Song: Unbroken

Because of you I'm unbroken ... Now every piece of my heart is falling back into place ...

I woke up in the middle of the night in Henry's arm. Careful not to wake him, I watched him sleep peacefully in the darkness as I listened to his steady breathing and observed his messy hair.

My fingers carefully smoothed over his left cheek, admiring him in this beautiful sleep.

He doesn't give off the business vibe in this relaxed state. I wouldn't even have guessed he was a big executive of a large conglomerate.

As I studied him, one of his hands reached for mine, holding my fingers up to his lips, and then he kissed the back of them.

"I thought you were sleeping," I whispered in the dark.

"I was, but now I'm awake."

"Sorry for waking you up this late." I could make out the glimmer in his eyes as he opened them.

He placed his hand on my cheek. "Don't worry. Why aren't you asleep yet?"

I thought back to Henry's words from earlier in the night when he told me he wanted to see my mother and Chris. Just thinking about the moment again, a warm feeling overcame me. "I was thinking."

He straightened up on bed. "What were you thinking about?" he gently prodded, twirling a piece of hair strands with his fingers.

"What you said you wanted to see Chris with me."

Henry pulled me closer in his arms and placed a kiss on my forehead. "I do, and I really mean it with all my heart."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"When did you start visiting my brother?"

"I went to see him while you were in the hospital after you lost Baby Kale."

"That long ago?"

He nodded. "During those days, I realized that I couldn't lose you. I saw how important family was to you, and I know—I know that the only person who I wanted to be with was you. Ally, I was a fool—"

I placed my fingers to stop him. "Don't say that."

His hand fondled over mine. "But it was true. I was a fool for not seeing what's in front of me. It's only when I lost it, then I realized what you truly meant to me." He remained silent before taking a breath to continue. "Chris was shock to learn my identity when we first met. I could see how uncomfortable he was when I introduced myself. I told him about everything that happened from the beginning up until then, and that I was sorry for what I did to him and his family. He held it really well and also apologized to me and my family. But you know what?"

"What?"

"I'm glad that I went to see him because from that day when I walked out from the correctional center, I felt this heavy weight being lift off my shoulders. I feel liberated from this nightmare that has been haunting me. And since then, I have been visiting him. All because of you. Thank you, Ally."

I smiled. "You're welcome."

He leaned toward me and brushed his lips over mine in slow, amorous motions as he moved over my body, pushing me softly onto the mattress.

Too see how much Henry had changed made me realized how much he loved and cared for me.

That feeling of being loved and cared for is indescribable.

It was the best feeling in the world.

I closed my eyes and gently tightened my arms around him as we kissed into the night.

I prayed that we could be happy like this forever. That Henry and I could overcome the hard times and dark days that crosses our paths. That we stand and fight them together as one.

I prayed ...

.....

The next morning I returned to the house while Henry stayed back at the office. He mentioned something about lunch with Nick and asked if I wanted to join them, but I declined.

Although I wanted to be there and see Nick, I didn't want to intrude on them and plus, they would have more time to talk with each other if I wasn't there. The two men needed to catch up as much as they could on the years they had lost in their relationship. I would only be a distraction in their conversation.

I also wanted to spend time with Nana since I hadn't spoken with her, one on one, in such a long time. I wondered how she was doing these days, if she had been eating well and taking care of herself.

As I walked back to my bedroom, my eyes caught onto the door of the nursery. I walked closer to it and opened the door to the room that would have been Baby Kale's room.

I recalled the time when Nana revealed this room to me for the first time.

I couldn't believe what I had seen.

I couldn't believe Henry had decorated this room for our child in secret. He didn't even mention a single word to me about it. Nothing.

A feeling of sadness still hung in the air, but it was more bearable this time around. I paced around the room, observing closer at the things Henry had placed in here, the little bed, the books lining the bookcase, the rocker, and the picture drawn by my friend Violet at the shelter I visited.

I walked up to the photo frame, my fingers reaching out to feel it, the little house, the mommy, the daddy, the little child, and the rainbow covering everything safely under its glory.

Letting go of Baby Kale didn't mean forgetting about him because he would always be in my heart. It meant forgiving myself for what happened and moving forward with life.

Because this was how things were meant be.

Even though things didn't turn out how I expected, I was happy, knowing that he was, at one time, real.

After showering and getting dressed, I went downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast, only to find it empty.

That was strange since Nana usually woke up early to cook breakfast or did chores around the house. I walked to her room and knocked on the door. "Nana, it's Ally."

"Come in, dear." Her voice sounded frailer then it used to be.

I twisted the doorknob and entered the room to find her still resting on the bed with the duvet over her legs. "Morning, Nana. Did you have breakfast already?"

She managed a smile. "No, not yet, dear. I am just a little tired and sore this morning."

I sat down on her bedside, holding onto one of her fragile hands. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Don't worry, dear. It's just old age." Nana laughed, which didn't put me in a better mood.

"Let me take to you to get a checkup at the hospital then."

"It's nothing, dear. Just one of those days that comes and goes. I'll get better in a few days."

"Okay, but promise me you'll tell me if there is something that Henry and I need to know, okay?"

"Alright, I will." She smiled. "Could you open up the blinds? I could use some light."

"Of course." I smiled and stood up to cross the room. "Nana, what did you want for breakfast this morning?" I pulled back the blinds so that the sunlight could come into the room.

"Oatmeal sounds good."

"I'll be right back then."

I excused myself back to the kitchen and whipped up the oatmeal. After it was finished, I cut some strawberries and placed the pieces into two small bowls. Then I poured two glasses of cranberry juice and set them onto the tray with the other food.

When I went back to Nana's room, she was no longer resting where she was earlier on her bed, but after a few seconds, she emerged from the bathroom.

"Breakfast is ready, Nana."

"Thank you, dear," she responded, walking back over to the bed carefully.

She didn't appear as strong as she was the last few weeks, which prompted my curiosity about her health. But I decided not to prod her as she mentioned earlier it was just fatigue and old age, and she even promised she would tell me if something was wrong. I hoped she could trust me enough to tell me if something was wrong.

Nana climbed back onto the bed. "Where is Henry?"

"He's working at the office this morning."

"Work always, that young man." She lightly laughed.

"It's busy these days because Henry was telling me yesterday that they're opening up a new location in Vienna in the next few weeks."

"You should convince him to take more time off, dear."

"He's been away a lot because of me already."

I understood Henry couldn't be right next to me all the time, that we couldn't be with each other for every minute of every day.

Although I would miss him each and every moment we weren't together, but just knowing that soon I get to see that favorite smile of mine was enough to make me happy and satisfied.

"I wished Henry could have lived a different life, a more peaceful and down-to-earth lifestyle," Nana said.

"What do you mean, Nana?"

"Well, our Henry's been working almost every single day of his life since his parents passed away. He deserves to live a quieter life away from the city, the travels, the meetings, the business."

"I know, I know. Henry also tells me the same thing as well."

"Did he?" She sounded surprised.

"He told me he wants to live in the country if he had the chance to. This was when we first met. I think, deep down, he wants to live a life where he doesn't have to wear a suit every day."

"How about you, Ally? Where do you want to live?"

"I'm okay living anywhere as long as he's there with me and of course, you too, Nana." I genuinely smiled at her, and she returned one.

"It makes me happy seeing you like this." She held onto my hand, squeezing it gently with her soft hand.

I nodded. "Thank you, Nana, for everything you do for us. I love you."

"I love you too, Ally, very much." She smiled. "The oatmeal is getting cold. Let's eat, shall we? We haven't eaten together for a while now."

I nodded with a grin.

After breakfast, one of Patti's drivers picked Nana up for one of their girly appointments. I was worried for Nana's health but she insisted on going.

When she left, I went out to the backyard to Henry's heated koi pond and immediately spotted the beautiful grey Koi, my favorite one. I grabbed a handful of fish pellets nearby and laid down on my stomach near the edge of the wooden patio so that I could dipped my hands into the water.

All the fishes swam up to me as soon as I began sprinkling pellets into the water. The grey one came up as well, slowly sneaking her way to the front line. I held out a few pellets for her alone, and she ticklishly sucked them from my fingers into her mouth. "You all look so hungry today."

Walking up the stairs from feeding the Kois, I came upon a picture of Henry's family that hung on the wall, facing the living room. It hadn't been there before. Someone must have placed it there in my absence.

Was it Henry?

The picture held the four of them dressed in elegant attire in front of a dark background. They were the perfect family.

I stood in silence and observed the picture for a couple of moments, imagining what it would be like to have met Henry's parents and sister. Their faces slowly engraved into my memory.

When I thought about it, there were hardly any pictures of his family members in the home.

Maybe seeing their faces reminded him too much of the past, therefore he kept them hidden away, locked up in a hidden place inside the home.

Maybe he wasn't ready yet.

For the remaining time until Henry and Nana returned home, I laid on my bed, looking through the pictures on my phone.

There was one of Henry eating the pizza slice when we stopped to rest at the Riverwalk. He was cute, trying to hide his smile because he didn't want me to take a picture of him, but I snapped it anyway.

I suddenly remembered the first picture that Henry and I took at Birmingham Fountain last year.

Getting up from the bed, I went back into my old bedroom and searched for my camera under the bed frame.

But it was no longer there.

I roamed through the drawers and the rest of the room but still could not find it anywhere. Frustrated with myself, I tried to remembered the last time where I left it. It was like a million years ago.

My gaze moved to the closet room, and I decided to take a chance and peek in there. There were still a few pieces of new clothing with price tags hanging on the racks I had never worn, in addition to shoes, towels, and other untouched accessories.

I opened one of the drawers and gasped when I found my old Canon camera.

"There you are."

I sat down against the wall and luckily to my surprise, it still had a minimal amount of battery life for operation.

Giggling to myself how horrible my hair and clothes were back then, I flipped to the picture of us at the fountain.

I looked like a total mess next to his god-like stature.

Henry didn't give me a warning that day. He just turned up at my work place out of the blue and asked me to have dinner with him. It was like a scene from out of a movie.

Scanning through the remainder of the pictures, I found some old ones of my friends and me. Lily and Adam. I missed them dearly.

I didn't even call let them that I was back home, including Nancy. Nick would have been the only one that knew about the new arrangements.

Everything in the last few days happened so fast, my mind still couldn't catch up to where I was right now, back together with the man I love.

I powered the camera off, took out the disk, and placed it in my pocket. I wanted to develop the picture of us and find a frame for it later sometimes down the road.

My iPhone buzzed in my pocket as I walked in the hallway back to my room.

What are you doing? Henry texted.

Looking through some old things. What about you? I responded.

Thinking about you, he sent quickly back.

I smiled to myself. Good to know. I added a smiley face at the end. How was lunch with Nicholas?

It went great. We talked about a lot of things. It was nice to catch up with my old friend.

I'm happy to hear that. Are you coming home soon?

I'm outside already, he texted.

I looked out from one of the windows in our room and found Henry in his black suit and tie, leaning against the Mercedes-Benz as he stated up at me. He waved to me, and I waved back.

He typed something into his phone, and my phone suddenly rang with a call from him. "Why didn't you tell me you were already home?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Henry replied. "Is Nana home?"

"No, Patty's driver picked her up earlier to go somewhere. She didn't tell me exactly. Come inside."

"No, you come out."

"Why?"

"I made arrangements for us tonight?"

"With who?"

"Come out, and I'll tell you. I told them we'll be there around six for dinner. You have ten minutes to get ready." He hung up the call and smiled from where he stood.

Old friends? Did Henry mean Adam and Lily?

Five minutes later, I met Henry standing outside by the door, but the car was gone from the driveway. "Where's your car?"

"Larry already parked it inside the garage already. I was thinking that we can take the bus there."

Henry held out his hand, and I nodded in agreement, slipping my hand into his as we started walking out of the driveway to the gates.

"So who are we going to visit?"

"You remember Violet?"

"Of course." A big smile grew on my face as I tried to hold in my excitement.

"I thought you might want to see her and her mother."

"I do very much."

We waited on the bus top for ten minutes before the next bus arrived down the street. After paying for our fares, we chose open seats at the end of the bus.

"Why did you want to take the bus instead?" I asked.

"It's more fun this way. Don't you think?"

I smiled and giggled, directing my attention to the street outside of our neighborhood. "I do."

Henry's hand found mine, bringing them to rest on top of his leg as his fingers intertwined with mine. "How was your day?"

"Good. After I came home, I had breakfast with Nana, then I went to feed your Koi fishes. You know, you hardly ever feed them. Nana probably is the only one who feeds them. They were super hungry," I teased.

Henry lightly laughed. "Larry does feed them sometimes too when I'm away on business."

"Oh? I didn't know that. Larry must loved you a lot then."

"He does. Besides Nana, he's the only other person there for me growing up. He's just like a father to me. I don't know how they both dealt with me after all these years."

"It strikes me too." I earned a playful pout from Henry. "I was just joking. Anyways, how did your day go?"

"Good," he copied. "We might get to go to Vienna sooner than expected for our location opening there next month, since everything is moving smoothly and fast. If you think about, it'll be our first business trip together."

"Yes, it will be. I can't wait for it."

The bus driver drove on for another half hour before Henry pulled the signal for our stop at a nice suburb just outside of the city. There were a boutique shops and restaurants around the area. I wished we had more time to check them out.

He reached for me hand. "This way, hon. We're bringing dessert."

He led me inside a small bakery a few feet from the bus stop. Behind the glass were sweets and goodies of all kind: cupcakes, cookies, croissants, bread, and cakes of many designs and flavors.

The delightful image made me think of the coffee rolls that Nana taught me how to make, Henry's favorite. I had to ask Nana for the recipe again, so that I could make it for Henry one of these days.

My attention diverted over to Henry who was looking at the cakes. He pointed to a beautiful strawberry chocolate one, and the worker behind the counter placed it inside a white box.

"This one is Violet's favorite," Henry told me as I walked to his side while he was paying.

"How do you know?"

"She told me." He grabbed the paper bag from the counter.

"You've been keeping in touch with her?" I asked as we left the bakery and headed down the sidewalk.

Henry nodded. "I have. She always talks about you. Always asks me when I'm going to bring you to visit her. She's going to be ecstatic to see you today."

THANK YOU FOR READING!