Fractured Affections (The Affections Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

business for me back in our hometown. He took over when we moved out here.”
    My face falls, this catches me off guard. I can’t even form a single thought. All of this time, I thought that Striker made a life in the military, and now I am finding out that he has been working for Dalton. He moved back when we left. Why? Was it because of me? Did he only come back because we were gone? After staring at my hands for a moment, I raise my eyes to Dalton’s, and he continues while I try to process everything he tells me.
    “I know I never told you about it. I’m sorry, but I wanted him to be able to come home and have something solid to rely on. I knew how mad you still were with him for leaving, and I completely understand why. I just wanted to try and help everyone. We had been talking about moving, so I reached out to him and asked if he would be interested. It just so happened that his four years were almost up, and he was trying to figure out what to do with his life. He wasn’t sure he would return home, but after my offer he couldn’t resist.”
    So, Striker has worked for our family business, all this time, and I had no idea. How is that even possible? I do the books. Wouldn’t I have noticed? I can’t believe Dalton has lied to me all these years. What an important detail about the business to leave out. I had no idea he still had part of the business running in our hometown.
    “Dalton, I don’t understand. I had no clue we were running part of the business back home. Why would you keep this from me? And Striker is the one running it? I do the books, how could I not know?”
    Dalton stands and begins to pace the kitchen before he responds. “Rea, I separated everything. It is still the same type of business, as it was when we left, but I turned it all over to Striker. I only receive a small portion as a silent partner. It is all deposited into an account that you and the boys are the beneficiaries of. He has done well with it, and the business pretty much runs itself. While I still enjoy being a major part of the building process, Striker has run things differently. He has others who do most of the work for him, so he only keeps a close eye on how things are running and has a lot more time on his hands than I do. That’s how I knew I could ask him to come here. I need his help.”
    My head snaps up at this last statement, pulling me from my confusion. “What do you mean? Why would you need help? How could you lie to me? I’m your wife, and you thought it was alright to keep this from me?”
    When Dalton turns to look at me, he looks like whatever he is about to say is painful. A nauseous feeling churns in my stomach while waiting for him to speak.
    “I was being selfish Rea. I’m sorry. I know keeping things from you is wrong, but try to put yourself in my shoes.” He walks back over to his seat in front of me and slowly sits down. “Look, I have to leave town for a few weeks, maybe a few months for a job.”
    “WHAT? You can’t leave. We need you here with us. You promised me, a long time ago, that you would never take a job far enough away that you couldn’t make it home every night.”
    “I know, Rea, and I hate to leave you and the boys, but this is an opportunity that I just cannot pass up. The job is in Texas. It’s been hard to make a decision on it, but I would need to leave next week. I only found out about it two weeks ago. I’m sorry I kept it from you, but I didn’t think I was going to take it. Then they increased what they would pay me to be there. That just happened three days ago. My taking this job could change the boys’ future. They won’t have to worry about much in life. Not only would this job make us a substantial amount of money, but the future of the business will be secured after it’s complete. “
    I can’t believe this. He wants to leave us for a few weeks to a few months. This doesn’t even sound right. He says that this amount of money is life changing, but then