Standing on The Edge Of Goodbye by Mary Eason Read Free Book Online Page A

Matt realized he’d slipped up. He’d all but confessed to checking up on her.
    “How did you…you’ve been checking up on me?”
    He bowed his head, knowing what her next words would be.
    “You had no right. That had nothing to do with you.”
    He got to his feet and went to her . She tensed when he got close. “You showed up at my house alone and pregnant. It was obvious you were running from something. Call it a cop's instinct.”
    Anger sparked in her eyes for a moment then evaporated. “We were divorced. At least I filed. But it was a nightmare getting free of him. I even started using my grandmother’s maiden name so that he couldn’t find me or come after her.”
    Matt remembered she’d told him that before. Was it possible that Kate still believed her husband was alive?
    “He’s dead, Kate. You know that, don’t you?”
    The fear in her eyes assured him that for her, Josh Pennington would never be dead. Her voice shook as she spoke. “The body was burned beyond recognition. They identified Josh from the half-burnt ID found in the wreckage. You see he had no medical history, no dental records that could be found.” Kate turned to face him. “Matt, he could have planted the ID. He could have—“
    He reached for her hand. “He’s dead. I know it’s hard to believe that nightmare is over, but it is. “
    She rubbed her forehead in frustration. “It’s just that I’ve lived in fear for so long. It’s hard to have hope.”
    His heart went out to her. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what you've had to endure but you are a good person and I promise you’re safe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you ever again.”
    Her eyes clouded with tears. “I’m not.” She sho ok her head. “I’m not a good person. Everything that happened that night was my own fault, including the accident with the other car that ended an innocent man’s life. He died so that I could be free of Josh."
    "Kate it wasn't your fault. I read the report. Josh ran his car headlong into the oncoming vehicle. He wanted to die and he wanted to take you with him. If anyone's at fault, it's Josh."
    She was silent for a moment and then she said, "Until I came here I wasn’t sure I wanted our baby. I wasn’t sure I could love the child after the way Josh hurt me. That’s the hardest part of living with our own mistakes, isn’t it? Learning to forgive ourselves for them?”
    Kate 's eyes shimmered with tears. Matt was almost envious of her strength and her faith.
    For the first time he saw Rachel in her. “Forget what I told you. You believe whatever you want and don’t let Josh, or me, or anyone else, try to shake your faith.”
    She brushed away one last tear with a careless hand before answering. “Oh, don’t worry. I do not intend to lose my faith. I also believe you’re a good person and somewhere deep in your heart you still believe in God and I plan to prove that to you.”
    He admired her stubborn beliefs. It surprised him to see her challenging him when just a few weeks earlier she could barely stand to be in the same room.
    “Oh, you think you can do that? So far, nothing and no one has changed my mind, and that includes your grandmother.”
    “I happen to love a challenge.”
    Matt was tempted to give her just that. With difficulty, he managed to pull his straying thoughts back to what she was saying.
    “Personally, I think you’ll be a piece of cake.”
    Matt reached up to touch her face and his thoughts sobered.
    “So, does this mean we’ll be friends after all, Miss Alexander? Even after all those terrible things, you’ve just found out. You think you’re still up for that?” He was trying his best to sound flippant. He didn’t want her to know how important her answer was.
    Denny had told him Kate needed him. He was wrong. At this moment, Matt needed her more than he’d ever needed another human being in his life. He held his breath, waiting.              
    “Yes, I think I’m