by Lilly Wilde
“I understand you’re upset with me, but I’m not leaving you.”
“It’s not your choice. I want you to go. I need time to think. Why can’t you give me that? Why can’t you stop trying to control me? You can’t control my reactions.”
He reached over and grabbed me. “Dammit, Aria. I’m not trying to control you. I’m trying to help you.”
“Well, you can’t. No one can help me with this.” I jerked away from him. “Let me go and just get out, please.”
“No.”
“Aiden, it’s not like I can leave without your knowledge, so will you just go—please give me this.”
“You know I hate leaving you to think when you’re angry with me.”
“Yes, I know and I know why, but trust me, I’m not leaving. I couldn’t if I tried and not just because you’d make it nearly impossible for me, but being without you is not an option. It’s too painful.”
“So. Does that mean we’re good?”
“No, we’re not good. But we’re not broken either.”
“Thirty minutes. That’s it, and I’m coming back,” he said, but he still didn’t leave. He looked torn. I turned away from him and stepped toward the window. A few moments later, I heard the door close.
*
I was sitting on the sofa when Aiden walked back into his office. I saw the worry, or maybe it was fear, in his eyes. I rushed into his arms and felt him exhale his anxiety. After a few moments, I pulled away and grasped his hand, and we sat down together.
I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I know you didn’t keep this from me to hurt me. I think you genuinely thought you were doing the best thing here, and I love you for that. I know you’re worried that I’m going to leave you, but I’m not.” I noticed the relief on his face, and it bothered me that he thought we were still so fragile. But that was on me. I needed to show him more…I needed him to know that I was in this for the long haul. No matter what we faced, he needed to know I’d be here.
“Is this how Connor pulled you back into working with him? He threatened to tell me before you did so he could break us up, didn’t he? With me out of the picture, he’d have less resistance to his agenda.” So our engagement meant nothing to him—it was just another obstacle to his plans for Aiden.
Aiden didn’t answer me, but he didn’t have to. I knew I was right.
“How did Connor find out?” I asked.
“Several of my resources are also my father’s, and he has some very powerful relationships that extend beyond my years, so when my initial investigation hit a road block, I went to him with this, not expecting to find anything even remotely close to what we uncovered. Once we learned the truth, Dad suggested I give you time to heal before I told you. I typically don’t follow his advice, but it was more in line with what I felt was best after seeing you mourn for your mother. I didn’t think it would be a good idea for you to grieve for a father you could never see on top of everything you were already struggling with.”
“And what was that I walked in on earlier?”
“It was me reminding Dad that I’d handled the Mumbai negotiations along with some other things that weren’t part of our original deal, and now I was done. I was telling him that I was out.”
“But you’re not. Are you?”
He looked at me and pulled me to him, holding me.
I knew this wasn’t over—none of it. Aiden was still working with R.I. He still had a plan for his father…and my own father was out there somewhere, alone, but maybe…just maybe, Mom was with him.
Chapter Three
The alarm sounded and the drapes slowly opened, pushing in the light of a new day—a day in a world that included my father. I moved my hands across my eyes, waking up from a long, dreamless night. I remembered drifting off, almost certain that Dad would appear in my dreams, given the news of yesterday, but there had been nothing. Just a night filled with more questions than answers.
I expected to find Aiden lying beside me, but his side of the bed was empty. I looked around the room, but he was nowhere in sight. My next thought was of the nursery, so I reached for the monitor, curious to see what he and Lyric were up to, but Aiden wasn’t there either—neither was the baby.
I hopped out of bed and hurried downstairs, a little faster than I should have, which I realized when I nearly stumbled. Still waking up, I slowed my pace and grabbed the railing just in case my sense of balance decided to fail me. I headed in the direction of the noises coming from the kitchen, and my day was that much brighter when I saw Aiden feeding our son.
“How long have you two been up?” I asked, my voice still throaty from sleep.
“Look who’s finally awake, Lyric,” Aiden smirked. “Guess Mommy was really worn out from last night’s bedroom rituals.”
“You’re awful! Don’t say things like that in front of him,” I said, shocked that he would say something so crass with our baby nestled in his arms.
“It’s not like he knows what I’m saying, and if he does, he’s been getting an earful, because I talk to him about that kind of stuff all the time.”
“You do not,” I insisted.
“Sure I do. Who better to tell him about the wicked ways of women?”
“The thought of my baby all grown up and mimicking you is scary.” I shook my head as I envisioned a junior version of Aiden Raine. “Those poor women.”
“That would be lucky women,” he corrected, flashing his sexy, lopsided grin.
I went to the fridge for some juice, and as I reached up, the huge diamond ring caught my eye. I held it out in front me, still shocked that I was actually engaged.
“You really like it, huh?” Aiden asked.
“Are you kidding? I’m in love with it!”
“When you say the words ‘I’m in love’, they should always be followed by ‘with Aiden.’”
“I’m in love with you too, sexy,” I said and winked at him. “So do we let your mom off the hook today and tell her she can plan the wedding?”
He groaned and placed the baby on his shoulder. He rubbed Lyric’s back and said, “If you’re sure you’re on board with it. I know she’d really enjoy it. She’s a woman on a mission when she plans events, so if you’re willing to brave the storm, I say go for it.”
“I told you last night I was fine with it.”
After Lyric burped, Aiden pulled him from his shoulder and then made a blowing noise on the baby’s cheek. “Good boy,” Aiden said. Lyric started cooing with his father, and in turn, Aiden started baby talking to Lyric. Yes, it was official—Aiden was even hotter now that he was a dad.
“You suddenly have a soft spot for my mother, don’t you?” Aiden accused, as he grabbed the baby’s teething ring from the table.
“Not really,” I said, and then sipped my orange juice. “Well, sort of.”
Aiden cocked his head. “What is it? What are you not saying?”
I let out a sigh. “It’s just that…well, your mother’s alive. I’d give anything to have my mother come to me with an offer to make up for some mistakes she’d made. And your mother is here, doing that. She may not have been the best mother, and God knows she’s been horrible to me, but she’s your mother—Lyric’s grandmother—and she wants to be a part of our lives. So, if she’s truly willing to do better—to be better—then I’m all for giving her a chance.”
Aiden’s dark eyes wandered over my face in reflective silence. He gave the teething ring to Lyric and then looked back up at me. “Don’t let her manipulate you. She’s still Sienna Raine. Don’t forget that.”
“I know. And trust me—I can handle your mother, especially now that I know what I’m working with.” I sat at the table and observed Aiden’s tenderness with Lyric. After a while, I said, “On a different note, do you have any idea how hot you looked feeding your son?”
*
“Good afternoon, Aria. I was surprised to get your call. Come in.”
“I hope it’s not a bad time,” I said, as I stepped into the Raine mansion.
“Not at all. And you brought Lyric,” Sienna exclaimed. “Another pleasant surprise. May I hold him?” she asked anxiously.
“Of course.” I hadn’t planned to bring the baby, but Aiden was right—I had somehow developed a slight tender spot for his mother. I felt sorry for her. Aiden and I had purposely kept Lyric from his grandmother, but after our recent discussion, I was considering giving her more access to her grandson—supervised access that is.
I passed the baby to her, and he started to cry just as he settled in Sienna’s arms. I was about to reach for Lyric when Sienna started talking to him. Lyric’s sobs lessened as he looked up at his grandmother, fully attentive, as if he understood what she was saying. He had a tendency to do that. I thought back to this morning. If Aiden was serious about telling Lyric his theories on women, I was glad Lyric really couldn’t understand us.
Sienna was in her own little world with Lyric. Observing her interaction with him, I noticed something was just a wee bit different. I couldn’t figure out what it was though.
It was close to Lyric’s lunch time, and I had yet to tell Sienna about the wedding. Before I could broach the subject, she convinced me to follow her to the nursery where she showed Lyric the new toys she’d had custom made for him.
I was completely flabbergasted when I saw Sienna sit on the floor amidst the toys with an excited Lyric. After a couple of minutes, it was as if she’d forgotten I was even in the room. She laughed, tickled, and cuddled him like he was the most precious baby ever. I’d seen her with him when we’d first come to live here, but it was always kind of weird and formal—this was different. I pulled my phone from my pocket and discreetly snapped a picture for Aiden. I wanted him to see this, because I doubted he’d believe it otherwise. Lyric was on his knees trying to crawl to the little bear Sienna was waving in front of him. He ended up scooching over to her, and then she would move away and they would do it all over again. She stared at him longingly, quite a few times, as if she would cry. Then all of a sudden, she snapped back, fully attuned to her surroundings.
“Thank you so much for bringing him,” she said.
“I thought some time with his grandmother was long overdue,” I replied, and glanced at my watch. “He’s probably going to get a little cranky in a little while. It’s nearly past his lunch time so—”
“Would you mind? May I?” she quickly asked.
“Uh…sure.” I grabbed his bag as Sienna picked herself and Lyric up from the floor. When she’d settled in the rocking chair, I passed a bottle and a burping cloth to her.
She looked like the picture of happiness. I didn’t know how to take any of this to be honest. I watched them for a few seconds longer and then stepped over to the crib. I remembered Lyric’s first night in this house. That seemed like years and years ago, in a world that resembled nothing of the scene I was in today. So many things had happened since our arrival from Belize. I’d gone from an angry single mother to…well, who was I now? I turned the dial on the mobile and retraced the last two years of my life. Working at RPH, meeting Aiden, lusting for him, running from him, fighting with him, loving him, and raising Lyric with him. I shook my head, completely astounded by the turns my life had taken.
Lyric’s adorable gurgles pulled my attention back toward Sienna and him.
“He looks so much like his father,” Sienna said, her voice breaking as she stared at Lyric.
Oh shit! Is she going to cry? Was she thinking about Aiden and their now rocky relationship? I didn’t know if I should offer any words of comfort. I wasn’t prepared to see this side of her. Just as I wasn’t prepared for her apologies yesterday.
Before I could say anything, though, she looked at me and whispered, “He’s fallen asleep.”
“Guess you tired him out.”
“I would imagine so,” she replied, smiling sweetly at him and then extending his bottle to me. She walked over to the crib, kissed his forehead and placed him in his former bed. “Sweet dreams, precious one.”
She turned around, a broad smile on her stunning face, and said “Well, that was the perfect way to spend an afternoon.”
“I’m glad you had this time with him.” I turned on the monitor and grabbed one of the small receivers. “Maybe we can talk while he naps,” I suggested.
“That would be lovely, Aria. I’ll ask one of the staff to prepare some tea,” she said, leading us out of the nursery.
Once we were seated comfortably downstairs, Sienna poured a cup of tea and passed it to me. “Thank you,” I said. “So, I guess I should tell you the reason for my visit.”
She looked up abruptly, worry instantly draping her pretty features.
“Aiden and I would like to accept your offer. We’d love for you to plan and host the wedding.”
A joyful light poured onto her face. “Really?” she exclaimed. “That’s wonderful. I was so sure Aiden would say no.”
I knew she wouldn’t like the next part, but it was best to get it out of the way. “Speaking of which, he does have one request.”
“Yes. And what’s that?” she asked, seemingly eager to appease him.
I cringed a little and said, “That you include Dianna in the plans.”
“Of course he’d want that,” she said bitterly. “Just another slap in my face.”
“Sienna, I don’t think that’s his intent. I’m sure it must hurt to hear it, but he really loves Dianna, and he does see her somewhat as a mother figure.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather not discuss that. But I will do as he’s requested,” she said, with the formal civility I was accustomed to seeing from her.
“Everything else is all you,” I said, trying to redirect her attention, which obviously worked because the excited glint in her eyes came rushing back.
She placed her tea on the tray and said, “Follow me.”
We walked to a room that I’d never been in. From the looks of it, it was her office. I guessed this was the place where she planned and plotted. Everything was rich and lavish and gleamed with Sienna’s impeccable elegance. Wide beams of light gushed in through the draped windows. The walls were lined with beautiful oil paintings and large mirrors. A large circular chandelier hung above the room’s center, and directly below it was command central—a vintage writing desk which held two framed photos: one of Sienna and Connor and the other of their four children.
The classic chic design of the office more resembled a staged room in a model home than one in which anyone actually got things done. As she took her seat, Sienna gestured toward one of the two chairs nearest the desk.
I sat down in the luxurious leather seat as she opened a drawer, pulled out a tablet and passed it to me. “I have one for you and one for me.”
“What’s this for?” I asked.
“It’s to assist with the wedding plans,” she said. “Although I thought Aiden would say no, I was hoping he’d say yes, so this morning I asked my assistant Justine to make a few calls, and I’ve secured the most-sought-after wedding planner in the country. She’s on standby—prepared to pass her current schedule off to her associate once I give her the go-ahead.”
I glanced at the tablet, shocked that she’d already started planning. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”
“If I’m to take Aiden’s comment about a quick wedding seriously, we can’t waste a minute. There is much to do.”
“It may be easier to elope,” I said.
“Heavens no, Aria,” she exclaimed.
I took in Sienna’s horrified expression. “I was…kidding.”
“Oh,” she said, and returned her attention to the tablet. “Justine installed an application on both of these.” She swiped over the screen. “And all that’s left is to accept here,” she said and pressed something on the screen. “And check this and we’re all set.” She looked up at me and smiled. She looked h
appy…I mean, really happy. “In a few minutes, our lists will sync and we can take a look at some preliminary ideas.”
I pressed the button to awaken the tablet. It was basically an upscale electronic wedding book, which suddenly felt heavier than it had a few moments ago.
This afternoon was to have served one purpose: telling Sienna she could plan the wedding. How the hell did this become our first meeting? I sighed. This was going to be a nightmare. I swiped through the screens to find that Sienna had already installed several photo galleries and apps. There was even an extensive list of contacts loaded, along with a mile-long to-do list.
Our first topic was dates. Aiden and I hadn’t really gotten that far, but since neither of us really had to be physically at an office for the time being, there wouldn’t be any scheduling conflicts. I told Sienna we were pretty much open to any week, but would give her a firm date at our next meeting.
“The planning of this wedding will require a tremendous amount of dedication and we should plan for every possible scenario. I would like for the ceremony to be as traditional as possible,” she said.
You would like? Is this my wedding or yours?
“There are countless details to consider…the venue, the flowers, the wedding party, the orchestra, the designer, the chef. The list goes on and on. Oh and the vows. I know it’s commonplace for you to write your own. Is that something you and Aiden will do? If not, my publicist can script some for you.”
My brows lifted, surprised she would suggest something so impersonal. “Publicist? No. Either traditional vows or we’ll write our own—nothing from a publicist.”
“Okay. And who will be giving you away?” she asked.
I thought of my father—an impossibility that nearly brought my emotions to surface. “I’m not sure. I’ll get back to you on that.”
“Let me know as soon as possible,” she said, as she scribbled something on the screen.
