Meant To Be by Jennifer Labelle

up for her. It was a wakeup call that made her wonder what the hell she was still doing there. Why she even bothered?
    “ Right, well, maybe I’ll see you later.” She shook her head wondering if any of this was worth it anymore and then looked at Alex. “Then again, maybe not.”
    Alex’s smile faltered with her short lived victory. As Jenna slid by Tyler to grab her purse, he held her in place. “Jenna, wait a minute, I’m not ready for you to leave just yet.” He brushed his lips against hers and then looked at Alex. “My wife is visiting, and I don’t appreciate your disrespectful tone. A family emergency has come up, so I’m taking a week off to get things resolved. I’ll do as much as I can from home, and I trust you can handle the rest without me for a few days. And another thing, just so that we are clear in the future, when Jenna decides to visit, I’ll expect a little more respect from my co-workers as they address her. She is my wife, and she deserves that.”
    What was that about? It was Jenna’s turn to stand there with her jaw slack, and Alex was priceless, fighting back tears before storming off.
    “ A family emergency?”
    “I’m listening to my wife,” Tyler smiled. “And it’s about time that I get my priorities straightened out. The holidays are here, and I’ve missed out on too much already.”
    “Well, that has to be a first. Since when do you ever listen to what I tell you to do?”

    * * * *

    Having Tyler home was just like old times or rather like when she’d just gotten out of the hospital. He was attentive and caring and absorbed as much family time as possible. They skipped his Christmas party, the date she’d seen circled on the calendar and to her knowledge, he actually avoided anything work related. Making up for lost time in the last few days together, she decided to enjoy it while she still had him.
    Christmas Eve the gifts were stuffed under the tree, Santa had a feast of homemade cookies left out for him, and the bird was greased and stuffed for the oven in the morning. Their parents were due to arrive early the next morning and, of course, Jayden would probably be up shortly after dawn with excitement. Jenna crawled into to bed tired to the bone, just thinking about the busy day to come.
    “ Jenna.” Tyler cuddled closer. “Are you sleeping?”
    “No.” She giggled, as he unintentionally tickled her from behind.
    “ I miss you.”
    “Do you? Even though you won’t admit to it, I just can’t get the image of you and her out of my head.”
    He groaned and lay on his back in frustration. “Just tell me how I can make this right? You wanted more time, and I’m trying to give you that. Alex is nothing to me.”
    “I need the truth. We’ve been together for years. Hell, we’ve spent part of our childhood together. I know when you’re hiding something from me. Why won’t you just come clean and tell me the truth?”
    “The truth,” he repeated. “The truth is that I love my wife, Jenna. I love Jayden.” He smiled and tenderly kissed her stomach. “I miss you, and I’m sorry for not being around like I should. The truth is that I want you right now.” He continued to kiss her body seductively. “Forgive me, let me make it up to you. Let me show you.”
    Her breath hitched, and she’d started to breathe heavier, making him smirk. Hating that she could never stay mad at him for long, she gave in to her growing need for him. She still had no concrete proof of his infidelity, nothing other than her instinct and a few eerily coincidental dreams. Her mind had been working overtime, and in order to prevent her from thinking about Tyler with Alex, she thought about a safe haven. Something that would always be precious to her, she thought about Sam’s cousin Brady and her fantasies with him.
    This had to have been the hottest sight imaginable. Pure and simple, she was in a fantasy…two gorgeous men wrapped in nothing but white cotton sheets, ready and