I wanted to call Jenna and see if she knew where Jack had gone, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I wasn’t prepared for an answer that would destroy me, so I took the coward’s way out and sat and waited and wondered.

***

I was on the phone in the kitchen with Sienna when Jack finally walked in. I watched for some sign of what he was thinking as he walked silently to me, but his face wasn’t giving away a thing.

“Where have you been?” I asked quietly. My lip quivered, but I was determined to hold my tears at bay.

“We need to talk.” Jack stood a few feet in front of me, his head looking down as he ran his fingers through his hair, a telltale sign of his stress.

“Okay.” I watched him intently, waiting for him to look up at me.

Jack took a deep breath and exhaled loudly before his beautiful green eyes looked up at me. He walked to me and lifted me up, seating me on the kitchen island so that I was at eye level with him.

“You’re off the tour.”

I don’t know what I expected him to say, but it wasn’t that. “What are you talking about? I only took a week’s leave.”

“I pulled the funding for the tour, made a few calls, and you’re off the tour.”

My mouth dropped open as I stared at him in confusion.

“Hear me out, Syd, before you say anything.”

I forced my gaping mouth closed and shook my head.

“I tried, but I can’t do it. I know you needed to follow your dreams before you could settle down, so I gave you space, Syd. I really tried. But I’m done. If you leave me because of it, I’ll understand, but you are not going back on that tour with him like nothing happened.”

Jack watched my reaction for a moment before continuing.

“They’re going to revamp the tour to smaller venues and Kyle is going to tour with Sienna.”

“Kyle is Justin’s brother. He isn’t going to want to do that to his brother.”

“It was Kyle’s idea.”

My eyes widened at Jack’s statement.

“But….”

“Sienna and I told Kyle everything that happened. He knew the tour was over for Justin and nothing he was going to say or do would change that. I made that perfectly clear from the start. So it didn’t take him long to warm to the idea of finishing up with Sienna. Plus, he’s almost as pissed at his brother as Sienna is. And that woman is on fire.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but shut it, realizing I was speechless for a moment.

“I spoke to Ryan. She has two labels interested in signing you and Sienna. I told her to take the best deal she can with the stipulation that you will record in New York.”

Jack reached out and stroked my cheek as he spoke. “I’m done with you not being in our bed, Syd.”

Jack looked into my eyes, searching for something. Then he nodded as if he had found what he was looking for. “I know it’s not how you planned it, Syd, and I’m asking you to give up a lot. So … I’m giving up something for you.”

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

“I sold Cole Productions to Jenna today.”

“Why?”

Jack’s face untensed slightly, and I saw a hint of a small smile before he spoke. “I’m asking you to give up something I don’t like, so I gave up something that you don’t like.”

“But you didn’t have to do that for me?” My voice came out as barely a whisper and with more of a question than a statement.

“Yes, I did. Jenna has wanted to be a partner for the last few years anyway. I didn’t think you would like that option.” Jack raised an eyebrow and I couldn’t help but smile at his cockiness.

I smirked back at him. “No, that wouldn’t have been a good option.”

“And the hotels need a lot more of my time anyway, with my father gone.” Jack’s confident voice trailed off at the mention of his father.

I reached out and took Jack’s hand in mine. A silent declaration of my support.

Jack stared down at our joined hands for a moment before looking up at me, his eyes locking with mine. “I learned something from my father’s death. No more playing games. I’m done with being patient. You’re mine, Syd. I love you so much that I’d rather you leave me because I cut off the tour than have you stay with me and be out on tour and not be safe. There’s just no other choice for me.”

It was in that moment that I knew he was right, there was no other choice for me either. “I couldn’t love you any more than I do right now.”

I watched as the tension in Jack’s face washed away. The vulnerability I had rarely seen in his beautiful eyes was replaced by something much more familiar. Jack leaned in and gently kissed my lips, a sweet, gentle, soulful kiss that I felt in my heart. He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine. “One last thing, babe.”

“Mmmm?”

“Justin’s going to pay for what he did to you.” Jack gently stroked the side of my face, where my dark bruise was a reminder of what I had endured. “We’ll talk about whether you press charges or not. But either way I’m still kicking his ass.”

I closed my eyes and thought for moment. “Is it my turn to give you my demands yet?”

Jack pulled his face back slightly. “Whatever you need.” He spoke with sincerity.

I tried to hide my smile, but a small smirk couldn’t help but shine through. “Take me to bed, Mr. Cole.”

I didn’t have to ask twice.

***

I never thought the best day of my life would come the day after the worst day of my life. But I’d go through the worst day a hundred times just to hear Jack tell me that he’d give me up before he would let me be unsafe. I thought I knew what true love was, but I didn’t. Not until the moment that Jack taught me what it was.

Chapter 20

Five months earlier

“Can I get you something to drink?”

I was startled out of my thoughts by the flight attendant. I stared blankly at her, hearing her words, but unable to register their meaning or respond.

“He’ll have a bottle of water. I’ll have a vodka tonic. You’ll have to excuse my friend, hell’s just frozen over and I think he may have gotten scorched before the cold front moved in.” Tyler smiled at the flight attendant, a woman whose ass should probably have given me an erection as I watched her walk away. But my dick didn’t even twitch.

“Dude. You didn’t even notice the rack on that sky angel. What the hell is wrong with you? You’ve been staring into outer space since we left Hawaii. I was starting to worry you might cry soon?” Tyler teased.