“Yeah, and even though he’s in third grade and I’m in kindergarten, he still says hi in the hallway at school.”
I smiled. “That’s sweet. Your cousin loves you.”
“And Kennedy, too. He’s real nice to her.”
I nodded. “Good. You three are family now.”
Kyle’s smile grew even wider. “And Daddy’s our family, too, right?”
I swallowed. “Yes.”
Kyle’s smile faded and he looked around the room, the way he does right before he prepares to tell a secret. “Mommy, did you know daddy has fairies around him?”
My face balled into confusion. “Fairies?”
Kyle nodded vigorously. “Yeah, Diego’s seen them, too. They’re like little lights all around him. Not always but sometimes.”
“That’s interesting,” I stated because I didn’t know what else to say to that. I knew children had always acted…oddly with Aaron, not put off the way most adults were, but strangely attracted to him. It was why I wasn’t surprised when Kennedy and Kyle kind of just took to him from the beginning. “Okay, sweetie. You go ahead and get some sleep, and we’ll talk more about this another time.”
“‘Kay. Nite, Mommy!”
“Nite, baby.”
I rose and went over to turn out the light before moving farther down the hall to the master bedroom. I’d long since picked up the clothes and the suitcase that had been strewn about earlier. Now the bed was made up neatly, hiding the events of earlier that day. I moved to the connecting bathroom, doing my nightly routine and putting on the silk shorts and strapless top I’d chosen to wear to bed that night.
Just as I was settling into bed, Aaron entered the bedroom, surprising me. Wordlessly, he went into the bathroom. I heard the faint sounds of water running and a few minutes later he re-emerged dressed in only a pair of plaid pajama bottoms. My heart started beating rapidly when he moved to the bed, climbing in. I stared silently as he settled into his side.
“You’re sleeping here tonight?” It was an odd question for a wife to ask her husband but an appropriate one given the circumstances.
He turned to me. “Is that a problem?”
I cleared my throat. “Not if you don’t make it one,” I retorted, trying to sound angry.
The left side of his mouth kicked up into what on a normal person might be considered a smile.
“Then I’m sleeping in my bed, with my wife tonight.”
I blinked, hoping the way my nipples hardened at his possessive tone didn’t show through my silk top. When I looked up at Aaron, I knew he’d seen it. His eyes were locked on my nipples, and I didn’t need to look down to know they were protruding through my shirt.
“Goodnight.”
The deep bravado of what I knew was his bedroom voice sent a shiver through me. It was going to be a long night.
****
Aaron
It was a long damn night. I woke up four-thirty the next morning, my usual time, but with a hand over my face and a soft, hairless leg stretched over my lower half. I turned my head to see Patience’s eyelids closed, mouth slightly opened as soft snores poured from it. She was still as reckless a sleeper as ever. Carefully, I removed her arm from my face and moved to exit the bed to do my regular morning workout in the downstairs gym. But after getting up I had to pause and stare down at the sleeping woman in my bed. I refused to think about the many nights, over the previous five and a half years, I pictured this very image. No woman has ever made me long like that before or since. Quite the opposite. Once I was done with a woman I was done, but Patience…there was no being done.
I let my eyes trail over her five-foot-four, curvy frame. Her body had changed since the pregnancy. I could see that but it only enhanced her beauty. The little pooch she’d obviously been self-conscious about, I found one of the most attractive parts of her body now. That pooch had housed my children, and will go on to house my future children. Before even consciously thinking about it, I bent down, slowly lifting her top, and pressed a light kiss to her belly. Stepping back, I took one last look before going over to my dresser and pulling out a T-shirt and shorts to work out.
I headed to the hallway to my next stop, which was to Kennedy’s bedroom, which was almost directly across the hall from ours. I opened her door quietly and something akin to a grin crossed my face when I saw her splayed across her Barbie bed in almost the exact same position as her mother. A few of her curly ringlets, fanned across her face and forehead. I couldn’t stop myself from moving closer to her bed to brush her hair out of her face. Next, I went to Kyle’s room, barely making it fully inside before noticing the hazel eyes that mirrored my own staring back at me.
“Morning, Daddy,” he groaned, wiping his eyes.
“What are you doing awake?” I whispered.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged, sitting up in his bed.
“Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you when it’s time for breakfast.”
“But I don’t want to.”
My eyebrows dipped. “You don’t want to sleep?”
He shook his head.
I sighed. “Come with me,” I responded, plucking him from the bed.
“Where’re we going?”
“Shh,” I admonished. “Your mom and sister are still sleeping.”
“Where’re we going?” he questioned again, this time whispering.
“To the gym.”
He grinned as I took him by the hand and led him down the stairs to the main floor of the house and then down the second set of stairs that led to my home office, den, and the basement I’d turned into a home gym.
“Wow!” he whispered, loudly.
“You can use your regular voice here. Mom and Kennedy won’t hear you.” I’d soundproofed this part of the house when it was built.
“Are you a superhero?”
I squinted. “No. Why would you ask that?”
He shrugged. “Because of the fairies.”
I sighed and frowned. Kids.
“I don’t have fairies. In fact–” I stopped just short of blurting out that they didn’t exist, when those eyes so full of awe looked up into mine. I briefly wondered if I’d ever given my father that same look when I was Kyle’s age. I shook that thought loose. “I’m not a superhero, but I can teach you a few tricks.”
Kyle’s face exploded around the smile he gave me.
I led him over to the punching bag I had set up, showing him the small gloves I’d had laying around. Though they were still a little too big for his hands, he got the hang of it and had me teaching him the different types of punches—jabs, hooks, uppercuts, and more. I’d lost track of time, doing my own workout and having Kyle assist me by laying on my back while I did push ups, or sitting on my shoulders while I did squats. By the time we emerged from the basement, we both were sweaty and had worked up a good appetite.
As soon as I opened the door, my stomach growled at the smell of freshly cooked food.
“Pancakes!” Kyle yelled, running down the hall toward the kitchen. “Yay!” he squealed.
I met him to find Patience standing in the middle of the huge open-air kitchen, moving a pancake from the stove to a plate that had a stack of pancakes.
“Kyle, go wash up and get dressed in the clothes I laid out on your bed before breakfast.”
“’Kay. Thanks for the workout, Daddy!” he exclaimed as he ran past me to go up the stairs.
I leaned against the entrance wall of the kitchen, staring. Patience wore a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt that stopped just at the curve of her ass. When she turned to place another pancake on the stack, I took my fill, feeling myself expand in the workout shorts I wore.
“Did you two have fun working out?”
I lifted my eyes to see her turn around, staring up at me.
“We did.” I nodded.
“Kennedy?”
She was back to staring at the stove, but her lips split into a grin. “Still sleeping. That girl–”
“Is just li
ke her mama.”
She glanced my way, eyelids fluttering, before turning back to the stove.
“I’ll wake her up as soon as I’m done cooking.”
“I’ll do it.”
She paused.
I cleared my throat. “You start your job today.”
Her eyes widened, then a deep V settled between her eyebrows. “What job?”
“At the library. I called them again.”
“Really?” Her expression turned hopeful.
My hand moved to my chest, covering the tattoo that rested just above my heart, rubbing it. “The position’s still yours if you want it.”
Her hopeful look turned to one of apprehension. “What’s the catch?”
I nodded. “I deserved that.”
“So what is it?”
I gave a one shoulder shrug. “You just need to use your married name, Mrs. Townsend.”
She eyed me. “That’s it?”
“That’s a lot considering you neglected to use it on your application.”
“You know why I did.”
I stood erect. “No, I don’t, actually.”
Her shoulders sank. “Because the name Townsend opens doors everywhere in this city. I wanted the job on my own merit. Something of my own again.” She sighed. “You wouldn’t get it.” She waved the hand holding the spatula in the air, turning back to the stove.
“I wouldn’t get it? You don’t think I, of all people, understand the weight of my last name.”
She stiffened. “I didn’t mean that, Aaron.”
“Then what did you mean?”
She pushed out a gush of air. “Just that my entire life was flipped upside down within a few weeks. Everything changed and I wanted some sense of normalcy, of me.”
I moved fully into the kitchen, going to stand over her. “Let me take you to dinner. Tonight.”
She looked up at me, confused. “Where?”
“Buona Sera.”
She grinned as her head dipped. “Not fair. I can’t say no to Italian.”
I lifted her chin with my forefinger. “I know.”
“The kids?”
“Carter and Michelle will watch them. He’s off tonight.” My older brother and his wife lived right next door, so it wouldn’t be too difficult at all to get them to watch the twins.
“Okay,” she agreed.
I swallowed, and resisted the urge to bend her over the counter right then and there. I had to fight to remind myself there were children in the house. Thankfully, they made that chore a little easier when both Kyle and Kennedy came barreling down the stairs.
I took a step back and spun around at the exact moment Kennedy greeted me, wrapping her arms around my thighs.
“Morning, Daddy.” She giggled when I tickled her under her chin.
After helping the kids settle down into their breakfast chairs, I ran upstairs to take a shower, and then sent a text to my assistant letting him know I wouldn’t make it into the office until nine that morning—well after my usual seven-thirty arrival time. I was looking forward to breakfast with my family, and then dinner with my wife that evening.
Chapter Fifteen
Patience
The place where it all started. Buona Sera. The Italian restaurant where I’d met my father that night, six years ago, not knowing Aaron would be there.
“Ready?”
A chill ran down my spine when he put his hand at the small of my back, bringing me closer to him.
I nodded and let him guide us to the front door where the hostess didn’t even bother to ask whether there was a reservation or not. She simply greeted us with a smile, pulled out two menus, and led us to one of the best seats in the dining space.
“This is D’Angelo. He will be your waiter tonight. Please let him know if you need anything.” She nodded and went to return to her post at the front.
“Would you like to start off with something to drink?”
“Seltzer with lime and a Ducale Gold for my wife.”
“Right away.”
Watching the waiter hurry off to bring us our drinks, I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent the smile that threatened to break free. He’d remembered my favorite red wine from this place.
“Do you come here often anymore?” I questioned after unfolding my napkin onto my lap.
He turned those intense hazel eyes on me, gaze boring into mine. “This is the first time I’ve been back in over five years.”
I dipped my head, unsure of how to respond to that. So many feelings were being stirred up. My logical mind told me that I should hate him. Common sense would dictate that I hate him. Yet, common sense always failed me when it came to Aaron Townsend.
“How was your first day?”
I lifted my head, thankful for the relatively safe question.
“It was great. Moira was a little overly friendly at first this morning. It was a bit awkward but she eventually calmed down once I told her she didn’t need to cater to me. I was there to do my job. I got to learn the layout of the library. I mean, most libraries are the same. The Dewey Decimal system doesn’t change from one library to the next, but I needed to familiarize myself with the digital archives. I’ll be doing that the rest of the week.”
I glanced up as D’Angelo returned with our drinks.
“Thank you.” I smiled at our waiter, picking up my glass and swirling the wine around a little before taking a small sip. It was delicious, just as I’d remembered. It’d been a while since I’d had a glass of red wine to savor like that. When I opened my eyes, mine caught with Aaron’s who was staring intently at me, his breathing obviously increased. My own body began to respond to the apparent sexual tension.
“Stop it,” I muttered across the table.
He raised an eyebrow.
“We’re in public.”
“So?”
I pushed out a breath. “Aaron.”
“Saying my name like that isn’t helping your case.”
I shifted in my chair, uncrossing and recrossing my legs. “Is that all this is to you? Sex?” I whispered, leaning into the table. I wanted to ask if that was all I ever was to him, but I cut myself off.
His eyelids lowered, covering his eyes and not for the first time I admired his long lashes. I could stare at him for hours, memorizing every minute aspect of his body. In fact, I had. Unfortunately, my memory never failed to conjure up images of his perfect body—scars and all—on those long, lonely nights throughout the past half decade.
“It was never just about sex,” he finally answered.
I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. I shook my head, as I stared down at the table. I didn’t know if that answer helped or hurt. If it had just been about sex, I might’ve been able to understand. It might have made hating him a little easier.
“If you say so,” I mumbled, taking another sip of my wine.
“She wasn’t my–”
“Your what? Your fiancée? Pretty sure she was.”
“She wasn’t you.” He leaned into the table, glaring.
Again, I bit the inside of my cheek. I rolled my eyes, looking away from him because I hated the feeling that overcame me when I stared for too long.
“Let’s just get through this dinner. I’m sure you have some work you need to get back to.”
Any response he had was cut off when D’Angelo returned to take our dinner orders. We ate mostly in silence at first, until Aaron prodded me about my former job back in Oakland. I decided to play along and answer his questions. I enjoyed talking about my job, and then even went so far as to ask about his work.
“How’s the deal with Oiltec working out?”
He looked up, stunned, as he wiped his mouth. “You’ve been following Townsend?”
I gave a one shoulder shrug. “After Chicago, I saw an article about the merger and couldn’t stop myself from reading it.” I’d tried to avoid all news involving Townsend Industries, but after our encounter in The Windy City, my curiosity got the best of me
.
Aaron went on to breakdown the news about the merger with Oiltec and how he’d hoped it would grow Townsend’s market, especially overseas. We both got lost talking about our jobs. That was safe territory for us, which was good. By eight o’clock that night, we were exiting the restaurant, bellies full. I stepped out of the restaurant, looking around the street, seeing the bustling people, but noting the empty space down the street.
“The bookstore closed,” I said out loud.
“More than four years ago. Few businesses have tried to buy the space but the owner has been holding out.”
I wrinkled my forehead. “That’s odd. It’s just losing money, owning it and not doing anything with it.”
Aaron nodded. “It is. Get in,” he ordered, holding the door open for me.
I climbed in the backseat and moved over to make room for him. As soon as he closed the door, we pulled off. I felt a strong hand take hold of my hand, which rested in between us. I looked down to see his much larger one covering mine. He didn’t say anything, just kept ahold of my hand the entire thirty minute drive back to our Cedarwoods neighborhood.
I looked out the window, and not for the first time, made note of the Townsend Industries signs.
“Joshua started this endeavor?” I asked, still staring out the windows at the already built homes and the ones still being constructed.
“Almost four years ago.”
“All four of you decided to build here?” Carter and Michelle lived right next to Aaron and I. I remember the day we moved in, one of the movers pointed out that Joshua was having his home built there along with their youngest brother, Tyler.
Aaron eased closer to me, his leg leaning into mine. He pointed in the direction of a house that was under construction. “That’s Joshua’s. He’ll be three doors away from us. On the far right side of our home is Tyler’s lot. He hasn’t begun building yet. Carter was the first to build his home, then me.”
I cleared my throat, pushing my locs back over my shoulder. “Just like your age ranges.” I turned to smile at him and his lips were less than an inch from mine. The air caught in my airway. Just when I thought he would lower his lips to mine, the car stopped.
“We’re here,” he informed me just before leaning over me to push the car door open. He climbed over me to get out first and then held his hand for me to exit. We made our way to Carter and Michelle’s front door to pick up our children. The outing was officially over but something was just beginning.
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