by Nora Ford
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tessa
Ten days passed since I left Aron. Staying away from him had been harder than I expected. My body yearned for him, for his touch. I fought it, but I couldn't shake off the images of him that flashed across my mind — his chocolate brown eyes piercing mine as he hovered above me, filling me, completing me in ways I hadn't wanted or expected.
"Still sulking and brooding, I see," Liv tugged on my ponytail and sat on the bed beside me. I was sitting there, knees tight to my chest, wearing one of Aron's huge sweatshirts that covered my knees. Liv was right; I hadn’t done anything in the past ten days but sit in bed and stare at the wall.
"I'm not sulking. I'm thinking," I tilted my head sideways to look at her. Her eyes assessed me. The moment she saw through me, Liv cocked her eyebrows, and one side of her mouth rose into a grin. "Yeah, thinking about your sexy husband and how much you wished to be tucked in his arms instead of sitting here staring at the wall?" She leaned back and studied me. "Why don't you just call him?" she added for what seemed like the millionth time.
"You know why," I said brusquely. This was not the first time in the past ten days we'd had this exact conversation. Aron had been on the regular loop of conversation with my sister. I could just stay at my apartment and avoid Liv, but I didn't want to do that either. Everything there reminded me of Aron.
Liv shook her head. "No, that is not going to work this time. We're not dropping the subject."
"Liv, please, I don't want to talk about it," I sighed.
"I'm not going to leave you in this room to cry yourself to sleep."
I didn't speak; I just gave her a questioning look.
"I live here, Tess. I hear you cry every night. This has to stop; it's not good for the baby," Liv pated my knee.
"I love him, I miss him so much, Liv." Tears swelled and blurred my vision. "But it's not going to work."
"Why? And please, don't tell me that he lied to you. Talia and Grace did the same, and you've forgiven them."
"No, it's not that. Maybe it was the reason I left, but it's not the reason I can't go back," I said as I wiped my tears with the back of my hand.
"Is it Seth? Do you still feel that you're betraying him?" Liv asked again.
"It is, and it isn't."
"Can you please speak clear text. I can't follow you," Liv said impatiently.
"It has to do with Seth and how I loved him. But it has nothing to do with feeling guilty. I accepted that Seth would stay a sweet memory," I paused. "What Aron did hurt me a lot. The other day I bought him a ring I wanted to propose to him on Christmas. But what he did made me realize why I didn't want to love in the first place. After Seth's death, I thought nothing and no one could hurt me." I lifted my head and looked at Liv. She was listening carefully. "I don't want to feel that way anymore. I loved Seth to the point that his death shredded my heart. I can't take that kind of pain again. I won't survive it, Liv. My love for Aron could hurt me; losing him would break me. I can't let this happen."
"Are you listening to yourself. You're talking nonsense. You're already head over heels in love with him. Staying away won't help."
"It has to. I can't go back. The nightmares have become unbearable," I started to cry again.
"Are you telling me if Aron died in a car accident, a plane crash, tomorrow, next week, next months or in ten years, you won't be devastated because you're not living with him?" She challenged.
"Of course, I would be, how can you say such a thing?" I asked horrified.
"There’s your answer, Tess. You love Aron; nothing is going to change that. You can take the risk and spend the rest of your life with him and be happy. Or you can sit here and wait until you really lose him, to an accident, a heart attack, or another woman. It won't matter how; the outcome is the same. Trust me it won't be easier." Liv squeezed my hand. "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Why don't you fly to New York and spend Christmas there? I've heard that the penthouse suite at the Hamilton Hotel is worth the trip." Liv gave me a suggestive grin and left me to my thoughts. Liv's words had confused the hell out of me.
***
"No!" I cried out; my eyes flew open in the dark. I gasped for breath as my eyes adjusted and I looked around. I was in Liv's guestroom. The nightmare has been so real. So goddamn real. But it was different this time, Aron wasn't dead, he was calling out for me. I tried to reach him but I couldn't. I was chained in place but saw another woman come to his rescue.
When I calmed down, I knew what I had to do. Liv was right. I'd already fallen so deep. No, I wouldn’t sit here and lose Aron to another woman.
I called Talia and Adam first thing in the morning, telling them that I had to be in New York before night.
At two, I walked straight to Adam's jet and climbed the short stairway into the cabin. It was past nine when I opened the door to Aron's penthouse suite.
I followed the dim light that led me to the living room. Although the sight of the small but beautifully decorated Christmas tree was breathtaking, it wasn't the first thing that caught my attention in the room. It was my own Christmas miracle who sat there sleeping on the couch. I noticed that Aron was still wearing his suit pants, he took off his jacket and tie, though. He looked tired. I couldn't find it in my heart to wake him.
I lost track of time, I didn't know how long I stood there quietly staring at him. However, Aron must have sensed my presence. He slowly opened his eyes. For a moment he looked confused and disoriented. "Am I dreaming?" He reached for my hand.
"No, I just came in. I told them downstairs that I'm Mrs. Hamilton, so they gave me the card to your suite,” I explained.
"Does… does this mean, you've forgiven me?" he asked hesitantly.
"It's Christmas Eve, I wanted to give you your present." I opened my purse and found the box inside. I bit my lip as I held it out, a sudden shyness overtaking me.
Aron took the box and pulled off the red ribbon that was tied around it. His look shifted between the gold band and me as he took it out of the box. "Do you still want to be married to me?"
"No," Aron instantly tensed at my response, so I took a step forward and looked into his eyes. "I don't want to continue what we have. I want the real thing Aron, a wedding, and a ring. I want to take your name, give my vows and mean them. I want forever this time," I whispered without breaking our eye contact.
Aron didn't speak, he leaned down and kissed me hard on the lips. My body instantly responded to him. I realized that I'd punished myself by denying my need for him for the past few days. When he pulled back to catch his breath, I tugged my coat open to expose the French lace negligee I wore underneath. "I hope you don't mind having two presents on Christmas Eve."
Aron's eyes darkened, and he gasped loudly. "Have you flown from Seattle to New York in nothing but this under your coat?"
"Well, it's your Christmas present. Besides, I wanted to show you what forever meant," I said coyly.
In answer, Aron tugged his shirt off; he didn't bother unbuttoning it. I saw the buttons flying then falling on the floor. I gave myself an inward pat on the back. "Turn and face the wall." The hard, authoritative words caught me off guard.
"What?" I whispered, uncertain but at the same time turned on by the demand. "Turn and face the wall." I did.
Aron leaned in and whispered in my ears. "That's it, baby. I want to admire my present."
For the next few hours, Aron showed me in many ways how much he liked his gift. When we finally lay on the floor, Aron reached for his pants, searching its pockets. He took out two small boxes and handed one of them to me. "This is your Christmas Present."
I gasped when I saw the beautiful diamond earrings. "Oh, Aron, they are beautiful." I met his gaze and felt my heart jumping in my chest. "Thank you," I murmured.
With his eyes still locked on mine, Aron drew my hand to his lips then he gave me the other box. "I was planning to give you this on the night you left. My Grandmother wore this ring for more than fifty years. With this
ring, I want to seal my love for you for eternity. Are you willing to be my forever, Tessa?"
"Yes, Aron. Yes," I said and held out my hand for him to slide the ring on my finger.
"It's your fault; I was planning a romantic evening with dinner, music, and flowers to give you this ring. Now I ended up proposing on the floor while we're both naked," he grinned.
"I guess you know me well enough by now to know that I like this version better," I said as I breathed against his neck and hugged him tight, skin to skin. I cupped his face with both my hands and looked into his beautiful brown eyes. "I love you, Tessa Hamilton."
I smiled at this first use of my married name. It didn't feel wrong or weird; it felt absolutely right. "I love you, too, Aron Hamilton. You're all mine now. I'll never let you go."
I covered his mouth with mine and put all the love I was feeling into that kiss.
The End
The Opportunity
Book three in the Seattle Billionaires Series
Nora Ford
Chapter One
Olivia
It was New Year’s Eve. Since I wasn’t the party-type, I planned to spend this year’s Eve at home doing nothing but drowning myself in self-pity. However, tonight’s party was different. It was my sister’s wedding. Tessa and Aron got married six months ago, but they deprived all of their friends and family of witnessing their marriage. Back then they hadn’t intended to stay married. It was Tessa’s idea to renew their vows on New Year’s Eve. She wanted to start the year with Aron's ring on her finger. That was Tessa; when she finally realized that she couldn’t imagine her life without him, she couldn’t wait for the rest of her life to begin.
After spending the night at our parents’ home, I drove Tessa to the Hamilton’s Mansion where the wedding was to take place. Grace, Aron’s mother insisted on having the wedding at her place. She loved Tessa like a daughter and was so happy to see her love and be loved again.
Being Tessa’s maid of honor distracted me from all the drama that was going on in my life lately. I helped Tessa get ready and waited with her for dad to come and walk her down the aisle. However, standing at Tessa’s side as she and Aron exchanged their vows wasn’t as easy as I thought. Not with Jason, Aron’s best man and his brother, staring at me through the whole ceremony. I tried to ignore him as I’d been doing for the past few months. I didn’t succeed though.
“You owe me the next dance,” Jason said as he approached and interrupted the conversation I was having with my mom.
“I beg your pardon?”
“You’re the maid of honor, I’m the best man. We have to dance together,” he grinned.
“Is that an unwritten law?” I cocked one brow.
Before Jason could respond, mom meddled, “Indeed, it is. Bride maid of honor has to dance with the groom’s best man.”
I gave my dad, who was sitting next to mom, a pleading look but he just grinned at me and held out a hand for my mom. “Come, honey. I think the father of the bride has to dance with the mother of the bride.”
Mom didn’t let dad ask twice, she put her hand in his and went to the dance floor.
Jason and I watched them as they danced. They were nice to watch.
“Your dad is a lucky guy,” Jason observed as he saw the way mom was looking at dad like he was the only man on earth.
“Yeah, he is,” I said without looking away from them. “Mom is lucky too. Not all men could stay faithful to their wives and in love with them after thirty-three years of marriage.”
Jason was aware of my history with men and knew very well that he was a part of this history.
The Arrangement
Book one in the Seattle Billionaires series
Nora Ford
Chapter One
Talia
I just got off the phone with my mother. It was the third time today, and it was driving me crazy. Though I kept telling her that it’s a business meeting and not a date, she doesn't get it. She was so excited about my meeting this evening and checked in with me every couple of hours.
However, every time she used a different excuse for her call, this time she told me that Timo, my son, ate his supper and was playing in the garden. That was clever of her because my son is top of my priority list and my work comes second, what she refuses to understand is that men are not on this list at all.
Since my divorce six years ago I’ve sworn off men for good. My mom won’t accept that though.
I have a great family; they are loving, caring and supportive. Although I didn’t follow in my father’s footsteps and didn’t study medicine like my sisters, they weren’t disappointed.
When I dropped out of college and left everything behind to move with my husband to England, they respected my choice although they weren’t happy about it.
When I came back a year later, broke, pregnant and with no college degree, they never said 'we told you so'. They encouraged me to start over and even financed my courses in graphics and web design, after my ex-husband took every cent of my trust fund.
They taught all three of us that one has to love what one does to excel. That is what I do, I love my work, and I am good at it. With my son and my work, I don’t have time or energy for anything else, and I like my life the way it is. However, my parents and sisters worry about me all the time.
As much as I love them all, they can be a pain in the ass sometimes. My mom wants all her daughters to have what she has with my father, a perfect marriage. They have been married for thirty years now, and they still love each other dearly. But it’s a gift not everyone can have.
They fell in love and got married in England, while my dad was in his first year of residency.
My mom was a nurse at the same hospital. Shortly after my elder sister, Olivia was born, she quit her job to become a full-time wife and mother. Although she loved her career, she was happy with her role as a wife and a mother.
When my dad decided to return to the States a few years later, my mom left her country, her family, and her friends and came here with him. That was twenty years ago, she never regretted it. She always says with the right person one can be happy anywhere.
She is probably right, but the right person doesn’t always exist. I learned that the hard way. When I caught myself thinking about my painful marriage experience, I quickly pushed the memories from my mind. I stood up and began preparing for my meeting.
Two hours later, I was dressed to the nines and sitting in my car on my way to the restaurant, where this meeting was going to take place. I don’t meet with clients outside their offices, but Adam Grant was an exception.
He is a legend when it comes to money and success. He was only twenty-four when he took over his father’s investment company. In a little less than ten years, he turned it into an Empire.
He is now one of the wealthiest men in the States; he was only thirty-two when he made it to the Forbes billionaires list. He radiates charisma. Everything about him is public news. Like everyone, I read that he recently broke up his engagement. Although I wasn’t interested in his personal life, a story like that was everywhere.
I tried to make an appointment with him for weeks, but it was hopeless. So, I decided to take another approach. I stormed into his office last week dressed in jeans and a hoodie. I knew I had only a few minutes before security arrived, but all I wanted was to attract his attention, and I did. I left him my proposal and contact numbers and left before his assistant could return with the security guard.
I knew I was taking a risk, but I had nothing to lose. My proposal would end up in the trash bin if it went through the conventional channels. I couldn’t believe it when Adam’s assistant called to arrange the meeting. I didn’t hesitate and instantly agreed.
I desperately need the money I will make doing work for him. Most of my clients are small business owners, who need my help to set their web pages or online shops. After I do the initial settings for them, they do the rest themselves. This wouldn’t be a problem if I had n
ew clients every day, but this isn't the case.
I need to do some work for bigger companies, which would regularly use my services, so I can maintain a reasonable income and can pay my bills.
My parents won’t mind helping me with the bills, but I don’t want that, I need to be able to do it on my own. I am twenty-seven, and I find it awkward asking them for money. If everything goes well this evening, I won’t need their financial support.
Walking into the restaurant, a young waitress welcomed me. When I told her my name, she politely accompanied me to Adam’s table. I’ve never been here before, but I’ve heard about it. People wait for weeks to get a table. However, I don’t think Adam had to wait. Some rules don’t apply to everyone.
