Chapter Nine
AIDEN
It had been exactly ten days since Emily showed up at the arena, and not a day had gone by when she didn’t dominate my thoughts. Before I knew her name, I couldn’t get her out of my mind, and now that I knew she was caring my child, it was unreal how much she was on my mind. Everything seemed to remind me of her, and our, situation.
I’d set a deadline for me to contact her because in the back of my mind I knew I could keep pushing it off forever. It was so unexpected, but I kept reminding myself that it must have been the same, if not more startling, for her. Hell, she’d never even had sex before.
In a way, I wanted to be the only person she would ever have sex with, but I knew I didn’t deserve her. I guess I knew that she deserved better than me. She was so innocent and beautiful, I didn’t want to ruin or disappoint her in any way. She seemed like the type of girl to expect a fairy tale, and I was anything but. At the same time, I did want to be a part of her life. I wanted to raise our child together if she’d be open to that.
The look in her eyes when she left my penthouse made it clear that she did want it, and that she was humiliated by my need for time, but that look is exactly why I was apprehensive about the whole thing. I knew she’d constantly be let down and disenchanted by me. It hurt more than I could bear to see her hurt, especially knowing I was the culprit. I would do anything to avoid seeing that again, even if it meant depriving myself of the only woman I’d ever wanted.
Wanted was actually too weak of a word to describe what I felt for Emily. I craved her. I thirst for her.
Every night I turned over wishing she were there. The thought of waking up to her every morning instantly made my cock hard. I don’t feel like I’d ever need another woman, but I can’t help but wonder if that will fade and I don’t want to figure out and end up breaking her heart.
I debated just calling to let her know how I was feeling, but I decided she at least deserved to hear it in person. Besides, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see her.
I wanted to plan a date. It was something I’d never done before, but I knew she was worth it. After days of pulling up her contact info in my iPhone, I finally found the guts to call, instantly hoping she didn’t answer.
“Hello?” She answered on the second ring, and I immediately began pacing throughout my living room.
“Hi, Emily. It’s Aiden,” I clenched my eyes closed, feeling like an idiot. Of course, she knows it's you. You saved the number on her phone!
“Yeah, I know. How are you?” She asked, her voice was even sweeter over the phone. I could hear the innocence in her tone.
“I want to see you.” I blurted out like a moron. Running my fingers through my hair, I tried forcing myself to pull it together.
“Oh. Okay. Uh, when?”
“Are you free tonight?” I asked, wondering why I didn’t call in advance, so it didn’t seem so last minute.
“Umm, yeah tonight is fine,” she said casually, but I could hear her moving around. I wondered what she was doing. Did she have company? The thought of her with another man brought on a rush of jealousy.
“Are you alone?” I asked, against all of my common sense. Not only was it none of my business, but I didn’t want to know if she was with anyone.
“I’m at Mariah’s… My best friend? I think I told you about her,” she seemed nervous like I could have possibly forgotten anything she’d said to me.
“Yeah, the hockey fan,” I chuckled, finally relaxing a bit. Something about her made me nervous in a way no other woman ever had.
“Yeah, that’s right,” she was smiling. I could hear it in her voice. Maybe I’d impressed her with my memory. The possibility thrilled me.
“So, tonight?” I asked, getting back to the reason I’d called.
“Right. Tonight. Do you want me to meet you somewhere?” She volunteered. I couldn’t believe how kind she was. Any other time I’d met a woman they wanted me to do everything, and here was an insanely beautiful woman offering to meet me halfway.
“No, I’ll pick you up… Is that okay?” I quickly added, realizing that she may not want to be in the same car with me after the way I’d left things the last time.
“Yes! I mean, if you want to,” She exclaimed eagerly before trying to downplay it. I could tell that she wanted to see me as bad as I wanted to see her.
“Okay, I’ll pick you up at nine,” I smirked, already planning the night out in my mind.
“Could we do eight instead, please? I get tired really early now, and I don’t want to fall asleep on you,” she countered, and from her tone, I could tell she was a little embarrassed.
“How about we do seven, just to be safe,” I teased, hoping she would appreciate my flexibility.
“Oh my god! That’s perfect!” She agreed excitedly.
“Okay, text me your address, and I’ll see you soon,” I requested before ending the call.
I continued pacing as I called my assistant Jessica to set up the date. I knew I wanted to take her to a nice restaurant, somewhere quiet so that we could talk. Luckily, Jessica knew just the right place and would make all of the arrangements. She suggested I get a bouquet of roses and then decided she would send them directly to me, after questioning if I would remember.
Afterward, I called the concierge of my building to make sure my driver was ready before deciding that I wanted to drive instead. I didn’t want to show up in a chauffeured car, it seemed too pretentious. She’d made a joke about Josh’s Lamborghini, so I made a point not to drive mine. Instead, I chose to drive my black Porsche 911, Carrera.
I spent the rest of the time preparing for our night out. I had my barber come to the penthouse, and I chose an outfit from the rack of options my stylist picked out for me. I wore a black Tom Ford suit with a slightly lighter black button down shirt underneath. I left the top two buttons undone rather than dressed in a tie and paired it with my favorite black and gold Audemars Piguet wristwatch.
I stared in the mirror critiquing my appearance for twenty minutes before leaving to pick Emily up. My heart was beating out of my chest while I waited for her to come down from her building. When she finally walked through the glass doors of her condo lobby, I felt all the breath escape me as I jumped out to open her door for her. She was wearing a sleek black sheath dress with matching stilettos that made her calves look amazing.
“Hi,” she said nervously, before awkwardly extending her hand while I opened my arms to hug her. She promptly readjusted and gave me the friendliest hug I’ve ever received from a woman I’d slept with.
I opened the car door and helped her in before taking a deep breath as I circled the car. Settling into my seat, I glanced over to Emily as she buckled her seatbelt. Her blonde hair was falling over her shoulder, and without thinking, I brushed it behind her ear. Suddenly I sensed the spark; the same spark I felt the first time I ever touched her at the fundraiser. Hoping to stay focused, I only smiled and buckled my own seatbelt before heading to the restaurant.
Jessica had reserved a table for us at the most popular restaurant in the city. When we arrived there was a line outside, as well as paparazzi, so I pulled around to the back entrance to avoid the hysteria.
“I’m just avoiding the chaos in the front,” I volunteered as I helped Emily out of the car, just in case she felt as if I were hiding her.
“Oh, it’s fine,” she flashed a genuine smile as if it didn’t matter to her either way.
I started to feel uneasy about her behavior. It was as if she had moved on from me, or given up on the possibility of us. She seemed to be at a business dinner, her feelings for me completely dissolved. Walking into the restaurant I considered if that could be a good thing since I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue a relationship, but as I led her to our table with my right hand rested on the small of her back, I knew I wanted more. Every man was looking her way, and I’m used to having eyes on me, so I know when I’m garnering the attention, but tonight it was all about Emily. I felt a territorial sense of pride desperately wanting her to be mine.
“Can I get you something to drink?” The waitress asked with seductive eyes trained on me, just as we settled into our seats. She was biting her lip and subtly pressing her chest forward, blatantly flirting with me. Looking over I could tell Emily noticed the boldness of our waitress, so I decided to acknowledge her.
“Whatever the beautiful lady wants,” I watched Emily try to hide her shock and bashfulness as she stumbled through ordering sparkling water for the two of us.
“I wasn’t expecting that. I was enjoying her fawning over you,” she joked once the waitress was out of earshot.
“She was rude. I didn’t like it,” I surveyed the room as I spoke, wondering if anyone would interrupt our date. Luckily I didn’t spot any women that looked familiar, so I doubted there would be any typical Aiden confrontations ruining our night.
“So how have you been?” She asked with her sweet smile that always made me smirk. She was adorable and sexy at the same time. Her perfect balance of class and sex appeal made me want to skip dinner and take her straight to my penthouse.
“I’ve been okay. I got the go ahead to get back on the ice, so I’m really excited about that. I’ve needed the stress reliever,” I shared my good news. The doctor had just recently cleared me for play, and I was ecstatic about the news. We had a short break before our next game, and I was counting down the days to get back to the rink.
“Oh! Congratulations! That’s so great. I’m glad you’re better,” she was genuinely happy for me, and her word choice didn’t go unnoticed. She was glad I was better, not glad I could play. The difference was subtle, but I picked up on it.
“Yeah,” I paused, unsure of the best way to transition to what I really wanted to talk about before resorting to my blunt approach and simply blurting out, “I can’t do this small talk.”
Emily smiled and nodded her head as if she felt the same before dropping her right hand to her stomach, “the elephant in the room,” she glanced at me, and her blue eyes twinkled in the dimly lit dining room.
“How are you?” I fidgeted in my seat, feeling like a dickhead for not asking her that the moment she got into the Porsche.
“Umm, I’ve been better,” she paused as the waitress sat our glasses down before requesting our orders.
I stared at Emily the entire time she placed her eggplant Parmesan order. She was radiant and overly polite, her smile seemed to put everyone at ease, even the nervous waitress who had embarrassed herself earlier in the evening. I was so caught up in watching her that I failed to hear the waitress when she requested my order.
“Oh… Uh, I’ll have the same,” I rushed my answer; sure I would hate the meal. I was more focused on Emily and her giggling at my mishap.
“So, about the, uh, baby,” I reminded Emily of where she’d left off before the waitress interrupted her.
“Right, the baby,” she again rubbed her belly, and I couldn’t ignore how she seemed to smile every time she touched our unborn child. She was already in love with the baby whether she knew it or not.
“It’s been difficult, ya know, but I’ve just been trying to deal with it as best as I can,” she reasoned with a smile that didn’t reach her beautiful eyes. It was a rare occurrence for her eyes not to glisten when she was happy or amused, so I knew there must be something she was holding back.
“You’ve been stressed?” I wondered, hoping to be wrong.
“Yeah,” she quietly admitted while looking away.
“Do you need money or something? Because you know that’s not a problem,” I leaned in and whispered. I could tell from the way her eyes squinted as my words hit her that I’d said the wrong thing.
“I said from the beginning I didn’t need your money, Aiden,” she bit out.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I just want to help. I don’t want you to be stressed, Emily,” I reasoned while gently placing my hand over hers. She took a deep breath, and I could feel the icy wall I’d created between us melt away.
“It’s just stressful… Planning to be a single mom. I never saw this for my life, so it’s a lot to take in. And now I can’t even use gymnastics as a stress reliever, so I’ve just had a stressful week,” she again looked away while talking. I couldn’t read the emotion on her face. Was she embarrassed? Or scared?
“Maybe you could keep using gymnastics until your belly grows,” I suggested.
“I thought so too, but I had a scare, so I’m definitely not doing that again,” she said while looking down at her belly.
“A scare? When? What happened?” I didn’t give her time to answer. My mind was racing. I didn’t realize I’d begun squeezing her hand until she placed her free hand on top of mine.
“It’s okay. I went to the doctor, nothing was wrong. The baby is healthy, but they definitely don’t like bouncing on the trampoline. Maybe they’ll be more of a skater,” she smirked, and I could feel the grin spread across my face thinking of our child following in my footsteps.
“So you went to the doctor?” I frowned realizing she’d had to deal with such a scary situation alone.
“Yeah, everything was okay though. Just a little cramping,” a shadow of a smile flashed across her face as she tried to calm my nerves.
“I don’t want you to worry about being a single mom, Emily. I have no intention of being a deadbeat dad. I want to see our son or daughter grow up,” I confided, noticing the gleam return to her eyes.
“I don’t want you to feel pressured. I know what you expected this to be,” she looked down, apparently ashamed, as she spoke the last sentence.
“I don’t think you do. I was shocked when you were gone the next morning. I felt something for you from the first night we spent together. I spent hours trying to find you online,” I confessed.
“I looked through every photo from the fundraiser I could find on Facebook,” she smiled, admitting her own interest.
“So why did you leave?” I finally asked what I’d been wondering since the morning I woke up alone in the hotel suite.
“I don’t know… I guess I thought you might wake up and not remember who I was or what we’d done…” she again looked down, speaking so quietly I had to lean in to hear her.
“I could never forget…” I whispered, and her eyes rapidly shot up to gaze into mine. I wanted to get lost in her eyes, and her beauty. Something about her felt like home to me, as if I’d known her for years. We remained locked in a deep gaze until we were again interrupted by the waitress, this time carrying our dinner.
The meal was pretty good considering there was no meat on the plate; Emily seemed to really love it.
“Are you vegetarian?” I inquired between bites.
“No, not usually, but I’ve read that a plant-based diet is best for the baby, so I’ve been depriving myself,” she giggled. I was so impressed by her dedication to doing what was best for our child, despite all the obstacles I’d created for her.
“You’re going to be a great mom,” I blurted out what was meant to be a private thought.
“Thanks, Aiden,” she beamed before adding, “I think you’ll be a great dad… in whatever capacity you choose.” She gave me an approving smile as if it truly were completely up to me. I couldn’t believe how kind she was towards me, while I felt like such a coward.
We finished our dinner with a bit of small talk before I asked for the bill. Emily jokingly asked if I’d like to go Dutch and I tried my best to see the humor in it while making it very clear that I’d never let her pay for anything around me. She seemed a little uncomfortable, but I didn’t falter; I’d rather she knew how serious it was to me.
After we both had decided against dessert, I retrieved my valet ticket and asked the waitress to inform us when the car was ready. Emily told me all about her student’s performance at a recent gymnastics meet before contemplating how she would manage to assist a local cheerleading squad as her belly continued to grow. She mentioned how they regularly traveled for competitions and I felt a ball of anxiety in my stomach.
I wanted to ask her to decline the job, but I felt like it wasn’t my place to do so. First, she tells me that gymnastics gave her a pregnancy scare, and then she admits to taking on more coaching? The idea of her having complications while she was on the road, away from me, really troubled me, but I felt it best to leave it alone for the moment. I was happy when the waitress returned to inform me the Porsche was ready. I welcomed the interruption of my thoughts.
We were walking towards the back entrance as I led Emily through the restaurant, my hand rested on the small of her back. Just as we went to exit the dining room, I noticed a server preparing to pass holding two large serving trays. He didn’t seem to see Emily, and fearing for a collision I placed my free hand on her midsection, causing her to halt straight away.
The server nodded in appreciation as he passed by us, but I owed him the gratitude. He’d given me a reason to be closer to Emily – close enough to inhale her rose scent as her soft blonde hair tickled my nose. She placed her hand over mine, and I realized I’d inadvertently reached for our unborn child.
We were locked in the embrace for so long that the waitress leading us through the restaurant actually cleared her throat to garner my attention. I gently kissed the top of Emily’s head before again placing my hand on the small of her back.
“Come on, sweetheart,” I instructed, shocking myself with the term of endearment. There was something about her that was so enticing and charming, but I still didn’t know if it were enough for us to have a healthy relationship. As we settled into the car, I decided it best to lay all of the cards on the table. I just hoped I wouldn’t hurt her feelings or leave her even more stressed than she already was.