A New Plan
Chapter 71
Phillip’s POV
I knew that jerk would try to lure Addison away once he realized I had left her at the house. It
actually took him longer to figure out I was gone than I thought it would. I didn’t mind his
brother Holden coming over. I knew Holden had a crush on her. I’m not stupid. I saw how he
was looking at her. But unfortunately for Holden, he had never been on her radar. He had been
friend–zoned without even knowing it. Garrett, however, was going to be a problem. Addison
still cared for him, whether she admitted it or not. I needed to ensure he didn’t come back to
cause me problems.
I warned my men to ensure that neither Garrett nor Valerie returned to Addison’s home. Garrett
still loved her. He had just been mad at her, not realizing the child he thought belonged to
another man was his. I figured that was what he was going to try to do. It didn’t matter if she
was dressing up for their date or not. He wanted her back. I knew a desperate man when I saw
one because I was a desperate man, too.
Before we arrived at her house, she had agreed to speak with Garrett about me adopting
Corbin. She changed her mind after seeing how Garrett was with Corbin. He already had Corbin wrapped around his finger. It took a couple of weeks for Corbin to warm up to me the same way. I don’t know if Corbin had recognized Garrett or what. But the bitter taste of jealousy was hard to swallow.
The anger I felt over my plans being messed up consumed me. This was supposed to be the alone time with Addison I had always wanted, an opportunity for us to move to the next step and sleep together. Her Aunt completely supported me, and I had waited a long time. I know that blue balls can’t kill now because I would have already died by this point.
Garrett would never allow me to claim his son; too bad for him, I will still be Corbin’s stepfather. I almost wish he weren’t injured so that I could punch him in his smug face. Even if he were completely healed, I would always be a better fighter than he was. Sure, he was an athlete and in good shape. But he was a quarterback. He threw balls for a living. I worked hard, and I trained hard. There was no comparison between us.
I had initially planned to come back home tonight, but I had an appointment that I couldn’t miss. Colton was going to be her shadow tonight. The moment I got off the phone with Addison, I called him.
“Is there a problem?” Colton asked right off the bat.
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A New Plan
I rarely call him, so calling him like this let him know there was an issue. “Yeah, the jerk found
out I was back in Dallas and is taking Addison to dinner tonight at five. Can you follow at a discrete distance? Don’t go into the restaurant unless there’s a problem. She would probably be angry knowing that I sent you to trail them. Tammy is out there, and the threat is greater after what they did to Summer. I know they will do the same, or worse, to Addison. Tammy is mental and not thinking clearly. I believe that she would take any opportunity to strike. Just watch out for Addison while I am here, please,” I asked.
“They will never know I am trailing them. I will use my vehicle tonight. I will follow her home as I’m the one watching the cameras tonight,” Colton replied.
“Thanks, I owe you one,” I told him before disconnecting.
I leaned back in my chair, entwining my fingers behind my head, as I stared at the ceiling and tried to figure out my next move. The investigator I keep on retainer will work on a special
project for me. He was supposed to be here in two hours, so I blew out the breath I was holding and got back to work. I needed to have this done as quickly as I could.
Time passed quickly, and my investigator, Paul, was here before I knew it. He was an average–looking guy. Slim build, not handsome or ugly, he was perfect for his job as he blended into his surroundings. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He kept his hair brushed down when he was working. He looked completely different when it was brushed back, but in his line of work, you didn’t want to stick out.
“I heard you needed me to find someone. What’s their name?” he asked.
“I don’t know her name. You will have to work a little harder this time to find her,” I replied.
“A woman? Phillip, I thought you were happily engaged,” he asked with a smile.
“Oh, I am, but her ex will not let her go. He is still trying to get her attention and forgiveness. I can’t let that happen. I need you to find Garret Pearson’s former girlfriend in North Carolina as soon as you can,” I replied.
Paul was all business and already had his little notepad out and writing in it. He was always serious when he was on a mission. I didn’t require him to go out of town often, so this was a special request. I usually used him to find information to help business deals go through more efficiently. Like what the max bid on land would be or to see how strong our competition was against us. This time, it is personal.
“Garrett Pearson, the quarterback?” Paul suddenly asked, looking up in surprise.
“That would be him,” I replied. His grimace didn’t escape my notice. Garrett may be new to the NFL, but he has been making waves. “Now you know why I need you to pull out all the stops,”
+8 Points
A New Plan
“Got it. Do you have a description of her,” Paul asked.
“I have a picture,” I told him, sending it to his phone.
“She is beautiful. So what do I need to do?” Paul replied.
“I want her to come here and start their relationship back up. She already wants him. He may be injured, but he is a very focused individual. Even if she isn’t successful, her presence here will cause Addison to return to her senses. I refuse to allow that jerk to come between us. He
may be Corbin’s father, but Addison’s next child will be mine,” I stated.
“Got it. How much are you willing to spend? She looks like a high–maintenance girl. I doubt she will come here for nothing,” Paul pointed out.
“I know. I’ve got five thousand for you, but this should be an easy job. She should agree to it, as she wants to be the wife of a pro player. She was the only repeat he had, everyone else was a one–and–done. I need you to find her. I am willing to pay her eight thousand dollars to come
here. I need her to ensure that Addison gets an up–close and personal reminder of who Garrett is. He hasn’t changed. At least, I don’t believe he has. He’s injured right now and can’t mess around like he did before. I would love for him to get back together with this girl. Call me when you’ve found her. Wait until Monday to fly out there. It shouldn’t take more than three days to find her. Have her back here by next Thursday. I also have three thousand to cover travel expenses. Don’t fail me, Paul,” I told him as I placed the money in my desk drawer before him.
“I have never failed you before, Phillip, have I?” Paul asked with a smirk as he put the money in
his suitcase.
“No, you haven’t, Paul. But this is more important than any other investigation I have sent you. I will not lose Addison now that she has agreed to marry me. I need to deal with him quickly.
Make sure she understands what she needs to do. There won’t be a second chance at this. I
want her to put on the performance of a lifetime once Addison is outside to see the show. You
can have the woman catch an Uber once you get to Frisco. I will send you the address. I don’t want Addison to see you and figure out later on that I was involved in this. I don’t care what she does to get him back. She needs to come up with a plan. I don’t care if it is s*x in his room, making out in the front yard, or on the porch. She needs to make sure that Addison knows that they have slept together before,” I told him.
“Got it, boss. I’ll see you in a week and keep you updated,” Paul told me as he exited my office.
I was dead serious. I needed Garrett out of the running. Addison would then stop dragging her feet and set a date so we could start planning a wedding. I would love to give her a Christmas wedding. She had mentioned that she would love a winter wonderland wedding to her Aunt Alexandra years before. They discussed the picture on the mantle at Alexandra and Nash’s
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A New Plan
home.
was a picture of them at their wedding thirty years ago. It was a summer wedding,
and Alexandra had asked Addison what her dream wedding would look like. That was how we
found that out.
I mentioned that I would like to have a winter wedding before. But Addison still wasn’t ready to
agree to a date just yet. I wanted her to have the wedding of her dreams. I would give her the world if I could. I believe she had long lace sleeves on the dress she was designing, but I only
briefly saw the dress before she put her tablet down on the bed the other night. It will be tight; we only have six months to plan it, but that’s fine. Money always makes things run smoother. I was willing to help pay whatever I needed to ensure we got this done.
We will complete renovating her home in less than six weeks. By that point, I want her to set the date. I will play nice, as I don’t want to push her too hard, but I need to lock her down. This has gone on for long enough. Maybe we need to sleep together for all her worries to go away. She might think we are not compatible, but she is the woman I love. I was interested in her from the moment I saw her and her son in that picture. My parents and her grandparents were
entirely on board with this.
I am glad that I’ve got Paul working on this. I know that when they go out tonight, Garrett is going to try to remind her of the good old days. Thankfully, there won’t have been too many of them, especially in recent years–not after what he did. Despite knowing her from infancy, he was willing to believe the worst about Addison.
He might think that all he had to do was charm her, but Addison would not instantly forgive him. They will talk, but it won’t be the warm, happy kumbaya moment he thinks it will be. I have spent months reminding her of what Garrett did to her over the years. Tonight is not going to end like he thinks it will. I will never bow out. Addison is mine. He needs to let her go.
