Hearing the bolt move, he turned, and she caught her breath. Although she’d never allowed herself to acknowledge how attractive he was while she was married to Sean, she couldn’t help acknowledging it now. She saw that he’d just showered; his blond hair was slightly damp and curling around his ears and at the nape of his neck, and she could smell a hint of cologne.
“Hello,” she said.
His eyes lowered, studying her slowly, before rising to her face. “You look good,” he responded, as direct as ever.
“So do you,” she admitted.
She held the door as an invitation for him to come in, and he turned sideways to slip past her without knocking into her. “You’re doing well, then?” he asked.
“I’m doing better. I’ve managed to start writing again.”
He peered at her more closely. “I didn’t realize that had become a problem.”
“Not a big problem,” she lied. “Like I said, I’m back at it now. My publisher has agreed to move my latest book to June of next year, so...that’s lucky.” Why was she saying too much?
There was just something about him that unnerved her. And because he didn’t fill the silence, she ended up revealing far more than she intended.
“You missed your deadline?”
She opened her mouth to deny it—to make her job situation sound less dire—but ultimately figured there was no point in pretending. “Basically,” she admitted with a shrug.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I just...couldn’t function properly. If I’m not careful, Sean will cost me my career along with everything else. But, like I said, this week has been better,” she quickly added.
“This week,” he repeated.
“Yeah.”
“It’s been eighteen months since you found those files.”
“But only six since he was sentenced,” she said, feeling a bit defensive.
He continued to study her. “Is he in touch with you?”
“I hear from him now and then.”
“Email?”
“Snail mail.”
“What does he say?”
“I quit reading his letters months ago. In the last one I read, he was begging me to remarry him—said there’d never be anyone like me.”
His upper lip curled. “I hope you weren’t tempted.”
“Not in the least. I wish I’d never married him in the first place.”
“Did you tell him that?”
“I haven’t bothered to write him back. What’s the point? I don’t want to become pen pals. I don’t want anything to do with him ever again.”
He grunted but didn’t look away. She could tell he was trying to determine how committed she was to that statement.
She cleared her throat. “Do you ever hear from him?”
“Nope. Hasn’t written me once.”
“He blames you for our divorce. You know that, right?”
He reared back in surprise. “Me?”
“He thinks he would’ve been able to convince me he was innocent, if not for your support.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
She clasped her hands tightly in front of her. “Actually, you did. I wouldn’t have gotten through the trial without you. I know I’ve never admitted that, but...I want to thank you.”
Their eyes met and, for a moment, Serenity couldn’t breathe. She told herself it was profound gratitude that was causing her to react to him the way she was. He’d always believed her, from the beginning. His faith had never wavered. When everyone else was drilling her or trying to make her look unreliable or out to get Sean, he simply stood behind her.
“Why did you make that choice?” she asked. “Why did you remain so firm and steadfast? It obviously wasn’t a good thing for you, considering how your family reacted.”
“You mean his family?”
“They’re your family, too. The only family you have.”
A muscle moved in his cheek. “I knew you wouldn’t lie about something like that.”
“His parents didn’t believe me. Your other brothers didn’t believe me. They all blame me for ruining his life.”
“He ruined his own life.”
“It’s been futile trying to convince them of that. I’m surprised you don’t hate me, too. After all, I’m the one who found those pictures on Sean’s computer. I’m the one who contacted the police. I started the whole thing.”
“You did. And you wouldn’t let it go, no matter how much pressure he, his family and his lawyers put on you. You hung in there and refuted all his lies, and you didn’t let your love for him or fear of being alone or anything else blind you. As far as I’m concerned, that makes you one of the bravest people I know.”
She wanted to slip her arms around his waist and rest her cheek against his solid chest. He seemed strong enough to carry the entire world on his shoulders. Maybe that was why she’d always been so careful to keep her distance. He tempted her to lean on him, which frightened her at the same time as it appealed to her. “Even though it cost us both so much?”
“It got a predator off the streets, didn’t it? Fighting that sort of thing is a battle, which means some people are going to get hurt. We can’t always expect it to be someone else.”
She nodded. “Right. I look at it that way, too. When I can,” she added lamely.
He glanced around the house. “Have you started dating again?”
“No. Much to my mother’s disappointment, since it means I can’t give her any grandchildren. But I’m not ready for that yet.”
His gaze swept over her again. “Really? Because this sort of looks like a date.” He leaned closer, his nose almost touching her neck. “Smells like a date, too.”
She felt herself flush with embarrassment. She’d definitely overprepared to see him. “What? It’s not a date—”
“Because you’re still in love with Sean?”
“No! Because I’m still too burned by him. Trust has become a big issue for me.”
“Not all men are like Sean, Serenity.”
“But how to tell the difference. That’s the thing.”
He stepped closer, watching her the whole time as if daring her to hold her ground. “You trust me, don’t you?”