Part 6 (2/2)

”My husband is an insensitive a.s.shole, that's why. He came home and expected me to be happy about her being back in town. Idiot.”

She gave me a rea.s.suring smile and scooted her chair closer to mine. ”Jenna, you have nothing to worry about. Roy would never betray you-I know this, you know this. We all do. He loves you and the kids. He can be a real d.i.c.k, but he'd never do anything to jeopardize his family.”

I shook my head and snorted. ”Some days, I'm not too sure.”

”You need to be sure. That's the truth,” she said.

”All right. I'm sick of this. My husband's being a jerk; he's been a jerk for years. He's just gotten better at it, I guess.” I laughed. It wasn't meant to be humorous, and they knew it, but they also knew I was done talking about it.

”Here, here,” Abbie said, handing each of us a shot gla.s.s. ”To strong women and the idiots we end up with,” she said.

”Cheers,” we said in unison, clanking our gla.s.ses together and throwing our heads back as we drained them.

A few minutes later, Royal came back into the room, calmer but still upset.

”I'm sorry, Jenna.” he said softly.

I closed my eyes and nodded, but I couldn't look at him. I was mad, hurt, and confused. Hearing about Lana and seeing her were two different things. Just thinking about her sitting in the same car as him-sharing the tight s.p.a.ce-was too much. I didn't trust her or her intentions. The way she looked at me when she walked in hadn't gone unnoticed. She was a threat.

However, I was no longer the nave, love-struck girl she knew years ago. I was a woman, a wife, and a mother. I'd been through h.e.l.l and back, and my family meant everything to me. Nothing in the world mattered more than their health, safety, and happiness, and I'd be d.a.m.ned if I let anyone disturb our unit. Royal and I had things to work on, but he was mine. I loved him. My talons were officially out and ready to rip her eyes out.

”We'll talk when I get back. It won't take me long.” He kissed the top of my head before grabbing his keys and walking out of the room. Moments later, Macy walked in, her face determined and her eyes full of hurt.

”I'm going to go with Daddy. I'll be back.”

Tara, Abbie, and I watched her walk out and then looked around the table at each other, concerned.

”She's a smart girl, Jenna. She's only trying to protect you. Both of you.”

I hated my daughter being put in that position. Anger welled up again, and I couldn't tamp it down. I grabbed the bottle from across the table, filled my shot gla.s.s again, and downed another shot.

I wanted to tell Macy there was nothing to worry about, but that was a lie. Royal and I were teetering on a rickety step. Our bond was fractured, and that tiny fissure allowed for disease to invade. Lana was that disease-a virus ready to plague my life and family, and my heart couldn't take it. Something had to be done; I just wasn't sure what that was.

When they got back, Macy was quiet, but she didn't say anything more about it. Royal came back with a renewed att.i.tude and was attentive and sweet. The tension had dissipated a little, probably due to the alcohol, but I was still angry.

Him? It was either guilt or booze that had him giving me that attention, but I didn't care. I was desperate for his d.a.m.n attention. I craved it. Yearned for it.

After we tucked the kids in for the night, we showed our love in a way he hadn't in longer than I could remember. There was no hesitation, no performance issues, nothing but the love I'd wanted and needed from him. The way he filled me, and the way his bare chest pressed against mine when he moved inside of me was everything. The sounds that filled our room, the room we'd loved, fought, and held each other in for so many years brought a sense of relief I couldn't express.

The same fire that burned inside of me the first time his eyes blazed into mine was fresh and new with hope for us.

Chapter 6.

After the incident at Tara's party, things were good for a few days. He'd talked to me about my concerns with Lana, and I was sure we were on a better track. s.e.x was better, tension was gone, and things seemed like they were going back to normal.

Eventually, that faded, and we were back in the same funk. It wasn't nearly as bad, but it wasn't great either.

After a rather heated argument one night, I woke up the next morning ready to put the silent treatment bulls.h.i.+t he'd left the house with to rest. We had the kids to think about. That was getting us nowhere.

Since I had the day off, I decided to surprise him at work-something I hadn't done in years. We used to do it often, and I missed it. It was nice spending the afternoon being Royal and Jenna instead of parents. We spent those lunches touching and flirting like lovers and friends, and it was part of what had been missing in our marriage and something we desperately needed to find again.

I showed up at the work site just before noon in a brand-new outfit and att.i.tude. I wasn't sure I could pull off the skirt until I started walking across the lot and heard the cat calls and wolf whistles.

”Holy s.h.i.+t, check out the MILF,” a younger guy called out.

I giggled. MILF my a.s.s. I didn't know if that was supposed to be a compliment or not, but I was steering toward probably.

”Oh, I'm checking her out. Wonder who she is?” another guy piped in.

Oh, they were flattering, for sure, but I only had eyes for the man standing between them, looking both amused and surprised to see me there.

”That, youngsters, is my wife,” he said proudly.

”d.a.m.n, boss,” the younger one said, clucking his tongue. ”You've got skills.”

Royal shook his head and smirked. ”Just luck, son. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see what brings my beautiful wife here to see me.”

He walked toward me with a satisfied smirk on his face and a gleam in his eye that told me his thoughts were going in the same direction as mine. Dirty thoughts, like being bent over his desk with my skirt up around my waist.

I flushed and ducked my head as he approached, feeling a little naughty about my intentions.

”Hey, you,” he said, pulling me into his arms and kissing the top of my head. ”What brings you up here? Is everything okay?”

”Everything's fine. I... um...” I stuttered, shaking my head.

I was so nervous. This was my husband. I had no reason to be anxious, but I was. Terribly.

It was time to bite the bullet.

”I brought you lunch. I thought it'd be nice to eat together. We haven't done that for a long time.” I held up a small white bag and gave it a shake.

I was being forward and flirty, and I could see he was dubious of my motives. The shaky foundation of our marriage had become such a tangible thing, and yet, we'd completely avoided it. The tippy toe conversations had to stop. I didn't know what he needed or wanted from me, and frankly, I wasn't even sure I knew what I needed in return.

He smiled down at me and nodded. ”I like that idea. Come on,” he said, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the trailer. ”You look great today. Since when do you wear skirts to work?” he asked.

It didn't escape my attention that his eyes lingered a little longer on my bare legs. All trepidation about my outfit went out the window.

”Thanks. I took the day off so I could spend the afternoon with you.”

His smile grew. ”I'm glad you did. This is a nice surprise.”

We walked up the steps to the office, and he held the door open for me to go inside. ”After you.”

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