We flew into the San Francisco airport. I had gotten a room for us at the Four Seasons. We had plans to attend the Hard Limits BDSM club I was a member of tonight. They had a few locations in select cities throughout the country, and San Fran was one of them.

Avery had seemed a bit off all day today. It was disappointing—it was our last day together for a while and at this point, I wasn’t sure how long that would be—but it mostly worried me.

She’d put her hand on her stomach more than once, and I couldn’t tell if it was anxiety or something else. She’d avoided direct answers to my questions about it, and now that we were at the hotel, I was going to get to the bottom of it.

We walked into the Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons, and for the first time that day I saw her eyes light up.

“Wow, Caden, this is beautiful!” She moved into the living room and immediately stood before the windows affording a sweeping view of the Yerba Buena Gardens and South Market neighborhood.

I joined her at the windows and put my arm around her waist. “One of my favorite hotels for that very reason.”

“Have you been here often?” she asked, her brow creased.

“Just a few times on business, but San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the US.”

“I like it here, too,” and she smiled the first genuine smile I’d seen all day.

I didn’t want to ruin the moment, but I also wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on with her today, and at this point, I was considering canceling our reservation at the club. I didn’t want her closed off emotionally the first time we visited a BDSM club, and at this point, that’s exactly what she was.

“Come sit with me,” I put my hand on her lower back and guided her to the couch, pressing her down, and taking her hands in mine. “What’s going on with you? And don’t tell me it’s nothing,” I demanded.

She swallowed and brushed her palms together.

“Face me.” It came out more like a growl, but I wanted her to know I meant business.

“Are we officially ‘on’? She asked, her lips turned up ever so slightly.

“If that’s what it takes, yes.”

Her eyes flew to mine. “Okay,” she agreed. “I’m just going to regurgitate, so don’t interrupt me.”

I nodded.

“I think it’s a combination of things. I left Cocky behind with your friend, which I agreed to do and in light of the schedule I’ll have once back from vacation, it’s absolutely the right thing to do.” A smile softened her face. “It’s so sweet to see Cocky with your friend’s kids, and gosh, who would have guessed he’d be so good with them. I even love that they’re calling him ‘Cocker’ instead of Cocky. I think he actually loves the name.” She licks her lips and takes a deep breath.

“Next, I have a big IP case that I’m starting tomorrow,” she glances at me.

I nod, encouraging her to continue—regurgitating. Interesting choice of words, but I remain silent. “And I’ve let my mind go there today even though I shouldn’t,” she admits. “I’m trying to push it out of my head, and leave it for tomorrow, but it appears the TM holder that we’re suing went a bit off the deep end in her social media over the weekend. Truthfully, I can’t believe her attorneys are not reining her in. There’s more than one moving part, likely more than one lawsuit involved, and it’s going to be complicated beyond the legal components. Typically an IP case is fairly black and white but this one will be anything but.” She looks at me to confirm I’m following her, and I nod. “Truthfully, the legal opinion appears to support that the TM should never have been granted, which one would think would make my job easier, but in reality, the burden of proof is still on me to prove it.”

Avery seeks my eyes again and I make sure she knows she has them. They haven’t left her face.

“I don’t tend to get emotionally involved in my cases—ever—but this one has been different and I’m not sure what to do about it. At first glance, I partially respected the fact that the TM holder was able to get a TM for what she did. Honestly, IP law does not support the decision she’s been granted, in my opinion.”

I bite my lip to keep the smile off my face. She’s so adorable when she’s in lawyer mode.

“But now, in light of new evidence, clearly provided by the TM holder, I think this is going to be a long and emotional battle. In some cases, holders will back off when they, and their attorneys, clearly see that the TM was granted in error and is likely to be revoked. In this case, however, there’s a bigger issue, and it’s wrapped up in ego, and it’s not going to be pretty. It already isn’t pretty and people are being harmed by the TM and external factors.”

“Next, I’m sad,” she admits, tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m really sad our weekend is coming to an end.”

Tears slowly make their way down her cheeks. I take her hands in mine but just listen.

“I don’t want it to end,” she admits, holding back a sob.

If I were honest with myself, I’d have to say I’m surprised at the level of vulnerability she’s admitting. It worries me and makes my heart soar all at the same time.

“I’m worried about how we’ll make this work,” she whispers after a brief pause, “and I really want it to,” she assures me, her tear-filled eyes back on mine.

“Me too, babe,” I assure her, breaking my silence.

“Last but not least,” she admits, “I’m a tiny bit nervous about tonight but mostly really excited.”

The light comes back into her eyes and she squeezes my hands. I realize the one thing I thought we needed to scrap in our night might be the one thing she really needs.

“You can speak now,” she tells me and I reward her with a smile, and then pull her into my side, holding her tight.

When I do, I can feel that she’s shivering slightly, and it worries me. She’s kept this from me, and she has to learn that she can’t. Not anymore. I debate while holding her, uncertain if I should do a test run with her right now to distract her and help her let off some steam, or just comfort her.

“Do we have time for some play?” she asks, her voice hesitant.

That’s my girl.