Then at Clara sleeping beside me.
“You couldn’t wait forty-eight hours?”
Daniel sighed.
“Don’t make this ugly.”
I almost laughed.
“You threw your wife onto the street while she was in labor.”
Lauren shifted.
Her expression changed slightly.
Apparently, Daniel had skipped that part.
He continued.
“Lauren and I have been seeing each other.”
“How long?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It usually matters to the wife.”
Lauren spoke.
“Rebecca, Daniel told me the marriage had been over for months.”
I looked at her.
“Did he also tell you our daughter was born yesterday?”
Her eyes moved toward Clara.
“Yes.”
“And you still thought this was an appropriate time for a jewelry demonstration?”
Her cheeks reddened.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Enough.”
“No. You’re right.”
I leaned back against the pillows.
“Please continue. I’m fascinated by your timing.”
Daniel clenched his jaw.
“We came because there are practical things to discuss.”
“Our newborn?”
“The house.”
There it was.
“The house.”
“You’ll need to arrange a time to collect your belongings.”
I stared at him.
“You threw me out of my own home yesterday.”
“Our home.”
“Interesting time to rediscover the word ‘our.’”
Daniel’s expression hardened.
“I don’t want a fight.”
“Then bringing your girlfriend into my hospital room with a diamond ring was an unusual peace strategy.”
Lauren whispered:
“Daniel, maybe we should go.”
He ignored her.
“There are also financial matters we need to discuss.”
That sentence changed my attention.
“What financial matters?”
Before he could answer, someone knocked.
The door opened.
A nurse stepped aside.
A tall man in Army dress uniform entered.
Three stars rested on his shoulders.
Lieutenant General Malcolm Rhodes.
I immediately straightened.
Daniel stared.
General Rhodes walked to the side of my bed.
Then saluted.
“Lieutenant Colonel Bennett.”
I returned the salute as best I could from a hospital bed.
The general smiled.
“Although I suppose I should stop calling you that.”
He handed me a sealed folder.
“Promotion orders became official this morning.”
My breath caught.
“Sir?”
“Congratulations, Colonel Bennett.”
Daniel’s face changed.
“Colonel?”
General Rhodes continued.
“Your appointment to the Joint Logistics Integrity Command has also been confirmed.”
