Chapter 4
Candy
The last thing that I wanted to do was talk to Jax, so when I went into the bedroom and he was laying down, I tried to leave as quietly as I came. I didn’t want to argue with him and he was going to be pissed about me catching a plane to spend the weekend with Colt. There was no way that Jax was going to let that happen and I wasn’t sure how the hell I was going to tell him about it. Maybe I could just leave a note…
“Candy, what’s going on?”
I stopped at the door and groaned out loud. The last thing that I wanted to do was to talk to him and he seemed to think that I had all the answers. I didn’t, but I was going to have to come up with something fast. He wanted me to tell him that everything was okay, but it wasn’t.
“I didn’t mean to wake you up baby. I just thought that I would talk to you a little bit.”
“Did you call him?”
I told him that I had, and he waited for more. I didn’t know if he was going to like the more, but I knew that I had to say something to him. I had to let him know that I wasn’t going to let this guy get the best of me, but at the moment, he had us over a barrel. Surely, he could see that this was all just a last-ditch effort on his part.
“Yeah, I did.”
“And…?”
The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t manage to get them out. I wanted to tell him the truth, but it was impossible for me to tell him the truth. He was never going to forgive me if I lied though…
“I have to go down there and meet with his lawyer. I don’t know what it’s all about, but I guess the guy has money and he wants to make sure that I don’t take it. I didn’t talk to him long, but hopefully we can get this all wrapped up this weekend and we will never have to think about him again. I don’t know who is going to come to round two with the wedding, but we can always just get the certificate. We already had a wedding after all.”
“I don’t know if that will work on the wedding part. We will see. On the idea of you going there, I don’t like it. I want to come with you to make sure that this guy isn’t going to take advantage of you.”
I told him that it wouldn’t be necessary.
“You have that client meeting and deposition on Saturday. You get the weekend rate. You’re not going to pass that up, you can’t. If you want to make partner…”
Jax waved me off and I could tell that he knew I was right, whether he wanted to admit it or not. I was rather afraid that he would insist. There was no way that I could stay the weekend with my husband, with my fiancée in tow. It didn’t even make sense and the more I tried to wrap my mind around it, the more impossible it all seemed. Why did Colt want to do this?
“I know, shit Candy. I just don’t like the idea of you there in Vegas by yourself. There is no telling who this guy is.”
I was offended by the way he was saying it. I know that I had messed up, but he didn’t need to take a tone with me that sounded like he was talking to a child. I knew that I’d made a mistake, but the last thing that I wanted to do was hear about it. I had ruined our wedding, I knew that, but I didn’t want him to act this way anymore. I wanted him to stop acting like he was never going to forgive me. It was getting old quick, and it had only been about a week. Jax wasn’t feeling so perfect anymore and I was thankful that I would get a few days away from him. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?
“He can’t be that bad. I will have Kelly run his name at work and see what comes up. You know that she won’t mind it. I will call her now and get the verdict.”
“So, you are really going to go through with this?”
I shook my head that I was.
“It’s the only way that we’re going to be able to get married. I know that it’s a pain, but it won’t be long at all. You’ll see. Everything will be back to normal before you know it and our lives will be back on track.”
He didn’t look so sure and I walked away as my smile fell. Why was I feeling so differently about Jax now? I knew that it wasn’t because of Colt, but it was hard not to see that things had changed rather dramatically the last few days. I was ready to get away from one man, even if it meant being around another. At least Colt wouldn’t make me feel bad. I was done with the guilt and rather looked forward to some freedom. Me and Jax had been hot and heavy for a year. It was time for a break from each other.
***
I packed up a few things out of the closet and avoided going back into the bedroom for a time. I know that I had to go back and face Jax, but it wasn't going to be easy and I wasn't too enthused to do it.
After getting out of the shower and changing into something more appropriate for travel, I went back into the bedroom to find Jax in about the same position as when I’d left him. I could tell it was bothering him, but I didn't know what to say to take away his nerves. This was something that he was going to have to wrap his head around, and the worst part was that he didn't even know the half of it. Just the little bit that I had told him had blew his mind and I just wanted to make sure that I didn't let anything else slip. It was already hard enough.
“I am going to miss you Jax.”
He opened his arms and I moved into them. I was going to miss this the most and I felt the guilt rack my body that I wasn't being completely truthful. I had never lied to him before and I didn't like that feeling at all.
“I'm going to miss you too, Candy, but this has to be done. When you come back, we can get married and start our lives together. I just don't want to lose you. In the middle of the wedding I wasn't even worried about all the people watching us, I was just worried about the fact that I wasn't going to have you as my bride. We should be on our honeymoon now, but we will get there after this weekend is over and everything is set. I know that the partners will have no problem letting me go.”
I agreed with him and told him that they would agree more if they knew that he was billing as many hours as he could until then. Jax was almost partner, but at the moment he was just like the rest of the associate, billing as many hours as he possibly could for the company. That was with the firm on it and I knew that Jax didn’t want to backtrack. It was bad enough that his boss was at the wedding and had seen it all.
“I can't wait for us to go on our honeymoon. I know that this is a nightmare for you, but I am going to go take care of it. Then we will never have to worry about him or anybody else again.”
He kissed me again before I left, and it was a lingering kiss that said more than his words had. The man may not be able to make me squirt, but he sure as hell tugged at my heart strings. He always knew the perfect thing to say and do. I left a lot lighter than when I had first entered the room. Jax somehow had me thinking that everything was going to be okay, even if that damn knot in my stomach was still present. I was going to ignore it this time around.