Page 41 of Treasured
“It’s why they approached me the day I hung up my uniform,” Dwayne answered and made my son laugh when he picked him up. I pressed my fingers to the door panel, and it unlocked for us. I opened it, and the sea air was nice as Dwayne said, “They trusted I could help them build a case against Wanda to stop illegal weapons being sold while I fought for control to ensure no more weapons of mine got into the wrong hands.”
My cousins and family had been my guardian angels. My son let go of us to dig in some sand in the yard, and Dwayne dusted off some of his chairs. “Yeah?” I asked.
I sat, and he folded his hands in front of him and said, “I have been bored out of my mind for weeks until you came in my life.”
My neck tingled and wondered if boredom had been what drew me to Dwayne, but I brushed that thought away fast and intended to ignore it and asked, “Were you?”
His dimples came out when he said, “The party where we met changed me. It was like I met a good woman who would change my life for the better, in that one moment.”
Sweet words. I wanted to believe him. I lowered my head. If he would just focus on his job and not on me, everything would be different. I swallowed and asked, “Do you regret it?”
He leaned closer like he would share a secret. “No. I was talking about when I met you.”
I pressed my hands to my chest and stood up fast. “Don’t.”
He followed me. “Don’t what?”
I paced around, but I was weak and not helping myself or Bruce when I gave away all my power. My pulse raced with anxiety. “Don’t say I’m a good thing in your life.”
His eyes widened like I’d shocked him. Then he said, “You’re the woman I waited my whole life to meet.”
Just like that, raindrops. I glanced up and asked, “Why should I believe that?”
“Because it’s true.”
Another woman would probably hold him tight and never let go. Seriously, it was the worst day of my life. I swallowed, and he grabbed Bruce fast. He held the door open for me, and we rushed inside. As the door closed, he said, “Don’t worry about it. Pick the movie.”
My head pounded. If I didn’t stop myself, I would be weak and pathetic and never change the way I’d wanted. I rocked onto my tiptoes and heels then said, “I need a shower. Watch Bruce for a few minutes?”
He motioned toward his bedroom and said, “Of course. Take your time.”
“Thanks,” I said and grabbed my bag.
Hopefully, the shower would help cool me down. At that moment, I had crazy thoughts of grabbing Bruce and running. It wasn’t smart, but I’d worked the whole year to be strong and independent. Now we were under attack because I hadn’t been, and I refused to go backward and depend on Dwayne, even if he was the perfect guy.
Chapter Fifteen
Dwayne
Mary had chosen a slapstick comedy. The way her face contorted when she laughed made me chuckle. Bruce crawled onto my lap and cuddled up close.
The moon was out now, and the rain was pelting against the glass windows. I used my phone to close the blinds and turned toward Mary. She sat absolutely still, but her eyes were open. I bumped into her and said, “Bruce fell asleep.”
She blinked and stared at me like she’d just woken up, but she jumped up and said, “Let’s put him in bed.”
I carried him into the nursery and tucked him in the crib. Mary adjusted his pillow and kissed his forehead. As she came up, I asked, “Are you feeling better?”
Her eyes narrowed at me, and she whispered, “We need to talk.”
I pressed my hand on her lower back and said, “Whatever you need.”
“Good,” she said, but as we left the room, she sped up so I wouldn’t touch her. I followed behind her, and a moment later, we were alone.
Her face was pale, and she hugged herself. I headed to the kitchen and showed her a wine bottle, but she shook her head no. I put it back, and she pointed to the couch. I joined her and asked, “So what’s going on, Mary?”
She didn’t have one breath but three fast exhales, and she turned away from me as she said, “I can’t ruin your life.”
Ruin? I swallowed, unsure what to do, but I quickly said, “You’re not.”
