Obsessed: Part Two by Deborah Bladon

think."
    "Beautiful, I love you. I don't want to waste any more time away from you. You can't stay here. The air is so thick and hot. It's not good for you. Come and be with me." He scoops up a bead of sweat that is running down my forehead.
    "It's really too soon." I say it without any conviction.
    "According to who?" He gently pulls at the necklace reminding me of how tender and loving he is.
    "I need some time here to gather my stuff together." I search his face for some understanding. "I want to talk to Mrs. Adams too."
    "I understand." He stands. "I got a little ahead of myself. It's hard not to." He leans down and brushes his lips against my forehead.
    "I want to live with you," I whisper the words under my breath.
    "Why don't you take whatever time you need to get organized and I'll come get you when you're ready? Does that work for you?" He kneels in front of me now.
    "Yes, thank you." I kiss him softly before I wipe the sweat from his brow.
    "I'll get Leonard to bring over some floor fans." He winks. "I don't want to come back and find you melting."
    I laugh as I wrap my arms around his neck.
     
    ***
     
    "I'm going to move in with a friend." I hand Mrs. Adams a tall glass of water.
    "That makes me smile, dear." She reaches for the glass and I notice her hand trembling.
    "I'm going to really miss you." I know that I'm going to cry. "But I'll come back every Saturday to get your groceries and help you run errands."
    "I'd love that." Her eyes well with tears. "You've been like a daughter to me, Ivy."
    "You've helped me so much." I sob now, knowing that I'll miss her terribly. I'll miss the way she woke me too early in the morning to share mundane gossip with me and I'll miss the biting comments she throws at me when she thinks I'm being too flirty or risqué.
    "I worry about you." She pats me hand with her own. "I worry that you're going to have your heart broken again."
    "Not this time." I pull on the necklace so it's closer for her to see. "He gave me this."
    "Who did?" she's genuine with the question.
    "The hippie." I laugh.
    She bursts out laughing. "Rex did. He turned out to be a good boy after all."
    I smile at the fact that she can't remember Jax's name. "We worked through everything."
    "I hope he'll be your Mr. Adams." She reaches to touch my cheek. "You need that, dear."
    I press my palm over her hand. "I want that."

Chapter 15
     
    "I'm not sure what you said to him, but Jax's attorney called me this morning and said we're good to go with the contract exactly as you want it." Nathan motions for the waiter.
    "That's such great news." I smile at him before directing my attention to the young man who rushed over. "Just an iced tea would be great."
    "So, that's it. You're going to be part owner of Veray Jewelers. How does that feel?" He claps his hands together as a wide grin runs over his lips.
    "Promising and exciting," I say as I soak in the ambiance of the restaurant he chose for our celebratory lunch.
    "Have you been here before?" he leans his elbow on the table and scans his smartphone quickly.
    "No. This place is new for me, but I really like it." I was being genuine. It was earthy and casual. I liked the atmosphere and I could tell from the content looks on the other diners faces that the food was delicious too.
    "I did some digging." Nathan leans back again in his seat and crosses his legs.
    "What kind of digging?" I nod to the waiter as he places the large glass of iced tea with lemon down in front of me.
    "We'll need a few more minutes with the menu," he coolly says. "I'll let you know when we're ready."
    "Digging?" I repeat. My curiosity is definitely peaked at this point.
    "Remember that confusing comment you got wind of? Something about the fact that more than one person was trying to take over Mark's business?"
    "I already asked Jax about that. He said it was nothing." I take a long sip of the tea. It's welcome given that I walked here from my apartment and I'm feeling extra parched.
    "He said it