Page 80 of Holding On

I should be done with my meetings by noon. I’ll call you as soon as I’m on my way home. Love you, Red.

Me

I saw the note you left on the pillow. Thanks for letting me sleep in. I can’t believe I get an entire day off from therapies! I might see if Cami wants to do some yoga or Allie and I talked about going to visit Cara at her bakery.

Jack

Sounds good, baby. If you leave the building, let Thor know. Also, does Allie think they’re hiding the fact they are dating? They’re terrible at it if they think they’re being stealthy.

Me

lol, I’m going to tell her you figured it out! She was convinced they were being sneaky. They’re cute. I think Thor’s a good guy, and he calls her elskan mín, which means my darling. Swoon!

Jack

I’ve heard him call her that, but you don’t need to be swooning that much over your bodyguard, Red.

Me

No one could ever make me swoon like you do, Jack. Not even close.

Jack

Good. Keep it that way. You’re mine.

Me

And you’re mine. Xoxo

Me

Have a good meeting. I’m hopping in the shower so I’ll talk to you after!

Jack

…Thanks for that image as I’m walking to a boring meeting.

Me

lol

Jack

Love you, baby.

Me

Love you too, Jack.

I take as deep of a breath as I’m able to these days and sigh like a schmuck in love. But I am. I’m completely besotted with the man—even if I’m not in love with how I can’t take a full deep breath, but the physical therapists tell me it takes time. Technically, the doctors said it’s typical to expect anywhere from four to eight weeks for rib injuries like mine to heal, but the fact that I had them previously injured, and somewhat recently, can make that timeframe a little longer or my healing a little more complicated.

Fucking Rick.

He’s like the asshole that keeps shitting on my life—even though he has fallen off the map. The local authorities in Chattanooga have so far been unable to locate him, which is odd because he doesn’t have that many places to be, unless he left the state of Tennessee, which at this point, I wouldn’t put anything past the man. His sudden disappearance and the timing with my mother’s death is more than suspicious, and the more time that goes by, the more questions the authorities seem to have. One detective, who was clearly trying to prove he was important, got aggressive on a phone call with me, and Jack nipped that in the bud real quick, demanding that all communication now go through my attorneys. We were trying to help them, but that detective was being an asshole just because he thought he could, or maybe because he made assumptions about me because of my career. People think that because I’m a celebrity, I have a certain opinion of myself or think I’m somehow special or better than others, and while there are definitely celebrities that deserve that assumption, that couldn’t be further from the core of who I am.

“It’s pretty convenient that after it’s been proven in the public forum that your stepfather and mother were complicit in years of abuse that both of them are just—poof—gone.”

I look to Jack with my eyebrows scrunched together. “I’m not sure what you’re implying, Detective. I had nothing to do with my mother’s death. She was my mother, sir. And I have no idea where Rick Wilson is, and if I did, I would tell you. I would never protect him in any capacity, let alone hide him from the authorities. Quite the opposite, in fact.”