Aiden’s hand disappeared from her waist, but found her fingers a second later. He squeezed them briefly, giving her the last bit of reassurance he could. That moment was the first time in her life she truly wanted to hug him.
With the men gone, her mother narrowed her gorgeous amber eyes. The same ones Bradley shared, but hers were cold, like crystalized honey. “You look too thin.” Claire Manchester Duncan did not look too thin. She looked perfect as always. Her coppery hair was swept in a French twist with a diamond comb tucked in the side. Even at fifty-three, her mother had the kind of porcelain glow they’d plaster on skin care products. “But I suppose regret will do that to a person.”
April had been taught to respond to insults in two ways, either ignore them and make the other person look petty, or return one with lethal accuracy. The latter was only valid if you had the upper hand. Since it was her mother across from her, April smartly remained silent.
“However that dress does make up for it,” she continued to April’s surprise. “You should come meet Marietta. She has a daughter your age, a plump, dullish girl with no manners. Lucky for you, I feel like being smug tonight.”
“Whatever you need.”
Her mother paused, her gaze lingering on her face just long enough to make April wonder if she missed her… at all. “When did you and Aiden start dating?”
She swallowed. “A couple weeks ago.” If you’d call their negotiation a first date.
A spark of recognition flashed in her mother’s eye. The woman was even more perceptive than April, and far more cunning. “Remarkable timing.” There were no illusions here. Her mom was well aware that April wanted back into the family, especially with Uncle Bradley’s release coming so soon. “In case you’re wondering, I don’t disapprove. It’s rather brilliant actually.”
April took the compliment as an invitation. “How is he doing?”
“The same. He’s stoic, barely speaking to anyone. I fear the Bradley we knew may never return to us.” Despite the subject matter, her voice stayed mild and emotionally neutral. “Maybe after he gets out of that horrible facility and comes home.”
April’s eyes stung. She opened her mouth to beg for forgiveness, but her mother’s sudden touch stopped her cold.
Fingers resting on her chin, she turned her face just enough to catch the glow of recessed lighting. “You really are a beautiful woman. So much a Duncan, it’s a little haunting how much you resemble your grandmother.” Her hand fell away. “Now, don’t you dare disgrace her memory by shedding one of those tears.”
April swallowed. “Of course not.”
“That’s my girl.”
And just like that, her mom had cracked the door, an invitation back to the family. But it was only a crack, and April knew with complete certainty it came with conditions. Aiden being one of them.
Chapter 15
April gazed out toward the water, the ocean breeze causing a slight chill across her exposed arms. Exhaustion ran through every pore while a pressing sadness she didn’t understand consumed her mind. Her performance had been perfection—the pinnacle of grace and success. Her mom’s eyes had shone with pride and approval for nearly an hour, and yet inside she felt more hollow than ever.
“Still skipping out on the party, I see.”
April whirled around quick enough to see her father taking his last two steps toward her. She and Andrew had both been molded from his genetics: thick black hair, straight brows, aristocratic cheekbones. Though her dad moved with a confidence and intimidation neither of them had perfected.
She swallowed, adrenaline and dread distracting her from any coherent thought.
He leaned his backside against the rail. “At least you’re here and not tearing down the beach in a mad rush.”
Add shame to that list of debilitating emotions. She hadn’t realized her father knew about their mini escape last year. But then again, her father was rarely one to be left in the dark. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t feel the need to expound; there were too many offenses between them to start detailing her list of apologies now.
“You may not realize this, but I was a lot like you when I was younger. A touch of wild that always seemed to come out at the most inopportune times.” He chuckled and the sound was so unfamiliar that April spoke without thinking.
“How did you manage it?” She wanted him to keep talking, but she also truly wanted to know why she’d felt torn her entire life between her instinct and their expectations.
“I surrounded myself with wise and steady people. People who would help me mold that spark into productive energy. Like your mother. Like Aiden.”
She nodded, hearing the unspoken name he didn’t say—Sean.
“It’s a good match, you and Aiden. He’s a fine man.”
“I know.” She’d seen that in their small interactions. Aiden understood their family. He understood her.
“I’m glad you do. It’s a sign of maturity, picking a life mate that enhances you. I was beginning to think that I’d irreparably failed when it came to you.”
Ouch. She’d known he felt that way, but it still stung to hear it.
Her father turned his head, his expression remorseful. “I should have done better with you. I didn’t know how to raise a girl. How to be sensitive and nurturing. Your mother doesn’t require those things, and I’m afraid I took it for granted that you wouldn’t either.”
April blinked and realized the stinging sensation was unshed tears. Those were words she’d never once heard him say.
“I understand why Sean was appealing to you,” he continued. “But I hope now you understand why we fought so hard to dissuade you.”
“I do.” She fought for strength—her resolve, but there was only the silent cry of a little girl desperate for her father’s love.
Her father’s arms came around her, tight and warm. Her upbringing would never allow a break down in his arms, but she did close her eyes, allowing a lone tear to slip out.
“I’ve missed you, April. We’ve all missed you.”
“I didn’t think you wanted me,” she somehow said.
“Not knowing what to do with you is not the same as not wanting you.” He released her and they both took a second to compose themselves. “We all make mistakes.” He set two heavy hands on her shoulders, kept his gaze locked to hers. “What matters is that we correct them and never let those mistakes back into our lives again. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I do.” A familiar sorrow returned. His love still came with conditions. To expect different, even for a moment, was foolish.
“And now that we are finished, I need to return to my guests.” He gave her a closed mouth smile and offered his elbow. “Care to come mingle with me?”
“Sure.” She slipped her hand around his arm. “As long as you don’t make me talk to Mr. Grabsmacker again.”
Her father laughed, loud and fast. “Mr. Gobsmicker is one of my most successful section chiefs.”
“Well, he needs sexual harassment training,” she grumbled.
“Duly noted. I’ll add that to Aiden’s list, along with a few extra trips to Bentwood. A serious relationship should never start with distance.”
The implication was one she didn’t miss.
“How are things going at the firm?” he asked. “Second year is supposed to be brutal.”
“That it is, but I’m told I’m the top junior associate.” Listing her successes to her father was as natural as breathing. Greatness was an expectation. “Partner track is basically assured if I continue as I have been.”
“And partner is what you want now?”
No. She wanted to be an in-house lawyer at Duncan Electronics; a braid in the fabric of their family’s legacy. That had always been the plan. “I want to do my best. Wherever that is.”
He squeezed her hand with his free one. “That’s my girl.”
It wasn’t I love you, but for a Duncan, it was pretty darn close.
If there was any
doubt about Aiden’s proposition being spot on, it was gone now. After her father’s talk, her parents had doted on her, lauded her achievements to everyone and showed more affection in two hours than they had in her entire life.
Aiden shut the door behind him while she held onto the back of the couch to remove her shoes. She’d been too nervous earlier to really appreciate the beauty of her suite—tall, coffered ceilings, a small but functional kitchenette, and a plush seating area with a chaise lounge, Queen Anne couch and small oval coffee table. Her bedroom was hidden behind one closed door, the bathroom another one.
“I think we need to mark this evening in the record books. You actually stayed at one of your parents’ parties all the way to the end,” Aiden said, approaching her.
“That probably explains why my feet are conspiring against me.” Now barefoot, the hem of her dress rippled on the floor like a shimmer of copper under the recessed lighting.
Arms encircled her waist from behind. “I can rub them for you,” he offered, his voice low and seductive. His breath tickled her neck until his damp lips made contact.
She had no reason to squirm. They were alone, a new couple, and yet her entire body went tense against his.
The pressure around her waist released, but didn’t disappear. Aiden kept his arm positioned while he circled around her. He moved closer, his chest now lightly touching hers.
“Is it me that you find so revolting or that I’m not him?”
His question made her unsteady while his unfaltering gaze left no option but to answer. “I don’t find you revolting.” It was true, in fact, several times throughout the night, she found herself seeking him out, wanting him close by. “I’m just not comfortable with affection.”
Aiden tilted his head. “You forget I was around while you and Sean dated. You had no problem being affectionate with him.”
Embarrassment scorched her neck. Sean was all encompassing and when she was with him the flame encapsulated her too. Affection wasn’t a decision; it was instinct. “He didn’t really give me much choice.”
Aiden’s eyes sparkled with challenge. “One of the many ways he and I are very different. I don’t need you to be someone else. And I won’t ever make you choose between me and your family.” His touch came slowly as if giving her time to adjust to it. “I know I’ve thought about us together much longer than you have, and it’s going to take you a little time to get used to being in a new relationship.” His palm was now pressed against her jaw, his fingers curled around the back of her neck. “But… we will need to get to a point where I can touch you without you flinching.” He chuckled, his self-deprecating smile casting away the last of her hesitation.
She stared into his calm blue eyes, relieved that every step forward was a decision and not an emotion. Lifting her hands, she touched the lapels of his coat, testing the contact. Her fingers spread out, pressing the thick suit against his surprisingly firm chest. He inched closer and she discovered that it felt nice. Safe. Surprisingly comfortable.
Lowering his head, he lifted her chin until their lips finally made contact. The kiss wasn’t unexpected, but her response to it was. Warmth ribboned through her body, her stomach tightening with anticipation and… attraction. They had chemistry, a connection built on mutual respect and common background.
Her hands rose to his neck, pulling him closer, needing to prove that the passion she’d once known wasn’t limited to only one man. Her eagerness teetered on a desperation she couldn’t define, as if she knew that the more she gave into this kiss, then the quicker she could erase Sean’s imprint on her soul.
But Aiden wouldn’t allow her the freedom, his response remaining flat and restricted. He was setting the pace, leaving no doubt that he was not a man to be overrun with desire or emotion.
His contrast to Sean was never so distinct as it was in that very moment.
Aiden pulled back without moving his hand. “I think this arrangement is going to work out just fine.” He brushed a gentle line across her fingers. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
He left right after, abandoning April to her cluster of jumbled emotions.
Sean hadn’t been her only kiss, but ever since that night on her porch, when he gathered her into his thirteen-year-old gangly arms, awkward and unsure, he’d been the only man that mattered.
The earlier warmth she’d felt was now replaced with a cold, biting chill. She picked up a throw pillow and tucked it to her chest. Head ducked, her chin fitted against the soft down, she curled up on the couch. The heavy dress spilled over the cushions while she tucked her knees against her chest and squeezed her eyes tight enough to escape the soul-piercing grief.
Chapter 16
By the time April rolled her luggage across her bedroom floor Sunday afternoon, she was irritated, exhausted, and itching for a fight. Her plane had been delayed two hours, then canceled without so much as an apology from the airline.
Finally, they managed to find her a standby seat, not in business class, of course, but sandwiched between a frazzled mom holding a sticky toddler and an overly chatty middle-aged man.
Desperately needing to rid herself of the memory and the million germs clinging to her skin, April kicked off her shoes and pulled her shirt free from the confines of her skirt. She turned the sink on full blast, washing her hands twice, then scrubbing the make-up from her face.
The trapped feeling remained, even after she roughly dried her skin to the point it gleamed pink. She pulled at the pins in her hair, damp waves falling down her back and over her shoulder. Finally, she could breathe, and eased open her top two buttons to release the burning heat in her chest.
She pressed her forehead to the cold wall and let all the stress from the weekend evaporate from her body.
Aiden hadn’t just called. They’d spent the entire next day together. She got to watch him in his element, running around, checking on guests and activities. He was exceptionally proficient and somehow likeable despite ninety percent of his time being spent telling people what to do.
Dinner was his only real break and even that was with her parents and two other company VPs and their wives. But Aiden’s ease didn’t falter. He enjoyed it. All of it. And April saw first-hand why he’d felt so confident that he had the power to mend the rift with her parents.
Aiden wasn’t just her father’s right hand man. Aiden was Andrew’s replacement, receiving all the rewards of a first-born son. And just as he’d promised, Aiden had pulled her up to his position—a pedestal high enough that she had no choice but to appreciate the difference in view.
A pound began in her temples and grew louder as she eased away from the wall. It stopped, then beat again, only a different tempo and with more volume. The vibrations pulsed against the wall and she realized with shock it was coming from her neighbor—a man who only frequented the place during football season.
And while she was certainly not the foremost authority on sports, she’d been engaged to Sean long enough to know football games were not played in May.
Her allotted patience gone for the day, she stormed through her living room, the music growing louder with each step.
“Unacceptable,” she hissed through clenched teeth. They did not pay thousands a year in condo fees to feel like a freshman in a coed dorm.
The shrill of an electric guitar solo pierced her eardrum as she pounded the side of her fist on her neighbor’s door. Not once, but five times before the music came to a screeching halt.
The knob turned and April crossed her arms, her temper a fire around her, and waited. Then all the fiery words ready in her throat fizzled into vapor as she stared at the bare chest of the one man she never thought she’d see standing in her neighbor’s doorway, his skin gleaming like he’d just come from a long run.
“What are you…” A flood of adrenaline made the question die in her throat. She prayed for it to be a hallucination, but the image was far too real. Sean Taylor was living next door to her, and good night, the man certainly had
n’t softened in their time apart.
He lifted his forearm to the side of the doorframe and stared down at her like a present he couldn’t wait to unwrap. “Normally I’d expect cookies as a house warming gift, but I’d take you over chocolate any day.”
She wouldn’t ask how it happened, that much was obvious. Mr. Trapp could now be counted among the many rushing to the side of Team Sean.
“Did you need something?” His tone was mocking and far too smug for this little surprise to be anything but intentional.
She drew her eyes away from his naked torso and focused them upward, annoyance allowing her to reclaim her voice. “Can you please lower your music to an acceptable level? In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t a frat house.”
That infernal, cocky smile split his face. “You look like a caged tiger, Jelly Bean. Let me guess, you spent the weekend with my future in-laws?”
“Where I choose to spend my weekend is none of your business.”
“Your responses are showing a lack of originality. But then again, we both know that’s also a by-product of Duncanland.” He dropped his arm, only to cross them against his chest a beat later. “So tell me, how did you get dear ole dad to pass along the golden ticket? I thought you two weren’t speaking.” His tone had turned resentful, and April felt an unwelcome remorse edge out the earlier fury.
“We weren’t, thanks to you, but they were feeling benevolent this weekend.” She could tell him the truth; that she’d gone there as Aiden’s date, and her parents were so over the moon about it, they’d offered immunity. She knew it would hurt him, more importantly, it would send a very loud message that she’d moved on. Yet somehow, the words wouldn’t come. “I guess enough time has passed.”
His eyes flared. “You mean they felt you’d been sufficiently punished.” He didn’t add that she’d done the same to him. Detach, disconnect, wound with silence.
She lifted her shoulder with feigned indifference. “It is the Duncan way.”
The Truth Between Us Page 11
