The Broken Road by Melissa Huie

Come in!” I said, standing back. He looked absolutely gorgeous, in a gray ribbed sweater that matched his beautiful silver eyes.
    “Hi Beautiful. Surprise. I knew you couldn’t get out, so I decided to come to you. Is that okay?” he said sweetly, kissing me on the cheek. I smiled like a goofball. What an amazing guy.
    “Absolutely. I’m glad you came by,” I replied, taking the pizza in one hand, his hand in the other. I led him into the kitchen where Penny was anxiously anticipating her slice. I gave him some plates and busied myself with the flowers. Yea, he’s good.   I grabbed a slice and sat down next to him.
    “So where did you have to go in such a rush?” I asked, trying to make conversation. I hoped I didn’t sound nosy.
    “I had to go to Virginia where my buddy, Sean, had a mare having a hard time giving birth. It turned out okay though. She’s fine; the filly was born with no issues,” Alex said, gulping down his soda.
    We had a good casual conversation and then headed into the living room to watch a movie. I turned on the latest Pirates of the Caribbean sequel and nestled in next to him. I can’t say I remembered much of the movie, because the moment I sat down, Alex leaned in and gave me the softest kiss.
    “I missed you. I really didn’t mean to leave you hanging on Valentine’s Day,” he murmured.
    “I missed you too. I’m glad you’re here,” I whispered, losing myself in his eyes. I lifted my lips to his, and kissed him harder. Alex pressed me to him, wrapping his arms around my waist, and pulling me onto his lap. His soft hands started roaming the inside of my shirt, shooting electric sparks all the way down to my toes. I could feel him about to lift off my shirt, when I heard a low cough.
    “Oh, sorry guys. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
    I broke off mid-kiss and looked over at Shane. Fresh out of the shower and wearing nothing but low-cut sweats that left nothing to the imagination as to what was underneath. Really? He has a serious issue with bad timing.
    “What are you doing out of bed?” I asked, slightly out of breath. I felt a tinge of embarrassment and at the same time, a bit smug. I know it’s juvenile, but I wanted to prove to myself that I was over him. He apparently didn’t care what he almost interrupted, because he came over and sat down on the couch next to us. He opened the box of chocolates sitting on the coffee table and popped one his mouth.
    “I’m starving. Did you end up getting something for dinner?” he said pathetically. I sighed. I shouldn’t be mad at him. After all, he is sick. I looked over at Alex with the question on my face.
    Alex gave a resigned sigh and said, “Hey man. There’s some pizza in the kitchen. Help yourself.”
    Shane slapped his shoulder and heaved himself off the couch. “Thanks bro. I appreciate that.”
    “Thank you,” I whispered to Alex, leaning in to kiss him. He gave me that beautiful smile. “Of course, maybe now he’ll take that pizza upstairs with him,” he said with a wicked gleam in his eye. I giggled, but then gave a low groan when Shane plopped himself next to us again. I didn’t have to look at Alex to know the frustration he was feeling. 
    “Why don’t you go back to bed? You still look crap,” I urged, hoping he’d get the hint.
    He shrugged. “Megs, I feel lousy, I’m just tired of being in bed. Plus, I missed Penny,” he replied, handing Penny his crust. Out of habit and my mother’s internal nagging, I reached over and felt his forehead.
    “You’re not terribly hot, but you should take some Advil – which is upstairs, by the way – just in case.” Shane ignored me. With a sigh, I got off Alex’s lap and stomped upstairs. I grabbed the Advil off Shane’s nightstand and headed back down to the living room, but stopped when I heard them talking, their voices low. I felt like a teenage spy, but I couldn’t help myself from eavesdropping.
    “I know you’re feeling ill, but why don’t