Eternal by London Saint James Read Free Book Online Page A

see Jayden
coming down the stairs. “Enjoy your jog.”
    Jayden and I made our way out the gates and
followed the secluded bike paths. As we ran, all I could think about was
Cayden. I wondered what I would do if my presence in his life caused someone to
threaten him. I was not concerned for myself, because nothing could harm me
other than someone harming Cayden. Things were much more complicated than I had
ever realized. I’d been worried for Cayden and his image, yes, but never his
safety. To know someone could threaten him or try to harm him was far too much.
    I told myself I would be much more careful. I
would do what I needed to do in order to divert any further speculation from
Cayden, but then I decided my decisions would need to be much more deliberate
than just being careful. I thought about the lies we had allowed regarding the
possibility of a relationship between
Chandler
and I. I found as lies usually do, they grow, becoming more involved, more
tangled like a web. Can I go further
with this lie in order to protect Cayden? I could I decided. Once you tell
one lie, you begin to tell others. Before you know it, you have a very
intricate and delicate string of them. But I had no choice but to lie if I
wanted to be with Cayden. There in lied the crux.
    Maybe I was being far too selfish. And as much
as it would kill me to do it, perhaps I should tell an even bigger lie. Make it
clear to the press I’m not interested in Cayden. Set him free from their
ruthless pursuits for gossip. I had to consider it. Maybe I should let go of my
selfishness, break my heart and his, and walk away to keep Cayden safe. Could I
do that? I thought about
Austin
.
While it is not the same scenario, I had to ask myself. If leaving
Austin
would have saved his life, would I have walked away? Yes. There was no
question, no other answer.
    “Winter, we should head back,” Jayden said,
breaking my thoughts.
    “So soon?”
    “We have been jogging for over an hour, and the
sky is looking ominous. I think we are too far out. I would feel better if we
were back at the estate,” Jayden replied.
    “Sure.” We turned around on the narrow path. I
felt my phone vibrate inside the pocket of my sweatshirt. I pulled it out and
stopped running. “Hello,” I answered, breathless.
    Cayden’s stressed voice filled my ear. “Winter,
what’s going on? Why are you breathless?”
    “It’s okay. Jayden and I are jogging.”
    “Oh,” Cayden said then there was a long pause.
“Did you see the paper this morning?”
    “
Chandler
read it to me, so while I did not see it, I do know what the article said.”
    “I am so sorry.”
    “Cayden, you have nothing to be sorry for,” I
replied.
    “You sound different. Are you sure you’re doing
okay?”
    “Yes, I am fine.”
    “Listen, I can’t talk long but I need to fly out
to
California
on Thursday for some scheduled interviews and a photo shoot for GQ . You and
Chandler
are coming too so start packing.”
    “That may not be the best idea.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “The press is working hard to drag you into
things, and I don’t like it. I need to do what I can to keep you out of the
spotlight of my life now it would seem.”
    Cayden chuckled. “Winter, stop,” he said. “You
know I am not going to go anywhere without you. We will be careful. You and
Chandler
will be going
with me, so no arguments. And please stop pouting.”
    I smiled. I had to. I was actually pouting, and
he knew it. “I love you, babe.”
    “I was beginning to wonder if you had changed
your mind about loving me,” he replied then laughed his low musical laugh. “I
love you, too. Be safe, baby. I will talk with you tonight.”
    I placed my phone back into my pocket and looked
up at Jayden quite seriously. “Jayden, if I ask you something will you be
honest with me?”
    “Of course,” he said as we continued our jog
back toward the estate.
    “How long have you worked for Cayden?”
    “Three years now. Why?”
    “So do