Page 7 of Forever My Soldier

I gulped. “Get married? I would never marry you.”

“You say that now, honey, but five minutes ago you were hoping to spend all day in bed with me.”

The thought churned my stomach. “You make me sick!”

“Don’t think about her. Forget about her. I know I will.”

I shook my head. “This is wrong and I will not be the other woman. I refuse.” By this point I was starting to collect my things, ready to leave the same way his wife did.

He looked smug. “As you said, Jenna, you already are the other woman.” Then he crossed his arms as though to prove his point that I was the only fool right now.

“Well, that ends now, because I’m leaving and you’re never going to contact me again. I don’t ever want to see you again. Do you understand?” I felt like I was talking to a toddler, but I had to be clear.

“That’s going to be a little hard to do.”

“Well, you better make it easy, or you’ll be sorry,” I warned.

“Your parents adore me and your father thinks of me as his best friend. The only one that’s going to have a problem here is you. Face it, Jenna, I’m not going anywhere.”

I loudened my voice. “Well, I’m going to avoid you like the plague.”

“You don’t mean that,” he retorted.

“Go screw yourself, you bastard!” I ran my hands angrily through my hair.How did my life get so messed up?

Michael only smirked at me and all I wanted to do was slap him right across his face. He knew exactly what he was doing and was enjoying every single last second of it. My misery was bringing him great joy.

“You’re not going to be able to stay away,” he insisted.

“You’re not that irresistible.”

He harrumphed. “We’ll see about that.”

I rolled my eyes and pushed him out of my way by shoving my purse at him. “Goodbye, Michael.”

“See you around, Jenna,” he responded, just as my phone rang.

Saved by the bell, I thought. As I began walking down the hallway to the elevator, I answered it. “Hello?”

“Oh, good, you picked up.” It was Mary.

I cringed. It was horrible, but I really did have a reputation for not picking up and letting it go to voicemail. But lately I’d been trying to be better at answering any call I got because nine times out of ten it was Mary with updates on Deacon.

“Of course. What’s going on?”

“Deacon’s coming home. He’ll be arriving in an hour.”

So soon.But I was also so relieved for him, for his family. “Thank God.” I knew he was safe with only minor injuries to speak of, thankfully, but I had no idea he’d still be returning as planned. Thinking about him and all he’d been through, my heart went out to him. I blew outwardly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I pushed the elevator button to take me to the lobby. “Thank you, Mary, for calling and telling me.” I was wrapping up the call, or so I thought.

She hurried and added, “Wait, Jenna, don’t hang up. I was telling you so you could come and welcome him home yourself. Stop by my house and see him.”

The last time I was at her house I’d lost everything that ever meant anything to me. I shook my head and refused to think of any of that. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

I looked down at my feet in my fire-engine red stilettos and sighed heavily as I listened to Mary say, “It’s been long enough, don’t you think? Deacon could’ve died and you said there was so much you didn’t get to say to him. Now you can. You got a second chance. We all did. Take it.”

The problem was, I wasn’t the same woman Deacon fell in love with. I had changed and, in many ways, I wasn’t sure he’d think it was for the better. After we I lost the baby, I went on a downward spiral and I couldn’t save myself. When my mother gave me an out to being the old Jenna, I took it and never looked back. It was much easier to get absorbed in the world I was brought up in with my parents and their country club friends than to be the girl who loved and lost so much. Too much.

“Mary, I’m the last person he wants to see. Trust me.”

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