His to Defend (Lake Powell Firefighter Romance Book 2) by Jewel Allen

Author:Jewel Allen [Allen, Jewel]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2020-09-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Kennedy

Two minutes to seven that Saturday night, I glanced at the clock, wondering if Stratton would truly show up. He’d texted that he would love to take the kids to dinner.

Maybe he’d chickened out. Which would be good. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face him. Not after catching him with that floozy. Part of me wanted to believe him that it had been an accident, but it was too preposterous. Nurses didn’t just “fall” into firefighters’ laps.

The children were playing in our rented cabin with a LEGO set that my parents had given them the other day. Mom had been especially sweet to them lately, trying to make up for our heartache with her own brand of caring.

I stood there in the living room watching them for a few minutes. They were my respite from my pain. I would do anything for them, including making sure they grew up happy and well-adjusted, whatever happened to me and Stratton.

There was a knock at the door.

I began to move to open it, but Ben jumped up and said, “I’ll get it!”

Ben pulled open the door to Stratton and the children ran into his arms. Not agreeing to the date tonight was a good thing. My heart was experiencing all sorts of conflicting emotions. Anger. Pain. Yearning.

He had bent down to let the children into his embrace and he looked up now with a hesitant smile.

“Have fun, kids,” I called vaguely out their direction.

Stratton straightened up and took something out of his pocket. “Here. Read it when you have a chance.”

Ben jumped for it. “I can give it to Mommy.”

“Okay,” Stratton said. “Why don’t you do that?”

I took it from Ben and thanked him. He tugged at my hand and looked up at me with his beautiful eyes. “Can Dad see the loft?”

I wished they would leave. I didn’t want Stratton here. The space felt invaded and cramped all of a sudden.

But I couldn’t say no to Ben’s soft, beseeching eyes. “Sure.”

Stratton took his shoes off at the door. I stood to the side so he could pass and climb the ladder with Evie, followed by an eager Ben.

This was the first time he had been inside our little house since he helped us move and I wondered if he was sizing it up. Stratton wasn’t judgy that way, but surely, he couldn’t help but compare what the children were used to, and the little I could give them.

Swallowing my pride, I waited for them to be done.

“Isn’t this cool, Daddy?” Ben asked.

“Yeah, it sure is.” Stratton’s low voice pierced my heart.

All of a sudden, I was overcome with missing him, his touch, his everything.

I folded my arms over my chest, to symbolically ward off any softening. I needed to protect my heart. In my hand, I still held the envelope. I set it down on the kitchen table. I would read it later. But for now, it taunted my curiosity as it lay, crumpled from my grip, on the scarred surface.

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