Page 75 of Betrayed

It was his turn to smile. He was no longer assaulted by what she had done every time he looked at her. It wasn’t like he had forgotten, but did forgiveness really make that big a difference that fast?

Trust would take longer to build, but for the first time in five years, he actually thought maybe one day he could learn to trust her again.

“It’s getting close to dinner time. Should we get some takeout?”

“I’d like that.” One step at a time. One meal at a time.

Curled up on the couch, AJ stuffed a load of chow mein from the carton into her mouth and listened to Logan tell her a cop story from earlier in the year. She loved it when he told stories from work. The dumb-criminal ones were always the best, but this one was about how he’d saved a raccoon from a chimney.

She swallowed. “Sounds a lot like a firefighter’s job.”

He laughed. “Hey, I can save animals too.” He leaned over and took a chopstick full of chow mein from the carton she held.

While he was close, she nabbed some of his fried rice. It was like they hadn’t lost the last five years.

They continued to chat and finished eating. Then they went to the kitchen table and opened the fireproof box.

Logan said, “I put a few other important things in here too.” He pulled out a Ziplock bag with a clipping of blond curls.

AJ took the baggie and fingered the curls through the plastic. Her baby girl’s first and only haircut.

Next he produced a folder of papers. Bree’s drawings, or at least the best ones. The girl loved to draw and color, so they had made a point to keep their favorites and her favorites, but not all of them because that could have filled an entire room. And she was only five.

“Oh, Logan, thank you.”

“I have these in here too.” He removed a jewelry box and opened it.

Three white-gold rings. The day he had kicked AJ out he had made her give him her rings.

“I took all three and put them in here. I assumed they would stay there until the day I died, but here we are. I don’t know if we’re ready for them, but I’m glad they are safe.”

She ran her finger along the bands and diamond. “If you didn’t think we’d ever pull them out again, why didn’t you sell them or get rid of them in one way or another?”

“Because I wanted them on our fingers.”

She stepped closer to him, putting herself fully into his personal space. How did she voice her deepest question without offending him?

His eyes narrowed.

The seriousness of her thought must have written itself in her expression.

“I promise to not blow up.”

She bit her lip and searched for the right words. “We wasted so much time.”

“And for that I’m sorry.” He raked his hand into her hair and leaned closer.

“Me too.” She spun out of his touch but made a full rotation and met his eyes again.

Confusion toyed with his eyebrows, but he took a confident step toward her and took her hand. He twirled her around, but she danced away.

She was teasing him, but he appeared to fancy the flirting.

“Playing hard to get has never been your game.”

She stopped shy of the wall and said, “True.” Desire for her husband ignited in her. She had missed this man with more intensity than dynamite.

Grabbing his arm she tugged him toward her. And he came willingly.