A GOOD MAN ✔

FOURTEEN

"Be quiet. And let's do this quick, I don't want any mishaps"

"Yes ma'am" the two guys tiptoed upstairs making sure not to knock anything down. There was a carpet on the stairs drowning out the sound of their footsteps and Daniella smiled knowing This would be quick and smooth. At some point, she had thought they could make it work, that Jere would forget about his ex-wife and they could live happily ever after. But the joke was on her.

When she'd first met him, Jere had been a job. Get in, get details, get out. But he was such a sweet guy always there for her even when she was being a pain. He never complained about anything and to some extent, she did like him. But that was in the past now. Last night she'd followed him here, to his ex-wife's house. Watching him climb up her window like a teenager had really grated on her nerves. He'd never done anything like that for her. Of course, she knew she'd told him their relationship was fake but damn it she wanted it to be real. All of it.

She wanted to feel him in her arms. Wanted to know what it was like to be loved by him. Adored by him. But he couldn't see past his ex-wife. That was why she was there. To make him see her. If his ex-was a problem, she was going to fix it. She was known as a problem solver. In this case, all she had to do was eliminate the problem that was sleeping peacefully upstairs all covered up. They'd waited till Jere had left so that they could go in. He'd probably gone to buy breakfast so he could surprise her with it in bed. She wished she could see his face when he realized that his precious wife was gone.

"Take her. Blankets and all, we don't have much time before he gets back" she told the men who nodded then got to work. She didn't even stir. The thought that the only reason she was so worn out was that Jere had kept her up all night made bitter bile rise in her throat. He better have cherished their time together. By the time she was done with the other woman, there wouldn't be anything recognizable about her. She looked around the room one last time smiling. Jere would go back to her whether he liked it or not.

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Jeremiah bought the whole store. He wasn't sure what Jennifer would want for breakfast so he bought anything he came across. Then he remembered the kids would be coming back home that day and doubled his purchases. He filled two and a half trolleys with groceries, snacks, toys and even clothes. Buoyed by the thought of having his wife back, he shopped like a madman taking whatever he thought she needed. The woman at the counter glared at his purchases with a sneer and he could only imagine what a pain it would be for her to punch in everything but he didn't care.

Nothing was going to put a damper on his mood that day. He was happy, the happiest he'd been in a long time. Being with Jennifer last night had reminded him how special what they had was. He'd driven Daniella back to the hotel they were staying in and explained to her that their charade of a relationship had to end. He told her he still loved his wife and would only love her for the rest of his life. He'd asked if she wanted him to speak with her father so he'd let go of her trust fund but she had said it was okay. She would figure it out herself. She'd also wished him good luck and he did the same. She was a good woman who deserved to be with someone who loved her.

He hadn't planned on things to go the way they did. He wasn't complaining either. During his drive to Jennifer's house, he'd thought of how to tell her the truth and if she would understand and forgive him. The fact that she forgave him and took him back still hadn't registered fully in his mind. What he'd done was unforgivable and he blamed himself for her miscarriage every day. But they had a second chance to start all over again. He wasn't going to screw it up this time. He would do anything to make her happy because he'd learned from his mistakes. He'd told her he couldn't go back to living without her and he meant. It had been hell waking up alone, knowing that if he hadn't been so stupid she would be there beside him. He wouldn't go back to that life. Not if it was up to him.