Chapter Twenty-Six
Patience
I stepped off the elevator and proceeded toward the glass door that led to my husband’s outer office. As soon as I pushed through the door I heard his deep, booming voice from his office, down the hall. He was ripping into someone for some infraction on their part.
“For their sake, I hope he’s on the phone,” I said to Mark as I approached his desk.
He gave a derisive snort. “Conference call,” he responded.
“Ouch.”
He nodded. “Yup. He’s reaming out a whole upper management team. They deserve it though. Screwed up royally.”
“I’ll bet.” Shaking my head, I leaned over Mark’s desk. “I’ll admit I’m a bit of a masochist, but I don’t know how you do it.”
Mark chuckled. He and I had grown a friendly rapport over the last few months. The fact that he outwardly never judged me for exploding on Aaron that day months ago, earned him a few points with me. Not that he needed my approval.
Mark leaned in. “Want to know the truth?”
I nodded.
“Mr. Townsend’s tough as hell, admittedly, but he’s just as tough on me as he is on everyone else.” He looked down, holding his arms out. “Most people look at me and all they see is the chair. I’ve had former bosses not give me certain tasks because they figured I couldn’t handle them. They never said anything outright, of course. That’d be illegal. And I would receive good annual reviews but when it came time for promotion?” He stopped and shook his head. “Mr. Townsend isn’t like that. I get the grunt work like everyone else. He has no problem keeping me in the office late if needed. Sounds like a drag, but after so many years of being made to feel inferior because of my chair, it’s a breath of fresh air… either that or I’m a masochist, too.”
We both laughed.
Aaron must’ve heard our laughter over his barking because he stepped out into the hallway, his eyes zooming in on me. His scowl grew.
“Uh oh,” Mark commented.
I smirked, moving past Mark down the hall.
“Yes, I heard you the first time you made that sorry excuse,” Aaron continued, talking to whomever was on the phone. I noticed the earpiece in his ear. His eyes were glued to me, however. I reached him, pressing my hand against his abdomen. I felt his stomach muscles clench. Though his frown remained, I could see his eyes brighten. I turned my head upwards, beckoning a kiss. He didn’t disappoint, plastering his lips to mine, and squeezing my hip. He moved away, granting me space to enter his office, before shutting the door behind us.
I circled his desk, going to sit behind it, in his chair. He raised an eyebrow my way and I gave him a wink.
“Yeah, Steve, that’s the plan. How about you put it into action…” he continued on the conference call. I watched him pace, one hand in his pocket as he responded to whomever was speaking at the other end of the phone. I licked my lips at the image he made in his dark blue three piece tailored suit, and shiny, brown shoes. I’d been feeling extremely tired the past two days but just watching him revived me with new energy.
When he hung up, he glanced over at me. “Comfortable?”
I smiled, leaning back farther in his desk chair, crossing my legs.
“We’re going to be late,” I answered.
“The plane leaves when I tell it to.”
I rolled my eyes. He was so cocky and full of himself. God help me, that was just one of the things I loved about him.
By the time I refocused my vision, he was standing over me. “You slept in this morning.”
I shrugged. “Somebody kept me up late.”
An actual smile touched his lips and my heart skipped a full beat. He bent down, cupping his hands around my upper arms, pulling me up to stand.
“That same somebody’s keeping you up late tonight as well.” He pressed a kiss to my neck.
I shuddered. “That’s because we have an opening to attend.” We were flying out to San Francisco for an energy convention Townsend Industries was hosting, and an art gallery opening that evening.
“You’ll definitely be up later than that. What were you and Mark laughing about?” he questioned, abruptly switching topics.
I knew the question was coming and yet he still managed to surprise me with it. I grinned, pulling back to cup his face.
“Masochism,” I answered.
He frowned, confused.
I pressed a quick peck to his lips before stepping out of his hold. “Come on. I know you think the world waits on you, but it’s impolite to keep others waiting for too long.” I tugged his hand. He barely budged and instead pulled me to him.
“Others do wait on me.” He squeezed my hand, his other arm curling around my waist, to cup my ass.
“No.” I forced myself to push away from his hold.
He sighed. “Fine. I’ll save it for the plane. Let’s go,” he ordered, pulling me to the door. After Aaron paused to give more orders to Mark for the next two days while he would be gone, we were finally on our way down the elevator to the awaiting car. My hand rested in Aaron’s and I leaned against his shoulder, yawning.
“Still tired?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m fine.” I didn’t have to look up at him to know he was peering down at me through skeptical eyes. “I’m glad Ms. Sheryl was able to come out and stay with the children over the next few days. They missed her a lot. You should’ve seen the way they ran to her this morning when she arrived.” Ms. Sheryl had flown from her new home city of Houston to spend time with and babysit the children while we were out of town.
Aaron nodded as he held the car door open for me. It was a thirty minute drive to the private airport where we were leaving from. On the way, I actually fell asleep, waking only when Aaron shook me by the shoulder.
“Don’t think you’re sleeping this entire flight,” he warned.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I giggled when he caught my lower lip in between his teeth. I pressed away from him, to head up the stairs to the private jet. Sure enough, my husband barely gave the pilot time to turn off seatbelt light before he was helping me out of my chair and directing us toward the private main bedroom. It was the most delightful plane ride I’d ever taken.
****
“Stunning.”
I shivered as Aaron’s compliment touched my ears. I looked up in the mirror to catch him admiring the long, royal blue dress I wore. My long locs were pulled back in a tight top bun, and a pair of diamond earrings that Aaron had just given me hung from my ears. I turned, peering at him from head to toe. He wore a tailored tuxedo, which highlighted his masculine physique to perfection.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded and curled my hand around his offered arm. “Tell me again who will be there tonight,” I said as we moved to the elevator.
“Why? Thinking of running away with an artist?”
I looked up, smirking. “I think you just made a joke,” I said around my laughter.
“I have a sense of humor. When I want to.”
“Which isn’t very often.”
He lifted and dropped his shoulder. “Not much in the world to laugh about.”
I rolled my eyes. “And Mr. Cynicism is back.”
“You love me anyway.”
My belly tightened. My mouth opened but the words refused to come out. I still hadn’t been able to say those three words back to him. Every night and morning he told me he loved me since that first time, and every time I remained silent, biting my bottom lip like I was then.
“You’re going to rub your lipstick off,” he stated, frowning—the disappointment evident in his voice.
Before I was able to come up with a response, the elevator doors opened and classical music from our luxury hotel’s ballroom floated to my ears.
“Aaron, we’ve been awaiting your arrival,” a man’s voice said as soon as we stepped off.
I glanced up and was greeted with a smiling older man who seemed familiar. I narrowed my eyes. “Michael Cavalleri,” I stated just above a whisper. He’d been the attorney Aaron used to send me the custody forms.
“I see you still haven’t forgiven me.” He appeared chagrined. “I was just doing what my client paid me to do.”
I rolled my eyes and looked up at Aaron who gave me a nonchalant expression. I wasn’t expecting an apology from him either. I knew my husband. He did what he believed he had to, to keep his family, and out of his own twisted version of love. A love I returned and felt deeply. I just couldn’t say it out loud.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Cavalleri. I’m not expecting any apologies any time soon.”
“Aaron, Neil’s already arrived.”
Aaron nodded, using his free hand to cover mine that rested on his right arm. After a few more moments of conversation with the attorney, Aaron and I stepped inside the art gallery.
“Neil McKenna, right?” I questioned.
“Yes,” Aaron answered.
“He’s the owner of the gallery?”
“No. But he is one of the main investors.”
“And his family owns McKenna rehab clinics?”
“Yes. His father started them and he has taken the facilities national.”
I remembered reading an article about the success of McKenna’s expansion of the drug and alcohol clinics. His father had been a famed psychiatrist who railed against more traditional forms of drug and alcohol treatment. That was, until his own son fell victim to addiction and spent years in and out of his own facilities.
“He re-introduced the twelve step process as the main means of treating addiction in his clinics. I read it last year in the Times. It was a great article.”
“A little bombastic for my taste, but I suppose the writer did highlight the important parts.”
Aaron and I turned to the voice behind us, and I was greeted with the most charming grin I’d ever seen. I admired the tall, slender man with golden eyes and a high bun that held his honey blond locks. The bun was almost a complete contrast to the elegant tuxedo that neatly draped his runner’s physique. If I wasn’t standing on the arm of the most gorgeous man in the room, I might’ve thought this guy was it.
“Aaron, you never told me you had such a beautiful wife…or that you even got married for that matter. Shame, my invitation got lost in the mail.” His eyes held a bit of mischief and wickedness when he turned them on me.
Aaron’s hold on my hand tightened ever so slightly and he grunted. “The people that mattered were there.”
I sighed, slapping my husband’s arm lightly. “Don’t be rude,” I chided. “Mr. McKenna, we would’ve loved to have had you in attendance but there wasn’t enough time to accommodate everyone’s schedule.”
Neil’s smile grew. “She’s good, Townsend.” He turned his eyes back to Aaron. “You should hire her to do all your public speaking for you.” Those golden eyes returned to me. “And much better to look at.”
Such a charmer, this guy.
“Pleased to meet you.” He held out his hand for mine.
“Don’t touch my wife. And she’s not for hire,” Aaron interrupted. “Don’t think this tuxedo will get in the way of me kicking your ass, McKenna.” In spite of his words, I heard the light note in Aaron’s voice. Aaron didn’t make idle threats but he was kidding when it came to Neil McKenna.
“Good to see you, too,” Neil said to Aaron, who grabbed his hand, shaking it firmly. “How’s Carter doing?”
I squinted at the question regarding my oldest brother-in-law, as if there was a story there. I turned to Aaron who gave me a we’ll discuss it later look. The three of us talked some more before Aaron and I made our way to another couple who wanted to discuss business with Aaron. On and on it went like that over the next hour or more. I finally glanced up and saw a man who was speaking with Neil at the opposite end of the room. Though the conversation between Neil and the man appeared to be friendly, the man’s face was set in a scowl nearly akin to the one my husband wore on a daily basis. The scowl and the eye patch he wore over his left eye didn’t detract from how handsome he was.
I turned back to Aaron, who was finishing up his conversation with a local investor, who—like most who we’d talked with—was trying to get Townsend Industries to invest in one thing or another.
“What was that about?” I asked when we walked away.
“Another hedge fund wants the Townsend name,” he sighed.
I turned to stand in front of him, placing my hand to his chest. I glanced up into his hazel eyes that put on such a good front for the world…no, not a front. He was the strong, intelligent, savvy, and cunning businessman he portrayed himself to be, but he was so much more. “I see how this can get tiring after a while. Everyone asking you for something.”
“It’s nothing,” he responded, curling his hand around mine. “I do it because I’m excellent at it and I love it. But not more than I love you and our children. The real question is, do I have your love in return?”
“A-Aaron,” I stuttered but couldn’t continue. He had more than my love. He had my entire soul.
“Are we interrupting?”
I turned, stunned by the man I saw across the room, now standing a half a foot away from us, as he stood next to Neil.
“You are,” Aaron growled.
I looked between Aaron and the man.
“Ian just wanted to say hello,” Neil interjected while Aaron and Ian had a stare off.
“Mrs. Townsend—” Neil began.
“Patience. Please call me Patience.”
He nodded. “Patience, this is Ian Zerlinger.”
I may not have recognized him at first sight but I definitely knew the name. Zerlinger Beer was one of the top leaders in the wine and spirits industry.
“Mr. Zerlinger, pleased to meet you.”
He turned his dark, brooding eye on me and the edges wrinkled as he lifted his mouth in what could be construed as a smile. As if he needed more practice doing it. “My pleasure,” he greeted, nodding but not extending his hand. “You are more charming than your husband.”
“She’s better than me at a lot of things. Kicking someone’s ass isn’t one of them,” Aaron commented warningly, pulling me back into his arms and farther away from the two men.
Ian nodded, looking back to Aaron.
“We’re leaving,” Aaron informed them.
I was surprised but didn’t say anything.
“We’ll take up this conversation tomorrow,” Ian affirmed.
Aaron grunted, placed his hand at my lower back, and after making our good-byes to the two men, along with a few others, he led us out of the gallery to the awaiting car. I could tell he was pissed and I knew it had nothing to do with anyone but me. He was eerily silent as we drove off from the gallery.
“Aaron–”
“You know I’d give you anything you wanted, right?”
I furrowed my brows. “What?”
“I don’t know how to be gentle but I’ve tried. For you. For Kyle. For Kennedy.”
I took his hand, tugging it until he looked from the window to me. “I know that. Where is this coming from?”
“You won’t say it. I see it in your eyes, the way you look at me, the way you look for me even in your sleep. But you won’t say it.”
I pushed out a harsh breath. “Why? Why do I need to say it?” I commented, exasperated.
“Why the fuck won’t you say it, is the real question!” he roared.
I attempted to move back to the other side of the seat but he pulled me closer.
“Why won’t you tell me you love me?”
My eyes watered and I tried to look out the window instead of at him, but his hand caught my face, preventing me from turning.
“You know why,” I whispered.
His face tightened angrily. “Because of what happened the last time you said those words,” he stated, as if it was no big deal.
But it was to me. I pulled his hand from my face and turned away, closing my eyes as the memory of the first time I told him I loved him washed over me.
****
Then
“Why’re you walking so fast?” I asked Aaron, laughing. I yanked my hand away from his hold. “Slow down. It’s my graduation day. The last one I’ll ever get. I don’t want to rush through it.”
He stopped and turned to me, frowning. That only made my smile grow. I could tell by then his different frowns. This was his concerned frown.
“It’s raining, heavily.”
“I know, right?” I stepped from under the umbrella he held over us, fully immersing myself in the rain.
“What the hell are you doing?” he growled, grabbing my arm, pulling me to him.
“Getting wet,” I giggled. We had just come from my graduation. One my father had attended but left soon after. Even his absence hadn’t dampened my mood, once I realized Aaron had kept his promise and showed up. Instead of going out with friends to celebrate as I had originally planned, I chose to spend the rest of the day and night with him. “What are you rushing for anyway?”
“We need to get to the bookstore.”
It was my turn to frown. “For what?”
“I need to pick up something.” He took my hand again, pulling me under the umbrella but it was too late. “You’re soaked.” He eyed the sleeveless white spring dress I’d worn for the occasion. My nipples hardened when his gaze lingered at my breasts. My body’s automatic responses continued to fascinate me. It was less than two months since our first time together but in that timeframe he’d shown me pleasure beyond even my wildest imaginings.
“Will you make me strip?” I asked, breathless.
His nostrils flared, his hand tightened around mine. “Let’s go,” he responded, pulling me behind him into the bookstore.
“Hi Sam,” I waved to the clerk as we entered.
Sam looked up, smiling wide, but it faltered a bit when his eyes fell on Aaron. “H-hi Patience. Congratulations…on graduating today.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you have it?” Aaron interjected.
“Y-yeah.” Sam moved from the counter, to the shelf behind him, picking up a gift bag.
“My assistant took care of payment.”
“Yes, Mr. Townsend. Payment’s been taken care of. You’re all set.”
Aaron nodded and took me by the hand again, picking up the gift in his other hand.
I was so excited to see what Aaron had in the bag that I forgot all about Sam until he said, “Bye, Patience.”
I turned and waved over my shoulder.
“What’s in the bag?” I asked as soon as we made it out of the bookstore.
He didn’t answer, instead moving to the car that was now directly in front of the store, pulling the door open. I didn’t even bother to ask how the driver knew where we were, or had gotten there so quickly. We’d taken the subway from my graduation to get to the bookstore.
Once inside, Aaron told the driver to drive around a while, one of my favorite things to do with him. He pressed the button to roll up the partition before handing me the bag.
I took it, opening it up, and gasped when I pulled out a first edition copy of my favorite book ever, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. My eyes watered when I opened the book and saw that it was an autographed copy, addressed especially to me. She’d congratulated me on my graduation and thanked me for appreciating her writing.
“Aaron,” I whispered. “How did you…” I trailed off. It was a silly question. He could do whatever he wanted. He had connections I’d never know about. But the fact that he took the time …
“I was late because I’d been making calls all night to ensure the book arrived on time. I had to reschedule a meeting for this morning, and–” His explanation was cut off by my lips on his.
My arms circled his neck tightly and I felt him lift me into his lap—soaked dress and all.
“I love you.” I finally said the words that I’d been holding back for weeks. I swallowed when I felt him harden beneath me.
His hand went to my thigh, squeezing. “Say it again.” He ran his teeth down the column of my neck.
“I love you,” I stated, shuddering.
His hands parted my thighs and moved up to the seam of my panties. He began massaging me through the silk of the garment I wore just for him. He ordered me to say it over and over again, while he used his hand to wring an orgasm from me. By the time we made it back to my apartment, I was soaked, but this time it had nothing to do with the rain. We spent the rest of the night in bed, my voice growing hoarse due to the number of times he had me shouting those three words repeatedly.
It was the perfect night, so naturally, everything went to hell the next morning.
****
I woke up, startled, by the banging on my front door. I blinked, looking around, groggy from the previous night. Aaron seemed just as surprised as I was.
“I know you’re in there with that whore, Aaron!”
His eyes widened and his mouth turned downward immediately. “Stay here!” He pointed at me, putting his pants and a T-shirt he kept at my place on.
“What’s going on, Aaron?” I sat up, covering myself with my blanket.
“Don’t move from this bed,” was all he said before heading out the bedroom door, shutting it behind him.
I continued to hear a woman’s voice yelling and banging at the front door. It stopped and I could hear Aaron’s voice though he spoke in more hushed tones. The woman sounded irate and she kept referencing someone as a whore. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me and I grabbed the button-up shirt Aaron wore the day before, using it to cover myself. I exited my bedroom and proceeded down the hall to find Aaron glaring at a woman. All I could see was the bottom half of her, as Aaron held his arm up, shielding her from looking inside.
“Who’s this?” I asked, startling the both of them from their heated conversation.
“This is her?” she shrieked, pushing Aaron out of the way and stepping inside of my apartment. “How cute. She’s even wearing your shirt. Whore!” she yelled in my direction.
“Excuse you? I don’t know who the hell you think you’re talking to, but it sure as hell isn’t me!”
“Who else would I be talking to, bitch? You’re the whore sleeping with my fiancé!”
Her hurled words slapped me across the face.
“Don’t try to play Miss Innocent, bitch! You knew what you were doing!”
“Alicia, that’s enough!” Aaron roared, yanking her by the arm away from me, toward the door.
“Aaron, what is she talking about? Aaron!” I yelled when he didn’t answer me at first.
“Now she’s playing the hurt act.” Alicia began clapping condescendingly. “Bravo, sister! And the Academy Award goes to–”
“I said that’s e-fucking-nough!” Aaron shouted, punching the wall next to where she stood.
His outburst silenced her immediately, but my head still swirled. A fiancée? That couldn’t be right.
“Go home. We’ll talk about this later.”
“Home?” Alicia and I shouted at the same time. He shared a home with this woman?
“I just came from home and your father calling incessantly when he couldn’t get in contact with you all night.” She turned her eyes on me. “Now I know why.”
“Why was my father calling you?”
“Because the Japan deal is going south and you’re nowhere to be found.”
My eyes volleyed between the two. I had a million questions but was rendered speechless. I was zoning in and out but I heard Alicia say something about a Japanese client pulling out because they deemed another service superior to Townsend’s. His father had been trying to contact him all night.
“Your plane leaves for Tokyo in three hours.”
“Fuck!” Aaron grunted. “Leave.”
“Aaron, what ab–”
“I said leave. Don’t ever fucking come back here again.” He pushed her out the door, slamming it in her face.
I peered up to see him rushing past me to the bedroom. I was jolted into action, finally pissed enough to speak.
“What the hell was that?” I demanded, bursting into my bedroom to see Aaron gathering his clothing. “Aaron, look at me, dammit!”
He stopped, doing as I’d asked. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what? For having a fucking fiancée?”
He jaw clamped shut. “It’s not like–”
“Not like what?”
“I don’t have time.”
“Don’t have time to discuss you have a whole other life? Of course not,” I scoffed.
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
My eyes bulged. “Are you insane?” I screeched. “I’m being dramatic? After your fiancée shows up at my door at six o’clock in the morning after we spent the entire night making love. A fiancée I had no idea even existed?”
His eyes closed briefly. “What do you want me to say?”
“Something!” I briefly closed my eyes, then opened them to meet his gaze. “Is she really your fiancée?”
“Yes,” he answered flatly.
My knees went weak and I had to hold onto the dresser to keep myself upright. “D-do you love her?” Why that question even mattered, I didn’t know but it did.
His lips tightened. “There are far more important reasons to marry someone than love.” He tossed the last word as if it were garbage.
I swallowed, finally seeing, for the first time, the hardened, scowling, cold-hearted son of a bitch everyone else saw when they looked at him.
“You really believe that?”
“Doesn’t matter what I believe. Look, I have to go.” He started for the door with a suitcase in one hand. He’d left that same suitcase here one night after coming straight to my place after returning from an overnight business trip. He’d torn my clothes off as soon as I opened the door, barely giving me time to close it behind him.
“Aaron.” I reached for his arm just before he exited the bedroom. “Wait…” I didn’t know what to say. I was pissed but also felt like my entire heart was walking out of the door.
“Patience.” His voice was soft, almost the same way he’d called my name the night before when he came inside of me, not for the first time. But then he turned and his face was the typical mask he wore for the world. “You’re being too sensitive. What we had is done.” He pulled his arm from me and walked away without a backward glance.
I flinched when I heard my apartment door slam shut.