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
JaxonI had no more energy. I had no more motivation to do anything. I listened to James continuing to talk about different options but I felt worn. I could no longer imagine reversing all that I had done to Sara. All I wanted was to keep her safe and love her. “We have to do more about these threats, Jaxon. You’re not taking enough of a stance on this.” “I have an investigator looking into her. I have all my contacts out for those who sent the threat. I have her under protection. I have lawyers and doctors. What else can I do?” I could hear the defeat in my voice, and James’s expression told me he did too. We’d been friends for a long time, and he knew me too well. I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Something is clearly amiss here, Jaxon. So letting go now and giving up isn’t helping anyone.” I wanted to object. I wanted to argue with him, but I couldn’t find the words. I knew he was right, and I knew that’s what I was doing. Before I had to answer, the phone rang beside me.
SaraThe days were getting warmer, and the heat was doing nothing to help with stress and anxiety. I searched through the back cupboards to find the beer I was looking for. When I found it, I popped the top quickly and swallowed three Advil along with my first gulp. I closed my eyes and waited. I wanted the relief to be instantaneous. After a minute, I dragged myself out of the dark, damp liquor closet and back into the kitchen. Even with the air conditioning circling around the house, a steady stream of sweat trickled down my back.I sat at the bar counter and sipped my beer more gingerly. I glanced around the space, wondering how much longer I’d be able to enjoy time here… I closed my eyes and tried not to think about that as I drank. I lowered my head to touch the cool granite countertop and focused on my breath. I was startled to a jump when someone banged on the front door. I glanced towards the entryway and pictured Jayne standing there with her pursed lips. I groane
Jaxon It has been a long day with James–too long. My head swirled with too much information and too much skepticism. Nothing felt real or trustworthy. All of it only made me feel more desperate to get home to Sara. Thinking of her again set a different kind of knot in my stomach. Would she understand? Would she only feel more hurt and betrayed? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to hurt her anymore or upset her. But James was right: until we got rid of Cynthia and her plans, there was no happy future for me and Sara anymore.She looked contemplative, sitting on the bed. She looked like she had been in the same stiff position for a long time.I called out to her and she turned to look at me. There was a different sort of look in her eye, something I hadn’t seen before. It left me feeling uneasy. "You’ll never believe who stopped by," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around me. I savored the feeling and held her close to me, kissing her head softly. I could only imagine who c
SaraI sighed nervously and rubbed my sweaty palms on my jeans. It was an odd reaction to have; after all, I was just meeting up with my mom. Lots of girls did that on a daily basis.But, I suppose those girls didn't believe that their mother was dead for years. Or maybe it was accurate to say that those girls' mothers hadn't led them to believe that they'd been dead.I scowled. Despite my intentions, Jaxon's words had wormed their way into my mind. Probably because he was right: trusting my mother immediately was a bad idea, especially with the timing. I wanted so badly for Jaxon to be wrong but he very rarely was–at the very least, I could keep my guard up and look for red flags before pretending that our relationship was normal.I shook my thoughts away and climbed out of the car. Mom or Sloan, what was I even supposed to call her? Mom seemed too familiar, reserved for people who'd actually watched you grow up and guided you through life. Sloan… she was admittedly a stran
JaxonI sighed heavily and resisted the urge to bash my head into the desk. Even though I'd been at work for hours, I hadn't managed to actually get anything done.My mind was too preoccupied with everything else that was going on, it was hard to focus on work. The main thing that was distracting me was my anxiety about Sara. I couldn't shake the feeling that she would leave me.Not to mention the sudden reappearance of her long-dead mother. The whole thing was undeniably fishy but I didn't want to push too much with Sara in case I pushed her further away. She had shown a very strong desire to get to know Sloan, even if I didn't trust her.While it wasn't really wise, I couldn't blame Sara for her reaction. After the shitty life she'd had with her dad, I'm sure a chance at having a healthy and functional relationship with a parent was a dream. Spending time with Sloan was the only thing I'd seen make Sara happy since this all started."Jaxon?"I looked up in surprise. I