Free The Marriage Profile by Metsy Hingle Page B

I’m sorry if it sounded otherwise.”
    She arched her brow and watched him over the rim of her glass. “Two apologies from you in one day? That must be a record.”
    Shame had heat climbing his neck. “I don’t usually need to apologize,” he said defensively. “And I try not to make a habit of offending people, particularly women.”
    â€œThen it must be me,” she said, a hint of unhappiness in her voice. “Apparently I bring out the worst in you.”
    â€œMaybe we just bring out the worst in each other.”
    â€œMaybe we do,” she conceded, and stared down into her glass of tea as though it held all the answers to life’s mysteries.
    She looked so unhappy, so alone, he was tempted to reach out, tip up her chin and rub his thumb along the curve of those sad lips. Realizing the dangerous direction of his thoughts, Justin stood abruptly and stalked over to the fireplace—away from Angela. Away from temptation. He remained silent for one beat, then another, and only when he’d marshaled the wild thoughts she had set off in him did he turn around to face her. “This isn’t going to work.”
    She tipped her head to the side, gave him a perplexed look. “What isn’t going to work?”
    â€œUs. You and me. There’s no way we’re going to be able to work together on this case. There’s just too much history between us.” He jammed a fist through his hair. “Why don’t you make it easier on both of us, Angel? Call the feds and tell them you have to pass on this case.”
    â€œI can’t.”
    â€œSure you can,” he insisted as desperation set in. “It’s not like you have any ties here. And you haven’t invested a lot of time in this case yet. No one’s going to think less of you if you say you’ve changed your mind.”
    â€œYou don’t realize what you’re asking. I can’t just walk away.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œBecause somewhere out there is a baby who’s been taken from everyone she knows and loves. You said yourself the FBI has come up empty and there’s been no ransom demand of any kind. So whoever has her isn’t going to just give her back. She needs me… She needs us to find her.”
    â€œDon’t you think I’ve been trying? That I’ll keep on trying?” Justin fired back. “There hasn’t been a single day that’s gone by that I haven’t spent hours going over every detail again and again, checking out every lead I get.” Frustrated and afraid he’d revealed too much of the turmoil inside him, Justin turned away and stared into the cold hearth.
    He heard only the whisper of movement, and then Angela’s voice was behind him saying, “I know you’ve tried and that you won’t stop trying to find her. But together we can find her faster.” When he said nothing, she continued. “Put yourself in Luke Callaghan’s shoes, Justin. Suppose I had been able to give you the child you’d wanted, imagine how you’d feel if it was our little girl who had been stolen.”
    Her words caught him by surprise. It had been more than five years since he’d even allowed himself to think of what it would be like to be a father. In his arrogance,he’d assumed that when he was ready to start a family, he and Angela would simply make a baby. Their inability to conceive had been a source of major tension and frustration during that last year of their marriage. The specialists, the fertility drugs, the shots and in-vitro procedures had taken all the joy and pleasure out of their lovemaking, and it had left them both feeling like failures. By the time the third in-vitro attempt failed, Angela had completely withdrawn from him and within weeks she’d been gone from his life.
    â€œIf Lena was our daughter, wouldn’t you be willing to do anything, use every resource available