by Lilly Wilde
Allison was right, men are stupid.
“Raina knew who you were before I did. I felt so foolish,” I said.
“But you were open to talking things out, even then,” he said.
“Yes, I was. You’d sent me a very sweet text saying how much you missed me and that you were eager to talk. I was about to reply that I had missed you too but Raina had come into my office and that’s when she told me everything. As soon as she left my office, I sent you that text telling you to fuck off. It verified what I grew up learning, that you can’t trust anyone – that no one was who they said they were.”
I looked down at the letter in my hands and continued. “As the days passed, my heart broke a little more every day because I missed you more each day. I wanted it to stop but it didn’t. I realized that all of it was out of my control. You’d grabbed a piece of me that I couldn’t get back.”
“You’ve grabbed a piece of me that I don’t want back, Aria. I regret how this all played out. I’ll be the first to admit that I had no idea how to broach this with you. Business decisions are like second nature to me but this relationship with you, I’m learning as I go and I’ve made some mistakes that have caused you pain. I can’t undo that, but believe me, if I could I would. Towards the end, I was in a bad spot as well. Not knowing if my father would live, my mother being hospitalized, taking over the company … I barely had time to think, I was basically reacting. I’m not excusing anything that I did but I hope you’ll at least consider my position.”
“Why did you do it? Why did you think it was okay?” I asked.
“I never said it was okay. I didn’t expect this. It took on a life of its own. Hell, it still is. I don’t plan with you, I just do. And back then all I wanted was you. I didn’t look beyond that. But once you told me a little about your past, I knew I needed to find a way to explain but I also knew that you’d feel betrayed and you’d run, so I didn’t want to take that chance. It was challenging as hell to get you to bend without a lie between us, I knew I’d lose whatever we had if I told you … so I didn’t. I couldn’t risk it.”
“And the other part, why even do the Aiden Wyatt thing …ever?” I asked.
“Aria, I don’t think you’ll understand unless you’ve been in my shoes for the past twenty-eight years but when I’m Aiden Wyatt, I garner respect based on my achievements and contributions … not because of my last name. That’s important to me. I resent so much of this life. This was the only part that was mine; it was based on me, not my father. It’s important that I’m my own man, not just an heir apparent.”
I wouldn’t quite understand, just as he wouldn’t quite understand everything that caused me to be the person that I am. But I did understand the tenacity to be the person you felt you had to be … whatever the reasoning. And he was right, when I thought he was Aiden Wyatt, I’d appreciated his shrewdness; he was brilliant … and it wasn’t because he was a Raine, it was because he was Aiden.
I’d seen glimpses of some things that I found odd for a rich guy, or at least my preconceptions of a rich guy, but I didn’t know he resented parts of his life to this degree. In regards to me, I truly believed he thought that he did the best he could, given the circumstances.
“I know you want this and I know you’re scared – and that’s okay,” he said.
I sighed and looked away.
“What is it?” he asked.
“You know, before you came along, I was alright. I had what I wanted.”
“There was no purpose; there was no meaning to that kind of life Aria,” he said.
“But it was my kind of life and I hated that you wouldn’t let me get back to it.”
“Because I couldn’t. I literally couldn’t and I can’t now,” he said.
“I don’t want you to. I’d gotten so used to keeping guys at a safe distance that I didn’t know how to behave when someone … when you got close. But I want to learn and I want to do that with you, if you’ll have me.”
“You already know I’ll have you, in every way possible.” There was so much passion in his eyes. I’d felt it when he made love to me. I felt it every time he touched me.
He placed me on my feet and pulled me into his arms. I was his again. I had always been his. He smothered my lips and cheeks with soft kisses and then stepped back holding me at arm’s length, his eyes filled with adoration. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”
The last time I’d agreed to any type of relationship with Aiden, he’d told me that I wouldn’t regret it. The part of me that was stepping into unchartered waters with him couldn’t help but wonder if I would regret it this time, especially now that the stakes were much higher.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It was our last night at Aiden’s. It was time to start our new lives; my sisters and I would be going home tomorrow. Of course, Aiden objected but I made him understand that it was time. He and I spent the better part of the day working on The Writer. It was great to finally do some work and it was that much better working alongside him again. He worked with such keen insight and vigor ... it was fascinating to watch.
The day passed by much too quickly. Dianna brought our lunch to the study and we ate as we worked. We were unaware of the time when Allison checked on us for dinner. We’d made some pertinent modifications to our roll-out strategy that I was anxious to share with the team.
After dinner, we watched a movie. When the credits began, I turned toward him to see that he was watching me.
“You look tired. How about we get you to bed?” he said.
I hope by bed, he meant fucked because it had been all I could think about since last night. I was sure I was using it as a diversion, but for now it worked because I didn’t want to walk around buried in grief.
We said goodnight and went to his bedroom. He went to the bathroom as I went to place my phone on the charger.
“Aria, I’ve started your bath. Come,” he said, extending a hand to me.
“You’re so amazing, do you know that?”
“That’s the word on the street.” he said, smiling.
“Ugh. I forgot.”
“Forgot what?” he asked.
“That I can’t give you any compliments.”
“Why is that?” he asked, as he unbuttoned my shirt.
“Because you don’t take them well.”
“Quite the contrary, I take them very well. I never disagree.”
“Exactly, you treat it like I’m stating the obvious. You are not all that, you know.”
“Sure I am. A guy would have to be all that to get your attention.”
He reached behind me to unbutton my bra, which he did with ease. I wondered how many of those he’d unbuttoned.
“I can undress myself you know,” I said, as he unbuttoned my pants and reached for my zipper.
“I know but I wanted the pleasure of doing it for you. You wouldn’t deny me that would you?” He placed his hands between my jeans and my thighs easing the jeans down my legs.
I stepped out of them and he looked up at me. “Damn, I love seeing you like this.”
He reached up to my waist and slid my panties down. “You are so beautiful Aria.”
His eyes were fixated on the space between my thighs. “Are you referring to me as a whole or just one particular part of my body?” I asked. The way he looked at me was making me wet; I wanted to pounce on him. But I had a feeling he had something special planned for tonight so I was content to let it all play out; he probably would have made it happen that way anyway.
“Although my eyes were lingering on one specific area, yes I do mean you as a whole. Now let’s get you in the tub.”
*****
The next morning seemed different than any morning I could remember. I was nervous, excited and in spite of the grief, I was happy. I felt Mom’s presence. I felt her approval of the choices I’d made as of late. Aiden and I had finished breakfast with everyone and went to his study for a game of chess before I headed home. It was m
y move.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you were rich?” I asked.
“If you’re referring to the Raine billions, it’s not my money, it’s my parents’.”
“ Same difference,” I replied.
“If you say so.”
“But you know … you’re not really what I would think a billionaire’s son to be.”
“Oh. And how should a billionaire’s son be?” he asked, playfully.
“You’re very down to earth, well, at least when you want to be. You’re not as prudish as I would expect. You don’t act spoiled, well for the most part anyway. You’re very domesticated and you’re very, very dirty.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I do partake of some of what this life offers but I don’t consistently lavish myself in it. That’s just not who I am.”
“I love that about you,” I said.
“I love lots of things about you. Wait, why do you say I’m domesticated? Is it because I can cook? It was just the one meal.”
“And the breakfast,” I said. “I recall you saying there was a story behind that.”
“Sort of. We grew up with staff so, of course, we had cooks and what not. As a child I bored of everything quite easily and I had a thirst for knowledge of any type. We didn’t venture into the kitchen very much because our meals were always prepared for us but I wanted to know how so I was often in the kitchen watching and talking to the staff. Mother would often find me there and run me out.”
“So if you were often in the kitchen, I’m sure you can cook more than the one meal.”
He smiled. “Yes.”
“So you’ve been depriving me of your skills all this time?” I asked.
“I can’t agree with that, Princess. The skills that keep you interested are never hidden from you.”
“So you think it’s the sex that keeps me here?” I asked, teasingly.
“Hmmmm…yeah,” he replied, laughing.
“It feels so good to laugh with you again. I didn’t think this would ever happen,” I said.
“I knew it would. I knew it wouldn’t be easy and I didn’t know how long we’d be apart, but I always knew we’d find our way back,” he said.
“I’m curious. Why did your family go along with the Aiden Wyatt charade?” I asked.
“It was an attempt to appease me. I haven’t been as eager to take on this role as my father would have liked. We bump heads over it … always have.”
“Then why do it?” I asked.
“I do what is expected of me Aria,” he said, his tone impassive.
“Even if it makes you miserable?” I asked.
“What makes you think I’m miserable?”
“You just don’t seem to enjoy it. And if you fight your father on it, it’s pretty evident, to me at least, that you don’t want it.”
“It’s not that simple Aria.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t really go to school for those degrees due to any passion for either of them. I thought that maybe, just maybe, if my father saw that I had a noble profession, that I was helping people, actually making a difference in their lives, that he would release me from what he thought of as my family obligation. It didn’t work out that way. He saw something in me at a very early age and he harnessed it. He wanted me to take the reins of the company one day. The fucked part of this is that you’re right, I don’t enjoy this, but I’m good at it. Even more so than he; he even said as much.”
He’s sacrificing himself for his family. I didn’t know whether to hug him or cry for him. I could sense he didn’t want to say anymore.
“You’re delaying the inevitable. You’re not going to win,” he taunted.
“You’ve been so accommodating with me and my family so I wanted to do a little something nice for you.”
“Whatever Aria. I won because I’m the better player. Admit it.”
“Never,” I replied, and made my last move, the one that ended it all.
“Check mate,” he said, tossing my queen aside.
“When did you know you wanted this with me? Was it after the ballet?” I asked.
“I knew I was in trouble long before that,” he said.
“Trouble? Me? I think you have that confused, but I’ll bite. When?”
“The night I took you to Seducente.”
I didn’t quite know how to take that. “Are you saying that my submission –”
“No, it was actually when we came back to your place afterwards ... when we were in the bath together.”
That night had opened my eyes to quite a few things, about him and myself.
“It was the first time you let your guard down. You gave me a glimpse of you. But I later got the sense that you regretted that. Did you?”
“Yes, I did. It was confusing for me. I couldn’t figure out why I was so comfortable with you.”
“I was comfortable with you also. And I knew you had a genuine interest in me. It wasn’t for my money or my family, just me. Even now, you’re interested in the person behind the name. That doesn’t happen very often.”
He sounded remorseful. I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be him, even for a day. I saw the look in his eyes and for the first time I could see why he wanted to escape the Raine name. I felt bad for him. “You were and still are an enigma.”
“Oh I am?” he asked.
“Yes, you are and you know it,” I replied.
“I could say the same of you,” he said.
“Perhaps, but that’s a mode of protection for me, as I can now see that it is for you,” I said.
“I know what you’ve been through; I know why you felt the need to protect yourself from me. But you don’t have to do that anymore,” he said.
“Watching Mom slowly slip away everyday ... it caused me to make a lot of poor decisions, I guess.”
“All of those decisions made you who you are. I like who you are.”
“Why are you so good with me?”
“It’s easy. You’re every man’s fantasy of what a woman should be.”
I wasn’t whole. I was broken. And looking into his eyes, I knew that he realized that just as much as I did. But for some reason he still wanted me.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
We were at my condo. It was my first time back in my place since the funeral. I showed the girls to their rooms and was surprised to see that they had been decorated to fit their temperament and the closets and drawers were filled. This was Aiden’s touch. He really did think of everything.
He was still in Boston despite my repeated attempts to alleviate his concerns. He had put off his responsibilities long enough to console me. When we left the penthouse, I could see the worry in his eyes. He didn’t think I was ready. And to be honest I was worried as well. How was I going to become the person that I needed to be for my sisters while I also provided the comfort that we all needed? He agreed to allow us some time alone to get settled before he came over.
April had headed back to Pennsylvania first thing this morning and Allison would be leaving later today. I really needed this time alone with my sisters. I had actually spent more time talking about them lately than I had to them; it was time to remedy that. I looked at their faces as they entered what would now be their rooms.
“So, what do you think?” I asked, as we entered Bianca’s closet.
“I’m totally floored. I had no idea that you were doing all of this,” Lia exclaimed, looking excitedly from Bianca to me.
“I can’t take the credit for it. This is all Aiden. I had no idea until I stepped in just now that he had done all of this.”
“He’s been amazing! I can’t believe that you were considering letting him go,” Lia said, looking at me as if I had two heads.
“You guys obviously spent a great deal of time talking to him over the last few days,” I replied.
“We have. And Aria he is totally in love with you,” Lia stated.
“He almost seems too good to be true,” Bianca said, cynically. Lia an
d I both looked at her. Where did that come from?
“Sometimes when something or someone appears too good to be true, there’s usually a reason,” Bianca stated, and somberly walked out of the room. I couldn’t help but agree but I was puzzled as to why such a dismal view from someone so young; but then again, I had been the same way at her age. We were all grieving and attempting to make the best of this new arrangement but Bianca was obviously going through more than she’d let on because she was different; it was as if she and Lia had switched personalities.
“Let me show you around. I want you both to feel at home so if there’s something you need or don’t necessarily like, let me know and we can find an alternative. That’s if it’s not too drastic; I can’t very well let teenagers redecorate for me. I don’t think I want posters of boy-bands hanging everywhere,” I added, smiling at them.
The intercom buzzed. “Lia, can you get that please?” I asked, walking toward the kitchen. It felt strange knowing that I would no longer be living here alone. Did I make the right decision moving them here? Should I have moved there instead? I shouldn’t second guess myself but who was I kidding? I had a huge responsibility now.
Aiden had also stocked the house with food. I guess he remembered that I didn’t cook and my pantry was typically bare. Lia entered the kitchen with someone trailing behind her. It was Dianna and she had two large bags in her hands.
“Hello Miss Cason,” she said.
“Hi Dianna. Did we forget something at Aiden’s?” I asked.
“No ma’am,” she replied, placing the bags on the counter. She reached inside one of them. “Mr. Raine asked that I give you this. He said it should explain everything.”
It was one of his signature white envelopes. I quickly opened it as Lia watched me. Bianca walked in just as I was about to read it.
Princess,
Since you insisted upon going back to your place, I’ve endeavored to make the transition as fluid as possible. I know Lia and Bianca will appreciate this and I hope you will also. I spent a great deal of time talking to your sisters. They enjoyed cooking with your mother; especially your grandmother’s Italian recipes. When I visited with your mother in Dayton, I joined them for lunch; it was homemade pizza. I’ve asked Dianna to deliver fresh ingredients and provide any other assistance that you may need for a pizza lunch with your sisters. I thought this would be a great way to start you all off on the right foot.
