no professional work titles—I’m Jim to you. The Jim that enjoyed every minute of having you with me in England and having you back in my arms again.”
“Oh shit.” She covered her smile. “Ash told me about Jake using Mitch as his alias when he screwed her before they knew each other. Their one-night stand?”
“That shithead used the name the guys call me sometimes. He used it every time he messed around and screwed women over. And guess who was getting eyes on them out at the bar when the name Mitch was called? My sorry ass.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “I almost got decked by some prick whose girl cheated on him with my brother.”
“Are there any chicks still hunting for this player named Mitch?”
“I haven’t been looked at oddly, nor have we gone to any of those bars recently.”
“I think it’s funny as hell if I’m honest.” Avery got up, and now my eyes were on her perfect ass, “Are you coming, Mitch?” She stopped and laughed, looking back at me as I followed her, unamused.
“You just realized you killed the moment for me, right?”
She laughed while I went to turn on the shower. “I killed the moment for myself.”
“No shit.” I laughed at her. “What do you say we ease Addy out of the Mitch name?”
“She loves her friend Mitch.”
“Perhaps one day, I’ll be more than a friend then.” I smiled.
Avery grabbed my cock, and I jumped in shock as she started pumping my dick in her hand. “It might be a long night for you and me, Jim.”
“That wouldn’t bother me at all.”
We stepped into the shower and my inward hope of seeing Avery’s lips wrapped around my cock happened. One thing was for sure: this woman and I would not be leaving each other’s sides any time soon.
I knew that, as much as I wanted her one-hundred-percent, I needed to take things slowly and carefully, and I needed Avery to take the lead with Addy. I was deeply devoted to Avery, yes, and even though I felt that sure of this, the reality was that we needed much more time. We hadn’t been together long, but I knew—without a shadow of a doubt—there was no one else in the world that I’d rather be with. I knew it from the first time I saw her and became more than intrigued with her. Call it love at first sight, call it hopeless romanticism, call it crazy, but I knew this was worth everything. More than all of this though, the heart and innocence of a child was involved, and Addison’s well-being had to be considered over my desire to beg for both of them to be in my life forever. Avery was a single mom who knew how to manage this better than I. This would be the first time I released the control over anything I wanted to pursue. If I truly loved Avery, I would respect her wishes in how we approached our relationship with Addison involved as well.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Avery
Our second day in Palm Springs went as smoothly as the first. Collin did an incredible job with his presentation. Jim expounded upon what Collin had to say by speaking again, standing there in a dark suit with a new glow on his face. The crease in his forehead and his brilliant smile captivated the group, and it wasn’t long before the people were responding with lively excitement. All-in-all, Jim and Collin had enchanted the room, making everyone seem to enjoy this day and the reason they were here even more.
I was on Jim’s arm most of the time, and it was euphoric in its own way. No nasty looks from people I understood were in the upper class of elites. There were only casual conversations and a lot of fun.
I would have thought that Collin—the gorgeous neurosurgeon—would’ve been far too young for his position, and the same went for Jake. By the looks of them, you’d think they were young and naïve doctors, but the men were brilliant. Captivatingly intelligent. Thank God for that too, apparently, because if they weren’t, this conference would have been a waste of time.
The night we flew home was as mesmerizing as the helicopter flight in. This time, however, Jim surprised me with burgers, fries, and a shake. He said he believed I would appreciate that more than roses or jewelry in gratitude for joining him to Palm Springs, and he wasn’t wrong. He knew