He shot through traffic like he was a stunt man playing his part in a high-speed chase. Yet even with the worry, he was pleased with himself. The look on Vanessa’s face had been priceless.
“I have to go,” he’d said.
“Back to the office?” she’d asked.
“No. I have…well, a personal emergency. A family emergency.”
She’d stared at him blankly. “I didn’t even know you have family.”
He’d grabbed his jacket and his keys. “It surprises most people to realize I didn’t just crawl out from under a rock after hatching from my egg.”
“When will you be back?” she’d called after him.
He’d only paused long enough to say, “As soon as I can.”
If there was backlash, Ian would deal with it later. That was the thing about being a workaholic—people got used to you always being there. But if being there fo
