Deadly Past Page 11

  “They were together when she died. They were married. When she died, he was at work, and I was at school. I can remember everything up until the point where dad told me she died, from then on it gets a bit hazy.” I turn on the sofa, so my legs are crossed, and I’m facing Luke’s side, he’s looking straight on, staring at the wall.

  “The reason I said Sabine and Agnishika are my only family was that my father wasn’t there for me, in fact, today is the first time since my mom died that he wanted to actually have a conversation with me. Usually I’d be ignored.” He turns to face me, and I see the realization of what I’m saying dawn on him. His eyes narrow and I can see that his jaw is clenched.

  “The first time it happened was just after the funeral. My mom was an only child, and her parents died when I was four. So, when everyone left after the funeral, Dad went to bed, and he didn’t come back out for three days. When he did he was drunk, he didn’t even notice that I was sitting outside of his room. I thought he was dead until the second day when I heard him snoring. I was so numb that I didn’t go in to check. I just sat there waiting.”

  Those are days I will never forget. I had never felt so alone and scared in my life, but the man who was meant to love and protect me, he made me feel that way.

  Luke leans forward and kisses my lips, it’s a soft and chaste kiss, but it means so much. “Morgan, what the hell? Who the hell does that to their child?” He’s so mad right now.

  I take his hand and squeeze it. “It’s over, it happened a long time ago, I’m alive and so is he. I understand that he was grieving; he didn’t know how to cope with the loss of his wife.”

  “Don’t, for the love of God, please don’t make excuses for him. What was it like when you were growing up? Is that why you were with Sabine? Did he hurt you?” He’s firing these questions at me; with each one he’s getting more and more agitated.

  “You’re right, I shouldn’t make excuses, but honestly I understand that he was heartbroken and he didn’t know how to cope. But saying that, he should have realized that I needed him too. But he was selfish, and he stayed that way until that phone call. You see, he would only really acknowledge me when he wanted me to do something for him. It’ll be either clean the house, cook him dinner. Other than that, I was free to do whatever I wanted. Most of the time I stayed at Sabine’s. I hated him, I really did, I hated myself for hating him and for loving him at the same time.” I felt so conflicted, how can you hate your father and at the same time love him? I so wanted him to love me enough to care about me.

  “Once I went to Disney World for two weeks with Sabine and her family, and he didn’t even notice I was gone. I had the best vacation, but I was furious that he didn’t care enough about me to realize I was gone. He didn’t attend my graduation. That hurt me a lot more than I let on. That’s what made me hate him the most. It’s also what made me realize that he wasn’t going to change no matter what I did or how hard I prayed.”

  “I’m glad you had Sabine and Agnishika, but I hate that you didn’t have your father. At least when my mom died our dad was our rock. Do you still hate him? I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I hate him, and I’ve never even met him.”

  “No, I don’t hate him. I stopped hating him a few years ago. I do still love him, but it’ll take more than a phone call to build the bridge that he burned. I don’t want to be a bitch to him, but I also don’t think I can be civil to him, at least not right away. Does that make sense?”

  “I don’t think you’d be a bitch to him, Morgan. As you said, you love him. You have every right to be angry and hurt. What he did was inexcusable, yes, he was hurting, but you needed him. What did he say to you? I can’t believe after the way he treated you, he still hurts you.” Hearing Luke saying that makes me realize that he has changed. He is so attentive and caring with me now, whereas before he wouldn’t even want to know what happened.

  I’m so happy, this is all I ever wanted, to feel loved and cherished. “I called him, it’s his birthday. Every year at Christmas and on his birthday, I call him, he calls me on my birthday and sporadically throughout the year. Today the call was different. Usually, I wish him a happy birthday, and he will either drone on about anything, and everything that is completely meaningless or he will hardly speak at all. Today I couldn’t put up with either, so I told him I was working. He told me he misses me and he wants to see me. That he messed up.”

  “A little too late I’d say.” He says without thinking because as soon as it comes out, I see the regret instantaneously.

  “I’m sorry, I know that you’re happy that he wants to be a part of your life again. Just be cautious Morgan, I don’t want to see you hurt. Either way, I’ll be here for you. I just don’t think he deserves your complete trust, not just yet anyway.”

  “I guess I’m just torn. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, you know. I just wanted a dad who loved me and wanted to be my dad. Saying that, what you said makes absolute sense. Why is he doing this now? After eighteen years, why all of a sudden does he want to be a part of my life? Only he can answer those questions, it’s a lot to take in and right now, I don’t have the energy to fully process it.”

  “Come on, let’s go to bed. You need your rest. Today has to have been draining.” He gets up and clears the table bringing the dishes into the kitchen. He’s very well trained.

  He returns to the sitting room with a bottle of water and puts his hand out for me to take, I do as he wishes and he helps me into a standing position. I lean up and kiss him on the cheek; I’m rewarded with a cheeky wink and an amazing smile. He releases my hand only to put it around my shoulders as he starts to guide me to the bedroom. I lean into the warmth of his body as we walk, thankful that he was here with me tonight. The man I love, who loves me back is everything that I ever wanted in a man. Kind, caring, considerate and sexy. I’m so happy, I hope it stays this way.

  Chapter Twelve

  Luke

  Things have been going so well with Morgan and me for the past month. Our relationship is getting stronger as the days go on. We’re practically living together, mainly at her house as she lives alone and I live with Scott. I can’t believe what a jackass her father was. I hope that he really does mean it when he tells her that he misses her and is sorry for how he behaved. I’m relieved that she believed in me and that I really do love her to open up to me and tell me about her past. I can’t even imagine what she went through. It was hard for us when we lost our mom, but we were old enough to understand, we also had our dad and each other to lean on.

  I’m taking her out on a date. It’s something I should have done from the very beginning, I don’t know if I’ll ever get over the guilt I feel when I think about the day I found out how she really felt, knowing she loved me, it hit me like a sucker punch. It was just what I needed to be able to get over what happened with Alex and be the man Morgan needed. So, a date is something I need to do. It’s going to be the best date she has ever been on. She needs to be happy, I hate that she was crying when I walked into her room yesterday. Women crying is a big no-no for me, I don’t deal well with women’s emotions, and especially if it’s a woman I care about, I wanted to hunt Morgan’s father down and hurt him for hurting her. I’ve recruited someone to make sure that this date is the best one in the history of dates.

  “About time you got here. I’ve been waiting. I only get an hour for my break.” Sabine says as soon as I enter the coffee shop. She’s so loud that when I first met her I honestly didn’t see why her and Morgan are friends. When Morgan told me how Sabine was her rock, I can’t help but feel respect for her, so I’ll put up with her loudness and her brassiness because she loves Morgan and was there for her when she needed someone.

  “I ordered for the both of us, I got you a turkey and ham on rye with mustard.” I must look shocked, how the hell does she know what my favorite sandwich is?

  “Morgan talks a lot, she talks absolute nonsense half the time, but I’m a great listener.” I can’t help but notice the
small smile that she is trying to hide from me; I know that she really doesn’t mind that Morgan talks nonsense.

  “Thank you, you didn’t have to order for me, but I really do appreciate it.” She just nods at me as I take a seat opposite her.

  “So, we’re going bowling, then we will go to get some food and then we will go to the movies.”

  After listening to Morgan tell me about her father and how he abandoned her, I want to do something that she won’t forget.

  “Look, Luke, Morgan is going to love this date, and it is going to be the best one she’ll ever have. But it won’t be because of where you’re going and what you will be doing. Morgan will be happy because she will be with you. She loves you, and she told me you love her. That’s all she has ever wanted.” She has a smile on her face, but I’m pretty sure there was a threat somewhere in her response.

  “Honestly, you could take her to Taco Bell, and she’d be happy.”

  “I do love her Sabine, I know that I hurt her and for that, I’ll be forever sorry. I never wanted to hurt Morgan. I denied my feelings for her because of what happened with Alex. I’m a lucky man that Morgan forgave me for treating her the way I did.”

  “You know Morgan didn’t really say much about what happened only that she cheated and you broke up. I don’t want to know the full story either as we all have a past and that is where it should stay.” She says nonchalantly, she doesn’t want to talk about her past, so she understands.

  The waitress brings our food to the table, and I order a black coffee. Sabine takes a massive bite of her wrap and starts chewing like a rabbit, she quickly finishes that bite, and I thank God she doesn’t talk with a mouthful of food.

  “However, she did say that she’s a bit crazy. Make sure her craziness stays away from Morgan.”

  Thank God, because I don’t want to get in on what happened. I’ve told Morgan, and that’s all that needed to know, however, I did think that she would have told Sabine. They are best friends, and I always thought women told each other everything. I wouldn’t have minded if she did tell her. She’s right Alex is crazy.

  “Alex is crazy, but she’s not stupid. We finished a very long time ago, she doesn’t have an excuse to bring her craziness around us.” I start to eat my sandwich as the waitress brings me the coffee I ordered.

  That seems to satisfy her as she changes the subject away from Alex. “I’m happy that my best friend is extremely happy and so in love. However, I was there when you hurt her, I was the one to pick up the pieces and comfort her as she cried in my arms. Morgan has the sweetest heart, and she forgives so easily, but she also knows when to cut her losses. Hurt her again, and she won’t be as forgiving and neither will I. She deserves to be loved and respected, and I will do everything in my power to make sure she gets that. I’ve watched her grow into the most amazing person, but there is still that vulnerable little girl inside. She is my best friend but most importantly she is my sister, and I will do everything to protect her.” She has tears in her eyes as she says this to me and my respect for Sabine instantly rises.

  “Don’t hurt her Luke. She’s been hurt enough.”

  “I can promise you that I won’t ever intentionally hurt her. I can also promise you that I will do everything I can to protect her. I know that you don’t like me, and you have absolutely every reason not to, but I won’t hurt her, she’s mine, and I’m never letting her go again.” She raises her eyes when I tell her that Morgan is mine, I just smile at her, “so have I gone overboard on the date?”

  “Yes, Morgan doesn’t really like bowling, she’s completely and utterly useless at it. She’s extremely competitive and hates losing, so her and bowling do not go well together.” The tears that were glistening her eyes are gone, now they are twinkling with laughter.

  “Okay, do something she hasn’t done before. Let her get dressed up and bring her to a fancy restaurant. On a cop's salary, she doesn’t splurge on the finer things in life. She likes to look pretty, just give her a reason too and she’ll be happy.” Sabine smiles as she says this, probably thinking about Morgan being spoilt.

  That has given me an idea. “When are you both off on the same day again? I know that Morgan is off tomorrow.” I say with a smile as I take the last bite of my sandwich, If I can get this idea to work, my girl is going to be really happy.

  I see her thinking; she looks baffled, “I’m also off tomorrow, and the day after, then I’m on nights. Why?”

  “I want you to go shopping with Morgan, I want her to get a dress, but I want to buy it.” I want her to feel everything Sabine just said.

  I see the smile on Sabine’s face and know that she is going to do this. “Hell yes, I’ll take her shopping tomorrow, and we will get her a dress. Oh god, she’s going to cry. It’ll be the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her. We will make a day of it; get our hair and nails done too.” The excitement is evident in her expression, she’s practically jumping up in her seat.

  “You book whatever you need to, and I’ll pay for it, for the two of you. I also want you to get yourself something while you’re shopping with Morgan.” I think about where I could bring Morgan for our date, somewhere not too pretentious, but somewhere classy. Nothing springs to mind, I’ll call Sophia and see what she thinks, because that woman knows every restaurant in Manhattan.

  “Why? You don’t need to buy me anything. Morgan is in love with you, and I don’t hate you, and even if I did, I wouldn’t say anything bad about you to her. That’s not what I’m like.”

  Geez, I thought women would jump at the chance of a fully paid pampered day. “Why would you do that for me, Luke?”

  “Because you’re Morgan’s family, she told me that you were there for her when no-one else was. It’s my way of saying thank you and also an apology for hurting your sister.” Something tells me that Sabine hasn’t been given many gifts in life.

  She contemplates it for a minute or two, and I’m sitting here watching as she does. “Okay, I will accept it as your apology; however, I will not accept it as a thank you. As you said, Morgan is my sister and being there for each other is what families are meant to do. Be there for you in your time of need. Not only that, what happened with her dad, it brought us together and cemented our friendship. I will never need a thank you for that.”

  I’m actually really starting to like her, she’s a straight talker, and it seems as though she doesn’t take crap from anyone.

  “Good, come on, it’s time to get back to work. Do you need a ride?” She shakes her head, so I stand and go to the counter and pay. By the time Sabine has finished her smoothie, I’m back at the table.

  “You didn’t have to pay. But thank you I appreciate it.” She says as we start to leave, I get a tiny smile from her. It’s a start, I know that she wasn’t very happy about the friends with benefits thing I had going with Morgan in the beginning, and I know that she advised Morgan against it, but she let it go and didn’t say I told you so to Morgan when things went south. I can only imagine what she thinks about me.

  “I’ve to go now, I’m back to work in ten minutes. Thanks again for lunch Luke.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll see you later Sabine.” She turns on her heels and waves her hand above her head, “toodles Luke.”

  I watch as she turns the block and disappears from my sight. I turn around and start walking towards my car when I hear a voice that has me on edge.

  “Is that who you are seeing these days? Tut tut Luke, you have really come down in the world. What happened to us getting back together again?”

  It’s Alex; she has a malicious smile on her face. She’s up to something; I can see it in her eyes. They’re cold and empty, it’s like staring into a black abyss.

  As soon as she says the catty comment about Sabine, I start getting mad. Why does she have to be such a bitch? The seriousness in her voice when she talks about us getting back together has me inwardly cringing.

  “What the hell are you doing here Alex?” I honestly t
hought I had seen the last of her.

  “I told you the last time we saw each other. I want you back; I gave you some space to think things through so you’d realize that we are meant to be together. I messed up; hell I made the biggest mistake of my life. I’ve regretted it ever since. Things were so good between us Luke.” She actually believes the shit that is coming out of her mouth.

  “Jesus Alex, you are really crazy, aren’t you? Things between us were a lie. Just so you could hurt my sister. We will never get back together. You went out of your way to destroy my family. I will never forgive you. Do yourself a favor, just leave town. But this time, never come back.” I watch as her happiness fades and is replaced with shock. I don’t give her any more of my time, and I start walking towards my car.

  I hear her outrage as she calls my name. I’m not even going to bother turning around, all she wants is attention, she is worse than a child, and I’m not going to give her what she wants.

  Just as I’m getting into my car, I hear her call out once more, this time; I know that Alex hasn’t changed. She’s still the conniving bitch she always was.

  “Fine, leave then. Don’t think that you are getting away from me that easily. I hope that you and your girlfriend are happy because you won’t be for long.” I closed the car door, knowing that the crazy lady isn’t going to let me and Morgan live in peace. However, she doesn’t know that Morgan is the one I’m seeing, she thinks it Sabine. I know she’s planning something, and I hope to god, no one gets hurt.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Morgan

  I feel so pampered. Sabine had the greatest idea. I haven’t had a weekend off in a long time, and I haven’t had my hair and nails done in a while. I just went with the simple French polish as did Sabine, although she loves loud colors, she won’t wear bright colored nail polish while working. I, on the other hand, prefer the natural look or the darker colors, usually a wine red or a navy blue. But today I wanted something a bit flashier, nothing too extravagant. So French polish it is. My hair was washed and blow dried with a little trim. I hate having short hair; it doesn’t suit my oval shaped face.