Forgive (Available in paperback & eBook- SAMPLE)

Chapter 5

"Firstly, a married woman has no business being in another mans hotel room," I stated. "You don't go to a room to talk. If they wanted to talk, they could have done that in the restaurant or the bar. Secondly, you don't kiss another mans wife on the mouth, and he might have initiated it but she didn't pull away from him."

Pete ran a hand across his face. "I'm sorry, Ben, but I refuse to believe Emma cheated on you. She loves you more than anything in this world. It's breaking her heart the way you're treating her."

"Poor baby," I sneered.

He frowned at me. "You really don't care. Why the hell are you still with her? If you're convinced she was unfaithful then why don't you divorce her? Let her go so she can move on with her life. "

"That would be letting her off easy," I answered coldly. "No, I want her to suffer for a while. I'm sure you've heard the saying, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Well, hell hath no fury like a man scorned."

Pete shook his head, shooting me a disgusted look. "You're so consumed with anger you're not thinking clearly." He pushed back his chair and stood. "I don't want you to ruin the best thing to ever happen to you so I'm going to do you a favor and save your marriage."

"Oh, really?" I drawled. "Do tell how you're going to do that."

"I'm going to find out what really happened that night," he declared.

"Go ahead." I smiled. "I look forward to saying I told you so."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Pete left.

"Would someone please start up a conversation," Mom begged. "The silence is getting on my nerves."

I glanced around the table at Dad, Pete, and Emma. They were eating, their heads down. No one seemed interested in talking. That was fine by me because I wasn't interested in talking either. I reached for my water glass.

"You people are pitiful," Mom told us. "Pete, dear, surely you have something to talk about. You always do."

He swallowed a bite of chicken. "Alright. I have a question for you. When you first laid eyes on Dad all those years ago what was the first thing you noticed about him?"

Mom looked at Dad, her eyes shining with amusement. "I noticed his butt. He was bent over, tying his shoe. I'm not ashamed to admit I didn't look away."

"Okay, Dad," Pete muttered. "Same question."

"It was her legs." He smirked. "She was wearing a mini skirt. I thought she had nice legs. I still do."

Mom winked at him.

"Emma, your turn," Pete announced. "The first thing you noticed about Ben."

Sitting across from me, Emma raised her head. She stared at me for a moment and then gave Pete her attention. "His eyes. I remember thinking how beautiful they were, like the sky on a cloudless day."

Pete arched an eyebrow at me. "Your turn."

I cleared my throat. "Her hair. The first time I saw her she was standing in front of a window. The sun set her hair all aglow, turning it a shade of red I had never seen before. I was mesmerized by her. She caught me staring at her and told me to take a picture because it would last longer."

Dad chuckled. "What did you do?"

"I grabbed my cell phone and took a picture," I answered.

Dad rolled his eyes, and Pete snorted.

"It worked because I ended up getting her number."

"You had my number before you even took the picture," Emma informed me quietly.

Pete snatched up his water glass and rose to his feet. "I need more water." He disappeared into the kitchen that was located off the dining room.

"Dear, would you go talk to him?" Mom asked me. "Something has been bothering him all morning. He's not his usual cheery self."

I got up from the table and headed into the kitchen. Pete was leaning against the counter, gazing out the window into the backyard. I crossed my arms over my chest. "I told you you were going to wish you didn't ask me."

"Something has been weighing heavily on my mind since this morning," he told me. "Why didn't you confront her that night? If you were convinced she was cheating, why not hit her with it?"

"I thought long and hard about doing that, but in the end I figured what was the point in it," I replied. "She would have denied it ever happened. No, I decided to keep quiet about what I knew and make her life miserable."

"Well, I have half a mind to march into the dining room and tell Emma everything," he said, "but I won't. I promised you that whatever you told me would stay between us. I meant that."

I moved to stand beside him. Gripping his shoulder, I said softly, "This isn't your fight, Pete. I know you said you were going to find out what happened that night, but maybe you should just leave it alone. Walk away from it. This is about Emma and me."

"I love you both," Pete whispered. "I want you to be happy."

I ruffled his hair the way I used to do when we were kids. "I know you do. You have one of the kindest hearts I've ever known. I want you to be happy too so get back in there and enjoy the company of your family, and don't worry so much about things you have no control over."

Pete grimaced. "That's easier said than done."

"Try," I mumbled.

He exhaled loudly. "Okay, but I hope Mom and Dad don't start talking about legs and butts again."

I shuddered. "I know. Talk about nightmares."