Brides and Betrayal (Reconciled and Redeemed Book 1) (6 page)

His response didn’t take long to chime in. “Too bad, but I am glad you accepted my request.”

One moment later, the chime rang again. “I can’t wait to start painting the ark tomorrow.”

“Me, too.”

She hit enter, hesitated, and then kept typing.

Half an hour later, she climbed the stairs. Her head had become a boxing ring where her guilt and excuses battled it out. And in her heart, there started to blossom something so beautiful, but so deadly, she didn’t know what to do.

As she slid under the covers, Hunter pulled her close, and she could feel the warmth of his body on her back.

She closed her eyes and a tear fell, moistening the pillow.
What are you doing? So Hunter is a little grumpy and rigid when it comes to certain things. It is not like he’s a bad guy.

But you’d be the bad girl if he found out about your mom. And then now you are playing with fire when it comes to Seth. Tell him you spent the last half hour talking with Seth and see how he reacts.

She hesitated, then decided she needed to clear her conscience. “I was talking with Seth.”

“Oh, he called? I didn’t hear the phone ring.” Her husband’s sleepy voice hummed next to her ear.

“No, I was messaging him.” Silence stretched, but she was too afraid to turn around in his arms and look at him. She didn’t want to see the condemnation in his eyes. “We were talking about the church event.”

When he still didn’t answer, she finally turned around in his arms. He wasn’t asleep, but his face didn’t bear any anger either. She smiled, feeling a little bit better about her conversation with Seth. If he wasn’t worried, then why should she be?

“He was asking if you had a page, too.”

“Ugh.” Hunter finally responded, his distaste for the site apparent on his face. “Seth can call me anytime he wants to talk.”

His face made her giggle - or maybe it was just the relief her nagging conscience felt.

T
he next day, the trio met at the church to finish working on their project. Holly’s respite from guilt let her tackle the project with a carefree abandon. The ark was almost finished when Hunter’s cell phone rang. Hearing his side of the conversation, Holly could tell that he had to go in to handle something at the company.

She felt her heart sink - and if she had been wise, she would have realized it had more to do with the fact that she had to leave Seth rather than her husband had to go to work. However, that guilty voice had been silenced last night.

“Well, I guess we can come back and finish after church tomorrow.” She tried to keep the dejection out of her voice, but Hunter didn’t miss it.

“No...” He paused, and he looked back and forth between Seth and her, as if trying to decide on something. “I mean, if Seth doesn’t mind dropping you off at the house afterward...” She could hear the reluctance in his voice, and as much as she wanted the afternoon to continue, part of her common sense spoke up. Or at least, it would have if Seth hadn’t interjected.

“That would be great.”

Hunter looked at her, pausing as if giving her - begging her - to say no. When she said nothing, he kissed her. The kiss wasn’t his normal light peck on the cheek, either. “I’ll see you at home.” His thumb brushed her cheek, and his eyes held hers for a moment longer.

When she saw him drive off, something within her sank.
You should have gone with him.
“You two have something great.” Seth’s words pulled her out of her thoughts.

“I love him very much.” Her words sounded hollow, though she meant them.

They worked in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. She looked up once and caught him staring at her. A blush stained her cheeks, and she bent down to clean her paintbrush, using the auburn curtain of her hair to hide her flaming cheeks.

Leave!
Something within her urged her to rise off her knees and call it a day, before her marriage got all muddied again.

“Well, I think it looks about as good as it is going to get.” They both stood at the same time.

“Let’s get cleaned up and I can take you home.”

She finally braved a look at him, and he smiled. “You have a little paint right here.” He pointed to his left cheek, and she tried to mirror his movements with a paper towel.

Seth just shook his head and took the towel from her hand. He reached for his water bottle and wet the towel, and then gently wiped her cheek. The moment was awkward, and she was relieved that she didn’t feel that spark of passion like when Hunter always touched her.
See, you are making this into something it is not.

She thanked him and gathered up her things, lighter in step now that her guilt had once again been assuaged.

On the way home, he asked. “You said you had a lot of pain in your life growing up. It must be nice having Hunter to help you though that.”

She was silent, and part of her knew she should have remained silent, but that didn’t happen. That part of her that knew things - wise things that usually kept her out of trouble - that part was slowly fading. “I have never really told Hunter about my parents.”

Holly didn’t look at him, staying focused on the passing scenery to avoid the questions she would see in his eyes. She should have stopped there, but the floodgates had been opened. She looked over at him, and he glanced her way, his kind eyes pulling the reluctant story from her lips. “My mom had an affair and I was the result of that affair. She kept it from my dad – well, the man who raised me - for sixteen years. When he found out, he shot her then shot himself.”

His mouth formed a silent “oh”, and she couldn’t blame him. That was the reaction most people had, the reason why she never told anyone.

“I came home and found them. The next thing I knew, I was being carted off by social services. The police were able to locate my biological dad, and he and his wife raised me.”

He glanced her way again, before asking, “That must have been...I mean...”

“Awkward.” She laughed. “His wife said she’d accept me, but she took every opportunity to remind me of how sinful I was. His daughters weren’t mean, but they just kind of kept to themselves. They walked on eggshells around me, always giving me funny looks.” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter, because she had convinced herself it didn’t matter for so long. But now that she gave voice to it, the pain seared her heart all over again.

“Why haven’t you shared this with Hunter?” Seth said as they turned down her street and into her driveway.

Holly laughed, “You know how he is about his mother. He is very unforgiving when it comes to adultery.”

Putting the car in park, he reached across and put his hand on hers. “But this is different, Holly. You are not at fault for what your parent’s did, and you are not to blame for how that woman treated you. You are the innocent victim of their sins.”

“What if Hunter looks at me and all he can see are those sins?”

He brushed the tears from her face, and said gently, “He wouldn’t.”

His tender touch didn’t stir passion within her, but it stirred her heart. Kindness without conditions and questions - it was stronger than any physical response she could have had. Holly took a deep breath and it shuddered from the force of her tears. “Well,” she said trying to smile through her tears. “I better get inside.”

As she rounded the car, Seth let down his window. “Holly,” he called out and she turned toward him. “I know you said you felt stained - but you are not. Don’t let the ugliness of what happened with your parents define who you are.”

She nodded, encouraged by his words and gentle smile.

H
unter walked into the house, eager to find Holly. He couldn’t name it, but a strange concern had filled his stomach as he left today. He had been trying to stifle his jealous nature, but leaving Holly with Seth today had been difficult.

He walked into the living room to find her crying on the sofa. His jealous imaginations filled in blanks where there were none to be filled.

“What happened?” His voice came out harsher than he had intended, causing her to jump.

“I didn’t hear you come in.”

And would you have quickly hid your tears if you had.
The thought came unbidden, but he was tired of her holding back from him.

He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. “Tell me what is going on.”

“It’s nothing...” she began, trying to extricate herself from his hold.

“No, don’t pull away again.” He gently gripped her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. “You are always locked away in yourself. I feel like I am only getting a portion of my wife.”

“And if you got all of me would you still love me?” Her deep blue eyes held a dubious expression and it pained him that she felt that way.

“Well, of course I would.”

“Please don’t judge me...I mean...” Hunter’s fears rose like bile in his throat at her words. She took another deep breath. “Seth told me I should tell you about this, but I am afraid you will hate me.”

“I could never hate you.” He gently cupped her face, but she pulled his hands down.

She took another deep breath and began to tell him about her parents. Hunter sat motionless and speechless through it all. His mind was teeming with questions and emotions. Pain and hurt for his beautiful wife who had endured so much. Anger at her mother for having an affair. Anger at her father for not standing up for her. He sat there for a long time, not saying anything as he tried to reel his anger in. But most of all, he was trying to figure out why she had kept this from him.

He got his answer, and with it, an unexpected surprise. “Seth told me you wouldn’t hold it against me. But I can see by your face that you do.”

His initial reaction was pain. How could she think he would hold this against her? But that was quickly eclipsed by that fact that she had shared this story with Seth.

“I don’t hold it against you.” He didn’t trust himself to say anything else, but he couldn’t shake the hurt he felt. Why would she share something so personal with someone they had only met a couple of weeks ago, and yet keep it from him all these years?

He pulled her into his arms and held her. “Holly, I am glad you finally told me.” He held her there for a long time, partly because she was crying, but mostly because he didn’t want to see the hurt on his face.

Later that evening, as they got into bed, Hunter immediately turned away from her. Thoughts and questions summersaulted through hoops of doubt in his mind. He knew better than to try and have a conversation with his wife now. He could feel her sitting up behind him, staring at him. Her need for comfort and assurance of his love was like a warm hand pulling on him and choking him at the same time. Comfort and assurance wasn’t something he could give right now.

After a few moments, he felt her hand upon his back.

“I love you.” She whispered.

He paused, unable to turn around, unable to do more than whisper, “Me too.”

It took Hunter a long time to fall asleep. The fact that she lied to him all these years kept pecking at his mind like a persistent bird on a limb.
It’s not a big deal. It was a painful experience. She’d want to forget it. Why would she want to share it?
But then his heart would rebel with retaliating arguments.
Aren’t you her husband? She should be confiding in you, but she had no problem sharing it with Seth.

The past two weeks kept playing over in his mind, the late nights messaging with Seth on the computer, the irritability she was feeling lately, and the look on her face today when he said she was leaving.

No
, his mind recoiled against the idea. She would never do that to him.
She’s nothing like my mom. She’s nothing like Janessa.

His protests did little to sway his doubt. His suspicion lay there, coiled and poised for striking its venomous blow. He tossed and turned on the bed while tossing and turning the excuses over in his mind. At the same time, his doubts hissed in his heart, a constant reminder of his past.

At some point in the night he finally fell asleep, but he woke up feeling just as tired and even more suspicious.