Searching

Chapter 24

Tim entered the house and immediately knew where his future wife was. Making his way up the stairs he smiled once he seen her sound asleep on the bed. Although she was asleep she was frowning. What could she be dreaming about? Going over to her he touched her forehead and she opened her eyes.
   “Bad dream?”
   “Timothy.” She pulled him into a hug. Squeezing him tight. She pulled back kissing him. Picking her up he sat with her on his lap.
   “How are my two girls doing? He asked.
   “Good now that you're here.” She hugged him tight and wouldn't let him go.
   “What's wrong?” He asked. He could feel something was bothering her. When he looked her in her eyes he seen her fighting back tears. “What's wrong? Talk to me.” He whipped away the tear that slid down her cheek.
   “I just missed you.”
   “Elise baby, I know you miss me but why are you crying? You couldn't have missed me that much.” He said a little humor in his voice.
   “I guess it's the baby. I'm a lot more emotional since becoming pregnant. I'm sorry.”
   “Don't apologize for it. You can't help it.” Sliding off him she crawled into bed laying down. Standing he decided to take a shower before laying down also.
   They spent the next day in the house talking and enjoying each other. But no matter how much they joked around and talked he knew something else was bothering his fiance. How he could also tell something was bothering her was she barely kissed him. And they didn't even make love. As much as she said she missed him her affection wasn't there. He had to find out what was bothering her.
   “Ready to talk?” He asked as they lay in bed.
   “Talk about what?” She asked. She was happy that her back was facing him.
   “What's been holding you back from me all day.”
   “Nothing's been holding me back.”
   “No? So I've just been imagining it?”
   “Yes.” Pulling himself up he planted himself between her legs and she froze. She mentally begin to withdraw from him.
   “I thought you weren't holding back from me?”
   “I'm not.” He placed a hand between them touching her pussy but she stiffened and grabbed his hand stopping him.
   “Tim…”
   “What's bothering you Elise?”
   “Nothing.”
   “Don't lie to me.” She squirmed beneath him and he climbed off her. “You're no longer attracted to me.” He stated matter of factly. What else could it be?
   “It's not that baby.”
   “What is it then? Talk to me please.” She turned on her side so that her back was facing him.
   “I don't deserve you.”
   “What? We deserve each other Elise. I'm so confused right now baby.”
   “I don't want you to hate me Timothy.” He heard the pain in her voice.
   “Elise I could never hate you. I love you too much to ever hate you.” He touched she shoulder. “Look at me.” Once she did he leaned in trying to kiss her but she dodged it. “If you're no longer in love with me let me know. I’m really beginning to believe that that's it. It's only been a week since I’ve been gone and you fell out of love with me already?”
   “It's not that. I am so very deeply in love with you Tim. I just don't want you to fall out of love with me.”
   “I would never.” He touched her growing belly. You've made me the happiest man in this world. You have to talk to me baby. Please.”
   “I did something so horrible Tim. You're going to hate me for that and I can't bare it. I can't bare the thought of you hating me.”
   “Just tell me.”
   “John kissed me.”
   “I'm going to kill him.” He tried to stand but she grabbed him.
   “I didn't tell you for you to get into a fight. I told you because I couldn't keep that as a secret. It was killing me and I don't want you to hate me.”
   “I don't hate you. He kissed you. He came onto you not the other way around.” His hands were balled into fist. “I'd going to kill that man.”
   “Baby stop please. He's not worth it.” She kissed his hand and pulled him down for a kiss. “Im sorry baby. I'm so sorry.”
   “You didn't do anything. Right?” He asked looking into her eyes.
   “No baby. He came into my room…”
   “He came in here?” He cut off.
   “I dropped something and glass had broke and it woke him up. He came to see what the noise was. He picked me up carried me out the room and cleaned up the mess. He said he had a dream about me and he wanted show me what the dream was about and that's when he kissed me.” She could see his jawline working.
   “But I didn't help matters.”
   “What do you mean?”
   “We were talking and joking around. I slipped up and called him Handsome. I use to call him that… and maybe I gave him the wrong impression?”
   “That's it? All you did was call him handsome?” She nodded her head. “You've been calling him Handsome since you two first met. That has never made him kiss you before. In fact he hated when you called him that. He only kissed you because I have you. He knows he screwed up on a good thing. He didn't see that you're everything rolled into one like I did. He didn't see your beauty inside and out. It's his lost and I'll kill him if he tried to take you from me.”
   “Aw baby. That's the best thing anyone has ever said to me.”
   “And I met every word. I love you so much baby.”
   “I love you to.”
   Tim lay woke in bed thinking about what Elise had said to him. He couldn't allow this to fly by. John was not going to take his fiance away from him. His blood was still boiling. It was taking everything in him not to go to his house and kick the shit out of him. She was pregnant for christ sake.
   Once eight in the morning hit he climbed out of bed and begin to make his way to Barbara's house. He knew that John was going to be there. Elise didn't even stay awake. Her pregnancy was taking a lot out of her.
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   “I can't believe that you would do that.” Max said to her brother. She was cooking breakfast. Elise said she was coming over. They all needed to talk.
   “I said I was sorry alright?” John said anode. He knew he was wrong. 
   “You're apologizing to the wrong one. You should be doing that to Elise and Tim. I mean he's your best friend. You two are like brothers…”
   “Okay. Okay I get it. I screwed up.” 
   “Oh and the mold that was in your house. Was that true or not?” Barbara asked. The look on her face told John that she already knew the truth.
   “No there wasn’t any mold this time.” He said ashamed. He had no idea what has come over him. 
   “Why John? Why would you lie about that?”
   “I don’t know. I was in the heat of the moment.”
   “Elise told us that you might have lied about the mold but I didn’t want to believe that was true.” Max said as she shook her head. They all looked when they heard the door open. The punch to the face happened before anyone could react.
   “Oh God Tim… stop!” The two men begin fighting but with Tim having the advantage he slammed John against the wall holding him there with his arm against his neck cutting off his airway.
   “Tim!” Barbara squeezed between them pushing at Tim with all her might. “Get off of my son!” Once he took a step back she slapped him. Once she seen that he snapped out of his anger she turned to her son. “Are you okay?” His eye and lip was already swelling up.
   “What the fuck man!”
   “You kissed Elise.” He charged him again pushing him back against the wall. “That's my fiance. You were my fuckin brother. She's fuckin pregnant.”
   “I didn't know man. I didn't know that she was pregnant.”
   “And that makes it better? If she wasn't pregnant that would have made it okay!?”
   “Tim!” Both Max and Barbara was pulling at him.
   “Get out! Get out of my house!” She opened the back door and begin pushing him. “Go. Get out!” He reluctantly left out adrenalin still pumping. Max called Elise.
   “He did what?!” Elise rushed out the bed quickly got dressed and made her way to her mother's house. “Where is he?” She looked in the livingroom to find Barbara holding John’s nose with tissue. “John…” she went over to him. “I'm so sorry this happened. I didn't know that he was going to do this…”
   “Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have come onto you…”
   “Let me see.” She cupped his jaw and looked at his nose. “You have to go to the hospital John.”
   “I know.”
   “He shouldn't have put his hands on you.”
   “Like I said, I was in the wrong.” He absently touched her stomach. “I didn't know that you were pregnant.” She took a step back from his touch.
   “Yeah. Ah. Where's Tim? Is he still here?”
   “I don't know. I kicked him out. I haven't seen him since.” Barbara said obviously still fuming.
   “Mom…”
   “Don't apologise. Go to your fiance.” Elise nodded then turned to leave. “Oh and Elise?” She turned back facing her. “He is not allowed here until he apologize. He scared the hell out of me.”
   “I'm sorry mom.” She left and went looking for her fiance.
   Having a feeling that he would be home that's where she went. She sighed when she seen his car in the driveway. Entering the house she found him sitting in the dark in the living room.
   Flipping on the light she sighed and went over to him stopping once she got in front of him. His head was down with his red knuckles exposed.
   Reaching over she cupped his cheek making him look up at her. He had an apalogic look on his face.
   “We could have handled this completely different.”
   “I know. I was just so angry.”
   “You were wrong Tim.”
   “John was wrong Elise! He touched you. You're carrying my child. If no one will protect you I will. He was wrong and he had to get the message. I am sorry where I did it but like I said he deserves it.”
   She couldn't argue with him there. John did valulate her. Taking his hand she pulled him up.
   “Come here. Let me fix up your hands.” He smiled allowing her to lead him to the bathroom.
   “I'm sorry for messing up things with you and your mother.”
   “You didn't mess things up between us. You messed things up between you and her. She said you are barred from her house until you apologise.” She said as she tended to his hand. He sighed.
   “Should I give her time to stop being angry with me?”
   “I don't know. You went into her house and fought her son. Now he’s at the hospital checking on his nose.”
   “I hope I broke it.” Elise shook her head.
   “You can't solve everything with anger. Babe it would have been best to have stayed away until otherwise. Until you cooled down. You disrespected my mother by fighting her son in her house. I'd say give it a day or two before going over there.” He sighed again. “Don't worry.” She cupped his face. “It'll blow over. John is sorry for what he did.” He scoffed.
   “I don't care. He crossed the line. That man is twisted when it comes to women.”
   “Don't I know it.” Once finished with his hand she slid her hands under his shirt and hugged him. “Thank you for protecting me. I love you so much.”
   “I love you to.” He kissed the top of her head.
   “This still doesn't change the fact that we could have handled this differently.” He smiled.
   “How can I make it up to you?”
   “Pick me up and carry me to the bed room and I'll let you know from there.”
   “Yes ma’am.”