He felt like he did something wrong but he did not know what it was.

Jakinda left him, and it seemed as if she wanted to break up with him. He was afraid of losing her. What did he need to do to have her back with him? Even if the idea of her moving in was wrong to say, he still wanted her there. If she needed her own separate place, which he thought was dumb, then he would let her have that.

He smacked himself in the face when he realized what he had done wrong.

"Let" her? He questioned why he thought he could tell a grown woman to do anything. She was an adult and he was an adult. Their age difference aside, she was a woman who should make her own decisions and he tried to make them for her.

Just as her ex-husband had.

He realized he fucked up and wanted to call her back and explain he did not mean to demand her to do something. That was not his intent. He was thinking of her well-being and that was one to get away from that toxic workplace and two, save money by living with him and not have to worry about rent or bills.

She did not see it that way.

After years with a man who did that to her since she was nineteen, and even still tried to control her with money, he stepped right into this himself.

He left his place and headed to see Amorica.

"I fucked up."

"What?" she asked him as she let him inside of her place.

He walked over and slumped down on her sofa, face in his hands in shame. "I told Jakinda to quit her job and move in with me. That she was spending too much money on an apartment she's rarely living in."

"Oh no!" Amorica popped him on the top of his head. "So you're like ex-hubby we hate."

"I know, I know, I realize that now." He looked down, studying his hands. He never asked a girl to move in with him. He was never so financially secure till now. While he still thought it was a great idea if Jakinda moved in with him, it was something they should have discussed together. "What should I do now? She left my place and wants to be alone."

"Then let her be alone, sheesh! You were smothering her anyway. That's a grown grown woman, and for the first time in her adult life, she is truly being independent. No kids to take care of, no man telling her what to do. Then you, way younger, come in and try to repeat what she just got out of."

Hearing Amorica say all of that just made it worse. "I wasn't trying to do that. What's wrong with me wanting to take care of her?"

"She didn't ask you to do that."

"But I'm supposed to just sit by and watch her be miserable at the hellhole place? They are racist, sexist, misogynist and damn near sexually harassing her. She needs to get away."

"Understood. But let her make that decision."

He needed a few drinks before he could calm himself down. He, Amorica, and her fiance ate dinner and had a few drinks and they did not discuss his situation. Amorica was in wedding planning mode and that got him thinking about his situation again.

He would love to marry Jakinda, but was that in the cards for her? She already had a bad taste in her mouth about marriage, she may never want to get married again. And what about kids? Did he want them? Jakinda made it clear she was done having kids and did not want anymore. He never really thought about having kids. It was never something he desired or longed for. Friends around him had kids and he enjoyed being around kids, it just never made him desire one.

The thought of having one with Jakinda would be nice, yet if she was done and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with he would do whatever made her happy.

He would have to explain to his mother, that she would never have grandchildren. It was not for her to demand. It was his life and his decision.

After meeting Jakinda's daughter and son, he knew he could never be a father figure to them, but maybe a friend. He did not need to be a stepfather, they had a father that was doing his job. He would love to spend more time with them and get to them. He knew without a doubt she was a good mother, but he would like to hear it from him.

Now, all he had to do was wait until she was ready to see him again. This could not be the end of them.

When he went to work the next day and stopped at her job, he was not shocked to see Roxanne sitting at the desk.

"Hey Rox," he said, dropping off the mail and picking up the pile they had. "How's Jakinda, I haven't heard from her."

"She took off the rest of the week," she said to him.

He stopped to lean over the desk and speak to Roxanne, even though he did not know her that well.

"Tell me they have proof that witch did this to my girl."

Roxanne nodded. "They came in this morning, with security, and had her pack her desk and escorted her off the premises. She's gone and they want Jakinda to press charges."

"Good." He stood to get ready to leave. "I'll have my friend see if she can help her with that."

"Hey, wait," Roxanne said to him. "You two good, right?"

"Yeah," he said, not wanting to go into his personal matters with her if Jakinda did not speak with her.

Better to leave that alone and not say he was worried about the status of their relationship. The rest of the day at work he thought of things he could do or say to make up for his blunder. He could buy her gifts or take her out for a night on the town, but wouldn't that be what she did not want? Him trying to buy her back.

All he could do was wait.

He texted her a few times with no reply. This felt like hell for him.

After work, he wanted to stop by her place. Maybe she would let him in, maybe not. He hated not knowing where things stood. But giving her space seemed like the right thing to do. So he went about his evening, missing her, imagining she was there, and getting inspired to work on another painting.