Chapter 58: Chapter 23: I Changed for Her

Mason

When I drove up to her house, I saw the police car parked out front. It had taken me roughly fifteen minutes to get to her, and they got here faster.

I’d rushed out of work in the middle of a meeting, leaving Eoin to handle it alone. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

She was scared. It was something that couldn’t wait. I couldn’t believe that guy had been in her fucking house.

Coming back to New York, I’d planned to start over with Jamie. I hadn’t planned on having to deal with some obsessed psycho.

I left my car and walked into her home. Jamie was standing in the living room, holding Penelope while chatting to the same policeman that took me in earlier.

“I told you this was him. Jack broke in here and stole them.” She didn’t look scared like she sounded on the phone. She looked angry now.

“Are you okay?” I asked her and took Penelope from her arms.

Jamie nodded her head in reply.

“So, what’s going on? How did he get in here?”

The policeman looked at me and immediately recognized my face.

“Mr. Knight, there’s no sign of forced entry. I suggested to your girlfriend that perhaps she forgot to lock up when she left earlier today.”

~Girlfriend…that sounds a little weird!~

“No, I locked it. I’m positive I did. Can’t you do something about this? He broke into my home and stole from me.” She was adamant, and I believed her too.

“Did he have a key?” The shorter police officer asked.

“No, of course he didn’t. We were…” She paused in thought. “My mom… she has a key to my house, and her keys went missing the other week. He must’ve stolen them.”

The taller policeman released a sigh. “All right, the best we can do is bring him in for questioning and see where he’s been today.

“Unless we get some proof, we’re not going to be able to charge him with anything.”

“We’ll be in touch.” The other police officer smiled, trying to make up for the fact they didn’t do shit.

The smile didn’t matter too much to Jamie. She was pissed. They left the house together.

“Ugh!” she groaned. “What help are they? Bunch of a-holes.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. Cursing wasn’t her thing. She didn’t like to do it unless it was necessary. Mostly her bad language was saved for the people that she wasn’t too fond of.

“Are you okay?”

“Not really. He was in my house, Mason. I think he has my mom’s key. For all I know, he’s been letting himself in and out whenever he feels like it.”

“Why didn’t you change the locks when she told you the keys were missing?” I asked.

“My mom loses her keys every other week. She’s like me in that way. I didn’t think too much of it at the time.”

Jamie walked into the kitchen, and I followed, still holding Penelope. “The proof we had is gone. Jack still has the recording of me.”

“I don’t think you should stay here alone. I want you and Penelope to come stay at the hotel with me.”

“We can’t stay at the hotel, Mason. It’s not good for her. Penelope needs her space to walk around and play. Besides, babies have so much baggage.”

She unpacked some groceries and started to put them away. I know Jamie. She can be stubborn at times. If she’s made her mind up, there’s no changing it.

I released a sigh. “Fine, I’ll stay here then.”

She dropped a box onto the floor, almost in shock that I was proposing living under her roof. “Here? Do you think that’s wise?”

“Relax. It’ll only be for a couple of nights. I think it’s necessary after what happened today. I don’t want you here alone.”

Penelope was starting to fuss, so I put her down and watched her as she walked around.

“I don’t know about this. I mean, I already called the locksmith, so he should be here soon.”

I walked toward her and stood beside her at the counter. “Please, Jamie. I don’t want you fighting me on this. I can sleep on the couch if that’s the problem.”

Her lips curved into a smile. “No, it’s fine. You can stay if that’s what you think is best. I’ll let you have your way…this time!”

She leaned up and pressed a teasing kiss to my lips, then walked away and attended to Penelope. A knock came at the front door.

“That’s probably the locksmith. I’ll let him in.” I walked toward her front door and opened it, expecting to see the locksmith on the other side, but it was Carmen instead.

“Hi, Mason.” She walked past me into the kitchen, immediately grabbing Jamie’s and my daughter’s attention.

I liked Carmen. I liked how much she cared for them both. But I’d noticed over the months that she played a bigger role in my daughter’s life than I did.

Jamie valued her opinion over mine no matter what.

“You didn’t have to come over. I know you’re busy.”

“I’m never too busy for you two.” Carmen smiled. “Coffee? I got us some food from that place you like.”

“What would I do without you?” Jamie smiled back.

“Since Carmen is here, I’m going to go pack up my things at the hotel,” I said as I walked toward her.

I pressed a kiss to Jamie’s forehead, and Penelope was next. “I won’t be long. Call me if you need me.”

“Okay, see you soon.”

I could tell by the look Carmen gave us that Jamie hadn’t told her anything about what happened between us last night.

She waited until they left the kitchen before bombarding Jamie with questions.

An hour later, I was packing up what little stuff I had into a suitcase.

Living in a hotel for the past couple of months, all I had were suits, expensive watches I had locked in my safe, and a few small bottles of my favorite aftershave. I am a man who likes his things.

“How is she?” Eoin asked.

“Well, she says she’s fine, but if I know Jamie, she’s far from it. The guy was in her home. I’m just glad that she wasn’t there at the time. She didn’t even want me to stay with her tonight.”

“Yeah, well, she’s independent, isn’t she? She’s been alone for so long now she doesn’t know any other way.” Eoin walked toward the window and looked out. “What’s going on with you two now, then?”

“Only time will tell!”

Eoin smirked. “You love her, don’t you?”

“Don’t you have better things to do than question me about my life? How did the meeting go? Did they leave happy?” I asked, trying to avoid his question.

“I handled it. You don’t need to worry about that.” Eoin turned from the window. “You and Jamie have been through a lot, and I’m happy that you’re finally figuring things out.”

“Well, she took her time about it.”

He chuckled. “That’s women for you. Listen, why don’t the three of you take a break?

“Go somewhere nice and spend some time together as a family. At least until the police figure things out with this lunatic.”

I packed the last of my things into my bag. “I can’t. Now is not the right time. There’s too much going on. I don’t think Jamie would agree to it even if I wanted to go.”

“Well, the offer is on the table if you change your mind. I can’t believe you’re moving in with a woman. I literally never thought you would be a family man.”

I shook my head at him. “All right, laugh it up. You know this will be you someday too.”

“I hope so. I’m not afraid to admit that I want all this someday. Marriage and a couple of kids… maybe in like five or ten years. You have it good, man. I really do envy you.”

I’ve been the envy of a lot of people that have surrounded me during my life, especially during my party days. It wasn’t strange to me that Eoin envied me, but more what he envied me for.

Jamie and Penelope. I finally had them both back in my life! I needed to make sure it stayed that way. I wouldn’t lose her again. I couldn’t allow that to happen a second time.

I had settled Penelope in bed while Jamie took a bath. It was my first night in her home, and I wasn’t feeling at all strange being here.

Things between us were moving fast, but it was just because of the circumstances we were in. I didn’t want them to be there alone.

The sweet smell of vanilla and raspberry filled the upstairs hallway. As I walked toward the bathroom, I saw the flicker of the candles Jamie had lit.

I pushed open the door the remainder of the way.

Jamie was lying in the bath filled with bubbles by the window, candles on every surface she could find.

I chuckled, noticing the wine glass in her hand, almost empty, of course. Today had been a hard one.

“Are you spying on me?” She smiled and turned her head my way.

“It’s a little hard not to when you’re looking like that. Are you enjoying yourself in there?”

“Yes. Is Penelope asleep?” she asked, and I nodded my head in reply. “Then why don’t you join me? I’m lonely in here.

“Take a bath with you? How could I say no?” I set the baby monitor down on the counter and started to undress.

She was gnawing her bottom lip as she watched me start with my shirt and end with my briefs.

I rested back in the bath, facing her. Jamie sat forward, her breasts no longer underwater. They were in front of me, soapy, wet, and very tempting.

~No sex, remember! We’re taking things slow.~

Jamie moved her hands down my body. “Mmm, you look so good.”

I chuckled. “Are you drunk?”

“Hm, maybe a little. I really like having you here. I like having you in my bath.” She moved her hands under the water and softly stroked my cock.

“Jesus!” I groaned. “I thought you wanted to take things slow.”

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mind the touching. I loved the touching. But I didn’t want to take advantage of her when she was drunk.

“I know what I said. There’s nothing wrong with a little touching.” She winked at me and rested back in the tub. “So, Mason, there’s a lot of things that we haven’t talked about.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Like what you did all that time that you were gone? I’m curious to know where you were.”

I knew she would ask that question at some point. Of course she wanted to know. I never told anyone where I went or what I did. I took the time that I needed, and that was that.

“I traveled. Around Europe mostly. I didn’t really have a plan at the time. That’s what was good about it, I guess. No responsibilities, and I wasn’t tied down to anything or anyone.”

I looked at her face and knew immediately I had said the wrong thing. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s okay, I understand. You needed to work on yourself. You were gone a long time though. Didn’t you stay anywhere a little longer than just a couple of days, weeks?”

“A friend of mine has a place in France. I stayed there for a while. At that time, I was at my worst. I drank most days and nights.”

“Was it a problem, your drinking?” she asked.

I could tell by the look on her face that she was concerned about it.

“It was enough of a problem to bring me back home. I’m fine now. You don’t need to worry about that, I promise. So, is there anything else you would like to know?”

“Um, did you miss me?” She smirked.

My lips curved into a smile. This is her way of flirting, but what did she want from this? Did she want me to take her right there right then? The bath was big enough.

Or maybe in the bedroom, fast and rough, just the way she used to like it.

~Fuck! My mind has never been on sex so much in my life.~

I was tempted by her before, of course, but being close to her all the time and seeing her naked in front of me made everything more heightened.

I just wanted her. I was greedy for her.

“Of course I missed you. You were the only one I missed, Jamie.” I moved my hair back from my face with my hand.

“I tried to call you a couple of times. Once I actually stayed on the phone long enough to hear your voice. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.”

She gasped. “I remember that night. I remember wondering afterward if it was you that called. I guess now I know that you cared enough to at least try to reach out.”

“I know I didn’t show it, but I did care. I didn’t like who I was back then. I hated who I was. I hope you know that I’m not that guy anymore. I’ve changed.”

“I know you have. But you know I liked the person you used to be too. The only thing I ever wanted from you is to be a little more open.”

She smiled and moved up the bath toward me. Jamie turned around in the water and sat between my legs. “This is going to work between us, right? You’re not going to run again.”

~Run! Just like I did before. It’s something she worries about. That’s what I did to her.~

Maybe I had done more harm to her emotionally than Jack ever did. I was here with her now, but could she ever truly trust me again?

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m not going anywhere.”