Page 12 of His Loving Guidance
Belonging to Ben
Chapter One
“I’m going out with Chelsea tomorrow night,” Gina announced as she placed dinner on the table. White swirls of steam rose up from the casserole and freshly baked rolls.
Ben pushed back from the table slightly and straightened, his muscles tensing. “Where are you going?” A note of hesitation tinged his voice. He didn’t want Gina hanging out with her childhood friend, Chelsea, but he also didn’t want to be the kind of husband that dictated who his wife was allowed to hang out with. Chelsea was single and had a reputation for partying hard and often, and Ben didn’t think a married woman such as Gina should plan an evening out with a girl like Chelsea, even if the two had once been best friends.
“Oh, I don’t know. Wherever the night takes us.”
“I want to know where you’re going and what time you plan on being home, Gina.”
She shot him a scowl. “We haven’t finalized our plans yet, but we’ll probably start out at Cooper’s Grill.”
“Cooper’sBarand Grill? Sweetheart, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You know how Chelsea gets when she drinks. Just because she moved back to town and the two of you used to be good friends doesn’t mean you need to join in her wild night life. Why don’t you two have lunch or dinner somewhere tomorrow instead?”
With exaggerated movements, Gina scooped a serving of casserole onto his plate and then one on hers. Her frown deepened after she settled back in her chair. “I’m a grown woman, Ben. Stop acting like you’re my father. There’s nothing wrong with going out and having a little fun now and then.”
He glared at her, his palm twitching with the impulse to smack her bottom. Silence reigned in the dining room and a sharp chill descended. He swallowed hard and once again wondered about his desires to take her in hand. If he ever acted on those urges, would she pack her bags and leave? He loved her and took their marriage vows seriously. He didn’t want to do anything to hurt or frighten Gina, but she’d been acting out lately.
Staying out late. Talking back. Dressing a tad too provocatively in public. Well, when she went out with Chelsea, anyway.
“Gina, sweetheart, you are twenty-five years old and a married woman, yet you have been acting like a rebellious teenager these last few weeks. I won’t have it.”
Her eyes flashed and her face reddened. “I have not been acting like a rebellious teenager.”
“You have,” he said calmly, “and I aim to reel you back in. I am your husband, Gina, and youwillmind me, one way or another. Now, I’m not forbidding you from hanging out with Chelsea, but you will not go out bar hopping with her anymore. It’s not safe, especially with the type of people she attracts.”
“Are you worried I’m going to cheat on you, Ben? Because that’s fucking ridiculous. I would never—”
“What your mouth, young lady.” His tone was sharp, and she flinched.
For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence was deafening though, the atmosphere in the dining room thick with tension. They’d dated for two years before getting married, and now they were approaching their one-year anniversary. He recognized they were still newlyweds, but the woman he’d thought he knew better than anyone was suddenly acting like a stranger. That scared Ben. He worried for her safety and for their marriage, and while he tried not to fret over what other people said about him, he sure as hell cared what people said about his wife. Gossip traveled the speed of light in their small town.
He wanted his sweet, caring wife back. Didn’t Gina understand how much her recent misbehavior was hurtful to their marriage and possibly even to their family and friends? If she kept partying with Chelsea, the gossip would start, and it wouldn’t be pretty.
This was the town they planned to spend their entire lives in, the town they intended to raise their future children in. Both sets of their parents lived here, as well as many of their extended family members and lifelong friends.
Ben had known Gina her whole life. They’d both grown up here in Dalestown. Before dating, they were acquaintances who had a few mutual friends. He didn’t remember her friend, Chelsea, as a child, but apparently she’d moved away at age ten before settling back in town fifteen years later to care for her aging grandmother. He suspected the caring for her grandmother part of her story was nothing but a ruse though. Wherever Chelsea had last called home, something had happened to make her leave and seek out a fresh start.
“I’m not saying what I’m about to say to hurt you, Gina,” he began, “but I want to save you from making a mistake you’ll eventually regret.”
She picked at her dinner and watched him with increasing wariness. He took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to say needed to be out in the open.
“Chelsea has a reputation for sleeping around, getting very drunk in public, and there are also whispers that she’s served time in jail. It’s odd that she’d just all of a sudden come back to town to supposedly care for her grandmother. You’ve seen her grandmother lately, the old woman walks by our house every morning and every evening on her walks. She’s in great health and very active in our community. A lot of people are saying Chelsea is living with her because she just got out of jail in another state and is having a difficult time getting a job because of her criminal record, so her family sent her to Dalestown.”
“I don’t believe it. If Chelsea had been in jail, she would have told me.”
“You sure about that? How much has she told you about her past? Just because you were best friends in primary school before she moved away and you lost touch doesn’t mean you still know her well. People change, sweetheart. I’m not wishing anything ill to Chelsea and I hope she can get her life together, but I won’t have you, my dear wife, the person I care about more than anyone else in the world, being dragged into her mess. I realize people make mistakes, and even if she did serve time in jail, that doesn’t mean she’s a bad person. You’re still allowed to be friends with her, but you aren’t allowed to join in her bad habits and put yourself in risky situations.”
Tears glistened in Gina’s eyes and she blinked rapidly, lifting her chin in a stubborn gesture. “Oh, I’mallowedto still be friends with her?” she asked in an angry, sarcastic tone. “How very generous of you.” She rose and hurried from the dining room, leaving Ben to finish dinner alone.
A few seconds later, he heard the slamming of a door upstairs. He cursed under his breath.
Gina had never been one to frequent bars. Until Chelsea came along, she had never stayed out past midnight on a weekend, but for the past few weeks she had been staying out later and later on Friday and Saturday nights, then sleeping for most of Sunday. He took comfort in the fact that even though she was frequenting bars, she at least wasn’t getting belligerently intoxicated like her friend. She never imbibed more than a glass of wine.
Is that why Chelsea kept inviting Gina out? Because the woman wanted a designated driver? Ben clenched his jaw at the thought of his sweet, generous wife being used. She tended to see only the best in people, and as a result was often naive about certain situations.
Even though Gina wasn’t getting drunk, she was still out late and surrounded by intoxicated people. She could easily get hit by a drunk driver on her way home one night, or a drunk man might make a pass at her in a parking lot and not take no for an answer. Rage heated his blood at the idea of harm coming to her. As her husband, it was his job to protect her. Even from herself.
