Authors: Ashlynn Monroe
Simon cried and they left.
Phoebe realized she couldn’t draw Fabian into the terrible ostracism. Ivory knew her so well. She’d kept glancing at her during the drive home but hadn’t said a word until they were in the safety of Fabian’s large garage.
“I want Simon to come have a slumber party at my house. I’ve missed him now that you haven’t been working.” Ivory spoke cheerfully and Simon hurried to his room for his pajamas.
Fabian tried to embrace Phoebe the moment they were alone. She pushed him away.
“I can’t do this anymore
, Fabian. It’s been a fun diversion, but we both know this won’t work. We really have nothing in common. It’s been nice of you letting us stay, but I’m leaving tonight and I’m not coming back.” She tried to sound honest as she uttered the terrible lie.
He looked stunned
.
“If this is about the old bastard at the service don’t worry about it. For all I know my bank foreclosed on his home and he was looking for an excuse. You don’t have a monopoly on random hatred.”
“No Fabian, I’m done. You just have a hero complex. Eventually you’ll see I’m right and this is for the best.”
Rushing around
, Phoebe gathered her things and her son’s things, and before Fabian could stop her she loaded her car and left. He stood there watching her drive out of his life, his heart felt shredded.
New Years Eve was always a busy night at Margie’s and it was the first night Phoebe was back to work. Time had let some of the rancor towards her settle down and she had to support herself so she was glad when Jana readily gave her the job back. Each night she lay in her bed crying and missing Fabian. She loved him with all her heart and soul. She refused to let him suffer because of what she was. She was still going to the nursing home and she had managed not to run into him when he visited his grandfather, but each time she went she had secretly hoped just to see him. She missed his face. She missed his voice. Doing the right thing sucked.
Fireworks
at midnight brought most of the town out. Phoebe thought about all the kissing couples she would envy. Having a broken heart was not the way she wanted to start the New Year. The choice she’d made ripped her heart to shreds. He’d been protecting her from the moment he entered her life, it was her turn to protect him.
As the patrons started to pile out into the cold
, she sighed. Everyone seemed to be in love. Following the crowd out, the countdown began and she looked up expectantly at the sky. Watching the fireworks would keep her from thinking about Fabian’s lips.
“Three, two, one, H
appy New Year everyone! Don’t forget to grab a New Year’s glass of the bubbly,” shouted one of the other waitresses. Noisemakers and fireworks erupted with sound and light.
Phoebe looked up into the sky to see the bright beauty of the fireworks. Suddenly she was no longer looking up
; instead, her face had been captured. She felt familiar arms holding her. Fabian kissed her passionately.
When he
finally stopped kissing her, he spoke. His voice was rough and raw with his emotion.
“I refuse to start the New Year without you
.” He stroked her cheek gently. “I love you and I want you in my life, Phoebe. You gave me a terrible Christmas present but I’ll forgive you if you give me a New Year’s Eve to remember. The day you left, I realized how empty my life is without you. I like having Simon around too. The boy needs a man in his life.” He paused and took a deep breath. His expression looked tormented. He had bags under his eyes as if he wasn’t sleeping. Seeing the look tore at her heart. “You are more precious to me than I can explain. It feels like I’ve known you forever. I…I’ve never felt like this about another woman. I know this is going to sound crazy, but marry me and the town can be damned.” His eyes searched hers, looking for her response. “They won’t suddenly forget you’re what you are and no expert on the news or amount of time will make those who hate stop hating you. I will always be from the Sterling family and right now, I make decisions, hard decisions, affecting almost every resident in this town, people will always want to slug me. For the brief time that you were mine, I finally belonged here. When you are in my arms, I feel real peace. I want to be your husband and I want to be the father Simon deserves. Will you let me belong to you, Phoebe? Will you be my wife?” His breath froze in little puffs as he spoke, and a glint in his eye awed her as she realized it was a tear. He hurt as much as she did because of her noble stupidity.
Tears began rolling
off her cheeks as the magnitude of her mistake overwhelmed her. She shouldn’t have walked away from him. Looking up into his eyes and seeing the genuine love, she only had one answer to give him.
“I love you
, Fabian Sterling, and I want to belong to you, too.”
He gave a whoop of victory and picked her up kissing her and spinning her around. When he set her back on her feet, she looked up at him earnestly.
“I don’t ever want you to suffer because of my love.” He wiped the tears from her face with his thumbs.
“I have been suffering because
of my love for you. Phoebe, I’m taking you to the alter as soon as possible; I’m not going to let you get away again. I’ve always been able to close the deal and this is one deal I’m definitely excited to make.”
Phoebe rolled her eyes at his analogy, but laughed despite it. When he bent down to kiss her again
, she felt something amazing sizzle between them and in her way she knew things, she felt sure everything was going to be all right and she’d found her true soul mate, and a place to belong—Fabian’s arms.
The End
Ashlynn Monroe has been dreaming up stories all her life. She started to put them on paper at thirteen, but it wasn’t until she was thirty that she decided to share them with others. She’s a busy mom with a full time job, fantastic friends, and a unique sense of humor. She’s just a regular girl who’s in love with the idea of happily-ever-after. She’s honored to be multi-published by some of the best electronic publishers in the industry. Ashlynn survives each day by dreaming up her next tale of romance. She loves her readers and can’t thank them enough for the wonderful support they give her. Visit her website at http://www.ashlynnmonroe.com to learn more about the worlds she imagines.