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ChapterTwenty-Three
I watchJenna sleep for hours, not knowing if this will be the last time I get to do so. I had to walk out of the bedroom a couple times to take calls from Philip, my publicist, and my sister. Since they have Google alerts set on me, they were notified right away when the first news article hit about tonight’s activities.
“This is a PR nightmare, Cal,” Liz whined after we all got on a conference call together. “You better pray Chase Wilson doesn’t press charges against you.”
“He won’t,” I tell them with confidence, because they don’t know the truth about Chase and that bastard now owes me.
“How are we spinning this, Cal?” Philip questioned and I needed a couple of minutes to think before I figured it out.
“He said something inappropriate about Jenna and I was defending her honor.”
“Okay, we can go with that but how do we explain Jenna being at the bar drunk?” Liz had me stumped there, because I didn’t know what we could say to explain it without revealing the truth and there was no fucking way that was happening.
“No comment. I’m hoping reporters are too intrigued as to why I punched Chase and not on Jenna being there in the first place.”
“Cal, is everything okay?” Bridget quietly interjected and my stomach started to feel queasy at the implication regarding the status of my relationship.
“No, it’s not, but I’m hopeful that it will be.” I changed the subject, not wanting to talk about Jenna anymore.
“It might be best if you left earlier tomorrow to avoid the media circus,” Philip suggested. “The plane is there already and can leave whenever you’re ready.”
“I’ll think about it,” I muttered. “I’m going to try to get some sleep. I’ll talk to you all tomorrow.” I hung up with them and came back into the bedroom to try to get some rest.
It’s now almost five in the morning and my mind won’t shut off, replaying everything Jenna said to me. I don’t know how we’re going to recover from this if she can’t learn to trust me. Even though not telling her was wrong, I don’t regret hiring Chase and having Robert help me behind her back. I would do it all over again if it meant keeping her safe and protecting her reputation. But I’m hurt that Jenna doesn’t want to fight for us. To me, this is just another bump in the road that we need time to work through, but unfortunately, time is not on our side. Maybe this trip comes at the perfect time. Maybe Jenna needs a break and even though that thought slashes my heart, it might just be for the best. It’s not that I don’t want to fight for us—I do—but I need a willing partner who wants to fight for us too.
And as of last night, Jenna doesn’t want to be that partner.
Sleep evades me so I decide to take Philip’s advice and leave early. I make the necessary calls to my pilot and driver and text Robert and Mason about my earlier departure. After everyone who needs to know has been notified, I get ready to leave. Once I’m dressed and ready, I stare at Jenna one more time while she sleeps. I lean down, kiss her forehead and whisper, “I love you,” in her ear. She doesn’t even stir, and I don’t bother waking her up. I can only pray she soon sees my good intentions behind everything I kept from her and forgives me. I exit the bedroom and look around one more time with deep regret, wishing things were different, but I can’t change the past. I can only live in the present and try for a better future. I grab my suitcase and the stuffed animal Avery wanted me to take along and leave half of my heart in that condo.
* * *
“I need your passport please, Mr. Harrington,” the flight attendant requests as she fills out the immigration paperwork for the flight. I reach into my travel bag and the pocket I keep it in is empty. I start to rummage through my bag, taking everything out, only to come up empty.
“Shit,” I mutter in disbelief. “Seems like I’ve left my passport at home.”
She winces and I can tell we’re not going anywhere now. “I’m sorry, sir, but we can’t enter Dubai without it.”
“I understand. Let me call my driver and I will run home to get it.” The flight attendant walks to the cockpit to inform the pilots of the delay and I call my driver, Marco, to come and get me.
“For fuck’s sake,” I mumble to myself in annoyance. I can’t believe I forgot one of the most important things I would need for an international flight, but with everything that happened last night, I’m not surprised.
Marco arrives within thirty minutes and whisks me back to the condo. It’s been two hours since I’ve left Jenna and I’m unsure if she’s awake or not. I pull out my phone and text Robert, telling him about needing to come back to get my passport and asking if Jenna’s awake.
Robert: I haven’t heard from her so not sure if she’s awake or if I’m even still employed by her.
I frown at this because I would hope that Jenna wouldn’t fire him. He was just trying to protect her as much as I was. She might have trust issues for a little while with him, but I pray she doesn’t do anything rash. She needs him just like he needs her. I start responding back to him when he sends me another message.
Robert: By the way, I had to tell her parents what happened because the local news covered the story about you punching Chase. They are still Team Cal…just like we all are. I’ll be at the pool with Avery if you want to come say goodbye to her again.
I smile at his words about being Team Cal and I definitely agree to get one more hug from my daughter before I take off again. We arrive within twenty minutes and Marco pulls up to the front circle of the building. I hop out, enter the building, and get in the elevator to head up.
My heart starts racing with adrenaline at the thought of seeing Jenna again. If she’s awake, I’m not sure what I’ll be walking into. She’s either up and will ignore me; awake and want to talk or will still be asleep. Part of me hopes she wants to talk things out before I leave, but another part doesn’t think I can handle her telling me again that we’re done, and she wants the remainder of my stuff packed up and sent to the hotel. The thought of her telling me that is a real possibility, and I can already feel a tidal wave of sadness wash over me.
The elevator stops and opens up on her floor. I walk out, each step I take filling me with dread as I get closer to her door. As soon as I’m in front of it, I take a deep breath and shield my heart, preparing for the worst.
I quietly unlock the door and slowly open it. I hear her voice and my body immediately reacts to the sound of her. I walk through the doorway and come to a halt. She’s on the phone talking to someone, but when she turns around and sees me, she freezes and the phone slips out of her hands. Tears spring to her eyes and before I can react, she launches herself at me. I stumble back in surprise while she wraps her arms around my torso and squeezes.
“You came back! Thank God, you came back!” Her voice is muffled by my chest and I’m so caught off guard by her response that I just stand there. I don’t know what to believe or how to act because this Jenna is a complete 180° from last night’s Jenna. My heart can’t handle being played like a fiddle any longer.
