Forever and Always (2 page)

“Because that’s not how it works Mel” Sarah replied pulling her daughter to her and holding her tight. “But your Dad loves Grace like that. She makes him happy. But she will never replace you sweetheart. No one could ever do that. Maybe you could give her a chance. She loves your Dad and he loves her so she can’t be that bad”.

Before Melanie could answer the buzzer sounded on the intercom. Alex was here to collect her.  Sarah looked at Melanie.

“Will you tell my Dad I will be ready in a few minutes” Melanie asked smiling at Sarah and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

Slowly Melanie grew to like Grace. She realised Grace made her dad happy. Eventually when Alex told Melanie he was going to marry Grace, Melanie was truly happy for him.

Then when Alex announced that Grace was pregnant he was terrified Melanie would freak out but she didn’t
. Melanie was excited about being
a big sister, though part of her was secretly relived when Grace had a boy.

Jamie was so cute. Melanie adored him. She loved to spoil him and was only too happy to babysit whenever she was asked.

And it was babysitting Jamie when all the trouble had started and she found herself facing a summer thousands of miles away.

Alex and Grace were invited to a charity night hosted by the law firm Alex worked in. Alex had gone back to school at night when Melanie was about 5. It has been a hard road but he did it, finishing top of his class. Alex’s grandmother had left him the money to finish off his studying and become a qualified solicitor. Melanie was very proud of her Dad.

Melanie had got Jamie, who was now almost
2,
bathed and up to bed and came back down and curled up on the sofa to watch her favourite movie, Independence Day. 

Suddenly she was startled by a soft knock on the living room window. She jumped up quickly and pulled the blinds back to see who was there. It was Mike.

“You can’t be here” Melanie said anxiously when she opened the front door. “My Dad will flip if he finds out”. Mike pushed past her, ignoring what she has said. She quickly closed the door in case the neighbours saw him.

When she turned around Mike was standing so close to her. He was wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt that show off his perfect body. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her hard. “Come on Mel” He whispered against her neck. “Just let me stay a little while”.

Melanie knew she should have made him leave. She hated lying to her Dad and would never dream of doing something she knew would upset him.

But Mike kept kissing her neck and rubbing his hands all over her body making her head feel fuzzy and she found it harder and harder to resist him. He pulled her tighter to him and she could feel his erection against her stomach. A tiny feeling of panic bubbled in the bottom of her belly. She knew letting him stay would be a huge mistake. She wasn’t ready for that. This wasn’t how she imagined it would be. She wanted her first time to be special. Not just a quick fumble on her Dad’s couch.

“No” she said firmly pushing him away and taking a deep breath. “Mike you said you would wait till I am ready. I don’t think I am ready yet”.

“I know baby” he said sliding his arms back around her again and trailed kisses up her neck. “We won’t do anything you don’t want. I promise. I just want to spend some time with you. I love you Mel”. Melanie relaxed a little. As long as he knew she wasn’t ready then things would be fine.

He led her to the large chocolate coloured leather sofa and gently eased her on to it. He leaned down over her and began to kiss her again but this time on the mouth. Suddenly his whole weight was on top of her, pinning her down.

“Oh Melanie I love you so much” he whispers breathlessly between the kisses. She could feel his erection straining against the front of his jeans, pushing hard into her hip. His hand slid up under her top and he grabbed hold of her breast. A small moan escaped from the back of his throat. “Jesus Mel you drive insane”.

He reached down and quickly opened the button on her shorts.

“Mike no” she tried to protest but he kissed her mouth again. She tried to push him away but he was too heavy. The small bubble of panic that was in the pit of her stomach suddenly exploded inside her and she pushes against him harder. “I can’t. Please stop”. But he didn’t stop. He hands seemed to be everywhere at once. Melanie struggled to get out of his grip but she was trapped.

Suddenly Mike seemed to be almost lifted off her, a look of terror across his face.

“Get you filthy hands off my daughter” Alex’s voice filled the room. There was a sound of anger in his voice that Melanie had never heard before.

Melanie blinked in disbelief and darted up off the sofa pulling her top back down.

Alex had Mike by the throat and pinned against the sitting room door as he drew his fist back. Grace was standing at the door with a look of terrified shock across her face. “Alex
don’t
” she cried.

“I wasn’t going to do anything” Mike said barely audible because Alex had hold of his throat

“SHE SAID NO” Alex growled through his teeth. “I should break your fucking legs”.

“Daddy, please” Melanie cried suddenly next to Alex and Mike. “He wasn’t going to do anything”. But even as Melanie said the words, part of her wasn’t completely sure that was true.

Alex shot Melanie a look she had never seen before. She didn’t say another word and she quickly stepped back. She knew he was mad as hell. Her stomach lurched. Her Dad was never mad at her.

“You get the hell out of my house” Alex growled turning his attention back to Mike and dragging him towards the door. “Don’t ever let me see you near my daughter again. Do you understand me?”

Without even looking at Melanie, Mike ran out the door leaving it swinging opened behind him.

Alex st
ood with his back to Melanie, his
breathing ragged and short. He closed his eyes and pushed his hands through his hair. He was breathing deeply trying to calm himself down

“Dad” Melanie said her voice barely a whisper. She softly touched his back.

“Don’t” Alex breathed and Melanie thought she felt him flinch at her touch. “I am so fucking mad right now I can’t even look at you”.

Melanie dropped her hand. She thought her heart was going to jump out of her chest it was pounding so fast. She felt like she was going to be sick. She looked at Grace who smiled at her sympathetically.

Alex turned around and looked at Melanie. The look in his eyes went through her like a dagger through her heart. Tears prickled the back of her eyes and quickly found their way out and trickled down her face.

“I’m sorry” she whispered turning her eyes to the ground, unable to even look at him anymore.

“What if we hadn’t have come home” he asked, his voice a little softer than before.

“He wouldn’t have done anything” Melanie replied, still unable to look at her Dad. “He is a good guy”.

“Oh for Christ sake Melanie” he snapped making her jump with fright. “He was trying to pull your pants down. He was not going to take no for an answer”.

“Mike would never have done anything I didn’t want” she insisted feeling angry he was treating her like she was a stupid child. “We love each other”.

“Melanie that wasn’t love” Alex replied shaking his head. “He only had one thing on his mind. He would have said anything to get you to do what he wanted”.

“WELL MAYBE I WANTED IT TOO” she shouted back at him angrily.

“Oh please I know you are not that stupid” he said shocked at her response. Anger bubbled inside him again “He probably didn’t even have protection. And I know you are not stupid enough to get stuck with a baby and ruin your god damn life”.

It was like a slap in the face. Melanie’s heart dropped. She couldn’t believe he had just said that. For a moment she stared at her Dad in shocked silence. Then finally she found her voice.

“Like I ruined yours” she whispered, her heart broken.

“Melanie” he moved towards her but she stepped back. The realisation of what he just said hit him with a thump. She couldn’t bare him to touch her. “You know that’s not what I meant”.

“It’s the truth isn’t it” she replied coldly. “You weren’t much older than I am now when you had me. I ruined you plans to go to Trinity College. I ruined everything”.

“Melanie I have never regretted having you for a single seconded of my life” he replied sounding devastated by what she said. “I love you more than anything else in this world, you know that”. He moved towards her again but again she stepped back.

“But your life would have been so much easier if I never existed” she wiped the tears from her face with the bottom of her top. “I get it”

“Melanie” he pleaded.
His heartbreak written all over his face.
  “I love you sweetheart”.

Without saying another word, she pushed passed him and hurried up to her room.

“Oh shit Grace” he said tears dancing in his eyes and turning quickly to Grace. “What have I done?”

“She knows you love her Alex” Grace said slipping her arms around him. “She knows you didn’t mean it. You were just upset and so is she. She is hurt and she’s probably embarrassed by what just happened. She is just lashing out”.

“Didn’t you see her face?” he asked completely devastated. “How could I have been so fucking stupid to say something so careless to her”
.

“She will come around” She said leaning her head against his chest. He closed his eyes and pulled her to him. “She loves you too much not to”.

“I want to go home” Melanie’s voice surprised them both from behind. Alex spun around to see his daughter standing at the door with her back pack on her shoulder. She was staring at the ground refusing to let her eyes meet his. “Grace could you please give me a lift”.

“Mel, please I honestly didn’t mean anything
..”
Alex said releasing Grace and making a move toward his daughter.

“Grace I will wait at the car for you” she said completely ignoring Alex. She turned and walked out the front door without even glancing at her father.

Alex tried to get her to stay but she wouldn’t even talk to him. So Grace dropped her home. She tried to talk to Melanie in the car but Melanie wouldn’t discuss it.

When they got to the apartment Sarah was waiting for them when they walked in. Melanie didn’t say a word. She just walked to her room and slammed the door. Sarah turned to Grace.

“Alex called” she told Grace. “Is he ok?”

“He is devastated” Grace replied sadly. “Sarah you know he didn’t mean it”.

“I know he didn’t” Sarah smiled sadly. “Alex has worshipped Melanie from the minute he saw her, probably even before that. And Mel knows that too Grace. She is just upset and embarrassed about what happened. She’ll come around”.

“I hope so” Grace replied. “I will call tomorrow to see how she is. I should get back to Alex”.

“Thanks for bring her home Grace” Sarah replied hugging Grace. Sarah left Grace to the door, and then turned and headed back down towards Melanie’s bedroom. She paused for a moment then she knocked on Melanie’s door before she opened the door.

Melanie refused to talk about what happened. She just put her earphones in her ears and turned her back on Sarah. Sarah knew she needed some time. Quietly she stood up and left her daughter alone.

When she was alone, Melanie curled into a tiny ball on her bed and sobbed until she drifted into a restless sleep.
Her heart broken.

Alex came by early the next morning to talk to Melanie but she refused to talk to him. Instead she stormed out of the apartment and headed straight to Katie’s house. She had texted Lucy to meet her there.

“Shit Mel, what the fuck happened with Mike and your Dad last night” Katie asked as soon as she opened the door.

“Nice to see you too Katie” Melanie retorted sarcastically as she walked past Katie into her house. She headed straight out to the games room at the back of house. She knew Lucy would be out there waiting on them.

“I met Mike at Papa Gino’s last night” she continued, unfazed by her friends less than happy demeanour. “He said your Dad went bat-shit crazy on his ass last night.
Said he threatened to kill him”.

“I really don’t want to talk about it” Melanie replied slumping onto one of the big sofas in the room and pulling her knees up to her chest.

“Are you ok Mel” Lucy asked sitting down next to Melanie and gently rubbed her arm.

The tears were dancing in Melanie’s eyes. She really didn’t want to cry in front of her friends. She wasn’t prepared to tell them about her argument with her Dad. She was still too hurt to talk about it with anyone. Melanie felt tired after a restless night of sobbing in her bedroom. She had never felt so hurt or sad in her life before. She just couldn’t speak about it.

“I’m ok” she replied in a bare whisper but the tears that trickled down her cheeks said otherwise. She quickly brushed them away with the back of her hand and swallowed hard to push the grief that was building in her back down inside.

“Hey” Lucy said putting her arm around her and hugging her friend tightly. “What
happened
Mel? You can talk to us. I bet it just seems worse than it actually is”. Lucy took Melanie’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly and wrapped her other arm around her tighter.  Melanie just sat motionless staring at her fingers.