Fighting for Love (Second Chances #4)(74)
“Does she know you’re taking her away?” I asked.
The distance between us was already too much, and she was just in the building beside me. I couldn’t imagine how it was going to be when she’d be across the country, for however long Jace kept her out there.
Jace shut his car door and sighed. “No, she doesn’t know yet. I thought I would surprise her. She’s always wanted to visit the East coast, so I figured it would be the perfect time.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“A few weeks,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I guess it all depends on her and how long she wants to stay gone.”
“Just make sure you don’t let her have too much fun,” I replied with a sad smile. “I don’t want her to not want to come back.”
Jace chuckled and shook his head. “She’ll be okay, Matt. As much fun as I know she’ll have, I’m pretty sure she’ll want to come home.”
He patted me on the back and strolled back toward the hospital entrance. All I had to do now was wait for the right time to get Shelby back. My life was a constant battle, a fight to earn respect, a fight to make ends meet, but never have I had to fight for love. Fighting for someone’s heart was a lot harder than fighting for a title.
EVER SINCE I GOT BACK from the hospital, everyone had been walking on eggshells the entire time as if I’d break. Matt’s name hadn’t been mentioned and it was as if nothing had happened. I hadn’t talked to him since he left the hospital, and it took everything I had not to text him to make sure he was all right.
My head was still sore from where I hit it, but at least my stitches were hidden underneath my hair. I spent one day doped up on pain meds so I could sleep the hours away in preparation for working long hours on the article I had to get done.
When my boss found out what happened, he had two dozen chocolate strawberries delivered to the house and told me to stay put until I was ready to come back. Over the past six years I’d worked for him, I had accrued over four months of vacation and I was told to use at least a month of that.
In other words, I was banned from the Physique building until I used up my month. That month was going to be spent in North Carolina at the Outer Banks while Jace continued on with his filming. It was going to be interesting to watch him be someone else on screen while he worked. There was even the possibility of me being an extra in one of the scenes; although, I had a feeling Jace told me that just so I’d agree to go with him.
However, I couldn’t take any of that vacation until I finished my article. Once my drug-induced high subsided, I worked nonstop on it, only leaving my room when I needed food, just so I could get it done in time. It had been suggested that I not write it considering the sensitive subject matter, but I had never been more ready to write an article in my life. Matt was a great athlete and he worked hard; I wasn’t going to let him down.
As I typed the closing sentence to Matt’s article and saved it, I had one more button to push before it ended up in Bryan’s inbox to be read, edited, and formatted for print.
“Will you stop hovering over that button and push it? I’d like to go out to eat at some point, Shels. We have some celebrating to do,” Jace exclaimed, clapping his hands in hopes it’d make me move faster.
Gazing at him over my computer screen, my eyes went wide and I whistled. “Wow, you’re looking pretty hot tonight. Do you have a special date?” I asked, giving him a wink. Getting back to my usual self was the only way I could get my friends to act normal around me; hence, the joking around.
Dressed in a gray suit along with a blue tie that matched the color of his eyes—and his blond hair in messy spikes—he stood in my doorway with one hand in his jacket pocket and the other one leaning against the frame.
“Yes, but I’ll have to cancel our date if you don’t hurry. You’ve been sitting there staring at your screen for the past hour. Everyone’s waiting on us,” he scolded playfully.
When I told Jace I’d have the article finished by today, he made sure to get our friends together for a big night of celebrating, starting with an amazing dinner at Romera’s. Lexi and I went shopping together and I bought a plum colored, floor-length evening gown with a high neck and open back just for the occasion with a pair of three inch silver heels. Now that Lexi was pregnant she ditched her stilettos for flats and picked out a really cute, flowing black gown that she absolutely radiated in. She had a glow and it looked good on her.
The night was supposed to be for friends and family only, but apparently, Hayley and Josh wanted to join, even though mine and Hayley’s friendship was still unsettled. I was told by both Lexi and Jace that she was trying to make an effort so I had to at least give her the benefit of the doubt, and on top of that, I promised Lexi I would work on fixing things with her sister.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and let it out slowly before rising to my feet. If I didn’t stand and make some movement to get away from my laptop, I knew I never would. “Okay, I think I’m ready to do this,” I told him.
Jace strolled over to me and squeezed me around the waist from behind. “You’ve got this, babe. The article is amazing. Now hit the button so we can go.” He kissed me on the cheek and released me. “I’ll get your coat and wait for you in the living room. It’s kind of chilly outside tonight.”