Love You Forever

As they shoveled the last of the dirt over the fresh grave, and laid the flower left my mourners over the loose mound, she stood there, watching, disbelieving. A soft rain began to fall, as if compensating for the tears she could no longer cry. In the back of her mind she half expected him to pull up in his beat up old ford pick up truck to collect her and take her home. But the truck was a write off, a crumpled mass of twisted metal, and he would never be pulling up to take her anywhere ever again.

It should have been a wonderful night, a night filled with romance and promise, everything should have been perfect. Now he was gone and with him her hopes and dreams. An engagement ring had been found in his pocket and he had told his mates to wish him luck. She would have said yes. Yes to spending the rest of her life with him, yes to having his children, yes to loving him forever. She would still love him forever, his ring on her finger where his family had insisted it belonged, but there would never be a wedding, or babies, or a chance at a happy life.

Crumpling to the ground, she began to sob, digging her fingers into the red mud that covered the man she loved. Slamming her fist into the slush, all of her emotions let loose in an uncontrollable flood.

"Brody, how could you do this to me? How could you leave me? I love you, how could you leave me alone? I cooked your favorite dinner, everything was perfect. I was going to say yes Brody. How could you leave when I was going to say yes?"

She had no idea how long she had laid there, crying, wet and covered in mud. A pair of warm hands embraced her shoulders and coaxed her to her feet, but her sobbing had rendered her exhausted and her knees buckled beneath her. Strong arms lifted her, carrying her to the front seat of a car she had never seen before, and wrapped her in a blanket. Her mind was as numb as her body as she sat there not knowing who he was or where he was taking her. In the back of her mind she feared the worst, her shredded heart wishing for it.

Emma didn't remember arriving at her mothers, or being carried from the car, the first realization of being at her mothers home was when her mother helped her into a hot bath, gently washing her face and telling her it was going to take time, but everything would be fine. She wished somehow that she could believe her, but it didn't seem possible. To Emma Christian, life was over.

Her dreams were filled with one nightmare after another. Images of Brody's truck rolling over into the ditch, his body hanging lifeless through the shattered windscreen. Another might like this and she would begin to doubt her sanity could hold together. The images faded she was left with a mist that seemed to swirl and dance around in her head. Somewhere in the fog, an image was taking shape, forming, solidifying, and coming towards her with slow deliberate movements. She knew that walk, that face, that smile and those eyes. It was Brody. She reached out for him; tried desperately to hold him, but the closer she got, the more he faded back into the mist. She stopped reaching and began to cry. Even in her dreams life wasn't fair.

"Emmy. Emmy sweetheart. Don't cry. I haven't left you; I will never leave you. Have faith my darling. I will love you forever."

The sound of his voice was so real, so comforting. She reached for him again, and both Brody and the mist were gone, all that was left now was the darkness.

It was ten a.m. before her mother roused her from her restless slumber, insisting she come and eat something. The last thing she really wanted was eat, but at this point she would do just about anything to shut her mother up and make her happy. She sat the table, staring blankly at her food and making swirling patters in her eggs with the end of her fork. There was a knock at the door but she didn't even bother to lift her head to see who was there.

"Hello Emmy." She froze where she sat. She knew that voice all to well. Her heart leapt with sudden joy.

"Brody?" she spun around expecting to find the last few days had been nothing but a bad dream and Brody had come to collect her and take her home. But the man before her now was not Brody, she didn't know who he was, but there was something about is voice, his eyes, the way he was smiling. She shook her head, trying to regain some control over reality. He mothers coughed a little politely.

"Emma, this is Jake Fern, he brought you here yesterday from the cemetery. He just popped by to see if you were ok."

Emma eyed the man a little closer. He was a complete stranger, and yet there was something about him that was so familiar. Brody was the only one who ever called her Emmy, and those eyes. She looked at her plate, biting her bottom lip in thought.

"Thank you for your kindness Jake, I was not myself yesterday. My mother made me this great breakfast, but I just can't bring myself to eat it. I so much hate wasted food, would you like it?"

His smile broadened and became even more familiar. Taking the chair on the opposite side of the table to Emma, he reached for her plate and utensils.

"Well, I too would hate to see such good food go to waist, and I did miss breakfast, I don't suppose you would have any soy sauce for the eggs?" He raised an eyebrow at her as he stuffed a piece of bacon into his mouth. Her mouth dropped open, stunned. Brody always had soy sauce on his eggs. She was beginning to think her own thoughts were crazy, there was so many things about this guy that reminded her of Brody, but that simply wasn't possible, Brody was dead. Jake finished the eggs, cutting his eggs into five thin strips and mopping up the remainder of the sauce. Brody always did that. It was too much. He smiled at her, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and pushing the empty plate back.

"Emmy, I know your going through a lot of emotional stuff right now. I lost my wife a year ago and my world fell apart, but if there is anyway that I can help you, I want you to let me know. Never hesitate to ask for my help. I have been where you are and I might be able to help you get through it a little easier. And now that I have delivered my speech, would you mind if I picked you up at seven for dinner? I hate to eat alone and it might help you to get out. Providing of course you like Italian food."

Italian was her favorite; it was just uncanny that he could be so much like Brody.

"Well, I guess. If you like, you can pick my up from my place at seven, but nothing fancy. It's not a date, just dinner and company." He gave her a warm smile, a smile that was so like; no, she had to stop thinking like that. This man was not Brody and he could never replace him. The resemblance was nothing more than posttraumatic stress on her part. He chucked a little, writing down her address and saying he would see her then. Even the way he laughed and waved; she shook her head, trying to rattle lose come sense.

At home she showered, took another short nap and tried in vein not to look for things in Jake that were familiar to Brody. She had only known Jake for an hour at her mothers, and yet there was something about the way he found her, the things he did and said. Brody had said he would always be there for her. Maybe he still was, but in what capacity? The thoughts were still floating around in the front of her mind when the doorbell rang.

Jake was dressed casual, but neat. His sandy blond hair flicked back in an almost rugged style; he was quite a good-looking guy. Emma picked up her purse and closed the front door behind her without inviting him in. she barely said a word as they drove to the restaurant, which turned out to be her favorite pizza place. Another coincidence? She was really beginning to doubt it. When he ordered for her, ordering her preference of toppings, she was almost sure there was more to this man than met the eye. She had to know.

"Who are you Jake." Sipping his beer he raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm Jake Fern, attorney at law." She shook her head.

"Either you have been spying on me for years, or there is a connection between you and Brody."

"How could there be a connection between me and your deceased fiancée? I never met the guy. But I would guess that if he attracted a lady like you into his life, he must have been one hell of a guy."

"Yes, Yes he was." They ate the remainder of the meal with very little conversation, but her eyes didn't leave him for a second. There were so many little things that were so much like Brody, but the time desert came, she was all but convinced this man was Brody. There was of course one sure way to find out.

After they finished at the pizza place she invited him back to her place, picking up some beer and a bottle of wine on the way. They sat together, watching the television and drinking quietly, neither one knowing quite how to act with the other, or quite what to say. Emma couldn't stand it any longer, she had to know. Standing to turn off the television, she returned to the couch, straddling Jake's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly. He was obvious stunned by her actions, but she pressed her finger to his lips and hushed him as she kissed him again. He might not have been Brody, but for one night he was the closest she was ever going to get, and she need him so very badly.

Jake seemed to understand her need, hooking his hands under her ass, lifting her as he stood, their mouth never breaking the connection, he carried her to her bedroom. With four bedrooms in the house, he seemed to know exactly which one was hers and where to find it, kicking the door open and laying her back on the bed. The dress she had worn was Brody's favorite, with a funny latch at the back that had taken him weeks to master. Jake reached around and released the latch with ease, sliding her dress off her shoulders so that fabric would not impede his soft kisses.

His kisses sent a shudder through her body and she moaned softly. Brody was the only one who had ever made her feel that way, ever kissed her like that. His left hand cupped her breast, squeezing and fondling, while his right supported her head, his mouth locked to hers in another searching, heated kiss. Their needs seemed to be almost desperate, both torn apart by grief and loss, both needing the touch and comfort of anther human being.

He pulled her dress down even more, his hungry mouth seeking out her tender flesh, devouring her like a starving animal. She lifted her body to allow her dress to be pulled away more easily, her breasts falling free, her chest heaving with lust and the desperate need for release. Lifting himself from her, he pulled his shirt off over his head, not bothering with the buttons, his finger's fumbling with the buckle of his belt in his haste. Almost violently he pulled the belt free of his pants, undoing the clips and pushing them down his legs. His underclothing hit the floor at his feet at the same time as his pants, kicked aside in an untidy pile against the wall.

He could not wait to take her, pulling her panties free of her body and sliding himself over her, his mouth hungry for the taste of her feminine juices and the warmth of her tender womanhood. With a powerful tongue, he licked and sucked, pushing and probing, lapping up all she had to offer, his strong hands cupping the cheeks of her ass as he lifter her harder against his mouth.

His cock throbbed, crying out with a need of it's own that he knew he could not deny for much longer. Slowly, tenderly, he kissed his way up her body, his mouth finding hers in a hot and passionate kiss. Her legs wrapped around him, drawing him closer, squeezing him against her until he pushed his cock into her with slow deliberate strokes.

Emma cried out at the welcome intrusion to her body, opening her hot center to take him deep into herself, wanting more and more of him. When he lifted her legs over his shoulders and pounded against her tender cervix, she began to sob with yet another bittersweet memory. That was the position she and Brody had liked best and that he would do that now confirmed in her mind that he was Brody. Looking up at the man who was expertly mastering her body, driving his hard prick into her like only one man could, his face changed for just a heart beat, but it was enough.

"Brody, I love you." Her eyes welling up with bitter sweet tears.

Without breaking his rhythm, he whispered,

"I love you too Emmy Baby. Please don't cry baby." She was bobbing in both relief and disbelief.

"But how? How could it be you." He stopped pounding into her, rolling over and drawing her over on top of him with his cock still buried deep inside her.

"I could not leave without saying goodbye. I have this one night to make it right, let's make it count my love." She almost laughed with joy. One Night. Why could it not be forever? She dared not question it lest this one night be taken away. She could feel him hard and deep within her, making a little comment that this body he's chosen wasn't half bad, but his previous body had a bigger dick. He laughed and it was unmistakably him. With renewed vigor, she began to ride him, lifting herself up and down on his cock while he bucked and pushed beneath her. They were in heaven at that moment, joined together as only lovers could be, riding the waves of their combined passion and love.

Emmy cried out, arching her back and shaking her head wildly. She was multi orgasmic, one of the things he loved most about making love to her, she was always wild in release. He could feel her body shuddering and convulsing as she came over and over again, her hot pussy squeezing his shaft in pulsing spasms of pleasure, and he groaned, hot jets of his salty seed injecting deep inside her. He reached for her, holding her to him and kissing her softly. A small tear that she could not see ran from the corner of his eye and down over his cheek.

"I will always love you Emmy, and I will be back in your arms again very soon." With a start she realized what was happening. He was leaving her. She clung to him with all of her might, desperately trying to keep him there, to keep him in her embrace where he belonged. Sobbing, she pressed her mouth to his in a desperate kiss.

"No baby. No. Please don't leave me, I need you so badly. Please, no." Very gently her rolled her from his body and kissed her forehead, wiping a tear from her face as he looked deep into her eyes.

"I wont be gone long Darling. I'll be back with you before you know it. Sleep now my precious love, sleep and rest easy knowing that I will love you, now and forever." He kissed her right eyelid, and then her left, the image of him fading as sleep came to claim her.

Nine months later to the day, Emma lay alone in her bed, rubbing her hand over her swollen belly, feeling the new life that was created in that one magical night with the spirit of the man she loved. Sleep would not come, and she was growing restless, the discomfort in her lower back beginning to bother her more and more until at last she could lay there no more. Rolling over and swinging one leg over the edge of the bed, she felt something with in her give way and a gush of clear fluids ran down her leg, followed by a sharp wave of pain. It was time. Reaching for the phone, she was about to call her mother when another pain rocked her body, hardly three minutes after the first. There was another, and another, and she realized there was no time to call her mother, she called for an ambulance instead.

Wave after wave of contracting pain rocked her body as she lay back on the bed, realizing that the front door was locked and there was no way for the paramedics to get to her. The thirty steps to the front door were the most excruciating of her life, but she reached it just as the paramedic was about to knock. Opening to door, she found herself looking straight into the face of the man whose body she had made love to nine months earlier. She knew at once Brody was not within, the eyes were not his, nor was the smile, but his arms were just as tender as she collapsed into them.

As he handed her the new life that she and Brody had created, she looked into the tiny eyes of her son and smiled. She knew those eyes, that smile, and as his tiny hand gripped her finger for the first time, she was sure she saw a glimmer of recognition in his sweet little face.

"Welcome back Brody." There was gladness in her heart as she looked up to see the paramedic smiling at her. That he was here was only right and she wondered if he knew that this child was a product of his body as well. Somehow, she suspected he did.

"Thank you for your help. My name is Emma, and this is Brody." Reaching out and brushing the hair back from her face, he smiled.

"It was a pleasure to help. My name's Jake, and it's nice to meet you both Emmy. Very nice indeed."

Some how Emma knew that this was just how it was supposed to be, and she was happy. Now she had two men she could love forever, and that was just as it should be.