Forever Altered (30 page)

When
we finally make it to my apartment, Alyssa puts the food on the coffee table,
kicks off her shoes, curls up on the couch, and wraps the blanket around
her.  An unexpected feeling of contentment falls over me at how
comfortable she feels here even after what happened today.  I throw our
bags down on the chair and grab a bottle of rum from the kitchen before joining
her.  I hit the button on the remote starting the gas fireplace across the
room. 

“Want
some?” I ask her holding up the bottle. 

“Definitely,”
she says reaching over to take the lid off of both of our sodas.  She
holds them out for me to dump the liquor in.  We sit in silence for a
while holding each other.  Neither of us know what to say.  “Are you
alright?” she finally asks me.

“My
psycho ex held you hostage at gunpoint today and you’re asking if I’m
alright?” 

“I
watched you the entire time, Rocco.  You were almost as crazy as she was
trying to figure out how to get out of there.  You had me so worried you
were going to do something stupid.”

“I’ll
be okay the second that you are okay,” I promise.

“Well,
I am now,” she says squeezing me tighter.  “I was so scared.  I was
scared of not being able to be with you.”  I kiss her on top of her
head.  “Maybe this is when I should tell you that today wasn’t the first
time this kind of thing has happened to me.  I certainly hope it’s the
last, though.”

“What?”
I ask as my entire body tenses up. 

“The
guy I dated before Jeff,” she pauses.  I remember hearing something about
him.  No one really knew what happened.  “He sort of lost it one
night he stopped at my house and Jeff was there.  We had already broken
up.  I’m not sure why he was so upset because it wasn’t abnormal for Jeff
to be at my house back then.  He pulled a knife on me.  He’s still in
jail for a whole list of stuff.”

“Jesus
Christ, Alyssa.  You are seriously a magnet for disaster.”  I feel
her chuckle next to me. 

“High
maintenance.  You were previously warned of this very thing,” she
says. 

“Damn. 
You weren’t kidding,” I sigh.

“Want
to bail while you still can?” she whispers.

“Nope.”

“I’m
so happy I have you,” she tells me.     

“Alyssa,”
I say.  The guilt of today is starting to settle in. 
    

“Hmm,”
she answers taking a sip of her drink.

“I’m
so sorry for…”

“No. 
Absolutely not,” she snaps pulling away so she can face me.  “None of what
happened today was your fault.  Do you understand me?”  I can’t
answer her.  “Rocco, tell me that you aren’t going to do this.  Tell
me you aren’t going to add this to the list of bullshit that you cannot control
but are going to take responsibility for.”  She grabs my cheeks, so she
can look me straight in the eye.  “If you truly love me the way you say
you do, do this for me.  Tell me what I need to hear and mean it.”

“I
cannot believe you just played that card,” I say stunned.

“Oh,
it will get a whole lot dirtier in about five seconds if you don’t do what I’m
asking,” she warns.

“You
would not,” I respond.  She raises her eyebrows giving me her most serious
expression.  “Okay, two can play that game,” I tell her.  “I will
tell you exactly what you want to hear and I will mean every word of it, if…”

“If,
what?” she wants to know.

“If
you’ll marry me,” I blurt out.  The serious look fell from her face
immediately and was replaced with a look of complete and total shock.  I
stand up, walk over to the end table, and pull the box out of the drawer I hid
in there.  Proposing wasn’t supposed to happen this way.  I was going
to wait until Christmas morning, but I cannot go one more day without putting
this ring on her finger.  I could have lost her today and I would have
never had the chance.  Life is too short to waste on waiting for the
perfect time.  I drop to one knee in front of her and take her hand in
mine.  “Alyssa Adler, you somehow managed to find your way into my heart
and brought it back to life.  Now, you’re the only one who will ever
belong there.  I realized a long time ago that I cannot live without
you.  You are everything to me.  You are my reason to do anything and
everything in this world.  You are my Sunshine.  Will you, please, do
me the honor of being my wife?”

The
tears are once again flowing down her face, only this time, they are happy
tears.  At first, she doesn’t say a word, but then she starts nodding her
head.  Alyssa leaps off the couch and into my arms.  “Yes,” she
finally says.  “Yes, I will be your wife.”

Epilogue
– Thirteen months later

Alyssa

For the
first time in over a month, I’m waking up in my own bed.  Being on
vacation for so long is definitely amazing, but there’s no place like
home.  Well, our temporary home while I am finishing my senior year of
college.  Rocco insisted on renting a house close to campus.  He
didn’t want me to have to commute very far.  Of course this makes his
commute ridiculously long since he’s going for his master’s degree at another
school.  I’ve learned not to argue points like this.  He tends to be
a little on the stubborn side.  And besides, it keeps me close to
Leah.  She is doing just fine with Paige being her new roommate, but she
is and always will be my best friend.

While
I’d love to roll over and sleep for the rest of the day, there’s something I
need to take care of before Rocco wakes up.  Since the incident with Vicki
last year, it’s almost impossible to do anything without him watching over
me.  Most of the time, it doesn’t bother me so much.  Even when he
starts being a little overprotective, I just try to remember I wasn’t the only
one who was affected that day.  Sometimes, I think he still carries a
little guilt over her death.  That’s just the way he is. 

Thankfully,
jet lag along with a sense of safety since we are in our own home with a high
tech security system has Rocco sleeping soundly.  It’s easy to slip his
arm from around my waist and climb out of bed.  Being careful not to make
a sound, I sneak out of our bedroom and pull the door closed behind me. 
Something tells me, he’s going to realize he’s alone sooner rather than later,
so I hurry downstairs to get his birthday present ready for him. 

Once
it’s wrapped in light green paper and has a white bow on top of it, I decide to
make him breakfast in bed.  Good thing Rocco insisted on hiring one his mom’s
housekeepers to clean a few times a week and to do our food shopping or we’d
have nothing to eat this morning.  Cooking is definitely not one of my
specialties, but I somehow pull off a decent looking breakfast.  Scrambled
eggs, bacon, and toast.  That’s decent, right?  I have his breakfast
and his morning glass of chocolate milk all set neatly on a tray. 

When
I walk back into my bedroom, the beautiful sight sprawled out on my bed has me gazing,
breathless, and standing in the middle of the doorway barely able to hold the
tray straight.  Rocco is laying on his back with his head turned away from
me.  The blankets are pushed down to the bottom of the bed.  The
light beige colored sheet is draped just over his hips providing the perfect
contrast to his suntanned skin.  My eyes roam from his bare chest, where
just a few short hours ago I was raking my fingernails all the way from there
down to…

“Are
you objectifying my body from the hallway?” Rocco groggily asks startling
me.  His breakfast almost falls from my hands.  He starts chuckling
because he knows I’m embarrassed I was caught ogling over him.

“That
wasn’t very nice,” I say walking over to place the tray on the
nightstand.  He reaches up to grab my arm and pulls me into bed with
him. 

“What
wasn’t very nice was waking up without my beautiful wife next to me on the
first morning we are home from our amazing honeymoon,” he whispers climbing on
top of me with that all too familiar look gleaming in his eyes again.

While
I’m more than ready after the view I walked in on a few minutes ago, his
breakfast is going to get cold.  More importantly, I have to give him his
birthday gift before I lose the nerve.  “Oh no you don’t,” I say
grudgingly pushing his naked body off of me.  He falls onto the bed next
to me on his side, so he can face me.  “I made you breakfast.”

He
looks over at the tray, then back to me raising his eyebrows.  “I could
remake breakfast as soon as I help you with this little, um, problem you have
here,” Rocco teases at my ear as he’s running his hand up the inside of my
leg.  “Mrs. Matthews, I love when you wear only my t-shirts to bed.”

“Mr.
Matthews,” I squeeze my eyes closed and try desperately to focus on the plan
I’ve been so excited about for the last few days.  “If you don’t eat the
breakfast your wife lovingly made for you, she might never let you touch her
again.”

“I’m
suddenly very hungry,” he announces sitting back against the headboard.  I
giggle when I lay the tray across his lap and snuggle up against his
side.  “I’m not sharing one bite with you,” he mumbles picking up a piece
of bacon.

“Maybe
I should have given you your present first.  Then you wouldn’t be so
grouchy,” I say pulling away from him. 

Rocco
stops chewing and turns to me.  “You already gave me my present on my
birthday last Sunday.”

“Well,
since tonight is your birthday party with our friends, I have another one for
you,” I justify biting my bottom lip.

“Why
are you nervous?” he asks.

“I’m
not nervous,” I tell him.

“Yes
you are.  You’re biting your lip.  You only do that when you’re
nervous.”  Well isn’t he just so damn observant this early in the morning?

“Finish
your breakfast, Rocco,” I advise consciously trying to keep my lips closed, so I’m
not tempted to do it again.

“That’s
it.  I’m done,” he says putting his unfinished breakfast on the floor next
to his side of the bed.

“Was
it that bad?” I ask suddenly regretting cooking anything at all.

Rocco
slides one arm around my lower back and the other under my legs.  He pulls
me onto his lap.  “Not at all,” he speaks softly running his fingertips
along my cheek.  “I don’t like that something is bothering you.  I
want it fixed.  Now.”  He’s obviously worried and that is not what
this morning was supposed to be about.  “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,”
I say shaking my head.  I unravel myself from his grasp and run out to the
hallway where I left his gift.  When I return to our bed, my husband is
holding his arms out to me with a small smile.  I fall into them and lay
my head on his chest.  This is my favorite spot to be.  “Maybe I am a
little nervous.  I’m afraid you aren’t going to want, I mean like your
present.”

“Alyssa,
you don’t really think that, do you?”  His grip gets tighter around me as
he rests the side of his face on the top of my head.  Relaxation falls
over my entire body every time he holds me this way. 

I
feel myself take a deep breath and slowly release it as my hand holds out the
small rectangular box.  It’s the same box he gave me before the first
charity dinner I went to with him a little over a year ago.  “I hope you
love it.  I cannot return it or exchange it.”  I can barely get the
words out. 

He
leans over to kiss me as he takes the gift out of my hand easing my anxiety over
the exchange.  Once it is out of my hand, I pull my legs up and wrap my
arms around them as he prepares to open the box.  “I already love it,” he
says. 

“That’s
exactly what I’m hoping for.”

Rocco
takes the bow off the package and puts it on my head.  “That’s so I can
unwrap you as soon as I’m finished here,” he says.  I roll my eyes at him
taking the damn thing off my head.  He laughs at me. 

“Just
open it already,” I tell him. 

Rocco
takes his time pulling the paper off.  When he sees the box, he turns to
me.  “You’re giving me the necklace back for my birthday?” 

My
hand instinctively goes to my neck revealing that I’m still wearing it. 
“No, Jackass.  I just used the box.”  He smirks at me.  He’s
driving me insane on purpose.  Slowly, he opens the box and sees what’s
inside.  The smirk has disappeared.  I’m not sure how to read his
reaction as he just stares at what’s there.  “Rocco, say something,” I
start to panic when he takes too long to respond.

Finally,
he looks up at me and I see his eyes are filled with tears causing mine to do
the same.  When he blinks, they spill over and roll down both of his
cheeks.  “This is for real?” he asks.  My emotions are all over the
place right now hindering any words from leaving my mouth, so I just nod my
head confirming what he’s asking.  “I thought when you said ‘I do’ that
nothing would ever make me any happier than I was in that moment, but this,” he
shakes his head.  “Nothing compares to this.”  Rocco reaches over and
pulls me to him.  He gives me the sweetest kiss I have ever gotten. 
Sweeter than I have seen in any movie.  My entire body melts as he lays me
back onto the pillows behind me.  Then he lays his hand over my belly and
whispers, “Sunshine, I promise to be the greatest dad ever to our baby.  I
will never let either one of you down.  I love you with all my heart.”

I
reach up to him wiping away the rest of his tears.  “Our baby is so lucky
to have you for a dad.  I love you, so much,” I tell him.  Then I
show him how lucky he is to have me for a wife.

Later
that day, we are just about ready for our friends when the doorbell
rings.  The two of us look at the clock then at each other and start to
laugh.  “Leah,” we blurt out together.  Of course, she’s right on
time. 

Rocco
goes to open the door, but I stop him.  “Remember, we aren’t telling them
yet,” I remind him.

“Sunshine,
I’ll try my best, but you know how I am when I get excited,” he says
smiling.  Something tells me, the whole world is going to know before the
day is over.

He
opens the door and our friends come flowing into our house.  Leah pushes
through them to get to me, “
Lyss
,” she says throwing
her arms around me.  I hug my best friend back.  It’s taking
everything I have not to spill our secret.  Rocco knows it, too, because
he’s smirking at me.  I shake my head and he smiles even bigger.  “I
missed you!  Don’t stay away that long ever again.”

“Missed
you, too!” I chuckle at her.  “It hasn’t been that long, Leah.  It
feels like you just left us.”  

Paige
pushes her out of the way to hug me, too.  “Thank goodness you’re
back.  She’s been driving us crazy,” she tries to whisper.  Julia and
Erin nod in agreement.     

“Shut
it.  All of you,” she tells them.  “It’s been three weeks since we
came back, Alyssa.  Being on a tropical island for a month made you lose
all track of time, I see,” she says winking at me.  I could have been
anywhere with Rocco and lost all track of time.  “We have something for
you,” she squeals.  Tyler and Troy walk through the door at that exact
moment.  They carry over a large picture frame with a bow on the top of
it.  “Are you ready?” she asks me.  I smile at her excitement. 
“Okay, guys, turn it around.” 

When
they do, I’m completely floored.  “Leah, how did you get that?” I ask
walking over to it.  The day before we got married on the island, Rocco
took me for a walk through the town.  He bought me a balloon from a local
vender along our route.  I get balloons almost as much as I get flowers
these days.  We came to this brick underpass, which lead to an outdoor
patio of a local restaurant.  Once we were almost through it, Rocco
stopped me and pulled me in for a kiss.  Before letting me go, he told me
he had a surprise for me then motioned for me to walk all the way through to
where there were a few tables set up.  When I did, my dad, Jill, his mom,
Max, and our friends were all there.  He flew them all in to see us get
married.  The picture is of the two of us in that moment right before we
walked into see them.  It’s absolutely beautiful!

“Please,
you know damn well I never reveal my secrets,” she teases. 

“I
love it!  Thank you so much!”  I kiss her on the cheek earning myself
a remark from Logan.  Some things will never change.

“Enough
of this mushy shit!  Champagne for everyone,” Shane says popping the top
of the bottle. 

Rocco
starts pulling glasses out.  “Since when do you drink champagne?” 

“Since
I have a reason to celebrate,” he tells Rocco while he starts filling the
glasses.

“What
exactly do you have to celebrate?” Rocco asks.

“My
new job.”

“Shane,
what happened to the job you just got after graduation?”

Shane
looks over at Jessica with the biggest grin on his face.  She goes over to
him and wraps her arms around him.  He hugs her back.  Shane met her
last summer when he came down to visit us one weekend at my dad’s house. 
She is one of Jill’s nieces and she just happened to stop by when he was
there.    They’ve been dating ever since. 

“I
quit,” he explains passing out the filled glasses.  “Following your ass to
South Jersey seems a lot more fun than staying up here all by myself.” 
Rocco and I are having a house built not too far from my dad.  It’s
supposed to be done when I graduate in May in about four months. 
“Besides, there’s this girl who asked me to move in with her.  I figured,
why not?  She’s hot,” he teases.  Jessica punches him in the arm.

“You’re
really moving down there with us?” Rocco asks.  The poor guy has had
enough shocking news for one day.

“Guess
we’ll make a Philly fan out of you after all,” I joke.