At home, Aiden informs everyone that I had a busy day at work and we are going to bed early. We say our goodnights and head up to our room. Going directly into the bathroom, I sit on the floor and start to cry. Aiden sits in front of me, pulls me onto his lap, and begins to run his fingers through my hair, hushing me all the while. He rocks us back and forth, slowly repeating, “I’ve got you, baby. It’s going to be okay. I’ve got you.”
He cradles me a while longer until the sobs ease.
“How did this happen? How did we get to this point? It’s all my fault. I—we need to help him.” Moving the hair away from my face, he slips his fingers under my chin and lifts it.
“Alexis, none of this is your fault. You didn’t do anything maliciously to get him to fall in love with you. Going to see him would send the wrong signal. I will go and talk to him. They weren’t going to arrest him—he was getting admitted into the hospital.”
I blink at him. “They were?”
“Yes, I told them he was sick and he was not himself.”
“You said that?”
“Does that surprise you?” When I don’t say a word, he chuckles. “I surprise myself sometimes too.”
I throw my arms around him again. “Thank you, thank you, Aiden.”
“Just so we are clear, I am going alone. You are not to go anywhere near him. Is that understood?”
I nod, then pull back. “This is just another reason why I love you so much.”
With me still in his arms, he stands and walks us over to the bed. After laying me down, he goes through the dresser drawers and pulls out one of his t-shirts. He helps me out of my dress and into his shirt, then pulls the covers over me and turns off the lamp by the bed. He kisses me on the forehead. “Try to go to sleep. It’s been a long day for you. I am going to take care of some things in the office, but I won’t be long. Ti amo.”
As he closes the door, I turn on my side, fluff the pillows, and try fruitlessly to fall asleep. I keep picturing Chris throwing the chair at the window and attempting to jump. Oh god, if he succeeded, I don’t know how I could have handled that. I start to pray. “Please God, take care of Chris. Don’t let him hurt himself. Make him see that there is so much in life to live for. God, thank you for helping Aiden see that Chris needs help.” Shortly after, I doze off.
***
The alarm goes off. Startled, I quickly dismiss it. Aiden is asleep beside me. I don’t even remember him getting in bed. Quietly I go into the bathroom, close the door, and take a quick shower. I tiptoe into my closet and get ready for work. As I’m opening the door to leave—
“You weren’t going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?”
I turn to see him leaning his head on his elbow. I walk back to the bed with a smile. “You looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Baby, you can wake me up any time of day or night.” He grabs me and pulls me down on the bed. As he tenderly kisses me, I open my lips and let his tongue sweep in. The kiss ignites the passion in us. A yearning to be as close as possible overcomes me. He is in that state of fire that I love.
As he crushes me against his own body, his lips touch mine. The kisses start traveling down my neck to my breast. “Let’s get you out of this dress.”
He unzips my dress and slides it down. He wastes no time in discarding the garment, tossing it to the floor. He lies on me, positioning himself between my legs. The heat between us as always is intense. I throw my head back with a moan, and within seconds I’m on the edge. My legs are trembling, my toes curling with the thrill that shoots through my entire body.
It’s as if the earth is melting away below me and time is standing still in this moment. “Baby. I hunger for you, Alexis, for your taste. You have intoxicated me.”
“Oh god, yes, Aiden. Don’t stop.” He is driving into me harder. The sounds of our bodies crashing into one another is like music to my ears, along with our heavy breathing pushing through us.
The feel of his skin against mine, the smell of him. He has become my physical necessity. He has become my lifeline, and I have become his. We stir the deepest, darkest desires within each other. We have both suffered and that bond we now share has made us soulmates who will weather any storm life throws at us. He places his hands in mine, bringing them up and laying them on the pillow on each side of my head. He raises his head, looking directly into my soul through hooded eyes. “Ti amo, amore mio.” A few more thrusts and our bodies are spilling into each other as one. We have become one.
“Aiden, ti amo.” He rests his head on my breast, still not letting go of my hands. We lie not moving or saying a word, trying to get air back into our lungs.
“Don’t go to work today. Stay home with me, with the family.”
“Aiden, I have to go to work. Michael isn’t going to be patient with me forever. Eventually he’s going to start to question if I want to work there anymore.”
He raises his head. “So why don’t you just quit already? There is no need for you to work anymore.”
Sliding out from under him, and off the bed, I go into the bathroom. “I know that I don’t need to work, but I want to. I need to feel independent. I can’t just stay home and do nothing.”
He walks into the bathroom behind me and turns on the water. “You wouldn’t just stay home. You could come to my photo shoots with me, help Brandy to manage me. You could be my manager.”
I can’t even respond with words right now. The expression on my face has to just say it all. I’m shocked, although with my husband, I shouldn’t be anymore. Standing there, blinking with my mouth open, I place both hands on his hips.
“What, are you that surprised that I want you working with me? That I want my wife to be at my side?”
Looking at him standing there completely nude, I have to snap myself out of thinking about those lips and what they do to my core. “Um, I can’t talk to you like this.” I move around him to get into the shower, where I quickly wash my body, trying not to look at him. “We can talk about this when I get home tonight.”
I step out of the shower while he is still rinsing off the suds. I dress in something fresh, since what I had on before got wrinkled. Aiden walks into the bedroom with a towel hanging low around his waist. Beads of water slide down his torso. He’s drying his hair with another towel.
I walk over and kiss him. “Are you going to see Chris today?” I can see the hesitation, as if he is trying to find the right words.
“Alexis, I will definitely go talk to him today. I don’t know what I’ll say yet or how he will react to me. I’m doing this for you, because I love you, but don’t expect a miracle.”
I place my hand on his cheek. “I don’t expect a miracle, sweetheart, I just…To be honest, I don’t know what to expect at this point. I just know that he is hurting, and it’s my fault.” At the door, I turn back around. “Aiden, you know that you are my whole life. I love you all the way around the world and back again.”
***
Kathy seems surprised to see me stepping out of the elevator. I give her a smile as I walk to my office. “Good morning, Kathy.”
“Um, good morning, Alexis.”
After putting my things away in my desk, I sit and turn on my computer. My phone buzzes, Michael calling me into his office. I get the sinking feeling that Aiden just might get his wish of me not working here anymore. I know in the few short months that I have worked here, I have been an asset to this company, bringing in some valuable contracts, but I’ve also been at the core of so much drama. Michael has been such a great boss, way more understanding then most would have been. I just don’t know how much more he will take before telling me it’s too much. The walk to his office is short. The whole time I’m crossing my fingers and praying that I don’t get fired.
The door is open. I knock on the frame.
“Come in, and please close the door.”
Standing at the front of his desk, I say, “Good morning, Michael. Please may I say something before you fire me?”
Taking off his glasses and setting them down, he pushes the keyboard away slightly. Then he crosses his arms over his chest and leans back into his chair. “I’m listening.”
Studying his face, I’m trying to read what he’s thinking or feeling. After a few minutes, he says, “Alexis, were you going to talk or just stand there?”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I know that you’re probably upset with me. The way things have played out, I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am about it all. I have truly enjoyed working here for you. Everyone here has been very welcoming. I know that any other boss would have let me go a long time ago. You have been so patient with the whole situation. I really hope you give me just one more chance. I’d like to prove to you that I can perform my duties without any further complications.” I sit there, looking between him and everything else, tucking my hands under my legs so I don’t seem so nervous. I have a tendency to fidget when I’m waiting for an answer.
No words are coming from him. He tilts his head to one side, then the other. The wait is killing me.
Finally, he gets up and walks around to the front of his desk. Taking the chair beside me, he turns it to face me and sits. “I have always tried to run a very professional environment here. I want the clientele to know that we have their best interests in mind when it comes to representing them. I expect everyone who works for me to have the same goal.” I open my mouth to speak, but he holds up a hand to signal me that he is still talking. “Aiden is my biggest client. He is in high demand, and there’s no sign of him slowing down at all. Every brand wants him to represent them in commercials, in magazines, even in music videos. Chris isn’t as big, but with the right marketing, he will get there. I need the both of them to be happy with our company.”
He seems to be trying to find the right words to go on. He rises from the chair and walks to the table by the window, where he pours a glass of water. “Would you like some?” I simply shake my head no. “What happened yesterday could have been so much worse. I’m not happy with what happened. I am grateful that it didn’t end in tragedy. Chris is an extremely talented musician. I do not want to lose him as a client. We need to get him the help he needs right now. He needs to come to grips with the realization that you are marrying Aiden—or should I say, marrying him again in a formal wedding. I don’t think that with you here at the office every day he’ll be able to move on. He needs time.”
He sips the water and continues. “Luckily for us, you’ll be going to Italy next week to start the process of getting everything together for the big event. Then you’ll be on a month-long honeymoon. In other words, you’ll be gone for a long time. Which is what he needs, time, and distance will also be a good thing. My hope is that by the time you come back, he’ll be in a better frame of mind. Of course, Julie will still and always be his point person.”
My inner self is smiling. Am I hearing him right? Is he saying I can come back? I walk over to him. “Michael, are you saying I’m not fired?”
“That is exactly what I am saying. Now, do not make me regret this decision. As much as I value your input here and having Aiden as a client, I don’t want or need any more drama here. If this company is to keep growing and bringing in new business, I need people to know that we are a reputable and respected organization. Am I making myself clear?”
I nod. “Crystal clear. Thank you for the chance. You will not regret it.”
***
As I get back to my desk, I breathe a sigh of relief. Okay, okay, I didn’t tell him that we’ve changed our plans about going with the rest of the family to Italy. That we’ve decided to stay here until the beginning of the year. Given everything that just happened, and being grateful for the second chance, I’ll just tell Aiden that we should leave when his family does after all. I’m sure it’ll make him happy.
I call my husband to let him in on everything that was said. I tell him in no uncertain terms that we cannot let things get out of hand ever again. I ask him to be kind when he goes to see Chris. To remember that he is the one I’m spending the rest of my life with. “Please take into consideration what Chris is dealing with and how he must feel.”
“Unfortunately, I know all too well what he is going through.”
Ending the call, I sit back and remember all the texts and voicemails that Aiden had sent me when I left him in Paris. That was the longest plane ride of my life, and the most agonizingly heart-wrenching one ever. But it seems like a lifetime ago. Now I’m married to the man of my dreams. I am happier than I’ve been in a long time. It all feels so surreal.
***
On my last day of work, as I walk in, it’s the same routine as always. I greet Kathy, walk to my desk, and put my things away. I poke my head in Michael’s office to see if I can get him a cup of coffee.
“Good morning, Alexis. Yes, I’ll take a second cup, thank you.”
In the break room, I pour the coffee. Taking a sip of mine, I look around. A hundred things are going through my mind. This is my last day of work for a long time. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, then Monday we leave for Tuscany.
I had another appointment with Renata yesterday after work. She wanted to make sure to show me the final drawing for my dress. This was the dress that I had designed with Mom years ago. Okay, I’m no artist and neither was Mom, but we both had very specific ideas of what we wanted my wedding dress to look like. Renata made our visions a reality. I can’t wait for Aiden and everyone else to see me in it.
After taking Michael his cup and going back to my office, I take care of some last-minute details on different contracts. I make sure that Julie has Lisa’s files and that she knows of the new photo shoot for the posters in front of the club where she’s playing.
Kathy buzzes me. “Yes?”
“Alexis, the pizza you ordered is in the break room.”
Before I can say a word, she hangs up. I stare at the phone. What?
I go to the front lobby, saying, “Kathy, I didn’t…” There is no one in sight. As I walk down the hall, all the offices are empty. I enter the break room. “Where is—”
Everybody yells at the same time, “Surprise!”
They had all gotten together and planned a going away party. The center table is covered with Mexican food. Two banners hang across the wall, one saying, “You’ll be missed.” The other says, “Congratulations on your nuptials.” On the counter by the sink and microwave oven, there are cups for the tea and bottles of water.
Julie says, “We know that you’ll be eating a lot of Italian food over there. We figured you would prefer this at least one last time.”
After we eat, Kathy starts yelling, “Speech, speech!” I stand up, looking at all the friendly faces. I make my speech by thanking each person.
“I can’t begin to say how much this means to me. I look forward to seeing the people that can go to the wedding.”