Unexpected Chance

by Annalisa Nicole

  Chloe comes over to me, sits on the side of the bed, leans in and gives me a big hug. I look up at her with big crocodile tears. “I don’t know the right words to say to you other than, thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you girls in my life,” I tell her, squeezing her hard.

  “We protect what’s ours,” she says, standing up.

  “Where is everyone else? I need to thank them, too.” I say, trying to look out the curtain.

  “Uh, I think all the girls are grounded, and can’t come out and play for a little while. I’m only here because Max won’t let me out of his sight, and he needed to come see how you are and talk to Aiden,” she tells me.

  “Ruh roh. The guys aren’t for real mad at them, are they?” I ask concerned. In the back of my mind I hear Urkel in his whiny, high pitched voice saying, ‘did I do that?’ Wait. Do people even know who Urkel is anymore? I think I’m showing my age.

  “Nah, they’ll all be fine,” she says. In a whisper she continues, “We’ve got them wrapped around our little fingers. They can’t stay mad at us. Besides, we totally kicked some major butt today.”

  Max stops talking mid-sentence to Aiden, turns to Chloe, pulls her close to his lips, then whispers in her ear, “You may have me wrapped around your little finger, but baby, I swear to God, you ever do anything like that again, I’ll lock you up and throw away the key.”

  Now Ricky from I Love Lucy is talking in my head. When Ricky says to Lucy, ‘you’ve got some ‘splaining to do.’

  Chloe kisses him on the cheek, and then smiles at him. Max turns back to Aiden and starts talking to him again. Chloe looks back at me and smiles. I think they’ll all be alright. The Wellington women are strong. The Wellington men may think they’re the boss, but we really know who wears the pants. Or maybe the men are so much in control, that they make us think we’re in control, but they’re really in control. Wait, now I’m confusing myself.

  “They’re locked up?” Aiden asks Max.

  “They’ll never see the light of day again. They’re staying in Washington to face their crimes here from the past and for this. They’re not going anywhere. I’ve got a man on the inside, he’ll keep me updated,” Max says.

  “What about Reno?” Aiden whispers.

  Chloe sits on the edge of the bed and we both listen.

  “He’s not going to see the light of day either. I told you I took care of it,” Max says.

  “Man, I want to believe you, but I can’t put the life of the woman I love in anyone else’s hands ever again. I need to know where he is. I need to know that Savvy will never see his face again,” Aiden says, getting louder.

  “Trust me on this,” Max replies.

  “Aiden,” I gently call. His eyes come to me. “It’s alright,” I continue.

  “No, it’s not alright,” he says, looking from me back to Max.

  “Aiden,” I call again, holding out my right hand for him. He sighs, walks over to me, takes my hand, and then sits on the bed next to me. “I trust Max. If he says he took care of it, I believe him. I have no doubt or fear in my mind. Neither should you. I’m alright, we’re alright. Don’t give Reno another second of your time. I’m not,” I assure him.

  If I’ve learned anything, it’s to lean on the people around you. In that leaning, I’ve gained confidence and inner strength. A strength I never knew I had. Sure, I was good at pretending I had it, but I never really did. Not until I kicked that gun away. It clicked in my brain that I’m a strong woman and I have amazing people in my life. With that, I will never be a victim again, not to Reno or anyone who thinks they can walk into my life and take a piece of it without my permission.

  Aiden nods at me, then looks back at Max. I wish I could read exactly what is being said with just that glance. If I had to guess, I think Aiden is putting his trust back in Max, but there is also a warning in there. Max will not get another chance to mess up. Max is such a good man. I have complete faith in him and know he’d give his own life to protect the things he loves.

  “How’s Gary?” I ask Max.

  “They’re keeping him overnight for observation. He took a few serious hits to the head. He has a concussion, some minor cuts and bruises, but he’ll be fine,” Max says.

  “That’s good,” I breathe a sigh of relief.

  Dr. Matthews comes back in with another woman who will cast my left arm. Chloe kisses me on the cheek, then her and Max leave. Like a kid, I get to pick out my cast color. I’ve never broken a bone before, so this is kind of exciting. I watch in fascination as she wraps my arm in the different layers. The very last layer is a bright orange.

  She pulls out a pen, hands it to me and asks, “So who’s going to be the first to sign it?”

  I take the pen and look at her with a smile. “Aiden?” I say with a smile, and hold out the pen to him.

  He takes the pen and sits next to my right side. He gently pulls my arm in his lap. He takes the cap off with his teeth and starts writing. My arm is in front of him, so I can’t see what he’s drawing. It only takes him about a minute, then he puts the cap back on the pen and stands up. I look at my arm, and in big letters across the entire top of the cast are the words, WILL YOU MARRY ME? Instant tears form in my eyes.

  “What?” I whisper and look up at him.

  “This isn’t at all how I wanted to ask you, or the place. I thought I lost you today. I never want that feeling again. I never want to live another day without you in my life, by my side as my wife,” he says, lacing his left hand in my right.

  “I can dream, can’t I,” slips out in a whisper, as tears stream down my face. It’s the first time I’ve said those words out loud.

  “What?” Aiden asks, confused.

  “All my life, I’ve felt like I’ve lived a Cinderella life. I’ve always felt like the dirty, no good, step-sister. In my version, I’m an only child, but unlike Cinderella, I never get my happily ever after. I live a long and lonely life and I die wearing torn and tattered old clothes. When good things happen to me, that’s what I say in my head, ‘I can dream, can’t I.’ But all dreams come to an end, they always do. I thought I was onto something good when I met Reno. I foolishly listened to that voice and went with my heart. That ended horribly and left me without anything, except for the clothes on my back. Everything that I had worked for, everything that was all mine that I had rightfully earned that no one could stake claim to, it was gone. But I’ve been there before, exactly there, left only with the clothes I was wearing. I was awarded a full scholarship to nursing school. That little voice said, ‘I can dream, can’t I.’ Maybe this is your day; this is your time to shine I told myself. It was the best day of my life. The day Reno stole my books. I thought that dream had ended, too. If it weren’t for Chloe purchasing another set of books for me, I would have given that dream up. I’ve fought tooth and nail for this dream. It’s not all about me, it’s for my mom. But I live every day just waiting for it to be ripped away from me, just like everything else. I met you, and at every step that voice whispered, I can dream, can’t I? I fought it and I fought it. I fought it with everything I have. I’ve told myself I’m not good enough, that you are all better off without me in your lives, but here it is. My happily ever after, and it’s written on my arm.”

  Aiden takes my face in his hands and wipes away my tears with his thumbs. “Baby, I’m never going to let anything or anyone ever hurt you again. I love you, and I’ll live the rest of my life helping you make all of your dreams come true. Say you’ll marry me,” he says.

  I lean into his hand and close my eyes to stop the tears. As tight as I squeeze them closed, though, it doesn’t help. They slip down my face anyway. At times like this, that voice will whisper in my head, ‘I can dream, can’t I’? Holding Aiden’s hand, I don’t hear it. All I hear is the love in his voice. Love for me that I can feel in my soul. A love that I haven’t felt since my mother was alive, when she would take a chunk of my hair and twirl it in her fingers and with a smile tell me she loved me, and
call me her Savvy girl.

  I open my eyes and see Aiden’s love for me. “Yes,” I whisper.

  His lips come to my forehead. I wrap my cast under his arm and my other arm around his back and pull him close. Just like I will never be a victim again, I can dream, can’t I, will never ever be asked as a question again. It will be a statement. I can dream and those dreams will come true.

  “Alright, here are your discharge papers . . . Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt a moment,” Dr. Matthews says, coming back into the room.

  Aiden pulls away, takes my hand, gives it a squeeze and stands. “With good news of you can take your fiancée home, you can interrupt all you want,” Aiden says.

  “Fiancée? Are congratulations in order?” Dr. Matthews asks.

  “They are,” Aiden says with a smile, walking over to Dr. Matthews. Then he shakes his hand and gives him a bro hug.

  “Well, congratulations you two! Savvy, you’ll need to take it easy for the next few days. You’ll be in a cast for about six to eight weeks, but other than that, you’re good to go,” he says with a smile.

  Aiden helps me get dressed, then helps me into a wheelchair. “Can I go see Gary before we leave?” I ask Aiden.

  “Anything for you,” he says.

  We find out what room Gary is in, then Aiden pushes me in the wheelchair to his floor, and into his room. My eyes fill with tears as I see him lying in his hospital bed. His eyes come to mine.

  “Don’t cry for me, Savvy. I’m good. I hear you got a fancy cast,” he says. I lift my arm and show him my orange cast. “It looks good on you. You go home and let Aiden take care of you,” he continues. I nod my head and take his hand.

  Aiden shakes Gary’s hand, and wheels me down to the ground floor. As Aiden wheels me out the sliding glass door, I say, “Just one problem. How are we getting home?”

  A sleek, black, Town Car pulls up to the curb. A man wearing a chauffeur’s uniform steps out of the driver seat and walks to the rear passenger door.

  “That’s how,” Aiden says. “Leave it to Asher to think through all the details,” he continues.

  “Mr. Wellington,” he says with a nod to Aiden. “Ms. Savvy,” he says to me with a nod, and then he opens the door.

  “Thank you, Simon,” Aiden says, putting the break down on the wheelchair. He takes my good hand and helps me stand. I slide into the luxurious leather seat and scoot over. Aiden gets in and sits next to me. Simon closes the door and takes us home.

  Chapter 9

  Aiden

  Taking my fiancée home to our house, safe and sound, with only a minor injury, is a relief to my soul. Spencer said for her to take it easy for the next few days, and I plan on making her do just that.

  When we pulled up to the abandoned warehouse, I couldn’t believe she was being held in a place like that. When I saw her tied to a chair, I felt rage and anger in my chest toward the men who put her there, I didn’t know if I could harness that anger. Asher and Jax held me back when we walked silently in behind the girls. I know how they must have felt seeing their wives standing there with a man holding a gun toward them. I wanted to rip that man’s limbs from his torso. I wanted to pull his fingernails out one at a time, and then shove them into his eye sockets. Rage, and torture, that I thought was never possible for me to think flooded my thoughts. I understood why Max had insisted I stay at the PI firm with the family. In the end, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I needed to be there for Savvy to pick up the pieces. But there weren’t any pieces to pick up. Savvy seems better than ever. She even called me sweet cheeks. I’ve missed her quirky terms of endearment. Somehow, through this, Savvy has found her voice, her purpose. She’s not the least bit shaken by any of this. I think I’m more shaken up than she is.

  I already knew in my mind that I wanted to ask her to marry me. Asking her in a hospital bed after she had been carjacked was not the ideal situation, but I couldn’t have picked a better time. I do, however, still plan on giving her the fairytale proposal that she deserves, and she won’t be expecting it.

  I carry my fiancée to our bed, lay her down, cover her up, and give her some of the pain meds Spencer prescribed for her wrist. I sit with her until she falls asleep. I leave the bedroom door cracked just in case she needs me. Before I’m at the end of the hall, there’s a quiet knock at the door. I quicken my steps before it wakes up Savvy.

  I open the door and find Max. I thought we had hashed everything out at the hospital. I open the door farther and look for Chloe. I know Max won’t be letting her out of his sight anytime soon. Max points to the curb. Chloe is sitting in the passenger seat of her car, and she gives me a little wave.

  “Max, come on in. Is there something else you needed from me? Savvy’s sleeping, but I can call you when she wakes up if you have questions for your investigation,” I tell him, inviting him in.

  He takes a step forward onto the threshold, but doesn’t come in so he can keep an eye on Chloe in the car. “No, it’s not that. Savvy won’t need to be questioned. I have everything I need. I didn’t want to go into the details about Reno in front of Savvy at the hospital. I feel like I owe you an explanation and an apology,” he says.

  “You don’t owe me anything. Savvy’s good with it, so am I,” I tell him.

  “I’ve been calling in a lot of markers lately. I called in another one for Reno. I’ve been doing my research about Reno, and it turns out Savvy isn’t the only woman he’s done this to. He’d been arrested for domestic violence several times before he met Savvy. He’d even taken off with another woman’s belongings before, too. I have several women who are willing to press charges. I have enough on him to send him to prison for the rest of his life, without even involving Savvy,” he says.

  “If I know Savvy, she’ll want to be a part of putting him away, and I think it’s good closure for her to do just that,” I tell him.

  He nods at me with understanding. If anyone understands the necessary closure needed, it’s definitely Max. “That was the explanation. Now for the apology,” he starts.

  “You don’t owe me an apology. Everything worked out, no one got seriously hurt. Reno, Len and Ray are where they belong, and if you say they’ll never see the light of day again, I believe you,” I tell him.

  “I’ve made very few mistakes in my life. The biggest was when I broke up with Chloe and hurt her. I didn’t live until I made it right. I have to make this right. I need you to let me make this right. I dropped the ball when I didn’t follow up on Len and Ray, and again with the live surveillance feed going down. I’ll never make that mistake again. If there’s anything I can do for you, just name it,” he says, pained.

  “Actually, there is something you can do for me,” I tell him.

  “Name it,” he replies.

  After talking with Max and telling him what I need, I feel better than ever and I hope that he can help me. I watch at the door as he gets back in his vehicle. Chloe gives me a wave, then I close and lock the front door. I walk back to our bedroom, get into bed with Savvy, and fall asleep holding what I feared I had lost.

  The next morning, still holding Savvy, we’re woken up to the sound of someone banging on the front door.

  “Don’t get up. I’ll get rid of whoever it is,” I tell her and kiss her on the cheek. I open the front door to a sea of people, and the entire Wellington clan barges in.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Savvy needs rest, not the crazy family bunch,” I say, trying to stop them.

  Savvy walks into the kitchen where everyone is gathering with a huge smile on her face.

  Asher sets Aaron down, then takes an arm load of food from Willow and sets it on the counter. Abbey is only a few steps behind Willow carrying a gallon of orange juice. Kyle sets Noah down, and he runs off with Abbey. Amelia sets down several brown paper bags on the adjoining counter. Shay hands Makayla a bouquet of flowers, instructing her to give them to Savvy. Micah joins in the chase with Noah and Abbey. Adrian has little Sammy in a baby carrier, and he sets hi
m off to the side out of the way from the little ones racing around. He shakes Asher’s hand and claps him on the back. Samantha bends down and removes a sleeping Sammy and cradles him in her arms.

  Max and Chloe walk in the kitchen. His eyes come to mine and he gives me a nod. Chloe goes straight to Savvy and gives her a hug. Jax, Ava, Quinn, Sky, and Hope all come in carrying arm loads of bags and trays. Hope joins in the chase that’s going around the family room. Sky walks over to Savvy and looks at her cast.

  “Sweet cast. Can I sign it?” Sky asks.

  “Sure you can. Everyone can sign it,” she says, handing her a pen.

  “What’s this?” Willow asks, looking at her cast.

  “Aiden asked me to marry him, I said yes!” she squeals holding up her cast bouncing on the balls of her feet.

  “You asked her to marry you on her cast?” Adrian asks.

  “How romantic,” Amelia says, pushing Adrian on the arm. She gives Savvy a hug, then signs her cast.

  Everyone signs her cast, even little Sammy. Well, Samantha held his little hand while she signed it for him. Jax prepared breakfast at his house and unpacks about ten huge heavy duty aluminum trays.

  My house is loud and filled with family. With the smile on Savvy’s face, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Savvy is busy talking to the women about wedding plans and some of the men are chasing around children, when Max walks up to me with a thick manila envelope.

  “You’re going to like what I found. Everything you need is in there. Chloe and I took a look at it before we came over here. Congratulations on the engagement! I know how happy you are. I wish you and Savvy the same kind of love I share with Chloe,” he says, holding out his hand. I shake his hand and he brings me in for a bro hug. “Look at this in private, and decide for yourself if it’s right,” he continues.