For the Love of Pete by Sherryl Woods Page A

into marriage, but I have to be honest. It wasn't like that."
    Jo almost wished she hadn't asked, but she needed to know. "Did you love her?"
    "No," he said fiercely. "You were the one I loved. I promise you that. But you had gone home. Kelsey and I thought there was no harm to hanging out together, having a few beers. It wasn't about attraction or sex or even friendship, tliough I guess we were friends. We'd known each other since we were kids."
    "Had you dated before?"
    He shook his head. "No. It was all about being lonely, Jo. I missed you. And I was too damn young and stupid to realize that sleeping with some other woman wouldn't make that loneliness go away. It only happened once, because I knew right away that sex with anyone who wasn't you wasn't the answer."
    "But once was enough," Jo said.
    "Yeah, once was enough. It's an old story," Pete said. "When I found out Kelsey was pregnant, there was only one thing to do. I wasn't going to let my child grow up without a dad."
    "The way you'd grown up," Jo said, understanding
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    at last. The marriage had been about far more than some moral obligation to Kelsey. It had always been about his son.
    And knowing who Pete was and all the things that had shaped him into the man he'd become, she accepted that it couldn't have turned out any other way.
    With that understanding came relief. She felt a weight lift from her heart. Forgiveness, which had always been an elusive concept to her, flooded in, and for the first time in seven years, she felt at peace.
    "I should have told you all this back then," he said apologetically.
    "I'm not sure it would have meant anything then," she admitted. "I was too hurt and too angry." She met his gaze. "I'm sorry the marriage didn't work out."
    It seemed such a waste to her that it hadn't, that he'd sacrificed so much only to lose his son in the end, after all.
    "So am I," he said.
    It hurt to hear him say that. A part of her wished that he was glad to be rid of Kelsey, but it was a small, petty reaction. Again, he wouldn't be the man she'd loved if he'd been relieved that the marriage was over.
    "I know it's none of my business, but what happened?" she asked him.
    "I wasn't what she wanted," he said simply. "I never was."
    The woman must be an idiot, Jo thought, but kept her reaction to herself. If Pete didn't cast aspersions on his ex-wife, she certainly wouldn't.
    "You said they live in Richmond. That's not exactly around the corner. Do you get to spend much time with Davey?"
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    His eyes were filled with heartache when he replied, "Not nearly enough. We've worked out a schedule, and Kelsey usually sticks to it."
    "Usually?"
    "When she doesn't forget or make other plans?deliberately, more than likely."
    "Does that happen often?"
    "Often enough."
    "That must be awful for you and your son."
    He gave her a grim look. "I try not to let it be. I don't ever want Davey to be some pawn between his mother and me. That's why I didn't fight her for custody. He needs both of us. And as long as she's doing right by him, he'll never hear a harsh word about her from me."
    "But if she's not living up to the agreement?" Jo began.
    "I deal with her," Pete said. "We don't need the court involved."
    Jo's respect for him grew. "You're an honorable man. I hope she knows what a treasure she threw away."
    He laughed, but there was little humor in the sound. "I think she'd dispute that." He met her gaze. "Enough about me. Tell me about the man who didn't have the good sense to hang on to you."
    She gave him a wry look. "You mean besides you."
    He winced. "Ouch. I deserved that."
    "You did," she agreed. "But I promise it'll be the last time I take potshots about the past. There's no point in living there."
    "Amen to that," he replied. "Now stop avoiding the subject."
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    "The short version is that I came home and found him in bed with someone else," she said without emotion.
    She had thought the image would be burned into her head forever,