Split Decisions: A Southern Romantic-Suspense Novel - Charlotte - Book Two

by Carmen DeSousa

  But the way she’d looked at him last night… The way her hand had felt in his when he’d rescued her. She’d known who he was today. She’d remembered his name and wanted to leave with him. She hadn’t even spared a glance at Jordan, and Jordan had screamed at her. He only cared about Jaynee. He had no concerns for Caycee.

  So, what if it was Caycee inside? What if that part of her psyche came out? Would Jordan really want her, or would he resent her?

  Her eyes had lit up when he’d walked into the room, and it had made his heart swell. How long he’d wanted her to look at him like that, how he’d longed for that from the first time they’d met. He was forty-five. He deserved love, didn’t he? He’d chased after it for so long. Didn’t he deserve happiness?

  At whose expense, though, he thought ruefully. Jordan’s, their kids, Jaynee’s, or worse, Caycee’s? He couldn’t bear to hurt her; he cared for her too much. If she wanted him, she would make herself known. He would just have to leave it at that. The department would have to take a statement from her, and he would make sure he was there when they did. She would want him there, he was certain.

  He walked out of the hospital feeling empty. He would figure out what to do…what was right.

  ***

  Jordan started awake by merely a soft squeeze to his shoulder. He lifted his head to see his mother’s swollen, tear-soaked face staring at him. Rising to his feet, he drew her into his arms tightly. Bobby was on one side, and Melissa and Rachael were on the other. They all wrapped their arms around him, and he felt the tears shed again. He swiped them away quickly, motioning they should step outside.

  Patricia Monroe adjusted her arms so they were around him and walked outside the room with his two sisters and brother-in-law following closely.

  “Oh, Jordan, we’ve been so worried. How is she? Lord have mercy, child, if that girl didn’t have bad luck, she wouldn’t have any luck at all,” Pat suggested perceptively.

  Jordan shook his head at his mother’s blunt assessment. It was something Jaynee had always said about her life. Though, she’d chalked it up to balance she had decided over their years together. She’d always said that God’s providence had more than enough outweighed all her previous misfortunes.

  “Jaynee seems to be okay…” Jordan started with the question he could answer. “The bullets missed any major organs. She lost a lot of blood, and they had to leave one bullet inside of her due to its proximity to her heart, so they are monitoring that and need to keep her on an antibiotic IV to thwart affection.”

  “What in the world, Jordan?” Rachael asked the opened-ended question. “When Melissa called us… I just don’t know how…why?”

  Jordan was thankful when Melissa stepped forward as though she planned to rescue him from his mother and sister. Pat and Rachael were both very outspoken, sometimes too much so.

  “Jordan’s exhausted,” Melissa asserted, eyeing the rest of his family in a stern warning to back off. “Jordan, we need to get food. We haven’t eaten a thing, and I know you’ll want coffee. We’ll let you rest some more, and we’ll be back shortly, give you time to pull yourself together.”

  “Yeah, buddy, you look like crud,” Bobby added for good measure. “Although, at least this time it wasn’t a brother-in-law.”

  “Robert Brooks.” Melissa tugged on his arm. “What is wrong with you?”

  Jordan smiled half-heartedly. He understood what he meant. Somehow, it was better knowing that a total stranger was responsible, not someone you cared for. Not that anything would make him feel better, not until his wife was safe at home.

  “Hey!” Jordan called out as they started to enter the elevator. “Sissy, where’re my kids?”

  Melissa stopped as the others loaded into the elevator. “Lorraine and John are watching them. I figured you wouldn’t mind. Of course, Johanna isn’t too happy. She doesn’t think she needs a babysitter and is very upset about not knowing what’s going on. You need to call them today.”

  Jordan walked back into the room mumbling. “Of course Johanna wouldn’t want to be babysat; she thought she was a grown woman.”

  “Johanna? Is she here?” Jaynee’s voice was barely a whisper.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t know you were awake. I was outside. Johanna isn’t here, but Mom, Sissy, Rachael, and Bobby are.”

  “Rachael came?”

  Jordan offered her a slight smile, knowing how she still worried about how his sister felt about her. “Yes, of course, she loves you too. I know she doesn’t always show it, but she does love you. Heck, she barely acts as though she loves any of the family, but she’s just spoiled, always has been. Middle child and all that stuff.”

  “I know…I just feel like she blames me…for Ronny.”

  “Jaynee, that was almost thirteen years ago.”

  “I know, but suddenly it’s feeling very recent.”

  “You really do have bad luck with getting hurt, love. Maybe I should keep you locked up.”

  Jaynee cringed and then winced at the pain.

  He sealed his eyes, not believing he’d just said that. “I’m so absurd. That was a ridiculous thing to say and very insensitive.” He sat beside her and held her free hand between the two of his. Tears overflowed her eyes. “Seriously, Jaynee, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay, Jordan. It was just…terrible. It was so…”

  He caressed her cheek, feeling like an absolute moron. He didn’t wanna know, but he had to know. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No, not physically. He just strapped me to that bed for so long. It was so dark and lonely. But then Caycee was there. She helped me, Jordan. I know you were angry with her, but she helped me through it. I wish she was here.”

  “Jaynee,” Jordan pleaded. “She is here. She’s inside you. You’re strong, and I’m so glad you’re who you are. I know you’re my Jaynee.”

  “Of course I am, Jordan.”

  “But, do you feel her? Do you want what she wanted?” he asked. Not sure if he really wanted an answer to his question.

  “Yes, I do.”

  Jordan flinched.

  “I want you. I love you.”

  “But what about Corey?” His voice broke on the name. He was asking his wife if she wanted another man. What would he do if she said yes? Would he lose it? Would he hate her?

  Jaynee guffawed, and he could see the pain it caused her. “Jordan, are you serious? I was surprised to see Corey. I was surprised by the memory, her memory. She liked him, but she didn’t know him. She’d tried to find him years ago, and she might have even been interested in him if she’d met him months ago. But, Jordan, nothing could interfere with my love for you. Caycee loved you all this time, too. She was sorry for what she’d given up. She’d been searching for you, you know, when she found me. So, to answer your question, What about Corey?”

  Jordan tilted his head, slightly confused.

  “That’s my answer, Jordan. What about Corey? Corey is nothing to me; you’re everything.”

  Jordan couldn’t wait any longer. He bounded off the chair, taking her head between his hands. He pressed his lips gently onto hers, and as she opened up to him, he became more aggressive. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?” he asked between kisses.

  Jaynee shook her head, but then answered anyway. “I think it’ll hurt if you stop, though.”

  “Then I won’t stop.” His hands moved through her hair, traced her face, memorizing every inch. How had he not known immediately? This was Jaynee, this was his truelove, and this was her kiss. He wanted more, he wanted to slide in beside her and feel her body next to his. He wanted to hold her and never let her go again. He felt Jaynee’s grasp loosen. She needed to sleep. He lowered her head to the pillow and kissed her once more on her forehead. “Go to sleep, Jaynee. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

  “Please don’t leave,” she managed in a hushed voice.

  ***

  Corey had come back after going to get something to eat in the cafeteria. He still had
Jordan’s keys in his pocket, he’d remembered. He heard her comment. She wasn’t Caycee, and she had no feelings for him even if she was. It might hurt, but it was for the best. He would not have been able to retreat if he’d thought there was the slightest chance the Caycee he’d seen last night still existed. He would always have that moment, when her hand was in his and her eyes were on him. If only he’d acted sooner, none of this would have happened. She would never have searched out Jordan, and he never would have let Ben near her.

  “Hi. Are you a friend of Jordan’s?” The low southern drawl gently pulled him from his thoughts, caressing his soul with its silky inflection. He looked up to find a gorgeous woman walking right toward him.

  As she approached, he felt locked in her gaze. She was over average height, about five-eight, with light brown hair that waved and fell slightly around her shoulders. Her eyes were like sapphires set in golden skin. The woman was absolutely stunning for her age. Which he assumed must be pretty close to his, he’d guess forty-something.

  He stood in total shock, not sure what to say to her. She’d asked if he was Jordan’s friend. Was he? He liked Jordan, but he knew after his display earlier and the fact that he was in love with a woman who was buried somewhere deep in his wife’s psyche that Jordan wouldn’t consider him a friend.

  The curtains moved, and Jordan stepped out of Jaynee’s room. The southern belle was still waiting for her answer, while she clutched a cup of coffee in her hands.

  ***

  Jordan glanced back and forth between Corey and Rachael. Jaynee had no feelings for Corey, and he was used to men liking his wife. Even his best friend had admitted that he loved her years ago. He’d just been smitten and jealous of him; they had competed against each other their entire lives. It was nothing new he realized, and so he certainly couldn’t hold it against Corey if he’d been in love with Caycee.

  He nodded to his sister. “Yes, he is, Rachael. This is Corey—Corey, this is my older sister Rachael.”

  Corey’s eyes flew to Jordan, and Jordan smiled. Yes, the man was his friend; he’d liked him from almost the moment he’d met him, and he had saved his wife’s life.

  “Not that much older, Jordan,” Rachael admonished.

  Jordan rolled his eyes. “Corey is a detective with NYPD, homicide.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you, Corey,” Rachael crooned, and Jordan thought he might get sick. He wouldn’t wish his sister on his worst enemy, but he also didn’t want Corey this close to him and Jaynee. But he’d never seen this reaction in Rachael before and suddenly wondered if the Thunderbolt was restricted to the Monroe men, or if the ancient Italian folklore shadowed the women too.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” Corey replied.

  “Is that my coffee, Rachael?” Jordan asked, trying to break the spell.

  Rachael thrust the cup at Jordan, but refused to take her eyes off Corey. She grabbed Jordan’s other arm for support.

  “Would y’all like a room?” he finally asked. That did it; Corey looked up at him then.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Corey’s voice was weak, and Jordan knew there was no use.

  “Welcome to the family, Corey. I guess I’ll be lining you up with a position at Charlotte-Meck or you could work for me. I’ve needed an extra man for a while.”

  Corey shook his head. “What the heck? Um, what?”

  “It’s something, isn’t it? It’s the Thunderbolt,” Jordan answered matter-of-factly. “Jaynee and I were married in four days.”

  Rachael stood next to Jordan, still grasping his arm. “Jordan, I never knew. I never understood. Oh, dear heavens. No wonder it’d never worked with Ronny.” She fanned her face with a napkin.

  “Hey, you two, Jaynee’s fine,” Jordan said. “Why don’t you both go to the waiting area and talk? You’re both too old to waste time.”

  “Hey!” Rachael balked.

  “You’re absolutely right, Jordan.” Corey took Rachael by the hand, leading her to the ICU waiting area. “He’s right.”

  Rachael didn’t admit that Jordan was right; she was still Rachael, but she allowed Corey to lead her away.

  The elevator chimed, and Bobby, Melissa, and his mother filed out in a straight line.

  “Jordan?” Melissa inquired. “Why is Rachael walking off with a stranger?”

  “Oh, that’s Corey our newest brother-in-law-to-be.”

  “You’re kidding, right? Not again?”

  “Never saw anything like it,” Jordan admitted. “It happened to me, but even I didn’t react like the two of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if he follows us home or if Rachael stays here.”

  “Do you know him?” Bobby asked.

  “He’s a detective, NYPD. He helped save Jaynee’s life.”

  “You trust him, then,” his mother interjected.

  “He’ll never leave her, Mom. You should know that better than anyone. And yes, I’d trust him with my life.”

  “NO! Please Don’t!” Jaynee’s scream pierced the air, shattering Jordan’s brief moment of peace. For a moment, he’d forgotten the circumstances they were in, what she’d gone through these past days. He’d been overjoyed just to have her near him. He hadn’t realized what the ordeal would do to her psyche. It’d been years since she’d screamed out in pain while she slept. He scrambled through the sliding glass door and curtain that he’d drawn for her privacy. “Jordan, help me!” Another earsplitting cry sliced through the tiny room.

  “I’m here, Jaynee. I’m here.” He drew her into his arms. She’d never called out for him in a nightmare. She usually just begged for the pain to stop, for the crushing to cease. God, he wondered all of what she’d experienced as a child. What had she been through that at almost forty she’d still be suffering? He would probably never know, and that was okay. He’d help her through it any way she wanted when they got home. “I’m here, love. No one will hurt you.” He drew her closer, brushing her hair away from her face. Her cheeks were wet from tears. It was a lie, he realized. She’d been hurt. He’d allowed her to get hurt, not once, but twice. He’d been a cop for years and no one had shot him, but he’d almost lost his wife twice. It should have never have happened; he should have seen Ben draw on them. Jaynee’d seen it; she’d used her body to shield Caycee. He’d been looking at her, he realized. “I’m so sorry, Jaynee. I swear to you, never again, no matter what. No one will ever hurt you again.”

  “Jordan?” Her voice was a faint whisper. “Oh, Jordan, I wanna go home. I don’t ever want to leave North Carolina again. Please take me home.”

  “I will.”

  “Don’t leave, please. Don’t leave me. I’m sorry I came here.”

  “Oh, Jaynee,” he whispered, pulling her chin up to search her face. Her eyes were red and tears streaked her face. “Jaynee, you’re my love, my life. I’m nothing without you. Don’t you understand?”

  “I’m nothing, Jordan. I’m—”

  He placed two fingers over her lips. “You’re wrong,” he said. “This is one of the reasons you’ve been upset lately, isn’t it? You don’t understand your worth? You don’t know who you are?”

  “I—”

  “Shh, just listen. Jaynee, you’re everything to me. From the first moment I saw you, I wished never to be away from you. You’re my wife, my lover, the mother of my children, my best friend. Nothing is anything without you, don’t you understand that? It kills me when you keep anything from me. I want to know your happiness and your sorrow. I want you to share everything with me. You should have told me—”

  “I’m—”

  “I said, shh, I want you to talk to me…but right now just listen,” he said, smiling softly at her. “It’s my turn to talk right now, and when it’s your turn, I don’t want to hear that you’re sorry; just don’t do it again.”

  She shook her head.

  “Shoot.” He shot her a withering look. “I forgot where I was. It’s tough getting old, Jaynee; I know that as well as anyone. But you…you look great. And you have four bea
utiful children who love you, and a husband who can’t live without you. And even when we don’t look great...” He lowered his head, staring into her eyes. “One day we’ll both be old and gray, and I will still think you’re the most beautiful woman in the world. I will love you forever, Jaynee Monroe, until the day I die, and then through all of eternity.”

  He lowered his face over hers and placed his lips against hers. He drew back a fraction. Her breaths came more rapidly. “I love you. Don’t you ever leave me again, do you hear me?”

  She nodded, and once again, he placed his lips against hers.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Jaynee glanced up at the light rap and then the glass door opening a fraction.

  “Come in, Mom,” Jordan answered.

  “Jaynee, honey, are you okay?” her mother-in-law’s sweet, but firm southern voice asked.

  She thrilled at the sight of her. She’d flown to New York to check on her, even though she hated flying. She’d been all over the world with her military husband, but since retirement, she’d never once left her beloved state of birth, North Carolina.

  Behind Pat were Melissa and her brother-in-law, Bobby.

  “Where’s Rachael? I thought I remembered that she was here as well?”

  Melissa and Bobby laughed at the same time that they shot a glance at Jordan.

  “What’s so funny?” Jaynee asked.

  “You didn’t tell her, Jordan? I would have thought that would have been the first thing out of your mouth,” Bobby said through a chuckle. “Rachael, of all people, who would have thought?”

  “Hey,” Melissa interjected, admonishing her husband by smacking him on the arm. “She’s still my baby sister.”

  “Is anyone gonna tell me what’s going on?” Jaynee asked.

  “Well,” Jordan started, “Corey came back.”

  “And…?”

  “Well, it seems that Rachael and he sort of, hit it off, instantly.” Jordan raised an eyebrow as he gazed at her.

  “No! You’re not saying?”

  “Yes…it looks like we have a new addition to the family. And, speaking of which, will you be okay if I go speak to them for a few minutes? Rachael will want to know you’re awake too.”