Forgiven (The Power of Three Love Series Book 4) Read online

  “Yeah, well, we’re at a stalemate, but you should scroll through your texts. I’m sure you’ll want to crawl under a rock after you relive last night.”

  I dropped my son off at daycare a little later than normal, and I headed straight to my office even though a splitting headache thumped in my head. As I booted up my computer and unlocked all my security measures, my mind was on my book and Savannah’s impending marriage to a virtual stranger after her fiancé died in World War II. The idea of killing off the fiancé was not something I’d considered until a couple of days ago when I was so mad at Bodhi on the anniversary of our divorce. And when I’d decided she would get pregnant, I wanted to pair her with an asshole who’d say he was doing her a favor by taking what he’d coin the bastard kid as his own.

  My mind was on the character traits of my asshole hero when my text alert pinged. I hadn’t wanted to text Jack after my embarrassing slew of messages from last night, but it was time to face the music.

  Jack: How are you feeling today, Dancing Queen?

  I. Wanted. To. Die. Again. But with his question, I found myself smiling from end to end.

  Me: I’m so embarrassed. I guess knowing someone was at the house to help me out made me relax a little bit more than I do when I’m by myself.

  I sent the text and re-read it, wondering if he knew who I was talking about. Would he get jealous? It was not my intention. Before he could respond, I texted him again.

  Me: It was Daria. She got back from a date and let me get drunk, put me to bed, and got up and took care of Declan for me.

  His text came through right away.

  Jack: I’m glad you had someone to help you. You’d said on the day of the party that you had a shitty day, so you needed to blow off some steam. It’s okay.

  Me: Yeah, started shitty and ended shitty, but the middle of it was pretty amazing.

  Jack: I’m glad I was the highlight.

  I giggled because the word highlight didn’t quite describe it.

  Jack: So lunch? Are you still up for it?

  Me: Yes, and I’m hungry. There’s a little Italian bistro near my office, close to my son’s daycare. Want to meet at noon?

  There was a long break before another text, so my eyes glanced back at the computer as I scanned my name dictionary to come up with the perfect one for the man who would marry Savannah to keep the family name in good standing. After ten books and accidentally reusing some of my favorite names like Samuel, Jacob, and Lucas, I’d decided to start tracking them.

  Jack had not replied to me yet, and it wasn’t until that moment that I understood how excited I was to see him again.

  Reading through the used male names, I decided on Bryant. I reached for my growing character journal for this book. Bryant was going to be a ginger. I loved creating redheads in my stories, and this guy would have the attitude of one. My mind was on some of his quirks when my phone beeped at me

  Jack: Sorry, foxy, I had a clusterfuck that needed my attention. Noon is great! I’ll call and put our names on the list, just send me the restaurant info. I can’t wait to see you.

  Yeah, after his little declaration and his pet name for me, I was done for the morning. I might as well head over and check on Declan. That way, I could spend a little time on my appearance, too. This morning, I’d been too hungover to care. But now, I was glad I’d brought my makeup with me.

  In the bathroom of the daycare, I took ten minutes to apply some suitable makeup after spending half an hour with Declan. I was almost giddy as I left, and I had to admit I looked much better. Watching my reflection in the storefront windows, I smiled at this new woman. It was hard to believe I was the same person. I was happy, really happy. Who knew what this little date would bring, or if Jack was the right person for me, but it was a start, and I was optimistic.

  He was already seated at a table when I arrived five minutes early. His eyes had to have been laser focused on the door when I opened it. He rose to his feet right away and pulled me into an embrace, kissing me on the cheek. It was sweet and not the least bit uncomfortable.

  “Yeah, I was right,” he whispered in my ear, and the goose bumps were a welcome effect of his touch.

  “Right about what?” I turned my face up to his.

  “When I called you foxy. It’s the best name for you.” He rested his hand at the base of my back, right above my ass, and it felt right.

  “I don’t mind you calling me that,” I admitted, and he dropped another kiss on my forehead.

  Pulling out the chair for me, he took my hand and helped me into it.

  “You look absolutely stunning.” His words didn’t embarrass me. They made me feel treasured.

  “Well, I have to say, you’re very handsome in your three-piece suit.” The man wore a suit well, but I’d been privy to what was underneath, and it was easy since he had a stunning body.

  “Thank you.” He was almost shy in his gratitude, and it was adorable and sexy. “So tell me, Clara Ashley, have you had a productive day?” I had to remember our age difference, but it was obvious from his manners and his speech. Just like Jack Calypso, everything was a sexy surprise.

  “I did, considering how horrible I felt this morning. I’m under a deadline.” He must have been there well before me. The waitress set down a bottle of wine and an appetizer of capresse. I laughed at the wine, but it was a light rose’, and somehow, I was in the mood for sharing a bottle with him.

  “I know you have your son this weekend, but is your deadline another reason you’re only available tomorrow night and not Saturday or Sunday?” he asked, pouring me a small amount.

  “Nope, I try not to work on the weekend, though I’m sure I’ll write at night once I get Declan in bed.” I took a small sip. “The arrangement I have with my ex-husband is odd. He has him three days, I have him four, then the cycle changes. He then has him one day, and I have him three. Then he’ll have him next for two days while I have three. And then it repeats, so he’ll have him Friday night. But if I have him on weekends more than he does, I will give him one of my nights. I know, you almost need a doctorate to understand it.”

  His eyes turned soft, and he reached over the table, lacing his hands in mine. “I hope this isn’t too over the top.” This man was so quirky, and I loved it.

  “Um, we went at it like crazy on our friend’s bathroom counter. I think holding hands is expected at this point.”

  His softness continued. “Your divorce, was it hard?” He went for the difficult question right away.

  Were we at that question already? I wondered.

  “Hey, I’ll tell you what. I promise to open up more about the shitty stuff tomorrow night. Is that fair?” I asked.

  With his free hand, he tipped my chin to his. “Absolutely, foxy, but until then, apparently someone needs to eat.” He pushed the tomato and mozzarella dish over to me, and I was more than happy to oblige.

  We stood at the corner of the bistro and the street my office was on. He pulled me toward him, and when I thought he’d kiss me, his lips parted. “So, what would you like to do tomorrow night?”

  I tipped my head to the side. “Well, you promised me a real date, so I’ll leave it in your capable hands, but if we were to end the night like we started it the other day, I’d be okay with it.” I’d always been pretty forward in what I wanted in a relationship, and since I enjoyed sex with Jack on a whole new level, I certainly didn’t want to miss out on it.

  “You know what you want, don’t you, Clara Ashley?”

  Throwing my arms around his neck to pull him closer to me, I replied, “Yeah, and right now, I want you to kiss me.” His head leaned down as his lips landed on mine, but we were soon yanked apart. It happened so quick; I had no idea why he pulled away so fast. But it became apparent when the dark chocolate eyes I’d once memorized in my mind when I first said I do were staring back at me.

  8

  Bodhi

  I loved being close to Declan’s daycare so I could have lunch with him.
Everything seemed right with the world. The connection Clara and I shared the other night seemed to only strengthen our bond as we had talked several times on the phone, confirming Declan’s appointment for two in the afternoon the next day. Friday was my night to have Declan, but I’d hope I could talk to Clara about what had almost happened at the hospital after the appointment and maybe convince her to go out to dinner with us as a family.

  As I stepped off the short stairs that led to the street, my gaze turned to the corner where her office was located. Part of me wanted to surprise her and maybe see if she wanted to catch a late lunch, but I wasn’t going to push. It was a beautiful day, as we were close to fall, and my attention was on a couple at the corner. The affection they shared made me smile, yet something familiar about the encounter gnawed at me.

  No, it couldn’t be. I walked closer, maybe half a block, keeping my eyes focused on the two. Marching over to her, I knew this man had to be forcing himself on her. It couldn’t have been sweet when they first caught my attention. It had to be the only reason my eyes were witness to this. Getting close as he leaned in to attack her mouth, I pulled the man back with so much force, I knocked him off balance.

  Her confusion was further indication that this virtual stranger’s affection was unwanted.

  “Get the hell away from my wife!” I yelled at the man who’d crashed to the ground. There was a large clatter of metal, and I was surprised by it.

  Her sparkling gray eyes connected with my own. I was about to pull her close to give her comfort when she squared off with me and shoved me backward instead. She knocked me off balance, but unlike the asshole on the ground, I didn’t fall.

  Without a word, she fell to her knees to check on the man who was on the ground. Her hands connected to his leg, and she swung her gaze back to me.

  When he tried to get up, with her support, something fell from his slacks. Fuck, I just attacked a man who’d lost his leg. He sat on the side walk, attaching his prosthetic back to below the knee. There were several steps and Clara sat with him, in silence, every once in a while, she’d eye me like she’d willingly take my life in front of many witnesses.

  Clara couldn’t completely help him up and onlookers assisted the man up from the sidewalk. As he stumbled to stand, the witnesses began to ask, “Can we call the police?”

  “Um, no, it won’t be necessary.” This was such formal speech from a man who had to be a good ten years older than Clara. He turned his back to me and whispered to Clara, just loud enough so I could hear, “I was going to tell you about it tomorrow night. That and how I lost it. It was part of what left me angry for years.”

  I knew every type of way Clara’s face contorted when she was mad, sad, or sympathetic. You named it, I knew it. And it was clear by her expression that this man was important to her. She caressed his cheek, and it dawned on me she was moving on.

  “I hope you know that doesn’t matter to me, Jack.” Her smile was so sincere, my heart hurt. “Give me a second, would you?” He shook his head.

  “I will give you a second, but I’m not leaving you with him.” She nodded, and as she turned toward me, her softened expression contorted to that of pure anger.

  “What the fuck were you thinking? And if you think for one minute that you have any claim to me after you cheated on me, you have another thing coming. Stay the hell away from me.” She pulled this man she called Jack and walked down the street to her office. All the hope I’d had in our almost kiss had just been flushed down the fucking drain.

  I flung the door to our offices open, then shut it with the same velocity. Dom’s face popped up from where I’d left him behind his computer an hour ago.

  “Who the fuck shit in your cornflakes?” he asked, his eyes back on the design for the next phase of Miles Sterling’s project that we’d be completing while they were in New York. This one consisted of working on the land that Elliot, Daimen, and Arden were going to build their dream house on. Daimen was Dom’s brother, and the project—giving this threesome their dream home— was important to me, but right now, all I saw was red at the idea of my wife with another man.

  “Do you know someone by the name of Jack, who has a prosthetic leg?” I knew the answer before he could speak. The color fading from his face told me he did. “Wait, you were at Daria’s party the other night?” I knew he would be since Daria was his sister. It was our silent agreement that I bowed out of everything with Daria, and Clara bowed out with all things that included Dom.

  He threw up his hands as though he was a traffic cop. “Hey, don’t pull me into this, please.”

  “No—fuck you. I’ve listened to this whole drama about Sandra for the past nine months. You had me cyberstalk the guy she started dating after you guys called it quits, so I’m going to ask you again, who the fuck is Jack, and why did I just see him kissing my wife?”

  He pushed his chair away from his desk, scooting it along with himself over to me. “I didn’t want to tell you because you were convinced you had another chance with Clara after the other night. I hadn’t wanted to burst that bubble because maybe you did have another chance with her.”

  I didn’t like where this was going. “It still doesn’t explain why he was kissing my wife.”

  His hand affectionately reached for my arm. “Shit, dude, this is going to hurt, but she’s not your wife anymore.”

  I pushed away from him, exploding into my office on the other side of where Dom was, but he followed me. “They were cozy at Daria’s party. When Laura called about Dec, we couldn’t find her until Clara and Jack reappeared together. I think they must have hit it off.”

  Something occurred to me through all of this, and I could sense a wicked smile crawling across my face. “Jack? Wait, isn’t that the same guy who was involved with Cami and Dane before they committed to Miles?” Clara couldn’t know about this. She’d never date a bisexual man—not after what I had done.

  “Wait, asshole.” It was the beginning of his warning to me. “Before you go and do what I know you want to do, don’t fuck up what you’ve rebuilt with Clara. You guys have a friendship, and if you go tattling on Jack about his sexuality before he has a chance to tell her, she won’t ever forgive you.” He paused, moving closer to me, almost in my face. “I mean it, Bo. They just met. It’s not something he’d probably confide in the first time they talk. Hell, you were married to her for four years and never told her.”

  “Fuck, that was a low blow, Dom.” But his harsh words had given me the chance to really absorb what he was saying. He was my best friend and felt an allegiance to me, but would be the first one to kick my ass for any of my colossal fuckups.

  “Promise me, Bo, you won’t tell her. It will undo all the trust you’ve built up since the divorce.”

  There wasn’t anything else I could do. Throwing myself back in my chair, I turned my head toward his. “Okay, I promise I won’t say anything for now, but in a month, if he hasn’t told her, I will.”

  His hands were stretched against my desk. “Okay, that’s fair, but tread lightly with Clara.”

  Fuck, fuck, fuck. I loved her so much, and I was pushing her further away. One step forward, then six steps back seemed to be my track record with her. Would I ever be able to call her mine again?

  I hadn’t heard from Clara, though I tried to call her. Giving up, I made my way to Declan’s new endocrinologist for his appointment. My shitty day thwarted my attempt to get there early so I could have a couple of minutes with her in the lobby. The bank had two returned checks from new clients I foolishly let pay after the job was completed. Dom’s idea to wrangle in new business.

  I opened the door to the lobby when they called Declan’s name. My eyes found Clara, but she did not make eye contact with me. After his vitals had been taken, we were placed in a small room. Declan made his way over to me, crawling onto my lap. “Me missssssss yous, Daddy.” Pecking my cheek, he hopped off, running toward the pile of toys in the corner of the room.

  Turning toward
Clara, I watched as she rotated her back to me. It was obvious we wouldn’t be talking about the events of the past twenty-four hours.

  “Clara, can we please talk?” My words were a plea.

  Her body stayed in the position, but I could still hear what came from her lips. I think the doctor’s office on the other side of town could hear her.

  “Oh, great, Bo. Now you want to talk.”

  I waited for more, but there wasn’t more.

  “I messed up. I guess our connection from the other night gave me false hope.”

  Her body spun my way so quick. “Yeah, that was a mistake, and I’ve worked hard not to give you false hope. But listen to me very clearly—you and I are never getting back together. We are done, Bodhi. You completely destroyed me. And now I’m grabbing some happiness for myself. I’m sorry, but you were the one who ruined us.”

  Just when I thought I’d never be able to hurt further, the finality of her words hit me harder than a bullet.

  As I had for the past three years, I hung my head. “Okay, but do you mind taking Dec after the appointment? I need to run an errand. I’ll swing by your house to get him.”

  She nodded my way.

  A reply was on my tongue when the younger doctor from the other night entered the room, and our conversation was as dead as a future with the only woman I’d ever love.

  9

  Jack

  “Mr. Calypso, I’m sorry to bother you, but there’s a Bodhi Chambers here. He insists on seeing you, and he promises to be civil.” My secretary’s voice was curt and strained. I didn’t think Mr. Chambers had left her a choice.

  Clara had never shared her husband’s name with me, but Elliot told me during a phone call all about Clara’s divorce after the commotion of the day had gotten back to her and her men. There was a warning in her advice to be honest with her starting tonight.