Part VI - Only Love:
Part B:
Tension hung in the air like a thick cloud. Unspoken words traveled between two people who knew each other to their cores with just a look. Fears rose to the surface. Relief fell in place. The hardest part was yet to come.
"Um, Sama..." - began Jason softly, his green eyes darting between Mimi and Shawn. "...don't we have to you...you know...do the thing?" - Samara's eyebrow hitched in amusement. Was that possibly the best he could do?
"Yes, we have to go speak with my mother about why you haven't given her grandchildren yet." - she smiled easily to her husband when he glared at her. "She's been very eager to hear your answer." - Jason continued to glare at the love of his life, even as she squeezed Mimi's shoulder reassuringly. He would rather stay and watch Mimi and Shawn, intruding on a very private moment, than go and talk to his mother-in-law about why he and Samara have not had a child yet. The woman was worse than a CIA interrogator.
"Yeah." - he drew the word out slowly. Reluctantly taking Samara's hand and turning around. "We'll see you guys later." - he told Mimi and Shawn, who were still trapped in the moment. "Shawn, great to see you, man. Even under the circumstances." - Jason noticed Shawn nod as he and Samara headed towards the main house.
Words caught on the tip of Mimi's tongue. She had no idea what to say. For the first time in her life, she was utterly speechless. Her eyes washed over Shawn and she realized then just how much she missed him. Not only being with him, but seeing him. He looked tired. His chocolate orbs had taken a dark tint which she recognized as lack of sleep. His unruly mass of hair curled wildly above the tips of his ears. She watched his chest rise and fall with the intake of air; her mind reverted immediately back to the moments where her head would be laying on his chest, rising and falling in sync with it. Her eyes traveled further down to the shorts he wore and the way they showed off those muscular legs of his.
Bringing her eyes back up to his handsome face, his smooth freshly shaven skin, the heat in his eyes, and those pink lips curling at the ends into that staggeringly sexy smile of his, her heart began to pound for a different reason.
What she couldn't figure out was the way he was looking at her. Did he hate her? Love her? Want her? What? There was a gleam in his chocolate orbs that she couldn't place. Though it frightened her, it also made her beat wildly in her chest.
"How did you find me?" - the words finally escaped from her lips. Though she had plenty more to say, that seemed like the safest place to start.
Until he heard her speak again, Shawn had no idea just how much he missed Mimi's voice. Standing before her, drinking in the sight of her for the first time in a little over two days, Shawn realized that he would follow he to the depths of hell if he had to. She looked unspeakably beautiful standing there in her dark green sundress; blowing in the wind, it accentuated every soft curve of her body. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Her face was make-up free; and though her soulful orbs held fear in them, they sparkled with relief and joy as they looked longingly into his. She looked so at ease, at peace now that the weight of Claire's paternity had been lifted. For that, more than anything, Shawn was grateful.
He saw her mouth twitch at the ends nervously and realized he hadn't answered her question. "You're my soulmate." - he began softly. "I'd find you anywhere." - Mimi dropped her head and smiled, unsure of whether she should find happiness in the moment. Shawn breathed a little easier when he saw her smiling. They still had a million things to work through, but as long as she smiled at him the way she had, he was more than willing to do it. He loved her and was resolved to make her see that...no matter what it took.
Raising her eyes back to meet his, Mimi was more than a little surprised to see the gleam in his eyes had turned playful. "Seriously, how did you find me?"
"You bought your plane ticket with your credit card." - Shawn answered. "That's the first thing cops trace for a missing person."
Biting her bottom lip, Mimi felt embarrassed. "I wasn't a missing person. I told you I was leaving."
"Yeah, I know." - Shawn replied. "But my dad's colleagues didn't."
"You asked your dad to find me?" - Shawn nodded. "Why?"
Stepping closer to her, "Because you're my wife." - Shawn wrapped his arms around Mimi's waist and felt every nerve in both their bodies spark. Mimi was glad he held her closely, she would have melted to the ground had his body not been pressed to hers. Dipping his head slowly, Shawn let his lips hover just above hers. Her scent was just as intoxicating as the rest of her. He's been miserable these past two days without her. The nights without her in his arms were unbearable, but all would be right soon. "And because I love you. I'm not going to let you give up on our marriage." - the determination in his eyes did nothing to mask the heat that was already there.
Unable to bear it any longer, driven crazy by her tiny fingers flexing on his chest, Shawn kissed her.
Mimi's lips fused to her husband's in a hot-blooded kiss that ignited a fire deep within her. A fire she knew she would never be able to quell. Even as a child, Shawn-Douglas Brady affected her like no one else. She could remember being a child, hell, even a teenager and just hoping that he looked her way. Just a soft gaze from those brown eyes, an easy smile across the pink lips and she would forget her own name.
She didn't need to forget that right now. There was a reason she was here. A reason she wanted him to follow her. Though his actions spoke louder than any word he could ever say, she needed to hear the words as well. And she wouldn't be able to hear the words she so desperately needed to hear until they got other issues out of the way.
Besides, she felt guilty.
It didn't seem right that she destroyed his life, ran away, and ended up being kissed by him. No matter how much she was enjoying the kiss.
Her fingers gripped his shoulder tightly and pushed him away. "No, Shawn." - her words came out as whispers on ragged breaths. Disentangling herself from her husband's grip, Mimi forced herself to stare into his eyes. To not get caught up in the motions of his heaving chest. In the wild desire coursing through her system to connect with him again. She needed to get the words out, choke them out if need be. "It can't be this easy." - she told him. "It shouldn't be this easy." - her eyes screamed of pain far too near to speak of. "I betrayed you, Shawn. I betrayed your trust and your love. I lied to you about Claire being your daughter. You should be angry with me..." - her eyes clouded with salty tears even as her voice began to shake. "...should hate me. I hate me."
More than anything, Shawn hated knowing that she hated herself. She was such an incredible person who deserved the best in life. Her fierce spirit, one of the many things he loved about her, seemed shattered now and that was not acceptable. "You know the first thing that ran through my mind when I read your letter?" - Shawn posed softly. "How could she not stay to work it out?" - his own voice became shaky.
Taking his silence as a cue to answer. "I had my reasons at the time; all of which seem stupid now, but..." - she paused, unsure of what to say. "I didn't know what else to do." - she answered after consideration. She walked to the steps and sat down. "I figured you would hate me and go to Belle. That you guys..." - she couldn't bring herself to finish the statement.
"You thought I would leave you for Belle." - Shawn finished for her. He didn't need to see her nod to know that was the truth. He heaved a heavy sigh as he sat on the steps next to her. He noticed her how she had trouble looking at him, so he didn't press the issue. "When the initial shock wore off, I was angry. At you and at Belle. But...then I went numb."
Mimi did look at him this time. "Why?"
"I had absolutely no idea what to do. I wasn't sure of how I was feeling. I didn't know if I was angry, sad, hurt, confused." - he shook his head. "You weren't there to get angry at or to hold me as I cried. I know that sound selfish but, since we've been married, I've never had to deal with anything on my own. We've handled it together...as a united front and when you left...you took that with you. I cried for hours after I confronted Belle and Philip. Just...sat down and cried."
"I'm sorry." - Mimi whispered, tears of her own falling down her red cheeks.
Shawn smiled sadly to her. "I know." - he said. "And after I cried, I read your letter again. Then I cried more. You were so heartbroken. I could read it in your words. I could just picture you crying; torn up inside about hurting me."
"I was." - Mimi admitted. "I never want to hurt you."
"And after talking to my parents and Philip again, I read your letter one last time and it finally dawned on my why you left." - they shared a look, but Mimi remained quiet. "You had no faith in my love for you." - a tear slipped down his cheek. "And that hurt more than anything because I know that it was entirely my fault."
"No, Shawn." - Mimi tried to think of a way to tell him he was wrong, but nothing came. Truth was, he was right.
"No, Babe." - Shawn stopped her protest before it began. "Let me say this." - she owed him that much. "When we got married, I lied to you, too." - he saw her brows draw together in confusion. "I loved you. There was no doubt in my mind that I loved you and would always love you. That I could go through this life happily as your husband, but...I wasn't truly over Belle. Or over losing her to Philip." - He watched her head fall dejectedly and shot off the steps and knelt in front of her. Cupping her chin in his hand, he forced her to look in his eyes. "Reading your letter over and over again, I gained some clarity. You thought that you were my second choice. A life with you would have to do for not being able to have one with Belle. My love for you would never amount to that which I had for Belle. You left to give me the chance to finally make up my mind. And I have." - his thumbs gently wiped away the tears falling from her eyes. "I want you. You're not my first, second or third choice, but my only choice. There is no one else in this world for me, but you. You look at me and you see the man that I've always wanted to be and what's more...you bring out the man I've always wanted to be."
"But I lied to you." - Mimi said. "I hurt you so badly."
"And I forgive you." - He told her. "You did lie to me, but you finally told me the truth. You thought enough of me to tell me the truth. Nobody else who knew did. If you can forgive me going into our marriage with unresolved feelings, for allowing Belle to drive a wedge between us, and learn to trust me again, we can save our marriage, because...I already forgive you."
All she wanted to do then was jump into his arms, hold him and kiss him and never let him go. But the nagging part of her told her that it shouldn't be this easy. Shawn may have forgive her, but she had yet to forgive herself. "It shouldn't be this easy." - she said softly.
"Why not, Babe?" - Shawn questioned. "Why shouldn't we resolved to love each other, to trust each other again and to work through out problems?"
"Because..." - she began to say but honestly couldn't think of a reason. "Because I'm afraid you'll look at me one day and regret deciding to work it out. You'll see Claire with Belle and the family you wanted and you'll resent me." - her voice was desperate. "I couldn't handle that, Shawn. I wouldn't be able to take that." - her eyes slammed shut, almost as if the resentment came to his eyes that instant.
"Miriam, look at me." - he commanded softly. Her eyelids fluttered open slowly and Shawn caressed her face lightly. "The only thing I see when I look at you is love. I see the woman I love. My partner in life, my companion, my confidant, my best friend. These past two days without you have been unbearable. Don't you know by now that my home is in your arms?"
A watery smile came to her lips. Leaning forward, Mimi did the only thing she cold think to do, to conduct the action that would convey more than any word could ever say. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly. "I love you, Shawn." - she whispered against the shell of his ear. "I'm so sorry."
"Shh, Babe." - Shawn soothed her. "Me, too." - he pulled back just enough to stare into her eyes. He searched them quickly, pleased beyond belief when he say the fear fading away. He kissed her lips softly, but it was more than a kiss...it was a promise.
"What are we going to do about Claire?" - Mimi asked timidly. Sure, she could have brought it up at another time, a time when they had finally settled back in together but the words shot out of her.
"I don't know yet." - Shawn answered truthfully. "But I do want us to be a part of her life. We'll handle it together." - he smiled as he caressed her face again. "But right now..." - he pulled something from his pocket. "I want to put this back on your finger." - he held up her wedding band. "And this time...I never want you to take it off again." - Mimi smiled, she missed having the symbol of his love around her finger. Shawn took her hand and kissed it. "Babe, I love you. More than words can ever truly express. I offer this ring as a token of my love and fidelity and with the promise that now, as you wear it on your finger, there will be no secrets between us. No lies or anything else between us. Nothing...but love. Only love." - he smiled up at her. "Will you marry me...again?"
Was this her life? Mimi was sure she was going to wake up any moment now and be back in Salem with all the lies and secrets between them again. This incredible man could not possibly be kneeling in front of her and asking for her hand in marriage again after everything...but he was. He was there, loving her more than she ever thought she deserved and she loved him right back more than she ever thought she could love someone else. This was her life...and she wouldn't trade it for the world.
Smiling at him, bright as the noon sun in the sky, "Yes, Shawn, I will marry you...again."