Meant to Marry Me: Nashville Country Dreams Part 1 novel Chapter 41

Monica opened the door wearing a long, white nightgown made of silk, her dark hair hanging down past her shoulders, her makeup perfect, and her expression innocent. “Hi, babe,” she said, stepping aside so Trent could come in. “What’s going on?”

He took a deep breath and crossed into the room, thinking the threshold was a point of no return he couldn’t go back from. “I have something important to talk to you about, Monica, and I need the truth from you, okay?”

She studied him for a moment, her eyes narrowed before she nodded. “Okay. What’s going on?” She gave a nervous laugh, and Trent ran his hands down his face as she sat down on the sofa.

He didn’t feel like sitting. He wanted to pace, possibly flail his hands irrationally. But he needed to keep his head on straight, so he sat down a good two feet from her, folded his hands, and breathed deeply. “Monica, it’s come to my attention that you might be… seeing someone else. Behind my back.”

An eyebrow lifted and she studied him carefully for several moments before she said. “Who told you that?”

“That’s your response? Not a denial?”

“No, of course, I’ll deny it. I just wonder who in the world would dare say something like that to you. Who would dare stick their nose into our business and make up such awful lies? Was it Hank? Was it when he was drunk last night? You know how he gets when he’s drinking.”

Trent couldn’t possibly sell Bree out. If he told Monica it was her, she’d lose it, and Bree didn’t need Monica’s wrath in her life right now, even if she was right. “It doesn’t matter who told me. What I want to know is why you’re not being honest with me now. Monica, I can tell when you’re not being completely honest. Your upper lip tightens. Are you saying you’ve never slept with anyone else since we’ve been seriously dating?”

She ran a hand through her hair and scratched her head, and Trent’s heart melted. He knew what that meant. She had cheated on him. “All right. I’ll be honest, Trent. It’s true. I did sleep with someone else. But it only happened once. We were both drunk, and it was a long time ago, back when you and I first started dating. I’m so sorry, baby. But believe me, it meant nothing. And I wanted to tell you. But I didn’t want you to be mad at him.”

Trent’s mind was swimming. He leaned his head back on the top of the couch and stared up at the ceiling, trying to get his head to stop spinning in circles. At least she’d told him the truth. She hadn’t denied it, at least not for long.

Monica’s thin fingers wrapped around his wrist. Her hand was cold. It was always cold. When she touched his hand, he never felt that warm excitement, that tingling sensation, he’d noted earlier when Bree’s hand had been in his.

“Believe me, Trent, I’ve regretted that day since it happened. There’s been so many times I wanted to come clean. But I thought it would just hurt you.”