Mercy by Jean Brashear

Author:Jean Brashear
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Jean Brashear
Published: 2019-02-17T16:00:00+00:00

Mona rode up the elevator, leaning against the wall, lost in thought. She dreaded the impending darkness, wondering, once again, if Fitz would come home. He hadn’t been there for two nights now. She was so exhausted, a constant state lately. Maybe she would take a nap first and hope it would recharge her, make her more able to face his absence.

She opened the door and stopped in shock. Home at a very early hour for him, Fitz whirled toward her.

“Hi,” she ventured.

He nodded. “Hi.”

He appeared as tired as she felt. “Tough day?”

He shrugged. “Nothing special.” No explanation for the missing nights. He shifted on his feet. His gaze flickered to meet hers, then away.

All at once, she longed for nothing more than for him to hold her. When words wouldn’t work, physical contact always did. Setting her tote bag and purse aside, she crossed to him.

To her shock, he stepped back. Only one, but he might as well have hit her.

When he glanced at her, she spotted regret in his expression…and something more.

“Des,” he started. He studied her for a second with something that seemed too much like pity. “I’ve got a hotel room. I—” Here he huffed out a breath. “I would have been here earlier and gotten out before you came home, but I got a call from a source and I had to meet him. I could wait until tomorrow, but—”

“No.” It was all she could think to say. Then her voice lowered into some supplicant she’d never met. “Fitz, no. You can’t mean—” To her horror, her voice broke. “All this over babies?”

She began to pace. “I don’t understand. How can we live in Westchester? What happened to all our plans?” She turned back. “Florence. We were going to do Florence this year.”

“You wanted to do Florence, not me.” His eyes were at once gentle and resolute. “Babe, that’s the problem. We have no idea what the other one wants anymore.”

“You’re wrong, Fitz.” A voice she hardly recognized slid into shrill. “After ten years, we know everything about each other. You enjoy cigars and brandy and talking Kant and listening to Sinatra.” She moved closer, desperate to make him see. “You have a mole under your left shoulder blade. You understand how I like to be kissed.”

God. Was she begging? She didn’t beg. Ever.

“Des.” Oh, that voice she’d loved for years. “You have no idea what stories I’m working on. You don’t even realize that I turned down an offer to go to Newsweek.”

She blinked. “Why didn’t you tell me? Oh, Fitz, that’s wonderful, but why would you turn it down?”

One tawny eyebrow lifted. His eyes were sad. “Because ambition isn’t as important to me as it is to you.”

A surprised bark shot from her throat. “You’d kill over a breaking story. You love your work. It’s who you are,” she insisted.

“Not anymore,” he said softly. “But you haven’t been paying attention enough to realize that.”

“It’s just this stupid party. It’ll be over soon. A little longer and we’re home-free.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.