Page 12 of A Tempting Seduction (Protectors of Jasper Creek #5)

And that bit about his ex-girlfriend not being “the one” was classic Lance. He'd probably said the same thing about me to whoever replaced Carla in his bed.

The third email was from Carla herself, sent just two weeks ago.

Ruby,

Enough is enough. This disappearing act was cute for a while, but now it's just embarrassing.

Do you have any idea how awkward it is when people ask where you are?

What am I supposed to tell them? That my sister threw a tantrum and ran away because she couldn't handle her fiancé having a moment of weakness?

News flash: grown-ups don't run away when things get complicated. They deal with their problems and move on. Lance made a mistake, but he's sorry. He's proven himself since then. He's a state senator now, Ruby. Do you understand what that means for our family?

You need to come home and fix this. Lance is willing to forgive you for leaving, and frankly, that's more generous than you deserve.

But this offer won't stay on the table forever.

You're not getting any younger, and there aren't exactly lines of men waiting to marry a woman who doesn’t keep up her appearance and abandons her responsibilities at the first sign of trouble.

Stop being selfish and come home.

Carla

Heat flooded my cheeks as I read Carla's email. The cruelty was breathtaking, even by her standards. A moment of weakness. That's what she called sleeping with his fiancée’s sister, who, by the way, was already married? And somehow, in Carla's twisted logic, I was the one who needed forgiveness.

The worst part was how well I remembered falling for this kind of manipulation.

Two years ago, reading that email might have sent me into a spiral of self-doubt.

Thinking maybe I was being selfish. Thinking maybe I was overreacting.

Worrying maybe I should be grateful that someone like Lance was willing to take me back.

Now, all I felt was pity. Pity for the woman so desperate for approval that she'd throw her own sister under the bus. Pity for the family so obsessed with status that they'd rather sacrifice one member than admit they were wrong.

The fourth email was the longest, and the most recent. From Lance himself, sent just five days ago.

My dearest Ruby,

I hope this message finds you well and happy, wherever life has taken you. I've started this email a dozen times over the past few months, never quite finding the right words to express what's in my heart.

First, I want to apologize. Not just for what happened that night, but for how I handled everything afterward.

I was young and stupid and scared, and I hurt the one person who deserved nothing but my love and respect.

There's no excuse for my behavior, and I've regretted it every day since you left.

I've changed, Ruby. The man you knew two years ago was selfish and immature, driven by ego instead of love.

Politics has taught me what really matters in life.

Power means nothing without someone special to share it with.

Success feels empty when the person you love most isn't there to celebrate with you.

I think about you constantly. I wonder if you're happy, if you've found peace, if you ever think about the life we planned together. I know I have no right to ask for another chance, but I'm asking anyway. Not because I deserve it, but because I believe we deserved better than how things ended.

I'm not the same man who made that terrible mistake. I've grown into someone worthy of your love, someone who understands how precious and rare what we had truly was. I'm ready to spend the rest of my life proving that to you, if you'll let me.

I've enclosed my private cell phone number. Please call me, or text me, or send me an email. Just let me know you're okay. Let me know there's still a chance for us.

All my love, always, Lance

I stared at the screen for a long moment, reading the email twice to make sure I hadn't misunderstood.

This was Lance at his most manipulative, using every trick in his considerable arsenal.

The humble apology, the self-deprecating admissions, the romantic declarations, the subtle pressure disguised as vulnerability.

Gah!

Two years ago, this email would have worked. I would have cried reading it, would have convinced myself that maybe he really had changed, that maybe true love could overcome anything.

I hated that I used to be so gullible and needy. To think I would have bought into all of their shit. I hated that.

Cool your jets . I took ten deep breaths, smelling the coffee and hints of vanilla and chicory.

It calmed me. I wasn’t that same person.

I’d grown. I knew better. Now, I could see Lance’s drivel for what it was.

A calculated performance from a man who was used to getting everything he wanted and was still pissed about the one thing that had slipped through his fingers.

Not because he loved me, but because he was incapable of accepting rejection.

He and Fiona’s ex were probably related somehow.

Plus, the timing wasn't coincidental either. He'd sent this after winning his election, when he was feeling powerful and confident. This was Lance's victory lap, his attempt to collect the one prize that had escaped him.

I was tempted to respond. Damn tempted. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, imagining all the things I could say. I could tell him exactly what I thought of his “moment of weakness” and his pathetic attempts at manipulation.

But responding would be a mistake. It would give him information about where I was, what I was doing, how I was feeling. It would tell him I was still paying attention to his life, still invested enough to get angry.

Most importantly, it would mean I hadn't really moved on.

I closed the email without responding and logged out of the account. I cleared the browser history, deleted the cookies, and shut down the VPN.

No traces left behind.

At the counter, I ordered one of their specialty coffees this time. A chili chocolate mocha off their menu, to go. I thought about everything I'd just read and felt a grin spread across my face. I was over it. Over them. Over all of it. And damn, it felt good.

Marcus handed me the cup and hurried back to help another customer. I took a sip and actually laughed out loud.

Java Jolt kicked this coffee's ass.