Free New Beginnings by Cheryl Douglas

“No, you’re definitely a sinner, Turner.”
    He shook his head and chuckled. “Why him, Sierra?”
    He saw her gaze drift to the rolling hills along the property line.
    “I don’t know. He makes me feel safe.”
    He didn’t respond at first. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know anymore. “Why?”
    “I know he loves me. Would never cheat on me.” She looked him in the eye. “I know that I’m enough for him.”
    “God, Sierra,” he whispered. “You honestly think you weren’t enough for me?”
    She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. There were groupies everywhere, Trey. The parties, the tours, it was hell.”
    He took a chance and reached over to grab her hand. “I never cheated on you. I need you to believe that.”
    She looked over at him, her eyes searching his face. “I do believe you. I think I would have been able to tell.”
    He squeezed her hand, never wanting to let go. “What do you mean?”
    “Like you said, it was intense between us. When we made love...”
    He waited, holding his breath. “Go on.”
    “It was like there was no one else in the world but the two of us. You looked me in the eye every time we came together. I kept waiting for that to change, especially toward the end, but it didn’t.”
    He thought back; she was right. He looked her in the eye when he made love to her because he was trying to express with actions what he couldn’t express with words. “You didn’t think I’d be able to look you in the eye while we were making love if I was having sex with someone else?”
    She nodded. “It may seem silly, but I held on to that hope.”
    “You were right.” He let go of her hand, throwing his legs over the side of the chair so he could face her. “The bedroom seemed like the only place we still connected toward the end, didn’t it?”
    She nodded, looking sad. “Yeah, I kept holding on to that connection, hoping it would be enough to get us through, but it wasn’t. Hell, you were so drunk the last time I don’t think you would have known the difference, me or someone else, as long as you had a warm body underneath you.”
    Her words cut deep. He hated that he’d allowed his drinking to come between them. “I’m sorry.”
    “How long before you slept with someone else?” she asked.
    Shit. He couldn’t lie to her. He hesitated, knowing his answer may prevent him from earning the second chance he so desperately wanted.
    “Forget it,” she said, quietly. “You don’t have to answer that. I’m trying to move forward. I can’t do that if I’m living in the past, can I?”
    She was giving him an out, but he wasn’t willing to take it. “It was the night you told me you were filing for divorce.”
    “Shit,” she whispered. “I wish I hadn’t asked.”
    He slid her legs over so he could sit at the bottom of her chair. “Sierra, you’ve got to understand. I was wrecked that night.”
    She kicked him in the gut with her high-heeled boot, knocking him off balance. “You slept with me that night, you son of a bitch!”
    He pinned her ankles to prevent her from kicking him again. “I’m sorry.” His hands slid up her legs, resting on her thighs. “I was already loaded, and when you told me you wanted a divorce, I couldn’t handle it.” He tipped her chin so she was looking at him. He cursed the tears sliding down her cheeks. “I had a feeling you were going to ask for a divorce, but when we made love, I thought you’d reconsidered. Fuck, you blindsided me, Sierra.”
    She swiped at the tears with the back of her hand. “That was a mistake. We shouldn’t have had sex that night.”
    “We didn’t. We made love, just like every other time.” He took her hand and she glanced down at their joined hands.
    “What the hell is this?” she asked, sliding his wedding ring around on his finger.
    He smiled. “What does it look like?”
    “It looks like you’re trying to use our past to get to me.”
    “You think I put this on for your