Deep down, I knew that I would absolutely walk away from everything under one condition. That Julianna and I would never, ever break up. Just as I had built the company from the ground up, continually investing in security measures to make sure that absolutely nothing went wrong, I needed the same reassurance with Julianna.
As someone relatively new to romantic relationships, I wasn’t even sure that was possible. All of my relationships were strictly physical.
“Are the contractors willing to wait a week or two?”
There was a long pause, and I felt knots tightening in my stomach. A week or two would give me just enough time to figure out what I wanted to do. If the contractors said no, then I wouldn’t have any choice but to immediately fly back to San Diego. I didn’t know how I’d even begin to tell Julianna if that were the case.
“Let me send them a quick text, sir. One moment.”
While everyone else continued to talk amongst themselves, I closed my eyes. I prayed they’d give me enough time to figure things out.
“They said they’ll get back to us later on today. But sir, I really can’t express how badly we need you back here. I’m sure you’re having a good time in your hometown, but this is an opportunity that we can’t afford to miss.”
I nodded in silence as others pitched in, detailing all of the reasons why I should come back immediately. The more they spoke, the more worried I became.
I just needed to be reassured that Julianna and I were meant to be together.
19
Julianna
After dropping Caley off for school, I drove over to Richard’s grinning from ear to ear. The first part of my day had been so rough, waking up and not seeing Jake next to me in bed. A wave of panic had washed over me, and even as I sat there watching him make pancakes with Caley, I still had some doubt in the back of my mind. As I pulled into his brother’s driveway, though, I found that little bit of doubt starting to wash away.
Jake had been in town for a few months, and things were going great. Eventually, the trauma of what Cam put me through would dissipate, and I would no longer fear Jake leaving me. At least that’s what I told myself.
As I walked up toward the mansion, images of the sex we had kept racing through my mind. I even had to do a little stretch before going up the stairs because he’d worn me out so well.
Not only was Jake a changed and more mature man, but he had given me the best sex of my life.
I peeked into the front window to see if Richard could see me. He waved from the couch and then let me inside. “Have you always been a peeping Tom?”
“Hey, it’s not my fault you don’t have blinds up.” I grinned at him.
“Who needs blinds with this kind of view?” He shut the door behind me, and I looked outside, nodding with appreciation.
His entire front yard was like something out of a Monet painting.
“That’s a good point. Any chance I could get something to drink?”
He nodded and made his way into the kitchen.
I stopped and oohed. “Is that the kind of refrigerator where you can see inside?”
Richard tapped it, revealing neatly stocked shelves of bottled water and food. “It sure is. Out of all the rooms, décor, cars, the fridge is what gets the most attention in this house.”
Both of us laughed as he reached inside and handed me a bottle of water.
“Thanks,” I said. “Is Jake around?”
“He’s in the guest house on a conference call. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you paid him a visit. That guy’s crazy about you.” I blushed and made my way out back toward the guest house.
As I walked to the front door, I could hear Jake’s voice booming out of the office window. He kept saying things like ‘so the project is done’ and ‘new expansion.’ I suddenly felt lightheaded, but then pulled myself together. I didn’t want to keep having doubts about our relationship, especially since Jake had proven himself to be more of a man than Cam had ever been.
I walked inside and quietly shut the door behind me, not wanting it to be so loud that someone on his call could hear it. I made the same effort while going up the stairs, too.
Something told me that I needed to hear what was being said.
“Well, since the project is over now, I really don’t know what’s going to happen. I suppose the most important thing is that I get back to San Diego.”
