“I agree. Leave the worrying to me and my team.”
I smiled sadly. “I appreciate that. I really do. But I can’t stay holed up in this apartment and have security follow me everywhere I go.”
“Why not?” Jagger seemed genuinely confused.
“Because I need to reclaim what I’ve lost. My fears aren’t going to vanish overnight. I’m sure I’ll still check over my shoulder for a long time, but taking the train to work instead of having your driver take me, and walking on the busy Manhattan streets, sleeping in my own place—those are all ways of reclaiming what he tried to take from me all over again.”
Jagger walked over and held my shoulders as he spoke. “I’d prefer you stay here. I like having you here.”
I turned my head and kissed his hand. “I like being with you, too. And I appreciate all that you’ve done for me. But it’s time for me to go back home. I’ll get my things after work tomorrow. You’re not going to be here anyway. And besides, your sister is going to come in a few weeks.”
“I don’t give a shit. I own the building. I’ll kick a tenant out if I have to so Catherine has a place to stay.”
“That’s sweet, but I need to go home, Jagger. Moving to New York and living on my own was a big step for me, one that was long overdue. After everything happened, I dropped out of NYU and spent the better part of a year inside my mother’s apartment. When I finally was ready to go back to college two years later, I left New York to leave my past behind me. But even then, I wasn’t standing on my own. Miles came with me, and we moved in together. Being back here and being independent is something Ireally needed to do, and I don’t want to go backward.” I reached for Jagger’s cheek. “Can you understand that?”
He pulled his head back. “No.”
I blinked a few times. “No, you can’t understand that?”
“No, you’re not going back to that building. He knows where you live.”
Jagger’s commands might be attractive in the bedroom, but they wereextremelyunattractive at the moment. It pissed me off that he thought he could tell me what to do. My hands went to my hips. “You know you aren’t the one who’s making this decision, right?”
“You’re being unreasonable. It’s safer here.”
“How? If this guy figured out that I moved back to New York, don’t you think he can figure out that I’m staying here?”
Jagger’s face heated—and not the good kind of hot it got in the bedroom. “That’s all the more reason for you to stay here, or better yet, come stay at my place where I can keep an eye on you.”
“I need to go home, Jagger.”
“There’s a difference between want and need. You don’tneedto go home.”
I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. “Okay, then I want to. And I’m going to.”
Jagger studied me. Not finding anything that made him happy, he walked to the dining room and grabbed his suit jacket.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to make arrangements. If you’re not staying, at least let me put extra security on your building.”
I could see in his face he was bending further than he was used to. And he meant well. Plus, I didn’t need toleapback into my life. Baby stepping was okay. I nodded, thinking we’d reached a compromise. “Okay. Thank you.” I laid my palms on his chest. “But can’t you make the calls after…”
Jagger shook his head. “No. Ineedto go.”
I pulled my hands back. “You mean youwantto.”
“I’m glad you can see there’s a difference.”
He went to the door and didn’t look back before walking out.
***
The next morning, I waited until six before getting out of bed. Something in my gut told me Jagger wasn’t going to come today, even though he had every other morning since I’d come to stay. Still, I laid in bed, hoping. The latest he’d ever showed up was five thirty, yet I still listened for the door as I took a shower and got ready for work.
Full-blown disappointment had set in by the time I’d finished drying my hair and getting dressed. By seven, when there was still no sign of him, I decided to go upstairs.
Louise answered the door and said Jagger had already left for work, but Amelia heard my voice and came running.
