Her Charming Secret

by Sam Ayers

  “Alex?” she asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

  “Yes, baby, I’m here. Go to sleep,” he said, pulling her closer to his chest.

  He was there. Finally, a place where he belonged!

  * * *

  Jacob was still teasing Jo as he drove her home. “Remember how you used to ask for juice when you were a kid? ‘Jo wan more Joo. Joo, Jakey’,” he mimicked her voice, bringing out the baby Jo’s voice perfectly. She mock-punched him and laughed.

  “Hey, Jo, I want to talk to you about something very important,” Jacob said. All humor was gone from his voice.

  “Me too! You will be shocked if you hear what I’m gonna say,” she said.

  “Let me go first, Joey. It’s kind of important, you know.”

  “More important than Richard?” she murmured.

  “Richard?” Jacob’s expression immediately shifted to anger.

  “Yeah, he called me. But I didn’t pick up my phone, Aiden did! I have no clue why he’s stalking me now!”

  Jacob hit the steering wheel and groaned. “I told that jerk to stay away from you. I’m gonna kill him; this time he went too far!” he raged.

  “Calm down, Jake! Don’t end up doing something weird; he may use that against us. I just want to know if he is still here. I don’t mind talking to him. At least I can tell him to back off.”

  “No way! No way, young lady. You will never speak to him again. If he demands to, then it will only be in my presence, got that?” he said, his eyes cold. Jo knew he was serious when he used that tone.

  “Yes,” she replied quietly, not ready to talk to him about Richard again. The rest of their ride back home was very quiet, because they couldn’t think of what to talk about.

  * * *

  Aiden reached home and decided to call Ashton to open the door. But knowing that it was already too late, he decided to let it go. Just as he moved back and decided to leave, the door opened. His mother was standing there with a smile on her face.

  “Momma?” he called and moved forward.

  “I knew it was you,” she cooed and hugged him. “Come in, Aiden! Do you want to eat something? Are you alright? How was your trip?”

  He smiled at her enthusiasm, which reminded him of Jo. It was late, but she was still up. Just for him. “I’m fine, Mom. It’s been a long day, and no, I was asleep, so I haven’t had my dinner yet.”

  “I made chicken pasta for dinner; why don’t you freshen up? I just have to heat it,” she said, going to the kitchen.

  Aiden quietly walked up the stairs to his rooms, bag slung over his shoulders to retain the peaceful silence in the house that was only broken by loud snores that came from the direction of his grandfather’s room. He couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering how his grandfather had always protested saying, “Non, I do noz the znore, it iz that fellowz Alex, he iz plazing funny on moi.”

  A smile on his face, he walked into his room, loving the feel of being home. Taking a minute to take it all in, he shook his head and pulling out a fresh change of clothes, went to take a shower.

  Adelynn was rushing about the kitchen, heating up the pasta and making coffee just the way Aiden liked it. Just as she was setting it down, Aiden walked in with a huge grin on his face, looking fresh and clean. He pulled her into a quick hug, telling her without words how much he had missed her.

  “So how was the trip?” she asked, looking at him over the brim of her cup. There was something so different about him now; he looked less restless – almost calm, a state of emotion she had hardly seen him in in recent years.

  Aiden’s eyes lit up like a kid talking about his favorite toy. He grinned and said, “It was great, Momma. We camped, and while it was exceptionally hard to sleep in the same tent as Alex and his snores, everything else was fine. I mean it was good!”

  Adelynn chuckled. “What about Josephine?”

  Aiden looked up to see a small smile on her face. He should have known – his mother was extremely inquisitive, mostly when it came to him, Alex and Adele. Her look wasn’t accusing, just curious.

  “What about her?” he asked without looking up. He tucked in because the food was delicious. Knowing his mother would easily find out about his relationship with Jo, he remained silent.

  “Do you like her?” Adelynn asked and placed her hand under her chin, waiting for a proper reply.

  Aiden never hid anything from his mother, so he decided to tell her before she found out from someone else.

  “Mom, I’m in a relationship with Josephine. She means so much more to me than a friend and I don’t know how we got together . . . I just couldn’t control myself.” He sighed, looking away.

  Lynn placed her hand on Aiden’s and smiled. “Are you happy?”

  “She makes me happy!”

  “That’s all that matters. But you know that William won’t be happy about this, right?”

  “One of us has to resign, I know.” He sighed again.

  “I can talk to Nick about this. Why don’t you invite her for dinner?” Adelynn smiled, changing the subject.

  “You want to meet her?” Aiden asked in surprise.

  “Of course, we’d love to meet her,” Adelynn assured him. “It’s getting late, baby. You should go to bed.” She placed a soft kiss on his temple and walked away.

  It was really late, so all Aiden did was crash on his bed. It felt so soft and that’s what he wanted after sleeping in a tent. Sharing it with Alex had been the worst part.

  “Never again!” he groaned.

  He fell asleep just to be woken up by the loud and jarring ringtone of his mobile. Groaning, he picked it up to see Jo’s name and picture.

  “Hey, you!” he answered, smiling to himself.

  “Hi, you reached home yet?” she asked.

  “Yeah! At home and in bed! What about you?”

  Jo’s answer was no more than a whisper. “I reached home just a while ago. Jake is making some coffee. He wanted to talk about the trip.”

  “Mmm . . . coffee,” Aiden murmured happily.

  “Gosh! Just the word makes you happy.” Jo chuckled.

  “So, I’ll be in and out tomorrow; lots of meetings.” He sighed. “You don’t have to be there at 7AM. Take your time.”

  “Great, thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you. Night, Aid!”

  “Night, Jo. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that he ended the call. She didn’t miss his not saying the words back, but she was patient and knew that he wasn’t ready to say those three words yet. She was ready to wait, because Aiden didn’t do things halfway. When he did say those words – and she meant ‘when’ and not ‘if’, because she knew he was in love with her – he would say it from the bottom of his heart and mean it and cherish it.

  Without another thought, she ran towards the bathroom and freshened up. She came out and put on her most comfortable pair of shorts and a tee. She snuggled into her bed, already drifting off when Jacob came in with two cups.

  “Hey, you tired?” he asked her, sitting down on the bed and handing her a cup.

  She nodded and sipped, only to taste something different. “Hot chocolate?”

  “Your favorite.” Jacob smiled.

  “Thanks, Jakey!” She grinned and sipped the hot chocolate.

  “Jo, I’m sorry about what happened earlier. I don’t know why I reacted so badly.” He sighed.

  “That’s okay; I really don’t mind.” She smiled.

  “You really have grown up. I still remember the toddler who would walk around all day holding the end of my shirt like a little tail,” he teased, taking immense pleasure in the fact that she turned tomato red in a matter of seconds. He sighed, asking but not wanting to know, “So is there a certain someone who is responsible for this change?”

  Jo laughed and mock-punched his arm. “What’s the important thing you wanted to tell me about?”

  “Err . . . it’s late! I’ll tell you tomorrow,” he replied.

  “Something important?” She raised her eyebro
w. He just nodded. Jacob asked her about the trip. She was so excited when she told him about the adventures, but he could already see her battling sleep, her eyes closing of their own accord every few seconds. It was really late, so he got up and placed a kiss on her brow.

  “Go to sleep now. We’ll talk more in the morning,” he whispered and walked towards the door. “Night, Joey!”

  “Night night, Jakey.” She grinned sleepily and snuggled into the bed, pulling the comforter over her head as she slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep.

  The next morning, Aiden was up at exactly 5:30AM. It was a good thing that he always kept an extra suit in his room; pulling it on, he rushed downstairs with his jacket in his hand.

  Adelynn was in the kitchen, making breakfast. He walked towards her and kissed her cheek. “Morning, Momma,” he murmured as he poured orange juice for himself.

  “Morning, baby, why are you up so early? And don’t tell me you are working today!”

  He sipped the juice and replied, “Of course I am! I have three important meetings today.”

  Sighing, he sat down to eat his breakfast as Ashton came down, making a loud noise. “Hey, sleepyhead!” Aiden called.

  “Bro, what are you doing here? When did you get back?” Ashton asked and sat next to Aiden.

  “Last night. I was going to call you, but it was already late,” Aiden explained. “Alright, Mom, I’m done. I have to go now.”

  He ran towards the kitchen, hugged his mom and ran out. Adelynn sighed, seeing him run like that. In less than five minutes, he came running back.

  “The key, where’s the car key?” He ran his hand through his hair, sighing.

  “Your car is at your place,” Ashton stated, looking bored. “Take Mom’s car!”

  Adelynn handed him the keys to her car. “We can trade cars; see you later.” She kissed his cheek and he was off in a jiffy. Adelynn had a Mercedes-Benz ML550. It was fast and comfortable. Nicholas wanted the best car for his wife, which also satisfied his safety criteria, which were extensive and had initially made the sales woman cry.

  The office was much closer from his parents’ place. Aiden parked the car, thankful that no one had taken over his parking spot. He was right on time for the meeting with the chairman. When he walked in, everyone asked him about his holiday; he answered their questions for a bit before he excused himself. The Chairman wasn’t there yet, so he had some time for a coffee.

  He walked towards the nearest café and ordered his double espresso. Just then, he heard someone order another double espresso. He turned around to see Alex standing there with a weird expression. He looked gloomy. Alex Reid was never gloomy! It was an apocalyptic symptom – something that was supposed to happen only when the world was coming to an end.

  “What the hell happened to you?” Aiden asked, picking up his coffee. “You look like you lost a race to the hounds of hell,” he said.

  “Good morning to you, too, and thank you. I for one feel like they trampled over me.” Alex groaned. “Let’s go to the office; I’ll explain everything.”

  Sighing, Aiden followed him. They reached the executive floor and walked towards Aiden’s office.

  “It’s Dad! He’s mad at me. He thinks I’m playing around again,” Alex groaned and punched the desk, causing it to lightly tremble. Alex was an extremely emotional person – and now the fact that he was distraught and angry was clearly reflected on his face, proving to Aiden just how affected he was.

  “Easy, boss! Don’t take your anger on my poor harmless desk,” Aiden said, smirking, but then he asked curiously, “Did you tell him about your girlfriend yet?”

  “Umm . . . no! I’m scared.”

  “Alexander Reid is scared?” Aiden burst out laughing and got a punch on his arm as a reply.

  “Stop being sarcastic, dude!”

  “Seriously? Alex, don’t tell me that you’re in love and that’s why you can’t tell your dad!” Aiden grinned.

  “I don’t know; it’s too soon to say anything right now. How are things going with Jo? Are you serious about her?” Alex decided to change the subject. He was curious to know what Aiden felt.

  “Actually, I am! I may as well ask her to marry me now—”

  Alex cut him off immediately, “Freaking hell no! Are you crazy? That girl will run away!”

  “Dude, I was just kidding.” Aiden chuckled. “You really think I’ll propose now? It’s too soon. I’m not sure if this is it, you know what I mean?”

  Alex nodded. Commitment trouble was something he could relate to all too well. They had to attend a meeting soon, so both walked out just in time to see William walking in, deep in conversation with a man. They looked like friends, pretty close friends at that.

  “Who’s he?” Alex asked, raising his eyebrow.

  “No clue, but I think I’ve seen him somewhere,” Aiden replied.

  William came towards them. “Here they are. Let me introduce you to my son,” he said, looking at the man. “This is Alexander. And this is Aiden.”

  “Nicholas’s son, if I am right?” the man said, looking at Aiden before extending his hand towards the boys.

  “May I present Mr. Joseph Knight, my friend.”

  Their jaws dropped when they heard the name. This was the very man who had taken up the entire European business in a storm. Joseph Knight was one of the most powerful businessmen, and here he was right in front of them, being introduced as William’s friend.

  Joseph excused himself after the exchange of pleasantries.

  “THE Joseph Knight is in the building!” Alex stated. Aiden nodded his head and told him that he wanted to talk.

  “There are rumors about a merger,” Aiden said, his face grim.

  * * *

  Aiden and Jo were in a hammock, looking out into the ocean – the view was beautiful, but they had eyes only for each other. However, as Jo turned to whisper something to him, the hammock unbalanced and she fell.

  Jo sat up with a groan, taking a moment to get her bearings – only to realize that she wasn’t on a tropical island with Aiden, but rather in her room at Jake’s place.

  She grumbled as she got out of bed, wondering why the hell she would dream about falling off, her whole form shaking with annoyance. She decided to get a cup of coffee – wait what? Aiden was so rubbing off on her. Earlier, she didn’t need to have coffee to wake up – these days she was a bleary-eyed monster without her first cup.

  Walking down the stairs, she ran a hand through her already-messed hair, trying to look a little less crumpled – a difficult task, seeing as she was wearing a baggy t-shirt and shorts which were, well, crumpled.

  She walked into the kitchen and immediately walked out, slowing turning and peeking to see that yes, there was indeed a girl standing there. The girl looked like she had walked straight out of a fashion magazine; even in a pair of jeans and one of Jacob’s shirts, she looked like she could just walk out in that outfit and it would make a style statement. She was beautiful, with sky blue eyes that contrasted with her almost-black, brown hair that was pulled up into a loose ponytail but still came down to her lower back.

  Jo stood there stunned for a minute before asking, “Who are you?” Her voice came out an octave higher than usual due to her confusion. The girl whirled around, surprise evident on her features, looking startled to see Jo standing there. She was about to answer when Jacob walked in and stopped beside the stranger, sliding his hand around her waist, a sheepish grin on his face as he said, “Hey! Yeah, this is what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  - Chapter 20 -

  Coffee Monster Reid

  “This is Rachel, my girlfriend,” Jacob said quietly.

  Jo stood there for a moment, her mouth agape. “Say that again?” she asked, astonished. “Are you telling me that she is your girlfriend!!!?” she exclaimed, her voice rising as she spoke.

  “Yeah,” Jacob murmured.

  She didn’t reply to him; instead, she ran upstairs to her room.

  “God! I
didn’t expect this to happen.” Jake sighed. “I’ll be right back.” Rachel nodded and he ran upstairs. He went in to see Jo sitting on her bed, looking a little pissed off. Jake sighed again and sat next to her, frowning slightly when she turned away from him. “Jo, I have known her about a year,” he hurried to explain as he saw her back stiffen. “But we became serious only recently, and you have been so troubled . . . I didn’t know how to tell you.”

  Jo wasn’t ready to hear all this; she looked at the clock and sighed. “I have to go. I’m getting late for work.”

  Jo asked him to step out for a minute and almost slammed the door shut the minute he walked out. She stood there for a minute, stunned that Jake – her Jakey, had a girlfriend. He wasn’t just hers anymore. Looking at the time, she castigated herself that now wasn’t the time and rushed out to work, leaving her troubled thoughts for later.

  Jacob walked down the stairs to see Rachel sitting on the couch, dejected, her coffee cold and forgotten before her. He sat down, laying a hand on her shoulder, and was about to speak when the loud bang of the front door signaled that Jo had stormed out.

  “Do you think I should leave?” Rachel asked him sadly.

  “No! You are my girlfriend, Rachel, and as much as I hate hurting Jo, she has to realize and accept it.”

  “What if she can’t accept this, Jake?”

  “She will, love; she is just surprised and . . . hurt that I didn’t tell her earlier.”

  She sighed and hugged him. Being with Jacob gave her immense happiness. He was always there for her, as a friend first when she was going through a bad breakup. But then again, people would have heard of girls falling in love with fictional characters, but not with the character creator himself. Just a small meeting at a book event had changed her life completely. And here she was, in his arms.