“Why now?”
“Well, this is just a guess … because she’s gone.”
“That’s not what we agreed to.”
I tip my head. “What did you agree on?”
She stands and walks over to a roll top desk in the corner of the room. When she drops a document on the table, I chuckle sadly. “Wow. You two really took this to another level, didn’t you?”
“I figured she was a woman of her word, but I wanted it on paper.”
My gaze roams over the agreement. “So, you made her sign this knowing she’d never break it.” I’ll admit I’m not sure what to think of this woman right now.
“I didn’t make her. I asked her to. It was a mutual agreement. We planned with our son’s best interest in mind.”
“What about Raffe? Did he get a choice in this agreement? Jackson is his son too.”
Her head falls. “You don’t understand.”
“I’ll admit that I don’t. Explain it to me.”
Chapter Nine
Jenny ~ Past
Rachel and I stare at the dark ceiling as we lie side by side on the bed in her hotel room. We haven’t said much to each other. She’s been in a constant state of internal struggle the entire night.
“Why are you here?” I ask suddenly, making her jump.
“I’m … I travel for my job. It was something I couldn’t put off.”
“So, the baby is with Raffe?”
“He is. I called them while you were in the shower. He’s doing great. Raffe is going to make a great father.”
“You can’t tell him.”
“Why?”
I shake my head and roll away from her. “I can’t watch him live the life I dreamed for us with someone else.”
She’s quiet for a long moment. “If you love him and he loves you … I’ll step away.”
This makes me sit up in bed and turn toward her. “Stop. Right now. I need to know that you’ll fight for them until your last breath. Don’t let me or anyone else put your family at risk.”
“But how can I lie to him?”
“You aren’t lying. You’re omitting. Totally different.”
She sits up beside me. “It’s not.”
“Are you telling me you’ve never lied to him?”
Rachel turns away from me.
“I can’t go back and not just because of the danger.” I grab her chin and force her to look at me. “They broke me, Rachel. I can’t be what either of them deserve or need. You can … you already are.”
Tears fill her eyes, and I see the torment this situation is putting her in.
