Pieces of Broken Time (2 page)

August 15, 2001

After the short gig in Nigeria, followed by a reassignment in Sierra Leone, Blake returned to the States expecting to finish off the rest of the summer awaiting his next deployment. A brief lull from working and travelling called for a little rest. Relaxing was a well-deserved change of pace. He welcomed the comfort of sleeping in his own bed and looked forward to the time where he and Drew, a Doberman puppy he’d recently bought, could spend time in the park playing ball and taking long walks.

With keys in hand and Drew in tow, they were ready to sail out the door when the phone rang. The strong urge to ignore the call was replaced with worry. His parents were the only ones who called his landline.

“Hello?” he said, gesturing for Drew to heel.

“Hey, my man, Jennifer and I are in town, and we have to hang out.” Trent sounded too enthusiastic.

“In town?” Blake glanced at the wall clock and swallowed his groan. “When? Where?” He wasn’t ready to see Jennifer again. No matter how nice she was or how hard he’d tried to keep his feelings hidden, he might slip and that would be a shitload of trouble.

“Yeah, we’re in a hotel in Westwood right now. Why don’t you drive here and we’ll meet you at the bar?”

Crap! This can’t be happening
.

“Um, okay. I’ll be there around seven tonight.” He wrote down the name of the hotel and hung up feeling as if he were about to attend his own funeral. His plan had been to avoid Jennifer until the wedding.

It seemed the mighty guy up there had other plans for him.

Jennifer stared at Trent in disbelief. “Are you sure about this?”

“I don’t want us to get married while Aunt Debbie is the way she is right now. I’m glad she finally relented to be taken to the hospital, though. I think it’s a good idea if we postpone the wedding until she’s feeling better and up on her feet.” Trent took her hand and kissed it.

“I feel terrible.” She tilted his chin until his green eyes were gazing into hers.

“Rubbish.” Trent smiled, a slow and easy one, and she knew he understood. “Besides, what is another month? You will be Mrs. Shaw in no time.”

Aunt Debbie had been suffering shortness of breath, and the last stroke had snuffed every ounce of energy from them both. Jennifer had felt bad preparing for her wedding while her aunt’s health had been on a downward spiral, but she couldn’t help the sense of relief she’d felt with Trent’s announcement. He’d understood, and her guilt was killing her. She shouldn’t want to celebrate postponing their wedding. She knew the answer but cowardice made her ignore the facts staring her in the face.

The wedding would take place in a month. There hadn’t been too many arrangements since she had made it clear that she wanted a small ceremony in front of a judge and attended by only a few family and friends, with a reception at a local restaurant afterward. She suspected that Trent was more interested in the honeymoon anyway.

At Aunt Debbie’s insistence, Jennifer had agreed to let her move into a nursing facility close to home with twenty-four-hour health care professionals, even though she had hated her aunt’s decision. Jennifer had no doubt that it had to do with Trent’s arrival, but she’d had no choice but to follow the dear woman’s wishes. Caring for her only relative wasn’t a task. How could it be when her aunt had given up so much? It was the least she could do for the woman who had taken her in as her own after her parents had perished in an automobile accident.

“Why don’t we go to Los Angeles and take in the sights? We can stay a couple of nights and maybe call Blake for a drink, too.”

Trent’s suggestion sounded appealing, and the mini vacation allowed her to get away while still being close enough in case Aunt Debbie needed her. It could be nice seeing Blake again, too.

Just nice?

Jennifer had taken an instant liking to Trent’s best friend, Blake. He was easygoing, funny, and genuine. Trent was an only child, but the day they started training he had immediately adopted the man with the similar twisted sense of humor as his brother. During their deployment together, Trent had talked nonstop about his friend and Jennifer felt as though she’d known the guy practically her whole life.

Jennifer chewed her bottom lip a moment longer before she pushed the smile into place. “Sure, let me just call the hospital. Let them know that I’ll be away for the weekend.”

Packed inside Trent’s SUV and headed toward Los Angeles, Jennifer enjoyed the scenery and a few moments of comfortable silence when she noticed Trent furrowing his brows.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Hmm?” Trent glanced at her and smiled, reaching across the console to hold her hand. “I’m just thinking of the future. Life in general.”

“What about it?”

He only hesitated a second before answering, but it was enough that she caught it. “I don’t know. I’m just full of introspection these days.”

“Are you getting cold feet?” She had no idea what had prompted her to ask. Trent’s reluctance to look her in the eye told her that she might be on to something. She expected to feel guilt for asking, but it was relief that washed over her. Embarrassed at her internal jubilation, she stared straight ahead.

Trent grinned. “Oh no. It’s not that. I’m just being silly.” He touched her chin briefly before focusing on the road again.

“You know you can tell me anything.”

Trent smiled. “You know I love you, right? And I’ll try to do right by you.”

Jennifer nodded. “And I love you, too.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek, hoping to find the nerve to admit that she wasn’t sure about anything anymore. As usual, she couldn’t say it. The last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Trent.

The background music substituted for the lack of conversation, and Jennifer closed her eyes while the calming melody lulled her to the special place where she rarely allowed herself to go—the day of her engagement party.

“May I have this dance?”

Blake’s voice sounded so close, prompting Jennifer to open her eyes and glance at the man beside her before she was lost in her memories once more.

Pride had radiated in Trent’s face when he’d kissed her hand and stepped aside, placing her hand in Blake’s. “Take care of her. She is a treasure.”

“As she is to me.”

Blake’s voice was barely audible, but she heard it. Her heart raced, making her weak in the knees. She expected to feel this way in her fiancé’s presence, not with Blake.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

Blake inclined his head and flashed a stunning smile. “Shall we?” he said, ignoring her inquiry. Without waiting for an answer, he spun her around and then placed a hand on the small of her back, swaying to the rhythm of the slow music.

“What did you just say a minute ago?” Feeling a bit breathless, she let him guide her around the dance floor, basking in the strength of his touch. It felt wrong, and yet so right.

“Trent is lucky to have you.”

“What do you mean?” Her hands grew clammy from the mere touch of this man holding her.

“I wish I had someone like you,” he whispered.

Jennifer closed her eyes for a brief moment, unable to utter a coherent reply. This man was wreaking havoc inside her. She moved a fraction, creating a little distance between their bodies, but Blake pulled her back to him. When she opened her eyes, she found him staring at her while they continued to dance. The dizzying sensation made it impossible to think.

“I have no doubt that you’ll find the perfect woman for you,” she finally said.

“I’m staring at perfection right now.” There was a trace of melancholy in his voice that made her ache to probe deeper into his soul.

She had rested her cheek against his chest to avoid looking at him. It had been best to disregard his words and pretend she hadn’t heard him.

It was no surprise that Trent’s first order of business after getting checked into the hotel was calling Blake.

With details arranged and confirmed, Jennifer decided to take a long, luxurious bath complete with bubbles, a glass of champagne, and a book.

She hadn’t been lounging long when Trent knocked and peeked around the edge of the door. “Can I join you?” he asked.

Jennifer grinned and slid up in the tub, making room for him. “Sure.”

Trent settled behind her, cradling her body between his legs.

“Comfortable?” she asked.

“I always am when you’re around,” he whispered into her hair.

Jennifer settled against his chest and let the rise and fall of his breathing lull her.

He’s here, but—no time like the present.

Jennifer took a deep breath and tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. “Is something wrong? I feel like there’s something going on . . . something you’re not telling me.” She tilted her head just in time to catch Trent clenching his jaw—a sure sign she was on the right path with her question.

Trent kept tracing the contour of her body with his fingers as he seemed to work through exactly how much he wanted to say. “In the event of my death, I’ve asked Blake to watch over you until you find someone who can make you happy.”

Water splashed over the edge of the tub when she whirled to face him. “What are you talking about? Nothing’s going to happen to you. Do you hear what I’m saying?”

“There is nothing set in this life, my sweet.”

His quiet, matter-of-fact tone sent shivers up her spine. “You’re not going anywhere. You want two babies, right? Well, they need a father growing up.”

Another painful expression shot across his face.

Jennifer sensed the battle raging within him.

Kids was a conversation they hadn’t had in several weeks, but having both come from one-child households, they had agreed that two was the perfect number. The children got the best of everything and all without spreading her and Trent too thin.

He blinked once.

Is-is he crying?

His voice croaked when he responded. “Yeah, two is a manageable number.”

“Is there anything you haven’t told me?” Dread washed over her, sapping the warmth from the tub water, and pulled another full body shiver out of her.

Trent closed his eyes for a brief moment, and when he opened them, he offered a weak smile. He shook his head. “I love you, Jennifer.”

“I love you, too.” With all the tenderness she possessed, now coupled with a fear of the unknown and the terror of losing another loved one, Jennifer seized his lips and kissed him.

Trent returned her kisses with equal amounts of passion and alacrity, and by the time they surfaced for air, she felt his hard-on poking her stomach.

Jennifer let her hand glide down to his hardened shaft.

Trent stiffened and held her at arm’s length. “We better get ready. Blake should be here in an hour, and we still have to grab dinner.”

His blatant refusal felt like a slap in the face, but Jennifer was too stunned to form a coherent reply. Had she done or said anything wrong? Was Trent finally realizing that it was a mistake to ask her to marry him?

“Baby, did you hear me? Would you like to dine downstairs or just order in?”

Tears stung her eyes and she choked back the lump in her throat. “Um, in—let’s order in,” she answered.

Dinner arrived and no matter how she tried to enjoy the mouth-watering fare he’d ordered, everything tasted like cardboard. She mustered a brave face on his behalf. Trent was only around for a few weeks, a month at most, and she hated to spend it fighting.

Afterward, they made their way down in the elevator and into the pulsating bar with a techno beat pounding from the speakers.

Trent wove his arm protectively around her waist as they snaked through the throngs of people walking and dancing on the small dance floor.

Jennifer glanced at Trent and, while dread still weighed heavy in her mind, she felt his body relax and watched his face light up like a Christmas tree upon spotting Blake at the bar, waving.

Even from afar, Blake was alarmingly handsome, just as she remembered him. His easy smile greeted them as they approached.

“Jennifer,” Blake said, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Here, take this seat.” He took her elbow and guided her to the barstool. “Good to see you.”