SaraIt was strange to think this woman whom I hadn’t known most of my life, that I thought was dead most of my life would come to be so important to me. I almost felt relieved driving home knowing that my mom would be waiting at the house for me. It made me laugh and a little nervous that she wanted to cook for me. I wasn’t sure how great she was at cooking–if it was anything like me, I was glad I had DoorDash. I pulled into the garage to see that Jaxon's car was already there. I stopped and left my car running for a moment, remembering when we would drive to work together. There was no need for separate cars, and I knew his schedule because it was in sync with mine. The thought of those days being behind me made my heart sink. Now he was inside with my mom, hopefully not causing a problem or being a jerk to her. I rolled my eyes already tired and exhausted from a future argument. How had our lives become this? I turned off the car and dragged myself out. I walked slowly to
JaxonI screamed in the car and banged hard on the steering wheel. Everything in me felt raw and broken. How could she think I would want anything to do with Sloan? How could she think I would do something like that to hurt her? The answers came like waves and started to make me sick. Of course, she would think that. Of course, she would doubt anything I have to say right now. I wasn’t sure what else I could possibly do to encourage her to trust me anymore. I drove too fast and parked in the office space open for me. I stopped up the stairs and into the elevator. I wanted to run back out and into my car and drive until all of this went away. Of course, I knew that wasn’t realistic. That wasn’t going to happen. I tapped my foot against the floor of the elevator as it moved upward. I leaned back against the wall and wished that today would go smoothly. As the doors opened I wanted to stay in the elevator alone. I didn’t want to get out and join the group of bustling people out
JaxonMy voice was raw from having spent the last few hours yelling at lawyers and doctors about my overwhelming situation. I wanted to choke out the next person who told me there was ‘nothing they could do.’ I sat at my desk feeling defeated with my head in my hands. I felt like I had no comfort–no safe space and no solution. Sloan was always at home, always seeming to flirt, no matter how cold I was. Sara always looked overwhelmed and upset and no words I had could comfort her. Here in the office, I spent more time trying to find solutions than actually doing any work. I was angry and burnt out. I hardly noticed the phone ringing next to me. It had been a while since someone called me on my office phone. "Jaxon Deverioux," I answered blandly. Whatever this was would have to wait. I was in no mood to deal with picky advertisers and platform hosts. "Yes, Mr. Deverioux, it’s Doctor Renfield. I’m so sorry it took me so long to get back to you with the results. Our equipment
Sara"Are you going to eat?" Jaxon asked with a laugh.I tore my eyes away from the paternity results with a sheepish smile and carefully placed the paper beside me. I'd been reading the results over and over since we'd sat down to eat. I just couldn't believe it–the relief I felt was indescribable. "I'm just… I'm feeling a lot of different things right now," I explained as I dug into my dinner with a happy moan."I'm glad that the truth is out now and there isn't anything between us," Jaxon said with a sincere smile. "I'm so sorry for the turmoil you've been going through."I nodded at him, with my mouth full, feeling the most content I'd felt in a while. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders but it was a lot to process all at once. It was exactly what I'd wanted but I hadn't actually thought it would happen. I'd been resigned to my fate.My heart felt full knowing that Jaxon hadn't betrayed me at all–he hadn't slept with Cynthia before our wed
SaraI jumped in surprise as I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. I relaxed when I heard Jaxon's familiar chuckle in my ear, turning in his embrace to smile up at him."Welcome home," I whispered against his lips as I wound my arms around his neck."You're making dinner today too?" he asked as we pulled apart.I nodded and shrugged with a cheeky smile, "I'm still in the mood to apologize to you.""I already told you that you have nothing to apologize for," Jaxon insisted as he let me go and went in search of a drink."I know what you said, but I want you to know how much I love and appreciate you," I answered smartly as I turned my attention back to my bubbling pot.Jaxon came out of the pantry with two beers in hand, popping them both open before handing me one and sitting at the kitchen island."I can't argue with that, but let's just eat in here," Jaxon suggested in a firm tone. "No more work for you other than cooking."I laughed and raised my hands in s
Jaxon I sipped my coffee with a smile. Last night had been fucking incredible. Sara was the best thing that ever happened to me. And as anybody who knew me would know, I was not exactly given to sentimentality. But this girl, this woman, she was something else. I never thought I could feel this way. Most people in my line of work had wives, sure. And girlfriends on the side. I didn't judge. You never really knew what was going on in someone else’s marriage. Fuck, for a while there I wasn’t even sure what was going on in my own. But anyway, Sara, she was different. Special. I didn’t deserve her, a man like me. If she knew half of the shit I did, would she still want to be with me? I didn’t know. I never wanted to know. But I would have killed to protect her. To protect what we had. It was precious. It was fucking everything to me. Which of course, begged the question, what the fuck was I supposed to do about my bitch ex-wife? The person who tried to fuck it all up. Christ, if s
SaraWhen I woke up this morning, Jaxon had already gone to work. He left me a note, telling me that he’d left me a surprise downstairs. I smiled when I saw it. I’d already been given a great surprise. The baby wasn’t Jaxon’s. He didn’t betray me. His crazy bitch of an ex-wife was lying after all. As I wrapped myself in a robe and made my way downstairs in pursuit of coffee, my initial feeling was relief. I wanted Cynthia in our lives forever about as much as I wanted another concussion. And now that I knew for sure that Jaxon hadn’t betrayed our relationship and that he didn’t somehow want to be with her, maybe we could actually begin to move forward. My surprise was in the kitchen. A new state-of-the-art espresso machine gleamed on the countertop. A bag of espresso beans and a new coffee grinder sat next to a pastry box full of chocolate croissants from Castellano’s, my favorite bakery. A handwritten note was written in Jaxon’s signature script on the top of the box: *To a
Jaxon That fucking bitch wasn’t going to get away with this. I had had it up to here with her fucking bullshit. It wasn’t enough that my asshole ex-wife tried to destroy my marriage with her bullshit baby lie. Now she was telling my people that I was losing money on my investments. I was the king of the fucking underworld. "People in my world, they don’t take it so well when they think they’re about to lose money. They don’t exactly lodge a complaint to human resources, if you know what I mean. That crazy bitch is trying to get me clipped. And that ain’t happening." "Calm down Jaxon, you’re going to give yourself a heart attack," Eli said to me over lunch at Rastelli’s. "Nobody but nobody would believe a word that bitch says. She’s got no credibility on the street, not where it matters." I hoped to Christ that was true. I had enough to worry about with the Board members of my legit business breathing down my neck. Cynthia had been running her mouth again about how I was not
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