Love Me Like I Love You

by Willow Winters

  “Speech!” Beacon requests.

  “He’s the one with the speeches, so don’t expect me to top that,” I say, clearing my throat. Everyone watches me, attentive. “All I want to do is assure you that I’m committed to this company. I’ll devote all my energy to making this company the best in the business. My office doors are always open for you. Let’s start this new stage with our minds and hearts open.”

  As everyone walks to their places, I head to what would be my office, still confused about what just happened.

  Once the Aldridges, Leyla, and Blaire are inside, Vance shuts the door. This time it is Pierce who takes over, setting some documents on top of the desk. “We’re offering you a twenty-four-month contract. You’re being paid as a contractor and not an employee since you are working for Merkel at some capacity. Once we take ownership of the factory, we’ll modify our agreement. For now, you work for us.”

  “CEO?” I ask baffled. “They didn’t have a CEO?”

  “Or a good marketing team, but we won’t talk about the past,” Henry says.

  “We have other ideas on how the landscape of this company is going to look once we can operate without William’s shadow. As you are well aware, we’re restrained by the stipulations he set,” Hayes is the one who speaks. “When Henry explained to us why you’d be the best candidate to take over the company, we agreed unanimously.”

  “Thank you. I’m blown away by this. I promise I won’t let you down.”

  “You deserve it,” Henry assures me. “I was just waiting to find the right position for you.”

  I want to hate him and kiss him all at the same time. We stare at each other and smile like two fools madly in love.

  “Well, we’re leaving before these two jump each other's bones,” one of his brothers says. I honestly don’t recognize who or care.

  “What is it?” Henry asks concerned.

  “This is unexpected,” I confess. “I seriously thought that when you said I’ll be leading Aldry’s it meant as your assistant and piling more work onto my already full load.”

  “It’s much more. I want you to focus your attention here, but I still need your time until you train one of your assistants to work directly with me,” he mentions, and I try not to panic.

  “What?” I shake my head. “None of them are for you, mister. I’ll find someone suitable. You are going to fire them within a day, and I can’t afford that.”

  He smiles. “You’re the boss.”

  I walk to where he stands, place my hands on his hard chest and stretch my neck, kissing his chin. “Thank you for believing in me.”

  “Trust me, I’ll never fail you, Soph.”

  “What if our relationship doesn’t work out?”

  “It will, but if the famous Aldridge curse manages to break us up, this is still your company. Don’t leave it just because you don’t love me anymore. Promise me. My brothers and Blaire trust you.”

  “I promise.”

  The pledge that I won’t leave feels wrong. It’s as if I’m accepting that we have an expiration date even when he’s trying not to believe that this might be his future. Maybe we’re both in denial, pretending that this can be real when, in the end, this might implode and create the most excruciating pain in the world for both of us. Or I might appear hopeful, but I’m still jaded by my past.

  His eyes sweep across my face, his gaze darkening. “Whenever I fuck up, remember this: You’re my miracle, and there is love. This love is ours. Our love. Nothing can destroy it.”

  “You’ve never been like this,” I say as I hook my hands behind his neck. “It terrifies me.”

  “Baby, I’m fucking scared too, but if I live with the fear I’m bound to miss the best part of my life. You.”

  He lowers his mouth to mine, the tip of his tongue parting my lips with his. He controls the urge and takes it slow, pulling me closer to him and deepening the kiss. It’s possessive, demanding, and yet, there’s no urgency. He erases the doubts, the fears, our demons, and gives me hope.

  Maybe this is real, and he can be mine.

  Henry

  The houses I bought for Sophia and her parents are new, and the landscaping isn’t finished. That’s the responsibility of the new owner according to the purchase contract. I offered to pay Easton more so he’d sub-contract the project, however Sophia’s Dad said he’d love to do it himself. It’d be therapeutic for him and his wife.

  I still ask Sophia to pay for the material, plants, and any service he requires with the card I gave her. By Saturday, he receives everything he needs for his project. I was planning to do some office work, but earlier in the week she warned me she wouldn’t be working on Merkel’s during the weekends.

  My woman is impressive. She handles her regular tasks, runs a company, and still has time for us.

  Today, she and her friends volunteered to work on the Candy and Sweets Festival. This isn’t just any festival, she explains to me. It is one of the most visited weekends of the year, and Aldry’s is sponsoring the event.

  Since I can’t use her as an excuse to avoid getting dragged to work for them, I offer to help Emilio with his garden. I don’t have any experience, but I can carry bags of dirt, haul rocks, and dig holes. As long as it is not for my grave. We start around eight in the morning, and by noon I’m exhausted.

  Who knew this would be ten times more tiring than the New York Marathon?

  “Let’s take a break. I’ll make us some sandwiches,” he offers, staring at his work.

  It’s been four hours, and so far we’ve only accomplished planting the trees and flowers, setting the fabric to stop the weeds from growing, and laying the rock on top of that. We still have a lot to do, but the place is already looking great.

  “Where is Mrs. Aragon?” I ask when we enter the kitchen.

  I don’t see her often. Some days I feel as if she’s avoiding us while others I realize that I visit at the most inconvenient times, like in the morning while she’s doing her morning exercises, or the evening when she’s already in bed. Natalia Aragon goes places during the day; I know because there’s always a picture of her on social media.

  Like her daughter, she’s a force and everyone adores her. It wouldn’t surprise me if the next time her parents visit they stay for a longer period. I’m sure Sophia would love that. I didn’t understand her fixation on visiting them every morning or having to spend Sundays with them. My family was never this close. If I had breakfast with my grandfather it was because he needed to discuss the company. Now, I’m the one who suggests coming to visit them.

  “She’s with Sophia and her friends,” he answers while slicing the homemade bread. “The girls came to pick her up earlier. They were gushing about some festival. It’s good to see her full of energy again.”

  “Sophia made the same observation the other day. I’m glad this arrangement is working well for her. I hope it’s the same with you.” I take a bite of the sandwich, and it’s delicious. “You should’ve been a chef. I told you already if you want to set up a restaurant, I’ll invest.”

  “I am a trained chef,” he answers with a proud smile.

  “Sorry, Sophia doesn’t talk much about her family,” I say, but really, I’m thinking why in the world didn’t I ask her about her life.

  We spend most of our days together, and I’ve never taken the time to get to know her. Well, I know a lot of things about her personality, like how much she likes shoes, or flowers, or doodling while she’s on the phone. She loves listening to music and dancing to it. I’ve caught her several times swaying her hips, moving her feet, and singing. Knowing how she’s the only thing who makes sense in my world matters, but I want to learn everything about her.

  “I owned a restaurant in Manhattan,” he states. “Lazo, Latin Cuisine.”

  “One of my favorite places,” I confess. Sophia orders takeout for us from there at least once a week. “You sold it?”

  He nods and exhales. “To my son-in-law. He bought it for my daughter, E
va, who refused to let it go.”

  “I had no idea it was in trouble.”

  “That was long ago,” he says, waving his hand the same way Sophia does when things are no longer relevant.

  “I spent years in the kitchen and running that place, neglecting my family. My wife and I worked hard to give our kids the best we could, including our niece and nephew who lost their parents when they were young. My wife took care of her store and the children, I…” he sighs closing his eyes momentarily. “When I almost lost her I realized that she was the only one that matters. If I ever have to choose again between my business and the love of my life, the love of my life comes first. So I let everything go and stayed by her side. That’s when I realized that my wife was married, but she had been lonely for years.”

  “Is that why you don’t work?”

  He shakes his head. “As a family, we decided that taking care of Natalia would be better than hiring a nurse and selling the house. It was only for a few years since the doctor said her health would deteriorate. Of course, I wanted to spend whatever time she had left by her side.”

  “I’m glad she’s still around.”

  “Sophie,” he says, smiling. “She’s the warrior of the family. She won’t let her go without a fight. She is always searching for a new treatment, therapy, or medicine that can keep her mom with us at least for a little longer.”

  “No surprise there,” I say, wiping my mouth after finishing my sandwich.

  His gaze becomes serious and he says, “She’s sacrificed a lot for us. I keep telling her to stop. My daughter never gives up on anything or anyone. While she devoted her time to her family, she lost a lot.”

  “What did she lose?” I ask, wondering if we can recover it and if I’m the problem.

  “Mostly friends and love. I was afraid that this move would break her, but it’s the first time in years that I’ve seen her happy.”

  Hearing him say that gives me a sense of accomplishment that I’ve never felt before. Maybe I did something right, and I could do a lot more. Every time I kiss her I’ll remind her she’s loved, that she matters to me.

  “Your family seems to like her, and the town has nothing but great things to say about her.”

  “She’s part of the family,” I assure him.

  “Be careful,” he warns me. “She’s strong, but underneath there’s a soft soul. Don’t break her.”

  “I wouldn’t dare, sir,” I promise him.

  “It’s time to go back to work,” he states. “You have a lot to learn. After this, I might teach you how to change the oil of a car.”

  “Why not teach me how to cook?”

  He glances at me and smiles. “With time. You have to start with the basics. I can see you were raised by a nanny.”

  “And boarding school.”

  He shakes his head the same way Sophia does when she’s about to undertake a difficult project. “You’re a lot of work, but I can teach you what they neglected to do.”

  By three, my brothers come over to help, and around six, Emilio is calling us all for dinner.

  “This is the part of the show where I leave,” Beacon says around eight, taking Grace by the hand.

  She’s been visiting more often and hating us less than she did when she learned about us. We like her, in general. She’s cool, except for the part that even though she’s a professional musician, her dad trained her in tactical operations and she could kill us in our sleep.

  Beacon turns to Vance and asks, “Are you coming with us?”

  “Where are you going?” I ask, concerned. He’s been complaining too much about having cabin fever and what if this is it? The moment he says, “Fuck it I’m going back home.”

  “The bar’s reopening,” he states. “I’m having an unplugged presentation to help them celebrate. G is playing too.”

  “I’m not,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Unless you get me a cello, I refuse to play anything else.”

  He grins, but before he can say anything, Hayes asks, “When did the bar close?”

  “Technically it hasn’t closed. It’s just under new management,” Beacon says. “It’d be nice if you could come by and show some support.”

  I turn to look at Hayes who nods slightly. Then I say, “We’ll be there. Is nine okay?”

  Beacon grins. “Yeah. Whatever, dude.”

  “If you want to leave Arden with us,” Emilio tells Mills, “we can set the railing up on the bed we have in the guest bedroom.”

  Mills freezes.

  “My parents have seven grandchildren, and he’s already shown you that he’s great at babysitting,” Sophia offers, pulling Arden out of his highchair. “You want to stay with Grandpa Milo?”

  “Pa Milo,” Arden says wiggling his legs.

  A flash of her carrying our own kid during a family gathering makes my heart swell. Every day that passes I wonder if I’ll ever go back to New York. This is what I want for the rest of my life. Sophia, our children, and the family we’re building—with my brothers.

  Henry

  Sophia is brilliant. There’s never been a doubt about it. When she sent me her plan on how to alleviate the tension at Merkel and how I could still be present without leaving Oregon, I agreed to it right away. So now, we are looking into buying a building to relocate Merkel’s corporate offices.

  After researching online, hiring a commercial realtor, and deciding on a budget, we came to Portland to look at the units we’ve liked so far. Most of them are located in mid-southeast Portland. The one we’re visiting is the seventh building we’ve seen since we had lunch a few hours ago.

  “How much is it?” I ask the realtor when we are done looking at the top floor where I plan on setting my office. We’ve walked through every corner of this facility, and so far I think this is the best place she has shown us.

  “Its original price was one point five. There’s another down—”

  “Is this one for rent or for sale,” I interrupt the realtor.

  “For sale,” she answers.

  “Soph, what do you think?”

  “The cost is less than I had projected,” she says. “We could fit several departments or move the entire company and just leave a few key employees in Manhattan. You could rent out the empty office space we’re leaving behind in the New York building to other companies. It’s prime real estate space. We could recover the investment within five years or less.”

  “Exactly what I was thinking,” I agree with her and look at the realtor. “We’re ready to make an offer.”

  The realtor sighs with relief and heads toward the elevator. She thought we were joking when we said we’d be looking all day long until we found just the right place.

  “She’s done with us,” Sophia whispers. “Well, with you. Not everyone can put up with you for more than two hours, and it’s been almost eight.”

  We started our search for the perfect building right after Sophia and I dropped her parents off at the airport. They are going back to New York for at least a month. It was sad to see them go, but they promised to come back. Natalia made several new friends, and she doesn’t want to miss the upcoming festivals. She’s also worried about leaving Sophia behind. After all, she’s the baby of the family.

  “What are you thinking?” I ask Sophia as we climb down the stairs.

  “Once we decide which departments will be relocating into Portland, we have to create a program along with a substantial package that includes moving expenses and incentives. It’s going to be difficult.”

  “We won’t have to make many difficult choices if we just move the entire company,” I say.

  She’s right. It won’t be an easy transition. We’ve been making a lot of changes already, but I have to think about everyone. Most of all, about my family. They live on this side of the country, and I can’t see myself living away from them. Not anymore.

  We understand that not all of them are going to want to uproot their lives and their families. Those will have a severance pac
kage, and then we will be opening the positions for the locals.

  “What happened to the previous owners?” Sophia asks as we head toward the door where the realtor is waiting for us.

  “It is owned by a company that planned on relocating from Los Angeles. They bought the land, built it to their specifications. A couple of months before they moved, there were some problems and they chose to stay put in California.”

  “Well, that’s a drastic decision,” I state, surprised that someone would just walk away from a place with state-of-the-art installations and located in one of the hottest spots in Portland.

  “It’s as if someone made it for you,” Sophia says as we make our way to the car, then she tells our realtor, “We’ll see you at your office.”

  “Are you sure this is it?” I ask her. “Price isn’t an object.”

  She goes on and on how this is the perfect building until we arrive at the realtor’s office where I sign the offer to acquire the unit. Sophia asks her for the number of a realtor that can help us relocate our employees since she’s a commercial agent. Once we have everything, we drive back to Baker’s Creek.

  “I feel accomplished,” she says as I park the car in her garage. It’s around six, and we still have to make a few calls before we are done for the day.

  “Thank fuck it’s Friday and we don’t have work tomorrow.”

  Sophia looks at me funny and then smiles. “Seriously, did you get a lobotomy? Or someone abducted you and placed the wrong man back into this body?”

  I wink at her and she laughs.

  “When I get my own car, you’re going to have to relocate your babies somewhere else.”

  Since Beacon is taking it upon him to try everyone’s cars, I’ve decided to hide mine at Sophia and her parents’ houses. At least the Bugatti, the Mercedes, and the Koenigsegg. I don’t tell her that. She’s been taking the Mercedes with her all week, and it took me an entire night to convince her to accept driving the car.