Page 31 of A Soldier's Return

Cody laughed out loud at that. “I was an ass in high school. I hope there are no hard feelings.”

He wasstillan ass, on many levels. She couldn’t believe it had taken her so many years to figure it out.

“Why would there be?” Eli said coolly. “It was a long time ago.”

She had completely forgotten about that school dance. As usual, Cody had abandoned her in the corner while he talked to his friends. She might as well have been invisible for all the attention her date paid her that night. That wasn’t a unique situation. Even now, she wasn’t quite sure why she had put up with it for so long.

“Anyway, we’re staying the night at Ace’s guesthouse, but I was hoping we could take Skye back to Portland with us tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“We’re buying some things for the new little munchkin, and I figured she might like to be involved in the whole baby thing.”

As usual, he didn’t think about anyone but himself. He didn’t consider that she might have plans with her daughter. They were just supposed to drop everything for him.

According to the Gospel of Cody, the world revolved around him and always would. She hated thinking of the years she had wasted trying to make things different.

She glanced at the pregnant young woman beside him, who looked at Cody like he was the sun and the moon and the stars, all wrapped up in one perfect man.

She wanted to tell him to forget it, that she and Skye would be busy, but her daughter truly did adore her father and she would be sad to miss the chance to spend time with him.

“I’m sure she will be happy to see you.”

The truth was, Cody wasn’t necessarily a bad father. He did love their daughter, she just didn’t come first, the way a child should.

“Perfect. We thought we would leave about eleven.”

“I’ll have her ready.”

“Maybe we’ll just wait until then to have Ami meet her. Save us time tonight, since we have to get ready for dinner. Does that work?”

“It should be fine.”

“Thanks, Missy. This is gonna be great. You’ll see.”

With that use of the nickname she hated, he helped his pregnant young wife into the passenger seat of his impractical little red sports car, hopped into the driver’s seat and pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Melissa feeling as if she had just been pounded by heavy surf against a seawall.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them, wishing she could have dealt with that encounter alone, without any witnesses.

“Well, that seems like a pretty sucky way to start a weekend.”

Eli’s dry tone surprised a laugh out of her. “Congratulations, Dr. Sanderson. You officially get the understatement-of-the-week award.”

“I was talking about me. It’s tough being confronted with the guy who once tried to beat me up.”

“Tried to?”

“I was tougher than I looked even when I was a tall, awkward geek.”

He hadneverbeen awkward. She remembered that now, too late.

“I studied jujitsu from about age nine and had a few moves that still serve me well.” He studied her. “I take it you’re not exactly jumping for joy about your ex-husband’s return. Is it the pregnant new wife?”

“No. Not exactly. Skye will be thrilled about having a new sibling to love and she’ll be over the moon that she might see Cody more often. She loves her father.”

“That’s the important thing then, isn’t it?”

His words struck with the ring of truth. “Yes. Thanks for the reminder.”

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