When I woke up the next morning, the bed was empty. I started to freak out, remembering my confession last night. I thought he may have changed his mind, but then I remembered our sweet lovemaking and relaxed. I noticed there was a note on my pillow.
Have a great day! Can’t wait to have you all to myself for a couple days…
I Love you ~ Noah
I smiled and practically skipped to the kitchen. I regretted it almost immediately. Sitting like a fixture at the breakfast bar was Jackson. He took one look at me and cocked an eyebrow. “Morning, princess.”
Does this place have a revolving door or something? Didn’t Noah just have the locks changed?
“Morning… I’ll be right back.” Since I was only wearing a pair of boy-shorts and a tank top, I scurried back to the bedroom to put some more clothes on. I knew that he’d seen me in less at work, but here, it just felt wrong. I put on a pair of pajama bottoms and walked back to the kitchen.
“I should come here first thing in the morning more often,” he teased.
“I should wear clothes more often.”
“So, since Noah left already, I figured we could go grab breakfast or something. I figure we should get to know each other better since you’re dating my best friend.”
“Um, sure, let me go get changed. Again.”
I took a good look at what he was wearing so I could dress similar. I didn’t want to end up looking like an ass in case we ended up at some country club or something. He had on a pair of jeans, a long sleeved white polo shirt, and sneakers. I headed into the closet and picked out a black sweater, skinny jeans, and knee high black boots. I took a look in the mirror and ran a brush through my hair. I applied a quick coat of mascara and grabbed my new jacket from the closet; it was starting to get really cold in the mornings.
“I’m ready,” I said as I returned to the kitchen.
We went to the parking garage and he hit his key fob. Holy shit! In front of me was literally the most beautiful car I had ever seen. “What kind of car is that?” I practically drooled.
“It’s the 2012 Aston Martin Vanquish V12 Black Carbon Edition.”
“Okay, whatever all that means. She’s sexy. I think I’m in love.” I ran my hand along the hood.
“Hey, she’s taken,” he scolded. He opened the door for me. The inside was just as nice as the outside. The dash looked like something out of a James Bond movie. I wanted one! I kept my mouth shut because I knew if it got back to Noah, he would probably have one parked there when I got home.
“Do not tell Noah I said that.”
“Why? Are you afraid of what he’ll do if I do?” he asked.
“Yes. You know exactly what he’d do.”
“Unfortunately, I do.”
He slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, screeching the tires. He adeptly pulled into the morning Manhattan traffic. We headed to the other side of town to a retro diner and ordered breakfast. We talked about our meeting with his dad, sans the Chase part. Then he delved into the tough questions that I would expect from a protective best friend. I tried to explain my reasons for holding back. I told him how I felt about Noah. I said that I was apprehensive because I didn’t want us to cling to one another just because we had a past.
"Jules, you know that you and Noah are soul mates. You've known that your whole life. So many people wish they could have the opportunity to have a redo and you're getting that chance."
"I can't have kids."
"And? Noah already told me. You know what he said? He said it doesn't matter and that you're not even sure if you definitely can't. Only time will tell and you don't know what tomorrow will bring." It was quite philosophical coming from him.
When we were done with the heavy talk, he changed to a lighter subject. He went on to tell me about all the things he found confusing about life, which was a lot. He told me about his on again, off again thing with a girl named Lexi. He was enjoying sowing his wild oats and wasn’t sure he could commit to just her. We started joking around and I liked his carefree attitude. With Jackson, what you saw was what you got.
“Why do you think porn sites have a ‘share to Facebook’ button? Who watches porn and thinks ‘you know who would really like this? My family and friends.’ I mean, seriously.”
I nearly choked on my omelet. “I guess you never know. There might be one that needs sharing.” I laughed.
“Did Noah ever tell you about our trip to IKEA when we first got our apartment?” I shook my head no. “Well, I hid in one of the closet unit thingys and walked out saying ‘I’m from Narnia.’ Then, there was this other time I got really drunk at a party and harassed some kid with glasses and an accent because I thought he was Harry Potter. Who does that?” He scratched his head as if he were remembering.
Jackson was certainly amusing, and I could tell why he clicked with Noah. He would actually be perfect for Ellie. “Jackson, you should ask Ellie out. I swear you guys would be like two peas in a pod.”
“Yeah? Maybe I’ll ask her out sometime. So, tell me about this professor.” I cringed. I swear boys gossip worse than girls!
“I’m sure you already know his name. Chase Mitchell. We met during my sophomore year at Columbia. He was a doctoral student at the time. He was really good looking and we just kind of clicked. We dated for almost two years. By then, he had graduated and wanted to be closer to his family. His dad got really sick, so we decided to part ways. There were no hard feelings. We kept in touch and he visited a couple times. I honestly had no idea he was planning on coming back. He said he got the job right before the semester started. At the time, we didn’t know he would be my professor, but our relationship ended a long time ago.”
“So, I don’t need to worry about you hurting Noah?” he asked.
“Absolutely not,” I said vehemently.
“But you kissed Chase, yeah?” Ugh! Damn Noah…
“It was a goodbye kiss, nothing more!”
“No need to get all defensive, princess. I’m just stating the facts.”
“Sorry, I guess I’m just on edge lately. Things between Chase and I are in the past, and that is exactly where they are staying,” I said firmly.
“Glad to hear it. Are you excited to go upstate later? It’s a nice place.”
“I’m looking forward to getting away for a bit,” I admitted. “It will be nice to have some alone time with Noah.”
“Indeed.” He cocked an eyebrow. I felt my face heat up. I could only imagine what other personal information Noah allowed Jackson to be privy to.
Jackson paid for breakfast and offered to let me drive home. I practically tackled him for the keys.
“I have to take this,” I said to my dad. He had come down to the police station to straighten out the charges that stupid whore pressed.
I answered my phone. “Is it taken care of?” I asked.
“I’m working on it. She got the letter from the dean today. Are you sure this is what you want? It could end up backfiring on both of us.”
“Oh, I’m sure. I want Noah Sinclair, and I always get what I want.” My plan was brilliant. Luckily, I got a certain someone who wanted her just as much as I did to take the bait. Everyone had a price.
I walked out of the courtroom with a triumphant victory under my belt. Pulling my phone from my suit pocket, I dialed Jules and hoped she was faring okay after spending the morning with Jackson. He had a tendency for being all over the place and saying whatever popped into his head. I always told him that his brain to mouth filter was missing.
Walking out the revolving doors, I started making my back to the office. She answered on the third ring. “Hey, baby. I’m all done with court, but I have to go back to the office quick and to do some paperwork. I’ll be home in an hour or so. Do you want me to stop for anything before I get home?” I asked. I had driven to work today so I could stop and fill my gas tank before we left for upstate.
“I’m good. I’m actually out with Jackson right now. He let me drive his car!”
“Wow! He must really like you; no one drives his car.” I laughed.
“I guess we’ll head back now,” she said.
“See you soon.” I hung up the phone and ran across the street when the light changed. I quickly finished filing the proper papers and headed home.
Pulling into the condo, I parked next to Jackson’s Aston. I shook my head, thinking about how Jules probably wanted one now. Taking my briefcase out of the trunk I walked to the front of the building. I winked at Claire, the receptionist. She was old enough to be my grandmother. I knew she loved it, so I always indulged her.
I was getting impatient waiting for the elevator and almost opted for the stairs when the doors finally opened. When I walked in the door, I was surprised to see Ellie there, too. I thought I heard laughing. I quickly realized it Jules, crying hysterically. She was clinging to Jackson for dear life. As soon as I processed the scene, I rushed to her. I wanted to scold him for not calling me. Knowing Jules, she probably convinced him not to because she hated interfering with my work.
“What happened?” I asked. She let go of Jackson as soon as she saw me. I kneeled in front of her and wrapped my arms around her. She shook her head, letting me know that she couldn’t speak just yet.
I looked at Jackson. He should have called me regardless of what she said. “Don’t look at me like that. She got a phone call right after we got back. Whoever it was upset her. She started crying like this.” He gestured to her. “I told her I was going to call you and she freaked out, so I called Ellie.”
I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to the bedroom, leaving Jackson and Ellie behind. I placed her on the bed and took my jacket off, lying down next to her. She pressed her face into my neck.
“Shhh. Every thing’s okay, Jules. I’m here,” I whispered into her hair.
“No, it’s not.” She choked and handed me her phone. “She found me.”
She pulled up a voicemail, and I pressed play to listen. “Well, well, you can’t even answer the phone for your own mother. How long has it been, you little slut? I heard your whoring around has caused even more problems, as if it should come as a surprise. No one will ever want you for anything other than that Julia, ever.” The message ended. I had to refrain from calling that bitch back and giving her a piece of my mind. I knew that the façade Jules kept up of being tough as nails was faltering before me. She was breaking.
“I don’t know how she found me, Noah. How does she know what’s going on?” She sobbed.
“I don’t know, baby. We’ll figure it out. Let’s get you cleaned up and ready to leave.” I helped her into the bathroom and wiped the smeared mascara off her tearstained face. She asked me if she could be alone for a minute, and I reluctantly agreed.
“I’m going to go talk to Jackson and Ellie,” I told her. I walked into the living room and told them about the message. I thought Ellie was going to explode; she was so angry. She went on a wild tangent about how she couldn’t understand how a mother could act like that. I knew that Abigail Kline was an ice queen. For as long as I could remember, she treated Jules more like a nuisance than a child.
"Jackson can you call your Uncle Ethan?" He was an ex-FBI agent, turned private investigator, and he had an office here in the city. I wanted him to do some digging, call in some favors, whatever he had to so we could shed some light onto the situation.
Jackson put him on speaker and explained what happened. Ethan promised he would do what he could. He said that he was going to look into Chase as well. Jackson was going to go lend a hand, and Ellie agreed to help, too. I thanked both of them and went to get Jules. They yelled a good-bye to Jules and headed out the door.
After checking to make sure that everything was ready for our getaway, I hoped it would be a good distraction for her, especially with all the drama surrounding us. I held her hand as I carried our bags down to the Jeep. Opening her door, I helped her in and started toward the thruway.
She was very quiet for most of the trip. I didn’t want to press her since I knew she was trying to think things through in her head. I knew she would talk when she was ready. I also knew that Abigail got to her. When we were about three-quarters of the way there, she looked blankly out the window and spoke. “She’s right, you know.”
“What do you mean? You are not a whore, Jules. She’s a spiteful bitch! She has done nothing but use you as a pawn your entire life!”
“No, I’m not. But she’s right that no one is ever going to want me for just me. They’re just going to want me for my body. Even look at us,” she said.
“That’s not true. I like your body, but I love you. You have my heart in the palm of your hand. What you do with it is up to you, but it beats for you. I would like to remind you that you’re the one who wanted to keep it casual. If I had any say in it, we would be on a plane to Vegas right now. I mean it,” I told her.
“And what about all my hold ups? I’m just like her. I’m selfish. I come with enough baggage to fill a U-Haul, I can’t have kids, and my life’s ambition is to write for Rolling Stone. You have your shit together, Noah. You’re a lawyer. You come from a normal family. You’re everything I’m not,” she said sadly.
“You are the most unselfish person I know. They say opposites attract, but I think you forget how much we have in common. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you the baby thing isn’t a deal breaker. We’ll go see Melissa when we get back or maybe I can convince them to come up over the weekend. Either way, I want you! What can I do to make you see that?” I asked.
She started crying and I wanted to punch myself for pushing her when she was already upset. Then something occurred to me. It was a missing piece to the puzzle. I remembered when I went to visit her after she moved. It was during spring break. Her school was closed for breaks and holidays and students had to go home. I wanted to surprise her since every time I’d tried calling her, it was like my number was blocked. When I showed up, Abigail told me she was away with a new boyfriend. She had probably still been in the hospital, recovering from losing our baby. Needless to say, when I’d left, I was devastated beyond comprehension. I had specifically chosen Fordham University just so I could be closer to her.
I hated Abigail more than ever now, but I needed to snap Jules out of her self-loathing. “Do you love me, Jules? I mean really love me?” I asked.
“I think I do, but I don’t know if I’m confusing my feelings. I’m scared, Noah.”
“Without over thinking it, what does your heart tell you?”
“That I love you,” she whispered.
“Then take the gloves off and quit fighting it. Just let it happen. Let me in,” I pleaded. “I had no idea what actually happened when I came to visit you. I do now. She told me you were away on spring break with a new boyfriend. I was devastated. Honestly, I didn’t date for a long time after I found out. Ask Jackson. I was a recluse when I started school. Eventually, even when I started dating again, I felt the same way you do right now. I was scared shitless. I had a couple girlfriends before Carrie, but nothing serious. I forced myself to move on, and it fucking killed me. Carrie had to push me for a long time to marry her. I relented because I thought it was the next step. I almost made the biggest mistake of my life. I never thought there was a possibility of us again. I figured you had moved on with your life without me and that I should do the same. I thought you would probably be married or something by now, because any man lucky enough to have you should know enough to cherish you.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s always been you, Jules. Since I was eight years old and I saw you on that damn swing. You’ve managed to overcome so much, and you had to do it mostly on your own. I’m sorry for that, but I’m here now,” I told her. “I shouldn’t have given up so easily, but I want a second chance to prove to you that we belong together. I love you.”
She started crying harder. I remembered that day like it was yesterday, the day my life changed forever. The day I met my little blonde haired angel.
“I’ll try,” she said, “but you’re probably going to regret it. Especially since the hearing hasn’t even happened yet. There’s a possibility it could land in the press. If they connect us, it could be detrimental for your career.”
“Let me worry about my career and you focus on getting through the end of the semester. I’ll make sure everything is okay,” I vowed.
“You always do.”
The GPS announced our arrival as I pulled up to the gate and pressed in the code. The gates opened and we headed down the tree-lined drive up to a massive stone house.