Chapter 61

Aria’s POV

For days, I had agonized over this choice. I had pushed it off for as long as I could, finding every possible excuse not to face this imperfect decision.

There were so many reasons to choose either side. I liked it here as things were, but it would be a disservice to me and the good of my career to hold myself back. If I turned down this promotion to stay in the status quo, maybe everything would be fine. I might even be happy.

But I would always wonder, what if.

After leaving Liam all those years ago, I had stopped accepting uncertainty as a viable option. Now, I needed a life plan with attainable goals. So far, I’d hit every single goal that I’d set for myself.

I would not let this opportunity pass me by.

“I accept,” I heard myself say. It was like an out of body experience, listening to myself. Uncertainty still gripped me in its vicious, stressful clutches, but behind that nervousness was a sense of relief. A choice had been made. Now, I could move forward, facing the consequences head on.

“Excellent news, Aria. What a pleasure it is to hear,” said the executive. “Congratulations, and we look forward to seeing your continued advancement in the company.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“We’ll have the paperwork for you to fill out by the end of the day. Make certain you return the signed documents to HR as soon as possible.”

“I will.”

“Good. Then allow me to fill in for you what your next steps will look like so you know what to expect.”

Understanding how things worked by now, I braced myself. I’d already prepared myself for travel, but I was hoping I could work remotely for a few weeks, to help settle into the role – and to properly prepare Joe for what he could expect on the road.

“During the next few weeks, you will be in a transitionary period. As you will be splitting your time evenly between our different teams, it is important that you start making introductions. I hope your passport is in order, Aria, because you have some international travel to look forward to next week.”

“A week, Sir? I was hoping I would have more time to prepare…”

“Unfortunately, the position needs urgently filled. We are confident enough in your skills to trust that you will be able to make this hasty timeline work.”

Hasty timeline, indeed. Fortunately, I did have the passports ready for Joe and I, but that was still hardly enough time to say goodbye to our lives here.

“How long will I be gone?” I asked.

“Three months, at least.”

Three months!

“I hope you aren’t having doubts now, Aria. With this position, you set yourself apart from others in the company and showcase your commitment to the company. As a team player, other advancements are certain to come your way.”

I’d already said yes. I couldn’t back out now without making myself seem unreliable and unstable. My word was my vow.

I would make this work. I have to.

“I’m not having doubts,” I told him. “It will be a big adjustment, but I am confident that I am still the best candidate for this role.”

Maybe it was time I saw the world. International travel could be fun. Hopefully, Joe would see it that way too.

“Thank you for this opportunity,” I said, pushing all my confidence into my voice, as I held back my personal doubts, burying them deep. “I won’t let you down.”

For the rest of the day, I didn’t hide in my office, exactly, but I was certainly not in a rush to leave the room. While most of my work required me to be down on the track, I could still accomplish some things from behind this desk. It was those things, paperwork and reports, that I focused on now.

Anything to keep the growing doubts from rising up in my mind.

I made the right choice, I told myself, again and again. Any choice would have had doubts attached. But this one has new opportunities and room for advancement.

I survived a few hours before a company-wide congratulatory email went out, announcing my new role. After that, I was only gifted two more minutes of quiet before the first of my co-workers made their way through my door.

For the next full hour, my co-workers swung by to congratulate me, like a well-wisher parade. I was nothing but grateful, though when many admitted how sad they would be to not see me every day, my own regret stirred.

“We’ll still see each other from time to time,” I told them, while thinking in my head, But not in the next three months.

To my surprise, Jackson even found time to visit my office. “I hear we’ll be losing you soon.”

“I’m still going to be your trainer,” I told him. “I’m just going to be a lot of other drivers’ trainer too.”

Jackson shrugged. “I’m not great at sharing.”

“Try,” I told him. “You are already on track for success. Just continue to follow my instructions and it will be fine.”

He seemed skeptical, his nose scrunching.

“I’ll also have an assistant here, I’m pretty sure. To keep an eye on you. They’ll report back to me if you start slacking off.”

“Alright. Alright. I’ll do my best. It just won’t be the same without you hovering around,” Jackson said.

“If that’s your way of saying you’ll miss me… Well. I’ll miss you too.”

Jackson nodded seriously, then, after a beat, a wide smile stretched across his face. “The email said you don’t leave until next week. That means we still have time for our date.”

I rolled my eyes at him, and he laughed good-naturedly.

“Shouldn’t you be at the track?” said a grumpy voice from the doorway.

Abruptly, the good mood vanished from of the room. Both Jackson and I turned to see Liam leaning, arms crossed, against the doorframe. He was glaring, with no real heat, straight at Jackson.

“Sorry, boss. Back to work.” Jackson gave me a small wave, then ducked out the door. Liam turned to give him room to pass by.

Once Jackson was gone, Liam stepped farther into the room.

I was still sitting behind my desk. Maybe I should have stood so we could talk, but right at that moment, this barrier felt necessary.

“So you are leaving,” Liam said it like an accusation.

“I’ve accepted the promotion I was offered, yes,” I replied, as calmly as I could. His reluctant reaction wasn’t unexpected, but his words had more bite to them that I anticipated. Like this, he seemed more than just upset, he was pissed.

“So you’ll be gone for months,” Liam said.

“I will evenly distribute my time between –”

“And what about Joe?”

I didn’t like being cut off, and glared in response. At least for a few seconds. Then I answered, “He’ll come with me, of course.”

“And his father will be okay with that?” Liam asked, frowning.

His father is in the room right now, I thought of telling him, but didn’t. For him to be acting this way right then, like he had any say in my decisions, infuriated me to no end. He had given up that right with how he had acted during our marriage.

Something he had since promised to make up for.

“I don’t see what Joe’s father has to do with my promotion,” I said, guarded.

Liam stepped closer, right up to the edge of my desk. A hint of anger in his eyes, he towered over me as I sat, glaring up at him.

“Aria. Who is Joe’s father?”