Her overseas projects couldn''t run without her as chief engineer, and her schedule was relentlessly tight.


    She barely had time to get measured and order her wedding dress before she was whisked away again.


    This time, thepany had assigned her a personal security detail and arranged a private jet for her travels.


    Esmeralda Mercer was still abroad and hadn''t returned yet, so Elodie needed to go oversee things herself.


    Jarrod, on the other hand, didn''t really voice any opinion about it.


    He knew Elodie had a world of her own to conquer, and he was never going to be


    the one to hold her back. He wanted to be the one who always had her back, ready to support her, wherever and whenever she needed it.


    Even so, letting her go was never easy.


    He couldn''t help but think some of the higher-ups'' work arrangementscked basicpassion.


    Jarrod had never been a fan of that "with great poweres great responsibility" mentality—just because someone was capable didn''t mean they should be expected to carry more than their share.


    But...


    Watching Elodie in the passenger seat,pletely absorbed in her iPad, scrolling through lines of code, he realized again how much she loved what she did. Nothing else came close.


    When Elodie left the house that morning, her mind was a mess. Parting ways with Nadia had left her unusually unsettled. She''d never been the sentimental type, but when she saw Nadia clutch her hand and smile, she''d embarrassingly burst into tears before she''d even walked out the door.


    Work was the only thing that could numb her, at least for a while.


    Maybe Jarrod picked up on her mood.


    He reached over and gently squeezed the back of her neck. "What if I bring Nadia ande with you?" he suggested.


    Elodie shot him a look. "You might be fine, but Nadia wouldn''tst a day. That ce is brutal-don''t even joke about it."


    Jarrod grinned, clearly teasing, and seeing a bit of her old spark return, he turned to her. "When did I ever say I''d be fine? Honestly, I was just wondering if you don''t make it back in time for the wedding, how am I supposed to pull off the whole thing by myself?"


    Elodie couldn''t help but scoff. "Then why did you insist on rushing the wedding? No one said we had to do it next month."


    He shrugged. "It''s for everyone else, really."


    He didn''t borate further.


    The truth was, Jarrod had always been the jealous type, even if he pretended otherwise.


    He wasn''t usually one to get hung up over things, but when it came to her, he just couldn''t let anything go.


    Elodie nced at him, not sure what to make of it, but let it slide.


    They reached the airport.


    Jarrod parked the car, got out, grabbed all her luggage, and opened Elodie''s door.


    She stepped out. "You don''t need to


    and remember to send me a video every day if water them when can."  s


    "Alright."


    "There''s no need for you to go out of your way-I just want to focus and finish the job as soon as possible."


    "Alright."


    "As for the wedding, you can make all the decisions. I don''t really have any strong opinions."


    "Alright."


    Elodie thought he was almost too calm about all of this.


    She gave him a quizzical look. “Okay then, I''ll see you next month."


    "Nothing else you want to say to me?" Jarrod hooked a finger through the belt at the back of her coat, holding her in ce.


    Elodie turned back. "Like what?"


    His eyes glinted as he yed with the belt, his fingers making small, teasing circles. "How long will you be gone? A few days?"


    Elodie did the math. "About twenty days. Why, is that a problem?"


    He grinned, entirely unashamed. "I suppose I just have to tough it out. Twenty days alone, counting down


    the nights what do you think, am 1


    in trouble?"  s


    Elodie was momentarily at a loss for words.


    Suddenly, she remembered


    something when things used to get tense between them, even if they


    argued, Jarrod would always fret?


    f.n


    home at least once a month, never shirking his husbandly duties. He wasn''t half-hearted about it either; he always made sure she was fully engaged, never just going through the motions for himself. Now that she thought about it...<fn2c75> Fresh chapters posted on Find[?]ovel</fn2c75>


    belongs to s


    Wasn''t that just like putting on a cold face and still showing up to provide "service"?


    He''d be mad at her and stille back to take care of her...


    Elodie found herself suddenly curious about what had really been going through


    Jarrod''s mind during those two years.