Page 82 of My Fiancé's Brother 2

“Fine.”

“I don’t cheat, and I expect the same consideration from you.”

My head whipped back, and I looked at him. “Excuse me?”

“I think I’ve been pretty clear.”

“I don’t think you have any concerns in that department.”

Silence hung between us.

Finally, he spoke. “It isn’t easy to be married to a soldier, but it’ll get easier if you can play nice with the other wives.”

Disbelief rippled through me. “You think I wasn’t playing nice?”

“I’m just saying, that you might want to make that one of your goals.”

His words cut like a knife. My husband was telling me to get some friends. Humiliation burned my stomach. At that moment, I had never felt more alone in my life. Didn’t he understand what was going on here? They didn’t like me because they were siding with his ex-girlfriend.

I couldn’t even look at his face as I stood up. I was convinced I would burst out into tears. “I’m going to bed.”

When I woke up,the sun was shining. My cast made things awkward, but the pain had receded to the point of being manageable. There wasn’t much I could do about my face. The swelling on my cheek was gone, but the dark bruise was impossible to hide, even with make-up.

Jackson: Let’s go out for dinner tonight

I stared at his text. I almost couldn’t take the tension between us. I was done with fighting. I was almost crumbling under all the pressure.

Me: Ok

We went outto a local surf and turf restaurant that had a spectacular view of the boardwalk. Jackson had said very little on the drive. I studied him. He looked casual in his t-shirt and faded jeans. There was no expression on his face. Thanks to Irene and her years of abuse, my husband could do blank better than anyone I knew.

“Where did you learn to play baseball?”

He took his time answering. “I played as a kid.”

He had been so good that professionals had scouted him.

“Were you in a league?”

Green eyes glanced my way. “Ted loved baseball more than life himself. He got me started.”

“Ted did?”

“He’s the one that came to all my games.”

“What about Matt’s dad?”

“He was busy.”

My God. This man wanted to share nothing with me. Nothing at all. That hurt.

“My dad was big into archery,” I offered.

“Oh yeah?”

“He wanted me to take an interest. I got this beautiful bow and arrow. I took private lessons. I was in a league for ages, but then they kicked me out.”

His eyes looked at my face. Interested. “What happened?”

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