Connections Jan 2015 | Page 74

and quickly brushed it away. Words could never express how much she loved her little boy. He was growing up so fast, too fast. Before she knew it he’d be going off to college. She hated knowing she was going to have to share him with Shane. And she would have to share. There was no way Shane would reject his own son. Wasn’t that why he’d married Kristy? Because she was pregnant with his child. That’s when it hit her, why was Shane stopping by to visit an old girlfriend? If Kristy knew, she’d skin him alive. Melissa thought back to the last time she’d seen Kristy. It was the day before she had left town. Melissa knew she couldn’t stand to say goodbye to Shane, but she had to do something. So, she bought him a birthday card even though it was early and left it on the windshield of his old truck. She wished him happy birthday and told him she would always be his friend. Unfortunately Kristy found the card, not Shane. She’d stormed into Melissa’s father’s hardware store looking for a fight. Kristy had gone off the instant she saw Melissa. It was all Melissa could do to get the woman into the back office before they caused a scene. Kristy told her Shane had proposed and that Melissa was to stay away from her fiancée. Melissa had looked pointedly at Kristy’s ring finger, which did not have a ring. That had only intensified Kristy’s anger. She informed Melissa that she didn’t have a ring because she was pregnant. They were waiting until the baby was born. Then they would go shopping for the most beautiful, elegant ring they could find and have a wonderful ceremony, which Melissa was not invited to. Kristy ranted for quite some time, telling Melissa how wonderful her relationship with Shane was and how stupid Melissa had been. Unlike Melissa, Kristy didn’t mind sharing Shane in the short term as long as she won in the end. That’s when Kristy let it slip that she had trapped Shane by getting pregnant on purpose. She was tired of wondering which of his girlfriend’s Shane would choose so Kristy made sure it was her. She told Melissa if she was smart she would wise up and do the same. If Melissa ever wanted to be happy she would find a man and force him into marriage with an unplanned pregnancy. Melissa had been so stunned and heartbroken she didn’t know what to say. So, she just stood there, listening to a mad woman vent. Then Kristy turned and stalked out of the store. Melissa went home and packed. She’d left for Denver the following day. That was over eight years ago and she hadn’t seen the woman since. More importantly, she had no desire to see her now. Oh she knew it was inevitable, but that didn’t make the prospect any more pleasant. Especially now that Shane knew about their son. Melissa looked at Jeremy. How was she going to let Shane have time with their child but still keep him away from that dreadful woman? She sighed. It wasn’t going to be pleasant, but that was definitely one topic they would be covering in their discussion tonight.