Hello!!! Yay, another chapter!!

I am so sorry it took so long to get it out. Pretty yucky week. LOL!

Thanks for all of those who have read and reviewed!! Much appreciated!!

Don't own a thing. Can't wait until June 7th!!!

Enjoy!


Cal stood in a stunned silence. He then ran out of his study to catch Gillian. Thankfully, when he got down stairs, Emily was detaining her. Emily was blocking the door with her body. "Gillian, please don't go! My dad is a creep, I get that, but he is a loveable creep. Please, stop!"

Gillian was trying to push Emily out of the way. "Emily, it is no use. I don't want to put you or him in danger. It is not worth it."

Cal came down the last step and said, "Oh, but it is worth you getting kidnapped again, or killed? I don't think so. Gillian, you will stay here, that way we can talk about what happened."

Gillian turned to Cal and crossed her arms across her chest. "What, so I can hear another excuse from you. You are nothing but full of rotten excuses; since the day I met you. I am tired of them and I am tired of you." She turned to Emily and said, "Emily, I need you to move, now." Emily looked fearful and stepped away.

Gillian reached for the door but was soon pulled away. Cal picked her up around the waist and carried her to the sofa. All the while, she was kicking, hitting and screaming trying to get away. He laid her down just as she kicked him in the shin. "You can hurt me all you want, but I am going to stay here until you calm down so that we can talk like civilized adults."

She slapped him across the moth and yelled, "How is that for being civil?" She started to get up but Cal took both of her arms and pinned them to the sofa, stretching his body over hers. She whispered in his face, "Let go of me now or—"

Cal looked serious, "—or what? Are you going to hurt me? I dare you to. I have been hit harder and called many bad names. So, go ahead, take a shot." He let go and lifted his body up. She just laid there heaving big breaths. He looked down and whispered, "Look, Gillian, I just want to talk to you. If by the end of our conversation you still want to leave, then by all means," he pointed towards the door, "there is the door. I won't stop you. But we have to talk."

Gillian slowly lifted herself up, never taking her eyes off of Cal. "Fine, where is that bottle of scotch you were talking about earlier?" She got up and walked towards the stairs. She passed by Emily without saying a word.

Cal got up and followed her. He stopped in front of Emily and hugged her. "Don't mind Gillian now. She is in a flight or fight mode. It is not you, Luv." Emily nodded but still had tears in her eyes. "Now why don't you fix yourself some dinner while I talk to Gillian? After we are done talking, I will come and talk to you, okay? I promise, I will do everything in my power to keep her here." He kissed her forehead and started up the stairs.

When he was halfway up, Emily said, "Don't screw it up, dad. She is very fragile right now." He turned and nodded and went up stairs to the study. Emily shook her head and headed towards the kitchen.

Cal slowly walked into the study to see Gillian on his chair taking a swig from the scotch bottle. He smiled a small smile and said, "I wouldn't do that, Luv. That scotch will leave a rock in your gut." She looked at Cal and took another swig. "If you keep drinking it like that, you are going to be throwing up within a couple of hours. Then you would have no choice but to stay here."

She put the bottle down with a heavy thud on the desk. "Well let's not waste any time. What did you want to talk about?" She crossed her arms across her chest again.

Cal walked in and sat on the leather couch. "Now, don't get snippy with me. We have to discuss this in a ci—"

Gillian rolled her eyes, "—in a civilized manner. I know, Cal, now get on with it."

Cal thought for a moment and said, "That picture you have, of me kissing that woman, I think it was a set up."

Gillian laughed and said, "Oh now I can't wait to hear this. Why do you think you were set up?"

Cal smiled, and Gillian bent her head down. "You believe me, don't you? You know who that woman is. Have you seen her before?"

Gillian looked up and said, "Cal, all this doesn't really matter. Not even an hour after you 'professed' your love to me, you are making out with another woman. It just makes me not even trust you."

He replied, "You trusted me last night in your bed. What makes this day different than yesterday? By the looks of it, you knew of this picture long before this afternoon."

Gillian took some time to think. "Last night, you where there when I was in a vulnerable state. I needed someone there with me and you were just the lucky person there. And, yes, I knew of the picture before. Mae showed me the picture. I was devastated, yet I didn't want to give in to her psychology. I put the picture past me until today when it was missing. I was angry, that someone had it, that someone could use it against me. I took it out on you and then you took it out on me. After reading that note on the back, everything just made sense."

Cal interrupted, "What made sense to you? To me, nothing made sense. It was a disagreement, that we have had many times, and I said something's that were not pleasant." He placed his hand over his heart. "I am truly and honestly sorry for saying those things. They were said out of pure spite. None of this should be the reason why you are putting us in danger with you running out of here."

Gillian looked confused, "How would I be putting you in danger by me leaving?"

Cal smiled embarrassingly and said, "I would run after you. I would keep looking for you even if they placed you in a different country. I would never give up unless I found you or they put a bullet in my head."

Gillian stared softly at Cal's open face. She got up and walked to the couch. She put her arms around him and said, "I would never want you to experience a bullet through your head. Those are in my worst nightmares. Please don't ever say that again."

Cal grinned, "Well the scenario in my head was that I found you." They both shared a light chuckle. "Luv, look at my face. I have taken my mask off for you many times. I don't do that for anybody." He looked at her and she nodded. "You have got to believe me when I say I didn't know that woman was going to kiss me. Yes, I did follow her out, but I was imagining it was you. Then she pushed me up against the wall and I gave in, but for only a couple of seconds. Her cherry chap stick reminded me of you, so I stopped it and left. That was it. Oh, and she grabbed my goodies, but that was her will, not mine. After that, I booked it."

Gillian burst out laughing. When she was able to calm down, she said, "She grabbed your goodies? Wow, very insightful Cal."

Cal grinned and said, "But, I can tell that you believe me and by the look you had when seeing the picture, you recognized her. Do you know who she is?"

She sighed, "She is Garry and Alexandria's daughter. They must have used her against you, or she did it willingly. As for believing you, well I do believe you. I probably shouldn't though. You will just end up breaking my heart anyways. It is fate." She got up and walked back around the desk. She sat down, grabbed the scotch bottle and took a big swig. "I will stay tonight, but only tonight." She didn't have to look at Cal to feel his eye's burning into her.

He slowly got up and walked around to where Gillian was sitting. He bent down and was nose to nose with her. They stared at each other for a long while. Finally, he said, "Give me one chance, and I will prove that I will not break your heart. Please, Gillian, I need this one chance."

She whispered, "I think you already had your chance and you blew it."

He slammed his hand on his desk, "That is a bullshit answer and you know it. You gave Alec many chances and look what he did to you."

Gillian pulled her eyebrows together, "There is a big difference between you and Alec; he was my husband. We had an obligation to at least try it out. I wasn't giving him chances; I was trying to make my failing marriage work."

He put both of his hands on the arm rests and pulled her closer, "Then maybe we should get married."

Gillian just stared at him with her mouth opened. What she was about to say was drowned out by Emily screaming from downstairs.


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