Page 45 of Forever My Soldier

“That and the fact that we’re technically not together anymore,” I mumbled.

“What did you do?”

I cocked my head. “Why does everyone immediately jump to that conclusion?”

“Because you’re a grade-A knucklehead.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a little more complicated than that. She kept something from me and now I know the truth.”

“She told you whatever it was?”

“No, Carmen.” I shot her a look. “Her sister did.”

“Yikes.”

I sighed. “I don’t understand for the life of me why she felt the need to hide it from me in the first place.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure she had her reasons.”

“I would have told her.” I raked a hand through my hair, frustrated. “I tell her everything.”

“Like you, I believe in laying everything out in the open,” she said, “you know me.” Then she went back, “But some things are better left unsaid. Perhaps she felt this was one of those things.”

When I didn’t say anything, she continued, “So what are you going to do about it?”

“Popular question today.” And a really damn annoying one, I thought. I supposed if Jenna and I were ever going to move forward from this, I would have to understand where she was coming from and get some answers. Because right now, the only thing I knew for sure was that she lied to me. And she couldn’t say it was because she didn’t think I’d be happy about the baby because I would have been. Hell, she should have known that.

She tapped my knee with her hand and then got up. “All right, well, I better be going.”

I nodded. “That’s it?” I got up, too.

She laughed and looked at her watch. “I’m on a schedule and do you know how long I waited for you anyhow? I was about ready to leave when I saw you walking up.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

She smiled and enveloped me in a quick hug. “Hey, and don’t give up on Jenna.”

“Why so invested in this?”

She shrugged. “You give the rest of us hope.”

When Carmen was no longer in sight, I turned around and went inside. It wasn’t going to get any easier the longer I put this off and it was inevitable that Jenna and I would have to talk about this. We couldn’t very well leave things the way we did. I needed to see her.

I took my phone out of my pocket and called her.Straight to voicemail.“Hey, Jenna, it’s me. We need to talk.”

Chapter Seventeen

Jenna

Jenna, there isno one I trust more. I would like you to consider being our in-house counsel. We’ll keep the firm on for bigger matters, of course, but we need someone on-staff. Dedicated. I want that to be you.” Those words from Flora had been playing on loop in my mind since she’d said them.

In truth, since returning home, I hadn’t thought of much else but her job offer. It was flattering and it came with a heck of a lot of zeroes behind it, but I wasn’t sure if that was enough.

Sure, it’d be a great opportunity for me, for my career. And it would be a way for me to get out of Miami and make a new life for myself. I could start fresh.

But leaving my father? His firm? I wasn’t sure I could do that to him. It’d be the final nail in the coffin with my family. Was I ready for that?

And what about Deke? I shook my head. No, he couldn’t factor into this decision. Not anymore.

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