Ashton Scott

He tastes like whisky, and I make a note to buy some just so I can remember this moment forever. I’ve never loved whisky before, but it may just be my new favourite drink.

This kiss will forever live in my mind. Luke doesn’t simply kiss—he possesses. He takes me mind, body, and soul.

In this kiss, I find hope.

Hope that he will fight for me.

For the us we both want.

Any doubt I had that he wants me is put to rest.

When he ends the kiss, I stand in front of him with my head spinning, trying desperately to get my wits together. “I think I better go,” I mumble. Because otherwise I might jump your bones.

He nods. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” The husky tone of his voice lets me know he’s as affected by that kiss as I am.

Grabbing my bag, I say, “Is there anything else you needed to tell me? After tonight, I’m all out of being able to cope with surprises.”

His eyes hold mine. Unwavering. “No more surprises, Callie.”

Thank goodness.

If Luke were to throw anything else my way, I might just lose my shit completely.

Chapter 5

Luke

I brace myself.

She enters the courtyard and walks my way. No smile, so I can’t pick her mood. I rake my fingers through my hair and wait in my seat for her, hoping like hell she’s good today. We don’t need another day like we had the last time I came.

As she slides into the seat across from me, her hand reaches for mine. “I’m sorry about the other day, Luke. I was a bitch, and you didn’t deserve that.”

I grit my teeth and nod. She doesn’t look great; she appears sick almost, and I wonder at her new haircut. Whoever did it completely fucked it up. Where her brunette hair used to be long, it’s now shoulder-length and uneven. It looks like someone hacked at it with blunt scissors.

Pulling my hand back, I say, “Sean’s asthma has been playing up so I couldn’t bring him today.”

“Is he okay?” She appears concerned, but I don’t know whether to buy it.

“Yes, he’s fine.” I shift in my seat. “We need to go over some stuff that the investigator wants to know.”

She stares at me for a moment, pursing her lips. “You’re not even going to acknowledge what happened the other day?” Her voice is tinged with defeat. I can’t figure out why she’d even want to go over what happened again. As far as I’m concerned, we both said what we wanted and I’d rather move forward than look back.

“What’s the point, Jolene?”

Her eyes widen. “What’s the point?” she snaps. “I’d say the fact I’m your wife, and we’re trying to work stuff out is the point. If you truly want us to move past what’s happened and rebuild our marriage, we need to dig deep and be as honest as we can be.”

My hands clench and I do my best to contain my emotions. Not an easy fucking thing to do when you’re in the predicament I’m in. “When I told you I wanted to give this another shot and try to put things behind us, I didn’t mean I wanted to dredge up every fucking problem we’ve ever had. Jesus, Jolene, the level of shit our marriage was in before all this happened was almost impossible to deal with.”

“So, what, you just expect us to be able to forget all that and move forward?”

“For Sean, yes. He needs a mother and a father. Together.”

She takes a deep breath and looks around the courtyard we’re in. Prison visits are the low point of my week and today’s visit is the absolute worst. I didn’t want to come, but it had to be done. The courtyard is full of families today, and the noise is almost chaotic, but I’ve learnt to block it out. I’ve figured out how to get through hell each week and survive, albeit a little more lost each time.

Blowing out the breath she took, she turns back to me. “I can’t be in a marriage with two people, Luke. Your mother inte

rfered so much that I thought I would suffocate from the pressure that put on me and on us. I meant what I said the other day about her needing to back off. If she doesn’t, I can’t do this anymore. I won’t.”