Megan had one more week before her April vacation. She was feeling pressure to finish up as much as she could before the baby came. She met with Jack Conrad many times to discuss her plans. He was happy for her and suspected that he too believed Peter to be the father. Jack had difficulty understanding the divorce.
Megan remembered the day Jack was angry with her. He was not talking to her as her former teacher or mentor or even co-worker, but as her friend. He was a friend who cared enough to tell her they needed to work it out. In the years since she felt a vibe of disappointment from him and he was never afraid to mention Peter. However lately Jack was being kind which confirmed her suspicion that he thought she had changed her divorced status.
On Tuesday night, she went poking around her closet looking for a box of baby clothes. She had tucked away a few favorite outfits. She found two boxes and pulled them both down off the high shelf. The first was filled with mementos, not baby clothes. The second had the clothes she was looking for. She looked at the tiny little items. Some were preemie sized, because the twins born six weeks early were less than five pounds each. Nick was a few more ounces than Sophie. She assumed her daughter would be too big, but she would wash the girl clothes.
The other box caught her eye and although she knew she shouldn't she looked at the contents. She had tucked away the box when they moved into the house. She had been collecting things in it since high school. She knew full well the last items she put in there. She lifted the lid and unceremoniously dropped in her wedding and engagement rings right after she met her lawyer for the first time. They were there, fallen to the edge, but sparkling back at her. She had worn them for such a short time, compared to how much time had gone by.
There was the note he wrote when he gave her his number. She originally kept it so she wouldn't lose his number, but then she kept it because it was from him.
There was a copy of a wedding invitation which as she looked at it she lightly ran her fingers across the embossed lettering. Sunny summer days on the beach reminded her of that day. Megan thought bitterly, my mother was right. She had said they were too young to get married.
A few months into their marriage, Megan had said, "You were so concerned, but everything is perfectly wonderful."
Her mother said, "You haven't faced any challenges yet. You know life isn't all smooth sailing."
"We'll weather any storm together."
She would laugh at the irony if it wasn't so painful.
The invitation in her hand reminded her of how in love and sure of their future they once were. She remembered it all so well. Megan hadn't cared that people thought they were too young. She loved him and they wanted to be married.
Although she was initially thrilled with their engagement, her mother had the most complaints. "Wait until Peter finishes school." "You just graduated and haven't even started working yet." "What will people think?"
Megan said, "Mom, we're getting an apartment and living together, so if you're worried about what people will think, you should prefer we get married."
The ceremony was on August eighth on the beach outside her parent's home. Only Megan and Peter knew they married at the location of their first kiss. In fact, Pete had wanted to propose there, but he was afraid he would drop the ring and lose it in the sand. Instead, he proposed to her on Christmas Eve in front of the tree. The diamond was tiny, but the meaning wasn't - it meant forever. Pete told her he would buy her a big, beautiful diamond when he had money.
When she walked toward Pete on the beach, she felt beautiful - more beautiful than ever before in her life. The photographer captured a gorgeous, happy couple, and the album was in Megan's hands, but she couldn't open it. It would be too painful. They truly became one and thought they would be forever.
Forever was a concept for fairytales, she scoffed.
The next item in the box brought her to tears. In their own handwriting, the paper held their vows. She read the words. The ink was permanent, but the promises weren't. There was no love, honor, cherish and forsaking all others now.
She continued to delve down memory lane and pulled out a newspaper clipping. There was an article about Peter in the local weekly paper. They featured him because of his goalie skills on two championship teams. Reading the piece reminded her of all his traits she had forgotten or taken for granted. He was intelligent and humble and tried to push his success off on the team.
She picked up an old napkin with a golden smudge on it. It was in July after they got together, July twenty-eighth to be exact; they walked up for ice cream, not just any ice cream, but the best homemade ice cream. She had cookie dough, and he had cookies and cream. She offered him a taste and right after he finished licking from her cone, he said, "You know I love you."
Just like that very matter of fact with no fanfare. Megan said, "Good because I love you too."
They didn't kiss. They just walked back along the beach holding hands as the evening sky grew dimmer. Megan liked that he said the words from his heart, not out of passion and not because he wanted anything.
She asked, "Why do you love me?"
Pete looked into her eyes. "There are a million reasons, but the truth is that I have to. I feel as though we are bound by some invisible force. I'm not sure we could break it if we wanted to and I absolutely don't."
Next she took out their prom picture and wondered why she chose that green dress. It was Pete that blew her away; he was so young. She thought about the different Peters. There was the young one she fell in love with so long ago, but he was the age of her students now. The current Pete reminded her of wine, because his looks got better with age. It unnerved her that he could still look so good and something about the way he looked with Sophie on his lap made her pulse quicken.
What's wrong with you? Maybe it's the hormones. Pregnancy hormones brought on certain urges. Peter could scratch that itch, but it would be too complicated.
Back to the box. There were programs from both her graduations. Ticket stubs from movies and dances. The rest of the box was cards from Peter for all occasions including birthdays, Valentine's, and anniversaries of special days like their first kiss and when they first had sex. They celebrated everything special about their relationship.
Now the days she remembered were the anniversary of the day her marriage ended and the day their divorce came through.
Megan was tired when she stretched to slip the box back on the shelf. It was not an easy feat for her. She wasn't sure what she would regret more in the morning ─ how late she stayed up or how she allowed herself to think about the past. She needed to focus on the here and now and her new baby, not what could have been. Just thinking of the past was painful, she could never speak of it and that was what they needed if she ever wanted to attempt to unring that bell.
YOU ARE READING
Shattered Hearts (TP1)
Romance(Complete) Peter isn't prepared for the reality of another man spending the night with his ex. He should be, but his heart has never let her go. Peter, who was abandoned by his father as a young boy, will do anything for his kids. He won't stop unt...
