Breach of Honor by Naomi Porter

45 Miranda

SAILING WITH JASON on the Fourth of July. Will preferred to spend the day with Jason, knowing how rare a midweek day off was for me. This was ridiculous.

“Say something,” he pleaded.

“Not even ten minutes ago we were in the shower. You were on your knees… and we just finished here in bed, and now you’re telling me you’re going sailing tomorrow with Jason. Do I have it right?”

“Look, if you’re that upset, I won’t go.” He crossed his arms over his chest like a pouting prepubescent boy.

“Seriously? You’re pouting?” I rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom to clean up. I needed a minute to process.

“I’m not pouting!”

I waved him off, closing the door behind me. I sat on the toilet and stared at my feet.

Was I to assume the other woman would be there too? Or was it going to be only him and Jason? Naturally, Will hadn’t said one way or the other, but what else was I to think?

I suddenly felt stupid. We never did talk when I’d returned from Lily’s Sunday afternoon. He had swept me off my feet and distracted me for the rest of the day. We’d had three glorious days together, and I thought we were us again.

Stupid, stupid girl.

Will’s behavior and words didn’t mesh with me. In fact, they made my head spin like the Zipper at the county fair. The only thing I could keep straight was when all the weirdness had started.

And it all started when Jason moved to town.

Will wasn’t my Will anymore, the man I’d fallen in love with and wanted to marry. Had it all been a figment of my imagination?

I shook the thought from my head. What I felt in my heart wasn’t fake, and I didn’t imagine it. Will loved me.

So then why did he cheat on me?

I finished on the toilet, flushed it, washed my hands, and then returned to the bedroom. I pulled out a nightshirt and panties.

Will sighed. “Miranda, what are you doing?”

“Getting ready for bed.”

“You know what I mean. You never wear clothes to bed. Come on, baby. It’s just for the day.”

“You know, Will, do whatever you want. I’m not your wife or your mother.” I slipped the panties on and then the tee. “I just have one question for you.”

“What’s that?”

“Will she be there?”

“She? Who’s she?”

A melodic laugh rolled out of me. “Don’t you dare screw with me. The woman whose lipstick was on the collar of your shirt.”

“No,” he said with a definitive element in his voice. “Now get your sexy little ass in here.” He whipped the blanket back and patted the spot beside him.

I crawled into bed and faced him. “Is this going to be a regular thing?”

He looked at me confused.

“You spending holidays with Jason instead of me? Because if it is, we’re going to have problems, and if you’re meeting a woman on that boat, you can kiss me goodbye because we’ll be over.”

He traced his thumb over my jaw to my lips. “It’s not going to be a regular thing. And I promise to make it up to you.”

“Is that right? How are you going to make up for not being with me to watch the fireworks?”

“I’ll buy you a fireworks show. Whatever the cost. With your name lighting up the sky too.”

“Stop it and be serious.”

He pressed his nose to mine. “I am serious.”

“You don’t have to go to all that trouble and expense. It’d be cheaper to take me to Florida so I could see the fireworks above Cinderella’s Castle.”

“Name the day and we’re there.” His kissed the tip of my nose.

Will always sounded so earnest when he spoke. It confused the hell out of me. I wanted to trust that he meant every word, but something didn’t feel right about him going sailing with Jason.

“I’ll check my schedule, but I don’t think I can take any trips until after… Well, I’ll check my schedule.”

“You do that. I love you, M.” He turned me on my side and spooned me.

“I love you too.”

“And it doesn’t bother you at all that he’s out on a boat with Jason?” Lily asked while slicing watermelon. For the last ten minutes, she had been dissecting Will’s motives for going sailing with Jason. I’d expected as much from her; she’d always been the guarded one who didn’t trust men.

“Yeah, it bothers me a little. But not enough to hang him by the balls.” I snorted, but nobody joined me in laughing. “Aw, come on. That was a little funny.”

Admittedly, I didn’t want to hear Lily’s thoughts because Will and I had worked it out last night. He’d promised to be home from now on when I was home, and the sincerity in his voice had been genuine. This morning, I had sensed an uneasiness in him about leaving. He told me to invite the gang over for a cookout and to watch the fireworks. He was so sweet about it. Then Jason arrived and blared on the horn. Will kissed me deeply, struggling to pull away.

Seeing the distress in his eyes made me wonder if Jason had guilted him into going. The thought had angered me. So much had changed in the last month, and I wasn’t sure what to make of Jason anymore.

“You’re just trying to hide your true feelings. Why are you protecting him?” Tate huffed, darting from the patio table to the grill. He poked the steaks, flipped the corn, and checked on the skewered shrimp.

Aside from his black hair and thick eyebrows, Tate reminded me of Bobby Flay from the cooking show Lily liked to watch. The poor girl couldn’t cook to save her life and didn’t care to learn how. She only watched the show for the visual stimulation.

“I’m not protecting him. I’m thinking of it like a dude’s day trip.”

“I think that’s perfectly fine,” Viv interjected, passing Tate a beer. “Couples don’t have to do everything together. It’s just the Fourth of July for God’s sake. Big freaking deal.” Her words gave me pause.

“You’re absolutely right, Viv! It’s not like it’s my birthday or Christmas.”

“Exactly.” She nodded.

“No, no, no. I disagree. You rarely get days off. This is like a special holiday,” Lily countered. “What happens when he picks Jason over you the next time?”

“He said there won’t be a next time.”

“Riiight,” Tate drawled in a snarky tone. “You just wait. He’s going to make you cry again before the month is over.”

“Don’t be a hater.” Viv scolded. “What’s with you, anyway?”

“I don’t like to see any of my girls cry.”

“But you liked Will,” I reminded Tate. I was in total agreement with Viv, the rational one in the marriage. Tate was harmless, but he was protective of “his girls.”

“Yes, until he cheated on you and made you cry. That changed everything.” He raised a hand as if putting us on hold. He flipped the steaks, then turned back around. “You shouldn’t have to take that shit. Grow a pair and cut the guy loose.”

“Grow a pair?” Viv shook her head disappointedly. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Why am I the only feminist in the group?” He raised his clenched fist in the air. “Where’s the ‘girl power,’ the take-no-shit anger? I don’t get you ladies. Lily’s pining after a guy who gave her the best sex of her life and then he hightailed it across the Atlantic to get away from her.”

Lily gasped.

“And then you have Miranda here, sticking around with a guy who openly admitted to cheating. Where the hell are your standards?”

“He didn’t have sex with her! He just kissed her… and danced with her, but that’s it!” I defended, rather pathetically. Hearing myself was shameful.

And I hated how Will danced with another woman. Dancing with him had become our thing. It was meaningful and sensual to both of us. Now, I felt worse.

“Yeah, so much better.” Tate rolled his eyes. “So you’d be okay if I went around kissing girls, Viv?”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“I didn’t think so. See, sweets, kissing is cheating. It doesn’t have to be full-on sex.”

“Ugh, can we eat? I’m starving, and I’m tired of you guys harassing me. Except you, Viv.”

She smiled, lifting her bottle of hard cider to me as in cheers.

“Yup, it’s coming off the grill. Anyone want to bet when lover boy will make our girl cry again?” He chuckled. “I’m predicting by the end of the month. Any takers?”

“Now you’re just being an ass,” I grumbled.

“I hope I’m wrong, sweets, I truly do.”

“No matter what you say or think, I know Will loves me. I’d bet my life on it.”