A Valentine's Day Dream Come True

Last month I posted about the too-often-true story of a romance gone bad. Now, with Valentine's Day upon us, I thought I'd pass along the story of the same broken-hearted lover two years later, happier than he'd dreamed he could be with the BFF of his childhood.

What is true love? He's learned it's not just hot sex and party time--not for long. He's suffered heartache and despair and come out wiser. He's rediscovered friendship and shared interests with the woman who's no longer a little neighbor girl...and together they've found their friendship has morphed into something more. After a lot of soul-searching he's realized he'd trust her with his life, after going through a time when the only woman he could trust was his own mother. He's discovered the best kind of passion grows from friendship and trust, where before he'd been ruled by mindless lust.

So...it's the day before Valentine's Day and he has a ring in his pocket. The spicy-sweet smell of two dozen American Beauty roses surrounds him as he stands at his best friend's door, vase in hand. His pulse accelerates when she appears, her smile welcoming him and her eyes twinkling with anticipation. He wonders how could he ever have thought of this gorgeous creature as his buddy--practically another sister?

He makes a living by persuading others but suddenly he's at a loss for words. He thrusts the vase of roses at her. "Here. The florist said these signify love and passion."

"You shouldn't have, but I love them. Come on in," she says, accepting the flowers.

Are those tears he sees welling up in her eyes? She's never looked so beautiful, and he's never loved another woman one tenth as much. She sets the roses on the table and sits beside him on the couch. A tear rolls down her cheek, and strangely that gives him courage.

"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart." Dare he say it? The words hadn't escaped his lips for so long, and so many hurts had followed that first commitment. He had to. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She laughed as though she didn't want to put more importance on the word. "We've loved each other since we were five years old, haven't we?"

"Yeah. But not always the way I love you now. My little guy loves you, too." In for a penny, in for a pound. "I want you to marry me." Taking her hand, he reached in his pocket, brought out the ring and slid it on her finger. "Please."

Would she ever say yes and put him out of his misery? For the longest time she just stared at her hand, seemingly mesmerized by the flash of the heart-shaped diamond he'd picked out just for her. "Oh, yes." She broke into a dazzling smile. "Did you know I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember?"

He let out the breath he'd been holding and took her in his arms. "I may not always have been very smart, but I finally wised up. You're the woman I've always wanted. I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize it."

And so, the two lived happily ever after, after all, and his little boy found a stable home full of love and laughter! Happy Valentine's Day, everybody.

For a heartwarming reunion Quickie set around the lovers' holiday, check out my latest, IRRESISTIBLE...AGAIN, available now from Ellora's Cave, Amazon.com, or ARebooks.

What makes a real HEA so elusive?

As a romance writer, I love the fantasy of happily ever after, or at least happily for now. Sometimes, though, it bothers me to see the stark reality of broken romances that began with all the hope in the world for a lifetime of love and commitment.

What's the culprit that puts so many relationships on the rocks? Is it modern society or human frailty, or vision at the beginning through starry eyes and rose-colored glasses that don't let the parties recognize potential problems?

Take this fictional, fractured relationship that's too much like ones that happen every day. Why did it go wrong? Was it that they were too young, too irresponsible? Were they in too much of a hurry to leap into a relationship before knowing each other well enough to form an accurate picture of what the future might bring?

There's a young man, hot for good sex but also for romance. He works hard, parties hard as well. He's stalled in a dead-end job by the sick economy--but he makes enough to enjoy the good life with his friends...and scope out chicks in upscale watering holes.

Add the chick--a hot looking babe with a body that won't stop and a taste for good times that meshes with the guy's. She works--not a career but a stopgap, as somebody else has always picked up the majority of her tabs. Recently dumped by another guy, she's living temporarily with family members--until her new guy asks her to share his place.

Fun, games and big plans for a future ensue. All is well--until she ends up pregnant. Big responsibility. Even bigger for the prospective dad who loves the chick enough to stick around but who handles the added stress by partying more than she's able to in her condition.

Add a much loved baby to mix. Chick wants to be a full time mom. Guy agrees, even though he realizes the financial strain is going to intensify. He begins noticing the chick isn't much of a housekeeper, which bugs him since he has practically doubled his hours at work to pay bills, many of which are ones she had before they met. She hates the time he spends unwinding with coworkers. He resents the money she spends, shopping and making long trips in a car that's not exactly roadworthy.

Boom! That car--hers before they met, with a huge, high-interest note--breaks down again and again, making the financial situation worse. They break up and she runs back to former boyfriend/meal ticket halfway across the country, taking baby. He follows, having no choice but to move or lose contact with his child. Nobody is particularly happy.

What could have made this romance resolve itself happily? The failure may have had something to do with both parties equating hot sex and fun partying with friendship and compatibility, don't you think? I do. This is partly a sign of the times, I guess, but I think it's more a guy thinking he'd found his fantasy lover and a chick jumping on what she thought was a better meal ticket than the one who'd just dumped her.

As I see it, both fictional parties jumped into a relationship without knowing each other beyond the superficial--a relationship between strangers that's more often than not doomed to failure.

Check next month for the antithesis to this story, the way a good fictional friend who has known the fictional guy since childhood gives them a much better chance for a real HEA ending--and check out my current Ellora's Cave Quickie, MUTUAL FANTASY, for a contemporary erotic romance that will warm your heart as well as heating your blood!