“I’ll be right back, kiddo.”
Aaron motioned for Jill to give him a minute and went into the back bedroom to take the call in privacy.
“Hey, man. How’s it going down there?”
“It’s going.” He knew what a dick move it was to keep postponing starting at the new job. With his dad’s company sold, that left him free and clear to board the next plane to D.C. and move on with his life. And yet, that was the last thing he wanted to do. How could a month derail his plans entirely?
“Hey, things are crazy over here. We’re short-handed since one of our guys quit without notice. Any chance you’re able to swing over to D.C. anytime soon?”
“Soon. It’s been a shit-show, but everything’s settling down, and I think it’s a good time to move forward.”
“You still want the job, right?”
Emily’s voice squeaked from somewhere in the living room, and Aaron’s chest tightened. He liked the kid. A lot. He liked her mother even more. It’d been nice these past couple of weeks, spending time with the both of them. It should scare him how easily he could imagine being a part of their life. But it didn’t.
He shook off that thought.
“When do you need me back there?”
“Next week. Friday at the latest, if possible. We could really use your help, man.”
“Next Friday…” He trailed off. The day of the wedding.
“Does that not work? Just let me know, and we’ll work something out.”
He couldn’t bail on Jill, that much was certain. Maybe he could fly out right after the ceremony. It’d be short, and it was in the morning.
“I’ll have to check my schedule, and I’ll get back to you.” He hated how wishy-washy he sounded, but he wasn’t one to break promises. And he’d made promises to two people now and was determined to keep both of them.
How could he leave her now that he finally got her? Everything about her called to him on a level he never knew existed before.
“’Kay, man. See you soon.”
As he hung up, Aaron’s stomach dipped. That phone call didn’t feel right at all. This new job didn’t feel right, either. As soon as he cracked the door back open, Jill was walking down the hall, a frown fixed to her face.
“Everything all right?” he asked. She’d been fine before he took the call.
“Just a headache,” she said quietly. Too quietly. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think that something was wrong, but he didn’t want to push her on it. “If it’s all right with you, I think I’m going to call it a night.”
“Do you need anything? Can I get you some aspirin?”
She waved off his suggestion, and he hated that he couldn’t help her in some way. “I’m good, thanks.”
He may have been blind to a lot of things, but he knew when he wasn’t wanted or needed. “Sure, no problem. I’ll get out of your hair.”
He made his way out of the den where Emily was sitting on the floor with her tea set.
She looked up at him with those big eyes, and his heart squeezed. “Want to finish playing tea party with me, Aaron?”
“I’d love to kiddo, but I need to go. Your mom’s not feeling well, so make sure to be extra nice to her, okay?” He ruffled those blonde curls and bit back the sudden sadness that he wouldn’t get to see Jill’s awesome kid anymore if he moved to D.C.
She frowned. “But you just got here.”
Another person he was letting down. He was on a roll tonight. “I know. Sorry. We’ll play tea party another time, okay?” She gave a gap-toothed smile that sucker punched him in the gut.
He managed to drag himself into his truck and rested his head on the steering wheel.
Jill slid down the wall and hugged her knees to her chest. She took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to get herself to think straight for a moment. Aaron had been looking forward to starting his new job for months. When she walked past her bedroom door, she hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. His new job was supposed to start next week. This should have been a no-brainer, a slam dunk. A husband on paper, who she didn’t have to see, and in return got her inheritance? It sounded good in theory. Except for one little snafu. The guy was perfect—for her. And dammit, she wanted him here with her. With them. As a family.
She couldn’t marry him—not when she loved him. That was the most backward way of thinking ever. But he’d be leaving, and this would shatter her to the point where she didn’t think she could recover. She hadn’t felt this helpless in years, not since she saw the pink stripe on the pregnancy test and realized she’d be doing this all alone. But that was how she worked. She’d always been the independent one, the one who wouldn’t be held back by anything. But she’d held herself back from the start with Aaron because what they had wasn’t real. And she desperately wished it could be, in some alternate reality. Tears rolled down her face as she cursed Aaron under her breath. Dammit, why did he have to be so amazing?
Soft footsteps plodded along the carpet outside her room. “Mommy, are you okay?” Emily sat down next to Jill and put her head in her lap.
Jill stroked her daughter’s hair. “Yeah, sweetie, just sitting a minute.” She’d pick herself back up. It’s what she did best.
“On the floor?”
Yeah, that one was a bit tougher to explain.
Emily turned to look at Jill and asked, “Did you get in a fight with Aaron?”
Her hand stilled in Emily’s hair. “Why would you say that?”
“Because he looked real sad when he left, and you look sad, too.”
Her throat tightened, and she scrunched her nose, trying to will away the tears threatening to spill loose from her eyes. Later. She’d allow herself a few minutes to cry later. “No, honey. I don’t know why he was sad, but I just have a headache.”
“Oh.” She dragged her toe on the carpet, making a diamond shape. “I like him. He’s real nice. And he plays tea party with me.”
“I know, sweetie. But I don’t think he’ll be coming around much anymore.”
Her expression fell, and Jill had the distinct feeling she was going to throw up. “Oh.”
This was exactly why she didn’t bring men around. Emily had gotten attached, and now Aaron was going to be gone. He’d move to D.C., and they’d be here, and this just couldn’t possibly work. It wasn’t fair to either of them to go through with this charade. She knew what she needed to do, and she’d get it over with, rip it off like a Band-Aid.
“But we made him brownies.”
“We’ll eat them. And you can bring the rest to school. I’m sure your friends will love them.”
She rolled her eyes. “Mom. You know they don’t allow processed food.”
Well, hell. When did Emily become so smart? Every time she felt like she finally had a handle on her, something pulled her back under the water and she felt like she was drowning again.
“Yes, right. Well, I guess we’ll just have to do a movie marathon and not let them go to waste.” She winked at her daughter.
Emily squealed and dashed for the kitchen. “Can we watch Beauty and the Beast again?”
“Yep. I’ll be right in there. You get the movie started.” Jill wrapped her arms around her sides and gave herself a moment to let the tears spill. She’d do this. For the both of them.
Chapter Eleven
Aaron sat in his hotel room. What the hell was wrong with him? Ever since he’d come back, he’d done as much as possible to make it easy to leave. Not staying with family, trying to keep Jill and her daughter at arm’s length. And what did he have to show for it? Nothing.
He stared at his phone, willing Jill to call him back. Five unanswered calls and he was starting to worry. He had three days before the ceremony, and she hadn’t so much as bothered to give him a text back.
Just as he was about to dial her number once more, her name popped up on his screen.
His heart thudded against his rib cage as he answered the phone. “Hey there.”
“Hi.” Aga
in, she had that quiet tone. That one word was a bucket of ice water to his face.
“You alive over there? I was starting to worry.” He said it as a joke, but when she didn’t respond right away, the back of his neck prickled.
She breathed out a loud sigh. “Yeah, I’m good. Just been busy with Emily.” He knew her schedule well enough by now to know she’d worked shifts at both her jobs the past couple of days. It wasn’t a lie, but she’d made time to talk to him when she was this swamped before. Something was wrong.
“What’s up?”
A long pause lapsed between them. “I can’t do this.” Her voice warbled on the last word.
“Do what?” There were a lot of things in play. The crazy fiddler her mother hired, the bright orange flowers they’d decided on, the fact that he still needed to find a ring with seventy-two hours to spare. “You’re going to have to be a little more specific.”
“Marry you.” She said the words in such a rush, that he wasn’t sure he heard her correctly the first time.
“What?”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done, and everything you put up with, especially my family, but I just don’t think it’s going to work out.”
“What do you mean? What about the will? What about us?”
She let out a bitter laugh, one he hadn’t heard from her before. “There is no us. It’s not real. I just think it’s better if we go our separate ways now. You have your job in D.C., and I’m busy with my kid.”
Where the hell was this coming from? Everything was going great between them. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” Her voice cracked, and he’d give anything to be able to reach through the phone and comfort her right now. “You’ve been amazing. But I think it’d be best for you to go back, especially now that everything’s settled with your dad.”
But I want to be with you. “This is ridiculous. What about your family? What about Emily? I thought you needed the money for her school?”
She cleared her throat, her words thick. “I’ll figure out something. It’s what I’ve been doing the past eight years.”
He wasn’t an idiot. He could read between the lines. What she meant was I don’t need you, Aaron. Fine. She wanted to do it on her own? He wasn’t going to force her into anything.
“So, this is it, then? You’re calling to tell me you don’t want to get married anymore.”
“Yes. Go back to D.C. Start your job. I’m sorry it had to be done over the phone, but I think it’s better this way.” A car door slammed on Jill’s end of the call. “I have to go now. I just got to work. Thank you, Aaron. For everything.”
And with that, the line went dead. What the actual fuck? He should be happy that this wasn’t holding him back anymore. Nothing was keeping him from going to D.C. and starting early.
This was complete and utter bullshit, but he had to respect her. This was her life, her family, her decision. He just wished he could have been a part of making it.
Hell, fuck it. She did him a favor. He’d get on a damn plane right now and leave. When he got back to D.C., he’d start apartment hunting, find his own place, do things the right way. He packed up his suitcase and checked for flights to D.C. Might as well get an early start, buy a new suit, and get this over with. If he was going to overhaul his life, then might as well do it now.
He got up and started to pace the room. He dragged a hand through his hair, pulling at the roots until he felt some other kind of pain besides the one in his chest.
He let out a snarl and continued to pace. “What the hell am I doing?” Even though he didn’t do anything, he had the distinct feeling he screwed things up, big time. He wanted to protect her, to make sure she was well off. And Jill didn’t want him, enough so that she was willing to fuck over her inheritance. There was nothing left for him in Charleston.
No more dicking around. It was time to go to D.C. and get the job and leave everything else behind. Jill obviously didn’t need him, and she was probably better off without him. That was what he kept telling himself the entire way to the airport.
…
Two hours later, Aaron was boarding a plane with a one-way ticket. He sat down next to a woman and had to do a double take because he could have sworn it was Jill. His imagination must’ve been going into overdrive, because the woman who he’d pined for like a lovesick teenager couldn’t even bother to see him in person to call off a wedding, so she wasn’t likely to willingly sit next to him on a plane. He took his headphones out of his pocket, put them into his phone, and blasted his music loud enough to make his ears bleed, and yet he couldn’t get Jill off his mind.
Sam was waiting for him at the airport when he landed.
Aaron hefted his duffel over his shoulder. Pathetic to think that all his possessions fit in one bag. He thought back to Jill’s house, how it was filled to the brim with masterpieces Emily created, pictures, amazing food. These past few weeks that he’d spent over at her house felt more like home than anything had in a long time.
Sam clapped him on the back when he made it out of baggage claim. “Hey, nice to see you’re still in one piece.”
“Turbulence was hell,” was all he could say. The white-knuckle flight was the least of his worries.
“So, what ever happened with Jill?” Sam frowned. “I take it things didn’t go very well if you’re here early.”
“A story for another day, brother. I’m exhausted.” He felt weary straight to his bones. It’d be better to just never bring up Jill again.
Luckily Sam wasn’t the type of guy to press. That’s why they got along so well.
“What time is my meeting tomorrow?” Not only had his buddy picked him up from the airport days earlier than expected, he’d managed to get him an assignment to provide security for a senator’s family right away.
“Eight. You’re up for starting tomorrow? We’ll have you briefed in the morning, and you can start after that.”
“Perfect.” An excellent distraction. He’d welcome learning new protocol, conducting threat assessments, anything to keep his mind off her.
Aaron slid into the passenger side of Sam’s Escalade and pressed his head against the seat. It was the right thing to leave. Two potential buyers contacted his father today. All his dad had to do was pick one and sign on the dotted line. He’d taken care of the business that originally brought him to Charleston, though it didn’t erase the fact he was the biggest asshole in the state for leaving Jill two days before her birthday. Two days before she’d lose out on the inheritance she needed. Dammit, he was such a dick.
She wanted you gone. That conversation still bothered him. It had come out of nowhere. What would make her push him away when she needed him the most?
He woke up the next morning with what felt like the worst hangover of his life, except he hadn’t drunk a drop of alcohol. He’d blame it on dehydration from the flight, even if it was only an hour and a half.
He’d managed to get dressed, and Sam loaned him his car to drive in for the meet-and-greet with his new boss. He sat in the waiting room until the secretary buzzed him in to Mr. Avery’s office.
Colton Avery sat behind a large metal desk when Aaron walked through his office door. He stood abruptly and stuck out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Collins.”
“Likewise.” He shook Colton’s hand, and when he motioned for Aaron to sit, he took the chair across from his.
The office had a sterile feeling, everything in a certain place, not a speck of dust.
“Has Sam explained about the job?”
He clasped his hands in his lap and took a deep breath. This is what you wanted. A fresh start. “Not in detail.”
“We’ll have you covering Senator Simmons’s family. It will mostly be escorting them to functions, making sure no one compromises them in any way. He likes to keep a low-profile image.”
Aaron had said from the moment he got out of the military that he wanted to do private security, and here was his chance, looking a
t him square in the eye. And yet, the more Colton talked, the less appealing this job sounded. He’d be in D.C. He’d be away from his parents, who weren’t getting any younger. He’d be away from a certain brunette that drove him up the wall and yet he couldn’t get her off his mind.
“Do you have a wife? Kids?”
He wasn’t sure how long that question had been sitting in the air. He tried to focus back on Colton, but every time he did, flashes of Jill’s face would surface and then he’d want to punch himself in the fucking face. How could he just leave without a fight? What the hell was wrong with him?
“No. But I’m crazy about someone.” Hell, had he really said that aloud in front of his new boss? Maybe he really was sick in the head. Maybe he caught influenza on the plane. Yeah, he could blame it on that.
Colton steepled his hands on the surface of his desk. “Where does she live?”
“Charleston, sir. Things didn’t work out, though,” he added when Colton’s brows furrowed. Because she didn’t want him. And that hurt worse than anything that could earn him a purple heart.
He took a long look at Aaron and gave a knowing look. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“You and me both.” Aaron adjusted the button on his dress shirt and frowned. Dammit, the same shirt he’d worn on his date with Jill. He’d been so tired this morning, he didn’t even realize what shirt he grabbed. He had it coming, though. He deserved to walk around fucking miserable, with anything and everything reminding him of her. He was going to go mad before the end of the week.
Colton gave a few more details about what his security detail would entail.
“So, what do you think? Everything sound fair to you? Ready to start?”
A couple of weeks ago, he’d ask to begin right then and there. Now, he wasn’t so sure. “I think that I’ll need some time to think about it.”
Colton nodded like he had been expecting that answer. Maybe Aaron was more obvious with his internal mind-fuck-fest than he thought. “The job remains yours if you want it. Let me know what you decide.”
Falling for the Fake Fiance (Snowpocalypse) Page 14
