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“I’m glad someone is getting something positive out of this mess,” Grace said ruefully.
Lucas gave her a sad smile. “I am certain that Aidan will try to win you back. And you know how convincing he can be when he wants something. All I can say for sure is that you have to be prepared to forgive him. Otherwise, your marriage is over. If you can’t forgive him, you can’t move on. The intimacy will be gone. The shadow of what he did will hang over you and Aidan for good. If he can’t convince you that he’s sincere, and you can’t let go of your suspicions, there’s little hope.”
There was a solid ache around her heart. Her throat felt parched. “How will I ever be able to forgive what he did? How do I get past feeling so betrayed by him? And there are times when I wonder if there were other women. I worry I’m a bigger fool than I thought.”
He frowned in surprise. “Gracie, if only you could see Aidan when we go on the road together. It’s a traveler’s nightmare. I’ve shared a room with him, heard stories from other engineers who’ve traveled with him. He’s either going full-out, talking up a storm or fast asleep. We’ve nicknamed him the Whirling Dervish. Take my advice. Do not go on a business trip with him.”
He gave her a sappy look that had her throwing her head back and laughing for the first time in weeks. It felt wonderful. “You are so good for me. I have this image of you trying to go to dinner in some city and Aidan insisting on working the entire dinner.”
“I swear. Some nights I would insist on pizza delivered to the room, just to get a break while he went out to dinner with colleagues or clients. But he would always return so fast I wondered if he’d simply inhaled his food and left the others at the table.”
His expression turned more serious. “Grace, you have to decide where you stand on what Aidan did and how much of it you can forgive. I’m hoping you can forgive him, as I don’t want to face down another brother-in-law. And I read somewhere that women usually pick the same kind of man. And with my luck, there’s another Aidan out there somewhere.” He grinned at her. “Just kidding, but you get my point, don’t you?”
“I do.” She leaned into his shoulder feeling a little better. “I’m so happy you found Maria. I really like her.”
“Whoops.” He glanced at his watch, pulling his cell phone off his belt. “I was supposed to call her as soon as I learned what your problem was. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m not staying the night here. There’s a beautiful woman who is more than able to say what she needs. And she needs me. As for you, there’s only so much a brother can do, if you get my drift.”
“If you had said you planned to stay here with me without Maria, I was going to boot your butt. Go and have a good evening. I’m fine.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked before leaving a message for Maria to call him back.
“I’m going to have a long soak in the tub and think about what you said. Maybe I can’t forgive him.” she said, her throat tightening.
“Don’t say that, please,” Lucas said. “You will work this out. The entire office is rooting for you.”
“Stop it. You’re not taking me seriously,” she grouched.
He took her shoulders in his powerful hands and looked straight into her eyes. “You are going to find a way to talk to Aidan or Maria and I will hold an intervention. I’m serious. You have to work this out, one way or the other.”
An hour later, she was about to settle into the tub when her cell phone rang. Aidan. At first, she wanted to let it go to voice mail, but the old need to hear his voice won out.
