He surprised her by responding, “I’m fine with him being here. It’s probably for the best anyway.”
Jadin made the introductions.
Michael glared at Landon, who merely seemed amused.
“This is really awkward for all of us,” she said.
Jadin forced herself to stay calm, although she was anything but. Can this really be my life right now?
A server arrived almost at once to take their drink orders.
When he left, Michael said, “When Jadin told me about the mistake she made with you, I decided I needed to meet you for myself. I want to hear from you why it took so long to tell her that the paperwork hadn’t been filed.”
Landon met his gaze straight on. “I don’t make rash decisions on things like relationships and marriage. Michael, as much as I’m sure you don’t want to hear this—the truth is that I still love Jadin and I don’t want a divorce. I never did.”
“It wasn’t your place to make the decision without me,” Jadin interjected, her embarrassment turning to anger. “You had no right, Landon. Look at the position you’ve placed me in.”
“You can’t deny that I called you several times, but you never called me back. We jumped into this marriage impulsively—I didn’t want to end it the same way and neither should you. The truth is that we never gave our marriage a real chance. You know that I’m right.”
“Stop trying to play on her emotions,” Michael snapped. “It’s over between you and Jadin. She wants to be with me.”
“I’d rather hear directly from Jadin what she wants and doesn’t want,” Landon responded. “She does have a mind of her own.”
Jadin swallowed her trepidation. “We decided together that we’d made a mistake.”
“No, we did not,” Landon corrected her. “If we had, the divorce would’ve happened. You did all the talking, handed me the papers and rushed out of the apartment.”
“Jadin and I are going to get married,” Michael interjected. “We can fly to Guam and get the divorce. All we have to do is spend at least seven days there before Jadin can file. The divorce will be final within a month or two. Then she and I can move forward with our wedding plans.”
She noticed that Landon’s expression did not change. He finished off his glass of water, then said, “Jadin won’t do that. She’s much more levelheaded. If she wants the divorce, it will be filed here in South Carolina. However, I thought I was very clear on my intentions.” Landon met her gaze. “I want to give our marriage a real chance. We give it a year. If it does not work for either of us, I’ll sign off on the divorce. Otherwise, the divorce will be contested.”
“A year... You’ve got to be kidding me.” Jadin settled back in her chair, disappointed. She could feel Michael’s fury without looking at him. “On what grounds can you contest our divorce? We don’t have children, money or property together.”
“I’m sure I can think of a host of things. Infidelity, for one.”
Jadin gave a sharp glare in his direction. “I thought I was a single woman.”
Pushing away from the table, Michael uttered a string of profanity. “Let’s get out of here before I hurt this dude. I can’t take no more of his foolishness.”
“Michael, you can leave anytime you want, but there’s a lot more that Jadin and I have to discuss,” Landon said. “Ultimately, this concerns the two of us. You have no say in what happens.”
Michael glared at her. “Are you coming with me?”
“Landon’s right,” Jadin responded with a sigh. “We do have a lot to talk about.”
Giving Michael a triumphant look, he said, “I’ll see that she gets home safely.”
Jadin could tell that Michael wanted to punch Landon in the face. She prayed it would not come to that, because if it did, her money was on Landon. Michael’s bark was much worse than his bite. Landon had never been one to start a fight, but he would not back down from one, either.
Her body sagged with relief when her cousin Aubrie walked up to the table.
“Is everything okay?” she asked. “Looks like there’s a whole lot of tension on this side of the room.”
“I won’t be staying for dinner,” Michael said. “Jadin will be eating with her husband.”
“Excuse me?”
Puzzled, Aubrie looked from Michael to Jadin, who said, “I’ll tell you later.”
She sat down in the chair Michael had just vacated. “No, I think I’d better hear this now.”
Michael straightened his tie, then strode toward the exit doors with purpose.
Aubrie looked at Jadin. “Okay, so what the heck is going on?”
“Landon and I dated in law school. I’m sure you remember me talking about him.”
She glanced over at him. “Yeah, I do.”
“Remember you were supposed to come with us to Vegas, but you had to go to New Orleans for something...? I forget what.”
“That’s right,” Aubrie murmured. “We were going to celebrate your and Jordin’s graduation from law school. I couldn’t go because I was taking some classes at the New Orleans School of Cooking.”
“The long and short of it is that Landon and I decided to get married while we were there.”
Aubrie gave a short laugh. “That must have been some party.”
Landon chuckled. “I’ve never touched a drink in my life. Jadin and I were in love.”
“So, what happened between you two?” Aubrie wanted to know. “Why didn’t you stay together?”
“I accepted a job with the Secret Service. My uncle worked with them for years. I lived for the stories he would tell, and so when the opportunity availed itself, I jumped. Jadin seemed fine with my decision at first, but then she decided that the marriage was a mistake.”
“A couple of days after we got married, Giselle lost her husband in the line of duty,” Jadin interjected. “I saw what it did to her and realized that kind of lifestyle wasn’t for me. I gave him a signed petition for divorce. Landon led me to believe that he was going to sign and file it, but he never did.”
“So, what happens now?” Aubrie inquired. “I have to say this is better than the book I’m reading right now.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Landon stated. “I came to Charleston to get my wife back.”
Aubrie stood up. “I think I’m going to leave you two to talk, then. Jadin, I’ll call you tomorrow. We really need to have a conversation.”
“I know.”
When they were alone, Landon said, “You look beautiful, Jadin.”
“I can’t believe you did this to me. Look what delaying this information has caused. Now you’re saying that you want us to give the marriage a year.” Jadin shook her head. “I’m involved with another man.”
“What we had together was really special. You don’t think it’s worth another shot?”
“I’m with Michael...”
Landon shrugged in nonchalance. “I’m sure you care for this man, but I don’t believe that you love him—not the way that you loved me.”
Her back stiffened and her chin rose up a notch. “That’s presumptuous.”
“Am I wrong?” he asked.
A vaguely sensuous jolt passed between them. It was so strong, Jadin needed a moment to gather her composure. “Landon, what we had is over. I want a divorce.”
She detected a flash of pain in his gaze. Jadin didn’t want to hurt him, but she also did not want to give him false hope.
“I’m not willing to give up that easily. Marriage is sacred.”
“Michael’s not going to go for this.”
“Then is he the man you really want? He’s not willing to wait a year for you? All I’m asking is that we give our marriage a solid try before throwing it out the window. After that, I’ll give you the divorce—if it’s what you truly want.”
“Landon, how are we suppos
ed to make a marriage work with you living in DC?”
“I live in Charleston now.”
Jadin gasped in surprise. “When did this happen?”
“A couple of weeks ago.”
“Are you working in the Mount Pleasant field office?”
He shook his head. “No, I left the Secret Service, Jadin. I’m deputy prosecutor.”
“This a lot to deal with right now,” she said.
“Then, let’s just start with dinner,” Landon suggested. “We can get reacquainted.”
She glanced over her shoulder, half expecting Michael to be standing near the door, glaring at them. He was gone. Jadin picked up her purse and said, “Maybe I should go. He’s pretty upset right now.”
“Michael chose to leave. This is about you and me anyway. Right now, our marriage should be priority.”
“Would you really divorce me on the grounds of infidelity?” Jadin asked.
“No, I would never do that to you. I didn’t like Michael’s cocky attitude.”
She surveyed his face. “Why is this so important to you now?”
“It’s always been important, Jadin. I don’t know how many ways you want me to say this, but the fact is that I love you—you’re my wife, and I want a real marriage with you.”
He was serious. She could see the truth in his eyes.
“So, you returned to your law roots?” Jadin asked, changing the subject.
Landon nodded. “I knew that I would someday.”
“I work in my family’s law firm. I’m sure that doesn’t come as a surprise to you. It’s all Jordin and I talked about in law school.”
“Until we got married.” Landon shifted in his seat. “Then you were willing to walk away. When you left me, I figured it was because you were afraid of what your father would say—that and the fact that I wasn’t willing to leave the Secret Service. If your cousin hadn’t lost her husband in the manner that she did, you and I would still be together.”
It bothered Jadin that Landon knew her so well. She wanted to show him that he did not know her as well as he thought. “I was going to move to California to be with Michael.”
Landon looked surprised. “How did your father take the news?”
“He doesn’t know,” Jadin confessed. “I’d planned to tell him the day you showed up. Now he’s dealing with the fact that I eloped and never said a word about it.”
“I apologize for the way I handled this situation, Jadin. I really thought your parents knew about me—about us. The truth is that I panicked the night I saw Michael put that engagement ring on your finger. I was at the restaurant when he proposed. I had to move quicker than I’d planned.”
“Oh, wow,” she murmured. “Landon, this is such a mess.”
“It’s one that can be worked out.”
Jadin glanced at him. “Hasn’t there been anyone special in your life?”
“Not really,” Landon said. “There was nothing long-term. I kept in the back of my mind that we were still married. I must admit that I always thought you’d come to your senses.”
“Really?” She looked directly at him. “I figured you would never leave the Secret Service.”
“And now?”
Jadin took a long sip of tea, hoping the nervous quivering in her stomach would stop.
Michael’s ringtone went off, but she left it unanswered. She was not ready to deal with his bruised ego and temper tantrum at the moment. If she could have found a hole somewhere, Jadin would have gone running for it—this was a lot to deal with. Michael only made matters worse because he would find a way to make this situation all about him.
* * *
Landon watched the range of emotions on Jadin’s face. “Do you really love Michael?”
After a moment, she responded, “I love him, but not in the way I loved you. He and I... We work.”
Her honest response gave Landon hope. “You deserve more than that. Why won’t you give our marriage a chance, Jadin? What we shared was real and it was special.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready to do that. Landon, we’ve been apart for a long time. I know that I’m not the same girl I was back then—I’m sure you are not the same person, either. Most of all, I’m all over the place right now, so I don’t want to make any decisions.”
“Jadin, I didn’t come here to hurt you or ruin your life,” Landon said. “I came here because I believe you still love me as much as I love you. Because of the love we shared, we owe it to ourselves to try to see if our marriage is workable.”
“This is just too much.” Jadin pushed away from the table. “I need to go home and talk to Michael. That’s if he’s not already on a plane back to California.”
“I’m not going to pressure you into staying with me. I just want you to take some time and think about my request. If you decide that it’s really Michael who you want to be with, then I’ll let you go. I promise.”
“I’ll think about it, Landon. I guess I owe you that much.”
He pushed away from the table. “I’ll drive you home.”
“No, I’ll take an Uber,” Jadin insisted. “It’s just better this way.”
Sudden anger lit his eyes. “Are you afraid of him?”
“Landon...no, of course not. I wouldn’t be with a man like that. Things are tense between us right now, as I’m sure you already know. I would rather just keep you two away from each other.”
“You’re sure?”
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
Michael was on the porch, waiting for her when she arrived.
“How could you humiliate me like that?” His voice rose with each word.
Jadin reacted angrily to the challenge in his voice by removing her Taser from her purse. “I know you’re upset right now, but I’m telling you that you’d better go walk it off... Do whatever you have to do, but you will not come to my home and disrespect me like this.”
He looked at the device in her hand. “You know I’d never put my hands on you.”
“And you won’t talk to me any kind of way, either.” She permitted herself a withering stare to show she meant business.
“I apologize for raising my voice like that. It’s just that this whole situation...”
“Don’t you think I know, Michael? I know how upsetting this is for you and I’m sorry.”
“So, how did you leave it with him?”
“He asked me to take some time and think about working on our marriage. He said if I decided that I would rather be with you, then he would give me the divorce.”
“So, it’s over, then?” Michael asked. “I wish I could’ve seen the look on that arrogant face of his.” He chuckled. “I should’ve—”
Jadin interrupted him by saying, “I haven’t given him an answer yet.”
“What? What’s wrong with you?” Curses fell from his mouth.
“You can leave,” Jadin said, pushing past him.
Michael grabbed her hand. “Babe, I don’t understand. I thought you wanted to be with me.”
“I told Landon that I would think about everything and I intend to keep my word. This is a man who was once very important to me. I owe him that much.”
“And what do you owe me?” Michael asked.
Jadin looked him straight in the face. “I owe you the truth and that’s what I’ve given you.”
“You also owe me that expensive engagement ring back.”
She removed it from her finger and handed it to him. “Here you go.”
“If you really loved me like you say you do, you would’ve told Landon to go straight to hell.” A sudden chill hung on the edge of his words.
“I think that it’s best you stay at the Alexander-DePaul hotel or wherever you want to go, but you can’t stay here. I can’t deal with your attitude right now.”
&nbs
p; “I’m sure you’d rather spend your time reliving your college romance with Landon.” It was obvious he did not care whether he hurt her or not.
“That’s really mature, Michael.” Jadin walked into her house, slammed the door shut and locked it. “Jerk...”
* * *
“She brought Michael with her,” Landon said when his uncle answered the phone. “You called it.”
“No punches were thrown?”
“He wanted to,” Landon responded with a chuckle. “Having met him now, I can tell you that I don’t like him. He’s definitely not right for Jadin.” He picked up a pen and begin scribbling. “I really feel bad for her. I hate putting her in this position, but I don’t have any other choice.”
“So, where do you and Jadin stand?”
“I asked her to think about my proposal.”
“Good. I’m glad you didn’t pressure her into giving you an answer right now,” Tim said.
“If Michael is the kind of man I believe he is, I don’t have a thing to worry about. I can’t see Jadin wanting to be with someone like him.”
“Maybe she’s no longer the woman you knew and loved.”
“Why do you say that, Uncle?”
“She has been involved with this man and she did accept his proposal.”
Landon’s thoughts were suddenly disquieting. He swallowed hard, trying to manage a response. “I guess I hadn’t really considered that.”
“Son, all you can do now is wait. The ball is in Jadin’s court.”
“I’ll let you know what happens,” Landon said before ending the call.
He changed into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. He needed an outlet to release some of the stress he was feeling. A quick workout was the answer.
All this waiting was torment, but he had no choice.
* * *
Not paying attention to where she was walking, Jadin bumped into her cousin Ryker at the courthouse the next day.
“Hey, what’s going on?” he asked. “You look so distracted. I don’t think you even saw me just now.”
“Nothing much...except that my life is in shambles,” she responded dryly. “Then Judge Tinsdale is in a bad mood. It’s hot outside... You might want to stop me now because I can go on complaining.”
Another Chance with You Page 3