Jadin shook her head no. “I didn’t get a chance to tell him.”
“You can’t keep this a secret. It’s not fair to keep Landon in the dark.”
“I know what Jasmine put you through, Austin, but this is different. I don’t want him to feel obligated to stay in our marriage just because of this baby. I know Landon, and he’ll do just that—he’d stay with me.”
Jadin wiped away her tears.
Austin embraced her. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’ll be okay. I just need to cry this out, but then I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “I need to check on Bree. She’s already dilated two centimeters.”
“You go be with her. I’m good.”
“She’s not in labor or anything. I just want to be home with her in case the contractions start. Bree’s a little nervous about the whole labor and delivery.”
“Call me when she does go to the hospital. I want to be there for her.”
“I will.”
Ten minutes after Austin left, Jadin was about to go upstairs when the doorbell sounded.
She opened the door to find Michael standing there. “What are you doing here?”
“I came here in the hopes of talking some sense into you. I know Landon’s at work, so I figured we could talk.”
Jadin glared at him. “You couldn’t be more wrong.”
His smile vanished. “What?”
“I thought I’d made myself pretty clear,” Jadin uttered. “I love Landon. I’m sorry, Michael, but this is the truth.” She burst into tears.
“Why are you crying?”
“Because Landon wants out.” Jadin placed a hand to her stomach. “I don’t know what happened. Everything was fine...”
Michael’s eyes traveled downward. “Are you pregnant?”
Jadin followed his gaze. “Yes.”
“Is this why you want to stay in this marriage? Because you got knocked up?”
“I want to stay in my marriage because I love my husband, Michael. It’s that simple.”
“Even though he doesn’t want you.”
“You can be such a jerk sometimes.”
“What? You want me to be sympathetic?” Michael asked. “You left me for a man who has decided he doesn’t want to be with you.”
“Get out.”
“You know, I was willing to take you back, but now that you’re pregnant...”
“I would never go back to the miserable life I had with you,” Jadin screamed. “You are insensitive, unyielding and a user. You have an uncle and a host of cousins who all love you and want to be a part of your life—you only have need of them when you need money or a cushy job. I love my family, and the whole time I was with you, I had to do a lot of compromising and sacrificing. That’s not love, Michael.”
“I don’t care what you think of me,” he responded. “You didn’t live my life. You don’t know what I’ve been through, so you don’t get the right to tell me how to be or how to treat my family—family who think they’re doing me a favor by handing me a dollar or two.”
“They are not like that at all. Remember, I’ve met them, Michael. Malcolm and Barbara Alexander have been wonderful to you. You’re just ungrateful.”
“Instead of trying to be my shrink, why don’t you figure out what you’ve done to run away your husband? Heck, for all I know, he’s done me a favor.”
“He certainly did me a favor,” Jadin responded. “He saved me from making what would have been a terrible mistake.”
Without a word, Michael turned and walked out the front door.
Chapter 18
Landon sat in his SUV, watching as Michael got into his car and drove away. He had seen enough to know that he’d made the right decision. He turned the ignition and pulled out.
Twenty minutes later, Landon walked into the chic foyer of the hotel. Crystal chandeliers overhead threw bright prisms of light over the polished marble floor. The late-summer air was filled with the scent of fresh peonies and roses and lilies from a giant and artfully arranged bouquet in the center of the area. Any other time, he would relish the sweet aroma, but today it made him sick to his stomach.
The lobby was buzzing with activity as people checked in and out. Landon quickly made his way to the elevator. He just wanted to escape to the empty silence of his suite.
Once there, he just sat on the sofa, staring into space.
The thought that Michael had spent the night with Jadin crossed his mind, but he chased it away as swiftly as it had come. He could not handle the idea of someone touching the woman who was still his wife, even if she did not act like it.
As much as Landon wanted to blame Jadin, he could not. He set this in motion when he selfishly refused to file those papers five years ago.
I should’ve let her go then.
If he had done what Jadin had asked of him back then, they would not be in this space today. This was his fault, Landon reasoned. I brought this on myself.
He thought once more on his uncle’s words, but it was hard for him to accept that there was nothing going on between Jadin and Michael. This was the second time he had seen them together.
He considered himself a smart man, and he trusted his instincts. He saw Jadin and Michael together, but did that mean that there was something between them?
Landon thought back to Blaine Herndon and how he had believed the man to be guilty of murdering his wife, although there had been no concrete evidence.
What if I’m wrong about Jadin?
* * *
Austin and Bree welcomed a six-pound ten-ounce baby girl on Friday morning.
Jadin had spent the night at the hospital with her parents and Austin’s mother, Irene.
“Why don’t you go home?” Eleanor suggested. “You look so tired.”
She had walked into her relationship with Landon with her heart wide-open and he had shattered it like broken glass. Jadin took deep breaths until she was strong enough to raise her head. “I’ll leave in a few, but I need to talk to you, Mom.”
“Okay, would you like to get some tea?”
Jadin nodded.
They walked down to the cafeteria.
“What’s going on, hon?”
Tears slowly found their way down her cheeks. “Landon and I are getting a divorce.”
Eleanor looked stunned by the news. “But why?”
“He doesn’t want to stay in the marriage,” she responded, wiping her face with a tissue found in her pocket. “Landon signed a divorce petition a few days ago. He wants out.”
Her mother’s expression was one of puzzlement. “What happened?”
“I don’t know, Mom... I don’t know.” Jadin did not want to mention that another woman might be involved. At least not just yet. She also did not say anything about the baby. “Maybe I’m just destined to be a single woman, stuffing my face with seafood and white chocolate, and watching Law & Order throughout the night or reading on my Kindle.”
“This just doesn’t make any sense,” Eleanor said. “It’s clear how much that man loves you, Jadin. And I know that you love him, too. You two should seek counseling or something. Divorce should never be a choice when two people love one another.”
“I agree,” Jadin said. “But I will not force a man to stay with me when he doesn’t want to be there.”
“Does he know that you’re pregnant?” Eleanor inquired.
Jadin gasped. “How did you find out?”
“Sweetie, you’re my daughter. I just don’t understand why you haven’t said anything to me. What’s with all the secrets?”
“Mom, please don’t be hurt. I didn’t say anything because I don’t want you thinking badly of Landon. He doesn’t know about the baby. I didn’t tell him because I know he’d stay. I want him to choose me. Not stay in a marriage because he’s
obligated.”
“So, it’s better that you take this decision away from him? Do you really think this is right?”
“I don’t know.”
“It appears to me that you two make decisions and think they should be law.” Eleanor reached over and took her daughter’s hand in her own. “You need to pray about this, Jadin. Because what you and Landon are doing is making a mockery of marriage. Either you two are going to be married or you’re not, but you both need to be on the same page.”
Jadin swallowed hard and bit back tears. “Mom, I want my marriage. Landon is the one who changed his mind. I wasn’t going to say anything about this, but I think he’s met someone else. He was supposed to be working late but I saw him at a restaurant with another woman.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing really.”
“They recently hired a new prosecutor,” Eleanor said. “You know your father used to take all of the new associates to dinner. I was out a couple of times and ran into him dining with some pretty girl.”
“It never bothered you?”
“If I chose to believe the worse, of course it would bother me, but I refused to let my mind go there.”
“You think I made a rush to judgment.”
Eleanor nodded. “I do.”
“So, what do I do now?”
“Go away for the weekend. That seems to always help to clear your head.”
Jadin gave a small smile. “I’ll drive down to Jekyll Island.”
“It’ll do you some good.”
“Mom, I think you’re right.”
Eleanor embraced her. “You and Landon belong together. I knew it the moment I met the man...and got over my shock that you’d already married him. This is just a bump in the road, sweetie. I really believe that you two can overcome anything.”
Jadin left the hospital and went home to pack.
She slept for a few hours before making the three-and-a-half-hour drive to Jekyll Island.
When she arrived, she settled down in her hotel suite, then ordered room service. Jadin did not feel like being around a lot of people.
She took a sip of bottled water as she stood on the balcony of her room, gazing at the beauty of the sandy stretch of beach below and the greenish color of the ocean. It reminded her of a conversation she had had with Landon.
They were discussing whether the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans were different colors. Jadin thought the Pacific Ocean was blue, while the Atlantic was more of a greenish color. Landon’s theory was the two oceans were the same color.
A smiled tugged at her lips as she recalled them sitting side by side on laptop computers, looking for answers.
“It depends on the day for the color of the ocean,” Landon told her. “According to this website, the color is dependent on several factors. The deepest parts of the ocean will look blue because of the way the light is absorbed and reflected.”
“Every time I go down to Jekyll Island, the ocean looks green to me,” she responded.
“I’ve seen it look lighter near the coast and like a deep sapphire color several miles from shore,” Landon said. “From what I’ve read, if there’s a storm that’s kicked up dirt, those particles can also change how light is absorbed in the water.”
Jadin burst into laughter. “Can you believe we’re actually sitting here, discussing the color of the ocean?”
He had leaned over, kissing her. “Of course. We’re interested in stuff like this. There’s nothing wrong with it—we just have a natural curiosity about things.”
A tear rolled down her check as Jadin considered there would never been any more of those moments with Landon.
She was glad to be away from Charleston. If Jadin had her way, she would just stay to hide away for a while. She lingered on the balcony, inhaling the ocean scent and the cool breeze.
She had no appetite but forced herself to eat. She had the baby to consider and she wanted him or her to be healthy.
Jordin called to check on her.
“I’m fine,” she assured her sister. “I came to Jekyll Island to think things over.”
“Mom told me. I’m glad to hear that you’re at least considering fighting for your marriage.”
“I’m going to sort out everything. But it’s not really up to me, Jordin.”
“Landon loves you. I know you two can get through this.”
“I hope you’re right.” Jadin wiped away a lone tear. “I really hope you’re right.”
* * *
Landon took an empty seat at the bar, although he did not drink. He was going a bit stir-crazy in his suite, so he figured he would come down to the lobby. He originally thought about going off-site to eat, but he really wasn’t hungry.
He ordered a club soda. Landon had not felt this heartsick since the day Jadin walked out of his life. It had taken a lot of effort to pull himself together, but he did it.
He would do it again.
“I’ll have a white wine, please.”
Landon looked up from his club soda. “Janice, what are you doing here?”
“I overheard you tell someone on the phone that you were staying here. I figured things must not be going so well in your marriage. I thought you could use a friend.”
Landon shook his head. “I won’t be good company.”
“You’re a really nice person. You don’t deserve whatever this is.” Janice sat down beside him at the bar. The clingy dress she wore left nothing to the imagination.
Landon knew exactly what was on her mind, but he was going to have to disappoint her. He had no interest in Janice. His heart yearned for Jadin.
The bartender handed her a glass of wine. As she reached for it, her arm brushed against Landon’s hand. Their gazes collided.
Landon shifted in his seat, keeping his distance. “Janice, you really shouldn’t have come here.”
“Why not? I thought we were becoming friends.”
“Let’s not play games, Janice. You didn’t come here to be my friend—not dressed like that. You came here with an agenda, but it’s not going to work. I’m a married man.”
“Living in a hotel? It doesn’t sound like you’re going to be married much longer. Landon, I haven’t known you long, but I know you well enough to know that if you’re here, your marriage is over.”
She moved closer to him. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she said, “I’m not going to play games with you. I’ve wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you, Landon. We would be so good together.”
“Janice, this is inappropriate.”
She giggled. “I won’t tell anybody. It’ll be our little secret.”
“Janice, I need you to understand something. I don’t get involved with people I work with, and despite my staying here temporarily, I am still a married man.”
She smoothed a dark tendril of hair behind her ear. “So, you’re not attracted to me? Not even a tiny bit?”
“You are a beautiful woman, but my heart belongs to one woman.”
Janice’s impeccably groomed eyebrows shot up beneath her perfectly trimmed and blow-dried fringe. “If that’s true...why are you here and not with her? Trying to work things out.”
“It’s complicated,” Landon responded.
“Well, if I were you and I loved someone as much as you love Jadin, I would go home. You can’t make a marriage work living apart. Do yourself a favor and fight for your marriage.” Janice took a sip of her wine. “I guess you won’t be my mentor after this.”
“No, I won’t. I was never going to do it. As I said, Trudy Mims would be a great mentor.”
She stayed until she finished her wine. “Enjoy your weekend, Deputy Prosecutor. I’ll see you on Monday.”
He smiled. “See you then.”
Landon left the bar and went up to his suite. He lay across the be
d, a whirlwind of emotions washing over him. He loved Jadin and he was heartsick without her.
She had accused him of wanting the divorce because of Janice.
He sat up. Jadin was upset because she’d seen him having dinner with her. She thought he was leaving her for someone else.
Landon drew up the petition because he thought Jadin wanted to be with Michael. If that were true, then why would she have gotten so upset?
He muttered a curse. What if he’d been wrong about everything?
Chapter 19
Landon left his suite and took the elevator down to the lobby. He had a breakfast meeting with the staff and wanted to get to the office early. He made a quick stop at a café inside the Alexander-DePaul Hotel. Trudy raved about the gourmet bagels and cream cheese there, so he thought he would pick up some for their meeting.
“Landon Trent,” Michael greeted. “I need to know. What’s wrong with you, man?”
Turning around to face his nemesis, he responded, “Excuse me?”
“I don’t understand you,” Michael said. “You come all the way to Charleston and make this grand display of wanting your wife back. Now that you have her, you’re ready to discard your family like yesterday’s trash.”
Landon’s mood quickly veered to anger. “The last thing I’m going to do is discuss my marriage with you.”
Michael shrugged in nonchalance. “Okay, fine. If you don’t want Jadin...even though she loves you, then—”
Landon cut him off by asking, “What are you talking about?”
“I came back here to get my girl, but Jadin made it very clear that she’s in love with you. She wants to be with you, Landon, even though I tried to convince her it was a bad idea.”
“Oh, is that what you were doing at Battery Park?” Landon asked. “Trying to convince my wife to leave me?”
“Hey, it worked for you, didn’t it? You just waltzed into town and she went running straight into your arms. I figured I’d just do to you what you did to me.”
“Did you think kissing her was the way to go?”
Michael looked at him. “Oh, she told you about that?”
“She didn’t have to tell me,” Landon responded. “I saw you two at the park. I was there.”
Another Chance with You Page 14