“What if he won’t come back?” The thought of not seeing Janus again terrified her. Sitting in bed, she wondered how she could fix this. Because Stevie knew that it would be up to her to fix this. Janus had reached out too many times and she’d rejected him. He wouldn’t try again. He said as much before he left.
So, if she was going to fix this…and the thought of baring herself to him, to exposing herself to pain and rejection was brutally scary…if she was going to fix this, how could she do it?
Honesty, she realized. Years ago, life had conspired to stop them from being together. This time, she couldn’t let life or fear or anger get in the way.
She’d have to bare her soul. And if she was wrong…well, if she was wrong, at least she’d tried!
Chapter 20
Stevie wiped the tears away, pushing herself to walk faster. By the time she reached the heavy glass door, she was practically running. Unfortunately, every time she told herself to slow down, to pull herself together, she sped up.
The security guard eyed her warily as she approached. “Is there any way I could see Janus Meyers?” She asked nervously.
The man stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. “Do you have an appointment?”
Stevie wiped at the fresh tears, then shook her head. “No. I don’t. But…could you call him? Ask if he’ll see me?”
The man smirked, and shook his head again. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen. Call his assistant and see if she can make an appointment for you.”
Stevie’s shoulders slumped. “I have to see him right now,” she insisted. “I only have a few minutes, and I need to talk to him.”
“I’m sorry ma’am, but if you don’t step away from the desk and leave the building, I’ll have to call the police.”
Stevie’s mouth fell open. “Are you kidding me?”
“Not at all,” he replied flatly.
Stevie turned and started to leave, but then she remembered the phone number Janus had given her. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed.
“Stevie?” he answered immediately. “Are the kids okay?”
“Yes,” she assured him. “They’re with a babysitter.” She closed her eyes against the tears that just kept coming. “Look, I’m in the lobby. Would you…could I talk to you? Just for a minute?”
“Of course. Come on up to my office.”
“The security guards,” she started, turning find them glaring at her. All four of them! “They are threatening to call the police if I don’t leave.”
She heard a growl that might have come from him, but she’d never heard anything so ferocious before. As she watched, the guards answered a phone call. Almost immediately, the men’s demeanor changed. His shoulders straightened and he waved her to the counter.
“Absolutely, Mr. Meyers. She’s on her way up now.”
The guard gestured to the electronic gate. “Go on up, Ma’am. I apologize for the miscommunication.”
Stevie whispered into her phone, “Thank you!”
She ended the call, rushing through the security gate and pressing the elevator call button. Thankfully, the doors opened immediately and she dove in, pressing the button for the top floor. As soon as they opened again, she saw him.
“What’s wrong?”
She knew exactly what he was thinking as she stepped out of the elevators. “The kids are perfectly fine,” she repeated. “I…realized something and needed to tell you.”
“Come with me.” He took her arm and leading her down a long, elegant hallway, and through a set of double doors at the end. Once inside the office, he closed the doors and turned to face her. “Okay, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
She smiled, trying to reassure him, but the memories of the pictures she’d seen earlier today haunted her. “Earlier today, I wondered why you… weren’t there, all those years ago. And then I started to wonder why you’d abandoned football. I read about how you were one of those bigshots. Plus, you’re still young enough to be playing.”
“That’s all in the past, Stevie,” he assured her.
“Is it?” More tears streamed down her cheeks. “Because I got curious. So, I did some research. I was stunned to discover that you…” her voice cracked and she had to pause and breathe. “You were injured the same weekend my mother passed away.”
He stood there, hands on his hips as he looked down at her. “Yes, I was.”
“I didn’t know,” she whispered. “I didn’t know you’d been injured, Janus!” Tears were streaming unchecked down her cheeks, her shoulders shaking with the emotions washing over her. “I had no idea you’d been hurt. Or that you’d retired after that injury! I didn’t even know you played football until well after the funeral.”
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her as she sobbed. “It’s all in the past.”
She sniffed. “But it’s not!” she cried. A moment later, she felt him scoop her up. He sat down, holding her on his lap. “It’s not over because I keep pulling away from you.”
“Why do you keep pulling away?” he asked.
“Because…” she shook her head. “Because I was so angry and hurt that you wouldn’t return my calls that weekend.” She sighed, the tears still coming. She closed her eyes, trying to calm down enough to explain. “And then your legal team threatened me when I tried to tell you I was pregnant.”
“I’m so sorry about that. Women were coming at me from everywhere after I was injured. It was a bit crazy.”
“I know that. Now. I read the articles. Apparently, one day there were thirty women outside of the hospital, all of the claiming to be your girlfriend or wife or daughter or…whatever.”
He groaned. “Still, I should have given your name
