Emilie Rose - A Better Man

He’d left her, eighteen, alone and pregnant and terrified of what her father would do when he found out.

“Let’s eat. You’re short of time. Remember?”

She blinked away the past. She was too upset to eat, but the chance to finally put her questions to rest sent her bustling into the unpretentious restaurant.

Roth surveyed the interior and the other customers. Piper searched for familiar faces as the hostess led them to the only open booth, and relaxed a bit when she recognized no one from Quincey.

Roth took the seat facing the door, the way her father always did. It had to be a cop thing.

The waitress delivered a fragrant basket of hush puppies, took their orders and departed.

“Would you really have gone to jail for Chuck?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation.

“Why, Roth? Why would you sacrifice your freedom for him?”

He held her gaze. “Chuck was the closest thing to a brother I had. An arrest would have cost him his football scholarship to State and his chance to get out of here.”

Did he really not know what had happened to his best friend? “Have you kept in touch with Chuck?”

“No. He wasn’t much on writing.”

“He was kicked out of college his first year for cheating and he lost his scholarship. He’s been in and out of jail ever since, mostly for petty stuff, but still… You sacrificed us for nothing.”

Roth sat back so quickly his ladder-back chair creaked. “You’re kidding.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to catch up with him now. He’ll be one of your most frequent overnight guests at the station.”

She fidgeted with the corner of the paper place mat. “Why come back now?”

Now when she’d finally gotten her life together.

“The job opened up.”

“My father’s job.”

“Your father retired.”

“Not by choice.”

His eyes narrowed. “If not by choice, then how?”

“The town council forced him out.”

Frown lines grooved his forehead. “That could explain the hostility I’ve encountered. The chief was well liked. Why force his retirement?”

“Six months ago Dad had a mild stroke followed by quadruple bypass surgery. His recovery hasn’t gone as smoothly as we’d hoped.”

“He looked fine when I saw him at the station.”

“He’s getting better, but he still has some…deficiencies.” Her father went into the office every day even though the council wouldn’t let him do more than visit. He claimed his staff was his family and the station his second home. “If he had a bit more time, he’d be able to work again, but the council isn’t made up of Dad’s cronies anymore. We’ve had an influx of new blood. I guess they ran out of patience. They certainly hired you on the sly.”

The waitress placed their meals on the table and batted her eyelashes at Roth. Rather than watch to see if Roth returned the flirtation, Piper stared at her plate and gathered the courage to ask the one question burning a hole in her brain.

“How long are you staying?”

“Why? Does my return disturb you, Piper?”

She would never let him know how much. “I can’t imagine you being happy here. You always hated busybodies. Quincey is still full of them. Nothing has changed.”

“I spent nearly eight years on active duty, most of it deployed to the world’s hellholes, where I didn’t know who or what was waiting around the corner to take out me or a member of my team. I can handle gossips whose only weapons are words.”

The idea of him in harm’s way disturbed her, but she brushed it aside. His well-being was no longer her concern. “That’s not what you used to say when those gossips reported your every move to my father.”

“Times and perspectives change. The townsfolk will soon see they underestimated me.”

Relieved to finally learn the reason Roth had returned, Piper’s stiff spine eased. “Once you’ve proved that, then what?”

And how long would it take to make his point?

“Your father spent thirty years on the Quincey police force. What makes you think I won’t do the same?”

Panic pulsed thorough her. “You’ll hate it here. The way you always did. We’re forty miles from anywhere interesting. You’ll be bored out of your mind. No one comes back once they leave.”

“You did.”

“I—I—that’s different. My family’s here.” She’d returned for Josh. She wanted her son to have his grandparents’ love and support—even if it could be a bit smothering.

“And mine will be,” he replied, his tone and face grim.

Roth reached across the table and covered her hand with his. She tried to jerk away, but he held fast. The heat of his touch flooded through her, making her heart race.

“Piper, I invited you to lunch because I owe you an apology. I never intended to hurt you. Twelve years ago we were too young to handle the situation we found ourselves in.”

“You mean you weren’t ready for the responsibility of a wife and child.”

His cheeks darkened. “You’re right. I’m not proud to admit I freaked out when you told me you were pregnant. I suddenly saw myself as my father’s son. I’d spent my life listening to that bastard accuse my mother of ruining his life by getting pregnant—as if he’d had no part in it—right before he knocked the hell out of her.” His grip tightened. “I couldn’t do it, Piper. I couldn’t take the chance that I’d turn into a monster like him, and I couldn’t watch the love in your eyes turn to hate.”

“You wouldn’t have and I would never—”

“You don’t know that. And you deserved better than a mechanic who barely scraped through high school. Hell, you were a straight-A student with years of college ahead of you. If you’d married me, your parents would have disowned you. I couldn’t afford college tuition on what little I made from the garage. I would have held you back and you would have grown to resent me.”

The sincerity in his eyes told her he believed what he said, but it didn’t change the facts. His presence could cause problems for her and Josh. She yanked her hand free.

“Is that how you made peace with your decision, Roth? You weren’t there for me when I needed you. You left me to face my parents alone. I won’t ever forget that.”

He stiffened. “I’ve admitted I made mistakes. I thought we could be friends.”

Friends? With the man who could destroy her world?

“I prefer friends I can count on. And don’t think I’ve been sitting around pining for your return. I’ve moved on with my life.” She gestured to the untouched food in front of her. “Do we have to do this?”

“If you don’t eat your lunch, I’m going to think there’s a reason you can’t handle a little conversation with me.” His challenging tone reminded her of the old Roth.

She fisted her hands beneath the table and fought for calm. He wanted to play games? Fine, she could play games. But instead of him grilling her, she’d let him feel the heat.

“Your becoming a cop is ironic, isn’t it? You and your posse were pains in the Quincey Police Department’s behind.”

“We were. What about you? Did you stir up any trouble while you were out of the chief’s surveillance?”

Her heart bounded. “I had better things to do than cause problems for other people.” Except her parents, apparently.

“And what brought you home?”

“Aunt Agnes sold her house and moved into a retirement community.” One that hadn’t allowed children. “Then Dr. Jones, Quincey’s old vet, needed help.”

“He retired?”

“He died soon after I went to work for him. His heirs sold the practice to Madison. Lucky for me, she kept me on.”

“Ever married?”

Every muscle in her body snapped taut. She should have seen that one coming. “No. You?”