“No. End of discussion. I mean it, Beau. I want you out of my office and out of my life. For good. I don’t ever want to see you here, at my apartment, or kissing up to my parents. I want you gone.”
She held her arm stiff, pointing toward the door with a stern expression on her face until he relented. With a low growl of irritation, he pushed up from his chair and marched out without another word.
As the door to her office slammed shut, Violet breathed a sigh of relief. Beau was gone and even he wasn’t stupid enough to come back and keep trying after this. It was over. Her parents would just have to learn to live with disappointment. That was all she was to them anyway. The difference was that now, she no longer cared.
Violet was in love with Aidan and she wanted to be with him more than anything. She just had to convince him that she meant it.
Twelve
The front parlor of his mother’s house felt empty without all the knickknacks and doilies to protect the furniture no one was ever allowed to use. Now the room housed a large thrift store desk, a bookshelf and a file cabinet. The space had been christened as an office for the administrator Aidan had hired to manage Molly’s House. Ted was five years sober himself and had agreed to manage the house and its tenants for a small salary in addition to room and board at the house.
So far, Ted had been great. Not only would he be good as a mentor to the people staying here, but he previously worked in construction and was helping Aidan fix things around the house. There were so many little things that needed to be taken care of and Ted was tackling them as quickly as they were added to the list.
While Aidan had every intention of going to Violet and apologizing right after his conversation at the bar, things hadn’t worked out that way. Monday morning when he’d gone to the foundation to try to talk to her, he found she wasn’t in the office. Instead, he’d been greeted by Betsy, who’d been kind enough to act as though nothing had happened at the masquerade party. She’d happily handed him a flash drive with the database of gala attendees and a huge check with his cut of the proceeds from the successful event. Thankfully, the little scene they’d caused with Violet’s parents hadn’t hurt the charity’s chances. He was grateful for that. Betsy had also promised to let Violet know he’d come by to see her and to call him when she had a chance to talk.
While he waited for her call, he’d been focused on getting the ball rolling with Molly’s House. First, he’d put his assistant manager in charge of the bar and took off a week from Murphy’s for the first time since his dad had died. Making the most of it, he had been at the house 24/7. He’d bought supplies and some basic furniture and linens for the bedrooms and baths, paid a cleaning crew to come in and brought Ted on board. They were close enough now to opening that Ted was reviewing applications for their first tenants from the nearby rehab center.
It had taken up more of his time than he’d expected, but he decided that a cooling-off period never hurt anyway. Tonight, when he got done here, he was going to Violet’s to spend his previously scheduled time with Knox. Since she hadn’t called, Aidan wasn’t entirely sure how receptive she might be to his apology, but he figured that was as good a time as any to talk to her. Even if they didn’t repair their relationship, they at least had to be cordial enough to manage caring for Knox together. Tara had taken to going out during his visits, so they’d have the evening to themselves to chat.
He just wished he wasn’t so damn nervous about it.
“Hey, Aidan?”
He placed the plastic floor mat beneath the desk for the new office chair and looked over at his office administrator. “Yeah, Ted?”
“There’s someone here to see you.”
That was unusual, but okay. “Send them on back for me.” Aidan rolled the chair up under the desk and straightened out some of the computer cords running to the power strip.
“Aidan?” a familiar woman’s voice said.
Looking up, Aidan spied Violet unexpectedly standing in the entryway. He straightened up from where he’d been crouching and dusted his hands off on his jeans. “Hey there. I, uh...wasn’t expecting to see you here. I thought I was coming to your apartment tonight.” It was a long trip out to the house, and she’d never even visited before. That made him instantly anxious when he coupled it with the lines of uncertainty on her face. “Is everything okay? Is Knox all right?”
“He’s fine,” Violet assured him. “I suppose I could’ve brought him here with me this afternoon, but Tara was about to give him his lunch and I didn’t want to mess up his routine. He gets so crabby when he’s hungry.”
“He takes after me in that,” he said with a smile he hoped would make him feel less awkward. It didn’t. Aidan still didn’t understand why she was here, if nothing was wrong with the baby. She could’ve texted or called about most things and saved herself the trip. What could she possibly have to say that needed to be done in person?
“Do we need to reschedule tonight?”
“No. Tonight is fine. I just...” She hesitated with her dark gaze dropping to the hardwood floors he and Ted had recently refinished. “I didn’t want to wait to talk to you. I’ve already waited too long, but things got busy at the foundation this week.”
Aidan frowned. He didn’t like the way she said that. It felt way too ominous for his taste. “Do you want some coffee or something?” he asked to prolong the discussion. “I’ve put in a Keurig for the kitchen. Recovering alcoholics drink a lot of coffee, I’ve been told.”
“Um, sure.” She followed him through the house to the kitchen. She waited silently while he made them both a cup of coffee, and then they sat down together at the old kitchen table.
“I’ve eaten thousands of bowls of cereal sitting at this table,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound like he was nervously rambling even though he was.
Violet chuckled, warming her hands on the mug of coffee and gathering her thoughts. “This is a great old house with a lot of important history for you. I think it’s perfect for your vision for Molly’s House. I don’t know why I haven’t been by to see it sooner. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out for you.”
“Is that why you came out today? To see the house?”
“No. I’d actually gone by Murphy’s first thinking you would be there and the bartender told me you’d taken the week off to focus on the house, so I came here instead. I wanted to see you today so I could tell you that I’m sorry.”
He almost didn’t know what to say to that. He’d had every intention of apologizing to her, and yet she’d come all the way out to the Bronx to apologize to him. “What are you apologizing for? I don’t understand.”
She sighed and shook her head, her gaze never leaving her mug. “I’m sorry for not standing up to my father at the gala. I should’ve spoken to them ahead of time about finding Knox’s father. Instead I just avoided the whole situation for as long as I could and ended up putting you in the crosshairs.”
“You couldn’t have anticipated how your father would react.”
“He’s really predictable, like a stubborn old mule. You were worried that I was ashamed of you that night, but that was never the case. I was worried about my father seeing us together and sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. Of course, that’s what he did. I never should’ve let him pull you aside to bully you because it wasn’t his place to tell you anything. I should’ve protected you from him. And even if I couldn’t stop him, I needed to stand up for myself and for our relationship and tell him once and for all to stay out of my love life. But I was a coward and I ended up hurting you instead. I managed to drive you away when all I wanted in the world was for you to stay.”
Aidan was thrilled to hear her say those words, but he tried to keep his cool for now. She seemed to have a lot she wanted to say and he was going to let her get it all out. “It’s been almost a week since the gala. What prompted this revelation?”
&
nbsp; Violet looked up from her coffee. “Beau came by the foundation yesterday and I ended up getting the last piece of my lost memories back. All this time, I’d felt guilty for cheating on Beau. My parents kept insisting that he must really love me to overlook it and raise Knox as his son, but it never felt right. Now I know why. I’d come to Murphy’s that night because I came home and found him in bed with someone else. I broke up with him and ran out. I didn’t cheat on him. He cheated on me, then when I had the accident and forgot, he just continued on with our relationship as though nothing had happened.”
“Wow,” Aidan said aloud, although he wasn’t entirely surprised. Beau had an underlying sleaziness that had bothered him the moment they met outside her building. “I’m sorry he hurt you, Violet. I wish you had told me exactly what happened that night at the bar, so I could’ve told you sooner. It would’ve still been a year too late, but you would’ve known before yesterday.”
She smiled softly. “It’s okay. The timing worked out. He was trying to talk me into giving us another shot—probably at my father’s prompting—and the memories returning at that moment helped me put an end to it for good.”
It was all an interesting story and he was happy her memory had returned, but Aidan wasn’t quite sure why she was telling him all of this. Beau being gone didn’t necessarily clear the way for them to be together. He wasn’t the only obstacle. “I’m glad for you,” he said instead.
“That really isn’t the most important part, though. While I was talking to Beau, listening to him tell me about how we needed to give it another try, even before my memory came back, I realized that I didn’t want to give it another try with him. Despite everything that should make our relationship work, there were critical pieces missing. Pieces that only you have ever provided. You’re Knox’s father. Not just biologically, but you have taken on the role fully. You’re involved with him now, even when he’s tiny, so I know how wonderful you’ll be with him when he’s older. Beau would never be that for Knox. My son was always more of a...complication for Beau.”
While he was pleased to hear he was meeting her expectations in the parent department, it wasn’t what he wanted to hear right now. He wanted to know that she wanted him to be in her life for her sake, not just for Knox. “Is that it?” he asked.
“No. I’m just getting started. Of course I don’t just want a father for Knox. I’ve realized that I want you, too. No, not even that. Of course I want you. That didn’t come out right. I want to be with you, regardless of what anyone else says or thinks or wants for my life.” Violet reached out and covered his hand with her own. “I love you, Aidan. And not because you’re my son’s father. I would want you in my life even if I hadn’t gotten pregnant that first weekend.”
Aidan was stunned speechless. He wasn’t quite sure how to even respond to that. It was everything he’d hoped she’d say and yet the idea of it scared the crap out of him. Although he knew he had feelings for her, and she’d said she loved him, a part of him didn’t truly believe it could be true. Could a woman like Violet ever truly love someone like him? He was afraid to believe her.
“What about the things you said at the party? About how different we are. How things would be easier with someone like Beau? Someone that shared your culture and background. Nothing has changed in that department.”
“And I don’t expect it to. Love isn’t easy. I’ve realized that even with all those things going for Beau, loving him after everything we’ve been through would still be hard. It would be more work to forgive and trust him than any obstacle the two of us would ever face. It might be work for us to navigate, but it can also be fun and exciting for us to learn about each other. I don’t want us to be alike. I just want us to be together. And happy. Do you think you could be happy with me? And with Knox? To have our own little family?”
Aidan felt his chest tighten at the mere thought of having a real family with Violet. Childhood memories of Christmas and Easter, first days of school and Friday night cheese pizza, all came back to him. Having all of that for Knox, and sharing it with Violet, was the most amazing thing he could think of to happen in his life.
There was just one thing left to do.
* * *
Aidan had been unnervingly quiet throughout their entire discussion. He asked a few questions, but for the most part, had sat with his coffee and listened quietly while she cut open her chest and laid her heart out on the table. She had come here knowing that he might not be receptive to what she had to say. She was prepared for that, and yet, had hoped desperately for him to leap out of his chair, scoop her into his arms, declare his love for her and kiss her senseless.
When Aidan finally did move, he stood up with a stoic look on his face. “Would you excuse me for a minute?”
She nodded and watched him disappear into the living room and go up the stairs. She wasn’t sure what was upstairs that he had to go there right now, of all the times, but she did her best to sit patiently and not overreact.
Even then, she felt tears of disappointment start to well in her eyes. She asked him if he wanted to have a life with her, told him that she loved him, and he just got up from the table and walked away. That was not how she imagined this moment going.
But then Aidan returned a few minutes later with something small clutched in his fist. “I’m sorry about that. I had to go get something important. It couldn’t wait.”
Violet sniffed back her tears, hoping they were premature. “It’s okay. Take all the time you need. I know I’ve dumped a lot on you at once.”
He nodded. “I know. But it’s okay. I’ve spent the last week going over the gala and really, every moment we’ve ever had together. I’ve been trying to figure out what I could say or what I could do to convince you to give us a chance. A real chance. If we’re going to be a family, there can’t be any more secrets. If you love me, you love me when your parents are around. You love me when we meet some of your fancy friends and have to tell them I run a bar for a living.”
“I do,” she said, pushing up from her chair. “I love you all the time, no matter what we’re doing or who we’re with. I always will. I sat my parents down and told them that last night.”
“What did they say?”
Quite a bit, but she would spare Aidan the details. “My father threatened to cut me out of the will.”
Aidan’s eyes widened. “Oh, no.”
Violet just shrugged. “That doesn’t matter to me. All my money came from the trust fund my grandfather set up for me when I was born. I don’t need my father’s money. I think he was just blustering to get his way. He’s got to get used to not having a say in my life any longer. I’m almost thirty. It’s well past time.”
Aidan smiled widely. “I’m glad you said that because there’s something I want to give you. To tell you the truth, I had this with me the night of the gala, but I didn’t feel like the time was right. And then...well... I thought it was better that I hadn’t.”
Violet’s eyes zoomed in on the object in his hand. She knew exactly what that was now. It was a jewelry box. It was unmistakable. She felt her heart start to race in her chest. Could it really be what she thought it was? Would she be able to hide her disappointment if it were just a pretty necklace or a pair of earrings?
“The two of us are different, but I think it’s a good thing. The only thing that’s ever worried me was that we’re never going to be financial equals. I would say that there are few men on the planet that ever could be. And since Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are already taken, there’s even fewer than that in the world to win your heart. It’s not easy on a man’s pride to be in that kind of a situation, but there’s no way I can ever catch up to you, so I’ll need to make peace with that. I didn’t realize how much it bothered me until I realized that I loved you.”
Violet held her breath. He’d never said those words out loud to her. She’d said it at the party and sever
al times today and he hadn’t yet responded in kind. A wave of relief washed over her. He loved her.
Even as that worry faded, a new kind of anxiety built inside of her. Was this really the moment she was waiting for? Despite being engaged to Beau, she’d never had the proposal moment most girls dream of. When she’d discovered she was pregnant, he’d said, I guess we should get married, then, and they’d gone to Tiffany & Co. to pick out a ring. Violet didn’t expect perfectly timed fireworks and a gospel choir, but it was not exactly a romantic and heartfelt proposal, either.
“You may not know this about me, but in a lot of ways, I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy. I would’ve done the right thing and offered to marry you the moment I found out about Knox if I’d thought for a second you were interested in that. And later, when you and I got closer and I decided that I wanted us to be a real family, that I wanted us to get married because I loved you and wanted you in my life forever... I had new worries aside from whether or not you would say yes.”
Aidan held up the box in his hand, which was still frustratingly closed. “It bothered me that I could never afford the kind of ring that other men might be able to offer you. Because you deserve it, Violet. You deserve the biggest, sparkliest diamond ring that Harry Winston could make. And I couldn’t give you that.”
She wanted to tell him that it didn’t matter what kind of ring it was or if there even was a ring. It might be a status symbol to some women, but Violet wasn’t like that. The ring Beau gave her was nice, but it was clunky and heavy on her hand. She would be relieved to have something that was simpler to wear and she hated that he was agonizing over a moment that should be special and simple in its own way. She wanted to shout out that she wanted to marry him before he even asked, but she held her tongue. She did want to marry him, but she wanted him to say what he needed to say.
“I realized that the best thing I could offer you, aside from my heart, my love and my devotion to you and our son, was something that was important and special to me. Sentimental value is priceless.”
One Unforgettable Weekend (Millionaires 0f Manhattan Book 6) Page 14
