AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Maybe the snow. Has Tristan ever seen it?”
“No, he hasn’t, but maybe we’ll get the chance before we move.” I chewed my lip, but then went for it. “I feel as though you know everything about me, both good and bad, but I hardly have any of your history.”
He tensed. “Some of mine isn’t easy to talk about.”
His fiancée. “Maybe talk about the stuff that is?” I was greedy for information and thankful when he relaxed and started talking.
He spoke about his childhood with an older sister, who now lived in London with her husband. His parents had moved to a retirement community in Florida. He saw them twice a year as they were constantly traveling all over the globe. His memories went to freshman year at Harvard, where he’d met both Brian and Josh. We both laughed at stories involving my boss in his youth.
“Who was the woman from four years ago?” It had been on my mind to ask ever since our first time, when he’d admitted how long he’d been without sex. I’d wondered if he’d had another girlfriend in between me and his fiancée.
He stayed quiet for so long that I peered up to see if he’d fallen asleep. Finally, he sighed and spoke. “I hadn’t been with anyone since— Anyhow, I was in Vegas with Colby, and there were some women. It had been years, and I was lonely. But it was an empty, one-time thing.”
I interrupted. “You don’t owe me any explanations. I was only wondering if you’d had another girlfriend or something.”
“Not even close. I mean, you’re the first one since.”
I pushed up on his chest and scooted so I could kiss him. “Are you saying I’m your girlfriend?”
“A guy can hope, but with the timing, I’d understand if you want to hold off on the title.”
Right. I’d buried my husband yesterday. But he hadn’t been my husband in years. Didn’t I deserve to be happy? I wished I could definitively say yes.
I tried to shut off the internal voice threatening to undermine the moment. “Not a chance. And as my boyfriend, I think you should know something.”
“What’s that?” He was grinning.
“I have developed an affinity for dirty talk.”
* * *
The next day,Mark had to leave early for a train to New York since he was trying to get a couple days of work in there before Thanksgiving next week.
I forced myself out of bed to start the day. It had occurred to me suddenly that I had no idea how much Rob’s life insurance was actually worth. In all the chaos, I hadn’t asked.
Since it was still too early to call my attorney, I sent a quick email and then went about my day, getting Tristan up and ready.
It was late afternoon when Harvey returned my email with the estimated amount. The number was staggering. Combining Rob’s life insurance and accidental death policies, there was over a million dollars on the line. Holy crap. I knew he had signed up for everything available through the police department, but I hadn’t counted on them actually paying out. After all, he’d been suspended from the force. But evidently, one didn’t depend on the other. For that, I was grateful. And now I understood why his parents were pursuing the money. They didn’t have much of their own.
Taking a deep breath, I made a decision and replied to my attorney. Rob would’ve wanted his mother and father to have something to make their lives more comfortable. Although I absolutely loathed how they’d treated me, settling with them would alleviate a long, drawn-out battle. Most important, it would put them permanently in the past. And now that I had a wonderful future with Mark within grasp, I needed to shut that door.
But Harvey brought up a good point in his reply, advising me to wait to receive the insurance check before making an offer. The insurance company might appeal because of Rob’s autopsy results. After all, he had been high on drugs at the time of the accident. I didn’t know if there were any clauses to preclude payout for that reason, but we’d wait and see.
* * *
By FridayI was excited at the prospect of seeing Mark after our separation of two days. We’d exchanged text messages and one phone call, but that was nothing compared to being wrapped in his arms at night. Thankfully, he was on his way home, arriving later.
But as all good days seemed to be ruined with a phone call lately, this one was no exception. My attorney’s number flashed on my phone after I’d put Tristan down for bed. “Hi, Harvey. How are you?”
“Good. Sorry for calling you this late, but uh, Rob’s mother contacted me this evening.”
I braced myself. “What did she have to say?”
“Since she didn’t know how to get a hold of you, she wanted me to pass on a message. I have to say I’m confused by it. I thought you were waiting until you received the insurance money to settle.”
He wasn’t the only one confused. I had no idea what he was talking about. “What’s the message?”
“She said she wanted to apologize. That she appreciated the settlement and wanted you to know how very sorry she was for her behavior. For calling CPS and insisting on the DNA test.”
