I grunted at the physical contact. Ty winked at me over her shoulder. I swear if I hadn’t been holding my daughter in my arms I would’ve punched the hell out of him.
“Well, it’s been a good night, kiddos. But Uncle Ty has to be at the field early tomorrow morning.” He gave the children a kiss each but I pulled Patience away from him with one arm when he went in for another hug.
“Dad, did you get my card?” Kyle questioned.
I stooped low, still holding Kennedy who was now drifting off to sleep on my shoulder.
“I sure did. I’m going to display it on my desk at the office, right next to the picture I have of the three of you.”
His face beamed with pride.
“Come on, buddy, it’s time for bed.” I took him by the hand and gestured with my head for Patience to walk ahead while I followed her up the stairs. “Hey,” I called when she went to open the room to Kyle’s door. I gestured again to our bedroom, leading her in.
She gave me a confused look.
“I want them with us tonight.”
Her eyebrows rose. “With the way this one sleeps?” she questioned, rubbing Kennedy’s back.
“I sleep with you every night and live to tell about it.”
“Haha, you’re so funny.”
“I’m not joking. I wake up with a knee or foot in my rib almost every morning.”
She rolled her eyes, turning to the bed. “Whatever, Aaron,” she whispered.
We placed both children, who at least had been put in their pajamas by their Uncle Ty, into the bed. Patience changed into a pair of long flannel pajama bottoms, similar to the ones I often wore, and a sleeveless T-shirt. I put on a pair of my own flannels before doing my nightly routine. Right before crawling into bed, I went to Kennedy’s room to grab a book from one of her shelves.
“Can’t have bedtime without story time,” I told Patience.
She grinned and crawled into bed. Kyle moved to lay his head on her belly. She began stroking his hair the same way she often did mine. Kennedy crawled up and laid on my stomach, as I began reading Last Stop on Market Street to the children. By the time I read the final words, their light snores could be heard. Laying my head back against the pillow, I stared down at the two creations the woman I love and I made together.
“Tell me about your pregnancy.”
Patience lifted her head. Our eyes met.
“Were you sick a lot? Like Michelle?”
Her eyes widened. “You know?”
“I saw you exchange her champagne for sparkling cider the other week at Mother and Father’s. Carter mentioned her not feeling too well that night.”
She laid her head back down, still stroking Kyle’s hair, smiling. “I was very sick the first trimester. Once, I had to go to the hospital for fluids because I was so dehydrated. That’s when I found out they were twins. I wanted to wait until they were born to find out their genders but the ultrasound tech messed up and told me.”
“Do you have pictures? Of being pregnant?”
“I didn’t take many. It wasn’t exactly the happiest time for me. But I have a few.” She lifted slowly, being mindful of Kyle, to turn to the nightstand and open the top drawer. She pulled out a small photo binder.
My breath caught as soon as she opened it. The first picture was of her, six months pregnant.
“My friend, Judy, took this picture a few months after we started working at the library together.”
“Judy. You were at The Cage with her,” I stated, still staring at the picture but I felt her eyes on me.
“You remember her from that night?”
I looked from the picture to Patience. “I remember everything.”
Her lashes lowered but she remained silent, flipping to the next picture. My heart muscles squeezed yet again at the sight of the newborns nestled side-by-side in an incubator.
“I was about thirty-five weeks when they were born. Kennedy was fussy and wasn’t responding well to the medicine they were giving her to develop her lungs. They put them together and it helped. She calmed down next to her big brother.”
She continued to flip the pages and aside from my having to dodge one of Kennedy’s flailing limbs every so often, I listened intently. I enjoyed listening to story after story about the twins. The way Patience’s face lit up as she talked about them as babies and toddlers drew me in. I looked down and found myself stroking Kennedy’s hair. That seemed to relax her restlessness a little. A lump formed in my throat when I stared at them both. I regretted every moment I’d lost with them, but the gratefulness of them coming back to me was immense. It nearly overshadowed the constant cynicism I held for the world around me. Almost.
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 le
aves 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.
&
nbsp; “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.”