In the Silks by Lisa Wilde Read Free Book Online

errands on his own. He hit the gym before anything. It was exactly what he needed. To work off the tension that Jackie had caused in him. He couldn’t remember being that angry at her in a long time, if ever. He tried to stay out as late as possible, not wanting to find out if anyone was waiting on his doorstep ready to cuss him out.
    When he finally went home, having no choice because he had groceries, no one was there. Henry went up and put everything away and showered. The plan for the night had changed. He was going to eat a sub, drink a six pack and watch a game. Had he been with Jackie, they would probably be at his brother’s house right now. Patrick was Henry’s older brother and Tara, his wife of less than a year, was Jackie’s cousin.
    Not that Henry didn’t love his brother and sister-in-law, he did, but Jackie’s motives for going were purely self-serving. She was gunning for a ring, and it was never going to happen. He knew she believed that if they spent all of their time together with his family, surely they would convince him. Oh, and kiss his mother’s ass, which she did well. Thankfully, his mother saw right through that.
    Henry reflected on the time he had spent with Jackie while he ate. He really did feel bad for leading her on. But in the beginning she had been sweet, and if he wasn’t going to have what he really wanted, if he even knew what that was, he figured he would settle. It was a horrible decision, but he thought it would make his family happy and that was what mattered most. But there was always a part of him that held steady and didn’t give in. He wanted to do right by his family, not cause any more turmoil. They may not have known that it was him that had torn their world apart, but he could still repent for his wrong doing. However, there was a part of him that he still couldn’t give over, no matter how hard he tried. So he could date Jackie to please them, but to move in with her, or God forbid, marry her, was more than he was capable of sacrificing.
    Only a few months into the relationship did Jackie truly show her ugly side. She had a piss poor attitude and treated Henry like they had been together for years and he was put on this earth to please her. He wondered what had been the catalyst for his sudden bravado. Probably mentioning his father; if nothing else, that was enough for him.
    The rest of the night was uneventful. There were several missed calls and texts that he chose to ignore. He finished eating, drank an entire six pack and went to bed. The rest of the drama could wait until tomorrow. He had no doubt that it would still be there, it always was.

Chapter 4
    T HE DAY after the break-up was Sunday dinner at his parents’ house. Henry knew that he couldn’t avoid them forever. He had to decide what he was going to tell them exactly. He wouldn’t lie, but she was to some degree, like family because of Tara, so he really couldn’t just say, “Oh, Jackie is a raging bitch that treated me like a second class citizen, not to mention she’s kind of a bigot.”
    Henry cringed at the memory of her recalling how she had treated the kids at the store. He’d attempted to talk to her about his work on numerous occasions, and she couldn’t feign any enthusiasm whatsoever. So her attitude about those kids shouldn’t have really come as a surprise.
    Henry purposefully lagged in getting to the house. He wanted desperately to avoid the questions. He stood outside the house for a few minutes just thinking. Shaking his head and sucking in a breath, Henry started up the stairs.
    As soon as his hand was on the screen door he could hear all the noise. Everyone was there. He froze, what if Jackie was there? Shit. What if someone had invited her? Hell, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she had invited herself. Well, there was no turning back now. He pulled the door open, sighed and walked through. As he suspected, they were all there. Even Jackie.
    Yep, this was going to be a long