by K E Osborn
We drive in an awkward silence and there is a feeling of tension in the air. I’m feeling disheartened and Aiden’s silence only serves to heighten my emotions. I turn to look at Aiden, his brows are furrowed and his hands on the steering wheel are clenched so tightly that his knuckles are turning white.
When we arrive home, we walk quietly to our room, trying not to wake Sarah and Chris. Aiden is still silent as we take off our clothes and crawl in bed together. The fact that he is touching me, puts my mind at ease as he cuddles into my back stroking my arm.
“I love you, Jeni, more than anything in this world, you know that, right?” he whispers in my ear.
I feel instant relief wash over me. He finally says something, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. I close my eyes and smile, taking his hand in mine and holding it to my chest.
“I know, babe, and I love you, too,” I say, bringing his hand up to my lips and kissing it. He cuddles into me further, and with our love confessed and tensions eased, we both drift off to sleep.
CHAPTER 5
I’m awake, relaxing in bed in the arms of my man, thinking about last night and how badly it could have gone. I suddenly hear the sound of Sarah shrieking. What the hell? I sit up in bed along with Aiden who looks back at me with the same confused stare. I start to panic. Why would Sarah scream like that? I get up and throw on my robe, and Aiden puts on a pair of boxer shorts. We quickly make our way to the kitchen to see Chris chasing Sarah around the kitchen with a snail. I feel instant relief as I figure out that her shriek was from nothing sinister but more from something silly.
We both laugh as Sarah screams, running as fast as she can around the kitchen island to get away from Chris and the snail, who are in hot pursuit of her.
“Chris, get it away from me. It’s disgusting,” she says with a stern look on her pale face.
“Nah, babe, I’m gonna cook it up and eat it. They’re a delicacy you know.” He stops at the sink with Sarah on the other side while they stare each other down.
“You know they don’t taste that bad,” Aiden says, adding to the conversation.
“See, babe, they taste good,” Chris calls out.
“Anything that comes from a dirty garden can’t taste good.”
“Sarah, you know fruits and vegetables come from a dirty garden, especially those strawberries that you love so much,” Chris says, raising his eyebrows up and down insinuatingly. Sarah blushes. Hmm, I wonder what that story is?
“Oh yeah…” Sarah says, turning bright red.
Chris moves around the counter towards her, and she shrieks again.
“Chris Starke, I swear to God if you come near me with that slimy thing, I will never open my legs for you again. Do you hear me? Not even for that thing you do with those strawberries,” she says, pointing at him and pursing her lips together like she’s really angry.
We laugh at Sarah’s reaction, along with Chris who brings the snail up into his line of sight.
“Looks like you get to live another day, little buddy. I can’t go on without Sarah and her strawberries.” Chris laughs and we watch him as he takes the snail back outside and pop it on a plant.
We walk into the now safe kitchen and put on the kettle. I look at Sarah and hold in my laugh as I watch her check out my man. When Sarah looks over to me, I can’t hold in my amusement at the expression on her face, and I let out a small laugh. She has a look of appreciation mixed with guilt.
“What’s so funny?” Aiden asks. His forehead is crinkled in confusion as he looks between Sarah and me.
Sara looks at me and gives me a don’t you dare glare.
I smirk at her. “Oh...umm...nothing really. Sarah’s just admiring your assets,” I say, smirking at her. Sarah scoffs at me as Aiden chuckles and looks down with a grin at his bare chest.
“I was not. Shut up, Jeni! Aiden, you’re terrible to look at. I mean, really, who wants to see a godlike creature standing in their kitchen at this hour of the morning anyway? Especially when I have my own god to look at? Even if the bastard chases me with freaking snails. So, no I was not ogling you, Aiden, I would never do such a thing. Jeni, you’re a big fat liar,” she says with a smirk.
“Yeah, I think you’re the big fat liar here, Sarah. I think I might tell Chris that you’ve been sizing me up,” Aiden says, calling her bluff, which only makes me laugh harder.
“Shut up, you would not!”
“No I wouldn’t. Chris is my buddy, and I wouldn’t want him to know that his chick is more in love with my body than his. That’s just not being a good friend.”
“You’re an idiot, stop teasing me. I’m a fragile, delicate flower, Aiden, I can be broken easily,” she says, making me laugh again at her ridiculous statement.
“Yeah, you’re about as delicate as a raging rhino,” I say, making Aiden chuckle. Sarah frowns at me.
“Right. That’s enough of that. I’ve thought about some ideas for the invitations if you want to see them?” Sarah says as Aiden makes the coffee.
I rub my forehead in confusion. “What invitations?”
“For the wedding, duh.” She taps on her forehead, walks to the buffet, and pulls out some paper designs. I look at Aiden and he winks at me. I try not to laugh. I can’t believe Sarah has started the wedding planning already.
“You know we haven’t even picked a date yet,” I say, trying to placate her.
She huffs. “Well, hurry up. You need to pick a date so we can get organized. When do you want it?”
I look at her confused. “When do I want it?”
She sighs, exasperated. “Yes, summer, spring? This year, next year? When, Jeni, when?” she says, making frustrated gestures with her hands and slightly bouncing on the spot.
I look at Aiden again who smirks and walks outside to join Chris, leaving me to fend for myself. Thanks for the support, babe!
I shrug as I look back at Sarah. “I don’t know. We need to discuss it. It’s also Aiden’s decision, not just mine.”
Sarah scoffs at me. “Oh bull crap. It’s your day; you can have it whenever you want.”
I shake my head in uncertainty; I don’t want to make any decisions without Aiden. “I don’t know. How long does it take to plan a wedding anyway?”
Sarah looks at me like I’ve given her a challenge, her eyes are squinting and her lips are pursed like she is deep in thought.
“We can have it in, let’s see,” She starts counting on her fingers. “Its April now so how about September?”
My heart thuds as a sudden feeling of excitement washes over me “What? You want me to get married in five months?”
She nods frantically. “Aiden,” she calls out. “September wedding alright with you?” she asks when he walks through the door.
He looks at me, his gorgeous blue eyes glistening brightly as he smiles so wide I’m sure his cheeks must be hurting. “The sooner Jeni is my wife, the happier I’ll be,” he says, making me feel nothing but love and worship from him. It makes my pulse flutter.
“Aww, you two are so cute. Now go away, we need to talk girl stuff.” She pushes Aiden back toward the door. He laughs and walks outside to be with Chris. I don’t know if I can concentrate. I’m buzzing with excitement at the thought of becoming Mrs. Aiden O’Connell.
“What date in September? The Saturday’s you can have are the seventh, fourteenth, twenty first and the twenty eighth. Now pick one,” Sarah says flipping through her diary.
“How about the fourteenth?”
“September fourteenth it is. Aiden,” she calls out. My heart jumps into my throat at the thought of a possible wedding date. I hear Aiden laugh as he comes back inside, looking at Sarah with a smirk.
“Yes, Sarah, what can I do for you?” Aiden says as he raises his eyebrows at her.
“We have decided that September fourteenth is your official wedding day.”
I watch intently as his face lights up, and his bright blue eyes sparkle. He walks over toward me, taking me in his arms. I wrap my
arms around his neck, and in this moment I couldn’t be any happier. The elation that I feel is beyond words, and to think I could have thrown this all away. The man I love so deeply leans in and kisses me with so much passion that my knees feel weak.
“Uh-hum,” Sarah clears her throat. “You have plenty of time to make out later, but for now we have stuff to do so Aiden if you don’t mind,” Sarah says, interrupting our moment and gesturing for him to leave. He laughs and kisses me quickly and then turns to go. I can’t help but feel a little pissed at Sarah for disturbing us, but I guess we do have the rest of our lives to make out together, and that thought makes me undeniably happy.
***
“Baby, I know this will let your mom down, but I want you back at work as my PA, seeing as I’ve lost Tori. I know you have issues with Father, but you know the job well, and I need you with me. It’s not the same without you.
He lovingly strokes my cheek. I must admit I have missed working there, and even though Alistair is a pain in my ass, having Aiden and Brielle more than makes up for his shortcomings.
“I’ll call Mom right now,” I say, getting excited at the thought of being back with Aiden and the job I love.
I pick up my cell and dial Mom’s number.
“Hi, Mom, it’s me.”
“Hi, sweetheart, how are you? How’s my Aiden?”
“Your Aiden is fine, so am I.” I roll my eyes and watch Aiden smirk.
“Good to hear. Are you coming into the salon tomorrow?”
“That’s why I’m calling, Mom. Aiden has asked me to come back to work with him, and I said yes,” I say, feeling slightly guilty for the short term notice I’m giving her.
“Oh, honey, I loved having you with me every day but, I know you belong in an office, not sweeping up hair. It was only going to be a short term thing.”
“Thanks, Mom, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” I say, feeling like I have the best mother in the world.
“Don’t be silly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now you tell that Alistair to behave himself and don’t take any of his shit.” She has a very stern tone in her voice.
“I will, Mom, have a good night.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Night, Mom,” I say and hang up my cell.
Aiden takes my cell from me with a smirk. He reaches over and places it on my bedside table, turning back toward me. His bare masculine chest connects with mine as he leans into kiss me. I welcome it as I quickly roll over so I’m on top of him. I’m in a playful mood, and he chuckles, moving my hair away from his face, and then leans in kissing me gently.
“Aiden.”
“Mmm,” he murmurs in return.
“I love you.” I gaze into his bright blue piercing eyes feeling such a deep connection with him it takes my breath away.
“I love you more.” He pulls me in for another deep passionate kiss.
***
I wake to Aiden softly snoring in my ear. He’s curled up behind me, holding on with a very tight grip. I turn off the alarm, and he wakes suddenly. His arms let go of me, making it easier for me to turn around.
“Morning beautiful.”
I lean in and kiss him. “Morning, my moronic smart-ass man.”
He chuckles. “Haven’t heard that in a while,” he says, putting his arm around me again and pulling me to him. My head nuzzles into his neck, while he yawns.
“I know, I thought it was time for it to make a come back.”
“I guess we’d better get up.” He unwraps his arm from around me and sits up in our bed. We get dressed and make our way to the kitchen.
We head outside to greet Mike who, as always, is patiently waiting for us.
“Good morning, Miss Taylor, Mr. O’Connell.”
“Morning, Mike,” we both say in unison and laugh at our cheesiness.
We enter the car and Mike pulls out into the traffic.
“We’ll be going straight to the office today, Mike. Jeni has decided to come back and work with us again.”
“Oh, that’s great news. I’m happy we can get back to a normal routine then,” Mike says chirpily.
“Sure is, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m a very lucky man, Mike.” Aiden wraps his arm around my shoulders pulling me closer to him, and I rest my head on his shoulder for the entire ride to work. We head through the main foyer to the elevator. My nerves flood over me and those darn pesky butterflies are wreaking havoc in my stomach. Aiden pushes the button for the elevator and we step in.
“Will your father be in today?”
He takes my hand in his, entwining our fingers. “I have no idea. I probably should’ve called him to see how he was doing, but it really pisses me off the way he treated you, I just can’t be bothered with the bullshit. I’m over him at the moment. I really want to leave the business and start up on my own. I can’t stand the way Father dictates everything, including who I should or shouldn’t be with. He has no right to talk to you or me the way he does, and to be honest, I would rather have a company of my own that I can run the way I think it should be run.”
I certainly understand his reluctance to stay in the family business, but I’d feel responsible if he left. “Guess we will find out if he’s here when we walk in.”
The doors open. Brielle is sitting at her desk; she looks up casually then jumps up and runs toward us.
“Oh my God, Jeni, you’re here. Does this mean what I think it means?” She raises her eyebrows while gently biting her lip waiting for my answer.
“Yes, we’re back together, and you’ll have to put up with me back here at work.”
She then hugs me tightly. “It’s about time. I was starting to get really worried that you two would never work it out.”
“Is Father here?” Aiden asks.
“Yes, and he’s in a really great mood today,” she says in the most sarcastic tone.
I roll my eyes. Is he ever in a good mood?
We walk towards our desks. Alistair comes out of his office, sees me, and immediately his face turns bright red and his lips purse together as he furrows his brows.
“What is that doing here?” he says, waving his hand in a shoo motion toward me.
Aiden glares at him as his eyebrows crease together. His nostrils flare, and he lets out a small grunt. .
“Jeni is my fiancé and my PA, Father. How many times do I have to tell you stop calling her that? She has a name, it’s Jeni. Get used to it,” Aiden says, kissing my cheek.
“I recall, not that long ago, picking you up from the floor of your apartment in a drunken stupor because it left you. Don’t you remember that, son? Don’t you remember how utterly devastated you were and who it was that put you back together, or has your memory gone out with your common sense?”
“I wondered how long it would be before you brought this up and threw it back in my face. Father, I’m grateful for the way you helped me back on my feet when Jeni and I were having… difficulties. But we’ve worked through our problems, and I’m ecstatic to have her back. I love her unconditionally, and I won’t have you bringing up all this shit just to make her feel bad. So, Father, just stop! I reiterate Jeni is my fiancé.”
“We’ll see about that,” Alistair mumbles under his breath and storms off like a child back into his office.
Aiden kisses me on the cheek and looks at me with a half-smile as he walks to his office. I sigh as I can feel the hatred leaking from Alistair’s pores towards me. I make my way to my desk, sit down, and turn on the computer. Nothing’s changed! Bree looks at me, giggles, and gets back to work. I can’t help but feel a little dejected knowing how badly I hurt Aiden. I can’t believe that I put him through hell just because I was having a mini breakdown. I will never forgive myself for that, and I know in my heart I will make it my life’s work to make sure he never feels that way again.
The elevator chimes making us both look up. A delivery driver enters with a huge bunch of pink roses.
“I have a delivery
for—”
“Yep, over here,” I interject as he walks over with the flowers in his hands, which I then sign for.
“Everything’s back to normal,” Bree states in a low tone.
I place them on my desk in their usual spot and take out the card to read.
Welcome back, baby. I’m so glad you’re here with me where you belong. I will love you, forever. Yours always, Aiden xoxo
Walking to Aiden’s office, I knock on the door.
“Come in.”
I open the door. He’s looking at me with that all too familiar sparkle.
“Thank you, I love them.” I continue walking toward his desk. He stands and meets me half way. He wraps his arms around me and holds on to me tightly.
“I told you you’d get flowers every Monday, and I intend to keep that promise.”
I lean up to kiss him and our lips meet briefly until we’re interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Takahashi is on the line,” Brielle says as she peers through the slightly open door.
Aiden’s brow is slightly furrowed, and his lips are pursed, looking slightly irritated that we got interrupted. I quickly use my thumb and wipe my lip gloss from his lips.
He walks back to his desk. “Can’t leave Mr. Takahashbrown waiting now, can I?”
I slide back into the job easily; I remember how to do most of my work as the day progresses. Lunchtime comes around all too quickly and Bree does a lunch run down to the café. She leaves and I make my way to the kitchen to make coffee for us all. I place a mug into the coffee machine and press the button for black coffee for Aiden. Alistair walks in. I try not to look at him while he waits, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground. I decide perhaps I should say something.
“Alistair, I’m well aware of how little you think of me, but I would like to try and at least be civil to each other, for Aiden’s sake. He loves us both, so I suggest we try to get along if nothing else. What do you say?” I hold my hand out for him to shake.