choose from.
One good thing was that Caden hadn’t dropped by, and she wondered whether telling him she had a date had finally made him realize things were over between them. She doubted that she would forget the look on his face when she’d told him. She had tried not to let it bother her, but she found herself turning the moment over in her mind anyway. And to make matters worse, she had been tempted more than once to call Sedrick and cancel tonight’s double date. But each time, she had talked herself out of it, refusing to let Caden’s visits and those flowers weaken her resolve. Her relationship with Caden had ended, so there was no reason she should feel guilty about going out with another man. He hadn’t thought of her when he’d slept with those other women. Regardless of the fact that he had unwittingly been played by her father, he should have trusted her more.
She had just finished fixing her hair when the buzzer sounded. Wallace was a few minutes early. “Who is it?” she asked, after hitting the intercom.
“Wallace.”
“Take the elevator up to the third floor and then come to the first door.” She took a deep breath, thinking, Okay, this is it. This was her initial step in moving on, something she should have done years ago. After hearing his knock, she opened the door and had to stare up at the man standing there. He was tall. Almost as tall as Caden. Now, why had she made that comparison?
He was handsome. Any woman would agree with that assessment. He had a nice smile and looked good in his brown slacks and mint-green dress shirt. And, according to Sedrick, he was a nice guy. So why wasn’t she feeling a little excitement? Why wasn’t there an increase in her pulse? An extra beat from her heart? “Wallace, please come in while I get my purse.”
“Thanks,” he said, stepping over the threshold and closing the door behind him while glancing around. “Nice place.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m looking forward to tonight,” he said, smiling over at her.
She again thought he had a nice smile. But then, so did Caden. Growing annoyed with herself, she said, “I’ll be back in a minute.”
She quickly rounded the corner and grabbed her purse off the breakfast counter. Why was her mind constantly going back into the past? Some things you couldn’t change. And the history between her and Caden was one of them. Her goal was to move forward and not look back. She believed if she gave him the chance, Wallace could be the man to help her take those steps.
When she returned, he was standing in the spot where she’d left him. “I’m ready.” And she inwardly told herself that she was ready not just for dinner but to get on with her life.
He nodded, smiling. “I’m ready, as well. Ready to start getting to know you better.”
She returned his smile. “I’d like that.”
* * *
“Sheppard, that’s wonderful news. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. After I saw Jace and Shana walk in together and how into each other they seemed, I figured there was a reason he was bringing her here to meet me,” Sheppard said, shifting the phone to his other ear. “His announcement that they were getting married didn’t come as a shock. But for them to tell me about the baby... Wow! It was incredible.”
He paused a moment and then said, “And then I got to thinking, Carson. The baby will have a grandfather in prison. A grandfather he or she won’t be able to spend any time with except during visits. I don’t want my grandchild seeing me here, unable to understand that I’m not a criminal. And do you know that by the time I’m released from jail, he or she might be the same age Jace was when I went in?”
Carson didn’t say anything. Sheppard Granger rarely held a pity party, so as far as she was concerned, he deserved this one. The one thing she admired about him more than anything was his integrity and his fierce desire to protect those he loved.
“You’ll be up for parole in a couple of
One good thing was that Caden hadn’t dropped by, and she wondered whether telling him she had a date had finally made him realize things were over between them. She doubted that she would forget the look on his face when she’d told him. She had tried not to let it bother her, but she found herself turning the moment over in her mind anyway. And to make matters worse, she had been tempted more than once to call Sedrick and cancel tonight’s double date. But each time, she had talked herself out of it, refusing to let Caden’s visits and those flowers weaken her resolve. Her relationship with Caden had ended, so there was no reason she should feel guilty about going out with another man. He hadn’t thought of her when he’d slept with those other women. Regardless of the fact that he had unwittingly been played by her father, he should have trusted her more.
She had just finished fixing her hair when the buzzer sounded. Wallace was a few minutes early. “Who is it?” she asked, after hitting the intercom.
“Wallace.”
“Take the elevator up to the third floor and then come to the first door.” She took a deep breath, thinking, Okay, this is it. This was her initial step in moving on, something she should have done years ago. After hearing his knock, she opened the door and had to stare up at the man standing there. He was tall. Almost as tall as Caden. Now, why had she made that comparison?
He was handsome. Any woman would agree with that assessment. He had a nice smile and looked good in his brown slacks and mint-green dress shirt. And, according to Sedrick, he was a nice guy. So why wasn’t she feeling a little excitement? Why wasn’t there an increase in her pulse? An extra beat from her heart? “Wallace, please come in while I get my purse.”
“Thanks,” he said, stepping over the threshold and closing the door behind him while glancing around. “Nice place.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m looking forward to tonight,” he said, smiling over at her.
She again thought he had a nice smile. But then, so did Caden. Growing annoyed with herself, she said, “I’ll be back in a minute.”
She quickly rounded the corner and grabbed her purse off the breakfast counter. Why was her mind constantly going back into the past? Some things you couldn’t change. And the history between her and Caden was one of them. Her goal was to move forward and not look back. She believed if she gave him the chance, Wallace could be the man to help her take those steps.
When she returned, he was standing in the spot where she’d left him. “I’m ready.” And she inwardly told herself that she was ready not just for dinner but to get on with her life.
He nodded, smiling. “I’m ready, as well. Ready to start getting to know you better.”
She returned his smile. “I’d like that.”
* * *
“Sheppard, that’s wonderful news. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. After I saw Jace and Shana walk in together and how into each other they seemed, I figured there was a reason he was bringing her here to meet me,” Sheppard said, shifting the phone to his other ear. “His announcement that they were getting married didn’t come as a shock. But for them to tell me about the baby... Wow! It was incredible.”
He paused a moment and then said, “And then I got to thinking, Carson. The baby will have a grandfather in prison. A grandfather he or she won’t be able to spend any time with except during visits. I don’t want my grandchild seeing me here, unable to understand that I’m not a criminal. And do you know that by the time I’m released from jail, he or she might be the same age Jace was when I went in?”
Carson didn’t say anything. Sheppard Granger rarely held a pity party, so as far as she was concerned, he deserved this one. The one thing she admired about him more than anything was his integrity and his fierce desire to protect those he loved.
“You’ll be up for parole in a couple of
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