Love To Love You (Love/Hate #3)

by Isabelle Richards

  “That’s strange. I thought we were supposed to meet in the ballroom. I wonder why they’re set up out here,” Cammie says quietly.

  “Those chairs look more comfortable than ballroom chairs,” I reply. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  “Thank you again for doing this. I apologize in advance for Candy.”

  I give her forearm a gentle squeeze. “Relax. Everything will be fine.” I plaster on my sweetest PR smile and say, “Hello, ladies, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”

  I sit on one of the two empty chairs, then Cammie sits next to me. I smile warmly at them as I take them in. Heavy makeup, audacious amounts of jewelry, designer shoes and bags. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all just came from a blow-out. They’re covered in expensive designer-wear from head to toe. I’ve always thought being a walking display of wealth is gaudy, but who knows—maybe gold digger is in vogue this year.

  “Have you all met Arianna?” Cammie asks. “She has been so kind to offer some of her time to help us plan the event.”

  No one from the group replies. They just stare at us blankly. That’s when I notice they’ve positioned them all on one side and Cammie and I on the other. It’s us-versus-them already apparently. I can tell this is going to be fun.

  I cross my legs. “So where should we begin?”

  Simultaneously they take off their jackets, proudly revealing their #TeamJenna shirts.

  You’ve got to be kidding me! Jeb was right—these women clearly never matured past high school. I should have seen this coming. From what Charlie has told me, Jenna was more into the lifestyle than she was into Chase. Of course she would have been friends with these women. I’m sure kissing up to them was one of her first moves, a critical oversight on my part. This could get ugly. I look around, hoping we don’t have too many onlookers.

  Cammie looks slightly confused by the shirts. I don’t think she has any idea what’s going on. “Ladies, on behalf of the Niners, I thank you so much for meeting me here. I’d like to start the meeting by—”

  The woman in the middle, with enough silicone to be a floatation device, brushes her blond hair off of her shoulders. I’m assuming she’s Candy. Everything about her screams Queen Bee. “As chairwoman of the players’ wives committee, I’d like to start this meeting by asking her to leave.” She points at me.

  A camera crew comes running down the stairs.

  I lean into Cammie and whisper, “It appears she got on one of those Housewife shows after all.”

  Obviously pandering to the camera, Candy pushes out her chest and does her best to look morally outraged. “Our group of players’ wives is a sisterhood, and Jenna is one of our most beloved sisters.” She narrows her eyes and sneers at me. “She told us everything about how you weaseled your way into Chase’s life, then drove a wedge between them. How you humiliated her, ruined her wedding, and then while she was off in Africa, feeding starving children, you just moved in and stole her fiancé. You’re despicable.”

  Either they’ve drunk Jenna’s Kool-Aid or they’re just as delusional as she is. It’s hard to keep a straight face during her clearly rehearsed tirade. I wonder if she wrote it herself or if the producers did it for her.

  One of the women in the back snaps her fingers and moves her neck in a way that has got to hurt. “Jenna will get her man back. Make no mistake about that. You will be gone just as fast as you came in, you snake. Jenna’s going to gut you, skin you, and turn you into a new pair of shoes.”

  I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s an actual quote from Jenna.

  Candy crosses her arms and stares at me indignantly. “I don’t care if you actually marry him or not. You are banned from the WAGS.”

  The camera man gets in closer to us. My lawyer will make sure none of this footage ever sees the light of day, but just in case, I choose my words carefully. “I’m sorry, what’s a WAG?”

  “Wives and Girlfriends of Sports something or other,” Cammie whispers.

  WAGS? That’s the best they could come up with?

  I now understand how people get addicted to these shows. I should just stand and walk away, but I’m mesmerized. Every word that comes out of their mouths is more preposterous than the last. I’m fascinated to see how much worse it can get.

  Candy clears her throat. Apparently she’s not done. “You will never sit in our section. You will never be invited to our activities. And you are prohibited from working on this event.”

  One of her minions points at me. “We’re on to you. We hear all about how you show up to the field during practice or at the team-only events. You’re trying to come after our men just like you went after Jenna’s.” She jumps out of her seat and gets in my face. “You stay away from Nathan. You hear me, bitch?”

  I think she’s actually trying to get me to punch her. Holy crap! They’re all as crazy as Jenna. I’m so scared for the world that there are this many delusional, off-balanced women walking around and posing as sane, well-adjusted people.

  I smile at the woman breathing Dorito breath in my face. “I’m sorry, what’s your name?”

  “Audrey,” she snaps.

  “Audrey, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I came here as a favor to Jeb, as preventing domestic violence is such an important issue to the Niners. I understand if you’re friends with Jenna and wish to remain loyal to her. I respect that. But certainly we can find a way to work together for such an important cause.” If this does show up on the air, at least I stayed on message.

  “Who the fuck is Jeb?” Audrey spits. Literally spits. I wipe pieces of chewed-up Doritos off my face.

  “He’s the owner of the team,” Cammie replies. “The man funding this event. He’s the man who signs your husband’s paychecks. Mr. Kane feels strongly that Ms. Aldrich could be an asset as we plan this event. She has contacts and reach that could help triple our fundraising projections.”

  Candy looks at her nails. “Cammie, we refuse to work with her.” She lifts her eyes to meet mine. “You can leave now.”

  “Ladies, Mr. Kane believes Ms. Aldrich has a lot to offer, and if we could all work together, we could do a lot of good for a lot of children,” Cammie says.

  Candy picks up her purse, then pulls out her sunglasses and puts them on. “That is unacceptable. This event is officially on hold until I have assurances from the team that I never have to look at this whore again.” She snaps her fingers. “Let’s go, ladies.”

  They all pick up their purses and storm out.

  Audrey glares at me as she files out. “I’ll be watching you.”

  Charlie and Katie walk in just as they leave.

  “Making friends, I see,” Charlie says as she pushes the stroller toward us.

  Katie turns around to take another look at the exiting herd of women. “Was that a camera crew?”

  “Arianna, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe that just happened,” Cammie says frantically.

  “Don’t worry about it. It was an ambush. There’s no way you could have known.” I walk over to the stroller and take a peek at Calder.

  Just one look at him and all the drama melts away. I’m so enamored with this baby. I want to take him out, but instead I tuck his blanket around him, then return to my seat and give Charlie and Katie the rundown of what just happened.

  “Damn! I can’t believe I missed it,” Charlie says. “I would have loved to tell them what I think of Jenna.”

  “I think it’s interesting that Jenna’s telling people she’s in Africa, feeding starving children,” Katie says.

  “It sounds much better than the truth,” I reply. I’m careful not to give too much away. Cammie’s lovely and I’m sure she knows how to keep a secret, but I have enough respect for Jenna’s privacy not to share her story with strangers. Unlike Jenna, who seems to be sharing my stories and passing them off as her own.

  Charlie snorts. “Well she thinks you’re trying to steal her life, so now she’s trying to steal yours. It only seems fair.”

  All of a sudden,
a group of five or six photographers rushes down the hall toward us. I have no idea where they came from.

  “Ari, how does it feel to be shunned by the other wives?”

  “Does Chase know you’re sleeping with his teammates?”

  “Is it true Chase is going back to Jenna?”

  The mystery of who tipped off the press is solved. I’m sure Candy thought her little showdown would leave me in tears and the photographers could get some great pictures of me in teary-eyed shambles.

  Hotel security pushes them out a back exit. The hotel manager comes over and apologizes for the interruption.

  “I think it’s time we go,” Katie says over the shouting. “Cammie, Charlie and I would love to work with you on this event. I know Ari will help when she can. We’ll call you to reschedule for a time that will be a little less chaotic.” She puts her hand on my shoulder. “Get out of here before they come back. You’ve had enough for one day.”

  “Ma’am, if you come with me, we can go straight to the parking garage so you can avoid the valet stand,” the hotel manager offers. “We can help you make a quick escape.”

  I quickly say good-bye, then follow him to the garage. If only it were this easy to make a quick escape from all of this. I have a feeling today was only the tip of the iceberg.

  Chapter Ten

  Chase

  Ari’s going to kill me. She’s going to pummel me into a bloody pulp, then revive me just to kick my ass again. I promised I’d only go to the stadium for an hour. Two tops. Not only have I been here all damn day and missed fifteen calls from her, but I’m dangerously close to missing our plane to Florida. I know they won’t leave without me, but every second I’m late is another layer of frost I’ll have to melt before she forgives me. This trip is supposed to be our opportunity to focus on us, something we’ve been neglecting over the past few months, and I’m starting it off on a really bad foot.

  I drive to SFO as if I’m trying to outrun a tsunami. It’s a miracle I don’t kill anyone or get pulled over. I park my truck, then haul ass from the parking garage to the terminal. After getting hassled at security, I break into a full-blown sprint to get to our plane.

  After taking the steps three at a time, I fall into the plane, ten minutes late and panting for air. “I’m here.”

  I expect to find Ari seething, but she’s lying on one of the benches with one of those headache masks over her eyes.

  “Hey,” she mutters without taking off the mask. “Let the pilot know we’re ready, okay?”

  The flight attendant pokes his head out of the galley. “Good evening, Mr. Brennan. Are we all set for takeoff?”

  “Yes. Please let the pilots know we’re ready, and please let them know I’m sorry for being late.”

  The flight attendant nods, then disappears into the cockpit.

  I sit next to Ari. “I’m sorry I’m late. We were going over film and coming up with new plays. Time got away from me. The next thing I knew, it was eight o’clock. We never even ate.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” she mumbles. Her voice is so strained, she’s barely audible.

  “Have a headache?”

  “I feel as though someone is stabbing an ice pick through my eye. I’ve had the day from hell.”

  I slip off one of her shoes and massage the pressure point on her foot that should help relieve her headache. “Want to talk about it?”

  She moans. “That feels so good.” She fills me in on her horrible meeting at the Ritz. “David’s network owns the show, so I called him to see what he could find out. According to the producer, the meeting today between her and I was supposed to be the climax of the season. Unbeknownst to me, we’re mortal enemies and today was our big showdown. Almost every episode has had something about me in it. And at the root of it all is Jenna.”

  I dig my knuckle deep into her arch. “Jenna? But that violates the terms of our agreement. She can’t possibly be that stupid.”

  Last year, in a desperate attempt to rekindle our relationship, Jenna planned a wedding and paid for it by forging my name on checks from an account she’d been removed from. In lieu of moving forward with a criminal investigation, we came to terms with her family. As long as Jenna underwent treatment for her serious mental health issues and stayed completely out of mine and Ari’s lives, we wouldn’t press charges. The last we heard, Jenna was voluntarily committed to a mental hospital. I had honestly hoped that would be the last we heard from her, but I suppose I’m a moron for underestimating her.

  “Oh, but she is,” Ari replies with a sardonic laugh. “They have hours upon hours of phone calls between Jenna and these women, painting me as the evil queen coming between Jenna and her one true love. I spent half the afternoon on the phone with Carmen, trying to figure out what we’re going to do. This opens a huge can of worms.”

  This is the last thing either of us needs right now. “Can David pull it?”

  She shakes her head. “Unfortunately, no. They have a lot of money sunk into the show and advertising. Pulling it because of his connection to me would result in major backlash for him professionally. Once the press caught wind of it, that would probably cause more of a stir than the show itself will. He encouraged Carmen to come after them hard and give him legal reasons to make the network pull it.”

  I gently knead the ball of her foot. “I’m so sorry you had to deal with all of that on your own. I didn’t realize my phone was off until after I’d left the stadium.”

  “It’s okay, really. You have the Packers coming up. You and the coaches needed this time to strategize. There really wasn’t anything for you do to but get pissed off, and I was already upset enough for the both of us. At least this way, one of us was productive.”

  “I still hate that you had to deal with it alone. We’re in this together.”

  “If you keep giving me foot massages, we can call it even,” she says, her voice finally lightening.

  The captain’s voice comes over the intercom. “Good evening, Mr. Brennan, Ms. Aldrich. We need you to take your seats and fasten your seat belts. We’ll be taking off momentarily.”

  Ari pulls the mask off as she sits up. “Carmen will handle it. Everything will work out. I just could have lived without this additional layer of stress.”

  I stand, then offer my hand. I pull her up and kiss her softly. “This was supposed to be our break from all the drama. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault, but thank you.” She walks to her seat. “Just give me a few hours to get rid of this headache, then I’m yours for the rest of the trip. No more worries or stress. We’ll shut out the rest of the world. Just you and me.”

  We take our seats, and she curls up next to me. Within minutes of putting the mask back on, she falls asleep and doesn’t stir even after we land. I let her sleep as long as I can. Even though she’s doing better than she did a year ago, she still struggles to fall asleep and stay asleep. As her stress level increases, her sleep decreases. Based on the number of emails I get from her in the middle of the night, I know she’s not sleeping when she travels. So when she actually does sleep, it kills me to wake her. I’ve even gone as far as turning off her alarm. She thinks it’s just me being careless and gets pissed at me, but I’d rather her be pissed at me and well rested than running herself ragged.

  I wish I didn’t have to disturb her, but we have such a small window with Bryan, Holly, and Ned that we can’t be late. As I carry her from the plane to the car, she opens her eyes for a moment, then falls back asleep on the ride to the marina.

  Our boat is waiting for us as soon as we arrive. Ari slowly perks up during the hour-long ride to Vespers. It’s a clear morning and the crisp ocean air is a little cool, but she seems to revel in it.

  We don’t talk very much for the duration of the ride. She lies quietly in my arms, enjoying the peacefulness of the sun crossing the horizon over the ocean. She tilts her head back and basks in the warm glow of the dawn.

  I can’t take my eyes off of her.
She’s absolutely stunning. She’s beautiful, but what makes her glow is so much more than beauty. Her kindness and compassion for others. The fire that motivates her. Her poise and elegance that keep the fire contained and focused. Her brilliance and eloquence that always leave me in awe. No matter how much of her I get, I’m never satiated. I could spend my life studying her and never get enough.

  “What are you looking at?” she asks, breaking my thoughts.

  “You,” I reply with a smile.

  A faint blush creeps across her cheeks as she smiles. I think I’ve embarrassed her a little.

  I brush a curl away from her face. “Marry me.”

  She laughs. “That’s the plan, isn’t it? That’s why we’re here?” She holds up her left hand, showing off her ring. “I said yes, remember?”

  “Yes, I remember. It was one of the best days of my life. I’ll never forget it, but just because you said yes doesn’t mean I take it for granted. The moment we step on that island, the conversation is going to be all about the details, as though our wedding is just one more event we’ve signed up for that we’re now contractually obligated to attend. I don’t want you to feel that way. I want you to know that I still wake up each morning searching for new ways to show you I love you. New ways to put a smile on your face. I don’t ever want you to feel as though I’m one more obligation on your agenda, and I never want you to feel as though you’re one on mine. So I may ask you a million times to marry me because I need for you to know I’ll never stop trying to win your heart.”

  She rests her forehead against mine. “You’ve had my heart so long it doesn’t feel right calling it mine anymore. It’s yours. Forever yours.” She kisses me, her lips salty from the sea air.

  “Marry me,” I say against her lips when we break apart.

  “Yes today, yes tomorrow, yes for forever.”

  I lean forward to kiss her again when I hear a thud, and the boat lurches.

  “Vespers Island. All ashore who’s going ashore,” the captain calls.