So I sent her the following reply: “I agree, and when you stop behaving like a selfish child, call me so we can talk like adults.”She didn’t respond after that. I closed my eyes to try and stop the tears from falling. I slammed my fists down on the dresser and walked downstairs to the kitchen.“Good morning, Dean. Will you and Steph be having breakfast together this morning?” Claire asked.“Steph isn’t here, so the answer is no,” I snapped.“Whoa, DEan, calm down,” Dan said as he walked towards me.I ran my hand through my hair. “Claire, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me,” I begged.“It’s ok, Dean. Don’t worry about it,” she smiled.“What the hell happened between the two of you now?” Dan asked as he handed me a cup of coffee.“I told her last night that I can’t have kids, and she didn’t take it very well. We both said some pretty bad things to each other. Fuck, Dan, I love her so damn much. Why is this so hard?”“Nobody said love is easy,” he smiled.I shook my head and walked out of
I paced back and forth across the room while running my hands through my hair. “Ashlyn is Amanda’s step sister.”“Who the hell is Amanda?” she asked.I took in a sharp breath. “Amanda’s the girl who committed suicide after I broke up with her.”“Keep talking, Dean and I need to know which of them?; I’m listening.”“Ashlyn sought me out and came to my office about a year ago. She told me she had been kicked out of her house, and she didn’t have any money or any place to go. She said that I owed her because it was my fault her sister killed herself.” I stood there and watched Steph close her eyes for a moment.This was so hard for her to hear, and it was making me sick to tell her.“Few months before you arrived, I decided to start a relationship with her but you are there in my head and I realized no one but you” I said as I stood there, shaking my head in shame.“You told me all of this before, Dean, I just want to know after you ended it with her why she is here?” she asked as she go
The next few days had passed by slowly as I worked from home. Cassidy called to tell me that she and Camden were in the city for a doctor’s appointment and then they were going shopping. I told her to come by when she was done, and I’d take them to dinner. I set my phone down on my desk and headed to the kitchen for a bottle of water. As I was coming back to my office, I heard my phone ringing. By the time I got back to my desk, it stopped. I picked it up and looked at it. My heart stopped when it said that I had a missed call from Steph. She left a voicemail. I pressed the listen button and closed my eyes when I heard the voice that I had been missing.“Hi, Dean, it’s Steph. I just called to see how you’re doing and how things are going. I guess you’re busy, so I’ll talk to you soon; bye.” She was reaching out to me. I dialed her number and waited impatiently for her to answer.“Hello?” she answered.“Hey, Steph, I just got your message,” I said in a low voice.“Hi, Dean, I was just
“Is your crazy girlfriend here with you?” she asked as she looked around.“No, she isn’t,” I responded as I couldn’t help but stare at the bruise on her face.“I just want to apologize for saying and doing what I did. I have issues, Dean, and I feel like I’m heading down a bad road. But I am seeing a therapist, and I’m going to get my life straightened out.”I actually felt sorry for her at that moment. “You do realize that you can no longer work for my company, right?” I said.“I know, and I just handed in my letter of resignation today. I asked Phil not to tell you because I wanted to do that myself.”“I’m also stopping your monthly payments, but I will pay for your therapy. It’s the least I can do since you’re seeking help.”“Thank you, Dean,” she smiled. She started to walk away and then turned around. “Tell Steph I’m sorry and that she’s a lucky woman to have someone like you to love her.” I smiled and nodded my head, and then she was gone. I felt like a weight had been lifted of
“You have no right!” she spat.My angered eyes turned and looked at her. “I have no right? What the hell do you think you were doing in there? Were you trying to get yourself raped? Look at you, and the way you’re dressed, you’re just asking for it.”She flipped out and started hitting me in the chest. “Fuck you, Dean!” she screamed as she proceeded to beat on me.Mason grabbed her arms as I grabbed her wrists, trying to calm her down. The cab pulled up to the apartment building. Mason and I got out, and Steph sat there with her arms folded.“Get out of the cab now!” I yelled. She glared at me and then flipped me off.“Real mature, Steph,” I said as I leaned into the cab, grabbed her arm, and pulled her out. I threw her over my shoulder and carried her straight to the bedroom, throwing her on the bed. I paced back and forth across the room while running my hands through my hair, trying to calm down.“I can’t believe you, Steph. I came here tonight to surprise you, and I find you dry h
“I think we’re going to spend our whole lives apologizing to each other,” I lightly laughed.She sat up so I could sit next to her. I pulled her onto me so her head was resting in my lap. I started to gently stroke her hair as she fell asleep. I pulled my phone out and sent a text message to Dan.“I need you to be in Miami beach the day after tomorrow. That’s where and when I’m proposing to My love.Make the arrangements for the rental of the beach, the dinner, and tent. It has to be perfect.”“Don’t worry, Dean; I have Valerie and Claire helping. Everything will be perfect. I’ll see you in a couple of days. Now, calm down.”I carefully lifted Steph’s head and scooted off the couch. I covered her with a blanket and went into the bedroom to call Phil. He told me that the cops were holding someone in custody that fit the description of someone lurking around the building the night of the fire. He told me not to worry and that he’ll take care of things while I’m gone. Just as I hung up,
You’ve challenged me and brought out a man that I thought I never could be. You’ve shown me things that I never would’ve seen if you weren’t in my life. You’ve filled the void in my heart and soul that I never knew existed until you weren’t by my side.” Tears began to fall down her face.“I was simply a man with no meaning until I met you, and I’m proud of whom I’ve become because of you. We’ve been through a lot together, and we will continue to go through a lot, but we’ll conquer whatever life throws our way, together. I want to thank you for being my best friend, and my lover.” I got down on one knee and pulled the small velvet box from my pocket. I looked up at Steph as the tears wouldn’t stop flowing down her face. “I want to be more than just your lover; I want to be your happily ever after, your best friend, your husband, and I want you for my wife. Will you marry me, Steph?” I opened the box, took out the ring, and held it up to her.She looked at me, crying as she nodded her
“I guess I’m just scared,” she whispered.“Don’t worry, baby. Everything is going to work out; you just wait and see,” I said right before we fell fast asleep.A couple of weeks later, I felt the emptiness on Steph’s side of the bed as I rolled over. I opened my eyes and noticed that it read 4 am on the clock. I looked around the dark room; the only shadow of light was coming from the clock. I got out of bed, put on my pajama bottoms, and walked downstairs to find Steph, sitting at her easel and painting. I walked over to her as she turned her head and looked at me.“I’m sorry, babe, I hope I didn’t wake you,” she said softly.“No, you didn’t wake me, but why aren’t you sleeping?” I asked as I slipped my arms around her shoulders.“I couldn’t sleep. I have too much on my mind, and painting always helps me clear my head.”“You need to talk to me, Steph. Please tell me what’s on your mind,” I said as I kissed the top of her head.”“It’s nothing to worry about. I’ve just been thinking ab