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“Who the fuck is Lucianna?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Moose refused to leave Erica’s side. Knowing that one of the men was still alive and out there looking for her was making him crazy. Normally, he would be the one out on the streets knocking on doors and kicking ass. But he just couldn’t leave her.
He was sitting in the gardens, working on some files for the team, trying to pull his weight while watching Erica and Jennifer play. There really was no reason for him to be there other than to make himself feel better.
“Love is a powerful thing,” said the deep voice behind him. He turned, expecting to see Matthew, but instead saw Jake.
“Is that what’s making me lose my fucking mind?” smirked Moose.
“I’d bet my life savings on it,” laughed Jake, taking a seat beside the big man. Moose looked at him, admiring the smooth features of his coffee-colored skin. His arms were built from hard work but were large and sturdy. His thighs were like tree trunks.
“Do you work out with the seniors, Jake? You’ve got a pretty good shape on you for a man your age,” smiled Moose.
“Boy, I will knock you down a peg if you try me,” he laughed, shaking his head. “No. I don’t work out much anymore. Of course, Claudette has me busy enough that I don’t need to. Moving furniture and hauling food keeps me nice and fit.”
“Jake? You married before Claudette, right?”
“I did.”
“Why? I mean, if you knew Claudette was the woman for you. If you knew it was true love, how could you marry someone else?”
“You know, Moose, I’ve asked myself that a million times. Things were different back then. I shouldn’t have cared, and I suppose I didn’t. Not for me. But I did for her. Had any harm come to her because of me, I would have died after I killed every man who put a finger on her.”
“I can identify with that,” said Moose, staring at his wife and daughter. “I married my first wife knowing that she wasn’t my true love. I mean, I loved her, but it wasn’t this all-encompassing, blinding, breath-taking love that everyone talked about.”
“Why did you marry her?”
“Truth?”
“It’s the only way,” smiled Jake.
“I was lonely and scared that I would be alone the rest of my life. From the beginning, she wanted me to be something I wasn’t. I think she’d watched one too many movies about SEALs and thought I would always be dressed in a white uniform with ribbons hanging off my chest and carrying her off somewhere.”
“Women get romantic like that,” nodded Jake.
“I always had this feeling that she was screwing around on me, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself or to my teammates. They would have helped me find the truth. But I was too embarrassed and too much of a nice guy. I figured it was my fault. I was gone all the time.”
“Boy, you were gone all the time serving your country, doing what was right. Her fooling around on you wasn’t your fault, Moose. She was a sick, unfulfilled, needy woman.”
“So, how did you do it? How did you stay with a woman you didn’t truly love?” he asked Jake.
“Well, let me tell you a bit about me. I played football at Grambling University. Left my junior year because my mama got sick, and I needed to take care of my sisters. Never finished my degree, but I got a job at the plant and worked my way up to operations manager. Got a good retirement and pension.
“I married a lady by the name of Lynette Sheridan. She was from Lake Charles and was going to school at Grambling as well. When I left, she left to help me with my siblings. I couldn’t understand why she would do that. She was a good woman. Sweet. We married after my mama died and then discovered that we couldn’t have any children, but we had a rich, full life together. Breast cancer took her from me too soon.”
“I’m so sorry, Jake,” said Moose.
“I loved her, Moose, but I wasn’t in love with her. I loved that she helped me with Mama and my sisters. I loved that she was honest and good company. She was pretty. But there was nothing, no one like Claudette. We’d been married a few years, and Lynette saw me moonin’ over a photo of Claudette in our yearbook.”
“Oh, damn,” muttered Moose.
“I thought she’d be angry with me. Instead, she stood over my shoulder and said, ‘that’s the prettiest white woman I’ve ever seen.’ I wasn’t sure if she meant it to rile me or meant it serious. I didn’t care. She was right. I just told her she was an old friend. When she got sick, I hated myself for lying to her.”
“What did you lie about?” asked Moose.
“That I only loved her.” Jake shook his head, closing his eyes as he did. “Moose, every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Claudette. No one else. You would have thought that would have made me come out of my fog, but I was slow. Still am.”
