Chapter 51

Our departure from the boat this morning is tense as Marissa calls several times. She and Jake have heated arguments over his refusal to meet with lawyers until she agrees to his new terms instead of him agreeing to her original demands. His emotions are on edge with the topic of the baby, and Marissa seems to know exactly how to push his buttons. Every call causes Jake to hang up in irritation and throw his phone violently in various directions, cursing and going off in a full Italian rant. Surprised that his phone hasn’t shattered into pieces yet, I watch with my breath held until he calms down, unsure what to say to help bring him back to a simmer instead. There isn’t much to calm that hot temper, and I know to let it run its course.

The flight home is silent, so I listen to music while he dashes emails back and forth to his legal advisors about the meeting over paternity rights. He’s tense and agitated and very much like the Jake Carrero I used to work for, boyfriend-Jake