The Path to Love

Chapter 64 - Sam's POV

"What do you mean my trip back has been delayed?"

"Only by a few days, don't worry. The temporary replacement is planning an event they want to welcome you at. We'll be returning early Saturday. The event will be in the evening."

"We'll?"

"Yes. You and myself and my wife."

"We're all going back together?"

"Yes, are you okay with that, Samantha?"

"Yes, sir." I replied. I didn't really have another choice, did I?

"Good."

"What is the event for?" I asked him.

"To welcome you and to raise money for the Janeway. This will be the first event where you will be seen as the CEO of Dawson Enterprises, it is a formal event. I'll have someone help you with shopping. You need to dress the part to act the part."

"Um, okay." I replied.

"You're no longer in high school Ms. Dawson. It is no longer short length dresses and do it your own hair. It is floor length gowns with people doing your hair and makeup. Are you up for this?"

"I have no choice but to be, right?" What the hell am I walking into?

"A little more enthusiasm would be nice, but that'll have to do. Your world is going to change soon, Samantha Dawson. I hope you're ready for it. A lot of people are going to be asking you who the father of your baby is. The smartest advice I can give you if you want to avoid the paparazzi is to keep your head down and plow through. You saw what happened when Hunter did not do that. Bad press can be just as good as good press, depending on what it is about. Always remember, hold your head up high, don't let anyone bring you down."

"Thank you for all that advice, sir. Where is Hunter's mom, anyways? I haven't seen her yet."

"I've been keeping her busy over in other parts of the world. She isn't as calm as me about this whole situation you and Hunter both have yourselves in, so I don't want her to be here and make it worse for everyone involved. We have to let our kids learn by themselves, sometimes. This, unfortunately, is one of those times."

"We have learnt, sir." I stated. "We have learned to stay away from each other for the time being. I don't know what the future has in store for us, but right now we have done nothing but disappoint each other. This year was supposed to be everything for us, it was supposed to be our biggest year yet. In a way, it has. But we were supposed to graduate together, go to prom together and go to college together, and none of that happened. Instead, Hunter is home and I am here. We don't talk to each other, we have been torn apart by something that should have pulled us together."

"I believe you two will be pulled back together sooner rather than later." He had this smirk on his face like he knew something. I wasn't going to push it, because I was finally becoming okay with the idea of us never talking again. It was taking a long time, but I was learning to adjust to a life without Hunter Jackson Thomas. Soon, my life will be without the Thomas' altogether, I don't know if I am ready for that just yet, but I knew I was going to have to be.

"Whatever you want to believe, Mr. Thomas." I turned around and walked out of his office. I called my assistant. "Call my bodyguards and call the driver, I'm ready to go home for the day. My back is killing me, and my feet are so swollen, I just want to relax."

"I'll call them now." She replied before I hung up.

I was learning so much from Mr. Thomas, but at the same time I kept having these horrible dreams that were scaring me from this job. It always ended up with me choosing work over my daughter, and I didn't want to do that. I love her so much already and I never want to make her feel unwanted or less important than my job. At the end of the day, I'm working at this job for her, to give her the best life possible.

I'm sleep deprived because of these dreams; I'm constantly peeing, my feet are swollen, my back is killing me, and I'm craving dill pickle chips with ketchup. I crunched my face up in disgust. That sounds disgusting, but it's what I want. Ew.

The charity ball is a good idea for my building. It will let people know more about Dawson Enterprises, raise money for a deserving hospital wing, and introduce me as the new CEO of Dawson Enterprises. I wonder if my parents were going. Probably not, since they wanted nothing to do with me. Maybe they'll want to see the baby when she's born. I want my child to know her grandparents, but not if they're going to make her life miserable.

I got aboard my car with my bodyguards telling the driver I wanted to go home. I walked up to my hotel room and decided to get a bath. Once I got the water running, I put bubbles in it and was ready to get in. When I was just about to get in, my phone rang.

I wrapped myself up in a robe and went out to answer my phone. "This is Samantha Dawson."

"Hey," he spoke into the phone.

"Hey, I haven't heard from you in a long time. How are you?"

"I have a situation."

"What did you do now, Xavier?"

"Hunter is here, and he wants to know where you are."

"No." What the hell? Could this day get any worse? Just when I thought I was finally starting to live without him.

"What do you want me to tell him?"

"Tell him to take his assistant on a date and to shove it up his ass. He's not in my life, he doesn't need to know where I am."

I heard a shuffle of the phone and then silence. "Sam, I'm not dating my assistant. Just tell me your safe."

"I'm fine, Hunter." I hung up the phone.

Really?