But I didn’t hate him anymore. I knew Mia was a great catch. I also knew he hadn’t done anything I wouldn’t have done myself when he pursued her. I gave him a slight nod, then pulled out of his driveway and onto the main road.
On the way back to the clubhouse, I found myself thinking about Mia and what she’d said about Camden and his traveling. I wanted to believe that his business trips were legit and that he wasn’t screwing around, but being gone all the time, he didn’t make it easy.
Don’t get me wrong.
They seemed to have a good thing. Camden doted on Mia and gave her plenty of nice things. They had a big house, fancy cars, and all that bullshit, but I had a feeling neither of them were as happy as they seemed.
Not that it was any of my concern.
I might’ve loved Mia, but she’d made her choice a long time ago, and it wasn’t me. She’d made that point loud and clear the second she sent me that fucking Dear John letter while deployed in Haiti.
Hell, even after all these years, I could still remember every word of that fucking letter without even looking at it:
Dear Thatch,
I’m sorry I haven’t written or called, and I’m even more sorry that I missed seeing you when you were home on leave. There’s no excuse—at least not a good one. I’ve been such a coward, but only because I don’t want to lose you.
I care so much about you, Thatch. You’re my best friend—You’re more than my best friend, and you have been for years. I’ve shared so much of my life with you, and I want to be able to share this with you, but at the same time, I don’t want to hurt you.
Camden has asked me to marry him, and I’ve accepted his proposal. We plan to get married as soon as we graduate. I truly hope we will have your blessing.
Please remember that you mean a great deal to your brother and me, and no matter what happens, we always want you to be a part of our lives. We will forever be the three amigos. I just happen to be engaged to one of you.
I love you, Thatch. We both do.
Take care of yourself,
Love always, Mia
I never blamed Mia for choosing Camden. He was the safe bet. He had more to offer and could give her the life she’d always wanted—the one she deserved. I’d like to think I could’ve given her those things, too, but as I looked back on the life I’d lived, I wasn’t so sure.
Not that it mattered.
Mia had made her choice, and I’d made mine.
Having my heart broken once was enough for me, and I’d be damned if I ever let it happen again.
4
REBECCA
It had been three years, nine months, and twenty-one days since Trevor spent his first night locked away at the Riverbend Maximum Security Prison. In all that time, I’d never once gone to see him. It wasn’t that I hadn’t thought about it.
I had.
I’d thought about it a great deal.
Like I’d discussed with Henry, Trevor was my husband, the father of my child, and there was a time when I loved him very much, but I’d never been able to work up the courage to actually go to the prison and face him—until today.
I wouldn’t have gone now if it hadn’t been for his mother’s incessant nagging that I allow her to bring Catherine to visit her father. She’d even gone so far as to get our lawyers involved. Mine had assured me he had things handled and Cat wouldn’t have to see Trevor until she was ready, but I knew his mother well enough that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Trevor’s parents had always been good to Cat, but his mother didn’t know when enough was enough.
She’d just keep pushing, keep harassing Cat and me until she got her way. I hoped that if I went to see Trevor in person, I might be able to talk some sense into him and put an end to this whole visitation idea once and for all.
After I’d gathered up the courage to make it through security, a guard led me into the room where I’d be meeting Trevor. Since my lawyer was concerned about my safety—both mental and physical, he arranged for Trevor and me to be placed in one of the visitation rooms partitioned with seating areas divided by bullet-proof glass.
Even though we wouldn’t technically be in the same room and there was no way he could harm me, I was completely terrified as I sat there waiting for him to take the seat in front of me. I thought my heart was going to beat right out of my chest when that side door opened, and a guard appeared with Trevor in tow.