He was quiet for some time, and I thought I had lost him. "Michael?"
"Took you long enough," he said coldly.
"Excuse me?"
"Come to my hotel, and we'll talk."
I wanted to tell him that he couldn't just summon me like I was on his payroll or something and that if he wanted to talk, he could come to me instead. But something about having Michael in my space didn't feel right. It was better to meet him on his turf.
"Okay," I finally replied. "I'll come tomorrow-"
"No, now."
"My life does not revolve around you, Michael."
"Evidently, since you have managed to live without me for the past few years," he replied calmly. "But you and I have a few things to discuss, and you don't want to make me wait another seven years, do you?"
A little politeness wouldn't hurt, I thought to myself. Something older Michael didn't seem to know or practice.
"Send me the details, and I'll be there."
"With how much I want to see you right now, I will even send you a car."
"Don't bother. I can find my way," I snapped, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at his arrogance.
I hung up on him, wanting to have the upper hand somehow. He was getting under my skin again, and I wanted nothing more than to put him in his place. But he had the winning hand here, and I felt we had a difficult battle ahead.
I went to my room, changed out of my shorts and t-shirt, and into a pair of jeans and a large sweater. There was no point in trying to look nice anymore; any chance of Michael and I getting together was clearly gone. When I finally got to his hotel, I felt a sense of déjà vu as I walked through the massive doors. The last time I had been to Michael's hotel suite, he had made me feel like the only woman in the world. Now he was making me feel quite the opposite.
This time, everything was so different.
12
Michael
I had been keeping myself busy, so I wouldn't wait for my phone to ring. I could have asked for Jade's number and called her myself but asking her to call me had been a test. I knew that she would call me eventually, and her state would let me know whether she was hiding something or not. When she had finally called, and I had asked her to come over, she had agreed. I was about ninety percent sure that the boy was mine now, or why else would she be on her way here? She could have told me to fuck off or not even called me at all.
This was a terrible mess,and I didn't know how to handle it yet. Suspecting was one thing, but now there was a part of me that believed it too. My younger self's actions were coming to haunt me now, and I had never imagined that I would find myself in this situation. How did one suddenly become a father to a six-year-old? How was I supposed to reintroduce myself to the little boy as the father who hadn't been in his life for all these years? There were no words to explain just how I felt about Jade right now, but I was willing to be civil to get to the truth. I wanted to hear it from her.
I made myself a drink, needing something to do while I waited for her to arrive. I had been working all day and couldn't concentrate anymore. My entire body was buzzing with raw energy, knowing that this would not be an easy conversation. Jade had the power to change my life forever by saying one word: yes. Funny how one little act of chivalry on my part had led me to this. As if the universe was punishing me for helping a clumsy girl and asking her for dinner. There were many women I had treated coldly in the past, but why hadn't I been punished for that? The thought made me down my drink in one go, feeling the burn in my throat as it went down.
I made another and walked back to the couch, now taking smaller sips and enjoying the taste.
I heard a knock on the door and put down my drink before going to answer. Jade was on the other side, wearing jeans and an oversized sweater. She managed to pull off the effortless look quite well, and I had no control over the attraction I still felt toward her. It was just my body's reaction. Of course, my mind had nothing to do with it. My brain told me to hate everything about her, but my body wanted to explore hers.
"Hi," she said.
Every negative emotion I had felt in the past few days came back to me in full force. "Get in."
She visibly flinchedat my response but walked in and left me to close the door behind us. I took a second to reign my anger in before following her. She went straight for the couch and sat at the edge as if she were getting ready to bolt. She nervously played with her fingers, and it was hard to believe that she was capable of what I knew she was.
"How did you find me?" She finally asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Is that the most important question here?" I asked in disbelief.
"Wouldn't you want to know the same if you were in my shoes?" She shot back.
She had a point, but she was here to answer my questions, not the other way around. However, since we were being civil, I would indulge her delaying tactics. I sat down opposite her and looked at her before replying.