Fallen Woman(73)
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Being married again was surreal. I never thought I could top the day Ryan and I wed, until I had the twins, and then Emmy. But after Ryan died, I assumed that was it for me; there wouldn’t be a happily-ever-after, no white knight riding in and sweeping me off my feet, and no man would ever want me or the skeletons from my closet. Jase surpassed any romantic fantasy I ever had, and it was as if he couldn’t see the negatives in my past and only the good in my present and future. I didn’t know what we’d face when we got home, but united, we were inseparable.
As the plane touched down, I held my husband’s hand and wondered what was going through his head. We’d had a blissful couple of days, but we’d just made a monumental commitment, and none of the people who meant the most to him were a part of it. I’d never even met his parents. None of his friends were there—not that Holland would have been a consideration, but I hoped he didn’t regret doing this on a whim down the road.
He watched me with a lazy grin as I contemplated our choice, knowing it was exactly what I would’ve wanted if given the chance, but I didn’t hold the clout in society Jase did, and I didn’t have the connections—family or friends—he did, either. Actually, I had none of those now that Holland and I weren’t talking and Jase’s other friends seemed to have mysteriously gone MIA since all this started. He hadn’t mentioned it, but he had to have noticed.
“What are you thinking about?” The tone of his voice, the way he spoke to me, was so vastly different than how he talked to anyone else. It was something he reserved solely for me, and it melted my heart.
“Just hoping you don’t regret our decision.”
“I’m never going to regret marrying you, Gia.” The feel of his thumb grazing the top of my hand comforted me.
“No, silly, the way we went about it. Not having your friends or family there.”
He laughed a deep, rumbling melody that shook the seats. “Are you kidding? No man ever wants to go through the hassle and ordeal of a large wedding. I don’t care who they are. They do it to pacify one of two women, their fiancée or their mother. My mother will get over it, and if you decide you want a big ceremony, we can do it whenever you want. But it’s going to be because it’s important to you, not because someone else said we should.” He kissed my temple and closed the discussion.
“Have you heard from any of the guys recently?” I blurted out.
He sat up a little straighter in his seat. “No, should I have?”
“You don’t think it’s a little strange you haven’t heard from any of them for any reason in the last couple weeks?”
“Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it. My life has been a little busy with you and four kids. But now that you mention it, I haven’t heard from any of them since the cops showed up at our door.”
“Do you think they know?” It worried me that Jase wouldn’t have the backing of his lifelong friends. He loved me, and I knew that, but I never wanted him to do it at the expense of his friendships.
He worried his bottom lip for a minute before answering. His eyes seemed to grow dim and melancholy. “Likely. Holland has always been the type to rally the troops in his defense. We’ve just never been fighting against each other. I’d like to believe Max, Willum, and Drake would call me to find out what happened, or hell, at least cuss me out, but I haven’t heard from any of them. Not even a text.”
“Do you think you should call them? I haven’t heard from any of them either, Jase, and there wasn’t a day that went by for months that I didn’t hear from at least one of them. Holland and I talked every day, and when Max’s mom came into town, she always wanted to have lunch. What if he got to them and lied? What if he’s filled their heads with crap that didn’t happen or a load of excuses for why you beat him up?”
“I didn’t beat him up.”
“Seriously, Jase? I saw the dollar amount of the medical bills. You did more than rough him up a bit.”
As the plane came to a stop and people started to gather their things, the emotion on Jase’s face changed to something I didn’t recognize and hoped I never became familiar with. He lowered his voice and tucked his head next to mine before whispering so no one else could hear him. “He touched my wife. We may not have been married, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt how I felt about you. He knew I loved you, and he violated that. He violated you. He’s lucky I didn’t kill him and dispose of the body, because the thought crossed my mind. Mark my words, Gianna. You are mine, and going forward, no one will ever lay a hand on you, much less do what he did. So, if my friends want to side with him when the truth comes out, so be it. I’ll be on the right side of the proverbial fence, and I won’t regret for one second walking away from all of them.”
He gave me a chaste kiss without allowing me to respond before he helped me up and got our carry-on bags. Hand in hand, we exited the plane. I couldn’t wait to get home and see the kids, but I wasn’t looking forward to facing reality tomorrow.
Tomorrow hit like a ton of bricks. Hart Linland called Jase early while we were getting ready for work. I hadn’t thought about going back to Faston as Jase’s wife and wasn’t looking forward to the questions, comments, or stares. I knew what people thought already—Jase putting a ring on it just confirmed it. It was a simple diamond eternity band—there was no large engagement ring. Although he tried to insist on it, I finally got him to relent with the thin band encrusted in tiny diamonds. I loved the way it sparkled on my hand and how dainty it looked on my thin fingers.