Free Things Made Right by Tymber Dalton Page A

So’s yours. But to be honest, my father’s going to be really pissed off when he realizes that, other than law school, I have no plans to follow in his footsteps and seek public office. I don’t want to be elected. I just want to be an attorney. That’s all.” He indicated the letters. “Pick one, or I’ll shuffle them and have you randomly pick one.”
    Intimidated, she studied them all again, unsure. She looked up into his eyes, wondering if this was a joke, or a test.
    Then again, he had said he wanted to make her happy.
    He nodded toward them. “Do you trust me?” he asked her.
    She nodded.
    “Then trust me when I say I want you to do this. I told you, it’s not all about me getting what I want.”
    “This is big.”
    “And it’s how I want it to be.”
    From the look on his face, she suspected he was totally serious. “Can I ask for one thing?”
    “What’s that, sweetheart?”
    “Promise me you’ll never share me with anyone else. And you’ll never cheat on me.”
    His expression softened, almost breaking her heart with his tenderness. He kissed her, long and slow. “Sweetheart, as long as I’m physically able, I promise, I will never allow another man to touch you like that. Ever. And I will never, ever cheat on you. You are the only woman I will ever want.”
    Stroking his cheek, she nodded and returned her attention to the papers. She couldn’t make up her mind. There was a huge country out there he was offering her. She hadn’t traveled a lot, but remembered one vacation to Walt Disney World when she was about twelve. Her and her parents.
    It had been a fun time, the only time she’d been to Florida. Hell, the only time she’d been out of the Northeast.
    She reached down and picked the letter from Stetson Law School just outside of Tampa and handed it to him.
    He smiled as he read it. “Florida it is. We’ll fill out your application to the University of South Florida as soon as we can get you one. We’ll need your transcripts.”
    “Yes, Sir.”
    She knew instinctively it wouldn’t do any good to protest, to tell him no, it was okay, that she could sit out a semester.
    She knew he wouldn’t hear of it. Not now, not since he’d made up his mind this was how it would be.
    He leaned in and tenderly kissed her. “We’re going to be happy together,” he said. “We’ll start over down there, make our lives down there. We can come up and visit your family, have them come visit us.”
    “You don’t want to live up here?”
    “Not unless you do. I’m sick of winter. I’d like to be able to walk around in shorts in December and not worry about you having to drive in snow and ice.” He laced his fingers through hers and kissed her again. “Loren, will you please marry me?” he whispered.
    She tearfully nodded. “Yes, Sir. I want that more than anything.”

Chapter Eleven
     
    Now…
     
    Loren sat at an outside table, in the shade but with her sunglasses securely in place. She’d opted to meet the woman at a nice restaurant in St. Pete, on the Intracoastal. Arriving nearly thirty minutes early, Loren had the hostess seat her on the back deck, in a shaded spot.
    She didn’t want to be here any longer than necessary, and hoped Melody Axlerod wouldn’t cause her any problems in the future.
    Not telling Ross about this ate her up inside, but Loren knew she’d take the punishment without complaint. She’d promised not to ask him about that night, not to talk about it.
    And in their nearly thirty years of marriage, she’d never violated that promise.
    And she never would. Ross wouldn’t even know what he was punishing her for, unless he asked her.
    And if he asked, she’d be forced to tell him, because she couldn’t lie to him.
    Maybe he wouldn’t ask.
    She hoped he wouldn’t.
    Loren ordered a glass of water. More to have something in her hands than to have something to drink. She didn’t want iced tea, that might send her to the bathroom too much. She wanted this done as