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What the heck did she really want?
Lance stared at his beautiful, trophy wife who’d once enticed him. The one he’d built his life around and yet she broke his heart, darn near stomped on it. Now, she wouldn’t let him go.
“Please, Lance,” Lisa pleaded. “Let’s just sit and talk.”
He didn’t want a conversation. Anger rose up inside him like a swirling tornado. If he didn’t get out, he would likely explode. And that wasn’t how he wanted things to happen. Arguing with a pregnant woman wasn’t his style. He didn’t want to harm her health or the baby, but he couldn’t talk to her as if she didn’t rip his life into shreds with her selfish behavior. “I’m going out.” Walking over to the stand where she kept the car keys, he snagged them and marched out before she had a chance to stop him. He would work things out later. Right now, he needed to cool his head a bit. He heard her call out his name but he didn’t stop.
His life was in a mess and he didn’t know what to do about it.
When he drove the car out of the garage, Lance didn’t have a plan. Where was he supposed to go? What could he do? He’d expected to reach home, cuddle with his wife and settle into the easy rhythm of a normal, civilian life, but that didn’t happen. He didn’t have any other place he could crash until he got his thoughts sorted out. Since he didn’t have any other option, he drove around a bit.
The snowstorm abated somewhat and soon, there were more cars on the road. It was probably not a good idea to be out in this weather, but he didn’t have any other brilliant ideas. Finally, he parked near a supermarket and watched the people as they went in and out.
Lance looked out at the white mounds that piled up around him. He couldn’t sit in the car for long. Should he go back home? Maybe check into a hotel? He wasn’t sure. Rather than sit and stew in his anger, he got out and strolled into the store. Maybe he would grab a couple of beers and blow off some steam. Then, once he felt sure he could handle the situation a bit better, he would go home and deal with Lisa.
He didn’t want to talk to her. What he needed was a friend with whom he could just be.
Seth!
But Seth wasn’t around—hadn’t been for a long time. Lance didn’t have other close friends in the area. The army was his life and now, he left it behind to start over, only to realize that he didn’t have anyone to begin his new life with. He walked through the aisles, confused and shattered. He had just dumped a six-pack of beers into his basket when his gaze settled on the tall, beautiful woman who was picking out cartons of milk and dumping them into the trolley.
Jenna?
What was she doing here in this weather?
As always, her beauty hit him in the gut. He knew that if he were her man, she would never do something despicable to him. Lance shook his head; he needed to stop thinking along those lines. “Hey!”
Turning around, she glanced at him as if he was a figment of her imagination. Her gaze strayed to his basket. “Lance! What are you doing here?”
“Following you,” the words shot out of his mouth before he could stop them. Seeing her befuddled expression, he immediately regretted his words. She was the only one he knew really well and he didn’t want to push her away because of his careless behavior. “Sorry. Don’t know where that came from. I just came to get some stuff.”
She studied him out of those expressive, golden brown eyes that appeared to dig right down to his soul. “Are you all right? Is—everything okay at home?”
She suspected something. Of course, she would catch on.
He’d always known she was intuitive. It wouldn’t take her long to figure out he was deeply troubled. “It’s—I...” He shook his head. “It’s not something you need to worry about. Where’s Jayden?”
“I left him at home. One of my neighbors is babysitting. I just needed to get some groceries. I should’ve picked them up earlier but the snowstorm threw me off. But I won’t get time during the week so...” She shrugged and pointed to her full cart. “Anyway, it was nice to run into you again. Take care.” She grasped the bar on her shopping cart, ready to walk off.
He realized he couldn’t bear to let her go. She was the only person in this Halcyon Falls he could actually sit with and talk to. Sure, he had his siblings, but he didn’t want them to know about the mess that was his life right now.
Of course, he wasn’t ready to discuss his wife’s infidelity as yet, but perhaps he could just talk about other banal stuff with Jenna. And darn it! He wanted to spend some time with her. The conflicting emotions ran through his mind, but he made no move to stop her. It felt wrong to harbor such thoughts for her but he couldn’t help it. Lisa was the one who’d kicked him. He’d been ready to continue his life with her, but now that wasn’t possible.
Suddenly, Jenna swiveled around. “Lance! You and Lisa want to grab some dinner tomorrow? Sort of a welcome home thing.”
Did he?
It would probably not be the best idea in the world to hang out with Jenna, especially given that his marriage lay in ruins and he liked her way too much. She was his best friend’s widow. Although, she was just being nice, he didn’t want to take advantage of her. He raked his fingers through his hair. “Lisa won’t be able to make it.”
She didn’t say anything, but he could see the wheels turn in her head. An intelligent woman like her wouldn’t take that long to figure things out. He expected her to step away, to walk off, but she smiled.
“Just you, then?”
Relief flooded through him. He wouldn’t have to be alone. Of course, he didn’t want anything to happen between them even though it was hard not to admit he felt attracted to her and always did. But this wasn’t the right time. All he needed was a friend, someone with whom he could drop the pretenses and just talk about normal stuff. He craved normalcy and that’s what she offered. It was better to talk to her than to drink himself into a stupor. He attempted a smile. “Sure. I’ll pick you up.”
“Let’s just meet at the restaurant. There’s a new place a few blocks away. Funky Gourmet. You’ll like it.” With one quick move, she made it clear that it wasn’t a date.
If he picked her up, it would have seemed like one, but now they were meeting as friends. Smart woman! Admiration rippled through him. Seth had been a darn lucky man. Too bad, he didn’t recognize his good fortune and threw it all away. “Sure. What time?”
“Around seven?”
“I’ll see you.”
She waved and strode off.
Lance stared at his own basket. All of a sudden, he didn’t want to get drunk. There were better ways to deal with the terrible mess his life was in. He stacked the beers back on the shelf and stepped out of the store. Jenna was still at the cashier, but he didn’t stop to say bye. He would see her soon enough. Right now, there were other things he needed to work on.
He drove home, feeling down in the dumps, but also a little hopeful. Maybe he should’ve been a bit more forthcoming with Jenna, but how could he tell her that his wife kicked him hard right where it mattered? Given his own conflicting emotions about Jenna, she was the last person he needed to discuss this with. There really wasn’t anyone he could talk to. He would have to deal with this mess on his own. When he entered the house, he could hear a low murmur of voices coming from the living room.
Who the hell was in his house? He strode in and paused.
Lisa was sitting on the couch, talking to a tall, dark-haired man. The bastard was good-looking, no two ways about that. It was easy to see why Lisa fell for him. The man oozed charmed even as he stiffened when he became aware of Lance’s presence.
Lance didn’t know why he felt so sure, but there was no doubt in his mind, this was the father of Lisa’s baby. Had she lied to him when she said they broke up? Were they laughing at him behind his back? Lance waited until he was sure his anger was locked deep into one corner of his heart. This could be a potentially disastrous situation. His first instinct was to slam the man onto the tiled floor and then punch the life out of him. Lance was a trained solider. He fought in real battles with guns and his fists. This bastard was no match for his fury, but he wasn’t the sort of man who settled things with violence.
“Lance!” Lisa put a hand on her heart, looking scared. “I called Bryn. We—some things needed to be settled.”
Lance crossed his arms across his chest. “So, you’re still seeing him? It was all a lie.”
“No, of course not. Bryn isn’t a part of my life anymore. We broke up—but the baby is his. And I wanted to talk to him again, now that you’re back—we need to be sure, all of us as to what we want.” Her voice was breathless, desperate.
Disgust filled every fiber of his body.
She was telling the truth. The conniving, selfish woman was hedging her bets. She didn’t want to let go of him because he was her backup, but she didn’t know how to convince her boyfriend to marry her and take the responsibility of the baby.
He wasn’t going to make it easy for her. “You’re still married to me.” He pointed a finger at Bryn. “And you’re trespassing. Get out!”
“Hey man, we can sort it out.”
“There’s nothing to sort out. As long as I’m married to Lisa, you can’t see her. And if you want to do so, she has to give me a divorce. I’m not going to stand aside and let you two carry on in my house.”
“This is her house, too,” Bryn retorted as he stood up. The muscles in his shoulders flexed as if he was spoiling for a fight. “I came because she called me over.”
Lisa wrung her hands together. “Bryn, he’s right. I made a mistake. Maybe you should go.”
“You wanted to talk and we’ll do it now,” Bryn snarled. “I want you, babe, but I don’t want the baby. We can give it up for adoption.”
The laugh escaped Lance’s lips before he could stop it. “Wow, Lisa. What a paragon of virtue you’ve chosen! He can’t even accept the responsibility of his own child. How can he ever be good to you?”
Lisa bit her lip. “Lance, please!”
“Don’t you insult me,” Bryn seethed. He took a few threatening steps forward and stood right in front of Lance. “The baby isn’t yours.”
“Glad we got that sorted out,” Lance snarled.
Bryn pushed him.
Lance’s hands bunched. One punch and the idiot would be flat on his face. But this wasn’t what he wanted. He wouldn’t give the man the satisfaction of a fight. “Get away from me.”
“Make me!” Bryn taunted.
Much to Lance’s surprise, Lisa strode over. She pushed herself in between the two men and faced Bryn. “Lance is right. It was stupid of me to call you, Bryn. I thought we could sort this out, but you’re not really ready for this. Please leave.”
He glared down at her. “You need to make up your mind about what you want. Me? This baby? Or this idiot?”
Lisa sucked in a deep breath of air. “You should just leave.”
Bryn’s gaze locked with Lance’s.
The man was all but bursting with temper. He was the sort of guy who liked to get into fights and prove his masculinity.
Lance saw enough of them in bars and pubs and on battlefields. They were the ones who always ended up in the hospital or in a cemetery. How could Lisa fall for someone this shallow and violent?
“No one can stop me from seeing her,” Bryn stated. “I’ll be back soon.”
Lance watched him leave. Once the door slammed shut, he took a few steps away from her. He couldn’t even bear to look at her right now. She betrayed him and was continuing to do so every time his back was turned. On one hand, she was trying to retain her hold on him, so he could take care of her and on the other hand, she wanted to convince her boyfriend to accept the baby, so they could be a family. Bryn might be an A-hole but he was right about one thing; Lisa needed to choose.
Suddenly, the anger drained out of him. This wasn’t his mess. It was Lisa’s. He needed to stop allowing this to turn his life upside down. She would never be his wife again. And he accepted that fact. “I’ll sleep in the guestroom.”
“Lance, I’m sorry...”
“Bryn was right, Lisa. You need to make your decision. And I’ll make it easier for you. I would never accept you as my wife. It’s not going to happen. So, you have only two choices; him or the baby. Take your time...it’s the only thing I can offer.”
“But—”
He raised a hand. “Our marriage is over. You need to let go.” Lance walked into the foyer, picked up his luggage and climbed up the stairs to go into the guest room. He locked the door and settled into the bed. Seeing Bryn was the best thing to happen. It made him realize that he needed to step aside and let them sort things out. Bryn was a loser, but if Lisa wanted him, it was her decision.
He would be free and he would convince her to give him the divorce. Then perhaps, he could start a new life. As he thought about it, an image popped into his head. Jenna. Yeah, maybe she could be a part of his future. With that welcoming thought, he opened his bag, took out his clothes, and put them into the drawers.
Tomorrow was another day and just maybe, he had something to look forward to.