Free Against the Odds: A Love Story by J. Adams

kill to model for them. A permanent gig with Ebersole was truly a model's one way ticket to the top.
    “They're talking seven figures, Raine,” she continued. “And they want you yesterday.”
    I blew out a breath and sat down on the side of the bed. I noticed Caroline still standing in the doorway. I motioned for her to have a seat. She sat in a rocker by the side of the bed, a curious look in her eyes.
    “Andrea,” I finally said. “I can't just pick up and come back. I have a life here now.”
    “You can't seriously be thinking of passing up an opportunity like this,” she said in disbelief. “A chance like this comes zero times in a lifetime.”
    You're telling me! I thought. A gig with Ebersole would have completely overshadowed my other modeling jobs. Shoot, I probably wouldn't have even had to take any other jobs.
    “Zero times in a lifetime, Raine!” Andrea's voice blared through the phone again.
    “I know,” I agreed with a sigh.
    After a moment of strained silence between us, Andrea softly said, “You've found someone, haven't you?”
    I closed my eyes and pressed my thumb and index fingers to my temples. “Yes.”
    “All right, ask yourself this. Is he worth blowing a contract this big? Is he really worth it?”
    I smiled, not hesitating to answer. “He is, Andrea.”
    I heard her heave an exasperated sigh. “I don't believe this,” she muttered and sighed again. “At least think about it, Raine. Just tell me you'll think about it and call me back, all right?”
    “I will,” I finally said. But truthfully, my mind was already made up. “I'll call you later.”
    When Andrea said goodbye, I could hear relief in her voice. I looked over at Caroline, who had been waiting patiently.
    “Your old life calling you back?” she asked, her voice soft and full of understanding.
    “It's calling . . . but I'm not going back.”
    She smiled. “It's tempting though.”
    “I suppose,” I conceded, then paused and thought, Who in their right mind wouldn't be tempted? I finally said, “It was a glamorous life and I made a lot of money, but it's not me anymore.” I smiled. “This is my life now, being right here, with Hayden.”
    Caroline reached for my hand. “You've completely changed that man's life, Raine. Now I have to tell you something, but I don't want you to mention it to Hayden, all right?”
    “All right,” I agreed, wondering what it could possibly be, especially since she didn't want me to tell Hayden.
    “Oh, don't worry,” she said, evidently reading my thoughts in my expression. “It's nothing bad. I just wanted let you know that Hayden called me late last night on my cell phone. He said he needed to talk.”
    “Really?”I stated, surprised, wondering what he needed to talk about. I figured it must have been something really important to call her cell, apparently wanting to avoid having me answer the phone.
    “I think he called me because he needed to be reassured of something.”
    “Reassured of what?”
    “He worries about you one day getting tired of this kind of life. And he thinks there might come a day that you'll end up regretting your decision to marry him and want to leave.”
    I stared at her incredulously. “Why would he even think that? I love him. There is no way I would ever leave him.”
    “I guess he's been alone for so long that handing his heart over so completely to someone has overwhelmed him a bit. But I assured him you would never leave and I think he's okay now.”
    I sighed. “You know, when I made the decision to leave that world behind, I did it because I knew there had to be something more out there for me.” I paused and swallowed at the sudden emotion in my throat. “And there was. With Hayden I have all I could ever want. There's nothing shallow about him. He really loves me. I can hear it in his voice, and I can feel it every time he touches me or even looks at me. He has given me something I never thought I would have. He's given me true