Fighting Love

by Melissa West

  She packed her bags that day, him belittling her the entire time, but he never hurt her. No, his idea of pain wasn’t inflicted by actions, but by words. By a constant, unyielding tick at her self-worth until there was nothing left.

  And now he’d found her.

  The phone calls, the flowers, the gate—they weren’t random. They weren’t kids joking around, customers offering their kindness, accidents. They were him.

  “Here you go.” Glenda placed the Band-Aid on the counter, then took the angel from her. “What is it?”

  “A gift.”

  “From who?”

  Sophie lifted her chin and stared out the windows over the farm and the life she’d created. “My husband.”

  * * *

  Zac arrived early at Brighton’s for breakfast with Brooks the next morning, his body still humming from a night that he would never forget.

  Dangerous thoughts circled through his head, thoughts about a future, about dinners around the kitchen table filled with laughter. About not having to have the dreaded dating talk with Carrie because maybe there would be someone better to have it.

  “Want some coffee, hun?” Lindy asked, her cropped hair as red as ever.

  “Coffee sounds great, thanks.”

  She took the cup from in front of him and filled it. Zac took a long sip, his second cup of the day—the first shared in bed with Sophie hours before.

  “Whoa, didn’t know you were capable of smiling that big.”

  Zac glanced up and then pushed out of his chair, excitement pouring out of him as he clapped hands with his old friend. “Dude, I didn’t even see you walk up. How goes it?”

  “Clearly not as good as you,” Brooks said. “Some lady in your life these days producing that smile, or is business just that good?”

  “Hey, I’m not the real estate mogul. Rumor has it you swim around in money like Scrooge McDuck.”

  Brooks laughed, never one to brag about his wealth. Maybe because growing up he never had any. But since leaving Crestler’s Key and going to college, he’d bought homes cheap, fixed them up, and then rented them out. Which might seem like small fish, but in time, he’d made a fortune and opened up a real shop for various real estate investments, even buying things for other people and taking a cut of the profit. He was smart on a ridiculous level, so it shouldn’t have surprised Zac that he’d done so well.

  “Ah, I do okay. But let’s get back to you looking like you just scored the winning home run. What’s up with you these days? How’s Carrie?”

  Zac had seen Brooks only a handful of times over the years, so he filled him in on Carrie, the farm, Southern Dive, and then finally he landed on Sophie.

  “Sounds serious,” Brooks said as he took a sip of his coffee and started in on the pancakes he’d ordered.

  “I don’t know. She moved here to help her grandmother who— hey, come to think of it. Didn’t you work for her grandmother, Gwendolyn? Wasn’t that one of the lawns you covered?”

  “Hard to say. I mowed a lot of lawns back then, all for shit money.”

  Zac laughed. “I remember.”

  “But you like her.”

  Zac thought back to last night, how desperate he’d been to hold on to her for just a few more minutes this morning. “Yeah . . . I do.”

  “Think she’s the one?”

  Zac stared around Brighton’s Sandwich Shop, half the town’s ears pricked for information that he wasn’t ready to share.

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “That’s she’s the one?”

  “I don’t know if I believe in the sentiment. I think love is something you work on, day in and day out. I don’t think calling someone ‘the one’ gets you out of that work. If anything, you have to work harder to keep it going.”

  Yet even as he said it, Zac thought it didn’t feel like work with Sophie, and he suspected it never would. Having his wife walk out on their family had left him with jaded thoughts on things like dating and women and the ideals of forever. But maybe those ideals weren’t a fantasy after all.

  “Seems a little fast if you ask me.”

  Zac’s gaze snapped back to Brooks, someone he hadn’t seen in six months, who was here now to what? Pass judgment on his relationship? “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again. I mean, what do you really know about her? Has she been married before, like you have?”

  “No, never married.”

  “Never married. Seriously? Seems a little odd, don’t you think? That a woman like her wouldn’t have been married before?”

  The sandwich shop had become hot all of a sudden, a tendril of doubt swirling in Zac’s stomach. “She said she’s never been married.”

  “And you believe her?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  Brooks popped a slice of bacon in his mouth and shrugged. “Just wondering how much you know about her is all. Ignore me.”

  But Zac couldn’t. Because the truth was, he didn’t know much about her. He knew she’d been with someone who’d hurt her in some way, that she’d left Merryville to move here to help her grandmother. Though come to think of it, Sophie had never told him that bit. He’d surmised it from the various conversations he’d had with her and rumors he’d heard since she arrived. And then she bought the farm, but she’d explained that part to him, and it wasn’t like it mattered if she bought a farm. That didn’t affect him having a relationship with her.

  But her being married and lying about it?

  Zac tried to put it out of his mind, telling himself that it wasn’t an issue. He and Sophie had talked about their relationships. Only, they hadn’t exactly. But what did that matter? They didn’t need to know every sordid detail of each other’s past to be together. Did they? No. This was just getting started. It was—

  “Hey, seriously. Ignore me. You look like you’re getting freaked out.”

  “I’m fine. Enough about me. Tell me what’s been going on with you.”

  And then Zac tried to listen as Brooks dove into business ventures, travelling, everything in his life, before finally saying, “I’m actually thinking about staying here for a while.”

  “In Crestler’s Key? Really?”

  “Yeah.” He took a bite of his toast, then a long sip of his water. “Nice to be back home.”

  “Sounds like we’ll get to see if you can still throw a fastball then.”

  Brooks laughed and leaned back in his chair. “Name the day, brother, and I’m game. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Okay, so I know I said I wouldn’t ask, but I have to ask,”

  Glenda said.

  It’d been hours since she’d revealed that she was still married, though the still-being-married part was not for lack of trying. Her legal separation had been signed, and the divorce had been filed but it wasn’t finalized yet. He had refused to sign and then contested the divorce on grounds, a thought that made Sophie’s stomach twist into a pretzel.

  She drew a breath. “I’m separated, but technically I’m still married.”

  “And you think your husband sent the angel.”

  Sophie turned around to face the apple pie she’d just pulled from the oven. “I know he did.” Then Sophie did the last thing she thought she’d ever do—she told someone. Everything.

  She opened up about their early days, how kind he’d been, how handsome, how sure she’d been that they’d spend forever together. And then how each success he had at work seemed to make him grow colder to her until she felt like another piece of his company, something for him to shape and mold into the perfect wife, the perfect accessory. Only she would never be perfect enough.

  As Sophie wrapped up her story, Glenda sat down and shook her head. “I’m so sorry. If I’d known . . . I’m sorry.” Then she stood up, walked over, and placed a hand on Sophie’s. “Maybe you should stay with me for a couple of days. Just until this is sorted out. I mean,
if you think he’s here.”

  “I don’t know. This could just mean he’s agreeing to the divorce and the rest is in my head.”

  “But what if it’s not? Does Zac know?”

  “No. And you can’t tell him. We’re just becoming something, and he’s already untrusting of women.”

  “This isn’t your fault, though. Surely he would understand.”

  “He asked me if I was married. I told him no.”

  “That’s not a lie. You’re not technically, and that jerk of a husband of yours doesn’t deserve to call you his wife any longer. Zac would understand. You want him to trust you, so trust him back. Tell him the truth—all of it.”

  * * *

  Sophie put in a call to her lawyer after she left the farm. Just to be safe. But he assured her that they’d filed for a restraining order and everything had been documented. The divorce would be finalized soon, despite Mark contesting the grounds, and she could finally put it all behind her.

  “And the restraining order is still active, right?” Sophie’s breath felt heavy in her chest, her fears climbing higher and higher, making it difficult to stand.

  “It’s intact. He can’t come within a hundred yards of you.”

  She drew a long, rattled breath and thought of the broken lock again. “And what if he does?”

  “Then you call the cops, and he’ll get arrested.” Pat paused, and Sophie heard a door close on his end of the line. “How is therapy going?”

  “Good, I guess. I mean, I stopped going really, but I call when I need to.”

  “Has something happened? Is there something else going on that I should know about? If he’s contacted you . . .”

  Sophie hesitated, her gaze drifting out to the main gate. “I don’t know. There’s just a few things . . . it’s probably nothing.”

  “Not with a man like Mark. If something has you worried, you need to tell me.”

  “It’s probably nothing,” Sophie repeated.

  “Sophie. Tell me.”

  “Fine.” She unloaded each of the instances that concerned her, finishing with the angel, which still had Sophie shaking. “It could be his way of saying he signed the papers.”

  “I don’t think so. He’s still contesting.”

  “So you think . . .”

  “It’s hard to say, but I’m going to call the local law enforcement to let them know what’s going on so they can watch out for him. I’ll send a photo. It’s probably nothing, as you said, but we can’t be too careful.”

  “I don’t think he would hurt me.”

  “But Sophie, he already has. Not all injuries are visible to the eye. You know this.”

  She nodded, though Pat couldn’t see her. “Right. I know you’re right.”

  “I’ll call and send the photo, and you call my cell if you need anything at all, okay?”

  Her lips trembled, her right leg jumping in time, her whole body succumbing to fear. Again. How could he weasel his way back into her mind so easily?

  “Okay, thanks.”

  Hanging up, she scrolled through her contacts until she found Zac’s number and hit Call just so she could hear his voice and feel a bit of the reassurance and comfort he provided. So she could forget all the rest for a few precious moments.

  “Just who I was talking about. How are you?”

  “Better now,” she admitted.

  “I want to see you.”

  “Now?”

  “I wish, but I’m stuck at the farm for a few more minutes. Deliveries today.”

  “I know the feeling.”

  “But my friend Brooks wanted to meet you. Are you up for an early dinner? Say in half an hour? Captain Jack’s?”

  “Sounds great. How was Brooks?”

  “Really good. He’s thinking of moving back here actually.”

  “That’s great news. I look forward to meeting him.”

  “So five thirty?”

  She closed her eyes, taking in Zac’s deep voice, a promise of protection laced within it. “I’ll be there.”

  Sophie closed herself in her Mini Cooper, checked the back seat, and locked the doors, then did each again for good measure. Talking with Zac had calmed her a bit, but she needed to figure out what was going on with Mark if she ever hoped to feel one hundred percent safe. And deep down she knew there was only one thing she could do to end this for good—she would have to face him. Until this point, she’d had everything go through her lawyer. She gave up the house and all assets. She didn’t want anything from him, so it should have been easy. But Mark was well connected and had some of the best lawyers out there, so it shouldn’t have surprised her that he contested the divorce on grounds, demanding she prove that he was abusive. Something hard to do when he’d never once put a hand on her.

  For months, Sophie fought and fought, giving her lawyer everything she could to fight him, but finally she grew tired and told her lawyer she needed a break. Pat couldn’t understand why Mark wouldn’t simply agree to the divorce, but he didn’t understand that Sophie was keeping the one asset Mark valued most—her.

  The town was quiet for late afternoon, most people still at work closing up their days, so Sophie wasn’t surprised to find Captain Jack’s parking lot nearly empty when she arrived. In a few hours, it would be packed. But for now, she could walk out on the back deck and down the dock, looking over the water without a crowd around to watch her.

  She locked her car, then went inside, waving a hello to Jack.

  “Table today?”

  “Yes, we have three today, but Zac and his friend aren’t here yet. Is it okay if I walk outside before he gets here?”

  “Help yourself. Want a drink for the journey?”

  “Thanks, that’d be great. Sweet tea?”

  “Coming up.”

  A few tables were full of older folks who enjoyed eating early, regulars who were often here each night. Sophie waved a hello to them, and while most stared at her like she was crazy, a few waved back. Zac’s influence, no doubt, but she would take it.

  “Here you go, dear. Give me a yell if you need anything. I’ll have Trixie set up a table for you by the windows.”

  “Perfect. Thanks.”

  She walked outside and down the sloping dock to the end and sat down, her legs hanging over the side, and thought about what Glenda had said about telling Zac. Maybe he would understand. Maybe he could even offer some advice. Maybe he would hug her close and say they’d work it out.

  Or maybe he would walk away.

  The thought hurt her heart so badly that she pressed her palm to her chest in hopes of soothing the ache. She’d been hurt before, her mind and heart torn in two, but Zac had given her hope that she could have a normal life again. A life with him. Why hadn’t she just told him the truth?

  Maybe because the thought of talking about Mark made her want to curl into a ball. If she said she’d been married, then she would have been forced to talk about her husband, and he didn’t get to be a part of her world now. He didn’t deserve that.

  “There you are.”

  Warmth flooded Sophie’s chest, and a smile stretched across her face. She stood up and turned around, eager to see the man who’d broken through her fears.

  Then everything in her world came to a screeching halt.

  Instead of her eyes landing on Zac, they’d locked on the man standing beside him, a knowing grin on his face, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe.

  “I’m from a small town,” he’d said. “Middle of nowhere, Kentucky.”

  No.

  “I used to play baseball. Third base like Brooks Robinson.”

  No, no, no.

  Sophie tried to breathe, tried to tell her body to remember how to work properly, but all the blood had drained from her head, and stars dotted the corners of her vision, everything going dark as her heart sped up.

  “What are you doing here? You can’t be here.”

  Zac started for her. “Dinner, remember? Are you . . . ?” He trailed off as hi
s gaze drifted from Sophie to the man beside him and back. “You weren’t talking to me, were you?’

  “Sophie, it’s time for you to come home.”

  “Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?” The look on Zac’s face would have brought Sophie back if only she could focus on him. But she couldn’t.

  Because standing beside the man who had lifted her from the grave was the man who’d put her there.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Someone explain what the hell is going on. Now.”

  Zac couldn’t shake the feeling that he was about to play the fool for the second time in his adult life. He wanted to walk back inside and come back out in hopes of finding a different situation before him. He should leave, now, before whatever this was exploded in his face. But he couldn’t stop looking at Sophie, glancing both ways on the dock, water all around her, her hands out, a look of unadulterated fear on her face.

  “I’m sorry, Zac,” Brooks said. “I haven’t been fully honest with you. Nor has my wife.”

  “Wife?” Ice crept through Zac’s veins, over his heart, anger replacing the care he’d felt just moments before.

  He took a step toward Sophie, then stopped, his feet no longer able to move. “You said you weren’t married. You said . . .” He glanced from Brooks to Sophie, sure he’d stumbled into an alternate universe. Never once had Brooks mentioned being married in all the times they’d talked over the years. Never once.

  Brooks took a step toward Sophie, and she jerked away. “Please. Just stop.” He took another step, and Zac thought Sophie was going to jump into the water. “Stop.”

  Then he remembered her talk about her last relationship, the fear on her face when she spoke of it, how badly she had been shaking when she came to his house after the flower delivery. And despite the confusion of the situation, a greater part of him said he needed to help her now.

  Taking a step around Brooks, he eased him back, Zac a good three inches taller than him with thirty extra pounds of muscle. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I do know that a woman shouldn’t be that afraid of the person who’s claiming to be her husband.”

  “She’s insane. That’s why I came here. To get her some help.”