MY NERVES HAD me tossing and turning all night, startling Jax into waking up at an ungodly hour. I was too nervous that something might make us late that we went into the city earlier than necessary.
Nervous energy had me bouncing around in my seat until Jax grabbed my hand.
“Hey.” His voice was soft and comforting. “You’ve got this.” He drew lazy circles on my palm, and the gentle strokes soothed my jittery nerves. He didn’t let go for the rest of the drive to Ottawa.
We’d spent every available moment together over the last seven days. I wasn’t sure how many TV series we’d watched cuddled up as close as possible, only separating to study for finals or to go to class. We soaked up every second we had left, not wanting to waste a single one.
I looked over toward Jax, whose mouth was tipped up in a smile, his eyes sparkling with pride. I couldn’t imagine sharing this moment with anyone else. Jax celebrated my wins with the same energy as if they were his own.
He pulled up to the building to the side of Parliament. To my disappointment, my office wouldn’t actually be there.
I leaned over the truck’s center console and pressed my lips into his, my fingers digging into his hair as I pulled him hard into me. I tried to express everything I was feeling without words. There was a lightness growing inside my chest, one that glowed a soft amber, that warmed me from within. Hope.
For once, I felt like there was hope, and this time, it was worth a chance. Jax’s hands slid up either side of my neck, and his thumbs gently grazed my jaw. I could feel the smile forming on his lips, and mine was quick to follow as a feeling of giddiness filled me. I smiled so wide it hurt my cheeks while his eyes searched mine in silent question before his broad smile matched mine.
“We can do this, Sid.”
My shoulders rose with my breath, pushing air into the bottom of my lungs before letting it all go. I pushed down the fear that was a constant presence and all the reasons this should be impossible and said the one thing I’d been dying to say for months. Ever since he’d asked that night on the phone. “I want to try.”
“Yeah?” His voice was hesitant, but when I nodded, he pulled me in for a possessive kiss, one that promised to never let me go.
Tears stung the back of my eyes, but instead of sadness, they came from hope. A hope I hadn’t dared to feel in years. “I have no idea how. Honestly, the schedules will be impossible.”
He cupped my face with his palms, running his thumbs over both of my cheeks, and promised, “We’ll make it work. Just stay with me, and we’ll make it work.”
I bit my bottom lip, failing to hide my smirk, and he groaned. Jax ran his thumb along my bottom lip, releasing it from my teeth. “If you keep doing that, you’re going to be late.”
I glanced at the clock, and panic flashed through me. Shit. I pulled him in for another kiss, not wanting to leave this conversation like this. “We’ll figure it out after my meeting. Together.”
“Always.”
The building was at least a dozen stories tall, made completely out of steel and glass. I smoothed out a few wisps of hair that had escaped my low bun in my reflection and adjusted my tailored nude blazer. Turning slightly, I made sure I wasn’t wrinkled from the drive here. Movement caught my eye through the glass, and my air froze in my lungs. Shit! This was probably someone’s office window. Heat rushed to my face. I got the hell out of there, heading toward the entrance.
A young man in a security uniform at the reception desk smiled at me, pointing toward where I had been standing outside. He chuckled as my eyes widened. “I can see clear through the glass at the people walking by. Don’t worry, it happens all the time.”
“Um, thanks.” His warm smile helped calm my nerves a little, but it wasn’t a great way to start.
He handed me a badge. “Ninth floor. Elevators are on the right.”
I tried not to twitch in the elevator as I watched the numbers light up. I was already ninety-nine percent sure I would be the one to get that recommendation from Professor Carter, so this was it. This was the last hurdle. And I couldn’t have done it without Jax.
Thinking of him shot warmth through my chest. We were actually going to do it. Don’t get me wrong, I was terrified, but he’d shown me time and time again that he was different from my dad. I was finally admitting that to myself. I was still not comfortable that I’d be spending most of the year alone, but he was worth it. We were worth it.
The elevator dinged, and I was met with a sleekly put-together receptionist smiling at me warmly. “Hi, Miss King?”
“Yes, I’m here to see the MP Jones.” Swallowing, I could only hope she couldn’t make out the little tremble in my voice. My breath caught, taking in the entire wall of windows. The decor was modern and minimal, but the textiles made it look cozy. I took a deep breath in. There was a pleasant smell coming from the fresh flowers on the desk.
A young man, early forties, stepped out of the corner office and leveled me with a smile. “Sidney, right?” His voice was friendly, fitting in with his casual appearance.
“Hi.” I went to shake his hand but realized he was holding a coffee. Instead, I gave the world’s most awkward wave. This was the member of Parliament I was going to spend my first month shadowing. “It’s so nice to meet you, MP Jones.”
He laughed it off. “It’s Brian. We try not to follow too much formality here.” He gestured for me to follow him into his office and sat behind his desk.
His office had wall-to-wall windows overlooking an enormous park. He followed my gaze. “You should check it out. There’s a great coffee cart in the middle.” His hand jutted out, and I followed his pointed finger to a coffee stand just off the path.
“Thanks. I could always use an excellent coffee.” Relaxing a bit, I sat across the desk from him.
He tapped on his computer and pulled up what must be my file. “I’m thrilled you could make it here. Out of all of our applicants, you stood out the most.” A spark of excitement ran through me at that. I’d been busting my ass off but was secretly unsure if it would be enough. Taking a deep breath in, I tried not to give away my excitement. “Thank you. I really appreciate the internship.”
He clicked through his screen and said, “And it says here, that you were the valedictorian of your high school, looking to be the same for college.” Click, click, click. “You scored high on your last two interviews.” He turned from his screen, looking directly at me. “I’ll be frank. You’ve passed the job criteria. This was more of a personality test to see how you’ll fit with us. We believe in achieving excellence, but we also work as a family. We support each other and lift each other up. Does that sound good to you?”
He didn’t know how good it sounded.
“Yes, it sounds great.” My voice tipped up in a near squeak.
“What makes you want to get into politics?” he asked, turning into interviewer mode but still keeping his voice casual.
“I’ve known I wanted to be in politics since I was a little girl. It had been my mom’s dream before she passed, and I’ve never let it go since then.”
He gave me his sympathies, but I waved him off, long past for the need of them. “I want to make a difference. I want to be a part of the change instead of a spectator.”
By the time I stopped rambling, Brian’s smile had spread wide. “Just what I was looking to hear. Thank you for coming in. Make sure you grab one of those coffees on your way out.”
“That’s it?”
“Like I was saying before, we already knew you were capable. This last step was just a check-in to make sure we’re on the same page. You are going to fit in great here. Welcome to the team.”
My grin was so wide it hurt my cheeks. I freaking did it.
“Samantha will take care of you on your way out. Thanks for coming in. I look forward to working with you.”
“No, thank you! Thank you so much!” Desperately trying to rein myself in, I slipped through the door, walking up to Samantha’s desk.
“I hear congratulations are in order. Welcome to the team.” She flashed a genuine smile my way. “You’ll receive an onboarding package via email in the next few days…” She handed me her business card. “If you need any help to situate yourself in the city, call me, and I’ll help you out. We have a list of residences that new employees often choose to stay in because they are close by, one of which is the Pavilion up the street.” She turned the card over. “If you go to this website, you’ll find a registry created by the employees here. Favorite restaurants, best movie theater, hair salon suggestions. Everyone knows it’s tough to move somewhere new, so over the years, we’ve been putting together this database to help ease your way.”
My breath caught. Wow. She looked at me with knowing eyes. “Welcome to the family. See you in a few weeks.” Her voice was cheery, and it followed me into the elevator.
I was stunned. It was a crazy, incredible feeling to be here. I grabbed my phone, sending a quick text to Jax and one to Mia, who responded with a GIF of an excited monkey. I waited with my phone in my hand for his reply but tucked it into my blazer pocket when the elevator door opened.
I headed to the park to wait for Jax. His manager was in town, working with a player on the Ottawa Senators, and Jax had managed to schedule a quick meeting. His meeting would be short, but neither of us expected just how fast mine would be. I was still overwhelmed with excitement, and I was barely able to restrain myself from dancing on the walk up to the coffee cart.
“Large coffee, please.” I handed the attendant my money, going to the table to add my cream and sugar. That first sip had a moan slipping through my lips. MP Jones, aka Brian, wasn’t kidding about how amazing this coffee was.
I sat on one of the benches that lined the path and looked at my new office building. It towered over the park, light gleaming off it. I checked the time. It’d been just under an hour since Jax dropped me off. It was fairly early, and the area was teeming with people jumping into cabs, jogging, or biking down the path. The park was full of families taking advantage of the warmth of spring. There was something magical about it. I was practically high on life.
I lost track of time, watching people coming and going. Kids running around, old men playing chess, and couples strolling down the path made me picture Jax being here with me. Speaking of which, where was he? I still hadn’t heard from him, and we were pushing on two hours since he’d dropped me off. That put him a half hour late for picking me up. Where the hell was he? An itch of anxiety crept up my neck. I sent him another quick text, asking him what was up.
After another five minutes of him not getting back to me, I called him. The phone rang out until I got his voicemail. Hanging up, I tried again. Still no answer. He’d never not answered before.
A frown pulled down my lips, and my nerves rolled in my stomach. I sucked a deep breath in, filling my lungs to calm the growing panic.
Deep breath… One.
Deep breath… Two.
Deep breath… Three.
Memories of waking up in the hospital to the news of my mother’s death snuck their way through my mind, and dread pulled at my edges. Pushing them away, I waited another fifteen minutes before calling him again. It had now been two and a half hours since he’d dropped me off, an hour later than planned.
This time, I couldn’t stop the panic from sinking its teeth into me. He should have been here. At the very least, he should’ve called back by now. I let out a frustrated growl at the feeling of hopelessness.
Okay, calm down. He was famous. If anything happened, it would be on the news. I quickly scrolled through all the major news sites, but there was nothing mentioning him. I opened up Twitter, searching for his hashtag, and my breath caught in my throat.
Photo after photo of Jax hanging out on a patio not even ten minutes ago, standing close to none other than Selena Patronne and two people I didn’t recognize. Pictures of him smiling, laughing, ones with him taking pictures with fans.
My fingers trembled, and I lost my grip on my phone as a hollow feeling of disappointment sank like a stone in my stomach, replacing the panic that burned through me seconds ago. I blinked rapidly, refusing to cry. It was my fault for believing that he would somehow be different. That I would be more important than whatever was happening in these photos that had him too distracted to even call and give me a heads-up. Looking around the park at all the smiling faces, the playing kids, the happy couples, anger sent ice creeping through my veins. I slowly rebuilt my walls, brick by brick, and waited for him to remember me.
