Ashton stands and pulls me in for a bone crushing hug, “I miss you. Tell your boyfriend to get his ass better so I can have my Biffle. Although, I wonder if he’ll return you.”

I laugh and hug her back. “I’ll be back. I don’t think we’re at that stage yet.”

“You tend to be a little behind on these things, my friend,” she says, throwing up a pillow so I can’t hit her.

“Why would anyone want to come back to this abuse?” I chide.

She scoffs. “You love it!” she yells as I start to walk away. “Don’t forget about me.”

“Like you’d ever let me,” I say as I close the door laughing.

Now time to deal with another headache. Hopefully he won’t be in too bad of a mood by the time I tell him this story.

“Jackson,” I call as I open the door into the apartment already bracing myself for what I’m sure is going to be one hell of a fight. Good thing he can’t really move around too much. At least I can run easily.

“In here!” he responds from the kitchen. Great. He’s around sharp objects.

I smile as I see the mess before me. He has noodles all over the stove, parts of what look like red peppers on the floor, and every ingredient you can name strewn around the counters. “Well, this looks interesting,” I say trying not to laugh.

“You try doing this with one arm and one leg. I have no idea if anything is edible, but it has to be better than the dog food that nurse you hired made for lunch.”

My smile doesn’t falter as I walk over and grip his cheeks and give him a kiss. He drops the item in his hand and grabs my neck refusing to let me end the kiss. Fine by me. I’ll kiss him all night if it delays the inevitable battle coming. Jackson releases me and looks at me skeptically.

“So, where were you?” he wastes no time in asking as he picks up the knife to continue whatever cooking mission he’s attempting.

I sigh and steel myself for his reaction. “I went to Neil’s to return the rings.”

The knife clangs against the counter and he lets out a deep menacing sound from his chest. “You’re fucking kidding me, right? Because you wouldn’t possibly go see the man who cheated on you, grabbed you, and basically stalked you for weeks.”

This is going well already.

I stand toe-to-toe with Jackson. I did what I needed to do. Whether he agrees with it or not, I don’t give a shit. I protect him the same way he protects me.

“Yes, I did. I gave him back the only thing left. It’s done. He’s out of our lives, and I expect we’ll hear from Gretchen soon that Neil’s backing off from his bullshit lawsuit.”

“I guess you’re not kidding! Goddammit, Catherine, I told you to stay away.”

“As your publicist, I needed to get rid of the threat to your company prior to your launch. If you think about all of this, he was playing a game he could win. He knows me, and my number one priority is Raven and you. So you can be an asshole or you can say thank you. Which by the way … you’re welcome,” I say, refusing to let him get a word in.

He gives a sarcastic laugh. “That’s not going to happen, babe. You shouldn’t have gone there.”

“Well, I did!” I throw my hands up in the air and they make a loud slap when they hit my leg. “You know you’re not the only one who gets to make decisions around here. I’m an equal in this relationship. I could’ve lied to you but I’m here listening to the shit I knew I was going to have to hear. I promised not to keep secrets from you.” My eyes narrow as I let him know how I’m not going to stand here idly and listen. “I’ll take my lumps because I believe you’re just an idiot who thinks he needs to keep me safe. But guess what, buddy?” I raise my brow. “I’ve been taking care of myself for twenty-nine years. I think I’ve done a damn good job so far. Have I screwed up? Sure.” I throw my hands up again. “God, you infuriate me.”

For a second he looks stunned and unsure of how to respond to my mini rant. He recovers quickly and wraps his arm around my waist pulling me close to him. I inhale his scent and gently place my hand on his chest. Looking up into his eyes I see him battling himself.

“I’m not happy,” he finally states while glaring at me.

“I don’t doubt that.”

“You shouldn’t have gone there.”

“I don’t agree,” I retort.

Jackson takes a deep breath and breaks from our staring contest. “You drive me insane.”

I shrug and kiss his chest. “You’re not the first person to feel that way. I did what I felt was right. It needed to be done.” I turn my head and listen to his heartbeat waiting for him respond.

“And what if something happened to you? What if he hurt you? I would’ve been here, not knowing where you were or what stupid plan you had. When you were hurt or God knows what, how would I deal with that?” he says as I hear his heart accelerate either in anger or fear.

Leaning out of his embrace, I look at him, willing him to look at me. I’m not weak, and while a part of me understands his apprehension, he can’t deem me incapable of taking care of myself. When he finally looks over, I smile softly and try to explain more calmly. “You’re in the middle of a rather large product launch. You were shot. You lost your best friend on top of a slew of other things. I understand your need to protect me … most of the time it turns me on.” I wink and try to ease the tension. Jackson smiles and I continue. “But … and this is a big but … you can’t. I’m going to handle things the way I think is best. It might be wrong and I’m going to make mistakes, but I’m allowed to make them. Now, cook me dinner while I go shower.”

“This is ridiculous. I asked you to stay away from him. You won’t make me out to be the bad guy here.”

He’s pissed and to a point I understand that, but this isn’t about him. “I won’t let you make demands, and I’m also not the kind of girl who’s going to be obedient. You should know this by now.”

“I’m not asking you to obey me, Catherine. I’m asking you to fucking stay away from a piece of shit who bruised you. An asshole who I got in a fistfight with because he put his hands on you. The same bastard who then wanted to come after us.” Jackson runs his hand down his face and his chest is heaving.

“I understand you’re not happy. I’m not asking you to understand. I’m telling you it’s done. He’s out of our lives.”

He gives a cynical laugh. “I’m assuming he told you that? Because he’s a real trustworthy guy, right? When he files charges now and we have no rings as a bargaining chip … then what?”

I draw whatever strength I have left, between Ashton earlier and now Jackson. Besides the fact that I also dealt with Neil, I haven’t slept in what feels like a year, and the launch is in a few days—I’m running on a limited supply of patience.

“I love you, but I’m done talking. I need a shower, a nap, and for you to trust me. Do you trust me, Jackson?”

“Of course I do.” The exasperation in his voice is clear.

“Do you trust me as your publicist? Do you trust me to do my job?” I ask because I need him to see the two correlate.