Against the Edge (The Raines of Wind Can - By Kat Martin Page 0,96
Ben nodded and the pair raced off to play. Two other boys from Sam’s class were also there, nice kids, Ben thought as all of them started racing around on the grass, chasing after the soccer ball. Ginny, the youngest, was holding her own, but she’d always been a tomboy.
“I could use a beer,” Ben said to Claire. “You want something?”
“I’d love a glass of wine.”
He walked her over to the soft-drink bar that had been set up for the kids and grabbed a cold bottle of Bud Light out of the bucket of ice on the ground beside it. Finding an open bottle of chardonnay, he poured a glass for Claire. As she took the glass, their fingers brushed, and that slight contact made his blood begin to heat. Damn.
Claire took a sip and Ben tipped up his bottle. “Thanks for coming.”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t have missed it.”
He walked her over to one of the tables and both of them sat down. “So how’d it go with lover boy?”
Her dark eyebrows went up. “If you mean Michael, he’s here on assignment. Something about drug trafficking in Houston. He said it was connected to what he was working on before.”
“That’s it? That’s all that happened? He told you about the story he’s writing?”
“That’s right. We talked for a while then he left.”
“You didn’t sleep with him?”
Her head shot up. “What? No, of course not.”
Relief slid through him. Claire wouldn’t lie about something like that. Or at least he didn’t think she would.
They turned and watched the children playing on the grass. When he turned back, Claire was watching him.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” she said. “I’ve been wanting to for some time. Somehow it never seemed right. Maybe now’s the time.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“It’s about you and Laura.”
“That’s old news, angel.”
“Not all of it. I think you should know the reason Laura cheated on you.”
He grunted.
“Laura wanted you to have the chance to do what you always wanted. She knew as long as the two of you were together, that was never going to happen.”
“Bullshit.”
“Is it? How badly did you want to join the navy? From the moment she met you, she said all you talked about was becoming a SEAL. It meant everything to you, right? Then the two of you fell in love. After that, instead of enlisting, you were going to stay in Pittsburgh. You’d get a job, you said, maybe go back to the steel mill.”
“We could have worked it out.”
“Laura didn’t think so. She thought you loved her so much you would be willing to give up everything for her. Every one of your dreams.”
It was true. He had been deeply in love with Laura. He would have done anything to make her happy. His stomach was churning. He didn’t like to talk about the past.
Claire was relentless. “The problem was, you were willing to give up everything, but Laura couldn’t handle the responsibility. She thought sooner or later you’d come to resent her for destroying your dreams. Three nights after you gave her an engagement ring, she got drunk at a party and took one of the guys home with her.”
“My ex–good buddy, Jimmy Bates. He’s lucky he’s still breathing.”
“Laura knew you were coming over after you finished studying. She wanted you to find her, Ben. She loved you enough to set you free.”
Ben’s chest tightened. He set the beer bottle down on the table. “It’s all bullshit. She just told you that because she felt guilty.”
“You’re right. She felt guilty for the rest of her life. Guilty and miserable. She never got over you, Ben. Laura never stopped loving you. That’s the reason she wanted to have your baby.”
“That’s enough. I don’t want to hear any more. Laura’s dead. It’s all in the past. The only thing I care about now is my son. The only woman I care about is you.”
Fuck, he hadn’t meant to say that. He got up from the table, downed the last swallow of his beer, set it down and walked away.
He heard the sound of the children laughing as Claire walk up behind him. “I care about you, too, Ben,” she said softly.
His chest clamped down. “Doesn’t matter. I told you—I’m not good at relationships.”
She followed his gaze out to his son. “I’m not sure I believe that anymore.”
She might not think so, but it was true. He had enough to handle learning how to be a father. He wasn’t about to take on