“She’s become a close friend, but we’re just friends. She’s a nursing student who is interning here.”
“Is she allowed to get involved with patients?”
“No, and she’s not. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize her job.”
To say that I’m surprised by his words is an understatement. Shane is thinking about a woman’s job and putting her career above his desires? That is most definitely a first.
“She seems nice. I like her.”
His face beams. “She is. Maybe once I’m out of here, we can all go for coffee or something.”
“Maybe,” I tell him.
THIRTY-THREE
ALEAH
Aiden finally finished his tour of the Foundation offices around the country and came back a couple of days ago. The only good thing about his time away was that he really enjoyed visiting the sites and learning about all the projects the Pierson Foundation is involved with. Every time he talked about a new location or a new project, I could feel his enthusiasm over the phone. And his excitement lit up my world. I was thrilled to see him enjoy what he’s doing after the miserable month he had at Pierson Investments.
He’s only been back a couple of days now and we’re once again heading to Lou and Steve’s office for another letter from David. We’ve both been tense and nervous since last night just thinking about today’s meeting.
Even though we try to not show it, the truth is that the constant changes and the time we spend apart is starting to get in between us. Of the eight months that we’ve been together, Aiden has spent five of those away from me. The distance and stress of the separation have begun to take their toll on our relationship. Now we’re heading back for another meeting that could send Aiden off to only God knows where, and we’re both nervous.
We make it to the office and go through the normal routine. We’ve done this so many times now that Steve does not even bother to give us an introduction or explanation. He dives right into David’s letter.
Aiden,
If you’re reading this letter, that means you have successfully gone through many months of rigorous challenges and assignments that took you away from your home and way out of your comfort zone. You will never know how proud of you I am for making it this far. I hope that the experiences have opened your eyes and broadened your horizon. Your hard work and perseverance deserves recognition and reward, but before we get there, I have one other important assignment for you.
The concept of family is an intriguing one. Other than your spouse, you don’t get to choose your family and you’re stuck with them for life. Sometimes those family members go above and beyond in helping you and other times they hurt you beyond belief. But no matter what, at the end of the day, they are your family. When you near the end of your life, those are the people you want around you and they are the ones you crave the most. But you have to take care of your family, for them to want to be there for you when you need them. I took my family for granted for years and that is the biggest regret of my life, not only because they are not here now that I need them, but also because I wasn’t there for them when they needed me. Because of my inadequacies, the rest of our family is broken. There are barely any functioning relationships between my children and grandchildren. I carry the weight and the guilt of that burden on my shoulders.
My biggest wish as I sit here writing this during these last days of my life is for my family to come together as one. I know you haven’t had a great relationship with most of our family members either, and I don’t want you to go down the road I did. To help with that, this month I’m assigning you the task of reaching out to each of our family members and trying to bring everyone together. Knowing these people, I recognize how difficult this task may be. That’s why this month, your actions will be graded based on the amount of effort you put into them and not on the results they produce.
Good luck! If there is a next world, I know I will be rooting for you and cheering you on from up above on this endeavor.
With all my love, Grandpa
As the letter was being read, I felt Aiden’s body tense up next to mine, and my stomach clenched. The thought that Aiden will have to deal with his family in any shape or form gives me chills. I know how those people feel about me. Aiden’s relationship with me will always be a contentious issue for his family. That is why Aiden has barely had any contact with his family members in the last few months and we never talk about any of them.
I didn’t even ask Aiden how his conversation with his mom went when he told her about us. All Aiden told me was that he had made it clear to her this was a non-negotiable issue and she needed to leave it alone. I didn’t dare ask him how his mom responded because I knew I wouldn’t want to hear the answer. Now he has to go and try to establish relationships with these people and bring them together? Just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. I have a very bad feeling about this month.
We leave the office in quiet contemplation and barely say anything to each other in the car. It’s not until we’re pulling into my parking garage, that Aiden turns to me.
“I think I have an idea that might work.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’m going to invite everyone to a big dinner. I’ll make it fancy and send out formal invitations so they think I have some sort of an important announcement, and they actually show up. When they get there, I will lay down the rules first. They will have to accept you and show you respect. Any one of them that doesn’t want to do that can walk out of my life....”
“Aiden–that’ll have the opposite effect of what David wanted you to do. You will just run every one of them off with that.”
“Well, Grandpa wasn’t living my life, when he wrote that. I’m the one that has to figure this out, and the only way I can try to establish a relationship with these people is if they accept you. Grandpa said family was important and I get that, but if these people can’t accept you, then they can’t be a part of the family I want to build for myself.”
Hearing him talk about me so fiercely and protectively melts my heart, but it doesn’t help my bad feeling that this assignment will be disastrous.
THIRTY-FOUR
ALEAH
The dinner is being held at a posh Beverly Hills restaurant. Aiden sent formal invitation cards to his family members, and then reached out to each one separately to convince them to come. To my surprise, almost everyone accepted. I think all of them think that Aiden has some sort of important announcement to make about David’s will. Of course that is true, but it won’t be the kind of announcement they are expecting. I can’t imagine what their reaction will be when they found out they’re merely here because David wanted them to act more like a family.
I reluctantly step out of the car to start walking toward the restaurant, but as we get closer to the door, my steps falter. I really don’t want to be here. When Aiden first told me that he wanted me to be at the dinner, I almost flipped out. I told him there was no way I would subject myself to that kind of torture. But Aiden has a way of convincing me to do things I never thought I would. He told me that he wants to make a point; that I had to be there to show them how much I mean to him; and that we needed to put a solid front up. I tried to tell him that this would end up being a disaster, but he assured me he has a great plan and things would go smoothly. Now that I’m here, I can’t shake the feeling that my prediction is about to come through.
Aiden grabs my hand in his as he strides towards the private dining room he’s booked for the dinner. As soon as we enter the room, everyone stops talking, and all eyes turn to us. The room is suddenly filled with so much tension that you can slide a knife through it. Feeling the weight of all the hostile stares on me, my stomach clenches in nervousness as a cold shiver travels up my spine. I feel myself getting pale as a voice in my head keeps telling me this is not going to end well.
Aiden acts as if he is completely unaffected by the tension, and he starts making his way around the room to say hello to ever
yone. I stand by him and greet each person politely, but I only make brief eye contact and don’t offer my hand to shake anyone’s in fear of rejection. By the time we’ve said hello to everyone, the atmosphere returns to normal with everyone going back to their mingling. But I still feel the stares on me. Aiden strikes a conversation with one of his cousins and I stand to the side politely.
A few minutes later, one of the servers approaches Aiden with a question. I overhear them in a heated conversation about one of the menu items. Aiden scrunches his eyebrows, before turning to me.
“It looks like they’ve messed up one of our orders. I need to go speak with the manager about this. I’ll be right back. Will you be okay here?”
My stomach clenches in nervousness. Please don’t leave me alone with these wolves, I want to beg, but knowing they are all watching me, I nod my head instead. I watch him walk out of the room and feel the walls starting to close on me. Then I turn around and realize that it wasn’t the walls closing in on me but the sea of his family members who are surrounding me now.
My heart rate picks up to a frenzied pace, as my fight or flight instinct kicks in. I grab my purse to leave, but before I’m able to make a hasty exist, I feel Aiden’s mom’s hand on my arm.
“Not so fast, you little wench. You can’t run away from us that easily. I have something to tell you and you’re going to listen to me and listen well.” The amount of hatred I see in her eyes and the venom in her voice is enough to send me to a panic attack, but the feel of her hand on my arm is my breaking point. I pull my hand back and try to walk the other way, but one of Aiden’s cousins blocks my way. I look longingly at the door hoping to see Aiden walk through it, but there is no sign of him.
“He’s not coming back for at least another ten minutes. I made sure of that,” his mom tells me. “You have no choice but to stand here and listen to me. So you’d better stop trying to run away and instead start trying to listen… I don’t want to hurt you. I’m too good for the likes of you to do that. I just need you to understand something. None of us will ever see you as anything other than the gold-digger piece of trash that you are. If you think you can just go from fooling our dying father into marrying you to banging my son and everything will be fine and dandy, you’re sorely mistaken. I may act nice and normal in front of Aiden for his sake, but as soon as his back is turned, I will burn you. Aiden will most likely be the heir to the Pierson fortune, and you’re a nobody. You’re a runaway. You dropped out of school, and you look like this,” she says pointing to my figure. “You’re not even American. You come from a terrorist culture. You. Will. Never. Be. Good. Enough. For. Aiden.”
My mouth drops open at her words, as my hands start shaking, but she isn’t even finished yet.
“You think you can just pretend like you belong in his world and everyone will accept you? Once he gets his inheritance, he will be surrounded by socialites and billionaires of his own caliber. They will take one look at you, and chew you up and spit you out. You will hold Aiden back in life and make both of you miserable. Look at you. You’re like a scared little mouse. I’ve barely said anything to you and you’re shaking like a miserable child. You think can deal with the kind of people that will surround Aiden?”
I’ve had enough. I can’t bear to hear one more word. I clutch my purse to my side and push my way through the blockage they’ve created with their bodies. I don’t stop until I’m at the car, and even then I rush as my trembling hands attempt to grasp the handle hard enough to open the door. Once inside, I try to calm myself enough to think.
I need to get away from this place and these people, and I don’t want Aiden to come after me. I can’t deal with seeing him and answering any of his questions right now. I need time. I need to get my head together and pick up the shredded pieces of my heart to figure out what I need to do. I pick up the phone and force my trembling fingers to type the only text I think will keep Aiden at the party and away from me for a little while.
Me: Mia called me. She needs my help with an emergency. She said it’s urgent. Don’t start worrying. It’s just some girl stuff. Enjoy your dinner and I’ll see you at home.
Once I hit send, I lean my head back and weep. What was I thinking coming to this dinner, I ask myself. More importantly, what was I thinking believing that Aiden’s family will ever be civil to me? The anger and despise in their eyes when they looked at me feels palpable in my veins. The cold that envelops me when I remember his mom’s words makes me shiver to my bones.
I start the car with trembling fingers, so I can leave this place before Aiden has a chance to step out. I drive away through a pool of tears and a sea of heartache. Her words blast through my mind like gunshots. I realize they hurt so much because some of them hit close to my own insecurities. Those words keep circling and circling in my head, until I see nothing but their ugly trace.
By the time I get home, the seed of doubt her words planted in my brain has grown into a buoyant sapling, leaving me confused and heartbroken. The only thing I’m sure of is that I need to get away from this place. Aiden’s nearness robs me of my ability to think coherently and I really need some time and space to myself to think.
I grab a duffle bag from the closet and start throwing random clothes in for a short getaway. I have no idea where I will go or for how long. I just know that I need to leave. I’ll add in all the basic necessities I think I might need and close the bag. Right before I step out of my room, I turn around and grab my passport, just in case.
I drive to the airport in a daze. I don’t pay attention to my driving or think about where I’m going. I just try to get there as fast as I can, because I know it is only a matter of time, before Aiden starts blowing off my phone.
I park the car in the first parking garage I come across and walk to the nearest terminal. Once inside, I glance at the airline counters lining up the walls until one sign catches my eye. A flight to London is leaving in about an hour and there is almost no one at the counter. A nervous excitement overtakes my body. I’ve always wanted to go to London. Before everything went to hell, Zoha and I had talked about backpacking Europe after graduation. Life never let me live that dream, but maybe I can make my own.
I approach the counter apprehensively. To my complete surprise, they still have seats available on the plane and it’s not too late to buy a ticket. I hand the lady my credit card with trembling hands. This is impulsive, crazy and more than a bit scary, but it feels liberating in a very strange way.
I rush through the security screening and make it to the plane on time. Aiden calls me just as I sit in the plane. I close my eyes and let the pain slice through me. I hate that I’m doing this to him. But it’s the only way, I can get away. I know Aiden is going to find out what happened soon and I know without a shadow of a doubt that he will not let me stay away even for a few hours once he finds out. I know if I talk to him he will convince me not to go. So I let his call go to voicemail and start typing up a quick explanatory text.
I tell him something happened that made me think about a few things and I needed to get away to be able to think clearly. I explain to him where I’m going so he doesn’t worry himself crazy and even give him the flight number so he can track it. I beg him to give me a little space so I can work through the mess in my head, and tell him I will contact him when I’m ready. After I’ve typed up the message, I wait until I hear the announcement for turning off cell phones. That’s when I hit send. As soon as the message is gone, I shut my phone off.
Then I lean my head back and breathe. As the plane takes off, I feel some of the heavy baggage burdening my shoulders being lift off. This will be good for me, I tell myself.
THIRTY-FIVE
AIDEN
I have to read her text three times to believe what I’m seeing. I sensed something was off when I got her first text, but I went against my instinct and stayed at that stupid dinner because I didn’t want to act like a psycho boyfriend. Now I kick myself in the foot for being so stupid. I shoul
d have known my family wouldn’t be able to play nice. God only knows what they said to Aleah in the five minutes that I was gone to make her want to leave the country.
The thought infuriates me so much that I explode in a fit of rage. I hit my fist against the wall. But the pain shooting up arm does nothing to abate the pain I feel in my chest. I pick up my phone and call her again, but her phone is off. Just to be sure, I open up a browser on my computer and check the status of the flight number she gave me. Sure enough, it says that it already departed.
I grab my head in my hands to hold myself from hitting it against the wall. What the hell I am supposed to do now? My heart tells me to hop on the next plane and go after her, but my gut tells me I need to give her the space she begged for. My stomach clenches and my muscles tense up at the thought of her being so far away from me.
Damn this.
Why is she doing this to me?
Why the hell did she have to go somewhere so far?
Does she even know anything about London?
The questions keep coming. I have to force myself to count to ten to calm my racing heart.
She’s an adult, I try to tell myself. She’s smart, capable, and independent. She can manage a few days on her own. I have to give her the space she asked for. Otherwise she might feel trapped.
Hell.
I don’t like this.
I don’t like this at all.
As my restless feet pace the length of her penthouse, I fight the idea that I have to accept this. But at the end, I decide to relent, thinking that the solid foundation we have built for our relationship in the past few months will not shake with a few days of separation.
Once I decide to leave Aleah alone, I grab my keys and head out the door. I need to know what happened at that restaurant and I need to know that now. Whoever said something to Aleah to make her run will see a side of me they wish they never knew. I’ve been playing nice with my family, but things just got real. I won’t stop until I find out exactly what happened and whoever upset Aleah will pay for what they said.
Redeeming Love (Resilient Hearts #2) Page 23
