Conviction (Consolation Duet #2)(14)

Walking in the office was far more difficult than I could’ve expected. Knowing prying eyes and Aaron’s friends surround me makes me want to cower, but I’ve done enough of that. I work here now, and I needed a reprieve.

People’s lives are in my hands—at least that’s my excuse.

“What can I do for you?” I ask after a few moments of awkward silence.

Mark grows serious as he shifts forward with his elbows on his knees. “I’m worried about you. I know you may think you can’t talk to me, but you can.”

I believe that he cares for me. I trust that he has good intentions, but I also know if push came to shove, their whole “bros before ho’s” bullshit would be in full effect.

“I’m doing fine.” The last word trips me a little. I immediately think of Liam.

“How’s Aaron?”

I glance out the window and mull over my words. “Adjusting, I guess—we both are.”

Mark waits for me to look back at him before speaking. “I know this is hard on you more than anyone. You moved on, you found out about the affair, you were happy, and now he’s back. It can’t be easy. Hell, I can’t even pretend to know what you’re feeling. But he’s been through f*cking hell. If you’re in pain, imagine what he must’ve gone through in the year he was being held. I’m not asking you to forgive him,” Mark pauses. “I’m just asking you to let us help.”

My eyes widen at his last request. “Help? How do you plan to help?”

Mark tilts forward. “Jackson and I are your friends, Lee. Aaron can stay with me for a while, you can take some time off, or whatever you need. But all he could talk about on the plane back was seeing you. He never mentioned the other girl.”

I huff, “Like you’d tell me anyway.” I wait for him to refute me, but he won’t.

The stories of infidelity run rampant in the teams, but we all ignore it. We look the other way, because no matter what, they’d never tell the wife who’s blissfully ignorant. So many of my friends found out, after their husbands returned, that while they were holding down their homes, their husbands were f*cking everything that walked. Some even after they’d made love to them again. It’s the worst slap in the face, and I thought I’d been immune to it.

“No, I wouldn’t have told you . . . but I would’ve made sure you knew.”

“What the hell does that mean?” My hands come down on the desk with a smack, and Mark looks a little startled. Good. “I’m so tired of these riddles and rhymes. You all talk of honor, valor, and code, but you’re all hypocrites!” I stand and the chair flies out from under me.

“Lee,” he says hushed.

“No!” I yell and walk over to him. “You don’t ‘Lee’ me . . . I’m tired. You can all tell me that in all the time you spent with Aaron for that year, you never suspected it? You can honestly sit there and tell me you had no clue? I’m sure more times than you know he said he was with you. How does that make you feel?”

Mark stands towering over me, his hands gripping my shoulders gently. “I didn’t know. I would’ve told him to knock it the f*ck off or tell you. He made mistakes and he’s paid his penance.”

“And that’s supposed to comfort me?”

“What do you expect?”

What do I expect? I don’t know. That’s the part that gets me. I can’t tell him what I want, because if it were Reanell, I wouldn’t run and tell Mason. But there was a baby involved. And it wasn’t a one-time thing.

I flop in the chair and hang my head. “I expected it to never happen. But none of that matters because I’m over it. I’m over the affair and all the other bullshit. I was genuinely happy with Liam.”

Mark sits beside me. Wrapping his arm around my shoulder, he pulls me close. “Were you happy with Aaron? If you hadn’t believed he was dead all this time, would you be with him?”

I rest my head on his shoulder. “I can’t answer that. We weren’t happy, but we were happy about the baby. Who knows if after Aara was born if we’d have gone backward?”

“Yeah, that’s the thing . . . you don’t know. But what I do know is you have great friends who love you. And you have Aarabelle. As for the rest, it’s up to you.”

I lift my head and look at him. “Is it? My choices affect everyone in this.”

Mark kisses my cheek, “I think you need to give yourself a chance to breathe before you choose anything.” He heads out of the office and then pops his head back in. “Lee?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think we could give Aarabelle the call sign Moonlight?”

My smile is automatic, and I throw the box of tissues from the table next to me at his head.

He ducks and it misses him, but he smiles. “I’ll take that as a no.”

Only Mark.

I head back to my desk and get back to work. The people overseas matter, and I need to focus on their lives instead of my own. At least for a few hours.

My phone rings and I answer without looking.

“Hello?”

“Natalie,” Aaron’s scratchy voice sounds nervous.

“What’s wrong?” I ask quickly.

“It’s late. I’m just wondering if you’re coming home.”