by Skye, M.
“He does. He was quiet, wasn’t he?”
Aiden took Jordan and sat in the chair next to her. “So what’s going on? You had to have called me over for a reason.” When Melissa reached in her purse and handed over a single white envelope, he shifted Jordan over and looked at it. “What’s this?” When he saw the stamp, he dropped it to the floor. “Mom, burn it, or better yet I’ll talk to the warden and make sure his letters never get to you again.”
Melissa sat up suddenly and reached over to touch his hand. “Maybe we should just read it. It may give us some peace of mind. He is your father, and as messed up as he is, he loves you boys.”
“Don’t defend him. I won’t read anything he has to say. You can’t be seriously entertaining this bull...” he looked down at Jordan and calmed down. “This ridiculousness. You’re finally rid of him. Keep it that way.”
“It’s not for me, sweetheart. It was addressed to Alex and Meg,” she held it up for him to see.
Aiden took the letter from her hand and ripped it open. He read over it silently with Jordan wiggling beside him. His facial expressions were blank and very confusing for Melissa. She was desperate to know what was in the letter. When he finally concluded reading, he folded it up and handed it back. “Mom, this is important, don’t speak a word about this letter to Alex. He would go ballistic. He trusts you with the children, and we want to keep it that way, so no more talk about dad. It would only fuel his hatred for him.”
“What did the letter say?”
Aiden huffed and sat up. “Some madness about wanting to protect us and doing what he did for us. I know that can’t be true, he only thinks of himself. He is trying to play with their heads. That bastard is up to his old tricks, and I don’t want him to ruin your relationship with Meg and Alex too.”
Melissa sighed nervously and stood to pick up Jordan. She hated keeping secrets from her sons, but she knew she had to for Maria’s sake. They hadn’t made any breaks in the investigation regarding Amanda’s whereabouts, it was like she vanished into thin air. With no contact or attempts to retaliate on her part, things were looking like they were back to normal, but that was when people like her tended to strike. They could never be too careful, so what was Ben up to? They had agreed that the safety of their children ranked above all, so why was he trying to contact Alex and Meg? Something big must have happened, and she had to know what, the survival of their family could depend on it.
Aiden looked at her vacant expression and got worried. He knew instantly that there had to be something she was keeping from him, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. “Mom, what’s going on? I know there is something up. Your face says it all.”
Melissa placed her hand to his face and smiled. “There is nothing to worry about, you just focus on being happy with Emily. I’m just overwhelmed by what has taken place over the past year. We lost some people, but we gained so much more. We got two beautiful children, we got Meg back, and you finally got your happy ending. We should focus on the joy in our lives now.”
Aiden sighed happily and pulled her hand to his lips. “I love you, mom. You know how to find a bright spot in everything.”
“You, your brothers, and these beautiful grandchildren are my bright spot. You bring so much joy into my life,” she winked at him, “I hope there is a grandchild for me in your future. When are you going to marry Emily?”
Aiden drew in a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “Mom, that’s a huge step. You know the kind of woman, Emily is, she takes a while to adjust to big things. We love each other, but I’m not ready and neither is she. I’m not as impulsive as Alex and Matt. I have to weigh out all the options before I commit to anything. I’m the sensible son, remember?”
“Yeah, you’re sensible, but you’re in love. Love makes you do crazy things, trust me I know. It can make you really impulsive, but no pressure on you,” she blinked deviously.
“Okay, mom, I get your point. You want me to get married and have kids. So, I guess when we’re ready, I can add them to your daycare roster,” he laughed. “Just make sure you stay awake with mine, because letting Diego babysit the children won’t fly with the sensible one.”
“Oh, he was fine, weren’t you, Jordan?” she lifted him. “Tell your Uncle sensible you were fine.”
“If you’re done making fun of me, I’m going to head to work. Alex has to be climbing the walls wondering where I am.” He touched Jordan’s chubby legs. “I’m going to see your Dada. Man, it’s hard to believe Alex has kids. Where did the time go?”
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” she laughed. “Have a good day at work, son.” Aiden kissed her cheek and he left to head to his car. She and Jordan walked to the porch and watched as he drove down the long driveway. As soon as he was out of viewing range, she pulled out her cell phone.
“Broderick, it’s me, I need you to arrange for a private visit with just you, me, and Ben, it’s important.” Broderick inquired about when the visit should take place, and she huffed. “As soon as possible.” When he informed her he could set in for a few days from now, she looked down at Jordan and almost declined when she thought about her babysitting duties, but then thought of an option. “I’ll be there,” she replied, and hung up. She looked at Jordan and brushed his cheek gently. “Jordan, it’s time you meet someone special. You’re going to love this.”
Seconds later, she was on the phone convincing Meg to let her babysit him at her house. When Meg reluctantly agreed, she smiled and kissed Jordan on the cheek. “Now, we get to really have fun, my sweet boy.” Jordan babbled something and she laughed. “You’re really trying to talk to Granny, aren’t you? Well, Granny has the best surprise for you.”
***
“Matt, I’m not joking,” Melia ranted. “I want to know who she is and why she is calling our house.” She threw the phone in his lap as he laid back on the bed. He had been stressed out lately, and one of the women from the office, Julia, had been being overly friendly. When he called to say he would be in to work late, she called to see if he was okay. He had been going through a mini crisis that he couldn’t explain to Melia. Here he was at the age of twenty-five with a wife and child, he was finally feeling the effects of getting married too soon.
He was envious of the life and freedom Aiden had. Aiden and Emily were living together, but she was away quite often on her assignments, and they didn’t have the added stress of having a child involved. He felt awful because he loved his wife and his daughter more than anything. How could he possibly explain to her how he wanted a change?
They had been married for five years and he loved every minute of it, but he missed the people they used to be. He felt like they were growing apart. The love was still there, but the passion they once shared was dying. He needed her in his life, but ever since her mother died, she hadn’t been the same.
When he finally sat up on the bed, he saw her angry expression and closed his eyes, hoping to block it out. That only fueled her anger, and she raced around the bed and took a seat next to him. “You have about two seconds to tell me who this woman is, or I’m going to start breaking things, things of yours.”
“Calm down, it was just Julia from the office. She was just worried when I called to say I would be late; I’m never late. We were supposed to be working together today, and she wanted to be sure we didn’t need to reschedule our meetings.”
“So she couldn’t have just told me that when she called? It’s not like you’re saving the world, you’re only funds managers, not the damn CIA. I’m going to ask you this once, and you better not lie to me, are you sleeping with her?”
Matt looked at her serious expression and slid up beside her. “I have never cheated on you, and I never will. It’s just that sometimes I think we jumped into all this too fast. We really didn’t live or take the time to enjoy being young and in love before we got married and had Cienna. Don’t get me wrong, you know I love our daughter, sometimes I wish we had waited.”
Melia placed her han
d to her mouth and looked disturbed. “Wow, you want me and Cienna, but on your terms. So, what do we do? Where do we go from here? Because if you don’t want to be in this a hundred percent, then I don’t want you in it at all. If living out some childish boy’s fantasy is more important than us, then you should go.”
She rose from the bed and stormed toward the bathroom. When he rushed behind her, he found her up against the wall with her eyes closed. He never intended to lay it on her that way, but he had to discourage her cheating inquiries. He couldn’t bring himself to cheat on her if he wanted to. She had been the only woman for him for so long, he didn’t know anyone or anything else. He just didn’t want to get to the point where they outgrew each other.
“Baby,” he touched her shoulder. “Can we talk...” she reached out and slapped him, silencing the conversation.
“Do you think I wanted to be working as hard as I have and having to be worried about being a good mother and wife?” she screamed. “I do all of it because I love you and I love our daughter. I had things I wanted to do, but once she came along, her needs became more important than all of it. I had to learn that she came before everything, even you. If you’re telling me that your needs are more important to you, then you should go. I’ve had a parent who put their needs ahead of ours, and it was something I promised would never happen to my child.”
Matt tried to reach for her, but she sidestepped him. “Go to work, I can’t look at you right now.” He tried to beg, but she held her hand up in his face to shut him up. “I said go. If I feel like it, we will discuss this when you get home. I’m going to work, please don’t call me, and when I say please, I mean don’t you fucking dare.”
“Melia, baby, please...” Matt pleaded as she walked out and slammed the door behind her. He knew he had screwed up, and he instantly wanted to take it all back. How could he have said the things he said about the two most important people in his life? When he thought about the look he saw in her eyes as she walked away, he sank down to the floor of the bathroom. Work was going to be hell today, he needed to wrap his mind around what he was going to say once he saw Melia again, but he knew he needed to try to focus on work too. They had some newly acquired accounts that needed special attention.
Matt collected himself from the floor when he heard the door slam, signaling that she had left. As he made his way downstairs, he pulled out his cell to phone Aiden. He was in a bad way, and he needed advice from his brother. Normally, he would have called Alex, but considering the nature of his issues, Alex was the last person he wanted to call.
Alex had fought so hard to have his family with Meg, and hearing the insensitive things Matt had uttered to Melia would be sure to upset him. He had always bragged how he was proud of Matt for stepping up and being a good man and father, and hearing this would taint his image. He couldn’t bear for both his brother and wife be upset with him.
When Aiden answered, he tried to fill him in on what was going on, but Aiden had clients in front of him. Picking up on the disappointment in Matt’s voice, Aiden agreed to come by once he was finished with all of his business. Matt was completely lost, when he boarded his car. He started it up and pulled out of the driveway feeling numb.
He had never had such a big fight with Melia the entire time they had known each other, and she had never been mad enough to slap him. He knew this had to be a bad sign. He was hoping she would let him explain or at least make things up to her. He vowed never to make such a stupid mistake again, he needed her too much to go on without her.
As much as he wanted to call and plead with her some more, he knew she meant it when she said she wanted him to leave her alone. She explicitly told him not to call, but she never said anything about sending her things. He was prepared to send whatever it took to get her to call him back, or at least to let her know how sorry he was.
As he headed to the office, he began to make calls to have several different things sent her way. He knew he couldn’t buy her affections, but he knew all the gifts would make her talk to him. More than likely it was going to be yelling and screaming, but at least it would be a start. He had to work his way back to her after all the damage he caused. How could one stupid thought ruin five years of marriage?
He wasn’t even sure why he was feeling that way. From the first time he kissed her, he knew she would be his forever. The first time he held her in his arms was like magic, and he had never thought he would be in this situation. He had to fix it, he was willing to do anything.
As he parked his car and went inside, he sighed heavily and gathered his things. He knew he had to get his mind right before he entered the building, the last thing he wanted was to let his coworkers see him in distress; especially, Julia. He thought she might be harboring a small crush on him. He had made it clear that things were strictly business, and he wanted to keep up that mentality. Letting her see him vulnerable could bring more unwanted trouble.
To his dismay, the first face he saw as he stepped off the elevator was Julia. Her warm golden skin was on display in a cream-colored shirt that was very low cut, and her long legs were exposed underneath a short above the knee skirt. Her sandy brown hair was pinned up in a messy bun, and her turquoise eyes sparkled through the corrective lenses she was wearing. She was a very attractive woman, but he was uninterested. He and Julia had a complex history when they were younger, but he had gotten over any past attachments long ago. Melia, although she wasn’t speaking to him at the moment, was the only woman on his mind.
When she stopped in front of him, he tried to appear as upbeat as he could, but she saw straight through his front. “Matthew, are you okay? You don’t look well.”
“I’m fine,” he pushed past her to walk to his office.”
She followed closely behind him, closing the door as they entered the room. “You don’t look fine. Is this my fault? Is this because I called you?”
He sat his things down and took his seat before looking up. “This has nothing to do with you, but why did you call my house? I have a wife whom I love very much, and I know you knew that.”
“I was just worried about you, that’s all. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, it won’t happen again,” she lowered her head. “Should we begin our work, or should I postpone things?”
“If I need someone to worry about me, it will be my wife. Remember what I told you when you came to work here, we keep our personal and professional lives separate in this office. If you can’t understand that then I’ll have to make adjustments. When I started this company, I made it very clear how I stood on things of those matters, and nothing has changed. Give me a few hours and then come back,” he held up his hand. “Appropriately dressed, Julia. This is a business not a strip club.”
She shuffled out of the office with a sneaky grin on her face. She knew exactly what her little call would do this morning, and now phase one had begun. She wanted Matt and Melia separated, and she would do anything to make it happen. They had all gone to high school together and Matt had always been on her radar. She knew from the moment she saw him that he was going places, and she was right. He was one of the youngest successful men she had ever met, and not to mention impeccably handsome. His dirty blond hair, lifeguard physique, and shimmering gray eyes had invaded many of her dreams. The only thing standing in her way was the devotion he had to his wife, Melia.
She and Melia had several classes together, but she bet Melia never even knew her name. Melia was one of those girls every guy wanted, and every girl wanted to be. She was rich and beautiful, and people like her and Matt seemed to be trained to find each other. Once Matt saw Melia, every other woman became invisible, including Julia, even though he had taken her virginity. She had never gotten over Melia stealing what could have been a real chance for her.
Julia had always been a nice looking girl, but she lacked the edge that made guys fall over for her. She was a skinny timid girl with braces and no confidence back then. After years away, she had transformed herself. She came back
after college without the braces, a new curvy figure and round perky breasts. Most men that met her now drooled over her, but not Matt. Getting his attention was harder than she thought it would be. Today was the first time he had even mentioned her appearance, and it was only to tell her to change. She knew she was going to have to dig deep for this one, she had to pull out the big guns.
***
Emily sat her bags down and walked into the living room. It had been two weeks since she had been home, and she missed the feel of it. She had been out on a shoot in Thailand, and was delighted to finally be back. Her first thought was to stop into the office and see Aiden, but for some unknown reason, she needed to talk to Gio first.
The last time she and Gio had spoken, he sounded off. He had always been such an upbeat and bubbly personality, but this time, he seemed troubled. She knew things had been stressful for both him and Meg at work with all the new projects they were working on, but this was something more; she could feel it.
Emily quickly drug all the bags inside and put them away. She wanted to be sure things were tidy for Aiden when he got home; he was a bit ocd, and she didn’t want to set him off. They had been living together for nearly a year, and they had been having the best time. She never thought that she would want to come home to someone every night, but with Aiden, it was as easy as breathing.
Once everything was put away, she stepped back out to her car to head over to the office where Meg and Gio were. She was anxious to see the both of them. She felt bad for not being around more with Meg having the baby and all, but duty called. Her jobs had really picked up, and although it meant large amounts of time away from home, she loved it. Traveling to exotic lands and capturing the most beautiful images, made her feel alive.
She drove over in silence, letting her thoughts run wild. She hadn’t seen Aiden in two weeks, and she was looking forward to their steamy reunion. She knew it was going to be wonderful, it always was after their time apart. As happy as she was, she couldn’t get her mind off Gio.
