Page 44 of Undefeated Love
“A few minutes ago, you said that you jumped to conclusions for the second time. Did you make that leap because you’re not sure that you could be a good wife to Alex?”
“Maybe.” Katlin had never thought about that possibility before. Her reaction that night had definitely been over the top.
“How do you think you could’ve handled things differently?”
“I could have asked him instead of blowing everything out of proportion,” Katlin confessed. She grinned. “I could’ve called him on being such an ass; leaving our bed so quickly.” She paused for a minute and added, “And for not telling me that he was escorting JJ to her premiere. Had he told me when I first got there, I wouldn’t have been so hurt and gotten angry.”
“Thinking about what you just said, what element does this come down to?”
Katlin let out a long sigh. “Communication.” She nodded. “Had I communicated with him that I was coming to Los Angeles, perhaps all of this could’ve been avoided.”
Eloise smiled and patted Katlin’s knee. “Good. Now I want to loop back to something you said a few minutes ago. You said you jumped to conclusions again after watching a video. I take it you’re referencing the video of Tyler’s affair?”
Katlin nodded.
“I met your first husband, and I’ve met Alex. These are two very different men. Alex treats you very differently than Tyler did. Do you have any reason to believe that Alex was having an affair with JJ?”
Katlin thought about it for a long minute before she answered. “Not really. They’d been working together on her current movie for the last several weeks, but I’d been gone on a mission so I wouldn’t have been available anyway. I don’t pay any attention to the paparazzi because I know most of it is lies to sell grocery store magazines.”
“Now that you know Alex told you the truth in his text messages and voicemails, what are you going to do?” Damn Eloise. She always asked the hard questions.
“I guess I need to talk to him.” Katlin wondered if she could do it on the phone. “I could leave him a voicemail or a text message.” She didn’t want to face him. Not now. Her abdomen clenched, choosing that moment to remind Katlin that she was not well. Maybe in a few months, after she’d had the procedure, she could face him in person. Later, she’d need to face him and let him know about her condition.
“You’re going to have to face him at some point.”
“I know, but not now.” Katlin let out a heavy sigh. “I do miss him.” She then corrected, “I miss us.”
“That’s a very common reaction for a couple who have been together several years. The two of you have been through a lot together.” Eloise took Katlin’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. “You’re not ready for face to face. I can tell. Perhaps it would be enough just to see him from afar. The next time he comes to Los Angeles, maybe there is some way you could see him without him seeing you.”
“Maybe. That might be enough to give me the courage to call and leave a message or text him.”
Eloise stood, indicating the end of their session. “Why don’t you find out when he’s coming to Los Angeles. In the meantime, think about what’s holding you back from leaving him a message or texting him right now.”
Katlin also rose. “May I have the SD card back?”
“Are you good with what you saw on the video?”
“Yes, definitely. I might go back and listen to his voicemails from that night. And I mean really listen. I want to hear the apology in his voice.”
“I’ll approve it.” Eloise ejected the small disc from her computer and handed it to Katlin. “During this next week, I want you to think about what you need to say to Alex. Next session we’ll concentrate on how best to convey those messages. We need to work on your communication with him.”
“That sounds good.” Katlin lightly hugged her psychiatrist before she left. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“I’m here for you, always. Anytime.”
Three days later, Katlin sat outside the L.A. Guardian office. Alex was in there. Even though she’d sold her portion of the company to him, she still had a backdoor access to their computer programs. She also knew that Alex had a lunch date with JJ, who had recently returned to the United States from filming in the Mediterranean.
Parked on the street a block away, she watched Alex pull out of the company garage in one of the sports cars. As covertly as she could, she followed him to a very high-profile restaurant. He pulled up to the valet service and got out of the car.
Damn, he looked sharp. He wore a blue sports coat over his guardian uniform of khaki slacks and a gray polo shirt. He’d traded the standard military-style boots for a pair of dress shoes. His gaze swept the area as though he were looking for bad guys. Special operator habits never went away.
Every time Katlin saw him, her first reaction was always to go to him. He’d claim her with a kiss and wrap her in his strong arms, pulling her against his warm body. She missed that feeling of belonging. Of coming home. Of love. Since she left several months ago, only her psychiatrist had touched her. She missed human contact.
As though they’d timed it perfectly, JJ stepped out of her chauffeur-driven town car. Alex greeted her at the top of the steps with a cheek kiss. They turned in unison, posing like a happy couple, as half a dozen paparazzi shot pictures. JJ turned to the side and laid her left hand over Alex’s heart, showing off that fucking diamond ring that, according to Alex’s voicemails, she’d purchased for herself.
What are you doing here, Alex? Continuing the charade? Or is it real?
As though he had heard her thoughts, he looked directly at her nondescript car. He couldn’t see her. She’d parked in the deepest shade she could find in the lot. She’d worn a wide-brimmed dark blue sun hat that matched her blue blouse and blue shorts.
