Forever My Love Ch. 03

"Really?" David gasped, feeling like he was finally able to breathe. He carefully put the ring on his finger and it fit so perfectly. It looked so beautiful on him, like it was made for him. "Perfect! Now I can make you mine as soon as possible."

He rose and pulled him into a tight hug before he locked his lips with his. The kiss was passionate, sweet and heavenly. Ben felt like he was cloud 9 and he didn't wanna let him go. No one had made him feel so happy and alive before. He wanted to seize that moment. The feel of David's lips dancing on his was magical.

That night, they made love, sweet love that he enjoyed. Ben felt safe in David's arms... he felt loved... he felt accepted and he felt blessed. The man was so gentle that he forgot about the initial pain. He was now just in bliss.

Their lives began, though with lots of challenges, they survived. They got married a few weeks later although it was just the two of them with the initiating minister. That had been one of his most special moments.

***

"There's your baby." The doctor said with a smile.

Ben's eyes were fixed on the screen the entire time, watching the movements his baby was making. He still couldn't believe that there was a life growing inside of him. It felt like a big dream, a fiction that his mind had made to make him escape the pain that David had caused him.

"Its growing healthy and I am sure that it is just as excited as you are to come out to the world." The beautiful nurse commented, smiling at him. She held his hand the entire time. "In just a few weeks, you'll be holding your baby."

Ben's hand robotically moved to hold his big tummy, moving his hand all over it. He was 7 months and a few days gone and he couldn't still believe that was possible. A few months back, he had been told he was dying of cancer but his life had changed. He felt his baby kick and tears automatically began running down his face.

"Wow!" He chuckled in tears. "Wow! I can feel it move."

"Yeah!" The doctor smiled, as he printed out the picture and handed it over to him. "That's a sign that your baby is healthy and can't wait to meet you. You're a very lucky boy, Ben, and I am so proud of you. No one with Persistent Mullerian Duct Syndrome has ever been able to do such a thing and even if they got pregnant, it got terminated within a few weeks of conception.

I must confess that I was pretty worried when you decided to keep the pregnancy. I was worried that it might turn malignant but you proved that keeping this child was a very good decision. You're gonna be a very good dad."

Ben nodded and the doctor left. He got off the bed and wiped the gel off his belly, putting on an oversized shirt since that was all he could wear.

"Are you ready to be a dad soon?" The beautiful nurse asked.

Ben smiled. "I've never been so ready for anything my entire life. This child will be the source of my happiness and I will grow love it with my entire strength. I will work so hard to provide everything."

"I know you will." She held his hand and squeezed it. "The past few months I have been with you, I've seen how strong you've become. It hasn't been easy for you and I am so happy seeing you smile." She paused and stared at him for a long time. "What about the child's father? Do you plan on involving him or telling him anything?"

Ben remained quiet for some time before he shook his head.

"No! He already moved on and married someone else." His voice was low. "He's happy with his new life. He doesn't wanna do anything with me and I am pretty sure he is sure I am now dead. That's why he left, because I was just a burden to him. I wouldn't blame him though." He chuckled bitterly. "Guess luxuries proved to be more important than love.

As soon as my baby is born, I am gonna so far away, to a place where I know we're gonna be safe. I don't want my child to know anything."

She moved closer and took his hand in his.

"You're an amazing boy. Ten, twenty years from now, you'll look at your past and just think that it was a very bad dream."

"I know I will."

"Good!" She enthused, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, I have got a gift for you."

Ben followed her to his room and found a beautiful swinging crib. It was a gift from him for her. He loved it so much and he hugged her, thanking her for the gift. He had gotten a few things for the child but none as beautiful as that crib. He knew his child was gonna love it.

If only he knew...

***

Present day...

*

The ache in Ben's chest could not relent. It burned without end as though to remind him of his loss. He didn't know how long he had been in there. It could have been minutes, damn, even hours. He didn't even realize that Gustavo and Carlos had entered the room. The lights had been turned on but his darkness was so strong he didn't even realize it.

"Ben!" Carlos whispered, kneeling in front of him. "What's wrong? I thought today was supposed to be a very happy day for you. You launched the brand in the name of your day and it was a huge success. I don't think wallowing in your sadness is the way to go about it."

"He's right." Gustavo agreed. "Look at you right now. You haven't been yourself."

Ben slowly moved his head and stared at Carlos.

"It was meant to be, but my past can't allow me to be happy." His voice was dull and distant. "I thought I was strong enough to confront my past but after my encounter with him today, seeing all of them, I realized that I am not."

Carlos frowned. "What are you talking about? Whom did you have an encounter with?"

Ben's mouth shook.

"Leah's father."

"What?" Both Gustavo and Carlos screamed in shock, their eyes widening.

"How's that possible?" Gustavo was confused. "And why didn't you say anything? Who is this man? Do I know him?"

Ben rose from the floor and walked to the window, staring outside. He didn't know what he was feeling or how it could be made better.

"Ben?" Carlos followed him. "You can't just keep us in the dark. This man is the reason why you're this way. Tell me right now who this bastard is and I swear, he's gonna get it from me. That idiot took your smile away and made you miserable."

Ben's chest felt hollow. Nausea churned his stomach and he rubbed the back of his crossed arms gently.

"Ben!" Carlos yelled. "You gotta talk right now because I am not gonna let this go. This bastard once again ruined what was supposed to be a beautiful night for you. I will..."

"There is no need." Ben said, his fingers digging into his arms. "I don't think it matters anymore and..."

"Who is it?" He demanded. "Now!"

"David!" He said, his lips trembling. His eyes rimmed with tears. "David Paola!"

"What?" Gustavo gasped, feeling his heart hammer in his chest. "David is your ex? He is your child's father?"

Ben nodded softly. "Yes!"

"Bastard!" Carlos snarled, clenching his fists at his side. "That stupid son of a bitch. And he just stood there and pretended everything was okay. Why didn't you say anything? I would have kicked his teeth in and..."

"It doesn't matter." He sniveled. "He doesn't remember anything. I don't know how but he couldn't remember me. He didn't know who I was and... I... I am glad he doesn't. It seems he's suffering from some memory loss. I had an encounter with his husband, my brother."

"Wait! What?" Carlos screamed. "Jim was at the party too? Oh my God! How could I have not known?"

"Everyone was there." His voice was barely above a whisper. "My father, his wife... everyone."

"Oh my God!" Gustavo was beyond shocked. He moved closer to Ben and rested his hand on his shoulder. "I am so sorry, son, so very sorry. Please forgive me. This would not have happened if I had not sent an invitation to Mrs. Paola.

My child." He moved his hand and rubbed his tears. "You've sacrificed a lot for this company and my family, and I couldn't even do something to make sure that this night turned out great for you. I messed up and invited everyone that caused you so much pain."

"You wouldn't have known." He couldn't control his tears. They flowed like a fountain of water. "I didn't tell you anything about him or his family."

"I know, but I still would have been more careful. You sacrificed a lot for him and your family." He sniveled. "But now, you have a new family that loves you and cherishes you. All I want is to see you happy. Now it's my turn to take care of you. I will not accept the business proposal because you're very important to me and I wanna see you smile again without any obstacles. Don't cry."

Ben nodded and wrapped his arms around Gustavo. As his arms wrapped around him, tears flowed more freely. In that moment, there in his arms, he felt safe.

***

'Now you listen to me. I don't want you near Jim. Don't ever come close to my son. He doesn't deserve someone like you.'

'You know that you're my strength, papa. You're the only one that I have left. If you punish me so harshly then I don't know what I will do. You didn't even get to hear my side of the story.'

Jerome weakly walked into his house, feeling as if the flashbacks he was having were draining his energy. He hadn't spoken a word since he had seen Ben, not one. He kept on remembering what he had said to him that night, the last day he had seen his face.

He went to the living room and sat with his face between his palms. He had tears in his eyes... his hands were shaking and the thunderous headache he was experiencing was from out of this world. It was haunting his very existence.

'I don't want you anywhere near Jim. I don't care what you do from now onwards and I don't care where you go but stay away from him. And your rights have been revoked. You won't be able to enjoy the same rights as him.'

He sniveled and rubbed his tears, taking his phone out. He dialed a number and it didn't take long before the man on the other end answered.

"Hello!"

"I need you to do something for me." He said desperately. "I need some information on someone."

"Anything for you, sir! Just tell me the name of the person."

"My son!" He said abruptly. "Ben Henandez, currently working in..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his phone was snatched away from him. When he raised his head, he found Elena staring down at him with so much anger. Her fists were clenched and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. She looked like she'd just escaped a predator.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" She snapped, shaking her head. "Did I just hear you say you wanna find out about that boy? After everything that he made us pass through years ago. What the hell, Jerome."

"Give me my phone, Elena!" He snarled, holding out his hand. "I have something very important..."

"Important?" She chuckled bitterly, raising an eyebrow. "Since when did that boy become important to you?"

"He's my son!" He screamed, rising from the couch angrily.

A look of great bitterness swept across Elena's face. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Your son?" Her voice was loud. "Have you forgotten what he did six years ago? Have you forgotten that he almost destroyed Jim's happiness? Have you forgotten how he chose to run away with your son's fiancé six years ago? And let me remind you that you disowned him. You had cut all ties with him so what's this drama all about?"

Jerome took a harsh breath, trying to fight his pain. But it sheeted right through him like knife on butter.

"What has changed, huh?" She added, clenching her teeth.

"My fatherly instincts kicked in." He said under his breath. "Seeing Ben again after so many years made me realize a lot of things. No matter what Ben had done, I shouldn't have talked to him the way I did. I shouldn't have said those hurtful words to him.

Six years." He sobbed. "I don't know what happened to him the last six years, the pain he's been through, where he went or how he was doing."

"And I am supposed to care about that?" Her muscles grew tense and her face got red. "I am warning you, Jerome, don't make the same mistake again. You already left your family for that whore years ago and you caused me so much pain. Don't forget how that turned out the last time. We're happy and we don't need any more drama."

"You're happy." He chuckled bitterly, rubbing his tears off. "But I have not been at peace the last couple of days. I need to set things right with my son and that's the only way I will ever be at peace."

With those words, he stormed out of there and went upstairs.

"Jerome, come back here!" Elena screamed, veins bulging in her neck. "Get the fuck back here. I am still talking to you."

But he was gone. In anger, she took her favorite vase from the table and threw it on the floor. It broke into pieces but she didn't give a hoot. Her head was spinning and threatening to explode. She breathed so fast that she thought she was gonna pass out.

"No!" She let out a growl of annoyance. "I won't let this happen."

What was going on?

***

"Mr. Martinez." David said excitedly, rising from the chair when he saw him coming towards him.

Gustavo was with his son and they both looked amazing in black suits.

"Mr. Paola."

Both men shook each other's hands, smiling although deep inside, Gustavo wasn't as happy as he showed. He so much wanted to punch the young man but he knew that he had to act professional.

"I hope we didn't keep you waiting for long." Gustavo apologized. "We got caught up in traffic."

"Not at all."

David led the two men to his table where his mother and husband were seated, smiling at the two men. They sat comfortably and David asked if they wanted anything to drink anything but neither of them was there for that.

"Anyways, I am not gonna waste your time here." Gustavo started. "You're a very famous businessman, especially your mother. Your companies are known far and wide and your reputation supersedes you. I am just a little curious as to why you're interested in my chocolate company."

David chuckled, clearing his throat.

"Well, I am not gonna lie to you, Mr. Martinez, you're a big fish." He joked, making Gustavo laugh sheepishly. "Your company is a very big and it would be an honor to be part of its greatness. But if you had asked me this question two days ago, I would have told you that I had no interest in doing any business with your company. It never even crossed my mind."

He wore a beautiful smile as the image of the gorgeous boy played in his head. His heart started beating fast and he felt so overpowered but what he didn't understand or he could explain.

"But like someone said, we all need chocolate in our lives, as sweet as the love between parents and their children." He looked at Gustavo and the man smiled sheepishly. "Children love chocolate and I can testify to that. I have a five-year-old son at home who simply loves chocolate and just the idea of being part of this company excited me for his sake."

Gustavo and Carlos glanced at each other. It was obvious what was in their minds but they didn't wanna show it.

"I know he would be thrilled and he would wanna be part of that. Preparing for our children's future begins now and who knows..." He shrugged. "...he might one day grow up to be a great chocolatier."

'Oh God!' Gustavo thought, trying his best not to look bothered. 'What's going on here? David has a son, a five-year-old child which means that while Ben lost his precious child, these two had one. This news would devastate Ben if he found out and having this child at our company would be a slap to his face. No matter what, I have to protect Ben at all costs. He shouldn't find out about this. And even if he will, it shouldn't be now.'

Gustavo cleared his throat.

"That's very good, I am glad that you're thinking about your child."

"Yeah!" David nodded. "Even if it isn't about that, I am curious. I wanna know how to make chocolate myself. What better way than to learn from the best, right?"

"Yeah!" Gustavo chuckled nervously. "I understand." He cleared his throat and wore a stern face. "I am gonna be frank with you, Mr. Paola, you're an amazing businessman and I would love to work with you. But you see, I cannot accept your business proposal for personal reasons."

There was a sudden gush of adrenaline when Jim heard the news, feeling him with so much energy. His heart began racing and he became so excited. He glanced at his mother-in-law who had a grin on her face. Both of them knew that they had won already.

"What?" David gasped, losing the smile on his face. "But... I thought..."

"What?" Claudia gasped in astonishment. "But Mr. Martinez, I thought we understood each other. This is very important for my son. He just explained that to you and..."

"I know, Mrs. Paola..." He sighed. He didn't know how to explain. "...but I just cannot accept your proposal and I cannot tell you the reason. However, I would have loved to work with you and..."

"Welcome to Juan Martinez Chocolate Hive!" A voice spoke, a distance from where they sat.

Everyone abruptly moved their eyes to the direction of the voice and saw him standing there, staring at the table. He looked breathtaking beautiful in a black and white attire with his hair tied in a ponytail. David's stomach immediately contracted into a tight ball and he felt a sudden stab of anxiety in his gut. He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers as the boy got closer, his nerves betraying him in tiny droplets of perspiration, a visible sign of his inner unease.

Ben walked towards them with a smile. He didn't miss the shock on Jim and Claudia's face, but he loved it like that.

"I thought..."

"It's okay." Ben reassured, staring into the man's handsome face. "Mr. Martinez only refused your offer because he didn't have a discussion with me. And honestly, I have refused all of the offers in the past so I am sure that he thought I'd refuse this one too. But I wouldn't mind working with a very reputable company."

David's heart pounded like a wild drum, the rapid beats reverberating through his chest as adrenaline surged through his veins fueling his anticipation.

"Wow!" He gasped, literally covering his mouth in excitement. Guess I am very lucky. It will be an honor to work with you, Mr..." He paused, waiting for Ben to finish.

Ben glanced at Jim who stared at him wide eyed, his face pale. He knew the moment Ben opened his mouth, it was gonna be over.

"Ben!" He said with a mocking smile. "You can call me Ben, Mr. Paola."

"David!" He extended his hand excitedly. "My name is David. Mr. Paola makes me seem like an old man."

"David!"

Ben extended his hand and shook David's. The moment their hands touched, David felt something again just like at the party, a connection that he couldn't explain. It was more than a handshake for David. It meant something that he couldn't understand. His heart was racing and he felt like he was on fire.

"Ahem!" Carlos cleared his voice, getting the two out of the day dream.

Ben withdrew his hand, leaving the man yearning for more of that touch. Carlos smiled and pulled Ben close to him, giving him a tight hug.

"What do you think you're doing?" He whispered, pretending to kiss his cheek. "We're doing this for you and now you just allowed him into the company."

"I know." Ben chuckled, kissing his cheek back. "But I have my reasons for doing what I am doing. You will soon understand."

He pulled away and smiled at Carlos, taking a seat beside him. He didn't miss the yearning eyes from the man that sat across the table and the murderous eyes that the two devils were giving him. But he didn't care.

"Mr. Martinez, please, make me understand something." Claudia said with a raised eyebrow. "How is it that you told us that you cannot accept our proposal but this boy here just opposed you. I thought you were the owner of the company. I don't mean to be ungrateful but the Gustavo that I have heard of is a man that rules his empire with an iron fist. Since when did he start accepting orders from little boys?" She asked, eyeing Ben from head to toe in disgust.