He took her hand in his and led her over to the bed, where they sat down.
“Tell me what happened back then. I want us to move on, but I need all the information.”
She let out a shaky breath.
“I left the tour and went back home. I thought it was best, but I was so depressed, so sad, and felt even more alone than I did on tour. I could barely function, and that’s when I met…”
Jake nodded in understanding. That started the downfall of everything from then on out. Charles came into her life and made her feel good. He helped pull her out of the depression, so she clung to him.
He could be there for her whenever she needed, and Jake couldn’t. His schedule kept them apart.
“That’s when he swooped in and made you feel like a queen.”
Claire nodded.
“And you’re scared it’ll all happen again.”
She nodded again.
Jake let out a long breath and sat on the edge of the bed, dropping his head into his hands. “I feel like it’s all my fault.”
“Why would you think that?”
“If I had found time to talk to you, or to come see you after you left, maybe you would have come back. Maybe you would have never wound up with that asshole. You wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
The bed dipped as she scooted closer to him. “Why didn’t you?”
He sat up and turned toward her. “I was hurt. I didn’t understand why you left without saying goodbye. You just… disappeared. I didn’t think you wanted to see me.”
They sat in silence for a moment.
He took her hands in his and smoothed his thumbs over her knuckles.
“Claire, I want to be with you. I don’t want to lose you again.”
When she was about to speak, he pressed a finger to her lips.
“Yes, you’re pregnant. I know.”
She giggled.
He moved his fingers to her cheek and stroked it.
“I’m in love with you. And the baby is a part of you. Therefore, I love her as much as I love her mommy.”
“Her?”
He shrugged. “Just a hunch.”
She stroked her hand over his cheek and jaw. “I love your hunches, and I love you.”
Jake leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.
19
The next few weeks went by in a blur. Jake stayed by Claire’s side through everything. He attended the doctor's appointments as if the baby was his own. She finally let go of the fear that he might leave. He was all in.
Claire hadn’t received any communication from Charles. He stopped speaking with the tabloids and things had become quiet on that front. With the quiet, she began venturing out to the VIP section to watch the concert with an agreement from the security team.
