pair of Jimmy Choo peep toe slingbacks with a four inch stiletto heel that catapulted her already insane legs into a whole other stratosphere. Her beautiful Senegal Bounce braids were cut into a stylish bob that stopped just above her sculpted shoulders, framing her flawless face and highlighting her natural features. She was never really one to bother with much makeup. Her smooth blemish free skin didn't require concealers or heavy foundations. A little mascara was all it took to make her naturally long lush lashes pop and a layer or two of her favorite Mac Cremesheen Glass lip gloss was all that was needed to further enhance her provocative pout.
Damn.
Was the first word that came to Rick's mind.
Damn.
Was the only word that seemed to come to Rick's mind.
How is she even more beautiful today than she was the day I married her?
He didn't mean to stare, but how could he not? Michonne shined bright like a lone diamond amongst a sea of cubic zirconias. Her skin was as smooth as Amedei Porcelana, a rich dark chocolate made in Tuscany, Italy and considered to be the world's most expensive of chocolates. There was always something about his "Chonne" that made her stand out from the crowd...something almost regal...something majestic...something rare.
Rick opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. There was so much he wanted to say to her. He had left so many things unsaid that he wanted to finally give voice to, but he couldn't figure out where to begin. He wanted so desperately to tell her how much he'd missed her, to look deep within her soulful cocoa eyes and confess that he still loved her, but most of all he wanted to get down on bended knee and apologize profusely for the millionth time then beg for her forgiveness.
You had her and you fucked it all up.
But how could he in good conscious ask her to forgive him when he still hadn't even forgiven himself?
Rick cleared his throat in a lame attempt to also clear his nerves away then finally, he spoke. "Hey, Chonne."
He plastered a weak mask of a smile on his face as his long, lean body pushed past the tension between the two of them and went in for a quick hug. His brain didn't even have time to fully process what was happening and that was probably for the best.
"Glad to see you."
His hands trembled as he gently...slowly ran them up her lower back. The fine material of her dress almost made it feel as if she wasn't wearing anything at all. His touch rose higher and grew a bit more confident as he pressed his firm chest flush against her warm bosom. He felt alive again for the first time in years. She still had complete control over his mind, his body and his soul. Nobody affected him the way she did. Nobody made him feel so strong. Nobody made him feel so weak.
The hug went on a little too long and soon grew awkward. Rick didn't want to let go, but he knew he had no right to hold on. She wasn't his anymore, not to covet...not to hold.
Dropping his hands from her back, Rick immediately noticed how heavy his arms now felt. All of a sudden he was weighed down. All of a sudden he didn't feel so confident. He was caught in a vicious cycle of need versus want. He knew she needed space from him and he'd given her that, but he couldn't ignore the fact that of all the bakeries in Atlanta he walked into Maggie's. It had to be fate. Rick Grimes didn't believe in coincidences. No, there had to be a more complex reason and the instant he laid eyes on her he knew exactly what that reason was.
Damn, I missed you. He thought as she began to slowly peel her body from his and pull away from his embrace. Damn, I wish I could hold you forever.
Rick stood there as stiff as a board fighting one hell of a battle with his head while simultaneously trying to hold off an impending attack from his body. He knew he had no business thinking the things he was thinking or feeling the things he was feeling, but he couldn't help himself. Once you've experienced the deepest kind of soul connection possible nothing else would do. Everything he felt with her felt brand new. Every kiss was like the first kiss, and every last lick was the only taste that mattered. When he fell for Michonne, he fell hard and fast. The first time they made love was so intense and overwhelming that he shed actual tears as he released his essence inside of her.
What the hell is goin' on with me? Rick remembered thinking, feeling like a complete fool for crying like a baby in the presence of such an incredibly strong woman. Great! Now she's gonna think I'm some kinda weirdo.
Don't stop touching me, Rick. Michonne purred from underneath his sweaty body, her legs still trembling from her own soul shattering release. Please, don't ever stop touching me. She begged him not to take his eager hands away from her hungry body in that sensual voice so heavy in desire that it sounded as if it had been dipped in warm, thick, sticky honey.
Fuck! This is gonna be harda than I thought.
"Glad to see you too," Michonne replied with a full smile that brightened up the entire bakery.
She looked happy to see him and in a strange way she kind of was. The relief that washed over her was so freeing. Now she didn't have to worry about the inevitable run-in with the ex who had broken her heart. Facing him wasn't nearly as frightening as her imagination made it out to be. It was actually quite cathartic. The anger she once felt for him never quite morphed into hate. It was more tender than hard...more sore than brittle. Even though her life had taken her down another path, she still wanted him to be okay. She wanted the best for him, she always had and she always would.
This isn't so scary. Michonne thought to herself starting to feel proud of her ability to hold it together in the presence of the man who once made her question her own sanity. He's just a man...just one man.
Rick may have just been one man, but he was still the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Those eyes...that stare still wielded more power than she would ever admit to anyone other than herself.
Damn, he looks good. Screw him for being so fuckin' fine. Where the hell does he get off looking better today than he did the day I married his pretty ass? Why couldn't he be fat and have a big old beer belly that hangs over the waistband of his jeans? He is wearing the hell out of those jeans. Stop it, Michonne! Pull yourself together and focus! Yes, he's beautiful, but he's also a liar. Remember what he did. Don't ever let yourself forget what he did or who he did it with. A beautiful liar is just a common liar all wrapped up in a pretty package.
Why the hell couldn't he have just gotten fat? And bald too? Why couldn't he be fat and bald?
She wanted to be pissed at him and she knew she had every right to be, but oddly enough she wasn't. How could she be mad at him or anybody else when Negan and Bella made her happier than she'd ever dreamed she could be. Life was good. Her family was her everything and even though her ex was indeed one good-looking man he wasn't beautiful enough to destroy her life...not for a second time.
Rick Grimes was Michonne Morel's first big love, her first husband and the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. All of that didn't just evaporate into thin air because he hurt her. Love didn't work that way no matter how many nights she lie awake hoping and wishing that it did. It would have been so much easier if she could have raised a magic wand and made her time with him vanish into thin air.
Where the hell is Bella's super magical fairy sparkle dust when you need it?
"You look incredible," Rick said with a slight nod of the head then almost instantly he began to worry if the compliment sounded too flirty coming from him.
He knew that she had long moved on, that she had married Negan and given birth to his child. She was a mother now, but motherhood hadn't done anything to diminish her sex appeal. He tried to fight the urge, but he couldn't stop his eyes from roaming her insane body, remembering the things that body could do...the things that body could coax his own body into doing with only the tiniest bit of effort.
"You haven't aged at all, Chonne."
The silence fell hard and sat uncomfortably between the two them. Neither could ignore the obvious tension or pretend it wasn't there. They knew each other too well and respected each other too much to be anything other than authentic. Sure, they were divorced, and they hadn't laid eyes on each other in years, but there was still love there. There were still issues that had yet to be resolved and hurt that hadn't yet been remedied. Time may have very well healed all wounds, but there would still be a scar left behind. The scars she didn't mind. They reminded her brain of the things her heart sometimes allowed her to forget.
"Well," Michonne shifted nervously from one foot to the other while trying her best to ignore the fact that her ex-husband was checking her out."I try to eat right...exercise."
Two hours a day, five days a week. Rick remembered and just as he was about to find a way to work that into the conversation his cell phone came alive and began to ring in his hand.
Rick looked down at the screen and smiled when he saw the name displayed.
Mom. A slight smile bloomed on his handsome face. Right on cue. That woman and her intuition.
A picture of his mother and father taken on the night of their thirty fifth wedding anniversary remained even after he tapped ignore and silenced the ring. He'd have to call her back.
Wait til she finds out I ran into her buddy.
Everybody in Rick's inner circle, from his coworkers to his family and friends loved Michonne, but no one was more smitten with her than his mother. Helen Grimes fell in love with her son's new lady the very first time she met her acquaintance. They hit it off immediately, both passionately dedicated to all things involving health, wellness, and physical fitness. Helen got Michonne into Hot Yoga, and Michonne got Helen to try Krav Maga for the very first time. Both were certified gym rats, but they also enjoyed taking cooking classes together, traveling to exotic places and country line dancing on Saturday nights while Rick and his father sat at the bar sipping whiskey and smiling at their adventurous and slightly tipsy ladies.
"Lori didn't tell me you were in town."
Michonne wondered why her BFF didn't feel the need to call her and warn her that their ex husband in common was headed her way. They didn't discuss Rick or anything pertaining to Rick, but a warning would have been nice.
"But she's been crazy busy with the twins so…" Her words trailed off into silence.
Even though Lori Blake, formerly Lori Grimes, was Rick's ex wife and the mother of his one and only child her loyalty had always been to Michonne. People thought their friendship was a strange one and maybe it was, but they genuinely liked each other, and they weren't going to let the opinions of others dictate their relationship. They were two grown ass women who knew how to carry themselves as such.
Rick and Lori were over long before Michonne ever entered the picture. They married too damn young and simply grew apart. It was no one's fault. They were both just thankful that they were able to end the marriage and save the friendship. When Lori went on to marry the former governor of Georgia, Phillip Blake, Rick was the one that walked her down the aisle. That's how much love they still had for one another. Rick was a good man and Lori was a good woman. They just weren't good for each other at that point in their lives.
"It happened kinda fast." Rick let out a heavy sigh as he began to explain. "We weren't supposed to move up here til the fall. I wanted Carl to spend his last summer home with his friends 'fore his entire life got uprooted, but when the ranch went into foreclosure-"
"You lost the ranch?" Michonne asked, completely stunned, her voice dripping with panic and her brow furrowing with concern.
She may have gone through a long period of time where she wanted him to hurt the same way he made her hurt, but she never wanted this. The disappointment on his face was breaking her heart in two. She knew how much that place meant to him...how much it meant to his entire family...the same family that once welcomed her with open arms and treated her like she was one of their very own.
The Grimes Family Ranch had been passed down from generation to generation for the last one hundred and twenty years. Michonne had such fond memories of the time she spent there with Rick. It was where they had their first date, where they said their first I love yous, where they made love for the very first time and where they were eventually married. It wasn't their primary residence, but it was the one and only place they turned to whenever they wanted to get away from it all.
"Rick, why didn't you reach out to me? I would have-"
"Michonne, how could I?" His eyes snapped shut. He couldn't bare to face her and relive it all over again. Hurting her killed him. Losing her buried him.
"Rick-"
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Their trip down memory lane was cut short when Bella came crashing into her mother's side. "Did you get it?! Is it ready yet?!" She took a big, deep breath, but instead of calming her it only seemed to amp her up even more. "Is my cake ready?! Is it...is it?! I can't wait to see it!"
"Not yet, Bunny." Michonne crouched down very carefully in her body hugging dress, putting herself at eye level with her very excited little ball of energy. "Remember what Mommy told you about having patience?"
Bella quickly huffed in another deep breath then blew it out just as fast. "I know, Mommy. Good things come...uh," Her big brown eyes darted up and to the side like she was searching her memory for the answer. "...uh...good things come…"
"Good things come to those who wait." Michonne helped her along with a gentle voice and a few soothing strokes up and down her small back. "You have to be patient my love."
Rick couldn't extinguish the fire burning in his heart. Michonne was a good mother, and it showed. Her daughter was so beautiful, but more importantly, she was happy. The way she looked at her mother as she spoke was a sight to see. That little girl loved and idolized Michonne. Rick knew all too well exactly what that felt like.
"Mommy," Bella laid her small head down on her mother's shoulder then wrapped her arms snug around her neck, signaling that she wanted to be picked up "Daddy's right. You are super smart." She giggled. "Are you Daddy's friend?" Bella turned her attention to Rick and questioned with innocent eyes.
She didn't know or understand the complicated history between this stranger and her parents.
"I do know ya, daddy." Rick tap danced around that question like his body was being taken over by the ghost of Fred Astaire. "And what's your name?"
"I'm Bella." She practically sang her reply. "Bella Liliana Leone."
That's definitely Michonne's daughter. She looks just like Negan, but she gets that outgoing personality straight from her mama.
Rick bit his bottom lip to stifle a chuckle. "It's very nice to meet you, Bella. I'm Rick."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Rick." She took a deep breath that caused her small chest to rise then fall dramatically.
Bella was excited and her mother had a good idea why. The shy smile on her face and the twinkle in her eyes was proof enough. She had a crush.
Michonne could only shake her head and smile at her little girl's obvious fascination with Rick Grimes. She remembered all too well what that was like. There was a time in the not so distant past when he was the cause of the twinkle in her own eyes, a time when he made her feel like the luckiest girl in the world, a time when she couldn't even imagine a life without him.
"Your eyes look like Peyto." Bella gushed, her adorable dimples growing deeper and more pronounced.
Rick's puzzled gaze shot up to Michonne knowing that sometimes only a parent could understand their own child.
"Peyto Lake." She began, albeit hesitantly. "It's in Canada...Alberta. We were just there two weeks ago. The water's… it's…very...blue." Michonne fumbled, trying to find the right words to explain while also trying not to say something she would regret.
"It's beautiful." Bella suddenly came down with a terrible case of what Susan Grimes referred to as diarrhea of the mouth. "Your eyes are soooooo pretty."
Michonne cringed as she emphasized the hell out of that so.
"Aren't they, Mommy?" She looked up at her mother expectantly, completely unaware of the predicament she was putting her in.
Bunny, Mommy loves you, but I really need you to hush.
"Mommy, can Mr. Rick come to my birthday party?"
Bella just could not stop herself from putting her mother in uncomfortable situations.
"Can he pleeeeease?" She pleaded, her big brown eyes tugging on her mother's heart strings. "He has to meet Hello Kitty, Mommy...he just has to."
Michonne was at a loss for words. She had never seen her daughter go this hard for anybody before, especially not someone she only met five minutes ago.
"We'll have to ask daddy and see what he says."
"Ask Daddy what?" Negan's booming voice echoed off the walls of the small bakery, commanding the attention of the entire room. "Hey, baby." He greeted Michonne with a soft kiss on the cheek. "And my other baby." Bella received a kiss as well. "Grimes." He acknowledged Rick's presence, but it wasn't exactly a warm welcome.
Negan wasn't the least bit surprised to see Rick. In fact, he wondered what the hell had taken him so long. This wasn't the first run-in he had with his wife's ex husband, but since his little girl was present, this would be the first one where no punches would be thrown.
"Negan," Rick responded with a slight nod of the head, his southern drawl just a little huskier than normal. "Good to see you." He lied through his teeth but kept his poker face intact. His eyes found Michonne's again. She was nervous and with good reason.
Negan kept his eyes on Rick but his hands on Michonne, snaking his strong arm around her tiny waist and pulling her as close to him as humanly possible.
She's mine, Grimes.
He didn't need to say the words out loud. The look on his face said it all. Michonne was his wife, his soulmate, his beginning and his ending.
You had ya chance and ya blew it. Fuckin' idiot.
Michonne could feel the tension growing thicker and thicker with every second that passed. Her husband wasn't usually the possessive type, but Rick Grimes was a hot button issue in their marriage. His name rarely came up in recent years, but back when they first got together Negan was convinced that there were three people in his relationship instead of just two.
Negan began pursuing Michonne a few months after she divorced Rick. She knew she wasn't really ready to enter into anything serious, but after a dozen or so standard Saturday night dates of dinner and a movie she slept with him, thinking it would help her to move on and put her relationship with Rick behind her. When she broke down crying afterwards Negan didn't freak out. He cuddled up with her in bed and held her until the tears eventually stopped falling. Holding women while they cried over their ex wasn't usually something he did, but Michonne was special and if that's what it took to convince her how special she truly was then that was what he was willing to do.
"Daddy, can Mr. Rick come to my party so he can meet Hello Kitty?" Bella asked with those eyes...those beautiful big brown eyes, pleading with him to allow something that he absolutely did not want to grant permission to.
Negan knew how petty it was for him to be jealous, but he couldn't help the way he felt. Bella liked Rick and that alone was enough to make him want to punch him square in the jaw. If he thought he was going to worm his way back into Michonne's life by using his princess then he had another thing coming. He would allow him to come to the party, the last thing he wanted was for Rick to think he made him nervous, but he would make sure he was never alone with his wife or his daughter.
I'm gonna be on you like white on rice, cowboy. You don't fuckin' want these kinda problems.
Negan smiled, his dimples on full display. "Sure he can, Bunny." His eyes shifted from his perfect little princess to his nemesis, taking a moment to enjoy the memory of the last time the two of them were face to face, the day Rick left his office with a swollen black eye and a broken nose. "Ya boy in Atlanta too?"
"He is," Rick said with a bit of hesitation in his tone.
He didn't know what Negan's angle was, but he wasn't about to let his son be dragged into the middle of their cock measuring contest. Rick didn't trust Negan and with good reason. Michonne may not have known about his recent hardships, but her husband most certainly did.
"Bring him. Most of the kids there'll be younga, but there should be a few his age."
Rick's eyes found Michonne's again. "I know he'd love to see ya, but we wouldn't wanna impose."
Michonne smiled, thinking of her little dude, "I'd love to see him too."
Being Carl's step mom was one of the things she missed most about being married to Rick. That little boy was the light of her life before she had Bella. It didn't matter that she wasn't the woman that gave birth to him. She loved him just like he was her very own.
Michonne turned her attention to her husband. "You sure you don't mind?"
He smiled but didn't respond to the question. "There's some extra invitations in the glove compartment. Go grab one while me and my little Bunny rabbit go check on the cake."
Negan didn't miss the little grins Rick kept flashing his wife.
You ain't slick, Grimes.
The urge to punch Rick in the face again made his fists tingle with an almost overwhelming sensation of anticipation.
You can look all ya want, but ya best keep ya hands to ya self.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Michonne because he did. He trusted that woman like he trusted his own mother and that was saying a hell of a lot. What he didn't trust…who he didn't trust was the man standing less than a foot away who was doing a piss poor job at pretending that he wasn't watching his wife's hips sway as she made her way past him and through the exit.
Rick watched Michonne open the passenger side door of an elegant, pure onyx Bentley Bentayga SUV, a vehicle that cost more money than he made in a year...hell, more than he made in five years.
I still love her. I'm still head over heels in love with her.
And for one brief moment he closed his eyes and let his mind drift back to a time when she was still his wife, and he was still her husband.
Don't stop touching me, Rick. Please, don't ever stop touching me.
It was the happiest and most fulfilling time of his life.
You had her and you fucked it all up.
Now my baby's dancing but she's dancing with another man...
