How to break a heart

Chapter twelve

Rachel sits quietly in the car, watching the building they past. With a little smile, she looks at Garth, who reached out and took her hand. He winks at her and looks at the road again.

"Does Eileen know about our encounter?" Rachel dares to ask. Perhaps somewhere in her heart, she's hoping he would be honest and tell his wife.

"No," he replies. "But I can tell her if you want me to."

"No," she shakes her head and looks down at her lap with a little smile. "No, she doesn't have to know about anything. I was just... wondering about us, Garth. But I get it. You're married, and hopefully, this will all be over soon."

"As much as I'd like to believe that myself, we're not over, Rachel," he replies and presses her hand gently. "I'm scared of making a move, and we end up regretting it all over again."

"Regret? Garth, I never regretted marrying you," she says, giving him an angry look. "I just regret not doing things right. Do you regret marrying me?"

"Of course not," he replies, looking scared at her. "You are the best decision I've ever made, and believe me, I'll do it again. I'll marry you a million times again if that's what it'll take to show how much I love you."

"You love me?" She asks softly, getting a lump in her throat. He stops in the parking lot and turns the engin off. With a heavy heart, he nods and looks at her. "After everything I've done? I lied to you, Garth. I hurt you countless times, especially recently with Eileen, and trying to take advantage of you."

"That doesn't matter to me, Rachel. I don't hate you for the things you've done wrong, I love you for the things you do right," he says and gives her a serious look. "I love you. I love who you are and who you've become."

"Even if I'm out of my mind and acting like a complete whore?" She asks. He nods his head and holds her hand firmly. "You're married. You shouldn't say these things to me."

"This is me telling you the truth to make up for all the years you've been living in my shadow, fighting your battles alone and going through all that hurt by yourself," he says. She inhales deeply and drops her head back against the seat. Garth takes his hand out of hers and touches her stomach. "I'm sure we would've had a beautiful baby."

"Oh Garth," she bursts out in tears and grabs her face. "I never even knew whether it was a boy or a girl. I didn't know until I lost it."

"I was thinking about it ever since you told me, you know. I didn't know how to talk to you about it, but if it's okay with you, I'd like to talk about it," he says. She looks painfully at him and nods her head. "I'll give you time and space as well till you're ready."

"The thing is, I don't know what to tell you about it," she cries and touches his hand. "I just began bleeding. I went to the doctor and asked them if it's normal since I had a hysterectomy and I wasn't supposed to bleed. That's when I found out that I had lost a baby. I wasn't supposed to fall pregnant, Garth. It was impossible for me to have a child again. But it happened. It just happened."

"What did they do with the body?" He asks. She shakes her head, looking down at his hand, then at him again. "Sweetheart?"

"Can we not talk about that?" She asks. He looks worried at her that covers her face with both her hands. "It's not that I don't want to tell you... I just... it hurts to think about it, Garth."

"I understand," he nods and rests his arm around her shoulder. "I wish you would've told me. Then maybe we still would've been married. There's a lot of things I wish you told me, but I just... I wouldn't want this to be any different. We discovered each other all over again on a different level."

She nods her head and dries up her tears. With a heavy breath, she gets out of the car and goes to the back to get her luggage. Garth follows her and helps her take her bags. He carries it for her into the airport. She pushes her hand into his free hand, walking through the big building.

"I wish you could stay," he mutters.

"Hopefully, next time, we can set the alarm off again by smoking some pot for old time's sake while our hair is grey and we have seven grandchildren running around," Rachel jokes. He chuckles and presses her hand gently in his. They stop where he realised he has to leave her. She looks in front of her then at him. "So, this is where I break your heart."
She looks down at her feet, then at him again.
"It was nice reconciling with you on better terms. Thank you for everything, and I hope that when we see each other again, we will try to kill each other further."

"Well, I hope that when we see each other again, you'll be less stubborn, still the fun mom that you are, and threatening me to death again," he chuckles. She giggles and nods her head. "It was fun, Rachel. And I really can't wait to see you again."

"Me too," she agrees. "Tell your wife she better make your favorite desert tonight and be ready in bed before eight, dressed up to make you forget about me."

"No, I'll rather spend the rest of my life awake at night bothered by the thoughts of you," he chuckles and puts her bags down. She giggles and shakes her head. He touches her sides and pulls her closer. "Wait for me, Rachel. Please, wait for me."

"What?"
Before he could answer, he pressed his lips against hers. She gasps and touches his cheek, deepening every kiss.