KRISTI GOLD - The Only Man for Her

She rose from the chair, looking every bit the regal princess her father had insisted she was. “You’re right. I’m too tired to continue this. But you can’t stay the night.”

She could be pretty pigheaded at times—not that he’d let that deter him. “I’m your husband, dammit, and if what we did a little while ago doesn’t prove there’s still something between us, something worth fighting for, then I don’t know what does.”

“It was sex, Matthew. Sex alone does not a good marriage make.”

He released a sarcastic laugh. “I thought we were making love. But then again, maybe you don’t love me anymore.”

Her gaze momentarily faltered before she brought it back to him. “As they say, love isn’t always enough.”

“I don’t care what anyone says. We belong together.” Hell, he sounded almost desperate. Probably because he was. “What can I do to convince you of that?”

“You could start by agreeing to marriage counseling or at the very least go with me to the grief-support group on Monday nights in Trimble Oaks.”

That was asking too much. “I’m not like you, Rachel. I can’t spill my guts to anyone who’s willing to listen. You knew that when you married me. How I handle my emotions is my business and no one else’s.”

She sighed. “I realize everyone grieves differently, but you don’t seem to be dealing with your grief at all, and that includes grieving for your mother. Talking about your feelings is the only way you’ll ever come to terms with loss.”

Another sad subject he didn’t want to address. “My father talks about my mother all the time, even after eighteen years, and look where he is now. Living alone and unable to work because he’s drinking himself into an early grave.”

“Lately all signs point to you heading right down the same path, Matt.”

Overcome with searing anger, he snatched his shirt from the floor and yanked it over his head. “I don’t have to listen to this.”

He headed out of the bedroom and opened the French doors with so much force, he rattled the glass. After he stepped onto the deck, the porch light came on and he glanced behind him to find Rachel standing in the doorway, looking as frustrated as he felt. He stopped and turned to present his ultimatum. “The ball’s in your court now. As soon as you decide what you want, give me a call. Until that time comes, I won’t bother you again.”

With that, he strode back down the path leading to the gate, only managing a few steps before Rachel called his name. He almost kept going, but die-hard habits brought him around to face her again. “What?”

She lowered her eyes. “I already know what I want.”

Her somber tone told him he might not want to hear it. “Then tell me, Rachel, because I swear to God, I don’t know anymore.”

Finally she brought her attention back to him, her dark eyes again filled with tears. “I want a divorce.”

Those were fightin’ words, and he wasn’t ready to wave that white flag just yet. “Well, princess, here’s a first. You just might not get what you want.”

CHAPTER THREE

“ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE you want to do this?”

Rachel regarded Savannah from across the mahogany desk, on the verge of saying no and leaving the law office immediately. But her inability to resolve her marital problems kept her planted in the chair. “I’m not sure about much of anything these days. I only know I have to do something.”

Savannah leaned forward, her hands laced together atop the desk, looking every inch the serious, successful attorney. “Does Matt even know you’re contemplating a divorce?”

“I told him I wanted a divorce two weeks ago,” she said. “He came by the night we all got together at the pond, shortly after you and Jess dropped me off.”

“And his response was?”

“He said that I might not get what I want. But I haven’t heard a word from him since, so maybe he’s accepted it.” And that made her incredibly sad. She’d expected an ongoing battle, more effort to win her over. Perhaps he didn’t see any reason to fight. Perhaps he was right.

Savannah straightened a few files and set them aside. “First of all, I can’t represent you in a divorce.”

Not the news Rachel wanted to hear. “I thought you decided to practice general law, not just corporate law, when you moved here from Chicago.”

“I did, and I am, and that unfortunately includes the occasional divorce. But you and Matt are my friends, and if I represented you, I’d be taking sides. I won’t do that.”

Savannah’s loyalty didn’t exactly surprise Rachel. It did disappoint her. “What if Matt agrees to the divorce and it’s only a matter of filing the appropriate paperwork?”

“That would depend on whether you and Matt can equitably divide your assets on your own. That’s going to be impossible if he isn’t on board with it.”

The assets wouldn’t be a problem, at least as far as she was concerned. “I don’t plan to ask him for much of anything. He can have the house and the clinic. I have my own money.”

“Have you thought about calling him and discussing this?” Savannah asked. “Better still, you should consider meeting with him face-to-face.”

The last time they were face-to-face, they’d ended up body-to-body. She couldn’t let Matt sweep her off her feet and back into bed again. “The thought of seeing him is too painful. We keep going around and around and we never seem to get anywhere.”

“Do you still love him, Rachel?”

“Yes,” she answered without hesitating. “But that can’t be all there is to it. I wish it could be.”

Savannah sighed. “I’m getting married in less than a month and I’m watching the most solid couple I know fall apart. If your marriage isn’t going to last, I wonder if the rest of us stand a chance.”

She reached across the desk and patted Savannah’s hand. “If you and Sam didn’t fall out of love after being apart well over a decade, then you’re meant to be together.”

“I hope you’re right.”

So did Rachel. “And I hope you’ll agree to my next request.”

Savannah narrowed her eyes. “Something tells me I might not care for it.”

Probably not, but she had to ask. “Would you at least file the papers and have Matt served? Maybe then he’ll realize I’m serious.”

Savannah frowned. “Are you using this as some sort of a wake-up call?”

“I suppose you could say that. If he’s not willing to work on our marriage after he has the proof in hand, then I’ll go ahead with the divorce.”

“Let me just caution you, Rachel. When you bandy about the word divorce, it’s always going to be hanging out there. You can’t take it back, even if you and Matt decide to reconcile.”

A chance she would have to take. Matt might be too stubborn and had too much pride to agree to her terms for reconciliation. He didn’t believe he had a drinking problem, nixed counseling altogether and he couldn’t commit to having another child. “I realize this is extreme, but he hasn’t given me much choice.”

“I still can’t represent you,” Savannah said after a brief pause. “But I will agree to file the preliminary documents, as long as you are absolutely positive this is the right thing to do.”

Right, maybe not. Necessary, definitely. “I’m as sure as I can be. It’s do-or-die time for Matt.”

Savannah removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. “All right. As soon as I have the paperwork finished, I’ll call you in to sign the forms. I should have everything completed by this afternoon, and I’ll have them served to Matt on Friday.”

Only two days away. She hadn’t expected it to be so quick. “There’s no waiting period in terms of how long we’ve been separated?”