Wednesday morning, bright and early, Aiden is there. We are waiting for the doctor to arrive and release me. I spoke to Michael on the phone yesterday afternoon to let him know what was going on. Of course, he was already aware of what was happening since I first arrived at the hospital. While I was being seen in the emergency room, my ever-loving husband called him. I’m beginning to think the only reason I haven’t been fired is because Michael wouldn’t want to lose Aiden as his client. I mean yes, I’m good at my job, but if I was my boss I would have fired me a long time ago. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful that he hasn’t. The man is a saint.
Aiden is on the phone with Brandy. He has a photo shoot coming up on Saturday morning for Givenchy for Gentlemen. Now on top of everything we have going on, the music video he promised to be in is also upon us. One Republic is releasing a new single as part of their upcoming North America tour. I have no idea what the song is, but I’m sure I’ll love it. There isn’t a song of theirs I don’t enjoy listening to. The bonus on this one is that my gorgeous husband will be in it.
It’s no wonder my head is hurting—too much to do and not enough time. A hundred thoughts are going through my mind as I lie here watching Aiden and waiting for the doctor.
I didn’t get the chance to talk to them about my dream—if that’s what it was, although it felt so real. I’m wondering about what’s in the letter that Chris left for me. I’m hoping Aiden didn’t find it in my briefcase since it stayed in the car, although he would have had to take it up to the apartment since I came here. I also have to meet my new in-laws in two days.
Just as Aiden’s getting off the phone, Dr. Shaw walks in. “Good morning, you two.” He stands at the foot of the bed to read the chart, studying it to see what kind of night I had. He looks up, smiles, and walks over to examine me. After listening to my heart, he checks my throat, my ears, and finally my eyes. “Alexis, how did you sleep last night? Any headaches or anything you felt out of the ordinary?”
“Honestly, except for being woken up when the nurses came in to take my temperature, I slept fine.”
“How do you feel right now? Any headaches at all, even the slightest?”
“No, not at all. I feel really good.”
Both men have their arms crossed over their chests. Dr. Shaw puts one hand on his chin and rubs it. “I literally have no explanation as to why you were in such agonizing pain just a couple of days ago, and now today, nothing, no pain at all. I’m dumbfounded. Do you feel like you can stand on your own? Would you please take a few steps for me to see if you get dizzy?”
Aiden comes to the other side of the bed to help me up. Dr. Shaw stops him. “I want her to get up on her own. I need to make sure that she doesn’t get lightheaded before I can release her.”
Sliding the sheet off, I put my feet on the floor and stand up. I take a few steps toward the door and back. “I feel completely fine. Not dizzy at all.”
With a deep sigh, he agrees to let me go home—on the condition that the moment I feel dizzy or think I’m about to faint, I let someone know. He gives me a prescription for ibuprofen in a stronger dosage just in case and sets up an appointment for another checkup at his office the following Monday. I’m relieved that I get to go home. I miss my shower and my bed. I miss having Aiden lying by me. Once we are given the all-clear paperwork, they bring the wheelchair in for me.
At the car, I see Anthony with the door open. We head for home. I lay my head on Aiden’s chest, hearing music play. The song is “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. We are both singing.
***
Once we come to a full stop in the garage, Aiden helps me out. I look up at him and smile. “I’m okay, sweetheart, really I am.”
“Alexis, just indulge me. A couple of days ago you were in a tremendous amount of pain. It’s only natural that I worry about you.”
I give in to him; I know if I don’t, he’ll just pick me up and carry me in. This way I walk in on my own two feet.
As soon as the elevator doors to the penthouse open up, the heavenly aroma of Ms. Miller’s cooking is upon us. Suddenly I’m famished. I didn’t eat the breakfast I was given this morning in the hospital. Entering the kitchen, I take a deep breath. “Whatever you made smells delicious.”
She comes and pulls me in for a hug. “Mrs. Steffan, I am so glad you are home.”
“Ms. Miller, please call me Lexie.”
Breaking the embrace, she cups my face in her hands. “Only if you call me Irene.”
We sit at the island and wait for her to bring our plates. I eat each bite, savoring the taste. She made a roast with baby carrots and baby red potatoes. Finishing our meal, I thank her for the amazing welcome home lunch. She is truly a great cook.
We head upstairs. Slipping off my shoes, I head for the bathroom. I give Aiden a smile and wink. “I’m going to take a shower—care to join me?”
Putting my overnight bag on the bed, he stares at me with that hungry look in his eyes. As he walks toward me, he unbuttons his shirt and lets it fall to the floor. With each step, another piece of clothing is left behind. By the time we step into the shower, the warm water is not what is heating our bodies.
We are wrapped up in our own cocoon. Our lips connect, our tongues dancing around each other. When we finally break the kiss, he lifts me up, and in a second, he enters me hard and fast. I moan and bite down on his shoulder. He growls and buries himself deeper. His strong arms around me pin me between him and the wall. I have both my arms around his neck, running my fingers through his hair.
His lips and tongue lick and suck on my neck. I feel his back tense up, the muscles in his chest tighten. He bites down on my lower lip. Goosebumps run down my arms, back, and legs. My nipples are hard. He lifts me up slightly higher to take one of my breasts in his mouth. He sucks even harder as we both moan with our own release.
As our breathing slowly returns to normal, he lowers me so my feet are touching the floor. I lean my forehead on his chest. He has his chin on the top of my head. After a few minutes, I look up at his face, into his eyes, his smile. “I love you, Aiden.”
He lifts my chin up and gently kisses me. “I love you, Alexis.”
We wash each other’s hair and body. After drying off, I slip on one of Aiden’s t-shirts. He goes into his closet, then walks out wearing a pair of sweatpants.
As I am blow drying my hair, he pokes his head in. “You need to get some rest. The bed is all made up for you to take a nap.”
I turn off the dryer and walk into the room, but give him a pouty look. “Are you going to lie down with me?”
“Baby, I wish I could, but I’ve got to go meet up with the publicist for One Republic about the video I’m going to be in.”
“What?”
Running to him, I jump in his arms, practically knocking him down. “Can I come, Aiden? Please let me come! I won’t get in the way, I promise. I just really want to see them.”
“Amore mio, the band is not going to be there. Just the PR people, their manager, basically the people that organize these things. It will be very boring for you. Plus, you need to get some rest. Remember, doctor’s orders.”
I climb down from his arms and walk toward the bed, but before getting in I swing around, crossing my arms over my chest. “If I remember correctly, just a short while ago you weren’t so eager for me to get some rest. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but I’m just saying.”
He laughs and takes a few strides so that he stands directly in front of me. Sometimes I forget how he towers over me. I’m not a short person—in fact at five feet and six inches I’m about average for a woman, but Aiden is six-foot-two. I literally have to look up to talk to him.
I still have my arms crossed over my chest. I turn my head to look to my left, then to my right, trying to stand my ground and seem as if I am upset. Again, I have the pouty expression, but I don’t want to see into those eyes that always melt my heart and make me give in to him.
He puts his hands on my shoulders. “Alexis, don’t you think I would rather stay here with my beautiful bride than be at a boring meeting going over details of a video?” Sliding one hand under my chin, he lifts my face up, gives me that one-sided smile, and kisses my nose.
“I will only be gone for as long as it takes to wrap up the meeting. Not one more minute than necessary. I promise, as soon as I am done, I will be back here with you.”
Damn, I knew looking into those deep blue eyes would do me in. My husband knows just how to get me to do what he wants. I need to step up my game next time. “Fine, I’ll play the dutiful wife, stay here, and get some rest.” I raise a finger. “But I’m not sleepy, so I’ll just be reading a book or something.”
Still with my chin in his hand, he brushes my lips with his own. “Arrivederci, amore. I will be back before you know it. Now get in bed.” Turning me toward the bed, he pats my ass. “Soon I will have this too.” As I watch him walk out the door, I rub my ass and think to myself, Oh god, that is going to hurt. Can I actually do that? Will I chicken out and disappoint him? Has he done that to other women, and if he did, I wonder how many?
Stop, Lexie. You are his wife now. You are Mrs. Aiden Steffan. The past is the past. He chose me. I am his future, and he is mine.
***
After a while of lying in bed, flipping through the pages of the latest magazine Aiden is in, I remember the letter that Chris wrote me. This is the perfect time to read it. I go into my closet and pull out my briefcase. Climbing back into bed, I set the briefcase beside me and open it up. There is the envelope, unopened. I knew that Aiden wouldn’t look through it. We trust each other now. We have come a long way.
As I open it up, I feel guilty because I should have told him about it. Maybe I shouldn’t be reading this, but a huge part of me wants to know what Chris has to say. I hope he has decided to move on and let things go. I tell myself when Aiden gets back, I’ll let him look at it.
Taking the letter out of the envelope, I open it and start to read.
Dear Lexie,
I’m sitting here thinking of you. You are on my mind day and night. No matter what I do or who I talk to, there is no getting you out of my head. I tell myself to stop, to let you go. That it will never happen between us. But a man can hope, right?
You are in my every waking thought. From sun up to sun down, I think of only you. I wonder what would have happened if we had met first. Maybe things would have turned out differently. Maybe you would be with me instead of him. Then I think, how long do I have to feel like this? How long before I can get you out of my head, out of my heart? How long before the aching pain of not having you stops?
Now that I know you exist, will I ever be able to let you go? Will I live each day from now on loving you from afar? You have intoxicated me to the point of no return. I don’t know if my heart will ever recover from you. From all of this emptiness that I am now drowning in. I need to tell you at least one more time: I love you, Lexie.
I want to feel your skin on my skin. To feel your breath on me. I’m sorry if I have hurt you or scared you with this letter. I needed you to know how I feel. How I will always feel.
Forever yours,
Chris Allen
Closing the letter, I’m in tears at the pain I have caused Chris. Even though I couldn’t love him, not the way he wanted me to, I did and do care for him. The man saved my life. If it hadn’t been for him, I could have been murdered. That night in Central Park when a stranger held a gun to my head, I thought I was going to die. I just might have if Chris had not been there. He wrestled the man and was hurt in the process.
How can I repair what I have done to him? I sit there clutching the letter in my hand, sobbing at the devastation I have brought into his life. Should I call him? I reach for my cell phone. No. Oh god, what can I do to fix this? One thing I can’t do is call him. Almost losing Aiden when he walked out of the hotel room after hearing my conversation with Chris—that nearly wrecked me. I am not taking that chance again.
As soon as he gets back from the meeting, I need to come clean about this. Even though Aiden hates Chris, I think he’ll see we need to help him. We both owe him my life. For now, I need to get my mind clear. Reaching for the remote, I turn on the television. Damn, three hundred channels and there is nothing to watch. Flipping through, I stop at the sight of Aiden. I raise the volume, and then gasp, the remote falling from my hand. The headline reads:
World’s Top Model Raped as a Child.
Both my hands cover my mouth as I start to tear up. No, no! Jumping from the bed, I run into my closet to get dressed. I hear Aiden screaming out my name.
“Alexis!”
He is standing at the doorway of our bedroom. His eyes look wild with anger. His jaw is clenched, the veins in his neck bulging. His fists open and close rapidly, almost as fast as his breathing. Suddenly he hits the wall with a closed fist so hard that he makes a hole in it.
Running to him, I hug him with all my might. “We are going to get through this, Aiden. I’m here for you. I love you.”
“The bitch did it. She went to the media and told them everything. I’m ruined.” He pulls away and starts pacing the floor like a madman. He turns back to me. “Wait, how do you know?” He looks at the television. Just stares blankly at it. Then he runs both his hands through his hair. “Fuck!” Looking back at me, he seems even angrier now. “It’s on all the news channels already? Those fuckers do work fast. They’re bloodsuckers when it comes to someone’s misery.”
Aiden’s cell phone goes off. Then, only a second after, mine goes off too. He answers his. I reach for mine, seeing it’s Shannon. “Hello.”
She asks if Aiden and I are together, if we’re okay, sounding worried. I can hear Johnny in the background yelling something in Italian. She tells me that he wants to come over to talk to us.
“Shannon, I don’t know if that would be a good idea. No, you know what, maybe having his brother here would be a good idea. He needs all the support he can get right now.” I end the call. “Johnny and Shannon are coming.”
He’s still on the phone. From the sound of it, he’s talking to Brandy. Talking about an interview. Something about getting the complete story directly from Aiden himself. Not half-truths and fabrications, but the whole truth.
“Yes, I know my mom and dad will also want to speak. Make sure to have an interpreter there; you know their English is limited. Plus you know how my mother gets when protecting her children. She’ll forget the English language altogether.” He ends the call, walks to the bed, and sits on the edge. He lowers his head, placing both elbows on his legs.
I kneel in front of him and cup his face with both my hands. “Remember I am here for you. I will stand by you no matter what. I love you, Aiden Steffan.” There are tears in both our eyes. He sits straight up and pulls me onto his lap in a hug. I wrap my arms around this big, strong man who at the moment seems like a little boy again.
“You won’t abandon me?”
“Never. You are the love of my life. Now and forever. Johnny and Shannon are on their way. I hope that’s fine.”
“Yes, baby. I need my family right now.”