Page 59 of Protecting Love
“I went into Quantico after college. I had twenty-two years in before I retired.”
“Can I ask why you did? Sometimes I get the impression you’re bored working for West.”
He laughed. Not meant to be a funny sound. No humor in it at all.
“Are you going to tell him that?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Good. Yeah. It’s a change of pace, but you know, I promised my ex I would quit after twenty years. I put them through enough being gone all the time or moving them around.”
“Ahh, and you didn’t. Got it.”
“That’s not what caused my divorce.”
He wasn’t sure why he was explaining himself.
Maybe he didn’t want Paris to think poorly of him.
That he hadn’t kept his word.
“Are you going to share what did?”
“It stays between us?”
“Of course.”
“Not even your twin?”
“That’s kind of one and the same with me,” she argued. “You’re really not asking me to do that, are you?”
“Do you think London tells you everything about Spencer?”
“Probably not. But the difference is, they love each other.”
She had a point. “My wife. My ex-wife. She cheated on me. Come to find out, she’d been doing it for years and for someone who was so good at their job, I didn’t see the signs of lying and cheating right under my nose.”
Her hand came out to rest on his arm. “I’m sorry about that. Maybe it’s because you’d never do it and didn’t expect it from someone you’d promised forever to.”
He turned and held her stare. “Yeah. But guess I was one-sided with those vows.”
“I hate to even ask how you found out.”
“Honestly, it’s like she purposely left clues right under my nose. For years, it was about feeling needed. She swears it had nothing to do with love or a relationship.”
“She was just horny?” she asked. “Sounds like that to me. Because you don’t just start going out to feel needed. Not to actually sleep with someone.”
“That’s what she said. It was only sex. And I’m with you. She’d never been that way before. Never really into sex in our marriage. I always felt it was me who pushed it more. Not sure why I’m sharing this.”
“Because I’m easy to talk to. I’m safe. I’m just pretend.”
She was far from safe.
Barely pretend in some moments.
“I don’t know about that,” he mumbled.
She bumped her shoulder into his. “That burger sure does look good.”
