With a slight smile of defiance, Jadin pulled out her phone. “I’m calling Nevada.”
Landon shrugged in nonchalance. “Why would I come all this way to lie to you?”
Ignoring his question, she found the number for the clerk of court and dialed.
Jadin swallowed hard, lifted her chin and boldly met Landon’s gaze. There was no way she would let him get away with this farce. “I need to verify if you have a final decree of divorce on file for Landon and Jadin Trent...”
Blinking with bafflement, she hung up, saying, “There’s no record of our divorce. They have no record of the petition ever being filed.”
Jadin and Landon stared at each other across a sudden, ringing silence.
“Why now?” Jordin suddenly blurted. “Landon, why are you here?”
His face was full of strength and confidence. “I thought my intentions were very clear. I came for my wife.”
“I’ve never been your wife—not really.” Jadin experienced a gamut of perplexing emotions. Disconcerted, she crossed her arms and pointedly looked away. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“South Carolina requires that a marriage be consummated,” her father interjected. “I believe Nevada has the same laws.”
“Our marriage was consummated,” Landon responded. “There was no alcohol involved, no fraud or misrepresentation. Our marriage is valid.”
Arms still folded across her chest, Jadin glared at him, but was surprised by the look of sympathy in his gaze.
“I know that you and your family need some time to adjust to the news... I’m going back to my hotel.” He pulled out a card. “This has my cell number on it. Call me when you’re ready to talk.”
“Oh, you’ll definitely be hearing from me,” she responded, while struggling to keep an even, conciliatory tone.
Landon laid the flowers on the counter. “I’ll see myself out.”
“No, I’ll walk you out,” Etienne said. “We need to have a conversation, man-to-man.”
“Jadin, girl, you is married.” Rochelle threw back her head and laughed. “He came all the way here to fetch his woman. All right, now... I like that.”
“It’s not funny, Aunt Rochelle. How am I going to tell Michael that I can’t marry him because I already have a husband?”
“I don’t know, but you better figure it out soon. I don’t think Landon’s going to wait too long.”
“I have to agree with Rochelle,” her mother said. “You need to talk to Michael right away.”
“Why couldn’t he just sign the papers?” Adding to Jadin’s disappointment was a feeling of guilt.
“He doesn’t want to end the marriage. That much is very clear.” Jordin shook her head. “Landon’s still in love with you.”
“How do you feel about him?” Rochelle inquired. “There is a reason you two got married in the first place. You are not one to take something like this lightly. Even though it was impulsive, you believed the two of you had a future together—I know you, Jadin. You wouldn’t have married Landon otherwise.”
“I care a great deal for Michael. We’ve been together for three years.” In her mind, she was trying to figure out how she was going to explain this situation to him. When it came to Michael, there was no easy way—he was going to be angry regardless.
“But do you love him?” Eleanor asked.
Confused, she wandered restlessly around the room. “Who?”
“Michael. Do you love Michael?”
Jadin nodded.
“What about Landon?” Rochelle asked. “Are your feelings completely gone for him?”
There was no point in lying, so Jadin said, “I will always care about him, but that part of my life is over.”
“He’s got a marriage certificate that says otherwise,” Eleanor said.
Jadin bit her lip to stifle the outcry. How could her life become messed up so quickly?
Chapter 2
Landon moved to his mahogany desk in his hotel room and stared down at his reflection in its uncluttered surface. He considered how quickly his plan had fallen apart. He had been so certain that his strategy would work that he’d become over confident, overplayed his hand, which wasn’t like him at all.
He had no idea that Jadin had never told her parents about the marriage. Had he known this, he would have taken a different approach. Landon wasn’t sure which angered Jadin more—his not filing the divorce petition or the way he carelessly blurted out her secret to her family.
I might have blown any chance I had of getting her back.
He forced the thought out of his mind. He could not allow negative thoughts to take over. Landon was still in love with Jadin, which was why he moved to Charleston instead of accepting his uncle Tim’s invitation to come to Raleigh, North Carolina.
Not much about Jadin had changed since the last time he saw her five years ago. She still wore her warm brown hair in its naturally curly state, her smooth mocha complexion free of makeup and she still had an easy smile, although she did not spare him one. Not only was she beautiful, Jadin was very intelligent, as well.
Every time Landon thought of Jadin with the man she wanted to marry, his insides burned with jealousy and anger, despite his reasoning that she’d had no idea that she was still very much a married woman. Deep down, he had allowed himself to believe that Jadin had feelings for him still—that she would’ve been happy to see him once she got over the initial shock.
He was wrong, but Landon was not ready to give up just yet.
He had to come up with another plan to execute if he wanted to save his marriage. Landon vowed to do whatever he had to do to keep her from walking down the aisle with another man.
* * *
Jadin unlocked the door and walked inside. She had sat in the driveway for about fifteen minutes before pulling into the garage. She needed time to regain her composure. “Michael, are you here?” It was a useless question. Jadin knew he was home because his rental car was parked in the driveway.
He walked out of the kitchen, a glass of red wine in his hand. “Hey, babe. I didn’t expect you back so soon. I figured you’d be eating with the whole DuGrandpre clan—you know how y’all do. I just finished eating. If you want, I can order something for you.”
“I’m not hungry.” Jadin sat down in the living room. She did not want to risk her knees buckling beneath her from the nervous energy running rampant through her body. She could not recall ever feeling so uneasy.
“Did you tell them about our engagement?”
She gave a tight smile and nodded.
Michael scanned her face. “What’s wrong? What? They don’t think I’m good enough for you? They do know my family has billions, right?”
He could be so irritating at times, she thought. “It’s nothing like that, Michael. My family and I are not impressed by money.”
“Then what is it?” He pointed to her left hand. “Where’s the ring? Don’t you like it?”
Jadin took it out of her pocket and placed it on her finger. “It’s beautiful. I have to admit that I didn’t think you would ever buy something this fancy.”
“All it cost was six months’ salary,” Michael said as he sat down beside her. “I can’t have my wife walking around with just anything on her finger. Once you move to Hollywood, we have a certain image to uphold.”
“You know that you didn’t need to spend that kind of money on me. Besides, I don’t really need a ring to tell me that I’m married.”
He looked at her as if she had grown two heads. “Are you crazy?” Michael ripped out the words impatiently. “Jadin, all the Alexander women have rocks on their hands. I can’t have you walking around like I’m too cheap to get you something nice. I realize your family has accumulated a certain amount of wealth and status, but my family—we have billions. It’s a whole ’nother level, I’m
talking.”
Jadin struggled not to lose patience with him. “Michael, your uncle Malcolm has billions. I read all about how he came into his money.”
He retained his affability, but there was a distinct hardening of his eyes. “So, what are you trying to say?”
“I’m just saying that he didn’t grow up with the trappings of wealth. Malcolm Alexander is one of the humblest men I’ve ever met. I don’t think he’d care one way or the other if I had some huge ring on my finger or a simple gold band. Besides, rings are the last thing we need to be debating right now. We have much more to discuss.” Awkwardly, Jadin cleared her throat. “Michael, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it? What’s going on?” She stirred uneasily in her chair.
“When I was in law school, I was involved with someone—well, right after we graduated, we went to Las Vegas to celebrate... He and I got married.”
Complete surprise registered in his expression. “You were married?”
“Yes,” Jadin responded. “I never mentioned it because it didn’t last long. He and I went our separate ways.”
A suggestion of annoyance hovered in Michael’s eyes. “I appreciate you telling me... I’m just not sure why you waited until now to say something. Although I can’t imagine you doing something so stupid.”
Her back stiffened at his words. “It was impulsive, I admit. Something like this would have come out when we applied for a marriage license. That is one of the questions they ask. But just so you know... My own parents didn’t know about this, either. Only Jordin. The thing is...I just found out my divorce was never finalized.”
For a moment, Michael studied her intently. “What are you telling me? That you’re still married? You’re saying that I proposed to a married woman?” His vexation was evident.
Teary-eyed, Jadin nodded. “Landon’s here in Charleston. He showed up at my parents’ house earlier to inform me that he never signed the papers.” She was irritated at the transparency of her emotions.
For an instant, Michael’s gaze sharpened. “You’re a lawyer,” he uttered. “Jadin, how could you not know about this? I would think something like this would have been a priority. You could have checked for yourself. It’s all public record.”
“I trusted Landon to file the petition like he said he would. I wasn’t worried, because I hadn’t heard from this man in years. I know this was careless on my part, Michael. I promise I can get this straightened out long before we get married.” She reached for him, but he moved away from her.
Michael got up and walked over to the mantel above the fireplace. He picked up the frame holding a photo of the two of them. “I’m so glad I didn’t tell anyone I was proposing. Do you know how this is gonna look to my family? To my friends?” He paused for a moment, then asked, “Why did he come all the way here to tell you? Did he suddenly get an attack of conscience?”
“I refused to take any of his calls after I left him,” Jadin said. “I never considered that the reason he was reaching out was to tell me that he’d decided not to sign the papers. Michael, I can fix this.”
“I’m sure your family is very happy about this. You know they never wanted you with me.”
“How can you say that, Michael?” Jadin asked. “They have been nothing but nice to you. You’re the one who never wants to be around them.”
He shrugged off her words. “I don’t care to be around my own family.”
“Then why did you go to your uncle and ask for a job?”
“Because I knew he’d give me something that came with a nice title and a salary to match.”
“So, you used your uncle,” Jadin said. “Because that’s what it sounds like to me.”
“He was a resource,” Michael stated. “But this isn’t about me. You messed up and now I need to straighten it out. I want to meet this man.”
His words caught Jadin off guard. “Why?” she asked.
“I want to know what he’s after,” Michael said. “I don’t believe he just came here to tell you that you’re still a married woman. He could’ve sent you a letter or an email. This dude wants something, and I intend to find out exactly what it is.”
“Michael, I’m sorry.”
“This is not how I saw this night ending,” he responded. “I think I’m going to sleep in the guest room.”
Jadin wiped away her tears. Michael’s disenchantment with her was written all over his face. She’d had no idea how he was going to react to the news, but she thought he would be more sympathetic to her plight. Instead, he was pulling away from her.
“Michael, I—”
He cut her off by saying, “I need some time alone to digest this news. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Jadin drew back as if she had been slapped. “As upsetting as this may be to you, there’s no need for you to be rude, Michael.”
“My apologies.”
“Good night.”
Jadin stayed in that one spot on the sofa until well past midnight. She had hoped Michael would return, offering a shoulder of support, but he did not.
She wiped away her tears, then made her way to her bedroom. Jadin paused outside of the guest room. She was tempted to knock on the door, but common sense overruled her heart. It was a struggle for him to fall asleep, so he often took a sleeping pill—the last thing she wanted to do was wake Michael, because she did not want to incur more of his ire.
Jadin entered her bedroom and removed her clothes.
She slipped on an old T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants, then climbed into her empty king-size bed.
Jadin’s troubles kept her awake most of the night. She had not expected Michael to say that he wanted to meet with Landon.
Nothing good will come out of that meeting.
“I know,” she whispered in the darkness. I might as well brace myself for the inevitable.
* * *
The next day, Landon could not wait to open the door to his hotel suite as he slid the key card through the door lock.
He was finally able to get away from the politics of work. The sunlight beamed into his hotel suite as the drapes opened to the ocean view.
Perfect. Breathtaking. This was the break he needed, but he could only savor it for a few minutes.
Today was his first day as deputy prosecutor, and it had been a bit overwhelming. It was expected of Landon to just dive right in.
Nothing like on-the-job training.
He spent the week prior in a series of workshops centered on his new role.
After changing into a pair of basketball shorts and a T-shirt, Landon checked in with his uncle.
“I was ’bout to call you, son,” Tim Trent said. “How did things go between you and Jadin?”
“Not as I expected, Uncle. She never told her parents about the marriage—I hadn’t considered that, as close as they are. Needless, to say...Jadin wasn’t too happy with me coming to the house and announcing that I’m her husband.”
“So, what’s the plan now?”
“I’m giving her some time to adjust to the news. At least Jadin won’t be rushing off to get married anytime soon.”
“Do you really want her back if she’s in love with another man?”
“No, Uncle... I saw them together, and while she seemed happy...there was something else. There were times I caught sight of a shadow of sadness or something. He would say something and then her whole expression would change. She’d try to cover it up with a smile or a nod, but it was there.”
“So, how did you two leave things?”
“I gave her one of my old cards and told her to give me a call. I know that she’s going to need a day or two to process all of this.”
“I gather she doesn’t know you’re the new deputy prosecutor.”
“Not yet. The official announcement will go out this week.�
�
“I hope this pays off in the end for you, son. I advised you to pay Jadin a visit years ago, when she cut off all communication with you.”
“I know, Uncle Tim... I admit that I held on to this because it was like the one card I could play when needed. The time came, and I played it. This was a gamble. I will either win or I’ll lose.”
“You know I want you to win. I’m praying for you and Jadin.”
“Thank you. I need all the prayers you can send up. Jadin is the only woman I’ve ever loved, Uncle. I can’t lose her.”
They talked a few minutes more before getting off the phone.
His whole being seemed to be filled with waiting for something that might never come, but the call he had been expecting came an hour later.
“Landon, it’s me,” Jadin said.
There was a hint of apprehension in her tone. “It’s good to hear from you. Are you ready to have that talk?”
“I am. Can we meet tomorrow night?”
“Sure. I’d like to take you to dinner,” Landon said. “You can pick the place.”
“My cousin Aubrie owns a restaurant. I’ll text you the address.”
“Thank you, Jadin.”
“I’m not doing this for you, Landon. I’m doing it for me.”
Although polite, Jadin was still upset with him—that much was clear in her voice, but he considered it a small victory that she was willing to meet with him. But it bothered him that her misery was like a steel weight.
More so because he was the cause of that misery.
Chapter 3
As soon as they arrived at the restaurant, Jadin knew she needed to put some space between Michael and Landon. During the ride over, every time Michael looked at her, his eyes were large, glittering ovals of repudiation. Never once had he considered how she must be dealing with this—he only thought of himself and his humiliation.
When she saw Landon standing in the bar area, she walked up to him, saying, “I didn’t tell you that Michael would be joining us because I didn’t think you would come otherwise.”
Another Chance with You Page 2