Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set (221 page)

“I’m sorry Jess.  We try so hard as parents to do what feels like it’s right for our kids, but no matter how hard we try, we don’t always make the right choices or realize the consequences of the choices we make.  Let me make you another drink.”

Jess nodded, though she knew another drink was the last thing she needed.  “How many kids do you have?”  She figured that at least was a safe subject.

“Two.  But there was a time when I wasn’t sure if my son was mine.”

Jess took the drink he handed her.  “I’m sorry.  That must have been hard for you.”

“It was, but it’s one of those things that makes me wonder if I’ve made some huge mistakes in my life.  You see, I caused my wife to sleep with the other man.”

“Uh okay.”  Jess took a sip of her drink.  It was just as good as the first.

“It’s a long story.  Is it your father’s death that makes you look so down Jess?  You look as if there is something beneath your smile.  Don’t get me wrong, you look even more beautiful when you smile, but it looks as if there is something that keeps you from really smiling.”

Did she want to tell him about Daylin Jess wondered?  Ah what the hell she thought.  She took another drink and then sat the cup aside on the nightstand.  She brushed against Luke’s arm and had to hide a sigh.  He really was an attractive man. 

“Well, I met this guy the first night I was in town.  We got involved pretty quickly.  I fell for him pretty hard.  That’s a pretty long story too.”

Luke smiled.  “I don’t mind listening.  I’ll even tell you my long story if you want.”

Jess smiled back at him.  It felt good to talk to him.  Luke was almost as easy to talk to as he was to look at.  “Deal.  Well, Daylin cheated on me pretty soon after we were together.  I should
have known it would happen.  He was an admitted player when I met him.  I guess once a cheater always a cheater huh?  Oh, I’m sorry.”

Luke chuckled.  “I guess I’m not the only one sticking their foot in their mouth tonight.  It’s okay Jess.  It can be hard to get past infidelity in a relationship.  Especially when you feel as if you are torn between two people that you truly love, one from your past and another that is supposed to be your future.  Can I make a confession to you Jess?”

“Sure.”

“There were times during my wife’s pregnancy that I hoped that the child she carried wasn’t mine.  I love my children dearly, but sometimes it seemed as if things would be set right if the child Kimber carried were to be Paul’s.  Have you ever loved someone but knew at the same time that they weren’t the one you were meant to be with?”

“Not really.  I thought I was in love with Daylin, and it felt right to be with him.  But we weren’t really together long enough for me to feel like he was the one I was meant to be with.  I’d sort of given up on finding that person.  Romantic love wasn’t a factor in my life.  I was just trying to find my dad while avoiding my mom and stepdad.  I guess it doesn’t do a lot of good to run away from things though.  They always have a way of catching up with you.  I do kind of know what you mean though.  I sometimes wondered if I’d ever live up to the ghost of Daylin’s dead fiancé.”

“Hmm.  Dead fiancé huh?”

“Yeah.  She was the perfect girl that he was with in high school that happened to die when she was pregnant with his kid.  It’s such a sad story, and I always felt bad thinking that I’d never live up to his memories of her, but it’s hard to have a relationship when the ghost of someone else is between you.”

“Yes.  I do know how that feels.  I feel as if my wife has sometimes felt that way.  When I said I caused my wife to be unfaithful, well, it was true in a way or more ways than one I suppose.  I was once a player like your Daylin.  Then I met Sierra.  We had a wonderful time together.  It wasn’t supposed to be serious.  We didn’t think either of us even wanted a serious relationship,
but we fell in love all the same.  Then I screwed things up by putting too much pressure on her.  She was only eighteen.  I was only twenty-two but I knew that Sierra was the one I was meant to be with.  Time passed and we moved on to other relationships.  I married my wife Kimber.  Sierra met Paul and they got married.  She was pregnant when she walked back into my life.  We started an affair.  It felt so right.  We tried to pretend that it didn’t, that we had made the right choices when we moved on with our lives, but we both knew the truth.  Sierra and I fit together.  It’s just right.  I never really moved on.  I don’t think she did either.  I love my wife, my family, but Sierra is the woman I was meant to be with.  Kimber had sex with Paul when they found out about our infidelity and Kimber confessed this to me during her pregnancy with our son.  I felt so guilty when I had secret hopes that the child was Paul’s so that Sierra and I would get one last chance to make it right.”

“Does Sierra feel the same way that you do?”

“I don’t know.  I haven’t had the courage to talk to her about it.  She seems to be happy with Paul.  I know she loves him, but I believe that deep down she still feels the same way that I do.”

“Talk to her.”

“Have you talked to Daylin?”

“What’s the point?  We already tried twice.  I don’t even know why I’m still here in Welton.  I should leave.”

“You still have hope for things to turn out right between you and Daylin.  Sometimes it doesn’t take you long to know that the person your with is the right one for you.  It doesn’t mean that things aren’t going to get in the way though.  But you can’t turn your back on it Jess, if you do you’ll always wonder.  Like me.”

“But how can you trust someone that’s been unfaithful to you?”

“It sounds as if Daylin is afraid of what he’s feeling for you and is sabotaging your relationship on purpose.  Lay it all on the line for him Jess.  Tell him how you really feel.  Tell him that you’re afraid too, but that what you two could have together is worth it.”

“I don’t know Luke.  Between his cheating and my being not only being afraid of a commitment since I’ve never really had one, but of not living up to Amanda, it almost seems like too much trouble.”

“Good things don’t come easy Jess.  I have a proposition for you.  You can say no, but I do believe it would relieve some of your tension.”

Jess reached for her glass and brought it to her mouth, swallowing it in one gulp.  Her body was ready for Luke to say what she had a feeling he was going to say.  Her nipples had hardened and she was even more aware of the fact that Luke looked really good without a shirt on.  She wasn’t sure if she was drunk enough to sleep with a married man with kids though, even with as complicated as his marriage sounded to be.

She stayed silent.  Luke sighed.  “I’m sorry Jess.  I suppose I said the wrong thing again.  You’ll have to forgive me.”

Jess licked lips that had suddenly gone dry.  “It’s okay.”

Luke gave her a smile that left her weak in the knees.  “I would like to make love to you.  I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since the moment I saw you.  And I believe that we may have a way to get back at both my wife and your boyfriend.”

“Um.”  Jess didn’t want to be a revenge screw. 

“Bad way to put it I suppose.  I guess I really am losing my touch with words.  We make love, release some of the tension I’m sure you’ve had building up.  Release some of my tension.  I would love to please you Jess.  I want to feel every inch of your body.”  He touched her face.  “You are so beautiful.”

“Thank you.”  She wanted to kiss him.  She could almost feel his lips on hers.

“If we make love and keep it a secret, we will be getting back both at my wife and your boyfriend.  No one ever needs to know.”

Luke kissed the side of her neck, bringing his hand down to gently massage her nipple through her shirt.  A wetness bloomed between her legs.  Jess knew she needed to stop him or she was going to let him do to her whatever he wanted to do to her. 

“Luke.  We can’t do this.”

“This is right Jess.  Tonight is right.  I feel it and I know you do too.  Let me take care of you tonight.  I promise that it will be worth it.”

Jess bit her lip.  She wasn’t sure that no matter how good Luke might make her feel that it would be worth it.  But her hormones wouldn’t shut up.  Her body was making it very clear how it felt about the idea. 

Luke gave her a gentle kiss, teasing her with his tongue, letting her know that there was plenty more to come if she only let go and let him give her what it was obvious that they both wanted.  Jess closed her eyes.  When she opened them she looked right into Luke’s hazel eyes and she was done.  Luke had bedroom eyes.  The promises they held were suddenly too much for her to take.

She nodded, and then left the rest up to Luke.  He quickly stripped himself of his pajama bottoms and then took his time undressing Jess.  He treasured her body with his hands and his mouth.  Jess wanted him so bad by the time they had sex that the thought of a condom only briefly crossed her mind.

Luke made love to Jess all night long.  He made her forget about Daylin.  He made her forget about everything.  The realization of what she’d done set in in the morning though, when she woke up with a hell of a headache and the first thing that she noticed was the wedding band on Luke’s finger.

She crept out of bed and dressed quickly.  She really needed to urinate but didn’t want to chance waking him up.  So she held it until she got home.  She took a shower and couldn’t believe what she’d done.  She’d had drunk unprotected sex with a married man over and over.  And she remembered a distant promise to keep it a secret.  She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror.  She didn’t think there was much of a chance between her and Daylin, but at least she hadn’t been the married person that was in love with another woman she thought.

A few days later she was going through the local newspaper and saw an obituary that made her pause.  Daylin’s mother had died.  She tried to call him, but all of her calls went straight to voicemail.  Her decision to leave Welton was cemented until December 23
rd
when her phone rang.  It was Lucy.

“Hello.”

“Jess.  Have you heard from Daylin lately?”

“No.  Why?  Is everything okay?”

“No.  His Mom died and he won’t leave the house.  He won’t talk to anyone, even Cam.  I was hoping you could get through to him.”

“I’m sorry.  He won’t return my phone calls, e-mails, anything.”

Lucy sighed.  “Everyone is so worried about him.  Are you still coming to the wedding?”

“I guess.  I feel kind of weird about coming.”

“Don’t.  We want you here.  Maybe he’ll talk to you if he sees you.  Maybe you can snap him out of it.”

“I don’t know.  I hope so.”

“Me, too.  I have to go.  Thank you Jess.  I’ll see you.”

“Bye Lucy.”

It made sense now Jess thought.  She was sure that Daylin wouldn’t take his Mother’s death well, but she’d thought that he’d at least let her help him through it.  She still wasn’t sure about going to the wedding but maybe Lucy was right.  Maybe if he saw her, he would open up to her.  She hoped so.  She’d missed him.

She almost turned around three times and went back home on the short drive to the church on Cameron and Lucy’s wedding day.  She felt even more uncomfortable walking into the church alone.  She didn’t see Daylin anywhere but that wasn’t a surprise since he was the best man.

She took a seat in the back and waited for it to be over.  Why was she here Jess wondered?  Daylin obviously wanted nothing to do with her.  She hated to think that he was self-destructing with the death of his mother, but if he didn’t want her help to deal with it what was she supposed to do?  She couldn’t force him to let her in.  As much as it felt like sometimes that he’d forced her to let him in, he hadn’t.  She missed him, but she was afraid to see him.

Finally, Cameron and Daylin appeared.  Cameron looked happy.  Daylin looked like he’d lost weight.  His cheeks looked hollow and his suit seemed to hang on his frame.  Looking at him made her sad.  He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

She hoped that she’d be able to sneak out soon after the reception started.  She hadn’t known what to get them, so she’d gotten them a gift certificate and hoped that they’d be able to find something. 

She turned as Lucy started down the aisle.  She was led down by Cameron’s father since hers was conspicuously absent.  She looked beautiful.  The dress hid the fact that she was pregnant.  Jess didn’t know who looked happier, Cameron or Lucy.

She zoned out during the vows and came back to herself when the newly married couple shared their first kiss.  It broke her heart.  She missed the feeling that someone loved her.

The reception was being held next door in the community center.  She lost track of Daylin in the crowd of people leaving the church and walked out the doors by herself.  She lit a cigarette, stalling for time.

Lucy and Cameron passed by.  She thought she was safe until Lucy caught her eye, said something to Cameron and came back to her.  She started to put out her cigarette, but Lucy waved her off.  “Don’t bother.  I like the smell.”  She looked Jess up and down.  “You look good.  Thank you for coming.”

“You’re welcome.  It was a nice ceremony.  You look beautiful.”

Lucy laughed.  “I look pregnant.  I feel fat.”

“You’re not fat.”