Sunny's Song (Friends Lovers or Nothing Book 2)

by Chanel, Jackie

  “Are you awake?” His voice broke the silence but didn’t startle me. I was expecting him to say something.

  “Yes.”

  “I put Summer in the other room. I fed her too. There’s some food in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”

  “I’m okay,” I replied. “Thanks for taking care of her.”

  “What are you doing here, Sunny?”

  “It’s late,” I said. “Let’s discuss it tomorrow.”

  Aiden sighed. His silhouette was outlined by the soft pale glow of the moon. When I last saw him in Mt. Vernon, he looked like death warmed over. The mental anguish that he’s been putting himself through was still very much evident by the lines in his brow and the horrific glazed over look in his eyes. The tan and new muscles from whatever he’s been doing for the past month look great but I can see that he’s hurting. I don’t care if he’s happy to see me or not, I’m glad I’m here.

  “I think we should discuss this now,” he said. “I didn’t invite you and I told Roxy and my sisters not to tell you where I was.”

  “How long have I been your best friend?” I asked. “I don’t need an invitation to be where you are, you know that.”

  “You’re intruding on my space.”

  “So.”

  “Is that all you have to say?” he asked. “So isn’t good enough, Sunny. I came here to be alone.”

  “You’ve been alone long enough. I’m here now. Deal with it.”

  “Whatever, Sunny.” Aiden slid out of the bed and walked out of the room.

  When I heard the familiar snap of his guitar case and the front door open, I decided to stay in the bed. It wouldn’t do any good to follow him. Instead, I let the mellow sound of him strumming his acoustic guitar waft over me and put me back to sleep.

  Chapter 15: The Closer I Get To You

  “Aiden! Stop moving your toes!”

  Summer and Aiden were clearly having a blast on the beach. Their shouts were loud enough for me to hear them in the living room of the cottage house.

  They have been playing in the house and on the beach since we arrived. She is having the time of her life. I don’t think she’s ever played so hard. Now that she has another kid to play with, she just won’t stop. Playing and swimming in the saltwater and fresh air has been good for both of us. She goes to bed on time at night and I haven’t slept this good in months. Lying in the sun, swimming in the blue waters…geez, I could do this for the rest of my life. I know that it’s never going to happen, but a girl can dream.

  I closed my laptop and walked outside to see what my child was up to. Her high-pitched giggles as she threw sand on Aiden were probably bothering the island’s other visitors who had come for the same reason as Aiden…peace and quiet.

  The sand was still hot even though the temperature was dropping as the sun began to set so I jogged to their beach blanket and sat. I burst out laughing at the sight of Aiden covered in sand, except his head and feet. My poor baby was trying to cover his feet too, but each time she did, Aiden would wiggle his toes, causing all of the sand to fall. Summer wasn’t giving up. They’ve been up to these types of shenanigans for two days. One of them is going to tire at some point, right?

  I hope so because it’s dinner and bath time, then off to bed for Summer. After the incredible lunches and dinners Aiden and I have been eating at The Club, I asked Thomas to arrange something special for our dinner tonight. Besides, I’ve been watching Aiden for two full days and now I completely understand Roxy and Erica’s concern.

  During the day, when he’s playing with Summer, he’s fine. It’s those moments after she’s asleep and there’s just me around, Aiden does what he’s been doing for months.

  Ignoring me.

  When the sun goes down and the island is quiet of any human activity, he takes a bottle of vodka, his guitar, and notebook and sits on the porch for hours. Brooding, rehashing all the wrong he did when he was a kid, blaming himself for his divorce and hating himself because he never told his father he loved him.

  Tonight, I’m going to crash this pity party. I’ve been sitting around, giving him some space and I’m tired of it. I’ve read three books in two days on my Kindle while waiting for him to talk to me. To tell me why he’s here. After that, hopefully I’ll be ready to do the same.

  “Hey Aiden,” I called. “I hate to break up this game, but I need to feed her and get her ready for bed.”

  Much to Summer’s displeasure, Aiden freed himself from his sandy prison and jogged over to the blanket. I slowly drank in the sight of the man standing over me in his CK trunks. Good Lord, if his female fans could see him now it would be a total swoon fest. All tan and muscular…hair down to his shoulders. He could be on the cover of romance novels!

  “Well, I see you haven’t changed,” Aiden said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I’m still the life of the party and you are still the fun police. You know, all work and no play makes Sunny a cranky girl.” He laughed and turned away. “Summer! Come over here.”

  Immediately, my child dropped her sand pail and ran over to Aiden. What is he? The child whisperer? Summer never responds to the first thing I or anyone else says. No one! Except Aiden…obviously.

  “We have to go in now,” Aiden told her. “We’ll come back tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay.” Summer didn’t pout. She didn’t fuss. She didn’t cry. She just climbed on his back and laughed as they ran up the path to the cottage.

  I wonder what Aiden would charge to be my permanent nanny.

  I gathered up their beach mess and followed behind them. By the time I reached the cottage, Aiden was already warming up her leftover black bean quesadilla and steamed broccoli from lunch.

  “I got this,” I told him. “You need to shower and change. I have a surprise for you. We’re having a guest tonight.”

  “What?”

  Obviously the smile on my face wasn’t reading this is a good surprise to Aiden.

  “Calm down,” I told him. “I just arranged for the chef at The Club to come up here and cook for us.”

  Actually, Chef Jeremy is coming to give me and Aiden a cooking lesson. Aiden is hiding out on this island to clear his mind. He’s been running on the beach and he’s lost a few pounds. If I can get him to eat something other than steak and burgers, I’m sure he’ll start to feel better too.

  I stopped eating meat right after Summer was born. I gained sixty-five pounds during my pregnancy and I had to lose it quickly. Closets full of designer clothes couldn’t just go to waste just because I was too fat to fit into them. I’ve lost most of the weight but that’s not the only reason I’ve kept up my vegetarian diet and am raising my child as vegetarian. I’m ten times healthier than I’ve ever been. Now it’s time to work on Mr. Tyler.

  Cooking is not my thing. It never has been but I want to learn because my daughter deserves home cooked meals. It’s hard because it’s so much easier to go out or order in. And I don’t have anyone as hot as Chef Jeremy around to teach me.

  “It’s a damn shame that you don’t know how to cook,” he commented as we waiting for Jeremy to arrive. “Your mother is an awesome cook.”

  “I’m adopted, remember?” I reminded him. “She didn’t pass the cooking gene to me.”

  “That’s a cop out,” he laughed. “You grew up in her house. I’m sure she cooked for you and your dad every day.”

  “I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen if I expressed no desire to learn how to cook,” I told him.

  This was the absolute truth. As a teenager, when I should have been learning how to cook, I was more occupied with learning how to make patterns and sewing clothes. I’d rather have a sketchbook in my hand than a frying pan. It’s still that way, but oh well.

  “Well, at least I’m going to start learning. And tonight, we’re cooking a real meal.”

  “Not some gross tofu dish that you’re always eating,” Aiden grumbled. “I’m not eating that crap, Sunny.”

 
; Of course. Aiden is the biggest meat eater around. I’ve seen this guy eat a plate of my aunt’s ribs and chicken and nothing else. No veggies, no potatoes, just meat.

  Thankfully, before he bolted outside or locked himself in his bedroom as a sign of protest, Jeremy arrived, and we got started trying to make ravioli stuffed with squash, spinach, ricotta, and grilled vegetables. I knew Aiden wasn’t happy that there was no meat involved in our dinner but when he took a bite of our creation, he liked it.

  “This is actually pretty good,” Aiden said to Chef Jeremy. “Too bad, she’s not going to remember how to make it again. Sorry to waste your time, buddy.”

  Chef Jeremy wasn’t fazed by Aiden’s negativity, especially when he smiled at me. His brown eyes twinkled flirtatiously.

  “I think Miss Sunny will be an excellent cook.”

  “Thank you, Chef,” I said and returned his smile. My flirting was rusty but obviously, I was doing something right. I caught the chef staring at me quite a few times while we cooked.

  “Are you done here?” Aiden rudely interrupted our moment. “It’s getting late.”

  “Um, sure,” Chef replied. “I’ll see you two down at the restaurant tomorrow.”

  I walked the chef to the door. Tall, dark, and handsome…just the way I like my men. Plus, his ass looked scrumptious in his black jeans and chef jacket.

  “Goodnight, Miss Sunny,” Jeremy said when we got to the front door. “Hopefully, we can do this again before you leave the island.”

  “Or maybe something else,” I suggested. “There is so much of the island that I haven’t seen yet. I could use a tour guide.”

  He smiled, flashing a row of perfect white teeth. “That would be nice too.”

  “Thanks for coming, Chef!” Aiden called from the kitchen. “See you later!”

  “I guess that’s my cue to go,” Jeremy said as I frowned. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  I watched the chef walk away until I couldn’t see his gleaming white jacket before I went back into the house. Aiden was sitting on the sofa glaring at me.

  “What was that about?” he demanded. “You have a thing for the cook or something?”

  “He’s a chef, not a cook,” I replied. “And I don’t have a thing for him. It wouldn’t hurt to have a friend who can cook like that, though.”

  “Friend? Like you and me friends?”

  I walked over to the sofa and ruffled his long blonde locks. “Never that, sweetheart. You know you’re the only man friend for me.”

  “I like that. I like being the only man in your life.”

  “You’re not the only man in my life, but you are still my only male best friend.”

  “I should be the only man in your life.” Aiden grabbed me around my waist and pulled me into his lap. “You know I’m right about this, Sunny.”

  “You’ve been right about a lot of things, Aiden, but not this.” I removed myself from his lap and stood up.

  We are not having this conversation tonight, and after his reaction to Chef Jeremy, tonight isn’t the right time to talk about Summer. I still want him to talk to me. He needs to get whatever is driving him crazy out of his head. I’m here to listen.

  “Let’s go for a walk on the beach.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.

  “Summer is in the bed.”

  “I know where my child is, Aiden. She’s sound asleep. If she wakes up, she’ll call my name. We’re just going down to the beach. I’ll hear her. Come on.”

  Reluctantly, he walked out of the door and down the path with me. I noticed that he did not let go of my hand. We walked along the water’s edge as the ocean gently lapped at our bare feet.

  “Have you talked to my sisters? My mom?” Aiden asked me after a few quiet minutes.

  “Yeah. They’re worried about you.”

  “When you go home, tell them I’m okay. And they don’t have to worry about me.”

  “They are your family, Aiden,” I spoke softly. Surrounded by all this peace and tranquility, it seemed disrespectful to speak louder than a slight whisper. “No matter what you say, until they see your face, they are going to worry.”

  Aiden stopped walking and faced me. “Was it like that for you too? Were you worried about me?”

  “Hey,” I shrugged my shoulders and gave him a small smile. “I’m a woman. Worrying is what we do.”

  “I don’t want anyone worrying about me.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You have way too many women who love you. We worry about you constantly.”

  Aiden sighed. When he did, sadness washed over his entire body like a dark wave.

  “What? What are you thinking?

  Without answering, Aiden knelt down and began making circles in the sand with his finger. I gave him a minute, but when I noticed the sand was dotted with his teardrops, I knelt beside him.

  “Talk to me.”

  “You said that I have too many women in my life. You’re right. All I have is women. My dad…” he choked on his tears. “My dad is dead. And no matter how fucked up our relationship was, he was my father. And I don’t have that anymore. Women, that’s all I have left. You, my mom, and my sisters.”

  I wrapped my arms around him. He practically fell into my bosom and sobbed. My heart ached for this man.

  “God,” Aiden pulled away from me and wiped his eyes. “I am such a wimp. Men don’t cry in front of girls.”

  “Real men cry in front of women,” I assured him. “You can cry in front of me or with me. It doesn’t matter.”

  “I miss him, Sunny. And I feel like shit because I didn’t miss him at all when he was alive. We barely talked. I never went to Mt. Vernon to see him. And it didn’t bother me. Knowing that I’m never going to answer the phone and hear him giving me shit over something dumb really fucks me up.”

  Oh. My. God. It finally dawned on me, after all these years, what was really wrong with Aiden and his dad. I finally understood what really went on between the two of them and why their relationship was as rocky as it was. It hit me like a ton of bricks and it made perfect sense.

  “You liked it,” I whispered. “You liked when he yelled and got mad at you. That’s how you knew he cared, wasn’t it.”

  Aiden hung his head in shame. “Fucked up theory, but yeah, I guess. If he got pissed off by something I did, that meant he was paying attention. It meant he cared enough to get mad. If he didn’t give a shit, why would he feel anything?”

  “That’s not so bad, Aiden. You loved your father and wanted him to love you back. You wanted him to respect you. What son wouldn’t want that of his father?”

  Aiden brushed sand off his hands and stood up. “Well, he’ll never know that now, will he?”

  He started to walk away, but me pulling on his arm stopped him from going very far.

  “Stay,” I pleaded. “I hate seeing you like this. Stay and talk to me.”

  “Are you going to tell me why you’re here?” he asked sharply. “Are you going to tell me why you came out here to bother me?”

  It was my turn to look down at the sand and not meet his eyes. There was no way in hell I was going to tell him now.

  “I didn’t think so,” he replied with a sneer. “When you’re ready to talk, I’ll talk. Until then, let’s just keep pretending that everything is okay.”

  I stared at him until he drifted out of my sight. I deserved that. My whole purpose of coming out here was to tell him and bring him home. I can’t keep putting of the one thing I’m supposed to be doing. I don’t know how. And I’m scared.

  I was less afraid of giving birth than I am telling this man that he’s the father of my child. What if he does more than hate me?

  What if he doesn’t believe me?

  Chapter 16: Confessions

  I skillfully avoided Aiden’s questions for the next two days. Summer proved to be the best distraction of all. Her incessant need for Aiden’s undivided attention made sidestepping his questions even easier. When Aiden’s a
round, my presence is not required. I’m scared to think that my child may grow up wanting her father more than she wants me.

  It wouldn’t surprise me. I’m the same way with my mother and father. While they spent hours on the beach and exploring the island, I sketched for hours. I’m feeling very creative here. I have a sketchpad full of resort wear looks that I can’t wait to show my agent. I also tried to assist Alison with some packing. I needed her to start shipping some of my and Summer’s stuff to Los Angeles ASAP. When I get this man to go home, I’m going with him.

  I’ve been with Jade Morris of the Morris Group for years. She is the best agent a girl like me could hope for. I didn’t even think I needed an agent. Athletes have agents. Celebrities have agents or managers. Not fashion stylists. Turns out, I was very wrong. The Morris group is a team of stylists, models, photographers, and make-up artists. Jade and her best college buddy started the group and are beasts when it comes to finding jobs for the team. Because of Jade, I never go more than a couple of days without a gig.

  She’s been on my ass for years about moving to LA. I had already decided that if I ever told Aiden about Summer, I’d have to move out west. She deserves to have her father around 24/7. I’m not sure if I want to live in California but I might give it a shot for at least six months. One would think that Jade would be pleasantly surprised that I was talking to her about it. Nope. Instead, she’s just giving me grief.

  “Look,” I said into my phone while Aiden and Summer chased tropical birds outside the house. I was lying on the bed, wishing for a television or a decent Wi-Fi signal.

  “If I come to LA, I want my own studio space. I need space to work. I cannot work out of a tiny ass LA apartment and you know it.”

  “I’m your agent, not your realtor,” Jade hissed. “Find your own studio space and pay for it. Lord knows, you’ll be making enough money.”

  “Those are my terms.”

  “Just get your ass to LA and we’ll discuss your terms,” she snapped.

  I rolled my eyes as Jade hung up on me. Her attitude drives me nuts, but I won’t let her interrupt my serenity. Even with the threat of losing the best friend I’ve ever had lingering over my head like an Angel of Death, I’ve actually been able to sleep here. I’m actually more relaxed than I’ve ever been. Coming here was the best idea I’ve had in ages.