Confessions of the Fragile Heart

Chapter 23

I stopped Teddy on his way out.

"Will you guys give us a second," I asked the rest of my family. They nodded and headed into their rooms. Heather looked back to us doubtfully, but she finally let us be. I sat on the couch and he stood in front of me.

"What's wrong?" he asked. He sat on the edge of the coffee table.

"We have to have boundaries," I started. He smiled and rolled his eyes. He chuckled softly. I slapped his arm and frowned. "I'm serious Teddy. Just because Denver asked you to stay, doesn't mean he's okay with what's going on. We need to set boundaries." Teddy smiled and swooped me up in a passionate kiss. I melted against him. He pulled away seconds later. I was a little taken away.

"You are incapable of setting boundaries with me Leana," he breathed against my lips. His lips traveled to my chin and started to descend down my neck. I allowed my eyes to close as my breathing quickened. Then, his lips were gone. I opened my eyes to see him standing in front of me. His lips were twisted into a smug smile. I was suddenly furious. I pushed him square in the chest. He stumbled back into the couch. He erupted in laughter as my face turned red.

"That's not funny Teddy!" I yelled. This only made him laugh harder. I began to storm off before his hand caught my arm.

"Wait Leah, I'm sorry," he apologized seriously. "I know we should set... boundaries, but I don't want to." I sighed and moved so I was in front of him again.

"We have to Teddy," I shook my head. "Denver has shown... grace, but I don't know how much more he can handle. I don't want to hurt him." I said this quietly. He nodded.

"He's a good guy, but maybe that's his problem. He lets too many things slide," Teddy argued.

"Denver's been nothing but good to me, even when I didn't deserve it. I honestly think that the only reason he's still here now is because of Adalyn. I love him, but I don't deserve him and I know that he knows that. He deserves better than me, but I-I don't want him to leave me," I said. Saying it out loud made me realize the truth of it all. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I paced to the other side of the living room and back. I sat on the couch and twirled my hair in thought. "He deserves better than me." I repeated. Teddy sighed and sat next to me.

"When do you leave to go back to Ohio?" he asked. I looked at him shocked.

"How did you know about that?" I asked. He smiled sadly and shrugged.

"I knew it would come eventually," he answered truthfully. I shook my head and continued to twirl my hair. He placed his hand on my thigh and looked at me. "Go to bed. We can talk about it some other day, alright?" I nodded and watched him leave. I started chewing on my hair. I closed my eyes and rested my head in my hands. When I finally looked up, Denver was standing in front of me. He looked as if he wanted to say something. I waited for him to talk.

"Leah, you're so much better than you give yourself credit for," he started sadly. "And I love you, even if... even if Adalyn was Teddy's child, I would still try to find a way to be around you. I love you, not the responsibility. Why can't I get you to see that?" He sat next to me and looked at me sadly.

"Because I'm a terrible person. God... I'm worst than my dad," I stood up and ran my fingers through my hair. "You've been nothing but good to me and I go and do... this to you. You deserve better than me Denver." He stood and placed his hands on my arms.

"Hey, don't say that," he whispered. He kissed my forehead. "You're perfect." I shook my head sadly. My eyes closed tightly.

"Please, stop. You give me too much credit. You know what I did behind your back was wrong. Please just punish me for it so I can feel better about it. Don't talk to me anymore. Leave me here to raise Adalyn by myself; something." He chuckled and kissed my forehead again.

"Leah, you know I could never do that. Plus, the fact that you are willing to take the blame tells me that you're exactly what I'm trying to get you to see about yourself," he smiled. He held my hand and started heading for the stairs. "Come on, let's go to bed." I allowed him to carry me upstairs to my room. I went to my closet to dress for bed. I turned away from my bed. I pulled my shirt off and put my hair up in a messy bun. I felt Denver's hands run down my sides. He kissed my shoulder. His lips brushed to my neck and back to my shoulder. I welcomed the shudder that ran up my back. I closed my eyes and sighed contently as Denver's hand ran down my stomach and sides. I turned around and met his lips with mine. Denver's arms wrapped around me and he pulled me tightly against him. His hand ran up and down my back slowly.

"Why would I punish you," he whispered against my lips. He moved to my neck and kissed it roughly. "Why would I leave you and Adalyn?" He walked around so he was behind me and traced my shoulders with his fingers. I closed my eyes and tilted my head. He kissed my shoulder gingerly. "Why would I ever want to leave you?" He stopped. I opened my eyes to find his crystal gray eyes staring into mine.

"Why did you stop," I whispered. His lips formed my favorite, sly half smile.

"Because we already have Adalyn," he smiled. I smiled and rolled my eyes. I found my pajamas and put them on. Denver left to go to his room. I turned off the lights and laid down to sleep. I couldn't. I tossed and turned in my bed for a good half hour. Finally, I turned the lamp on and sat up. Sighing, I stood and crossed the hall to Denver's room. I peeked inside to see Denver reading. I smiled and crawled into his bed. I snuggled into his side and tangled my legs with his. I kissed his chest lightly. He smiled and put down his book. His arm went around me and he pulled me into him. I laughed softly as he kissed my nose. He turned the light off. I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes. He kissed my forehead. He sung quietly to me as I drifted to sleep.