I rush out of my apartment before Ashton gets home or someone calls. I don’t want anyone to know where I’m going. No one will think this is a great idea—maybe it’s not—however it’s what I truly think will stop this. It’s time to be done with Neil and I know him better than most. He’s a chickenshit. He’ll give up because he’s driven by money and I have the upper hand. Gretchen is a fantastic lawyer, but this can’t go to court. People can’t know that not only did the CEO of Raven Cosmetics beat up a man, but that man is also my ex. It’ll destroy us both.
The drive over takes no time. His car is outside his house, which surprises me—I thought I’d have to wait for him. I take a deep breath and ready myself for whatever might happen. Hopefully, we’ll both come out of this unscathed.
Ringing the doorbell, I suddenly start to consider this is a mistake. Shit.
The door opens and Neil holds on to the door with his eyes narrowed. “Catherine, this is a surprise.”
I place my hands in my pockets and hold on to the rings. “We have some things to settle and discuss,” I say sternly. Luckily my voice doesn’t give any of my fear away.
“Do we?” he asks, curling his upper lip.
“Why are you doing this? Why would you want to continue this? You’ve moved on, why am I not allowed the same luxury?” I say emotionless. I’m trying to keep myself in check and to not let my own anger take over.
He pushes the door open and leans against the frame. “I don’t care if you move on. You have my things and I need them back. All of this could’ve been handled easily. I told you I needed to talk but you were being a bitch.”
Shoving down the anger threatening to spill over, I remember I’m trying to get him to go away and getting into a fight with him will only make matters worse. “Listen, I’m here to talk and handle all of it, but if you’d rather act like an asshole then I’ll go.”
I start to turn but he speaks up. “Wait, how do you think we can settle this?”
“I have no idea. That’s why I’m here. I want you to leave me alone. So what caused you to come to my apartment and assault me?” I raise my brow and step forward. I need him to see I’m not afraid. He left bruises and I can easily prove it, but I won’t play that card until I have to.
He gives a short bark of a laugh. “You’re confused, love. Your boyfriend broke my nose. I didn’t assault anyone.”
“Don’t call me ‘love.’” I say acidly. “Jackson only kicked your ass after you grabbed me,” I remind him and smile. “I’m not here to debate with you. I want to know what I have to do to get rid of you completely. Why are you doing this shit? We broke up. You made it abundantly clear you didn’t want me, so why all the theatrics?”
This is the part that keeps confusing me. Things ended, I moved on, I didn’t continue to make his life miserable even though I wanted to. Did I destroy some of his things? Yes, and I’d do it again. But something doesn’t add up.
Neil shifts forward with his hand in his pocket. “I need my ring back and I need the money you took from me.”
“Money? This is what made you come after me?” I ask looking at him wondering how all of this is over money.
He sighs and runs his hands through his hair and grasps his neck. “I need the ring and the money. If you give me that, I promise you’ll never see me again.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” I clip, infuriated. “If you need money why didn’t you ask your new girlfriend?” I ask and then cut him off before he can answer. “You know what? I don’t care. I don’t want your rings. I don’t want your money or anything to do with you. I’ll give you the rings back and you can sell them, wear them, or hell—give them to Piper. I don’t give a shit. I want you gone. I never want you to call me, text me, show up at my job, or anything. You’ll never have existed except in some horrific memory that I’ll do my best to forget.” I grab the rings in my hand. “Do we have a deal?”
Neil steps forward and drops his hands at his side. I can’t read him but he seems calm. “You have them?”
“I asked if you’ll go away if I give them to you. That means you drop this bullshit about coming after me or Jackson. It means you take them and you cease to exist in my life. No more calls, no lawyers, no more money … nothing. I loved you once. You owe me this.” I step toward him daring him to push me. I’ll take the rings and walk the hell out of here.
“I just need the money, Cat. I don’t care about anything else,” he says and looks at his feet.
“What kind of trouble are you in?” I don’t know why I care but my curiosity wins out.
He looks up at me and shakes his head. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
There’s a small part of me that feels for him—an extremely small part.
“Fine, here.” I hand him the rings and he grips them in his hand. “I mean it. We’re done in every sense of the word.” I turn without looking at him and get in my car.
I start the car and when I pull out, I give one last glance at the man who was my world for five years. The first person to ask me to be his wife. Of course he turned out to be the worst mistake, but for a while, I loved him. He’s still standing on his stoop staring at me. I fight the urge to wave, so I drive away leaving my past behind me.
I look at my phone and see I have two missed calls from Jackson.
Great.
I grab my phone and quickly call him back.
“Hey, babe,” I say trying to act nonchalant as a car honks past me while I try to silence my music.
“Hi,” Jackson replies with a hint of confusion. “Are you driving?”
“Yeah, I’ll tell you about it when I get back to your place. I’m stopping off at my apartment to grab a few things and I should be there in about an hour,” I explain hoping it mollifies him for the time being.
“I can’t wait to hear it. I called the office and Taylor said you left early and I should see you soon. I was getting worried since it’s been two hours and not a word,” Jackson’s gruff voice radiates concern.
“I promise I’ll explain everything when I get there. I love you,” I say as sweetly as I can.
“I’ll see you then. I love you, too,” Jackson says and then disconnects the call.
No matter what I tell him, the fallout is going to be bad, so I might as well get it over with. He wanted me to stay away from Neil, but I simply needed to handle this. Part of my job is to protect him and Raven, and if he were to get pulled into some assault drama with his publicist’s ex-boyfriend, it would get ugly real quick. I have to look at this like I was doing my job.
Now I need to convince Jackson of the same thing.
I get back to my apartment to drop off the car, and of course with my luck I turn and see Ashton is walking in the building at the same time. Seriously, my timing sucks.
“Cat?” Ashton asks with narrowed eyes.
“Hey,” I say and walk over to her, wrapping my arms around her. I’ve missed her, no matter what tongue-lashing’s about to come. I’m happy to see her.
She returns the hug and pulls back to look at me. “What are you doing here? I didn’t expect to see you. Is Jackson okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. I had something I needed to take care of,” I explain with the hope that she’ll let it drop.
Ashton cocks her head to the side weighing my words and somehow knowing I’m leaving something out. She’s always been able to read through my bullshit. I don’t know why I thought this time would be any different.
“Just ask me,” I say, exasperated by her staring.
“Right, spill it.” She crosses her arms and looks as if she has all the time in the world for me to explain.
“There’s nothing to spill,” I say and try to walk past her.
She grabs my wrist and stops me. “Cat, I’m not stupid. You have that look on your face. The one that says ‘Ashton is going to have my ass so I’ll pretend nothing’s going on.’ Plus, you wouldn’t leave work early just because you missed me.”
One day I’ll be unreadable. “I went to see Neil,” I say, waiting for the tirade. I know she’s going to blow any second.
“Are you dumb?” she asks deadpanned.
“I don’t think so, but I’m sure you and everyone else will disagree.” I stand there ready to defend myself.
Ashton releases a deep breath and starts to walk toward the elevator. “Well, I can’t wait to hear this argument then. Why did you go see the dickface?”
“I gave him the rings back and he agreed to leave us alone.”
She laughs and enters the doors. “Cat, do you really believe a word he says? He’s a fucking liar. I mean, come on! You can’t possibly trust a word that comes out of his mouth. I’m waiting for you to sell me on how you’re not stupid because what you just said sure as shit didn’t do it.”
Do I believe him? No, but then I do. There was gratitude in his eyes when he had the rings, and then there was the way he seemed almost … apologetic.
“I think he’s in trouble. He was home, on a random Thursday in the middle of the afternoon. Either he lost his job or something else. The sense of relief on his face when I handed him the rings, even he can’t fake. Maybe I’m dumb. Maybe I fucked up, but I can’t have him starting shit up with Jackson right before the launch. Do you get that?” I say frustrated that I need to explain my decisions to her. She doesn’t always make the best choices, but I don’t berate her.
“I do get that, but do you think going there was the best idea?”
“I think it was the only option I had.”
We make our way to the apartment without saying anything else. I think of how the hell I’m going to explain the same thing to Jackson without him blowing a gasket. If Jackson did it his way, who knows what would’ve happened. Neil was already looking at pressing charges if he couldn’t get me civilly. If I didn’t handle it, there would’ve been a press shitstorm. So I did what I thought would keep everything quiet and make it go away. Whether it was right or wrong … only time will tell.
We enter the apartment and finally her silence breaks. “What do Gretchen and Jackson think?” she asks and that’s where this brilliant plan of mine has the snag.
“I didn’t tell them yet.”
She stands there staring at me, opening and closing her mouth. Which I guess is better than hearing it. Although, the fact that I’ve rendered her speechless doesn’t really make me feel any better.
“Okay, I don’t really know what to say to that. Just … wow. For someone so fucking smart, and, Cat, you are so smart … you’re also the dumbest person I know.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “But, well, it’s done. Gretchen is going to be way worse than I am right now. So if I were you, I would prepare yourself for her. She’s going to kick your ass and I’m going to sit back and enjoy the show.” Ashton spills her feelings, ranging from frustration to excitement talking about how she’s going to enjoy my Gretchen-whipping.
“Well, I’m glad you’ll get some amusement from all of this.”
“The bigger question I have is do you think he’ll actually leave you alone?” Ashton asks in a soft tone.
I shake my head unsure of what to think. “I don’t know, but at this point I have nothing left of his. Plus, I didn’t want the rings—or need them. I don’t want anything he touched or that came from him. He’s completely out of my life.”
“I get that,” Ashton finally says as she puts her keys down and heads into the living room. “Sit, let’s talk. I feel like I haven’t seen you in weeks. Well, I guess I haven’t.”
“Wait. That’s all you’re going to say?” My voice is high and I’m shocked. This is very un-Ashton like.
She laughs and tucks her feet under her butt. “I get it. I would want to be rid of anything that was my ex’s. Was spending his money on the ring fun? Sure. But at the same rate, your job is to protect Jackson. You don’t come into my lab and tell me how to do my job. I’m not going to tell you how to do yours. I wish you would’ve let me go with you. Or told someone what you were up to.”
I smile and snuggle into her. “You’re such a good friend. If I brought you, it would’ve made him feel threatened. Plus, I really don’t think he’s violent. I think he’s in deep shit and is trying to find his way out. If he needs money, those two rings should effectively shut him up. Enough about Neil, what do you want to talk about? Mark?”
She slaps my leg and hops up, refusing to answer my question. After a minute, she returns with wine and two glasses. I open the bottle and Ashton launches into a long rant about her job. It’s great sitting and talking like we did when I was still staying here. I tell her about what my days are like, trying to catch up on the missed work and how Elle and I are still front-runners for the new position at CJJ.
“How’s Mark?” Ashton asks after a few minutes of silence.
The smile slowly forms across my face as Ashton pretends to pick lint off her pants. “Mark? Do you mean the adorable ex-SEAL who lives in Virginia?” I question, deciding to play coy.
“Oh, don’t be so stupid! And adorable isn’t the adjective I’d use for that piece of meat.”
I laugh so hard I’m clutching my stomach. “Meat? Oh my God, Ash. You’re a hot mess.”
“Bite me, twunt. Have you talked to him since you’ve been back?” Ashton’s entire demeanor shifts to being interested.
“You and that stupid word.” I giggle and take a sip of wine. “Jackson talks to him daily. Have you called him?”
She shifts around looking uncomfortable and grabs her glass. She wipes her finger around the rim while I wait for her to answer. “He’s called me a few times but I haven’t answered. He’s really hot, and I don’t know, like I said, he lives in Virginia and I’m not about to start chasing a long distance relationship.” Ashton looks up. Her eyes are probing me to give her answers.
I grab her glass and put it on the table. “Ash, you don’t know what the future holds any more than I do. Neither one of us is twenty-one anymore. Mark’s a good guy. He was there for me in Germany and we became good friends. I think he is about the only man in this world that could handle you. Plus, he really is hot.” I slap her arm and get up. It’s been over a half hour and I told Jackson I’d be back in an hour. Which already isn’t going to happen. “I gotta run.”
Ashton stands and pulls me in for a bone crushing hug, “I miss you. Tell your boyfriend to get his ass better so I can have my Biffle. Although, I wonder if he’ll return you.”
I laugh and hug her back. “I’ll be back. I don’t think we’re at that stage yet.”
“You tend to be a little behind on these things, my friend,” she says, throwing up a pillow so I can’t hit her.
“Why would anyone want to come back to this abuse?” I chide.
She scoffs. “You love it!” she yells as I start to walk away. “Don’t forget about me.”
“Like you’d ever let me,” I say as I close the door laughing.
Now time to deal with another headache. Hopefully he won’t be in too bad of a mood by the time I tell him this story.
“Jackson,” I call as I open the door into the apartment already bracing myself for what I’m sure is going to be one hell of a fight. Good thing he can’t really move around too much. At least I can run easily.
“In here!” he responds from the kitchen. Great. He’s around sharp objects.
I smile as I see the mess before me. He has noodles all over the stove, parts of what look like red peppers on the floor, and every ingredient you can name strewn around the counters. “Well, this looks interesting,” I say trying not to laugh.
“You try doing this with one arm and one leg. I have no idea if anything is edible, but it has to be better than the dog food that nurse you hired made for lunch.”
My smile doesn’t falter as I walk over and grip his cheeks and give him a kiss. He drops the item in his hand and grabs my neck refusing to let me end the kiss. Fine by me. I’ll kiss him all night if it delays the inevitable battle coming. Jackson releases me and looks at me skeptically.
“So, where were you?” he wastes no time in asking as he picks up the knife to continue whatever cooking mission he’s attempting.
I sigh and steel myself for his reaction. “I went to Neil’s to return the rings.”
The knife clangs against the counter and he lets out a deep menacing sound from his chest. “You’re fucking kidding me, right? Because you wouldn’t possibly go see the man who cheated on you, grabbed you, and basically stalked you for weeks.”
This is going well already.
I stand toe-to-toe with Jackson. I did what I needed to do. Whether he agrees with it or not, I don’t give a shit. I protect him the same way he protects me.
“Yes, I did. I gave him back the only thing left. It’s done. He’s out of our lives, and I expect we’ll hear from Gretchen soon that Neil’s backing off from his bullshit lawsuit.”
“I guess you’re not kidding! Goddammit, Catherine, I told you to stay away.”
“As your publicist, I needed to get rid of the threat to your company prior to your launch. If you think about all of this, he was playing a game he could win. He knows me, and my number one priority is Raven and you. So you can be an asshole or you can say thank you. Which by the way … you’re welcome,” I say, refusing to let him get a word in.
He gives a sarcastic laugh. “That’s not going to happen, babe. You shouldn’t have gone there.”
“Well, I did!” I throw my hands up in the air and they make a loud slap when they hit my leg. “You know you’re not the only one who gets to make decisions around here. I’m an equal in this relationship. I could’ve lied to you but I’m here listening to the shit I knew I was going to have to hear. I promised not to keep secrets from you.” My eyes narrow as I let him know how I’m not going to stand here idly and listen. “I’ll take my lumps because I believe you’re just an idiot who thinks he needs to keep me safe. But guess what, buddy?” I raise my brow. “I’ve been taking care of myself for twenty-nine years. I think I’ve done a damn good job so far. Have I screwed up? Sure.” I throw my hands up again. “God, you infuriate me.”
For a second he looks stunned and unsure of how to respond to my mini rant. He recovers quickly and wraps his arm around my waist pulling me close to him. I inhale his scent and gently place my hand on his chest. Looking up into his eyes I see him battling himself.
“I’m not happy,” he finally states while glaring at me.
“I don’t doubt that.”
“You shouldn’t have gone there.”
“I don’t agree,” I retort.
Jackson takes a deep breath and breaks from our staring contest. “You drive me insane.”
I shrug and kiss his chest. “You’re not the first person to feel that way. I did what I felt was right. It needed to be done.” I turn my head and listen to his heartbeat waiting for him respond.
“And what if something happened to you? What if he hurt you? I would’ve been here, not knowing where you were or what stupid plan you had. When you were hurt or God knows what, how would I deal with that?” he says as I hear his heart accelerate either in anger or fear.
Leaning out of his embrace, I look at him, willing him to look at me. I’m not weak, and while a part of me understands his apprehension, he can’t deem me incapable of taking care of myself. When he finally looks over, I smile softly and try to explain more calmly. “You’re in the middle of a rather large product launch. You were shot. You lost your best friend on top of a slew of other things. I understand your need to protect me … most of the time it turns me on.” I wink and try to ease the tension. Jackson smiles and I continue. “But … and this is a big but … you can’t. I’m going to handle things the way I think is best. It might be wrong and I’m going to make mistakes, but I’m allowed to make them. Now, cook me dinner while I go shower.”
“This is ridiculous. I asked you to stay away from him. You won’t make me out to be the bad guy here.”
He’s pissed and to a point I understand that, but this isn’t about him. “I won’t let you make demands, and I’m also not the kind of girl who’s going to be obedient. You should know this by now.”
“I’m not asking you to obey me, Catherine. I’m asking you to fucking stay away from a piece of shit who bruised you. An asshole who I got in a fistfight with because he put his hands on you. The same bastard who then wanted to come after us.” Jackson runs his hand down his face and his chest is heaving.
“I understand you’re not happy. I’m not asking you to understand. I’m telling you it’s done. He’s out of our lives.”
He gives a cynical laugh. “I’m assuming he told you that? Because he’s a real trustworthy guy, right? When he files charges now and we have no rings as a bargaining chip … then what?”
I draw whatever strength I have left, between Ashton earlier and now Jackson. Besides the fact that I also dealt with Neil, I haven’t slept in what feels like a year, and the launch is in a few days—I’m running on a limited supply of patience.
“I love you, but I’m done talking. I need a shower, a nap, and for you to trust me. Do you trust me, Jackson?”
“Of course I do.” The exasperation in his voice is clear.
“Do you trust me as your publicist? Do you trust me to do my job?” I ask because I need him to see the two correlate.
“I wouldn’t have hired you if I didn’t think you were good at your job.” Jackson hesitates, as he seems to see where I’m leading him.
“Good, then let me handle it. Now, I’m going to get naked.” I smile and saunter out of the kitchen.
I glance over my shoulder and drop my shirt and bra on the floor while he stares at me.
“Not fair.”
“You could always join me.” I turn standing before him in a skirt, half naked as he drinks me in.
Jackson groans and slowly maneuvers his way to me. “You’re going to be the death of me, woman.”
My lips turn up. “I think you’re stronger than that. Come on and show me just how far I can push you before you break.”