From Now On
Page 14
“I’m sorry,” Jo said. And she was. For him. For all the excuses and explanations he would have to make to his kids. But mostly for the kids. Jo knew what it was like growing up with a mother who was less than interested. No kid deserved that.
Mark took Jo’s hand, kissed her palm lightly, and drew her closer to him. “Can I ask you something?”
Jo slid her hand up his chest. “Anything.”
“What did Danielle say to you that day?”
Jo opened her mouth to respond, to tell him all the vicious, taunting things that Danielle had spouted that morning in Mark’s cubicle. But now, Jo saw Danielle in a different light and that stole the sting from the words. It didn’t matter how true Danielle might have thought the words were. They were her truth. Not Jo’s.
“It’s not important.”
“Jo,” he said, lifting her chin with his fist. “You don’t have to hide anything from me.”
“I’m not,” she assured him. “It just isn’t important anymore.”
“Okay,” he said after a second’s hesitation. “I trust you.”
“You better,” Jo said as she rose on tiptoes to give him a kiss. “Because a lot depends on it.”
He laughed against her lips. “I love you, Jo,” he whispered as the laugh turned into a contented sigh.
“I love you.”
“So, come on.”
Mark pulled away so quickly, Jo nearly fell in the absence of his solidity. “Where?” she asked as she grabbed the back of a chair for support.
“To meet my kids. Don’t you think it’s time?”
He stood there, a smile on his face, holding out a hand toward her. It was like the final moments of a dream. But when she reached out and took his hand, it was solid, strong. It was real.
And she couldn’t imagine anything better.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27