by Jamie Knight
We were at the club, waiting at the bar when Darren tapped my arm. “She’s here.”
I turned around to see a well-dressed woman enter the club. She was pretty short but had an authoritative air about her. Made sense. It was probably a necessity working in the private eye business.
“Hi, I’m Sarah McWeaver.” She stretched out her hand, and I shook it. “You called about needing a PI?”
“Yeah, I did. Thanks for coming. Why don’t you sit down?” I motioned for her to take a seat at the table.
“Hey, Sarah,” Darren greeted her.
“Hi, Darren.”
They seemed to be on friendly terms. I never got the details on the business Darren had with these people. His recommendation for them was more than enough. Plus, my curiosity could wait. At that moment, Reagan and Bobby were my main concerns.
“Right, so I didn’t go into too much detail on the phone, but the basics are that I need some information on someone, but I don’t want them to know that I’m digging because I’m worried they might start hiding things even more if they found out.”
Sarah nodded. “We pride ourselves on our discretion. I can assure you we won’t do anything unnecessary that could compromise the work we are doing for you.”
I nodded. They’d already gone through how their agency works while we were on the phone. It was time for me to get into the nitty-gritty of what I wanted.
“Okay, so I’d like you to look into this girl I used to date, Reagan White.”
“Can you tell me a little bit about her? When did you two date?”
“Almost ten years ago. We met at a grocery store. She was the cashier.”
It was a little corny, but we really loved the story of how we first met. I was in the store getting some candy before I was supposed to go home. I couldn’t say where I was coming from, but I remembered everything vividly from the moment I saw Reagan. She was this tall, ethereal, gorgeous girl who stood out in that store. I was a fucking mess trying to talk to her, cracking all kinds of bad jokes. But she laughed at all of them. She gave me her number, and it was a wrap from there.
“What about your relationship? What was it like?”
“I’d say it was good. Her mother really liked me, but when I brought her home to meet my friends and family, things didn’t really go so well. Most of my friends ended up ignoring her. There were a few who weren’t total dicks and actually treated Reagan like a human being. My dad didn’t have too much of an opinion, he just went along with whatever my mother said. Mom did not like Reagan. It was all because Reagan didn’t come from an ‘agreeable background.’ Her mom was a single mom, they didn’t have a lot of money. No private school education, vacations in the Alps, or trips to the French Riviera. Stuff I barely cared about but was considered of the utmost importance to the society I lived in.”
It was all so shallow. Reagan felt like one of the only real parts of my life. We were honest and open with one another
“I didn’t realize how much my mom didn’t like her until she threatened to take away my inheritance. She told me if I didn’t break up with that ‘grocery store hussy,’ I was as good as dead to her. I didn’t care.”
I was ready to walk away from that life. I barely liked it anyway. As long as I had Reagan, I could find a way.
“I had my bags packed, ready to go, but then I got this weird note from Reagan. It said that she had met someone else and wanted to be with whoever he was. She told me not to contact her because she was no longer in love with me.”
That note broke my heart.
“I realized my mom was right. Not about some of the quite horrible things she said about Reagan, but about the fact that she was bound to leave me. When Mom died, which was a few years back, she told me that she had done something terrible and wanted my forgiveness. She never said exactly what it was, I think she was still ashamed. I forgave her because I had no idea what she was talking about. It only started to make sense when I saw Reagan. I started to wonder if my mother did something all those years ago to cause Reagan to leave.”
Sarah was taking in everything I was telling her. She didn’t seem judgmental at all, which was quite calming. I hated talking about this time in my life, but if I was going to get past the bullshit, maybe it was time to get a little more conversational.
“It’s entirely possible that your theory is right. What would you like for me to uncover?”
“My biggest concern is Reagan’s son, Bobby. I’m starting to think he might be my son. I’ve tried getting an answer from her, but she always dodges the question and then leaves before she has to say more.”
“I can definitely look into that. Do you happen to have the note she wrote to you all those years ago? It’s fine if you don’t, but it might be helpful if I am able to see it.”
“I do, but it’s back in my home in New York. I can have my assistant fax you over a copy.”
I couldn’t tell why I kept that note for all those years. I wanted to tear it up and throw it away, but something stopped me. It seemed like maybe it was a good thing I kept it. It might end up being useful.
“Perfect. There are a few specific things I’m going to need for you to write down for me, but I am more than happy to take on this case. It’s a pretty straight forward one, so I think we’ll have a pretty high rate of success, but at the same time, I don’t like to get clients' hopes up because, with these types of things, anything can really happen. I can say that we’ll work hard and keep you up-to-date on everything that’s going on.”
That was all that I could really ask for. Hiring a PI wasn’t the last resort for me, but it was the start of me getting to the end of my rope.
I was going to get answers one way or another.
Chapter Thirteen - Aiden
Sarah, the PI, told me to wait at least a week before I should expect the first update. I did all I could to keep myself occupied. Club upkeep was the main thing on the agenda. However, I was meant to leave Aspen before this. I had planned to stay for a week after the club opened, making sure that the staff I put in place could take care of things. They were all more than capable, but since I had a reason to stay, I continued to monitor things. Even though the staff had expected me to leave, none of them skipped a single step regarding my indefinite stay. Things kept running smoothly, and I engaged my mind on finances.
I was sitting in my office, going over profits when my phone rang. It was Sarah.
“Hey, Sarah.”
“Hi, Aiden. I’m calling with a quick update. There’s not too much to report. We’re waiting on some documents. Once they’re faxed over to our office, I should have some substantial info to share with you. Until then, I don’t want to bog you down with the minutia of this stuff, so I’ll wait to meet up with you until anything significant crosses my table.”
“Thanks for the update, Sarah. It’s been good to hear from you.”
“No problem.” She hung up, and I slouched in my chair.
I knew they hadn’t been looking for a long time, but I was still a little down that they hadn’t found anything yet. I just needed to trust the process, and I was sure that Sarah would come back to me with some news.
****
I got a call from Sarah a few days later. It had been almost a week and a half since the PI last contacted me, but she finally had something for me. She was going to stop by the club to tell me her news. Good or bad, I needed to hear it. The waiting was what was driving me crazy, knowing that the answers were getting closer but now knowing how close.
“Aiden.” I looked up to see Sarah standing at the door of my office.
“Come in, come in,” I beckoned for her to sit in the chair across from me. “I hope you have good news for me?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s bad,” Sarah started. “I can tell you that I have new information for you.”
“Okay, then. Let’s hear it.”
“First off, we were able to get a copy of Bobby’s birth ce
rtificate. There’s no father listed, and we weren’t able to find any written record of who his father is. It looks like Reagan made sure to keep that information to herself, at least when it came to writing it down.”
I was a bit upset by this. Reagan must not have wanted anyone to know who she had Bobby with.
“The bright side is that with his birth certificate, we do have Bobby’s birthdate. If you’d like to see it.”
I nodded, holding out my hand. I looked down and found out the kid’s age for sure. “So, he’s eight.”
“Yeah, it would look like it. Is that helpful?”
I nodded. I started to do some mental math and based on his birthday, Bobby’s date of conception coincided with when we were together. Bobby was my son, and Reagan hid him from me for all those years. But why? I didn’t understand.
“One more thing,” Sarah held up her hand. “Those handwritten notes you sent us from Reagan. I had our inhouse expert compare them. He agrees that the note was most likely written by Reagan, but he noticed that her writing patterns were very different in her goodbye note. He’s of the mind that she physically wrote the note but that someone may have dictated it to her. She was the recorder but not the author.”
The note always did sound strange to me. I’d just assumed it was because Reagan was feeling weird or something. Maybe my mom was the one who dictated it for her.
“Thank you, Sarah. You’ve illuminated a lot of things for me. I think I’m ready to make a decision.”
“You don’t need anything else?”
“No, you got me exactly what I needed. I’ll send the final check to your office. Thanks for all your help.”
“Of course. Glad to be of service.”
The PI left my office, and I was alone with all of the evidence.
It was one thing to suspect that Bobby was my kid, but knowing he was conceived when Reagan and I were together, meaning he was mine, that was a game-changer. I used to think my love may have cheated on me near the end, but if my mother was the one who chased her away, then the other man was just an excuse. It was an almost surefire way to make sure I didn’t go after Reagan. And I didn’t, so Mom’s plan worked.
I wished I had gone after her. We wouldn’t have had all this wasted time. I could have been in her life, and in Bobby’s life. I needed to hear some of this stuff from Reagan. Now that I had proof, she couldn’t slither her way out of this confrontation. I had to know what my mom did to make her leave.
I was kind of reeling from the realization that my mom worked so hard to end my relationship with Reagan. She could be a little domineering and cold, but I always thought her endgame was for me to be happy. She had to know chasing Reagan away would upset me. She probably thought I’d get over it, but I never really did.
Maybe that’s why Mom was still so ashamed after all those years. I couldn’t hash things out with my mother, but Reagan was still here. And my son. I had another chance to potentially salvage that relationship, and I wasn’t going to waste it.
With renewed purpose, I left my office, telling the head of the club I wouldn’t be in tonight. I’d been there almost every night, so this would her first time running the club on her own.
“Thank you for your trust, sir.” She had a big smile on her face.
Melissa was younger than most club managers, but she was so impressive at her interview that I couldn’t pass on her.
“I’ve always trusted you, Melissa. I wasn’t here because of you. I just needed something to do, so I would go crazy waiting around in Aspen. I know you can take care of the club. Have a great night.”
I left her to get ready for tonight’s crowd while I went out to reclaim the love of my life.
Chapter Fourteen - Reagan
Aiden hadn’t tried to see me since we had lunch at the diner. It actually kind of made me sad that he didn’t contact me again. I even wondered if he left Aspen. I wasn’t really super warm or welcoming when we were together, but I thought he might make one more effort.
It felt so similar to all those years ago when I was forced to dump him. I was getting upset that he didn’t come to me when I was the one who fucked things up. I needed to take responsibility for my part in our relationship ending. Maybe Aiden’s mother was right, and he would have ended up leaving me eventually, but I could have stayed and fought for our love.
But that’s the past. It was time to think about how to fix things in the present. The first thing was deciding if reconnecting with Aiden was actually a good idea. Seeing him again made me realize that I’d missed a lot more than I had thought. I was literally aching for him at points. That man did things to me that no other person could. I didn’t want to give him up again.
Maybe I should have told Bobby that Aiden was his father. Before doing that, I’d want to talk with Aiden first and see if he wanted to be in Bobby’s life. I had no way to contact him, though. I could always call the club and see if they would give me his cell. But I’d basically be a stranger calling. What could I say to convince them to give out their boss’s persona information?
Maybe the fact that I was the mother of his child could be enough. It would be the first time that someone other than my mother would know who Bobby’s dad was. It could be the test before the big reveal. I knew it was going to be hard to tell Aiden, but I didn’t want to get caught on the words. I just wanted to tell him and see where the chips fell.
“Hello, girly. You look deep in thought.” Marnie came around to the front of the counter, putting a sweater on over her scrubs.
I was handling the front desk. It was my turn to close the clinic. Marnie had her bag, clearly about to head out. She was the last one to leave beside me.
“It’s nothing. I’m thinking about stuff to do with Bobby, so nothing new, I mean.”
That was a half-lie. My thoughts were related to Bobby since it had to do with his father, but finally coming clean about everything was definitely a different thought.
Marnie leaned against the desk and sighed. “Oh, Reagan. I’m sure everything will work out. Bobby is a good kid. He’ll come out of all of this okay. I’m sure it is just a phase.”
Her words of comfort brought tears to my eyes. I reached out and squeezed her hand. She squeezed back, smiling.
“Thanks, Marnie. I’ll call you later. Have a nice night!”
“You, too. Bye!”
My best friend walked out of the clinic, and I was once again alone.
I was feeling more confident in my choice to open this dialogue with Aiden. At the end of the day, he deserved to know that he had a son. He was never mean to me, and while his outer shell had grown colder and more distant, at his core, Aiden was a good man. He wouldn’t walk away if he knew.
I took out my cell, ready to search for the number for Aiden’s club when I heard the door open.
“I’m sorry. We’re about to close. If you need medical attention, there’s the hospital on Sycamore.”
I hadn’t looked up from my phone, which was admittedly a bit rude, but I didn’t want to lose the flow of my decision. I was worried I might chicken out again.
“I don’t need medical attention. I need to speak with you, Reagan.”
I was so shocked when I looked up and saw Aiden standing there that I dropped my phone. “Oh, shit,” I bent over to pick it up before looking back at Aiden. “Aiden. What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to you.”
That was obvious. Why else would he be here?
“What did you want to talk about?” I was just moments away from contacting him, but this sudden appearance had me shaking and tongue-tied.
“I’m sure you know, Reagan.”
Fuck!
I had already decided that this was going to happen, so it should have been okay. But to suddenly be in the moment? That had my head spinning. Sure, the confrontation was a lot earlier than I expected or was maybe ready for, but that shouldn’t matter. This way, I couldn’t chicke
n out. The universe knew I was prepared at that moment to reveal all my cards, so I needed to put it all out on the table and hope for the best.
“Yeah, we do need to talk, Aiden.”
My ex was still standing by the front door of the clinic, but his hazel eyes were fixed on me. The cut of his dark-brown suit was so form-fitting I could see the way his muscles tensed. He was angry. Before walking over to me, I heard the lock click behind him.
“Let’s talk then.”
There was a growl in his voice. One that I hadn’t heard in a long time. It made my back shiver, and my knees shake a bit. In one short sentence, Aiden was reminding me that he was in control. He was the dom, and I was his sub, and I had not given him what he wanted.
Part of my instincts flared, not eager to give up control after having a tight grip on it for so long. Another part of me melted. My pussy ached to let Aiden do things to me again. My body desperately wanted what we used to have. The fun, the connection. It was more than the sex, I missed our relationship, our love.
But things were more complicated now. Neither of us were the children we once were. No matter what my heart and body wanted, I would do what was best for my son.
Chapter Fifteen - Aiden
I went over to Reagan’s clinic immediately after the PI left. When I searched for it online, its website said it should still be open. I had no way of knowing if Reagan was still there. It was safe to assume she worked long shifts.
If she wasn’t at work, the next place to check would be her apartment. I’d rather not confront her about this in front of Bobby, though. Yes, I wanted answers, but the kid didn’t deserve to hear whatever blowout might happen. I believed that Reagan wouldn’t get hostile, but there was no way for me to know. She could be hot-tempered.
When I got to the clinic, I saw her inside at the front desk. I was planning on waiting for her to come out into the parking lot, but when I saw the last employee leave, I thought it might be a good idea to just go in there to speak with Reagan. So, there we were, Reagan on the other side of the front desk, the two of us staring one another down.