Her Name Was Annie by Beth Rinyu (the little red hen read aloud txt) 📕

movies alone, but just like the last time, the remorse started kicking in. I talked myself down from those thoughts by having my own internal conversation as I rested my head on his bare chest, listening to his heartbeat.

I’m a grown woman who could handle having a sexual relationship with her ex-husband. I don’t need to answer to anyone for my actions. I’m allowed to let my hair down and blow off steam every once in a while. These were all the excuses I used to rationalize why I had sex with him once again. “Jack?” I lifted my head, propping myself up on my elbow.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, sounding half asleep.

“Did you ever wonder if things would’ve worked out better for us if we had met later in life?” I lowered my head back on his chest and continued my quest. “We were both so young. We plunged into a lifelong commitment without ever experiencing life ourselves. God, I sound like my parents back in the day. Don’t I?”

He let out a slight chuckle. “Maybe we were too young, but that doesn’t mean I would change it. There was no one else in the world I wanted to be with.” He was right, our younger brains were ruled by love, not wisdom. That came later in life, once the mistakes had already been made. “Will you stop second-guessing yourself?”

“What? I’m not second-guessing myself.”

“Well, if you’re not, then lie back down.”

I rested my head back on his chest and he traced his fingers up and down my arm that was draping over him. The same way he always would after we’d make love. I didn’t want to think of how many women he had lulled to sleep in this manner after we split up. Instead, I wanted to believe it was something he had reserved just for me.

My eyes were getting heavy and my mind was getting lighter with each stroke of his fingers. I wasn’t sure what tomorrow would bring between us or the day after that, so I was going to enjoy the here and now while I could. Unfortunately, the here and now didn’t last too long when Jack’s phone began to ring.

“Damn it,” he muttered as he reached for it on the nightstand and stared at the screen. “I gotta take this. It’s work.” It really was a snippet from my past with the emergency work call thrown in and all.

I sat up, knowing exactly what came next. He’d rush off to go on some important arrest that was about to go down, while I’d be up half the night, worrying until I heard from him again. At least that’s how it all went down in the past. He was no longer mine to lose sleep over, but I was only fooling myself. I would be worried all night. I wondered how many times he had gotten called into work while we were apart. How many nights of sleep would I have lost if we had still been together?

“Duty calls?” I forced a smile when he ended his call.

“I’m sorry. I knew there was a chance of this happening. That’s what the meeting was about earlier,” he explained as he hurriedly dressed.

“Guess the bad guys don’t observe holidays,” I joked, already knowing the answer to that question after having far too many holidays cut short because of Jack’s job. He was definitely on edge, even more so than I remembered him being before something big was about to go down. I threw on my pajamas and walked him down the stairs. “Good luck and be careful,” I said once we reached the door.

He nodded, leaning down and pecking me on the cheek before stepping outside and down the driveway to his car. I closed the door once he drove away, saying the same silent prayer I had said so many times before when it came to his safety.

Max pawed at my leg to get my attention, and it suddenly dawned on me it was after seven and I still hadn’t fed him dinner. “Oh, Maxie boy, I’m so sorry. How could I have forgotten to feed you?” I patted his head and went into the kitchen, fixing his bowl. He devoured it in no time, then began to whine to go outside. He and I had our little routine every night: dinner, potty break for him, then he’d follow me from room to room attached to me like Velcro for whatever I had planned. I turned on the small television I had hanging in the kitchen while I waited for Max to finish up. Flicking through the channels, I stopped when I reached one of the news stations, my eyes widening over what the news anchor was reporting.

“Karlyn Wells, the woman at the center of the sexual assault accusations against Senator Cavlan, was found dead in her home just outside of San Diego early this morning. Investigators are ruling it a suicide, stating that a mixture of alcohol and prescription sleeping pills were found at the scene.” The news footage switched from the studio to an outdoor area, which I was assuming was her home where a female reporter stood beside a man who appeared to be in his early thirties and clearly distraught. “I’m here with Victor Garcia, the fiancé of Ms. Wells. I understand you’re the one who found her?” The man nodded, trying to contain his composure. “Did she show any signs of being depressed?”

“Yeah, she was depressed.” His expression changed from sadness to anger. “She had something horrible happen to her. Something she carried around with her for years, and when she finally found the courage to speak out, you people made her look like she was the liar! You all did this to her!” The camera quickly cut off and went back to the news desk. “That was Karlyn Wells’ fiancé. He’s understandably stricken with grief.”

“Wow!” I shook my head in disbelief as I stared at the TV until Max began to