She turned on the television in time to catch the unfolding story of Sandra’s confession and arrest. It was the topic among Charleston’s most prominent social circles. Many were shocked by the news that Blaine Herndon had been involved with that woman. Loyalties were divided because his affair had caused Millicent’s death.
Landon must be working, she decided when she opened her eyes and saw that she was in the room alone.
She sat up in bed when she heard voices.
A knock sounded, and the door opened. Aubrie stuck her head inside. “Hey, just wanted to see how you’re doing. You gave your hubby quite a scare.”
“I feel so much better,” Jadin said.
“Well, I dropped off some food for you two. Make sure you eat.”
“Oh, I will,” she promised. “I’ve never been so embarrassed, passing out like that. In the police station of all places.”
“Looks like you won your case. Your client was innocent.”
Jadin nodded. “I’m happy that it wasn’t at Landon’s expense. I know that there are going to be other cases where we’re going to bump heads, but I’m relieved that it’s not this case. Our marriage is still very fragile.”
“I think you and Landon are going to be fine. I haven’t known him very long, but I can see how much he cares for you. The poor man called me for advice on what to feed you.”
Smiling, Jadin said, “Did he really?”
Aubrie nodded. “That’s why I’m here. I brought dinner.”
She hugged her cousin. “Thank you for being such a sweetheart.”
“Girl, you know how we do.” Aubrie scanned her face. “You look really happy, Jadin.”
“I am,” she responded. “Landon’s always been a good man, but he’s turning out to be a great husband. Sometimes I pinch myself just to be sure I’m not dreaming.”
“I take it that you didn’t feel this way about Michael.”
“Michael and I had some good times, Aubrie. He was good to me, but what I’ve realized is that I wasn’t myself with him the way I am with Landon. He isn’t very close to his family and he thinks I spend too much with mine... I’m not sure it would’ve really worked out between us.”
“I’m really happy for you, Jadin.”
“What about you, Aubrie? I know you’re not always cooking when you go to New Orleans. Who is he?”
“I’m not ready to say. I don’t want to jinx it.”
“I knew it. I knew there was someone special in your life.”
“All I’m gonna say is that he is a strong possibility,” Aubrie said. “And he’s very handsome.”
“Well, I can’t wait to meet him.”
“I hate to interrupt,” Landon said when he entered the bedroom, carrying a tray of food, “but you need to eat something.”
“He’s right,” Aubrie said.
“Okay, you two don’t need to gang up on me.”
Standing up, Aubrie said, “I have to go. I need to drop off some food to Bree and Austin.”
“Thank you,” Jadin and Landon said in unison.
He walked Aubrie downstairs while Jadin attacked the casserole. All of a sudden, Jadin felt ravenous.
Chapter 14
Ryker whisked Garland off for a romantic weekend, so Jadin and Landon volunteered to babysit the children.
“They are all finally asleep,” Jadin said as she sat down beside him.
Landon chuckled. “How many times did you have to read that story to them?”
“Four.”
He handed her a cup of hot peppermint tea. “I have to admit that it feels nice hearing the sound of children playing in this house.”
She nodded in agreement. “It does.”
Jadin took a sip of her tea. “They really adore you.”
“I’m crazy about them, too. That little R.J. is a talker. I just wish I knew what he was saying.”
They laughed.
Jadin glanced around the room, the lighting a warm, flattering shade of gold against the muted mustard-colored walls. She settled back against the luxuriously soft couch with a throw pillow on her lap. She leaned against Landon. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”
Landon wrapped an arm around her. “You’ve been tired a lot lately. I’m glad Sandra confessed to everything...the drugging and the stabbing. We can finally close that case. Now you can cut back on some of those late hours.”
“Hopefully.” She stifled a yawn. “I’m sorry, baby.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “Go on up to bed. I’ll be there shortly. I’m going to check on the little ones, then I’ll join you.”
“I love you, Landon.”
He smiled. “I love you, too.”
* * *
On Tuesday, Jadin left the doctor’s office in a daze. She lay her hand over her still perfectly flat abdomen.
I’m pregnant.
For her, it was wonderful news. She and Landon had not really discussed starting a family. The day before he moved in, Jadin had seen her doctor and had her birth control changed because of the side effects.
Her doctor had explained that when she switched birth control pills, her body needed time to adjust to the new hormones. She told Jadin that by switching to the new birth control, it was like starting for the first time.
Jadin vaguely recalled Dr. Stevens recommending that she use an alternative form of protection for a month, while her body adjusted to the new birth control pills.
She had not used any other form of contraceptive, and now she was going to have a baby.
Not ready to go back to the office just yet, Jadin drove to see her sister.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Jordin asked. “Dad said you passed out at the police station.”
“I’m fine.”
“Really?”
Jadin nodded. “I just left the doctor’s office. I’m pregnant.”
“I thought you were on the Pill.”
“I had them switched the day before Landon moved in. I forgot all about Dr. Stevens telling me to use another form of protection for a month.”
“You were dealing with a lot” Jordin murmured. “Landon will make a great father.”
“I think so, too.”
“Then what’s wrong, sis?”
“I guess I’m still in shock.”
“Do you love him?”
Jadin nodded. “I do.”
“He loves you, too. This baby you’re carrying was conceived out of love. Everything is going to be fine. Landon’s gonna love being a father. I’ve seen the way he is with the kids.”
“He’s great with all of them, including these two little muffins,” she murmured, as she looked down at the sleeping twins.
“Aren’t you glad you stayed with him?”
“Jordin, this was the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s almost like we never were apart all those years.”
“You seem to be a lot happier now.”
“I am,” she confirmed. “I feel so comfortable with Landon. We have so much fun together.”
“What about Michael?”
Jadin looked at her sister. “It’s over between us. I don’t think that he and I would have really worked in the long term.”
“I see you more with Landon than with Michael.”
* * *
Jadin chose a designer navy pantsuit to wear for her meeting with a new client at the Belmond Charleston Place. She was about to head back to her office when she heard her name called.
“Jadin...”
She turned around. “Michael, what are you doing here?” She had not expected to see him anytime soon, if ever.
“I’m staying here. I came in last night. I didn’t want to go by the house. I figured Landon moved in already.”
“What are you doing in town?”
“It should be obvious,” he responded with a smile. “I came to see you. Can we go somewhere and talk?”
“I don’t think we have anything to discuss,” she said.
“Please, Jadin.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll drive,” Michael said.
“I’m still not understanding why you’re in town. Are you here for business?”
“Jadin, I came here specifically to see you, but figured I’d check out the competition while in town.”
Now she understood why he had stayed at the Belmond and not the Alexander-DePaul Hotel. “I’m really surprised to see you, Michael. The way we left things—I figured I’d never hear from you again.”
He drove to Battery Park.
They strolled along the waterfront.
“How are things going between you and Landon?” Michael inquired.
“They’re good,” she responded. “No complaints.”
“I have to admit that I didn’t think you’d last this long. I figured you’d be calling and begging me to take you back, but the call never came.” He shook his head. “I don’t understand how you can continue in this farce of a marriage.”
“I made a commitment to give it a year.” Jadin could not believe Michael had the nerve to think she’d ever beg him for anything. It was clear that he did not really know her at all. “But even if things had ended between me and Landon, I’d never come to you begging for anything.”
“You don’t want to be with him.” Michael scoffed. “Why don’t you just end this now? Jadin, get your divorce so we can move on with our lives as husband and wife. I hired one of the top divorce attorneys in South Carolina.”
Jadin looked up at him. “What gives you the right to do something like that?”
“I’ve had some time to think about everything. I never should have encouraged you to stay in this sham of a marriage. I let my emotions get the best of me.”
“There’s something you don’t seem to understand,” she said. “This is completely my decision, Michael.”
“You never would have decided this if I’d stayed here.”
The man was delusional.
Jadin held her temper in check. “Michael, I’m not going to divorce Landon,” she told him. “Our marriage is real. I love him.”
He chuckled. “No, you don’t. Just a few months ago, you were going to be my wife. I know that you’re just confused. I told you that you can be too emotional at times. I know what it is about Landon. He’s probably the mushy type. He leaves little notes or serves you breakfast in bed and brings home flowers. Babe, that stuff doesn’t make a relationship.”
“What do you think makes the relationship, Michael?”
“We’re a good team, Jadin. We don’t need all that stuff. We will have loads of money. We can do whatever we want. We can travel around the world...”
“What about children?”
“What about them?” Michael asked. “The world has enough rug rats running all over the place. We don’t need to add to them.”
Frowning, Jordin inquired, “You don’t want children?”
“No, I don’t. I had enough of them with your little cousins. Seems like every time I turn around, one of my cousins is having a baby. People like the Alexanders and DuGrandpres put a lot of stock into lineage.” He bent down and kissed her. “Babe, all we need is each other.”
Jadin rolled her eyes as she pushed his hand away. “Don’t do that again,” she uttered, resisting the urge to slap him in public. “Michael, the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you, but the truth is that Landon and I belong together. We’re in sync. With you, I was the one who always had to compromise—that’s not how a relationship is supposed to work.”
“Jadin...”
“No, Michael,” she said, cutting him off. “I’m choosing Landon. I want the life I have with him. He and I want the same things, including a family. You and I never would have worked out.”
“That’s not true. We had a great relationship for three years.”
“No, we didn’t,” Jadin said. “I just didn’t complain or make waves. I did a lot of settling—something I won’t ever do again.” She checked her watch. “I need to get back to my car.”
“Babe...”
“Don’t call me that,” Jadin stated. “You know what? I’ll take an Uber back.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Michael responded. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 15
Landon enjoyed the incredible views of Fort Sumter and the Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse from Battery Park, which was why he often came here to eat his lunch. He found an empty spot near the gazebo.
His eyes traveled to the couple walking along the waterfront. Landon could not believe what he was seeing.
Jadin and Michael.
Something grabbed at his chest like a sharp talon. Its grip tightened and squeezed.
Landon nearly lost it when Michael kissed her.
His chest gave another suffocating spasm. The sight of them kissing made his insides feel hollow and empty, as if they had been scraped out with something sharp. It took every fiber of his being not to go over and confront them.
This is not the time or place, he told himself.
The atmosphere around him had suddenly become shaming. Embarrassing. Excruciating.
Landon knew it was foolish to dream. Foolish to hope. Foolish to fall in love with someone who was so far out of his reach. But he had always loved Jadin. He could not remember a time when he had not loved her.
There was a time when she had returned that love, but from the looks of it, Jadin had made her decision and Landon decided to do the same.
His chest seized again as Landon tried to ignore the sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach.
Instead of going back to the office, Landon drove to the gym, where he worked off some, but not all, of his unsettled feelings. He ran twelve miles on the treadmill. Pushed a few weights around. Did a hundred abdominal crunches, and yet he still could not get the image of Jadin and Michael kissing out of his mind. He was angry with himself mostly. He had been selfish and now he was paying the price for that selfishness.
He went home, showered and put on trousers, a shirt and a tie. Landon grabbed a blazer and headed back to the office. He intended to make it a late night.
* * *
Jadin decided she would not tell Landon about Michael’s little visit. Things were going well between them and she had more important news to share with him. She pressed her hand to her stomach. “I love you already,” she whispered. “I can’t wait to tell your daddy about you.”
She made his favorite, beef Stroganoff, for dinner. Jadin lit the candles in the dining room, then ran upstairs to slip into something a little sexier.
Thirty minutes passed.
Jadin checked the clock, then called Landon.
When the call went to voice mail, she left a message. “Hey, I expected you home a half hour ago. Can you give me a call back just to let me know that you’re okay? I made beef Stroganoff for you. Call me, please.”
Landon called her five minutes later.
“I’m sorry for not calling you to let you now that I’m working late,” he said. “It’s been a crazy day for me.”
Jadin tried to keep her disappointment from her voice. “Any idea when you’ll be home? I really need to talk to you.”
“It’s going to be a late night,” Landon responded.
“Like how late?”
“I’m not sure, Jadin. All I can say is that you shouldn’t wait up for me.”
“Are you okay?” she asked. Landon did not sound like himself. In fact, Jadin got the distinct impression that he was upset about something.
“I’m just busy.”
“Okay. Well, I guess I’ll let you get back to work, then.
” Jadin ended the call.
She put away the food, blew out the candles and went upstairs to her bedroom.
Jadin changed into a pair of pajamas, then climbed into bed. “I guess your daddy is too busy for us tonight.”
The thought that something was going on with Landon still nagged at her. She considered calling him back but changed her mind. Jadin really did not want to disturb him at work.
She stole a peek at the clock on the nightstand.
Jadin decided to do some reading. She hoped Landon would end up surprising her by coming home early.
Before she felt asleep, Jadin sent him a text.
Don’t work too hard. I miss you.
She did not get a response.
* * *
Landon glanced down at the text, but chose not to respond, but only because he did not know what to say at this point.
He already knew what she wanted to discuss. She wanted to tell him that she wanted to be with Michael. His stomach clenched as if a fist had grabbed at his intestines.
At the moment, Landon’s heart could not take hearing those words come out of her mouth, so he avoided going home until he felt Jadin had fallen asleep.
He slept in the guest room.
The next morning, Landon was up early. He showered, dressed and left before seven o’clock.
Landon was busy going through case law when a young woman appeared at his office door. “Good morning, Landon.”
He looked up to find Janice, the newest prosecutor standing there. “Morning,” he greeted in return.
She walked into his office and sat down. “I want to say thank you for all your help.”
“It’s no problem.”
“I’d like to buy you dinner to show my appreciation.”
He smiled. “Janice, you don’t have to do that.” Something about the way she was eyeing him made Landon wary.
“But I want to,” she insisted. “I noticed you’re the last one to leave and the first to arrive—you’re so dedicated. As you know, my father is a federal prosecutor. I really want to make him proud, so I’d like for you to be my mentor.”
“I’ve only been on this job a brief time,” Landon said. “I think you should ask Trudy Mims to be your mentor.”
Another Chance with You Page 12