Blissfully Broken (6 page)

Ryan cried out lustfully, making her loins
gush. It thrilled her to be giving this part of herself to him. His
cock was much longer and she got to a point where she needed to
push him back out. She put her hands on his hips and tried to
disengage, but he was lost in the feeling. Instead of pulling out,
he pushed himself in deeper with a thrusting motion. Her throat
constricted around his cock as she struggled to breathe. Jenny
panicked and started pushing hard against him.

She heard Dan shout and suddenly Ryan was
out. She rolled into a ball and started coughing and gasping for
air, tears running down her face.

“I’m sorry, Jen,” she heard Ryan
exclaim.

Dan was beside her, rubbing her back
soothingly as he yelled at Ryan. “What the hell were you thinking?
You don’t force yourself! You
never
force yourself.”

“Shut the fuck up, Dan! I am so tired of you
telling me what to do.” Ryan tried to touch her, but Jenny
instinctually moved away from him. He raged on Dan, “This is your
fault!”

“My fault? I’m not the idiot who hurt
Jenny!”

“It was a fucking accident.”

“Oh yeah, grabbing her head and thrusting is
an
accident
.”

“That’s it!” Ryan seized Dan’s arm and
pushed him out of their bedroom. The shouting match continued in
the living room.

Jenny was powerless to stop it. She lay
there slowly regaining her breath in a shaking heap. Her throat
hurt and the panic she felt still haunted her. She heard the door
slam and eventually Ryan returned to the bedroom.

“I never meant to hurt you, Jen. I wish I
could take it back.” He sat on the edge of the bed and did not make
a move towards her.

“It really hurt.”

He hung his head. “I don’t know what to say
other than I’m sorry.”

Dark silence shrouded the room. She remained
in a fetal position, hugging herself. “Where’s Dan?” she finally
asked.

“I told him to pack his bags.”

She lifted her head up. “What! Why?”

“This wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t
been here.”

She sat up in the bed and wrapped herself in
a sheet. “This isn’t his fault!” she protested.

“I never would have tried to deep-throat you
if it wasn’t for Dan.”

“You’re the one who wanted to try it. I
don’t understand how you can possibly blame him for this.”

“Don’t you see? Kelly is right, Dan is
tearing us apart. He is trying to ruin what you and I have.”

“What are you talking about? He is the best
thing to happen to us. You’ve become a better lover because of
him.”

Ryan turned a deep shade of red and snarled,
“What? I wasn’t good enough for you before?”

She stared him down without saying
anything.

“Damn it, Jen! If you hadn’t played into his
hands and let him have his way with you, we wouldn’t be here right
now. This is his fault plain and simple.
He
is the wedge
between us.”

“Ryan, things can never go back to the way
they were. I love Dan. You know that!”

“And what about me?”

She hesitated before she answered. “I love
you…”

“But what?” he demanded.

“Ryan…” She looked down, unable to look him
in the eye. “I don’t really trust you right now.”

“Because of what happened tonight? Come on,
Jen. It was a mistake. It’ll never happen again.”

“It’s not just that. You never told me about
Kelly. You were hiding it from me - from
us
.”

“I don’t owe Dan anything. The only one I
care about is you.” He became visibly agitated. “Don’t you see?
Dan’s the problem here. Kelly told me she is willing to forgive you
if you end it with Dan.”

“The fact you are speaking to her at all
feels like a betrayal.” Jenny got up and dressed, grabbing an
overnight bag after she put her shoes on. She stuffed it
haphazardly, unable to focus. “I need time alone.”

“Wait. Where are you going?”

“I don’t know, but I need to get out of
here.” She collected a few things from the bathroom and headed
towards the door.

“Jen, don’t go!” She heard the desperation
in his voice, but the anger she felt towards him closed up her
already sore throat. She grabbed her car keys and ran out the door
without looking back.

The Cabin

Jenny started driving, not having a clue
where she was headed. She couldn’t understand how the night had
gone from a playful interlude to this. She cranked up her tunes and
let the tears fall. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that
Ryan had hurt her and lied about Kelly.

After driving for an hour, she realized she
was in the foothills headed towards Dan’s family cabin. She hoped
his family wouldn’t mind if she spent the night there.

The cabin was dark when she pulled up. She
remembered fondly how it looked buried in snow with the trail of
smoke flowing from the chimney. She hefted her bag on her shoulder
and located the key under the porch. When she opened the door, she
was assaulted with the smell of stale smoke. She figured no one had
aired the place out after the two of them were snowed in
together.

Luckily, the electricity was back. She
flicked on the lights and looked around, noticing that the place
was exactly the same as they left it all those months ago. There
was even a can of Vienna sausages still on the counter. She went
over and popped it open, suddenly aware that she was hungry.

The pile of firewood still lined one side of
the cabin wall. She picked up a couple of logs and started a fire.
The warm glow set her mind at ease. She gathered blankets off one
of the beds and brought it to the couch. She lay down and wrapped
herself in them, staring at the flames. It calmed her. Being here
brought a sense of home. She sighed and snuggled deeper into the
blanket. On the coffee table sat the deck of cards. She smiled,
remembering Dan’s game of strip poker.

Ryan was right; she had played into Dan’s
hands willingly. Maybe not at first, but there was a spark she
could not deny. Even though their affair had wrecked havoc on both
their lives, she didn’t regret it. For a brief period of time, the
three of them had been happy – truly happy.

Now it was over, Kelly had seen to that.
Just as Jenny had willingly played into Dan’s hands, Ryan had done
the same with Kelly. Jenny could just imagine Kelly systematically
breaking down Ryan’s defenses until he started questioning the
beautiful relationship the three had created.

Where did that leave her now? A huge yawn
escaped her lips. Now was not the time to decide. Tomorrow, after a
good night’s rest, she would have a better perspective. She let the
fire die down and drifted off to sleep.

She awoke to the sound of the cabin door
opening and screamed out in fear.

“It’s okay, Jenny. It’s just me.” Dan turned
on the lights. She had to blink several times before she could make
out more than his outline. He carried a bag of groceries and his
own overnight bag. “I had no idea you would be here until I saw
your car parked outside.”

“I didn’t think your family would mind,” she
said defensively. “I just needed a place to stay for one
night.”

“It’s fine.” He put his stuff down on the
counter and walked over to her. “What happened with Ryan?”

“I’d rather not talk about it tonight.”

He headed to the kitchenette. “Okay. We can
talk in the morning. Let me get this stuff put away and you can go
back to sleep.” He threw the groceries in the fridge and started
the fire back up. He turned off the lights and joined her on the
couch. She made room so that they were laying side-by-side watching
the flames lick the pieces of wood.

Despite the emotional day, the hypnotic
character of the fire and the warmth of his embrace helped her
drift off to sleep. She felt safe with his arms wrapped around her,
she always had.

Jenny didn’t wake until morning when she
felt him shifting. “Go back to sleep,” he murmured.

She couldn’t, so she lay there and watched
him. Dan reignited the fire and started brewing coffee. While it
dripped, he made scrambled eggs. Soon the little cabin was filled
with the aromatic smell of strong coffee and smoked bacon. He laid
the feast on the table and motioned to her.

“Come join me for some needed sustenance.
Something tells me you survived on Vienna sausages last night and
that won’t do.”

She smiled and wrapped the blanket around
her as she made her way to the table. She couldn’t help thinking of
their snowy interlude on that same piece of furniture. She blushed
when she sat down. “Thanks, Dan.”

They ate in silence. Finally, he asked, “So
what happened after I left?”

“Ryan blamed you for everything. Kelly made
sure of that.”

“So he’s been in contact with her?”

“Yes, for a while now apparently. I just
found out yesterday. If you can believe, Ryan has this crazy idea
that everything can go back to the way it was without you.”

“Kelly is a convincing manipulator. He was a
fool to listen to her and a bigger fool to keep it a secret from
us.”

“I swear I saw her outside the restaurant
yesterday after I met with Ryan. I’m afraid she might be stalking
him.”

“Don’t worry about Ryan. He can take care of
himself. It’s only
you
I’m worried about.”

“But Dan, she’s ruined everything! It can
never be like it was these past few months.”

“No, that part of our lives is over,” he
said solemnly. He put his fork down and stared at her. “What are
you planning to do, Jenny?”

She pushed her plate away and looked at him
sadly. “I’ve finally come to realize something I’ve been blind to
for years.” Her lip trembled slightly. “Ryan and I don’t want the
same thing. He’s always been dead set on advancing in his job, but
I hate the hours. I didn’t realize how much because I’ve grown
accustom to being alone most of the time… until you came into my
life. I don’t want to go back to that lifestyle, spending my life
waiting for someone to come home.”

“He wants to provide for you,” Dan said in
his best friend’s defense.

“I don’t care about the money, I never
have.”

He got up and collected her plate, taking
them both to the sink to rinse. “So are you thinking about leaving
him?” he asked as the water trickled slowly out of the faucet.

Jenny’s heart rate shot up. It was the
million-dollar question. She finally understood that their lives
were not compatible, even though she loved him. It was clear to her
now. “Ryan needs a woman who can appreciate his drive to succeed in
the business world. The fact is I am not that woman.”

Dan turned towards her, his hair covering
his eyes. He brushed it back all cute-like. “What does that mean
for us?”

Jenny stood up and walked over to him. She
put her hands on his chest and looked into his dark brown eyes. “I
love you, Dan. I want to be with you.”

He wrapped her in a tight embrace. “God, how
I have wanted to hear you say that,” he said, his voice gruff with
emotion.

Jenny rested her head against his firm chest
and a feeling of peace enveloped her. She had found her home. This
time there was no second-guessing her desire. She loved Dan - mind,
body and soul.

He pulled away and grabbed her hand, heading
towards the door. “Come with me.”

“But I don’t have shoes on,” she
complained.

“You won’t need them. It’s not far.” Dan led
her outside to the large pine that stood in front of the cabin. She
tiptoed her way through the tiny rocks and pine needles, giggling
as he smiled down at her. His eyes held a sparkle she only seen
once before - the day she shouted that she loved him in the
cabin.

Dan pointed to the large Blue Spruce. “My
great grandparents planted this tree after they built the cabin. It
has special significance to me because my dad proposed to my mom
under its branches. He even carved their initials in the trunk.”
Dan lovingly caressed the scars on the bark. She touched the
outline of the heart with her finger.

Jenny felt a nervous tingling course through
her body when he took her hand. “Jenny, I would like to continue
that tradition.” She looked into his eyes, suddenly unable to
breathe. His hand gently cupped her cheek. “Will you be my
wife?”

Her whole body quivered at his touch.
“Dan…”

“I love you, woman. I don’t want to share
you anymore. I want you all to myself. Forever.”

She pressed her hand against his and said
with tears in her eyes, “That sounds incredible.”

He took a deep breath and asked, “Is that a
yes then?”

She took his hand and kissed it tenderly.
“Yes.”

Dan picked her up and lifted her high above
him, turning in circles. “She said yes!” he shouted and the
mountains echoed back their reply. He brought her back to earth and
kissed her fiercely. “
My
woman.”

She grabbed his waist and pressed herself
against him. “
My
man.”

He smiled down at her and then pulled a
pocketknife out from his jeans. Dan set to the task of marking the
tree with their initials on the other side of the tree trunk. As
she watched, she could just imagine one of their children doing the
same years from now. It was surreal and wonderful.

When he was finished, he stood back and
asked, “What do you think, Jenny?”

She ran her finger over the fresh cuts.
“It’s beautiful.”

He folded the pocketknife and then picked
her up, carrying her back into the cabin. He set her on the couch
and sat down beside her. “You realize this officially marks the
beginning of our lives together.”

She snuggled up closer to him. “Funny that
it took a blizzard to set us on the right path.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Nature seems
to have a wisdom all her own.”