Ladd Haven Read Free Page A

Jimmy,
herself—to everyone but Troy. A ripple of spasm crawled slowly
across the side of her belly, reminding Casey of someone else who
didn’t know, might never know, especially now that she had just run
him off. Troy was probably gone for good this time. Knowing his
obstinate temper as she did, he wouldn’t give her a chance to
explain about Jimmy. He hated the guy. Troy would assume it was
true and cut her from his life.
    “ I was only trying to help
you,” Jimmy said. Sliding his glass of coke to him, he pulled a
long sip from his straw. He didn’t look at her. He drank.
Purposefully, mindfully, he ignored her.
    Dropping her gaze to the
table, Casey was torn. She couldn’t be mad at him. Jimmy was only
acting based on what she’d told him. She never wanted to see Troy
again. Never wanted to hear his name. She’d never expected to see
him again, especially not making statements like he had. I made you a promise when I left here and I aim to
keep it . Did he mean it?
    Visions of him storming out
tumbled through her. Angry, hurt, Troy wasn’t interested in
explanation. Consumed with thoughts of him, she tried to convince
herself it was for the best. Men disappeared when they heard their
girlfriend was pregnant. It meant obligation, commitment, two
important traits Troy lacked. I
quit .
    He couldn’t even hold down a job. How
was he going to support a family?
    At a quiet slurp, Casey’s thoughts
reverted back to Jimmy. Unlike him. He worked two jobs to pay for
his apartment and college classes, plus the occasional money he
slid to his mother on the sly because his dad was a bum. Jimmy
didn’t run from responsibility. Casey’s spirits slumped. He begged
for it.

Chapter Two
     
    Troy thundered into his
parent’s home, anger and jealousy tearing through his heart. Jimmy
and Casey? How could she? And with him of all people? Stomping up
the stairs, he headed straight for his bedroom, his mind warring
for reason. The guy was nothing but a weasel—a slimy, slithering,
no good snake. He had no right to be with her. She was his woman, not
Jimmy’s.
    But despite Troy’s every
protest, the pain of reality continued to slice him with every step
he took. Jimmy and Casey seemed real cozy tucked away in that booth
in Fran’s Diner. The homecoming that he expected to be rocky turned
out to be a dad gummed bald-faced cliff hurling him over the
edge. How could she have moved on so
easily ? How could
she have forgotten their night together ?
    It was the most beautiful night of his
life...better than any they shared before. Casey had run away to be
with him in Murfreesboro, but it wasn’t the same. The night in the
field beneath the stars had been special because she’d forgiven
him. She’d forgiven him, when even he knew there was no reason she
should. It was a grace he didn’t deserve but one she had given
whole-heartedly. That night had meant more to Troy than anything in
his life. Casey Owens was the only person in this world who
believed in him and him alone, willing to overlook his stupidity.
Could she really have changed so drastically?
    When you left me, Troy, you
gave up your right to have a say over what I do or don’t
do . The scene at the diner felt unreal,
like he was walking through a nightmare. Didn’t their love mean
anything to her? Was it so easy for her to forget the words they
said, the promises they made?
    When you left me,
Troy ...
    Anger surged through him.
Why did she say that? He didn’t leave her. He told her he needed to
get a job and make something of himself, prove to everyone he
wasn’t a loser. Just because he was doing it in another town didn’t
mean he’d left her. He couldn’t. He could never leave her. The
night they shared together and everything it meant lived and
breathed in him, every hour, every second. It gave reason to his
days, gave comfort to his nights. It was his reason to stay sober,
to keep out of trouble and on target with his job. Casey had
forgiven him and he