She successfully avoided him each and every time.
By the end of things, she made sure to delegate all the clean-up to those who were more than capable. Then she called a cab. She wasn’t about to ask any of Noah’s family members for a ride. And she couldn’t ask anyone from The Wounded HeroesProject, either. Technically, she should have stuck it out until the very end as well, but she didn’t have the strength to have the discussion she knew Noah would force on her.
He was otherwise engaged when her cab pulled up, and she climbed in with relief. She shut the door and glanced out the window just in time to see a frazzled and frustrated Noah charging toward her. He didn’t make it to the cab in time to stop it, and she turned away from the window so she didn’t have to see the fury etched in his eyes at her dismissal of him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Noah yankedhis bowtie free from his neck with a growl. Jane had managed to avoid him nearly the whole night. The few times he’d managed to get close to her, she wasn’t alone. He’d had to bat away the press, the locals, and even a few of his own family members.
To be fair, he’d been keeping the biggest secret that Rocky Ridge had ever had. And his family was now requesting an explanation. He didn’t get the sense that they were angry with him. If anything, they were curious, and they wanted the story. Mack had seemed the most upset, though, and Noah got the distinct impression that it had more to do with Jane than anything else.
Mack was right to be upset.
Clearly, Jane was furious. She’d completely shut him out. The second she’d disappeared, he knew that this was going to be much worse than he could have anticipated. Noah had wanted nothing more than to fire the board member who had let the news slip about who he was before he could do some damage control, but that wasn’t fair to him. People made mistakes.
Noah charged toward his truck as he shoved his tie into his pocket. He had been offered a limo, and he’d refused for good reason. He’d been right to do so, especially considering that he didn’t exactly want to pull up in front of Jane’s place in one. That would only add insult to injury, as far as he was concerned.
He’d barely made it to the vehicle when his brother’s voice stopped him cold.
“You gonna go see Jane?” There was disdain in Mack’s voice, and Noah knew without turning around that his brother was preparing for a fight.
Noah kept his back to his brother. “It’s none of your business what I plan on doing.”
Mack scoffed. “I think it is considering what I told you at my wedding.”
Noah whirled on him. “This has nothing to do with you or the friendship you used to have with her. This is between me and Jane.”
“You’re right, it is,” Mack snapped, eyes flashing. “And you’re going to make it right.”
“I don’t need you telling me what to do,” Noah snarled back.
Mack folded his arms. “Anyone with eyes could see how much she was hurting tonight.”
“Don’t you think I know that? You don’t have to rub it in my face.”
His brother shook his head. “I can’t believe you kept this from her. Fromus.”
Noah threw his hands into the air. “I’m not having this conversation right now.” He yanked the truck door open then climbed inside, ignoring the sharp words his brother was throwing at him. He’d deal with his family after he worked things through with Jane. She was his priority. She deserved answers.
The drive to her apartment was a lot shorter than he’d anticipated. The whole way there, his head swirled with what he might say, and how she might react to him. It wasn’t going to be easy, and he was already preparing himself for a confrontation that would cause pain on both sides. But he wasn’t going to let her go. He couldn’t. The arguments she might have for him would never be enough to keep him away from her.
Noah made it to her door and pounded on it like it wasn’t nearly midnight. The whole apartment building was quiet, and he flinched as he realized that he probably shouldn’t be storming over here prepared to make a scene. He needed her to be open-minded.
When she didn’t answer, he knocked again. Through the slats of the blinds hanging in the window, he could see a soft glow of light. She wouldn’t have fallen asleep this quickly, even if she had come home and gone straight to bed. He knew that much.
“Come on, Jane. We need to talk,” he called through the door. “I know you’re here, and I know you’re awake.” When he didn’t hear anything from behind the door, he knocked again. “I’m not leaving until you hear me out.” He glanced down at the doorknob, then reached for it, not really surprised to find it locked.
Jane was shutting him out. He’d attempted to send her a couple text messages while they were at the event, but they weren’t evenshowing as being read. How was he supposed to tell her that he was sorry if she wasn’t willing to hear him out?
Turning, he slid his body against the door, putting his weight against it as his thoughts ran away from him. He couldn’t just let her go to bed upset. They needed to discuss what this would mean moving forward. She had to see that, right?
“Jane,” he groaned, loud enough he was sure she’d be able to hear him through the door—at least if she was on the other side. “Let me explain. You owe me that much.”
The door jerked open so quickly that he stumbled backward into her apartment and landed hard on his behind. His head lifted, and his eyes locked with the most beautiful dark eyes. They sparked with fury, and he couldn’t say that didn’t do something as his heart ticked up a few beats. It wasn’t the anger that made his heart pound, it was the passion that Jane could show with one look.
She folded her arms, her cheeks flushed a deep pink color. “Owe you?” she scoffed. “You think that Ioweyou?” She threw her head back with a strangled sound that was like a groan and a sob, but when she met his gaze again, there were no tears. Her eyes shone with emotion despite her attempt to keep it bottled down. “I don’t owe you anything, Noah. You’re the one who owes me an explanation.”
“That’s why I’m—” He moved to stand, but her words cut him off, and he froze.
