His hair was like black silk, and despite herself, her fingers had always longed to feel the crispness through her fingers. His olive skin gleamed with vitality, contrasting beautifully with his gemlike eyes. His nose was Roman, his forehead strong with golden brown brows that perfectly framed his features. His mouth was mobile, the lips somewhat delicate in his utterly masculine face. In his expensive suit, and with a silver gleam to the thread, and a light blue linen shirt, his coloring was perfectly offset. The suit, tailored to his body, showcased his strength, as well as his leanness.
What if she had met Josh that night instead of Jamie? If he’d been the one to…
Shaking off the thought, and suddenly desperately in need of coffee, she whispered “Yes, I really would like some coffee.”
He nodded, unconcerned by her abrupt about-face, and he pressed a button. The white noise of the intercom sounded, and he murmured, “Jane, can you bring some coffee in, please?”
“Of course, sir.”
He clicked off, then bridging his hands in front of him, murmured simply, “Explain.”
Where to start? The beginning was buried deep in the roots of her marriage, and most of what she had to say he wouldn’t believe. Like everyone who knew her husband, he thought Jamie was perfect. The golden boy. The image Jamie had worked so hard to maintain over the years.
In death, that image had further been immortalized. And she knew he would love that. Even from his place in hell, the licking flames scorching his feet, he’d be looking up, laughing with glee. His memory was absolute. Changing it was something she simply couldn’t do. Even if the truth of her situation rested within that sorry tale.
She blew out a breath, and wished it was as e
asy as ABC. But nothing had ever been that simple for her. A quick fling with the golden boy had resulted in a pregnancy. She’d lost her virginity to Jamie, and had been gifted with a child. She’d never asked him to marry her, but he’d insisted, and relieved not to be doing the parenting thing alone, she’d agreed. By then it was too late.
It was always too late.
She’d been ensnared in his trap, and the rest had been a particularly nasty history.
“Erin recently visited Frank and Janice. He doesn’t often because usually, I make arrangements and they cancel them.” And wasn’t that the truth. For every ten get-togethers she arranged so that his grandparents could get to know their grandson, they managed to make it to two. “Erin said something,” she whispered hesitantly. “Something that he doesn’t particularly understand what it means, but he said it nonetheless.” She fell silent, unsure of how to carry on.
“Like, ‘out of the mouths of babes’?”
Her smile was tight. “Yes, exactly like that.” She gulped. “When they realized what he meant, they weren’t happy with it. They demanded to see me and told me that they were going to fight me for custody because I was obviously besmirching Jamie’s name in Erin’s eyes.”
Josh scowled. “They’re going to fight you for custody over something a four-year-old said?” he asked, obviously seeking clarity from her words.
Samantha’s laugh was bitter. “Yes. Ridiculous, isn’t it?
“Ridiculous isn’t the word. Especially considering Janice is hardly maternal.” His scowl deepened, turned darker. “What the hell did he say?”
She swallowed, and suddenly her tongue felt very thick. “If I tell you, you won’t believe me.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “What Erin said, it’s the truth? You said he didn’t particularly understand what he meant. But it’s no lie?”
“No, he doesn’t understand it, but it’s the truth.” She wondered if she sounded as dogged as she thought she had. “You won’t like it,” she warned.
“I haven’t liked any part of this conversation, so that’s fitting,” he retorted, but he rocked back into his seat and groused, “Hit me with it.”
How appropriate those words were, did he but know it.
Although, maybe he had.
Josh and Jamie had been friends since school. Both from over-privileged backgrounds, both accustomed to being at the top of the tree peering down at those beneath them.
Had he known Jamie’s true inclinations?
Could Jamie have hidden his nature from his best friend for so many years? What was more likely?
Jamie’s true nature being a secret from the man he considered a brother? Or that brother’s ignorance about the man beneath the mask?
“As far as I can tell, Janice was complaining about some bruises on her arms. Erin told her to ask me for the magic stick that covered them up.” She eyed him, wondering if he understood the meaning behind that. But as she looked on, his expression had barely changed. “Then, Erin said that maybe I didn’t have any more as I hadn’t used it since his daddy had died.”
Samantha blew out a shaky breath. She’d never intended that side of her marriage to come out; certainly not to her in-laws, and certainly not by her son – she’d always thought she’d hidden it well from him.