Chapter Thirteen
Lucian
Aidan has been officially on leave for almost a month. He generally checks in via email weekly so I’m surprised to see his name on my cell phone display. My stomach drops when he doesn’t bother with pleasantries.
“Luc, something’s happened here today. I need to see you.”
It’s after six in the evening and I’m walking out of the office. Sam is waiting at the curb in the Mercedes. I acknowledge him with a nod when I slide into the backseat. “What’s going on? Has something happened to Cassie?” I keep my mind carefully blank. I want to offer my best friend the support he so obviously needs.
“She’s fine…but this does concern her. Listen, I’m on the road now. I’ll be in the city shortly. Are you going to be home?”
I don’t pursue the subject, not wanting to upset him while he’s driving. “Yes, come straight there.” He ends the call abruptly and I sit staring at the screen before putting it away. “There’s a problem with Cassie,” I say to Sam, knowing he can sense my tension.
“Any ideas as to what?” he asks while continuing toward my apartment.
“None. Aidan’s rattled though.”
“Maybe she’s taken a turn for the worse,” Sam suggests.
“He said that she’s fine, but this is something to do with her. Hell, she’s probably living with him by now.”
I notice Sam’s scowl in the rearview mirror and comprehend he’s no more excited by that thought than I am. It’s Aidan’s life and I can’t ask him to walk away from her, but at the same time, I need to keep her where she belongs—in the past. I’m not looking forward to more discussions concerning her, although I’m curious and more than a bit uneasy about what has him so agitated. It seems my life follows a predictable pattern, though. One month of peace and then some big upheaval.
“I don’t really like him being up there at her mercy,” Sam finally says. “She always knew how to get to him and I can’t believe it’s changed any.”
“I know.” I sigh. “But it’s his decision. We can only try to help him pick up the pieces again if something happens. He’s done that for me more than once so I certainly owe him that.”
We arrive at the apartment and I open my door to get out of the car. “Can you let me know later that Aidan is okay?” Sam asks.
I lean in to clasp him briefly on the shoulder. “Of course. Enjoy your evening.” I grimace as I walk away, thinking he’ll no doubt be doing just that with my secretary. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that idea. It’s too much like thinking of your parents having sex.
Lia is already yawning when I walk in the door. “Hey, baby.” I smile as she walks slowly toward me. One of my T-shirts drapes over her very swollen stomach to reach mid-thigh. Her feet are bare and I see the pink polish on her toes that I applied a few days ago when she was unable to do it herself. I chuckle when I notice she’s tied her hair up in the elastic she’d removed from my underwear months ago—at least I hope she hasn’t taken the scissors to another pair. No matter how many ponytail holders I buy for her, she still prefers her homemade version. Her quirkiness is just one of many things I adore about her. She walks into my arms and I inhale the floral scent of her hair as I nuzzle her neck.
“Hey, babe.” She snuggles against me as closely as her stomach will allow. “Are you hungry? I had a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches and some soup when I got home so I’m still full.” She yawns again and I rub her back soothingly. “I thought I would lie down just for a few minutes. Do you mind?”
“Of course not,” I assure her. “Actually, Aidan is coming by to talk. Maybe I’ll just meet him downstairs and we can grab something for dinner while we chat. That way we won’t disturb your sleep. Want me to bring you back something?”
She pulls back and I drop a kiss on her mouth. “That sounds good. Promise to wake me when you get back? I’ve missed you today and want to spend some time together before bedtime.”
Aidan’s call has me distracted, but I put it aside to give her my attention. “I missed you, too. How about I tuck you in before I leave?” Her eyes dance and she gives me a big smile. She’s so easily excited about the small things in life, unlike the women I’ve dated over the years. They had lived for the exclusive parties and the right people seeing them. Lia prefers to stay home and snuggle on the couch or have a quiet dinner at Leo’s. She has no interest in her social status and such things have never interested me, either.
I pull back the comforter, pick her up, and gently deposit her onto the sheets before covering her. My hand goes automatically to the swell of our child and I caress her softly. “The baby has been really hyper today,” she says drowsily. “Even Rose felt her kicking, which thrilled her to no end. She announced it to everyone in Starbucks.”
Sitting next to her, I stroke her hair until she falls asleep just moments later. Being pregnant has forced her to sleep on her back, which causes her to snore. It always surprises me that someone so small can make so much noise. She’s offered to sleep on the sofa for fear of disturbing my rest, but there’s no way I can go back to sleeping alone. Holding her in my arms at night is the only true peace I’ve ever known. If that means I have to listen to her raise the roof with the level of her snoring, then so be it.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I quietly get to my feet and leave the bedroom before pulling it out. Aidan says he’s in the lobby and I ask him to wait for me there. I check on Lia one last time then quickly lock up and take the elevator down to see my friend. He’s waiting for me when the doors open and I’m taken aback by his appearance. We give each other the standard one-arm hug and decide to go to the bar on the corner. We keep the conversation light on the way over, mainly discussing how the merger between the Kenson group and Quinn Software is coming along.
I order a beer and a cheeseburger when we reach the bar and he does the same. “So, what’s going on?” I ask when our food and drinks arrive.
He downs half of his in one swallow before nervously beginning to peel the label from the bottle. “What do you know about Cassie’s family? I mean, besides her father, have you ever heard her mention anyone else…like her mother?”
I pause with my bottle halfway to my mouth as I stare at him in surprise. Somehow, I wasn’t expecting this question. I sit my drink back on the table and say, “Her mother’s dead. Or at least that’s what I was told. To my knowledge, there is no one else. If there is, she never said anything about it. Why?” I ask, beyond curious now.
He gives me a look that has me bracing. “Her mother didn’t actually die until two years ago. Up until that time, she was alive, well, and living in Charlotte. Just two hours from her daughter and ex-husband.”
I gape at him, unable to believe what I’m hearing. “But…why wouldn’t Cassie have simply said they were divorced. I mean, I don’t recall her ever saying how she’d died, but she always said something about them losing her when she was young. I assumed that meant she was dead.”
“It’s possible she was too little to remember anything other than what her father told her. Who in the hell knows? If she packed her bags and took off, he might have thought it was kinder to pretend there was a reason why she left her daughter behind.” Aidan shrugs as if trying to make sense of it. He comes from the standard two-parent household so he’s never had to deal with abandonment issues concerning his family. Unfortunately, not all of us are that fortunate. My parents died in a car accident when I was young, so they didn’t voluntarily leave me, but it happened all the same.
Puzzled, I ask, “Did Cassie remember this or something?” Maybe she’s no longer capable of hiding behind the lies she used to throw around so well.
He pulls a set of folded papers from his pocket and lays them on the table in front of me. “I was served with these today while I was visiting Cassie. That’s your copy. I figured you might want Max to look over them as well.” I open them just as he says, “Someone has petitioned the court to be named as Cassie’s guardian and have me removed.”
“What the fuck?” I inhale sharply as his words sink in. “If her mother’s actually dead this time, then who—”
“Someone named April Chester. According to what that says, she’s the next of kin.”
I flip through the papers, noting that an emergency court date has been set for next week. “This makes no sense to me,” I snap before trying to rein in my temper. Aidan isn’t the enemy here. I just don’t like these kinds of surprises. “Where has this family member been all these years while I’ve been picking up the tab for their loved one’s care? And how could this woman be the next of kin? I would think that would still be her father.”
“I have no fucking clue.” Aidan sighs as he signals the waitress for another beer. At this point, we both probably need something a lot stronger. “Like you, I never had an inkling Cassie had any family other than her mostly absent father. This floored me. I tried to talk to her about it today but didn’t get anywhere.”
“Is she well enough that she could tell you something like that?” Hell, I’ve already been surprised one time today. At this point, if Aidan tells me Cassie is now singing show tunes and knitting sweaters, I don’t think it would shock me much.
He smiles for the first time tonight, looking happy for a moment. “You wouldn’t believe how far she’s come, Luc. She still has a lot of gaps in her memory, but we actually have rational conversations now. She remembers things that happened when we were children. Her doctors are blown away at her progress. I don’t think anyone ever imagined it happening. Even the makers of the experimental medication are floored by her progress.”
“Does she remember…that night?” I ask, unable to stop myself. I put it down to some kind of morbid fascination.
He’s clearly uncomfortable now, choosing his words carefully. “I don’t believe so. She has asked about you. She also remembers meeting Lia. I…um told her that Lia was your girlfriend now. I’m sorry, I should have cleared that with you first, I know. I wanted to see her reaction to it.”
“And what was it?” Fuck, why do I keep asking questions that I likely don’t want the answer to?
“She said, ‘That’s good, I’m glad he’s happy.’”
I look at him incredulously as I try to process this information. “That sounds nothing at all like Cassie. Even if we hadn’t been involved, she never liked any girl who either of us talked to.”
“I know, trust me, I remember, which is why I was curious. That’s the thing about her now. She seems to be the best version of herself. We don’t talk for hours every day or anything because she’s still confused about a lot, but when we do, she’s…sweet. Not once has she said anything mean or snide about anyone. Other than her appearance, it’s almost as if she’s not the same person. When I mentioned it to her doctor, he said it wasn’t uncommon for a traumatic experience to change someone drastically. Some may turn into worse versions of their former selves and some may go in the opposite direction as Cassie seems to have.”
Call me cynical, but I still have a hard time buying into the fact that she’s Mother Theresa now. Maybe I could have had I not lived with her for so many months with my blinders removed. In the beginning, she’d at least attempted to keep up appearances that she was a loving girlfriend, except for occasional slips. Those last months though, she didn’t bother hiding it at all. If she was angry, then you fucking knew it. If you didn’t pick up on it fast enough, she’d damn sure get it across by any means possible. If that meant slapping, or even biting, then so be it. She knew I’d never hit a woman, no matter how close to the edge she pushed me. “That’s…interesting,” I hesitantly reply. “What exactly was her reaction when you asked her about her family? It sounds as if she’s well enough to know if she has anyone besides her father.”
“I asked her if there was someone besides her dad she might want to see. I didn’t want to upset her by telling her too much. She kind of laughed and said that even her father didn’t care what happened to her so why would anyone else?”
I had to think that she possibly had a point there. The man had taken off years ago and, to my knowledge, had never looked back. “Did you mention her mother? That seems like a good place to start.”
He rubs his eyes before shaking his head. “I was afraid to. If she hasn’t mentioned her all these years, I didn’t want to be the one to send her into some kind of tailspin. I thought it best to see what Max could dig up and go from there. If all else fails, I’ll go to court and find out then. No use unleashing something if it can be avoided.”
“We’ll go to court,” I add absently as my mind spins. “I’ll have Max begin looking into this immediately. I’ll also have him contact the investigator who looked into Lia. Maybe we can track down this mystery person before the court date. I’m damn curious as to who it is.”
Aidan nods. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve had more drama than I can handle. This is a real bad time to be fucking with me.”
“I’m right there with you,” I agree, as I take a bite of my now-cold food. My hunger forces me to continue eating even though it tastes about as appealing as a pile of woodchips. “I’m ready to take Lia and move away to another country where no one knows us.”
Aidan grimaces as he eats a bite of his burger. “This tastes like shit,” he grumbles, but like me, keeps eating. “So,” he says as he takes another sip of beer, “when are you going to make an honest woman out of Lia? You’ve already knocked her up, so let’s hear some wedding bells.”
Instead of panicking, I grin. “Why does everyone keep asking that? Even Cindy has taken to calling Lia my wife. Unless she’s had a sudden memory lapse, she’s trying to tell me something.”
“You bet your ass she is. You’re probably going to show up at the office one day and Cindy will have Lia standing there in a white gown and a justice of the peace ready to perform a certain ceremony. If you don’t propose to your woman soon, Cindy may just beat you with her keyboard until you do.” Aidan laughs. “Seriously though, Lia is amazing. If I had a woman like that, I’d never let her out of my sight.”
“She’s perfect,” I agree without hesitation. I pause as I debate telling him my reason for not proposing to her yet, then remind myself that he’s my brother in all ways that matter. I can talk to him about anything—even this. “I guess I’m just afraid of repeating my past mistakes. When Cassie got pregnant, I popped the question, thinking it was expected of me. In hindsight, things went completely to hell after that. I know that my proposal didn’t cause what happened, but the similarities are enough to freak me out a bit.”
Aidan doesn’t tell me that I’m crazy or laugh at my fears. He simply says, “You don’t want history to repeat itself. I get that. I believe anyone who went through what you did would feel that way. Even when Cassie was on her best behavior, Lia is about as different as night and day from her. But you don’t have to be married to have a baby together.” Wiggling his brows, he adds, “I think you two already proved that.”
“Smartass.” I roll my eyes. “Her father has already put me on the spot in front of Lia about it.”
Aidan gives me a disgusted look. “You’re kidding? The man didn’t even know he had a daughter until a few months ago and he’s giving you shit? I have to give it to him, though. He has some big balls on him. I hope you told him to fuck off.”
“I’m sure that would have looked really good to Lia. Cussing her father out for daring to suggest I marry her. I don’t know…do you think that would have offended her?”
Aidan throws his hands up in surrender. “Don’t ask me. I’ve offended more than my fair share of women through the years. I’m the last person who is qualified to give advice on the fairer sex.”
Before I can answer, my phone rings. My heart feels lighter and I can’t help but smile. “Everything okay, baby?”
“I’m fine,” she says with a hint of amusement in her voice. She thinks I’m overprotective, but I don’t care. She’s my world, and if she doesn’t know that, then I’m not doing something right. Maybe like asking her to marry you, asshole? Great, even my subconscious thinks I’m dragging my feet. “Just a little hungry…”
I chuckle, thinking if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that in the last few months, I’d be an even richer man. I know it’s bad, but I can’t help teasing her. “Really? I thought we just had a grocery delivery yesterday.”
“Yeah…we did. I guess I could find something. Maybe another sandwich.” I hear the disappointment in her voice and imagine that plump lower lip sticking out in frustration. My cock stirs to attention, which isn’t ideal with Aidan staring me down from across the table.
“All right. Good. I’ll be home when I’ve finished my cheeseburger.”
“Cheeseburger?” she parrots and I can literally hear her lips smacking. She’s had a real craving for red meat since being pregnant, which isn’t that healthy. I try to ply her with fresh fruits and vegetables in between to hopefully make up for it. “That sounds really good. Does it have pickles on it?”
“Mmm hmm, it does. It’s messy, though. You know the kind that gets all over your hands when you’re trying to eat it?” Aidan’s mouth looks like it’s in danger of dropping to the table. I can only imagine what he thinks we’re talking about. Probably not food at this point. Hell, I’m not even sure anymore. Lia’s groan over a burger has my cock hard as granite. It’s time to end her torture—and mine. “How about I bring you one home?”
“Really?” She sounds like a kid at Christmas. “You don’t have to, but I’d love you forever if you did,” she adds quickly.
I laugh at her obvious delight over something so small. I can’t resist screwing with Aidan one last time before I end the call. “If that’s all it takes, baby, I’ll keep you supplied with as much meat as you can handle.” Lia starts giggling at the same time as Aidan chokes on his beer. If nothing else, I’ve provided the comic relief for the evening. After Aidan’s startling revelation, it was much needed.
When I end the call, Aidan shakes his head. “I don’t even want to know.”
“No, you really don’t,” I smirk as I wave our waitress over to place Lia’s order. Serious again, I tell Aidan resolutely, “Don’t worry about anything; we’ll get to the bottom of it. I’ll call you when Max knows something.” Walking out the door with Aidan a few minutes later, I shake my head wondering to myself why all roads seem to lead to Cassie. I just hope to God that pattern changes sometime soon because I won’t let her or anything jeopardize my future with Lia. I will keep the woman I love and my child safe this time—no matter what it takes.