Chapter 14: Speaking from the Heart
Erica shakes her head, trying desperately to get the image of her and David's kiss out of her head.
" Hi mommy." Dylan yells from the top of the slide where he's playing with Bianca and Lena.
Erica looks up at him, thankful for the interruption as she waves to him.
" He really does love it here." David muses, suddenly at Erica's side.
Erica turns to look at him, " David…hi. Did you go to the police station?" She asks softly.
David nods his eyes on Dylan. " Is Trey really your brother?"
David nods, as he sits down next to her. " Yes he is. It's a pretty twisted tale. He had a rough life, and felt that he had to listen to his heart and do the right thing for once in his life."
" Wow. It really is strange how things workout. All his life he did so much wrong, but the one time he needed to do the right thing he did it." Erica muses her eyes still on Dylan.
" It's just sad that he's going to have to spend the rest of life behind bars. He's just a kid." David says sadly.
" I think you can be proud to call him your brother." She says with smile finally turning to look at David.
David smiles back at her, " Thank you."
Erica turns her attention back to Dylan, " Oh, when I think how close we came to losing him…" She muses sadly.
David says nothing, instead just taking her hand. " He's fine, he's safe. And everything is as it should be."
" Everything?" Erica says quietly her eyes still on Dylan.
" Almost everything." He tells her turning his gaze on her.
Erica slowly turns her head, her eyes meeting his. " David…"
" When…when he was missing, I never thought about a life without him. I thought about life with him, about every moment we've had with him. I thought about us…how things ended, how it could have been different."
Erica turns her head, trying in vain to hide the tears welling in her eyes, " Would we have ended the way we did, had we known that night at the Valley Inn when I asked you to marry me, that you were pregnant? Would it have changed anything?"
" David…I. Why bring this up now? We're happy…we've moved on." Erica says almost pleadingly.
" Moved on? Look around you Erica, it's you and me. That's how it always ends up, the two of us together through it all."
" I can't do this…" Erica says a few silent tears managing to fall down her cheeks as she pulls her hand from David's.
" Erica, we've never talked about this, about us or the way things ended. I think we owe it to ourselves, to Jack and Anna, and even to Dylan to finally make peace with our past." David tells her his voice soft and comforting.
" It would have changed everything." She tells him tearfully, her eyes still on Dylan. " We would have gotten married, and probably divorced before he was born."
" You really believe that?"
She nods, still refusing to look at him. " As much as we loved each other, we didn't trust each other and without that we didn't stand a chance. The last few months we were together we were going in circles. We weren't ready to get married, or have a lasting marriage. We had to end the way they did."
David nods his eyes still on Dylan. " Are we still going in circles?"
Erica turns her head slowly, " What?"
" You're just going to pretend that nothing happened last night?"
" David…last night, it just happened, we got caught up in the moment, that's all." Erica says quietly still unable to look at him.
" You don't believe that anymore then I do." David tells her pointedly.
" Excuse me?" Erica says finally turning to look at him.
" What happened last night, wasn't just a kiss or a moment of indiscretion. It was the culmination of something that's been building between us since our ruse a few years ago."
" What do you want from me David?" She asks tearfully.
" I want you to talk to me. Tell me what's in your heart." David tells her softly, carefully trying to coax the truth out of her.
" Fine. Yes, David…I did feel that kiss in every corner of my heart. I haven't been able to get it out of my head. " She tells him, silent tears staining her cheeks. " Is that what you wanted to hear?"
" It's a start." David says back to her.
" A start to what, David? Where does all of this leave us?" She asks tearfully.
" Where ever you want it to leave us."
" You make is seem so simple David, it's not simple. Things are so different now, we're not the same people anymore. We can't just fall into each other's arms and live happily ever after."
" Why not?" He asks simply.
" David…what about Jack and Anna and Dylan? They're part of this too."
" Anna and I have been over for a long time, we were just afraid to let go." He tells her.
" And you're finally ready let go, to move on?" She asks tearfully her eyes meeting his.
He offers her simple nod, " That just leaves Jack. How does he fit into all of this?"
Erica laughs dryly, " Jack…Jack saw our little moment of indiscretion."
" Oh and what did he have to say?"
" He said that I need time to figure out what I want." She tells him honestly.
" Anna told me the same thing, although she added that I need to figure out with you." He tells her with a smile.
Erica smiles back at him laughing lightly, " They saw it before we did. I guess now we decide where we go from here."
" We take it slow." He tells her softly.
" Slow, David we have a five year old son. I think we're beyond that." She tells him with a light laugh.
David flashes her a bright smile, " We take it one day at a time, for as long as it takes to get it right."
" Get it right? Do you think it's possible for us to get it right?" She asks hesitantly.
David nods reaching over to take her hand again. " I think it's more then possible. It's going to take a lot of work. You up for it?"
Erica flashes him a radiant smile, " Have I ever turned down a challenge? So where do we start?"
" Have dinner with me tomorrow." David asks with a smile.
Erica smiles back at him, " I'd love too."
To be continued…
Erica shakes her head, trying desperately to get the image of her and David's kiss out of her head.
" Hi mommy." Dylan yells from the top of the slide where he's playing with Bianca and Lena.
Erica looks up at him, thankful for the interruption as she waves to him.
" He really does love it here." David muses, suddenly at Erica's side.
Erica turns to look at him, " David…hi. Did you go to the police station?" She asks softly.
David nods his eyes on Dylan. " Is Trey really your brother?"
David nods, as he sits down next to her. " Yes he is. It's a pretty twisted tale. He had a rough life, and felt that he had to listen to his heart and do the right thing for once in his life."
" Wow. It really is strange how things workout. All his life he did so much wrong, but the one time he needed to do the right thing he did it." Erica muses her eyes still on Dylan.
" It's just sad that he's going to have to spend the rest of life behind bars. He's just a kid." David says sadly.
" I think you can be proud to call him your brother." She says with smile finally turning to look at David.
David smiles back at her, " Thank you."
Erica turns her attention back to Dylan, " Oh, when I think how close we came to losing him…" She muses sadly.
David says nothing, instead just taking her hand. " He's fine, he's safe. And everything is as it should be."
" Everything?" Erica says quietly her eyes still on Dylan.
" Almost everything." He tells her turning his gaze on her.
Erica slowly turns her head, her eyes meeting his. " David…"
" When…when he was missing, I never thought about a life without him. I thought about life with him, about every moment we've had with him. I thought about us…how things ended, how it could have been different."
Erica turns her head, trying in vain to hide the tears welling in her eyes, " Would we have ended the way we did, had we known that night at the Valley Inn when I asked you to marry me, that you were pregnant? Would it have changed anything?"
" David…I. Why bring this up now? We're happy…we've moved on." Erica says almost pleadingly.
" Moved on? Look around you Erica, it's you and me. That's how it always ends up, the two of us together through it all."
" I can't do this…" Erica says a few silent tears managing to fall down her cheeks as she pulls her hand from David's.
" Erica, we've never talked about this, about us or the way things ended. I think we owe it to ourselves, to Jack and Anna, and even to Dylan to finally make peace with our past." David tells her his voice soft and comforting.
" It would have changed everything." She tells him tearfully, her eyes still on Dylan. " We would have gotten married, and probably divorced before he was born."
" You really believe that?"
She nods, still refusing to look at him. " As much as we loved each other, we didn't trust each other and without that we didn't stand a chance. The last few months we were together we were going in circles. We weren't ready to get married, or have a lasting marriage. We had to end the way they did."
David nods his eyes still on Dylan. " Are we still going in circles?"
Erica turns her head slowly, " What?"
" You're just going to pretend that nothing happened last night?"
" David…last night, it just happened, we got caught up in the moment, that's all." Erica says quietly still unable to look at him.
" You don't believe that anymore then I do." David tells her pointedly.
" Excuse me?" Erica says finally turning to look at him.
" What happened last night, wasn't just a kiss or a moment of indiscretion. It was the culmination of something that's been building between us since our ruse a few years ago."
" What do you want from me David?" She asks tearfully.
" I want you to talk to me. Tell me what's in your heart." David tells her softly, carefully trying to coax the truth out of her.
" Fine. Yes, David…I did feel that kiss in every corner of my heart. I haven't been able to get it out of my head. " She tells him, silent tears staining her cheeks. " Is that what you wanted to hear?"
" It's a start." David says back to her.
" A start to what, David? Where does all of this leave us?" She asks tearfully.
" Where ever you want it to leave us."
" You make is seem so simple David, it's not simple. Things are so different now, we're not the same people anymore. We can't just fall into each other's arms and live happily ever after."
" Why not?" He asks simply.
" David…what about Jack and Anna and Dylan? They're part of this too."
" Anna and I have been over for a long time, we were just afraid to let go." He tells her.
" And you're finally ready let go, to move on?" She asks tearfully her eyes meeting his.
He offers her simple nod, " That just leaves Jack. How does he fit into all of this?"
Erica laughs dryly, " Jack…Jack saw our little moment of indiscretion."
" Oh and what did he have to say?"
" He said that I need time to figure out what I want." She tells him honestly.
" Anna told me the same thing, although she added that I need to figure out with you." He tells her with a smile.
Erica smiles back at him laughing lightly, " They saw it before we did. I guess now we decide where we go from here."
" We take it slow." He tells her softly.
" Slow, David we have a five year old son. I think we're beyond that." She tells him with a light laugh.
David flashes her a bright smile, " We take it one day at a time, for as long as it takes to get it right."
" Get it right? Do you think it's possible for us to get it right?" She asks hesitantly.
David nods reaching over to take her hand again. " I think it's more then possible. It's going to take a lot of work. You up for it?"
Erica flashes him a radiant smile, " Have I ever turned down a challenge? So where do we start?"
" Have dinner with me tomorrow." David asks with a smile.
Erica smiles back at him, " I'd love too."
To be continued…