Page 102 of For You & No One Else (Say Everything 3)

When she arrived at Beckham’s a half an hour later, he opened the door looking as worried as she’d ever seen him. His blond hair was sticking up like he’d run his hands through it too many times and his skin was washed out, but what really had her catching her breath was the look in his eyes. There was no trace of the spark he always carried. That playful sarcasm, that innatehimness that always seemed to convey he contained multitudes—none of it was there. He looked hollow and…freaked out.

“Hey,” she said when he didn’t say anything. “What’s going on?”

He glanced over his shoulder and his Adam’s apple bobbed. He looked back to her. “There’s a lot to explain, and I’ll say up front that I’m sorry I didn’t…share this part of my past with you. I don’t share it with anyone, but I’ll tell you whatever you want to know after. For right now, I need help talking her down.”

His words raised a thousand questions for her, but she needed to hone in on the only one that mattered. “Talkingwhodown?”

Beckham opened the door wider and let her in. Eliza walked inside, her tennis shoes squeaking on the pale wooden floor of Beckham’s modern condo as she followed him through the small foyer. He stopped at the entryway to his living room. A young blond woman was sitting on his navy-blue couch, a throw pillow hugged to her chest, and her ankle-length denim skirt draped across her folded legs. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks tearstained.

Eliza looked back to Beckham, her brain scanning through possibilities and coming up empty.

“Eli,” Beckham said, his voice quiet and calm, like he was trying not to spook the woman. “This is Jess. My—”

“His wife,” the woman said, cutting him off and giving him a wounded look.

The words hit Eliza like a throat punch, but years of training kept her expression smooth. “Okay.”

“Myex-wife,” Beckham corrected, his tone patient but firm. “Jess and I were married when we were teenagers. I had it annulled.”

“You married me in the church in front of God,” Jess said, swiping a tear away from her cheek and looking to Beckham like Eliza wasn’t even in the room. “We promised ourselves to each other. That’s supposed to be forever, Matt. And you just…left me there.”

“Matt?” Eliza looked to Beckham, no longer hiding her what-the-hell-is-going-on expression.

He cleared his throat. “I changed my name when I left the church.” He gave Eliza a look. “When I leftthe cult.”

Whoa.Eliza’s lips parted slightly, and she took another look at Jess. The conservative clothes, the lack of makeup. Beckham had said he’d grown up in a strict household, but she hadn’t realized he’d meant…this.

“Don’t call the church that,” Jess said and then turned to offer Eliza a far from welcoming look. “And who are you?”

Feeling defensive and off balance, Eliza wanted to cross her arms and give Jess a haughty look, but she forced herself to keep her posture open, nonthreatening. “I’m Eliza, Beckham’s…uh, Matt’s friend.”

“She’s a counselor, Jess,” Beckham said, coming closer to stand beside Eliza. “I think you should talk to her. I think she could help.”

“I don’t need her help,” she said, dismissing Eliza. “I just need you to come back with me. It’s time. You’ve had your chance to sow your oats. I get that you needed to do that. Now it’s time to come back, pray for forgiveness, and fulfill your duty as a husband. It’s wrong to make me keep waiting. It’s time to start our family—and I can’t do that alone. My birthday is next week, and I refuse to have another one pass without my husband. I want a life.”

Fulfill his duty as a husband?Eliza balked inwardly. She’d apparently stepped into the twilight zone.

“And you should have those things if that’s what you want,” Beckham agreed. “But I’m not the one who’s keeping you from them. My father and this belief system he’s hammered into you and everyone else is what’s keeping you from those things. It’s a prison.” His voice was rising, his frustration evident. “Leave the church,Jess. No one in the mainstream world is going to judge you for being divorced or shame you for sleeping with me before we were married. You can have whatever kind of life you want. You can find someone new to love and have your family. Make your own choices.”

Jess nailed him with a pointed look. “I’m marriedto you.”

Eliza touched Beckham’s elbow, sensing he was losing hold of his calm. She needed to assess the situation before emotions went off the rails. “Can I talk to you in the other room for a sec?”

He gave Jess another glance and let out a breath. “Yeah, sure. Jess, give us a minute.”

Beckham led Eliza out of the living room and into his bedroom. He shut the door and turned to her, leaning back against the door like it was the only thing holding him up.

“I’m sorry,” he said, closing his eyes briefly and scrubbing his hands over his face. “I meant to handle that better. I just—”

“Tell me what’s going on, Beck,” she said, keeping her voice gentle. “I’m good at puzzles, but I can’t help if I don’t know what I’m working with. What I’ve got so far is that you were raised in some sort of conservative religious sect, got married young, and left. Your ex wants you back. But why am I here?”

Beckham lowered his hands, looking worn out. “Have you ever heard of the showSeven on Sunday?”

The non sequitur threw her off for a second. “Uh…yeah, I think so. Is that the one with the family with all the kids?”

“Yeah.” He lifted a hand like he was taking an oath. “Meet one of the seven.”

Her breath whooshed out of her. “Oh my God, seriously?”

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