His phone rang on the table. I groaned when I saw Sasha’s face on the screen. Sometimes days went by when I forgot her existence. It seemed like as soon as I got used to her, I was reminded how breathtakingly beautiful and smart she was. Every time she called or texted I had to accept she was still Jeremy’s business partner. They were in touch regularly. They worked side by side. But something wasn’t right between them.
Why did she have to call on a Sunday morning? What could possibly be happening in the baseball world that required Jeremy? Couldn’t she handle a weekend without him?
I groaned and charged up the stairs with his phone.
“It’s Sasha.”
He was brushing his teeth. He looked confused, spit in the sink, and answered the phone.
“Yeah. What’s going on?”
I studied his face while he listened to Sasha. The deep crease formed between his eyebrows. Something was wrong.
“No. No.” He shook his head. “I can be there…” He looked at his watch. “…four hours, Sasha. Just tell him to not make any decisions until I can meet with him. Book us a table at Cipriani.”
He hung up. He exhaled an angry puff of air. “We need to go now.”
“What’s wrong? What happened?” I followed him into the bedroom. He started throwing clothes into his suitcase.
“We can call your parents on the way to the airport. Tell them it’s my fault we have to leave without stopping by the house.”
“Are you going to tell me why?” I folded my arms in front of my chest. I hadn’t realized until now just how tender my breasts were.
“The Sportsman’s Ball was last night.”
“Right. You said Sasha could handle it.”
He tossed his tux shoes from last night on top of his dirty clothes. “I thought she could.”
“But something happened?”
“Johnny Stepp was there.”
I winced. I was probably supposed to know who that was.
“He’s my fucking shadow. Snatching up my investors when I’m not looking. He’ll pay to get them out of contracts. He wants my team. And he’s willing to do anything to get it.”
“Johnny Stepp stole one of your investors last night?”
Jeremy zipped the side of his suitcase and set it down so the wheels rested on the hardwood.
“He thinks he did. But I’m going to sit down with Victor and I’ll bring him back on board. Can you get dressed so we can go? I’ll call the pilot while you get ready.”
“Sasha can’t do this for you?” I squeaked. I wasn’t ready to rush out of Newton Hills. I still hadn’t labeled the last of the boxes. I hadn’t gone through my clothes. I had a list of things I wanted to finish before we left.
“I’ve neglected Scout too long. I’ve spent too much time away from the company. This is my fault. I should have been there. I should have been at the ball last night and this wouldn’t have happened.”
My stomach flipped with nausea.
“I’ve lost three investors this month. Three. That’s more than I’ve lost in the past five years.” He lifted the bag and headed for the stairs in the hall. “Five minutes, ok?”
I nodded. There was nothing I could say. I didn’t know how to bring him back to this moment. Back to the softness of our happy news. Back to the love and warmth we had made in my bed. Back to planning my move. Planning our life. Talking about our baby.
I sat on the bed. I didn’t want to believe for one second that he could flip the switch so easily. That now I was pregnant, his mission was accomplished and he could focus on something else. That wasn’t the Jeremy I had fallen
in love with.
That wasn’t the man who was the father of my baby. I wiped a stray tear from my eye.