“We’re both too emotional,” she explained, her heart thrumming. She smoothed back her hair, trying to attain a semblance of calm. “Frightened for Andy. Worried. Our world’s gone topsy-turvy. It’s too easy to let our feelings get the better of us.”
“These aren’t new feelings for either one of us. I’m not going to play games, Claudia. I never stopped loving you. I was too proud and stupid to admit it. But Andy’s accident gave me the knock upside my head I needed. Life is too uncertain. None of us knows what’s in store. I don’t want us to lose any more time. Why can’t one good thing come out of this awful situation?”
When she didn’t answer, he said “Unless your feelings don’t match mine. If that’s the case, I’ll back off.”
She couldn’t lie to him. “I tried so hard to stop loving you. I almost married another man, thinking that might do the trick. But even with him, it wasn’t the same. I guess I’ll never love anyone the way I love you.”
As he pulled her close again, she braced her hands flat against his chest to halt the embrace. She wanted this so badly, she was afraid to hope. “Do you really think we have a chance?”
“We’re older now,” he answered. “Smarter. We won’t make the same mistakes we made before. And our sons aren’t children anymore.”
“But they still need us. Andy will need us when he wakes up. The doctors have told us that his recovery might be extensive.”
“And we’ll be there for him. Whatever he needs.”
“He has to come first,” she insisted.
“Of course. Don’t forget he’s my son, too. That doesn’t mean we can’t think of ourselves a little. If we’re together, that will only make us stronger. We’re on the same team, Claudia.”
“I just don’t want to get hurt again. I don’t want you hurt either. We need to take our time. Go slowly.”
“We will.” He stood, then with a smile took her hand and helped her to her feet. “You’ll see.”
She and Aaron returned to Andy’s room hand in hand and found Marcus already there. He glanced at their clasped hands and shot his mother a curious look. Claudia gently pulled her hand free of Aaron’s, reminding herself they’d agreed to take things slow.
She felt buoyant yet fragile as she thought about a future with Aaron. Could they really make another go of it? The love was there—had never gone, really—but love hadn’t been enough to hold them together the first time.
Still, Aaron was right—they were older now and had learned from their mistakes. Their sons were grown and their disagreements over raising them were no longer an issue.
Aaron strode across the room jauntily, a wide grin on his face. She knew him—he’d already taken it for granted that they were a couple once more. Their kiss in the garden had convinced him of that. But that was Aaron, always one to rush forward head first and grab life by the horns, certain nothing could ever go wrong.
She on the other hand was the one to hold back, hesitating, considering everything that might turn sideways. Sometimes it stopped her from making a wrong move. Sometimes it was just an excuse to let fear win.
But wasn’t it wise to be afraid sometimes? Look at Andy, so much like his father. His lack of fear had landed him in a hospital bed, his body broken, his brain traumatized.
A chill crawled through her. It took all her will not to shiver.
Chapter 11
Later that day, Aaron stepped outside the building to check on Summer. Though she’d been staying in his apartment and he popped in and out as needed, their schedules didn’t mesh and they hadn’t seen much of each other.
He spoke when she answered her phone. “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Um, good. Okay. How’s Andy doing?”
Trying to keep the conversation simple, he answered “He’s doing better.”
“Oh, Aaron, that’s so good to hear. I’m really glad.” But she sounded subdued, with none of her normal exuberance.
“You don’t sound so good, though,” he said.
“I’m all right, I just… I was wondering if I could stay at your place a while longer.”
“Sure. What’s happening? Is Eddie being—”
She gave a sigh. “Things are weird now. Kind of complicated. I just need a little more breathing space, you know?”
“Is he bothering you? I could—”
“What?”
“Have someone talk to him.”
“About what?” Her voice rose in alarm.
“About how he should treat you better. Take it easy, Summer.” He gave a short laugh. “I’m not the mafia. No one’s going to threaten to break his legs.” Though Eddie might deserve some bodily harm after the way he’d put his hands on Summer, violence wasn’t Aaron’s style. But if Eddie didn’t respect women, maybe some tough talk from another man would make an impression on his thick skull. And if that didn’t work, Aaron wasn’t above offering the dude money to stay away from her. Eddie was just sleazy enough to take it.
She hesitated before answering. “No. I’ve got to work it out for myself. Thanks, though. But my staying won’t mess things up for you? You know, with your uh, with Claudia?”
“Don’t worry about that. She understands.” He had no doubts there. Hadn’t Claudia herself told him how much she admired him helping his friend’s daughter?
“Okay. Thanks a lot. And I’m really happy Andy’s getting better. He’s lucky to have a dad like you.”
“Thanks, doll.”
They said their goodbyes. As he ended the call, he noticed Claudia standing just a few yards away, watching him.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt your call,” she said. “I was just about to pop into the cafeteria for a soda and wondered if you wanted one, too.”
“Oh. Thanks.” He slipped the phone into his pocket. “That was Summer.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Well, she’s having some boyfriend troubles. He’s a loser, but she won’t break it off. I told her she could stay at my place as long as she needs.”
“Ah.”
That single exclamation caught Aaron’s attention. “Is something wrong?”
“No. Nothing.”
But her short, staccato reply made him wonder. “You know the situation between me and Summer. Her father was my friend. I’m only looking out for her in his place. For heaven’s sake, you don’t think my feelings for the girl go beyond that?”
“Of course not,” she answered, looking away. “I’m going to get that drink now. I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Claudia.” His voice halted her. A sickening sensation passed through him, twisting his gut into a knot. “You do believe me, don’t you?”
Claudia was now on shaky ground. She understood how much the truth meant to Aaron. How important trust was to him. And she did trust him. But Derek’s mental abuse had left scars, and she couldn’t ignore the evil worm of doubt digging into her brain.
He’s not Derek. Can’t you get that through your head?
Her head knew it just fine. But her heart, still bruised and tender, wanted to protect itself. As much as she tried, she simply couldn’t wipe her memory clean of Derek’s lies:
“How can you even think I’m seeing that girl, Claudia? Don’t you know how young she is? I’m worried about you. You’re irrational.”
“Yes, I believe you,” she answered. “But just because you feel fatherly toward her doesn’t mean her feelings are the same—”
Aaron gave a huff of laughter as his eyes widened in surprise. “Come on. You’re not serious? She’s young enough to be my daughter.”
And Madison was young enough to be Derek’s. That hadn’t stopped him.
“You’re her white knight, Aaron. Because of you, she’s safe from her loser boyfriend and staying in a gorgeous apartment. And in case you haven’t checked the mirror lately, you’re a darn good-looking man. It’s not surprising to think she might—”
“No way. I’m what these kids call ‘an old.’”
“No, you’re not. Not to a young girl with stars in her eyes.”
Aaron smiled tenderly, shaking his head. “You’re way off base. But you know what, I’m flattered. That you’d think a kid Summer’s age would go for me.” He took her arm and winked. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were even a little jealous.”
No. It wasn’t jealousy. It was fear. Irrational fear, perhaps. But fear nonetheless.
Still, she managed a playful laugh as she clutched his sleeve. “Don’t let your imagination run too wild.”
Slipping his arm around her waist, he said “Let’s get that drink now.”
Marcus was waiting for them in Andy’s room, his expression grim. He handed Aaron a folded sheaf of newsprint the size of a tabloid. “You need to see this. I found it in the waiting room.”
While Claudia looked on, Aaron opened the paper. They both stared at the front page of the National Weekly Scoop. There was a photo of Summer exiting Aaron’s apartment building and a small insert picturing the empty box of a well-known home pregnancy test.
The headline read “Who’s the Daddy?”
Aaron cursed under his breath and crumpled the paper in his hands. “I don’t believe this. What did this so-called ‘reporter’ do? Dig through the building’s trash?”
“There’s more inside,” Marcus answered.
Aaron snorted. “I’m not going to look at any more of this dreck.”
Though she normally wouldn’t touch a rag like the Weekly Snoop with her bare hands, Claudia took the tabloid from him and flipped it open. Inside was another photo of Summer, this time entering the door of a women’s center that offered pregnancy testing and counseling among its services.
The article began:
“Playboy Aaron Sinclair may be spending most of his time away from home, visiting his hospitalized son, but his apartment has not been empty. Though the employees of the billionaire’s Park Avenue residence are keeping mum, sources tell the Weekly Scoop that a young college coed is now living there. Summer Caruso recently moved from her boyfriend’s apartment to Sinclair’s upscale address. Talk about trading up.
“This newly discovered home pregnancy test only complicates matters. If its results are positive, the question is: who’s the dad, boyfriend or sugar-daddy? We hope Ms. Caruso knows the answer, even if we don’t. In any case, we suspect life will soon get very interesting for Mr. Sinclair. He might want to pick up some stock in We R Infants.”
On the next page was another article. “Heartbroken Grandparents Barred from Grandson’s Hospital Room.” Pictured in their hotel room were Bill and Elaine Sinclair, looking glum and dejected. The lede told it all: the estranged parents of Aaron Sinclair had been cruelly mistreated by their son and hospital staff, when they only wanted to spend a few final moments with their grandson before he was taken off life support.
With as much revulsion as if a cockroach had crawled onto her hand, Claudia flung the tabloid away. As though to wipe away its remaining slime, she rubbed her palm against her skirt. Her former in-laws’ lies sickened her, even more than the story of Summer’s supposed pregnancy.
Garbage papers like the Scoop didn’t bother discerning facts from half-truths and outright lies. The people who owned and worked for them only cared about spreading the filthiest and most demeaning stories for shock value. But to think that Aaron’s own parents would misrepresent Andy’s condition to make themselves objects of sympathy…
“Dad, I’m sorry.” Marcus looked white-faced and miserable. “I never thought they were the kind of people who—”
“There’s no way you could have known. I should have warned you. I…” Aaron’s voice trailed off as he shook his head in disgust. “Well, I’m not standing for this.”
Like a match striking, fear flared in Claudia as he stormed to the door. “Where are you going?” she cried.
“I’m going to have a few words with Bill and Elaine,” he muttered, his jaw tight.
“I’m coming, too,” Marcus insisted. “None of this would have happened if it weren’t for me.”
“You’re not to blame—"
“Aaron, don’t do anything crazy,” Claudia pleaded, dreading what he might be planning.
“Crazy? Me?” His grin was all teeth, like a crocodile’s. “When have I ever been crazy? Stay here and text me if Andy starts waking up.” Signaling to Marcus, he said “Let’s go.”
When they left, Claudia picked up the crumpled tabloid from where it landed on the floor. Before tossing it in the trash, she couldn’t keep herself from glancing once more at the headline.
“Who’s the daddy?”
Chapter 12
“Well, what did you expect us to do?” Aaron’s mother demanded when he confronted his parents in their hotel room. “You said you’d contact us and we haven’t heard a word from you. We’ve been holed up in this room for days, waiting.”
“I didn’t expect you to spill your guts to some cheap paparazzo,” he shot back. “And spew out a lot of lies about my son being on life support.”
“We never said that. The paper just twisted our words.” She gave Marcus a big-eyed look of innocence. “You believe me, don’t you, dear? We’d never do anything to hurt our grandsons.”
“Leave him out of this,” Aaron snapped. “You’ve done enough damage.” He turned to his son. “Now you see why I didn’t want them in our lives.” Addressing his parents, he said “Go ahead. Tell him everything.”
His father’s expression turned stiff. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Tell him how much that rag—” he pointed his finger in the old man’s face “—paid you for your story.”
Marcus looked like he was going to be sick. “You got paid?”
“We had expenses,” Elaine replied before her husband could answer. “Do you think airline flights from Florida are cheap? And this room? And our meals? We live on a fixed income—”
Aaron finished the sentence for her. “An income that I supply, ever since the Sinclair fortune was lost through your husband’s incompetence.”
“And you never miss a chance to remind us of that. Demeaning us by making us beg for every crumb you dole out. We wouldn’t have bothered coming here at all if you’d only agreed to the yearly increase we proposed. But you’d rather nickel and dime us—”
“I’m out of here,” Marcus said, interrupting his grandmother’s flood of accusations. Trembling with anger, he spoke to Aaron. “You were right. I never should have brought them here.” With that, he stalked from the room.
Aaron called “Marcus!” But his son was already gone.
He turned to his parents. “Someone will contact you shortly with information on the flight home you’ll be taking. A car will pick you up and drive you directly to the airport. Once you get home, neither of you will ever contact my family again. If you do, I promise I will cut you off without a cent. Is that clear?”
He didn’t linger to hear their replies. Instead he hurried after Marcus, who he found waiting for the elevator. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
Marcus gave a sigh of resignation. “No, Dad. I’m sorry. You were right all along. They’re not good people. You’ve been supporting them all this time, haven’t you?”
“It’s a small price to pay to keep them out of our lives,” he answered.
“And the only reason they flew up was to pester you for more money. They never cared about Andy.” Marcus’ lip curled as he let go a bitter laugh. “And here I was stupid enough to think they wanted to mend fences.”
“You weren’t stupid. You’re a decent man who sees the best in people. You trusted them. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me. I wanted to protect you—that’s why I never talked about them. Maybe that was fine when you were a child. But your mother’s right. You’re a man now. You should know why I don’t want my parents in my life. Will you let me buy you a beer and tell you about it?”
The elevator doors slid open and they stepped inside. “Only if you want to tell me, Dad. L
ike you said before, you’re entitled to your privacy.”
“I want you to know. Maybe it’ll help you understand why your old dad’s such a stubborn knucklehead.”
Marcus grinned. “In that case, I’ll buy you the beer.”
“Deal.”
There was a little bar not far from the hotel. Aaron made a few calls to his staff asking them to arrange his parents’ speedy departure, then he and Marcus found a booth where they could speak in private.
Once Marcus heard the whole story, he reacted in shock. “So even though you told the truth about your grandfather and his secretary, no one believed you?”
“I’m not sure they didn’t believe me.” He remembered Miss Lucy’s sickbed confession. “More that it was inconvenient to believe me. My grandfather held the purse strings. If my grandmother and my parents had confronted him, it might have meant losing their lifestyle. It was easier to blame me and call me a liar.”
“Wow, Dad. I am so sorry that happened to you,” Marcus’ voice was raw with sympathy. “It must have messed with you something awful.”
“Yeah.” Acid washed up his chest. It had taken him a long time to admit that to himself—how hurt he’d felt, and how betrayed. Safer to be angry and do all he could to hurt them in return. If you couldn’t trust your own family to have your back, then who could you count on? “The old man—my grandfather—told me to admit it was all a lie or face the consequences. But I refused. If I recanted, that would make me a liar. And I wouldn’t give any of them the satisfaction.” A bitter smile twisted his mouth. “I was a stubborn little cuss even back then.” He felt a lot of affection and pride in the boy he’d been. That kid had more guts and more integrity than any of the adults in his life.
“Consequences?” Marcus’ eyebrows flew up his forehead. “What did they do?”
“Shipped me off to a fancy boarding school. Out of sight, out of mind and all that.”
“You must have felt so alone.”
The Billionaire's Big Risk Page 10
