JaxonI paused at the top of the stairs when I realized the light was on in Sara’s old bedroom. I could hear faint music as well. My heart sank. Had I done something else? Had she changed her mind about working through things? I was filled with an anxious sadness. I hesitantly walked towards the room and knocked on the door. The music paused. I waited outside feeling like hours had passed before Sara finally opened the door. “You’re home,” she whispered. It was clear she had been crying and I ached to hold her. “Yes, can I ask, why are you in here? Did you change your mind?” I shoved my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching out to her. The last thing I wanted was to upset her further. Sara wrapped her own arms around herself and shrugged. “I just wanted to give you space… I wasn’t sure if you’d want me around tonight.” I couldn’t help it now: I reached for her and wrapped her in my arms. I pulled her close to me and kissed the top of her head. “Sara, no, I al
SaraI knew I needed to get up. It had been over a week since I’d been in the office but I still couldn’t bring myself to go. I didn’t want to face my coworkers’ judging eyes and constant whispers. I rolled over onto my back and stared at the ceiling. At the very least I should get up and work from home. I kept trying to convince myself to move, but I stayed in bed, staring–making designs out of the swirling paint. My phone buzzed beside me, and I had a knee-jerk reaction to throw it across the room. Instead, I held down the power button and turned it off.I slowly dragged myself out of bed and toward the shower. My mind was racing with different thoughts and ideas. Everything Jayne had said, everything Jaxon had said melded together into a jumbled mess in my brain. I hated to admit that a lot of what Jayne had said was starting to make sense. It’s not that I didn’t want Jaxon’s love and affection, but she was right: he didn’t seem to care much about Cynthia or the baby. His
JaxonI sighed in satisfaction as I looked over the itinerary I had spent painstaking hours putting together. This vacation needed it to be perfect–I was fairly sure my marriage needed it to survive. I hit print and closed the window.I felt sadness welling up within me as I thought about Sara's mental state over the last few days. Ever since my mother had paid her a visit, she'd been behaving erratically. I was beyond irritated with my mother and whatever she'd said to Sara; I just hoped I could undo the damage.I leaned back in my chair and surveyed the piles of work on my desk. I couldn't really afford to take more time off of work, but I didn't know what else to do. Losing Sara was something I couldn't risk.Putting some distance between us and the problem would give us some time to recoup and hopefully build up her faith in me again. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and my fingers hovered over the screen as I contemplated texting Sara.I put my phone away and decided a
SaraI glared at Jaxon. I couldn't believe that he would want to take a vacation with everything going on. His behavior was concerning and confusing."What's inappropriate about taking a vacation with my wife?" Jaxon asked coolly, clearly annoyed and surprised by my reaction.I leaned forward and hissed at him. "The baby! You can't act like it doesn't exist.""I'm not acting like it doesn't exist, but this mess shouldn't put our life on hold!" Jaxon snapped with an angry glint in his eyes.I sat back with a frown, feeling a storm of emotions brewing inside me. I picked up my glass and took a big gulp, swallowing it all at once. Maybe Jayne had been right and I was only distracting Jaxon when he should be focused on becoming a father.I couldn't tell if he didn't understand the gravity of becoming a father or if he was just choosing to ignore it in favor of my feelings. At what point was he going to stop sidelining the baby and start planning to be a dad? Admittedly, I wa
JaxonI squeezed Sara's hand in my own in what I hoped was a comforting manner. She looked nervous, which was exactly the opposite effect I'd been going for. We were at David Morgan's office so that he could walk us through the legal process of gaining custody of the baby and getting Cynthia out of our lives–for good.Of course, I was still hoping that the paternity results would give me the proof I needed to vindicate myself and prove that Cynthia was up to something. Most importantly, I hoped the results would restore Sara's trust and faith in me.I couldn't help but smile slightly as I turned and looked at Sara; she was engrossed in her phone. She looked radiant, as she always did–I felt a slight pang in my heart at the thought that this might all prove to be too much for her."Mr. Deverioux?" a mousy voice called out softly.I looked up and found myself staring at David's evidently nervous assistant. Unlike the bubbly receptionist, she was squirming where she stood. I rai
SaraI had finally decided to come to work, and I felt sick at the prospect. I stood in the elevator debating just turning around and going home. The thought of having to face everyone, knowing that they knew about this huge change in my life before I did… yeah, not my idea of a fun time.Jaxon had spent a lot of time reassuring me that everything would be fine, but I still didn't trust that to be true. The meeting with his lawyer had made me feel both better and worse about the situation. I was happy to see that Jaxon was taking it seriously, but it had confirmed to me that the situation would be simpler without me involved.My mind had been scrambled ever since, Jayne's words playing in my mind on a loop like a hot summer record. Part of me wanted to hide forever and pretend none of this was happening to me. Unfortunately, hiding had grown old, and I was eager to get back to some semblance of normalcy. If Jaxon did leave me for Cynthia, I would need to still have my job, and
JaxonI sighed heavily as I walked into my home office and collapsed into my chair. I had cut both of our work days short and brought Sara home after her conversation with Cynthia.Sara had been quiet and subdued ever since. She'd declined to elaborate further on what she and Cynthia had talked about but it had clearly made an impact on her. It made me feel sick with worry–I felt like I was losing her already, and this couldn't help. I could feel the space between us growing wider with every passing second and I felt helpless to stop it.I'd insisted that Sara take a nap and recover from the nasty shock she'd had. Even if I didn't know what Cynthia had said, I knew her well enough to know that it hadn't been pleasant.I scowled and pulled my phone out, dialing Cynthia's number now that I was alone. I tapped my fingers on the desk impatiently as I heard the phone ring."Jaxon, what a pleasant surprise," Cynthia said smugly as she answered. "Finally come around?""Cut the shi
SaraI held tightly to my computer bag and adjusted the strap of my purse on my shoulder. I knew Jaxon was right and I needed to come into the office but I felt awkward and uncomfortable. I could feel everyone staring at me. I walked quickly with my head down to my desk. My face was flush and my eyes were heavy. I put my stuff down and adjusted to the area. I pulled up my more recent projects and stared at the screen. I could feel eyes on me and I started to feel overheated with anxiety. Every time someone walked past me, I couldn’t help but flinch. I knew it was irrational, but I felt panicked that Cynthia would come back. Nothing anyone said made me feel better at this point. Everything just felt uncomfortable and uneasy. I saw Cynthia in everyone’s face, judgment in everyone’s eyes. Jayne’s words still rang loud in my head and there wasn’t anything Jaxon could do to comfort me. This didn’t feel like my place anymore. This didn’t feel like a safe space anymore. I had a hard time
SaraI sighed heavily as I put my glass down on the desk in Jaxon's home office. I'd come here because I knew that this was where he kept the good whisky. I'd retreated to the shower while Jaxon was being treated by the doctor.The thought of watching him pull a bullet out of my husband made me feel sick. It was the very last thing I needed to see after another nightmarish day. Even after receiving the threat on my desk, I hadn't expected the day to go this way at all. It was all so much to wrap my head around. It all still felt completely surreal, as if it were all some bad dream and not my very real reality. This had been the last thing that I had expected, and I felt fairly sure that Jaxon was just as taken by surprise. I felt sick with fear every time I replayed the events from earlier. I couldn't stop thinking what would have happened if Jaxon hadn't noticed the sniper on the roof when he did–if his arm hadn't been there in time.I'd be dead. Cynthia had actually tried
JaxonI could tell that Sara was still feeling uncomfortable about the threat she'd found on her desk. She'd spent the rest of the day working from my office, but she'd been silent and subdued the entire time. Now she was clutching onto my arm as we made our way to the parking garage.It made my blood boil that she was back to being in a state of fear and anxiety when we'd just resolved everything with Cynthia. We were finally getting our marriage back on track, and now we would inevitably take a few steps back.I held Sara's hand tighter as we entered the garage, feeling slightly paranoid myself. I couldn't deny that the note had also left me on edge a little. I'd called Eli and arranged to have more security around the building. I would have to be careful until I identified the source of this latest threat."We'll be home soon," I told Sara in a comforting tone as I slid into the car beside her.She shot me a small smile and turned her attention to the window, clearly still
SaraI wasn’t ready for my stay-cation with Jaxon to end. I rolled over in the bed on Monday morning and wrapped my arm around Jaxon. It had been so nice with him each day, just enjoying each other and getting closer again. "Good morning," he offered in a gruff tone. I smiled and traced the lines of his muscles. "Good morning." "Are you ready for work and the real world?" he teased. I scoffed and made no effort to move. "If we have to," I replied, unable to hide the giggle in my words. He pulled me up and on top of him and before kissing me deeply. "That’s not going to make me more ready for work," I said jokingly. He chuckled and kissed me again. He then flawlessly picked me up and carried me toward the shower. I continued to giggle as he placed me down and turned the cold water onto me. "Hey!" "Oh sorry! It’s that too cold?" he said sarcastically, turning the heat on. It started to warm quickly and he jumped in with me. We playfully spent more time cleaning eac
Jaxon "Did you have a good time with Lauren?" I asked as she got into the car. She smiled bigger than I’d seen her do in a while. "Yes I really did, and it got me thinking," she started as I waited anxiously, “that maybe you and I should have some quality alone time. Things have been really crazy and it’s been a hard first year of marriage. I wanted to say I’m sorry about how I reacted when you offered a trip to Las Vegas. Maybe we can make up for it now and have a little stay-cation this weekend?" The thought of time alone with Sara made my whole body react with excitement. I reached over and took her hand, then kissed the back of it. "I think that sounds wonderful. I think we should start tonight. I’ll call us both off of work for the next two days," I replied. Sara giggled. "Sounds good to me." I decided to surprise her by driving to her diner instead of straight home. When she realized what I was doing her eyes lit up. "Really? Thank you!" She squealed with
SaraWe had gotten rid of Cynthia, at least where our working life was concerned. Her vague threats were a little unsettling, but I was glad I didn't have to see her in the publishing offices ever again. Now, it was time to say goodbye to another woman who had overstayed her welcome in my life. I found this one much harder to deal with. "This doesn’t have to be the end," Jaxon offered sweetly. He brushed his fingers softly down on my face. I wanted to keep them there forever. After all we had been through, nothing felt better than him here, touching me, comforting me, and holding me. "I know, and I know what she said. But how could I ever trust her again after what she’s done?" I was asking myself more than I was asking him. I tried to picture it–I tried to imagine having a future with my mom and how things might be better, but I couldn’t erase the doubt in my mind. "I honestly don’t know but I have to believe it’s possible. I hate to see you lose more people," he repl
Jaxon Nobody could say I hadn’t tried to warn her. I told Cynthia, over and over, that she was playing with fire. She never fucking listened. I turned over what I had on her to the Board yesterday. Carmine, Board President, came to my office this morning and apologized in person for any trouble I might have gone through. Yeah, any trouble. His fucking bullshit apology didn't cover the crap I’d been dealing with lately, but it was a nice gesture. And I couldn't really complain since he also said he was fully supporting Cynthia’s removal from every aspect of the business. The vote was about to happen, so I told him I appreciated the support, and I did. I had to pick my battles lately. All I could say was, "Ding-dong, the witch is dead." She just didn't know it yet. But she would. I was really looking forward to this meeting. I couldn't wait to wipe that smug grin off of her face once and for all. She didn’t believe it when I told her it was all over. To be fair, there was a t
Sara I held King on my lap for comfort while I listened to the nonsense Cynthia and my mother tried to spin. I was so upset and disgusted that I didn’t know what else to do. In the time I’d gotten to know her, I had come to expect pretty much anything from Cynthia. She was, as my husband liked to put it, a real “piece of work.” But my own mother trying to seduce my husband, that was the last straw. “Don’t you have anything to add, Sara?” my mother asked me, with a note of hostility in her voice. “I thought you of all people should know how much I care about you. How I was only trying to protect you. I want the best for you, honey, and I’m just not sure that this marriage is it.” I couldn't believe she would dare to speak to me that way. She hasn't shown up for years, and she had me believe that she was dead while I spent my time fighting off lowlifes and working off my father’s debt. Then she came back when my life got good, and she tried to mess it all up for me. And I saw he
Jaxon Well, this week had been pretty fucking interesting. Two people made a move against me, and they were both family members. Well, sort of family. Sloan was by marriage and Cynthia was by law, but that was my own stupidity. I had no one to blame but myself for the latter. If I had never laid eyes on that woman again I would have been the happiest man on earth.I was hoping I could still make that possible. Not in the usual way. This wouldn't require a clean-up crew. I was hoping that she could be persuaded to go away on her own. I'd been told I could be very persuasive. I had a way about me. “So what’s the plan,” Sara asked me, her luscious lips begging me to kiss them. “How are you going to do this?” “I got a few ideas,” I told her, kissing her quickly at the light to avoid crashing the Rolls on my way to the meet. “Just follow my lead.” Leon had been looking into the situation for me, and he found out a few things. Cynthia had not been behaving herself. That frie
SaraI hummed to myself happily as I walked into our closet and kicked my heels off, putting my purse down on the ottoman. My life was finally on the up-and-up, and I was enjoying every amazing second of it.I wasn't sure if people at the office had stopped gossiping or if I'd just stopped caring enough to tune in. Either way, I hadn't been hearing annoying little rumors every time I went to work, and it was a welcome relief.Knowing that Jayne was on our side, and having an apology from her, made it that much better. Absolutely nothing could bring me down. On top of that, we had King now! The bulldog puppy greeted me at the door, and I spent some time playing with him and making sure that he had everything he needed.Then, I walked out of the bedroom and wandered toward Jaxon's office. He'd spent most of his time today attending meetings, and I had sorely missed him. I wanted to make him dinner, catch up about the day and then end the night with a bang.My libido had been ou