Page 35 of Hitched to my Boss

But my phone shows no missed calls, no texts, no sign that he'd tried to reach me. Which means either his flight was delayed, or...

Or he'd gotten to the airport and changed his mind. Realized that leaving his mountain sanctuary for a woman who'd walked out on him was more risk than he was willing to take.

The thought hits hard. Jason had been brave enough to get on a plane, to come to my world, to prove he could sacrifice for love the way he'd been asking me to sacrifice. And I wasn't even here. I was sitting in meetings, taking calls, too busy rebuilding the career I'd prioritized over our relationship to be available when he needed me most.

Just like with Rebecca's crisis. Just like with every other time, my professional obligations had taken precedence over the people who mattered.

Maybe he'd waited. Maybe he'd called and I'd missed it during the Rebecca conversation. Maybe he was at a hotel somewhere, wondering if I'd gotten his note, wondering if I wanted him here.

Or maybe he'd taken my absence as an answer. Maybe he'd realized I wasn't worth the risk after all and gotten on the next flight back to Nevada.

I'm scrolling through my phone, looking for any sign that he'd tried to reach me, when the text comes in.

My phone buzzes with a text from an unknown Nevada number.

Unknown: This is Marcus Hartwell. I got your number from Jason's emergency contacts. Are you still his wife?

The irony hits like a knife to the chest. Emergency contacts. Jason had been coming to Atlanta to prove he could meet me halfway, and instead of being here to welcome him, I was going to get a call about an emergency.

Me: Yes. What's wrong? Is Jason okay?

Hartwell: There's been an accident. He's at Regional Medical Center in Las Vegas. You should get here as soon as possible.

The phone slips from my hands, clattering to the floor as the full horror of the situation hits me. Jason never made it to Atlanta. He'd been on his way to the airport, probably terrified but determined to prove he could sacrifice for love, and something had happened.

The accident happened because he was coming to me. Because I'd challenged him to meet me halfway, and he'd been brave enough to try.

And I wasn't even here to know he was coming.

I can't finish the thought.

Maya picks up my phone, reading the message with wide eyes. "Nat, what do you need me to do?"

"I need to get to Vegas. Now." I'm moving before I fully process the decision, grabbing clothes and shoving them into my suitcase. "Can you call the airline? First available flight to Las Vegas?"

"Already on it." Maya is scrolling through her phone. "There's a red-eye that leaves in three hours. I can get you to the airport in time."

I'm packing with shaking hands, my mind racing through worst-case scenarios. What kind of accident? How badly is he hurt? Why didn't I answer when he probably needed me most?

"Natalia." Maya catches my hands, stopping my frantic packing. "He's going to be okay."

"You don't know that."

"No, but I know what you’ve told me about Jason. He's too stubborn to let anything permanent happen to him before you two figure this out." She squeezes my hands. "And I know you. You're going to get there and take care of him and remember why you fell in love with him in the first place."

"I never forgot why I fell in love with him." The admission slips out, raw and honest. "I just got scared of how much I loved him. And Maya, he was coming here. Today. He wrote me a note saying he was getting on a plane to Atlanta to prove he could meet me halfway."

"What do you mean he was coming here?"

I show her the note, watching her face as she reads Jason's careful words. "He booked a flight. He was going to stay for three months while we figured things out. He was leaving his mountain, Maya. For me. And instead of being here to welcome him, I was sitting in meetings trying to rebuild a career that feels meaningless without him."

"So the accident happened..."

"While he was probably on his way to the airport. Or maybe he'd already landed and was trying to figure out how to reach me." My voice breaks. "Either way, he was doing exactly what I'd challenged him to do, and I failed him again."

"Natalia, you couldn't have known."

"I should have been here. I should have answered my phone. I should have been the kind of wife who's available when her husband is brave enough to cross the country for her." I'm crying now, tears I've been holding back for days. "He must have thought I didn't want him here. That I'd gotten his note and decided not to respond."

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