Chapter 16 Forest
FOREST
Okay, this house was nothing like I’d ever seen.
When Sheldon told me Colleen was a witch and psychic, I expected to walk into a dark, spooky home.
That was what I got for having pop culture as a frame of reference.
Instead, I entered an airy place with plants scattered about, crystals in little nooks, and other trinkets placed just so.
I was sure there was a reason for every piece.
Fairy lights were strung throughout, bringing a whimsical touch to each room. The farther I went with her, the more I saw. It was a house obviously filled with love.
“Your home is beautiful,” I told her.
“Thank you. I worked hard to get it this way. Finding a place we loved in the woods was only the first step. Come meet my husband.”
Oleander’s father walked into the room and held his hand out. He had a kind smile and a gentle handshake. There was no posturing here to see how firm either of our grips was. There was no need for that. “You must be Forest. Welcome to our home.”
“Thank you for having me. You’re lucky to live out here. I wouldn’t have thought a place like this existed.”
“It didn’t until my wife put her touch on it. Everywhere she goes, magic follows.”
When I glanced at Colleen, her eyes were on her husband, and her face was soft with affection for him.
I couldn’t help turning to seek out Sheldon.
He wasn’t far behind me, leaning against a doorway, watching us.
There was the slightest smile on his lips.
For all the times I’d seen Sheldon show little to no emotion, it was nice to find him relaxed and happy.
I couldn’t fight the overwhelming urge to make him that happy one day.
A hum had me turning back to Colleen and Davis. They were both cheerfully looking our way.
“We’ve waited a long time for Shel to bring someone home,” Colleen said. “He wouldn’t have brought you here if you didn’t mean a lot to him.”
“The feeling is mutual,” I said. Sheldon had worked his way under my skin a while ago. It was me who held back, my uncertainty about being with a man, especially one who worked for a mafia boss.
“Come, let’s sit down to eat.”
Davis led the way to a dining room off the kitchen. This was an older home without an open floor plan. It worked though. Nothing felt out of date or like it should be remodeled. It was perfect as it was.
The table sat six, and there was a tall vase in the center with fresh-cut sunflowers in it. Around the base of the vase was a ring of leaves that had been carefully arranged to form a small wreath.
“Aren’t the sunflowers gorgeous?” Colleen asked as she set a side dish on the table. “Davis grows them. He has a green thumb. The man can keep anything alive. And because we’re retired, we have a lot of time on our hands, hence the beautiful setup.”
I glanced at Davis, who brought another dish into the dining room. He grinned, proud of what he’d made.
Then it hit me, standing in the dining room, watching Colleen and Davis set the table as they stole glances at one another, this was what parents should be like.
Hartley and I didn’t have that. Our dad passed away from cancer when we were young, and our mom died of an overdose two years after.
Pop did the best he could for us. We didn’t have meals like this though.
I wouldn’t trade the time we had with him for the world. What I still missed was what could have been if our mom had chosen a different road. If our dad hadn’t gotten sick.
A touch to my lower back startled me from my thoughts.
Sheldon was there, close enough that his arm went around my waist. “Hey, what happened?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head. A tear had slipped down my cheek. Colleen and Davis were no longer in the room. “I loved Pop, but we never had anything like this.” I gestured in front of us.
“It’s something, isn’t it? Now you know why I would leave my house and go to Ollie’s to sleep.
There is love and warmth with them. It draws you in and makes you belong.
Like you, I didn’t have this at home. We can have it now though.
Colleen likes to remind me the past belongs in the past. There’s no need to bring it into the present or future.
” Dwelling on what could have or should have been wouldn’t do any good.
“She’s smart.”
“She is.”
They came back a moment later with the rest of the dinner.
“Okay in here?” she asked.
“Yes, sorry about that.” I didn’t mean to get emotional. That one snuck up on me.
“Never apologize for what you feel. Are you hungry? We don’t have to eat yet. I can put this in the oven to stay warm.”
“I am.” I didn’t want her to go to any trouble, but I was starving.
On the table were various foods to choose from. There was a white bean and quinoa dish, Caesar salad, what looked like fresh bread, filets of fish, a tomato mozzarella dish with a balsamic dressing drizzled on it, and grilled vegetables. It wasn’t over the top, but it didn’t need to be.
I thought Colleen might ask me about my past, my job, or really anything, but she kept the conversation on stories of Sheldon and Oleander while we ate.
I loved hearing them. It took the pressure off me having to talk about myself.
Sheldon didn’t seem to mind the stories.
I was content to sit back and listen. Every one of them was happy.
I had a feeling Colleen did a lot of that for him, made sure to highlight the positive.
Sheldon dealt with enough horrible times when he was younger and saw enough terrible shit as an adult.
He also inflicted it; however, I wasn’t going there.
After we finished eating and taking the dishes to the kitchen—Colleen wouldn’t hear of us helping clean up—we went outside into their backyard, which I swore was right out of a book.
Fairy lights hung on the trees. There was a deck with stairs that led to a stone path, which brought us to an area with a firepit and seating around it.
I was wrapped in another world, especially when Davis lit the fire and we sat around it.
Colleen brought out the ingredients for s’mores. We each got a skewer for our marshmallows. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had such an amazing night.
When it was time to put the toasted marshmallow on the graham cracker with the chocolate, I was a little kid again, but we weren’t making them in the microwave.
The moan I let out at the taste made me blush.
At least the sun was setting, and my pink cheeks weren’t as obvious.
Of course, Sheldon caught the sound and winked at me.
He fucking winked.
I was going to melt into the damn chair.
If I had known being with a man would be like this, I would have done it sooner.
Then again, I wouldn’t be with Sheldon as I am now if I’d done that.
Every part of my life, good or bad, brought me to this moment and this man.
I didn’t think another would be like Sheldon. He was unique and so damn special.
He leaned close to whisper, “If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to lick the chocolate from your lips and feed it back to you.”
“Jesus,” I whispered. We hadn’t really kissed yet. Sure, a brush of the lips here or there, but nothing with tongue and nothing that made my knees buckle. Oh, how I wanted that.
Focusing on the fire, I toasted another marshmallow, deciding to leave the tiny bit of chocolate on my lips. I wouldn’t be the only one tempted here. If we were alone, I might just crawl onto his lap and let him do what he’d said.
I desired Sheldon down to my very core. And I was a different person with him, a better one, someone I never let myself be with a lover, even though we hadn’t gone there yet. I always stuck to the roles I thought I should be in. With him, I wanted to do what was natural.
We stayed outside and talked for hours. Colleen would slide in little tidbits about Sheldon’s spirit guides or what she saw for him. It wasn’t overly detailed, more like nudges. So, I couldn’t help but ask…
“Do you see anyone with me?”
“You’d like me to read for you?”
“Maybe? I’m not sure. Can I dip my toes in and find out if I have spirit guides?”
“Honey, we all do. They are always with us.”
My voice shook. “My parents or Pop?”
“Do you want to know?”
I nodded.
“Come inside with me. We’ll leave these two out here.”
Colleen led me back into the house. We sat in the living room, and she lit a white candle. “I’m just going to see who you have with you. Sometimes readings can be emotional. I don’t read for others outside of family and close friends.”
“You don’t have to for me,” I was quick to say. I didn’t want to put her out.
“Nonsense. You make Shel smile. I’m more than happy to do this.” Colleen closed her eyes and whispered what sounded like a prayer. To who? I wasn’t sure. When she opened them again, she watched me for a moment before describing a woman I remembered more from photos than from memory.
“My mom,” I whispered.
“She’s with you, Forest. She gives you signs she’s around. Does the number twenty-five mean anything to you?”
“I was born on the twenty-fifth of May.”
“What about robins?”
“I remember there was a nest of them outside of my bedroom when I was little, before my mom went downhill. I used to watch them for hours. Sometimes she’d come in and sit with me. We’d talk about nothing or she’d softly sing a lullaby.”
“She sends you robins sometimes.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You wouldn’t have, but now you’ll notice them. She’s proud of you, Forest, of you and your brother.”
Tears began rolling down my cheeks. I had a complicated relationship with her. I was angry for a while for her choosing drinking and drugs over my brother and me. But I still missed her.
“I wish things had been different,” I said brokenly.
“I know you do. Look at you now though. You’re doing well, you’re healthy, and you have a man who adores you.”
A watery chuckle slid past my lips. “I still find that hard to believe. Sheldon’s the first man I’ve been attracted to.”
“You chose well.”
Colleen and I spoke a little more about my mom before she closed out the reading with another prayer.
She told me she could do it again if and when I was ready.
Then she offered me a hug, which I eagerly accepted.
More tears fell as she held me, but a part of me was lighter for it.
Maybe it really was time to let go of the past.