Free Execution Style by Lani Lynn Vale Page A

would be placing myself with a man that wasn’t mentally stable.
    My first clue should’ve been the way he’d refused to move out of his mother’s house. The second should’ve been his mother herself.
    “I don’t know. I want to say yes…” I said softly.
    “I hope you are too. You’re not the only one that wants a baby. A f amily to call his own. You and I aren’t so different. I have my scars that I don’t want brought out into the light, and you have your scars that you wish were taken back into the shadow. But I guarantee you this,” he said softly. “I won’t ever leave you, and I won’t ever do anything to you that’ll hurt you. I’ll be your shadow that makes sure you’re always protected. This I swear to you,” he rasped against my forehead.
    I love you , was on the tip of my tongue, but instead I just hugged him. Hard. Or as hard as I could. He didn’t seem too affected by the severity of my hug, though.
    Something must’ve been on the tip of his, too, because when he leaned back and looked into my eyes, I saw questions there. However neither one of us said a word.
    He held me. Spoke to me. Teased me.
    And let me tell you something, it was perfect. Exactly what I’d needed at that point in time.
    One thing was clear, though.
    It’d be nearly impossible to be so close to him and not do anything with him again.
    One time was not going to be enough. At least not for my body.

Chapter 9
    I want to play hide and seek. And your penis and my vagina are the two main players.
    -Mercy’s secret thoughts
    Mercy
    I returned to work, for real , a week later.
    The night before had been fraught with nerves, and Miller had held me throughout.
    I was nervous to be seen.
    Life went on like it’d never even happened, yet I still got looks.
    An inconspicuous glance here, a sly glance there. They thought I didn’t see, but I did.
    And I wanted to kick their ass.
    Even the bitch, Sarah Higgins, who was currently sitting across the diner from me snickering into her menu as she spoke to her husband, Devon Higgins.
    I pulled out my phone and texted Miller, even though I knew he was working today.
    Hey, he said to text him anytime! This counted, right?
    Mercy Me- I’m getting made fun of by two grown adults. One of which is the man I dated in high school.
    Miller answered nearly immediately.
    Miller Genuine- Where are you?
    Mercy Me- Catfish Charlie’s.
    His response took longer than I thought it would, so I put the phone into my pocket and started to fish out some money for the drink I’d ordered.
    I’d yet to get any food because the waitress was too busy talking to her fellow coworkers and casting me covert glances when she thought I wasn’t looking.
    Well, my first solo outing had turned into a big pile of shit. Maybe I wouldn’t be going to the Greater Business League of Kilgore’s big dinner tonight. In fact, I might come down with a stomach bug between now and then. Especially when Devon got up and started heading my way.
    Fuck!
    He slid into the booth on the other side of me and smiled his ‘I’m so charming’ smile. It was the one that had gotten him every girl he’d ever wanted…everyone except for me.
    He would’ve gotten me, too, had I not overheard him talking to his friends about how he was going to ‘tap that bean-pole’ after the football game.
    Now, I know that I’m not the curviest woman on the block, and eleven years ago I was even worse. But you didn’t act like that. Not when you’d sweet-talked the girl into going out with you with your silver tongue.
    He’d been pissed when I’d stood him up for his date, and then had refused to talk to him anymore. I think it was more because his ego was bruised rather than him being truly upset.
    He’d gotten over it quite quickly, mostly by fucking the most popular girl in school, Sarah Higgins. They’d been married for a long time now, and had three beautiful kids that they ignored.
    “Devon,” I greeted him neutrally.
    He grinned,