“Is that what this is all about?” He shook his head. “Man... I kissed her, and Jadin set me straight about it. Landon, you have nothing to worry about from me.”
“Then why were you at the house yesterday?”
He gave a short laugh. “What are you doing? Stalking her now?”
“No, I went there to talk to Jadin, but when I saw you, I decided to leave.”
“Without talking to her?” He shook his head. “I thought you were smart. Look, like I told you, I was trying to convince her that she’d made the wrong choice, but she told me off good, so I left.” Michael stole a glance at his watch. “I need to catch a flight, but I’ma say this to you. Landon, she doesn’t need all this unnecessary stress with her pregnancy.”
“Her what?”
“She’s pregnant.” Michael looked surprised. “Didn’t she tell you?”
“I didn’t give her much of a chance,” Landon said, putting a hand to his mouth.
“If I were you...I’d go straighten things out with Jadin before I lost her for good.”
“Michael, just so that we’re on the same page, from this moment forward, I want you to keep your hands and your lips off my wife.”
“You have my word. You know, I never really believed in soul mates, but I believe that Jadin is yours.”
“I know she is,” Landon said. “From the moment I first saw her, I knew she was the woman God created just for me.”
“Then you need to act like it. Go get your wife.”
Landon shook Michael’s hand. “Thank you.”
Remorse tasted sour in his mouth. Landon had been so brutal to Jadin. Guilt also danced across his heart over the fact that he had no idea that his own wife was pregnant. The nausea, dizziness and passing out—it had never occurred to him that Jadin might be carrying a child—his child.
He went by the house, but it was empty, so he drove to Austin’s house. He had gotten the text about Bree having the baby. He stopped to grab a card and some flowers.
Austin greeted him at the door. “Hey, Landon. I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
“Can we table our conversation until later?” he responded. “I really need to see Jadin. She wasn’t home, so I thought maybe she’d be over here with Bree and the baby. I need to talk to my wife.”
“Your soon-to-be ex-wife, you mean.”
“Austin, I’m going to be honest with you. I messed up and I need to fix it. I saw Jadin with Michael at Battery Park. It looked like...he kissed her, and I thought...”
“You assumed she wanted to be with Michael and not you,” Austin finished for him. “The same way she thinks you’re interested in another woman.”
“She saw me having dinner with our new prosecutor, but it was not the way it might have looked...” his voice died. “I never should have based my decision on assumptions. I should’ve talked to her about what I saw.”
“I agree.”
“I overreacted and now I might lose her and my child because of it. If you know where she is, please tell me.”
“You know she’s pregnant?”
“Michael told me. I ran into him earlier.”
“Right now, I’m not so sure you deserve my sister,” Austin said. “Running away is not the way to handle problems.”
“I know that,” Landon said. “My heart felt ripped in two at the idea that she wanted to be with Michael. But I love Jadin enough to let her go, Austin. I wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn’t with me. I wasn’t able to do that before. I told myself it was selfish to force her to stay in a marriage she didn’t want to be in.” His eyes grew wet with tears. “I love her so much. If I’d known the real story behind what I witnessed...I never would have had those papers drawn up.”
“Are you sure you want to be with my sister? I need you to think hard about this, Landon. See, Jadin doesn’t need you—she’s got me, her sister...the whole DuGrandpre family.”
“I know that, Austin. She’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted, and that hasn’t changed. I know I messed up, but it came from a pure place. I wanted her to be happy even if it wasn’t with me.”
After a moment, Austin said, “She’s staying at the Jekyll Island Club Resort. If I were you, I’d leave now. Just show up. I’ll get her room number and text it to you.”
“Thank you, Austin.” He handed him the card and flowers. “Congratulations on the birth of your daughter.” Landon broke into a grin. “I’m going to be a father, too, and I can’t wait.”
He went to his car and got inside.
Landon whispered a quick prayer before heading for the highway. He was going to get his wife back. This time he vowed to never let her go.
* * *
Jadin heard a knock on the door and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. That was quick, she thought. She had ordered room service not even a good ten minutes ago.
She opened the door and gasped. “Landon...”
“Can I come in, please?”
Blocking his entrance, she stood there, arms folded across her chest. “We don’t have anything to talk about. You said everything when you served me with divorce papers.”
“We need to talk about that.”
Jadin shook her head. “No, we don’t. I came down here to forget about everything going on in my life just for a few days. Landon, your being here would add more stress, so I need you to leave. I need this time to myself.”
“I don’t want a divorce.”
“It’s too late now,” she responded.
“You’ve already filed them.”
Instead of answering his question, Jadin said, “Goodbye, Landon.”
“What about the baby?”
There was a brief silence.
“Is that why you have this sudden change of heart?” Jadin asked. She had hoped to keep her pregnancy from him just a bit longer. “Landon, I won’t keep you from your child, if that’s what you’re worried about, but I’m not going to stay in a loveless marriage.”
“Can I please come inside? I don’t really want to discuss our relationship from the hallway.”
“That’s more than you gave me.”
“I guess I deserve that.”
“That and more,” Jadin uttered, but against her better judgment, she stepped aside to allow him to enter the room.
Once they were seated, Landon said, “I never wanted a divorce, Jadin. I thought you wanted out of the marriage.”
Stunned, she asked, “What gave you that idea?”
“I saw you with Michael at Battery Park. When I saw him kiss you, I misread the situation and that’s why I drew up the petition. In my mind, I was giving you what you wanted—freedom to be with the man you loved.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I was jealous, hurt, angry...”
“I don’t want to be with Michael,” Jadin said. “I told him that same day.”
“I know,” Landon responded. “I ran into Michael this morning and he cleared up everything for me. I feel really bad over the way I treated you—that’s why I came down here.”
“He’s the one who told you about the baby?”
“Yes, but only because he thought I already knew.”
Jadin settled back on the sofa, clutching a pillow to her. “I was going to tell you about the baby the night you served me with the petition for divorce.”
“I did go by the house to see you, but when I saw Michael was there, I changed my mind. I really thought you wanted him. I’m so sorry, Jadin.”
A loud knock cut off further conversation.
“I ordered some dinner,” she said as she got up and navigated toward the door.
When the server left, they continued their conversation.
Jadin sliced into her hamburger. “Are you hungry? We can split this.”
<
br /> “I’m fine.”
“When I brought up the woman I saw you with, you allowed me to believe the worst.”
“Her name is Janice and she’s a new prosecutor. She’d been assigned to shadow me that week. All those nights I told you I was working, Jadin, I was, and I was alone. She bought me dinner that night to show her gratitude. She asked me to be her mentor, but I turned her down.”
“From where I stood, she was acting more like your date and not a coworker,” Jadin said. “She had other interests in mind.”
“I know,” Landon said. “Janice came to the hotel last night. I was in the bar—”
“You don’t drink.”
“I had club soda.”
Jadin wiped her mouth with her napkin. “So, what happened?”
“She came on to me,” Landon said. “I turned her down. Made it clear that I was still a married man. Jadin, I’m so sorry.”
She looked at him. “Landon, I love you. I realized months ago that marrying Michael would’ve been a huge mistake. If I still had any kind of feelings for him, I never would’ve given myself to you. I wouldn’t be pregnant right now.” She paused for a moment, then said, “I thought we could talk about anything...good or bad. Now I have to wonder.”
“I was so hurt, Jadin, seeing the two of you together. I didn’t want to force you to stay with me if your heart belonged to someone else. I thought I was being gallant, if you want to know the truth.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “But inside here, I felt like I was dying.”
“Landon, love is not enough. There has to be trust between us, and from what happened... You didn’t trust me.”
“Sweetheart, I do trust you. That’s why it hurt so much. I promise you that I won’t ever make this mistake again.”
“You say you trust me, but you gave up on us without checking to see if what you thought was the truth. I must be honest. It makes me wonder if you’re really in for the whole till-death-do-us-part.”
“Can I ask one thing of you?”
She boldly met his gaze. “What is that?”
“Spend this weekend with me,” Landon said. “Let me prove to you that we belong together.”
After a long silence, she said, “Do you actually think we can work this out in a couple of days?”
“No, but it’s a good start.”
Jadin broke into a smile. “You sure you don’t want this other half?”
“You eat, sweetheart.”
She bit into the burger.
“How have you been feeling?” Landon inquired. “Have you had any morning sickness?”
She chewed and swallowed. “Not really. I feel nauseous every now and then, but that’s about it... Thank goodness. Jordin was really sick when she was pregnant.”
“When is the baby due?”
“In seven months.”
He smiled. “I’m going to be a father. I want you to know that I feel awful. I should’ve known that you were pregnant.”
“How could you know?” Jadin asked. “I didn’t even know. I was on the Pill. I had to get them switched. Apparently, it takes time for my body to adjust.” She broke into a smile. “I know this pregnancy wasn’t planned, but are you sure you’re ready for daddy duty?”
“Yeah, I am,” Landon said. “My dad and I had a great relationship until he passed away. His brother stepped up to make sure I didn’t miss out on things like sports. It was hard for my uncle to be at every one of my games because of his job, but when he could, he was there.”
She reached out and took his hand. “I have no doubts that you’ll be a great father.”
“You’re just not sure I’ll be a good husband.”
Jadin touched his cheek. “I know you’re a good husband, silly. What I have doubts about is how we are going to handle the hard stuff that comes along? I got scared and I ran. You did the same thing. What does this say about us?”
“That we’re experiencing what most people go through early in their marriages. This is the first time that we’ve lived as husband and wife. I guess it’s normal.” Landon looked at her. “Please tell me that you didn’t file the divorce petition.”
“I was going to, but my mom told me to wait. She told me not to do it until I had a clear head.” Jadin pointed to his finger. “You’re still wearing your ring.”
“I couldn’t bring myself to take it off.” Landon picked up her left hand. “You still have yours on, too.”
“Same reason,” Jadin murmured.
“I need to know what you saw in Michael. You accepted his proposal of marriage. Why?”
“I bought into the whole we-are-so-right-for-each-other speech he gave me. When I left you, I knew that I would never love anybody the way I loved you, Landon. So I wasn’t looking for a deep, intense love like we shared. I was just looking for someone who would care for me, respect me and be good to me. Michael and I weren’t a perfect fit, but it worked and so I settled. But then you came back into my life.” Jadin smiled. “You rescued me. You showed me that what I have with you is perfect.”
“What we share is real, Jadin. I promise that I am committed to our marriage for all of eternity.”
“That’s a long time,” she responded. “You’re sure about this?”
“I was sure that day in Vegas, when you became my wife.”
Chapter 20
Saturday morning, Jadin woke up to find Landon had already ordered breakfast for them.
“What would you like to do today?” he asked her.
“We can go the beach, or we can go horseback riding. I know how much you love history, so we can spend some time touring the Jekyll Island Club, which was the playground for J. P. Morgan, Marshall Field, Joseph Pulitzer and William Vanderbilt.”
“Really?”
Jadin nodded. “This island used to be their winter retreat.”
“Well, it’s beautiful here,” Landon said. “I didn’t get to see a whole lot yesterday. I was more focused on getting to you.”
“My parents call this one of Georgia’s best-kept secrets. My mother was born in Brunswick. Her parents moved to Charleston when she was ten, but she spent a lot of summers in this area with her grandparents.”
“I’d like to go to St. Simons Island while I’m here,” Landon said.
“Okay.” A smile tugging at her lips. Jadin then inquired, “How did you sleep?”
“The sofa was comfortable enough.”
“Did you really expect me to welcome you back in my bed with open arms?”
“I was hoping so,” Landon confessed. “But I know you better than that, so I knew you wouldn’t.”
“Then why didn’t you know that I’d never go back to Michael after giving myself to you? I’m not the kind of girl who jumps from man to man like that.”
“Jadin, I reacted over a broken heart. I was blinded by jealousy and I’m sorry. Please tell me that we can get past this.”
“I guess we’ll find out this weekend.”
She took him via horseback to her favorites spots on the island.
“I haven’t been on a horse since Uncle Tim and I went to Montana. We spent a week at this ranch. It was pretty cool.”
After spending the day touring the island, they drove to Brunswick to dine at Zachary’s Seafood and Steak. Both she and Landon chose the crab cake sandwich with rémoulade sauce.
Later, Jadin and Landon drove across the bridge to St. Simons Island, where they walked off their lunch.
“There’s so much history on this island...in this area,” Landon said. “I’ve always wanted to come to see where the Battle of the Bloody Marsh took place and Fort Frederica.”
“You have a real interest in war history,” Jadin responded.
“I do. I guess I’m always trying to really understand why they happened.”
She took a picture of Christ
Church with the camera on her iPhone. The small church was surrounded by mossy grass and sat under towering oak trees. “This is one of the oldest churches in Georgia.”
“The fifty-fourth Massachusetts infantry actually spent some time on this island. I read some of the letters from Colonel Robert Shaw about his time here.”
“Glory is one of my favorite movies,” Jadin said. “I’ve always wanted to go to a Civil War reenactment.”
“We can do that,” Landon responded. “I’ve gone to a couple with my uncle. We had a wonderful time. When all the kids are a bit older, I’d like to take them to one. It’s a great way to learn history.”
Later, back in their suite, Landon wrapped his arms around her.
He kept Jadin there in front of him, his mouth blazing a hot trail against the sensitive skin of her neck. “Do you have any idea of how much I’ve missed you? How bad I wanted you?” He unzipped her dress, which she let fall to the floor in a puddle.
The feel of Landon’s hands touching her so intimately made Jadin shudder with pleasure and made her toes curl into the soft carpet. Jadin turned to face him as his hands explored the curve of her back. Her skin tingled wherever he touched her.
Landon looked at her with hungry eyes, feasting on her, taking in her nearly naked body. She had never felt more desirable. More beautiful.
“You’re so gorgeous.”
Jadin attempted to unbutton his shirt, but her fingers were useless. In the end, Landon whipped it off over his head and tossed it onto a nearby chair. She undid his belt and trousers. He stepped out of them.
He crushed her mouth to his as his hands went back to her hips, holding her against him.
“Sweetheart, are you sure about this?”
“I want you to make love to me all night long.”
Landon’s lips parted and claimed her tongue. Hungrily, they devoured each other’s lips, and Jadin melted into his passionate embrace. Her entire body pulsated in anticipation.
He kissed her gently on the throat as he traced his fingertips across her lips. The gentle massage sent currents of desire through her.
Their chemistry had always been electrifying.
Jadin’s last thought before they made love was just how perfect she and Landon were together.
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