Forever More
Part 1 - Hope
Chapter Nineteen
The clock in the car showed just a few minutes after eleven in the morning as Scott pulled into the garage at home. Linda was in the house but he got out of the car and went out to the barn and busied himself pulling the hose up to the stalls to water the horses.
He was just about done when Linda came in through the door.
Leaning against one of the stalls she could tell that something was bothering him. "Hi," she said as and he continued to run the water and not look at her. "You’re back sooner than I expected. You and Bob get everything figured out?"
"Yeah," he replied still not looking up but now was starting to wind the hose back up on his arm.
"What’s wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said finally looking up, "I’m just not feelin’ too good."
"You and Bob do a little more than the usual last night?"
He knew what she was asking.
"No, nothin’ like that. I think I just wanna go lay down," he added as he started to head passed her to the door.
She walked along side of him sliding her arm around his waist. "Well, happy birthday anyway," she said as she pulled him closer and gave him a squeeze. "You think you’re gonna feel good enough to drive into the city later?" He looked at her with a question in his eyes.
She continued. "Well, Lee called and they wanted to get together tonight for your birthday. I said I wasn’t sure since I didn’t now when you’d be back."
"Ah, I don’t know. Just let me go lie down for a while."
He got in the house and went up to the bedroom where he got undressed and stood under the shower for a few minutes. Getting out, he wrapped a towel around his waist and laid across the bed. Linda came in and asked if he needed anything. She got him the aspirins that he requested and then shut the blinds so that he could get some rest. Rest was what his body craved. Restless was his mind and soul.
Lying there Becky’s words kept playing back through his mind when she asked him what he was doing there. He didn’t know. What did he think was going to happen? Somehow he felt that if she really had wanted him back he would not be with Linda right now. But he had felt her body tremble when he pressed his lips to hers. No matter what outward signs she was forcing she was just as vulnerable as he was. And that was exactly what was upsetting him. He had never chased after a woman in his life.
Woman had always wanted him. Before Linda all he had to do was pick and chose. But this damnable woman had chose to cut him out of her life and he was pining after her like some love-sick school boy. And he didn’t like it one bit.
His head pounded as he tried to get the sleep that he had lost the night before. Evidently Linda had not called Bob’s looking for him. Right then he didn’t even care if she had.
A few hours later the door opened and Linda came in and asked how he was feeling and did he think about going or not. He didn’t. Fine, she would call and cancel for the evening but the plans were still on for the next night so she hoped he was feeling better by then. She got more aspirins for him and thought that he was running a slight fever.
The following morning he was finally able to get up about eleven a.m. He felt somewhat better and they left for Chicago around two o’clock in the afternoon. Linda drove. He was unusually quiet for the drive and she contributed it to his not feeling well, but as the weekend continued she was beginning to feel that it was something more.
Scott and Linda met with two other couples and took a cab to a club in the city that they enjoyed. There were already several others they knew ahead of them and one whole side of the room seemed to be filled with familiar faces.
They were there to celebrate Scott’s birthday his favorite way with good friends and good drink, but Scott felt disconnected and far away. Linda made apologies for him that he had been ill and still wasn’t feeling well. He tried his best to join in the fun and felt bad that he seemed to be the one who was letting everyone down, but try as he may his spirit just wasn’t in it.
Even the following day at the apartment he just wanted to lie around and not go out. Scott apologized and not wanting to ruin her weekend told her to go do whatever she wanted without him. Linda had begun to get the feeling that there was more to this than he was letting on. He seemed more depressed than ill. She was starting to recognize the inevitable.
Scott and Linda spent the rest of the weekend and following Monday at the apartment. He was still quiet not wanting to share anything with her. She did not press him.
Finally they did started to talk. Things had already changed in their relationship. There were no hurt feelings, no coarse words. They both knew they were going their separate ways. The time to heal anything was passed. Their relationship did not end abruptly but seemed to die slowly in the night. They spoke quietly and sincerely into the morning hours.
Scott had to fly to New York a few days later to work out some more details for the release of the album and upcoming video that was to be filmed. He returned home to Michigan a few days later.
Walking through their home he knew that things had changed. Going up into their bedroom he saw that Linda had been there and taken all of her clothes out of the closets and drawers. Looking about he noticed many things that he had lived with for so long but realized that they had belonged to Linda and now they were gone. He didn’t know what to feel. He was numb.
The next afternoon he drove into Chicago and to their apartment. Linda was there. In the quiet sadness of the afternoon she offered some boxes for him if he had wanted to pack up any of his things. He started with his closet in the bedroom. Linda would come in every once in awhile and offer him something that she thought he might want to have. He accepted some and refused others.
He was still in the bedroom when the phone rang. He heard Linda talking to a friend of hers. They had inquired if Scott was back from New York yet.
"Yes, he’s back." she answered.
Scott listened as she talked into the phone.
"Tonight? No, Ellen, I don’t think we can make it. Maybe another night, " she added not wanting to let her friend know what was happening at that very moment.
Scott came out of the bedroom and looked at Linda who asked her friend to hold a moment.
Speaking to Scott Linda said, "It’s Ellen. She and Mark have invited us to have dinner with them and go out later."
Scott took a deep breath and said, "Tell her that we will."
Still looking into his eyes she put the receiver back to her ear and relayed the message. Scott turned and walked back into the bedroom and resumed his packing.
It was seven in the evening when Scott drove them to meet their friends and go on to the restaurant from there. The dinner went well and for the most part the couple could not tell that anything was wrong except that maybe both Scott and Linda were a little more quiet than usual.
Then later at a club when the girls had left them alone Scott confided to Mark that he and Linda were breaking up. He was there at the apartment right now getting his things before going back to Michigan. His friend could hardly believe it but when the girls got back to their table it was clear that Linda had told Ellen the same thing.
Returning back to the apartment around midnight Scott went in and carried a few of his boxes out of the bedroom and into the front hall by the door. What few words he and Linda spoke were consciously polite. She went in to get ready for bed and he sat out on the sofa in the dark. After a long while the light went out behind him and he went into the hall bathroom and downing a few aspirins went into the bedroom across the hall and lay across the bed with his clothes on.
Looking at his watch as he squinted trying to focus he saw that it was nearly nine a.m. Getting up he stopped at the bathroom and after running a warm cloth over his face walked out into the kitchen where Linda was going through a pile of bills and other paperwork. She had a neat little pile that, referring to, she thought he might want to take with him. She had run across a copy of his car insurance and that was there too.
Scott poured a cup of coffee and sitting down briefly flipped through the papers. Linda also mentioned that she would send some other things that he might be receiving to him when they arrived. Then finishing his coffee he put on a light jacket and headed down to the parking garage with the first of several trips of boxes to his car.
After the last had been fitted into the back seat he came back up stairs. Linda was now in the living room and he walked in and taking his apartment key off of his chain along with a spare to her car he laid them on the table near where she was sitting.
Speaking she said that she still had some things to get from his place.
He responded, "Yeah, I know. It’s OK, there’s no hurry." His words were very low and sad.
Realizing that the time had come for them to say good-bye Linda stood up and he walked over and took her into his arms. The tears that had not been there up till that point started to come. Everything that they had was now over, yet somehow they were going to make it through this without resenting the other. Anything that had happened along the way to bring and end to their relationship was no one’s fault but their own. They both had made mistakes and neither one was leaving because of someone else. It was just over, time to move on.
Scott drove back to Michigan where he spent the next few days alone, going for rides in the evening down by the river, or picking up a guitar to piece together melodies that were playing through his head. He had a lot of time to think on those long quiet evenings in the darkness of his empty room. He could have filled the place with loud music and friends but he wanted to be alone with his thoughts.
He had to fly back to New York the next week to film the video for the single that was being released off the album. There was no tour planned to coincide with its release and after first being upset that the record label did not seem to be behind him one hundred percent he was now grateful that a tour was not in his immediate future.
Upon his return home to Michigan he was now ready to act on some decisions that he had made to go with the deep feelings that he had in his heart.
He never unpacked.
Rebecca was just putting supper on the table when Corky started to bark outside. She heard a car door shut and a muffled voice calming the dog who now went from barking to a whine. Before she could even get to the door the boys raced out of the bedroom and to the back porch to see who it was. Opening the door the dog flew in and Scott stood at the bottom of the steps.
Both boys hung on him again as Rebecca came out onto the porch to meet him. Something was different. He came up the steps and took her into his arms. Once again she felt helpless in his presence. She had missed him so much that right then she didn’t care about anything. All she wanted was for him to be with her. No matter what the price, she was willing to pay it.
Ethan and Kyle were hanging on them both, laughing at their kissing, telling them to stop, and pulling them into the kitchen. Rebecca said that she had just put supper on the table and asked him if he was hungry. He was starved.
After another loud animated meal with her children Rebecca got them to go into the bedroom and start their homework but only after Scott promised to come in and help each one and then afterwards he’d play a new game that they had been telling him about all through supper.
Scott helped Rebecca clear the table and as she stood at the sink filling it with water he came up behind her and sliding his arms around her waist pulled her hair to one side and began to lay soft kisses along the nape of her neck.
She turned in his arms to face him looking deep into the beautiful blueness of his eyes. She started to talk but he put a finger to her lips. Then leaving it there he traced their outline with his fingertip, ran it gently along her chin and neck stopping at her throat where he took both his hands and brought her lips to his.
After a moment he whispered near her ear, "Linda’s gone." His words were sincere.
As promised Scott spent time with the boys and she could hear him in the bedroom with Ethan reading some part of a language notebook and trying to figure out with him what the answer should be to a question and then helping him spell the words.
After the homework was done Rebecca managed to get them to go in and take a bath and then afterwards Scott and the two boys sat on Kyle’s bedroom floor and played the game.
Rebecca took that opportunity to soak in the bathtub. Scott excused himself once from the game and came into the bathroom and for a moment stood watching her as she lay back in the warm soapy water. Rebecca felt so desired as he slowly took in every curve of her body, drank in the fullness of her breasts with their rose tipped peaks and warm brown circles, down her stomach, across her hips and to the triangle of soft curls at the apex of her inner thighs. Looking deep into her eyes he never spoke a word but left and went back to join the game.
Stepping out of the tub Rebecca dried herself and spent a few moments gently massaging lotion onto her legs and arms. She pinned up her hair and went into the bedroom where she pulled on a stain robe.
She then stood in the doorway of Kyle’s room. Scott looked up at her and announced that maybe it was time that they should be getting to sleep. Of course they protested and Rebecca walked out into the living room and left him alone to deal with the problem. She was almost smiling as she wondered how he was going to accomplish the feat when she knew that all he wanted right then was to be with her.
Finally he persuaded both to get into bed and called out to her to come and tell the two goodnight before he had to knock them in the head with something. Smiling and feeling quite pleased with the knowledge that she was making him sweat and work for what she knew he wanted, she got up and went into each room and told them that they had better get to sleep then or she would personally have to kill them.
"You just want to kiss more," Kyle observed as she was shutting off his light.
"Exactly," she replied. "Now get to sleep."
Scott was now in the living room waiting for her. She was still smiling as he pulled her down onto his lap.
"You think you’re quite funny, don’t you?" he asked as he slid one hand up along the smooth surface of a leg and up the thigh.
"Yeah.’ She was pretty cocky right about then.
"You’re gonna pay." he promised leaning into her lips again.
"I hope so." she replied. Rebecca felt him stiffen against her leg as heat generated from between his thighs.
After all had been quiet in the back of the house for a short while Rebecca got up and locked the back door and shut off some lights. Arm in arm they walked through the dark hallway to her bedroom.
He shut the door behind them and locked it. Rebecca was standing near the bed and he came to her. He pulled the pins out of her hair and letting it fall onto her shoulders ran his fingers through it. Reaching down he unfastened the ties that held her robe together in the front. Pulling it open he took another moment to move his eyes the full length of her body. Then sliding his arms around her and under the satin robe pulled her soft warm body against his. He continued to run his palms along every curve grasping her soft rounded bottom massaging each half powerfully before slipping the robe off her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor.
Catching their reflection in the full length mirror Rebecca felt so frail and helpless in his arms. Still fully clothed he pressed her naked body to him.
"You are so goddamn beautiful!" His voiced was low and husky.
She lay back onto the bed as he undressed. Pulling his shirt over his head Rebecca studied his sleek muscled chest and toned arms. The hardness of his stomach softened by the trail of light hair that extended down into the waistband of his jeans made her long for its feel against her own.
He had pulled his shoes and socks off and was now unbuttoning the top of the jeans and sliding the zipper down. Well defined, powerful thighs and calves were revealed as he slid the pant legs down and over his feet. Slate-gray briefs with a white band hugged his narrow hips like a glove. The bulge to the front strained against the cotton.
Bringing his body down along side hers he enveloped her whole being. He was so hot, so male.
Teasingly his fingertips ran along her body savoring every inch. She did the same to him. His mouth found her crimson nipples erect and waiting for his touch. Holding them tight he suckled first one and then the other between his lips. His fingers slid between her thighs to feel her warm wetness as she opened to him.
Finding the band of his underwear she slipped inside where he was eagerly waiting for her touch. Easing her hand down the shaft she caressed the two hard yet vulnerable globes, gently plying them with her fingertips.
Using her free hand she managed to push his underwear down to free his dripping, pulsating organ from its constraints. Caressing it ever so lightly at first she then brought her tongue to him lapping it clean, tasting his sweetness.
He responded in kind and she quivered as his tongue found every crevice, and then buried deep inside her. They lay there for what seemed eternity and Rebecca drifted in and out of a conscious state as he continued to work his tongue about her swollen flesh.
Pulling her up to him their feverish mouths met again and Rebecca found herself licking her own taste from his lips.
She felt his hand between her legs once again and he guided his eager bulk to its destination.
Their bodies were joined as one and as Rebecca felt him quiver and jerk uncontrollably deep within her and her own body was seized with tremors as their eyes met and he filled her with all the love that he had to give.
Rolling his body next to hers Scott pulled her close to him. Rebecca lay against his chest, their arms and legs intertwined. Lying together they were both overcome with the enormous presence of their great love for one another that engulfed their souls.
Scott never left after that night and he never looked back.
