Page 193 of One Bad Idea

He placed a gentle finger under my chin. "Hey…"

When I looked up, he said, "If anyone hurts you – and I meananyone– they'll have me to answer for. Got it?"

At the intensity of his gaze, I sucked in a quiet breath. "Is that what you told Darla?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, just now, she was actually pretty nice." I gave a nervous laugh. "So whatever you said, it obviously made an impression."

But already, Jaden was shaking his head. "Sorry, I haven't talked to her."

I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion. "Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah." His expression darkened. "But I will."

"No," I blurted, and then softened my tone. "I just mean, I think it'll work out on its own." I paused. "Or maybe it already has." With a sigh, I waved away the distraction. "But forget that. You didn'treallycome back because of me, did you?"

"Hell yeah."

"But what about Hawaii?"

"Say the word, and we'll leave tonight."

I laughed. "Oh, stop it."

"You think I'm joking?" he said. "The jet's waiting at the airport."

"The jet? You mean your private jet?"

He gave me a crooked smile. "You didn't think you were flying commercial, did you?"

Actually, I did. But looking back, I should've known better. After all, he'd mentioned sending a car to take me to the airport, and when I'd asked about plane tickets, he'd said that the driver would have everything I needed.

But this was something to ponder later on, when my mind wasn't already whirling. Still, I had to point out the obvious. "But I already quit."

"Yeah. About that…"

I held up a hand. "Just hear me out, okay? I've been giving it a ton of thought, and you'rereallyimportant to me – a million times more important than any job."

I gave him a tearful smile. "And if quitting is what it takes, then I’m happy to do it, honest."

His eyes filled with mischief. "Happy, huh?"

"Well, not thrilled," I clarified. "I mean, I'd miss you during the day, but…" I sighed. "I just feel that it's a little awkward, trying to hide how we feel."

He shrugged. "Alright, so we won't hide it."

I stifled a laugh. "You're impossible. You know that, right?"

"Me?" he said. "I'm an angel compared to you."

"Hey!"

"And," he said, "I'm not just saying that as your boss."

I rolled my eyes. "But you're not my boss, at least not for long."

"We'll see…" He pulled away and gave me a look that I couldn’t quite decipher. And then, he did the strangest thing. He sank down to his knees, right there in the parking garage.