Chapter Twenty-Four
“Ireally need you to come to the warehouse,” Carlos grunts into the phone. “Grenado and Sam Hernandez will be here in thirty minutes. You’ll only have to leave her for two hours max.”
Shit, shit, shit. He’s right, and I know he is. Grenado will be pissed if I’m not there, showing my face to our potential new partner.
“Why was I not aware until this morning that this meeting was taking place?” I demand into the phone, eyeing Sara, who’s still sleeping peacefully in the bed. We’re finally on the right track, and here I am, having to break a fucking promise.
“I don’t know. I didn’t know about it either. Grenado sent me the same shit he did you, boss. I think he’s just doing what he does best—which is not giving a fuck about anyone’s schedules but his own.”
I nod, taking a deep breath. “I’ll just bring Sara along.”
“Why?”
“Because I told her that I wasn’t going to leave her here alone.”
“There are five fucking men plus the staff. She is not going to be alone. Just tell her you’ll be back in a couple of hours. She’ll be fine. It’s part of this life. You’re not going to be around her all the time.”
“Just shut the fuck up. It’s not like that.”
“No, it’s as if you fuckin’ kidnapped the girl,” he laughs, though his voice is devoid of any humor. “And it can’t replace the fact that we have business to attend to. That’s just the way it is, boss.”
“Alright, alright,” I stop him from going off on me anymore. “I’ll talk to her, and one way or another, I’ll see you in half an hour. Okay?”
“Good plan. I’ll see you then, boss.”
I sigh and hang up the phone. Sara has finally seemed to settle down, and I had the privilege of holding her all night. I don’t want to do anything to fuck that up, so if she has to come along to the meeting then, well, so be it. I’ll just have to prove to the men that she’s not a weakness, but an asset of some sort…
“Aiden?” Sara’s groggy voice draws me out of my thoughts.
I glance down at her, my phone still in my hand.
“Good morning.” I keep my voice light and set the phone down on the nightstand. I roll up my dress shirt sleeves to my elbow, opting to go for a more casual look today. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”
“It’s okay.” She eyes me, her voice hesitant. “Were you on the phone?”
I nod, my stomach tightening. I take a seat on the edge of the bed and give her a half-smile. “I was, yes. I wasn’t aware that there was a big meeting today. I have to go to it this morning, but I thought maybe you could come along.” I wait with bated breath for her to get angry with me, but instead her brows furrow.
“If you’re the boss, how can you have a meeting that you were unaware of? Wouldn’t you be the one who calls the meetings?”
Chuckling, I shake my head. “Yes, maybe when it comes to my own business or territory, but this is a meeting with Grenado and another investor. I didn’t know about it.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“Yeah, so you’re going to have to dress in some of the designer clothing I got for you, and I’ll introduce you as my partner—”
Sara cuts me off. “Why don’t you just go without me?”
“I told you I’d spend the next few days with you, and I’m not going to fumble that promise, Sara,” I say, my tone turning stern. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep your trust. I don’t want to mess up what we have going.”
Her eyes hold mine for what feels like an intense couple of minutes. “I don’t really want to go…” Sara’s voice trails off. “So, I’ll let you have a pass on this one. I’d rather stay here. Maybe you could get me the recipe for the brownies? I can make them while you’re gone.”
“Sure.” Disappointment fills my chest, but I ignore it. It’s not as if I want to parade her in front of two cartel members, but at the same time, I wasn’t expecting her to let me off so easily.
Her hand lands on my knee. “It’ll just be a few hours, right?”
I nod. “I don’t think it’ll take any longer than that, no. I’ll come straight home to you, I promise.” I feel oddly like a husband as the words leave my lips, and I realize that’s maybe what I’ve wanted to be to Sara since I met her.
Her husband.
I grab her hand, toying with her left ring finger. I don’t mention it because I don’t want to scare her off again, but it’ll happen. I’ll put a ring there whether she wants it or not. But she’ll want it. I know she will.
“I promise, I’ll be fine,” Sara says softly, intertwining her fingers with mine. “It’s not a big deal. You can tell me all about your meeting when you get back.”
Leaning forward, I plant a kiss on the side of her head. “Deal. I’ll see you when I get back then. Be a good girl.”
She looks me dead in the eye. “I will.”