Page 75 of Twisted Devotion

“I . . . of course,” I finally get out.

She nods. “Excellent. You know, we’d love to keep you on the team around here. That is, if you’re interested in staying in Rockdale.”

Jackson’s thumb pauses and his gaze turns to me. In fact, everyone is looking at me, and I have no idea what to do.

I can’t stay in Rockdale. Not after everything that’s happened.

Can I?

23

Ileave the meeting feeling more confused than ever.

Am I seriously considering staying in Rockdale after wanting to leave for so long?

I didn’t give Skylar an answer. I couldn’t, and my mind is still going a million miles an hour as Jackson and I head back to the house.

The Westbrook Inc. Gala is tonight and we’ll both be attending, but I need a break from the city before the event, so I’m happy to head back to Jackson’s. He hasn’t pushed the question, even though I figured he might on the drive home.

“We can talk about how you’re feeling if you want,” he offers.

And there it is.

I exhale a heavy breath, glad in this moment that Jackson is driving so I don’t have to focus on the road. “I don’t know how I feel. Rockdale holds so many terrible memories for me, which makes me want to get as far away from this place as possible. On the other hand, I’ve since made some good memories, and there are people here that I care about.”

“Like me,” he adds with a grin.

I roll my eyes but can’t help the smile that forms on my lips. “Right. Like you.”

“If you’re wondering what my opinion on the matter is, I want you to stay,” he says.

My gaze slides to him as I admire his profile. As much as I would love to pretend things between us are just physical—because that would make leaving so much easier—it isn’t true. We both know it. We’ve both expressed it aloud.

Now, I have to decide if leaving would be easier or harder than staying.

I begrudgingly drive back into the city after lunch and pick up Allison so we can go shopping for gala dresses.

She practically throws herself into the passenger seat of my car and slams the door shut before turning toward me with a megawatt grin on her face. “I have news,” she announces.

“You don’t say,” I remark dryly. “What’s up, Al?”

“Monica and I are moving in together!” she squeals. “We found the cutest condo not far from either of our jobs, and we signed the paperwork this morning.”

“Oh, wow. That’s exciting.” I offer her a smile. “Congratulations, Allison.”

She beams at me. “Thanks! All right, let’s get this show on the road and find us something to wear tonight.”

Nodding, I shift the car into drive and pull away from the curb, heading toward the shopping center.

It takes four different stores before I finally settle on a floor-length emerald dress. It has an open back and a deep neckline, and it makes me feel like a freaking princess. I don’t bother looking at the price tag, and I don’t even care that I’ll likely only wear it once.

Allison freaks over it and finds her own—a knee-length baby blue dress with lace and frilly things. Nothing I would ever consider touching, but she makes it look good.

After we’ve finished shopping, armed with stunning dresses, shoes, and jewelry, I drop Allison off at the hotel where Aurora is waiting to get ready. They ask me to join them, but I want time to myself before having to deal with the crowd all night.

When I get back to Jackson’s, I carry my bags into my bedroom and go looking for him to see what time he wants to head out.

I poke my head into his room and find him standing in front of a full-length mirror. He’s rocking a full tuxedo, and my entire body heats at the way it hugs his muscles in all the right places.

---