Meant to Be: Southern Heat Series Read Online Free PDF Page A

man whose accent sounded closer to her own answered the door. “I’m Drake, Lexie’s husband. Come in.”
    “Nice to meet you. I appreciate your having me over.” She stepped through the door.
    Drake led her to a room off the foyer. “How about some wine? You look like you could use a drink.”
    She could use something stiffer than wine, but it would do. “That would be lovely, thank you.”
    He must have been prepared, because he wasn’t gone long.
    “Lexie’s out back with Mitch, showing him her garden.”
    “Garden?”
    “Yes.”
    He laughed, but there was affection in his amusement. He was in love with his wife. Not just a little, but a lot.
    Sydney felt a tinge of envy. Had she lost her chance to have someone love her the way Drake adored Lexie?
    “He’s not interested in it, but he indulges her. Everyone does. Lexie has that effect on people.”
    Sydney nodded. That’s why she was there, right? “I think she hopes he’ll get over me.”
    Drake smiled. “Oh, I don’t know. Lexie is big on fairy tales.”
    “Because she got her own?”
    He nodded. “It certainly feels like it.”
    “I understand you’re expecting. Congratulations.”
    She couldn’t imagine it was possible, but his grin widened even more.
    “Thank you.” He studied her another moment. “I’ll let Lexie know you’re here.”
    Sydney took the moment alone to gather her scattered thoughts, but it was no use. She set the wine down, not wanting Mitch to notice just how shaky she was. She hoped Lexie didn’t use deception to get him to the house, because he wouldn’t take being blindsided.
    She heard movement in the hall. Giving herself a mental pep talk, she turned and her breath caught. Mitch stood in the opening of the parlor, looking just as handsome as the first time she’d seen him when she was eighteen. And yet he wasn’t the same. Her encounter with him at the hospital had been so quick, she hadn’t been able to take a good look at him. The boyish charm and affable smile were gone, replaced by suspicion and wariness. The smooth skin of a pretty boy now showed the wear and tear that came with manhood. Looking closer, she saw marks on his jaw and neck. They made her think of pockmarks, but she immediately knew they were shrapnel scars. The beginning of their end had started when he’d decided to enlist in the military.
    She clasped her hands behind her back to keep from reaching out to touch him, to soothe the scars she knew had to be on the inside as well as the outside. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
    “Lexie would call me a coward if I didn’t.”
    She knew she should be offended, but she laughed. “She seems to have you wrapped around her little finger.”
    “She naturally endears people to her. Why are you here?”
    So much for the calming effect of small talk. “I… ah…” All the words she’d thought to say scattered in her brain, and her reasons started to seem ridiculous and impulsive. “I needed to make changes in my life.”
    “And the only place you could do that was in my small neck of the woods?”
    She tried to steel herself against his anger, but his remarks made her feel foolish. “I never liked how things were left with us.”
    He leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He wouldn’t even enter the room to speak with her. That alone told her volumes. “I thought it was clear. I wasn’t good enough for you.”
    “That’s not true.”
    “Not good enough for your parents then.”
    “That’s not true either.”
    He shook his head. “Then who are you? The last time I saw Sydney Preston was at an airport, where she told me we couldn’t get married as I headed off to boot camp.”
    “It wasn’t exactly like that.” She met his accusing green eyes without flinching, even though on the inside, emotions swirled in a firestorm.
    He scoffed. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was.”
    Finally, her anger kicked in. “You’re not blameless, Mitch. Don’t try to