Chapter 113

I lay with my head resting against Andrew’s bare sweaty torso, running my fingers through his thick, dark chest hair. He stroked my golden hair soothingly with one hand and had the other placed lightly on my waist. I listened to our breathing falling into rhythm with each other, our hearts beating in synchronicity.

I thought about what we just did and how enjoyable it had been. I thought about the argument that had led up to it. I wondered if we could really get past what we had said, if we should get past it, given what everyone else wanted.

Lying with Andrew in that moment, I knew one thing for certain: I loved that man, and if I truly loved him, I couldn’t have any more secrets between us. That meant I had to start telling him the truth—starting with the biggest truth that no one knew but Bob and me.

I propped myself up on my elbow, prompting Andrew to look at me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice still peacefully groggy with post-sex endorphins.

“I have something that I need to tell you,” I responded.

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” he half-joked.

It was in that moment that I realized we had not used a condemn in any of our bouts, but I quickly pushed the thought aside to keep myself focused on the task at hand.

I smiled slightly and shook my head, my hair falling into my face. Andrew reached up and brushed the stray strands back, using the excuse to run his fingers along my cheeks.

“What is it, then?” he asked.

I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to figure out how best to say what I needed to say.

“I’ve never killed anyone,” I said at last, “on purpose…or by accident.”

Andrew furrowed his brow. He sat up against the headboard, staring at me.

“What do you mean? The report indicated that you pled guilty to the manslaughter charges and took a plea deal, no trial.”

“Well, what happened was…wait a minute, how did you know those details?” I pulled myself up against the headboard so that I was nearly eye-to-eye with Andrew. “Did you have me investigated?”

Andrew did not look away from me.

“When I first heard that you were in prison for manslaughter charges, I got curious, so, yes, I had you investigated. I just wanted to know what the truth was. I’m sorry.”

“Well, what did yourinvestigatorssay happened?”

Andrew shrugged.

“Not much outside of the police reports. Just that you were on a business trip with your then-boyfriend when you caused a fatal accident, you pled guilty to manslaughter, and you took a plea deal. Then you got out early due to good behavior.”

“Yeah, I figured that was the version that you had heard.”

Bob had done well in covering his tracks when we arranged for me to take the fall, so of course Andrew’s investigators didn’t find any evidence of his involvement. I chewed my lip again, trying to muster up the courage to continue.

“What’s the truth?” Andrew asked.

“What really happened was that I was covering up for my boyfriend at the time…Bob.”

Andrew’s nostrils flared, but he did not interrupt.

“Bob caused the accident, and he convinced me to take the fall for him. He told me that the court would be easier on me, a woman, than him. He said that I’d be able to get out sooner, and then we could be together.”

His hands curled into fists, but he let me continue.

“I agreed because I was so in love with him at the time.” To my surprise, my voice cracked with emotion. “I was stupid, and for that, I paid the price.”

Andrew uncurled one of his fists and touched my face gently. I looked into his eyes and saw a mixture of anger, compassion, and understanding swirling within them.

“It was not your fault,” he said firmly. “Bob took advantage of you and made you suffer the consequences for his actions. It’s not right.”

“I should have said no. I should have seen him for what he was. I was naïve to think that he actually cared about me.”

“Maybe you were young and naïve, but that doesn’t mean that any of that was your fault. He pressured you. Who knows what he would have done if you had refused?”

When I was younger, I would have found that thought ridiculous. With everything that Bob had put me through recently, though, I knew better than that. I shivered; yet another secret I had to tell Andrew about, soon.

Andrew, seeing me tremble, wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to his torso. I set my head in the crook of his neck and listened to the pulse of his jugular, the steady beat of his heart luring me into a sense of security. Unfortunately, it didn’t last.

“We need to go public with this,” Andrew declared.

I stiffened.

“No one will believe us,” I countered.

“It doesn’t matter who will believe us. The truth needs to come out. You shouldn’t continue to bear this cross for Bob.”

Andrew’s hold on me tightened as he said Bob’s name.

“To think that that man, a man so cowardly that he would make his own girlfriend take the fall for him, is going to be a part of my family soon…”

His voice dropped to a growl. His fingers dug into my upper arms. My ribs felt as though they might crack under his grasp.

I tapped his back gently.

“Andrew, you’re squeezing me a little too tightly,” I said.

Andrew shook himself out of his anger and loosened his grip.

“Sorry,” he said, a little sheepishly.

Now that he didn’t hold me so tightly, I relaxed in his arms. My mind drifted back to what he said about Bob becoming a part of his family.

“You know, that’s another thing that I’m worried about,” I said.

“What is?”

“You and Lisa. There’s already so much tension between the two of you because we’re dating. Can you imagine how things might be if we accused her fiancé of a felony?”

“Do you really care about what Lisa thinks?”

“No, but I know that you do, and you care about Lisa. I don’t want to be the one to come between you two, any more than I already have.”

Andrew looked down at me and stroked my hair. He smiled slightly and kissed my forehead.

“You truly are wonderful, you know that?”

I grinned and ran my hand over his chest.

“You might have mentioned that once or twice.”

“How about this: we tell the world the truth, but instead of mentioning Bob’s name, we say that you were covering for ‘someone close to you’?”

I contemplated the idea. It could work. At least, it could help us to tell the truth without getting Bob and Lisa involved.

“I still don’t think that anyone will believe us,” I said, my last attempt at a protest.

“And I still don’t think that it matters,” he replied. He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the palm. “I only want your truth to be known.”

I sighed and nuzzled his neck.

“You’re too good to me, Andrew. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“Nor I, you.”