by K E Osborn
The elevator chimes, and I stand as the doors open. “Mr. O’Connell,” I chime politely in greeting.
He looks me up and down with a clear distaste on his tongue. “You again,” he grunts as he walks to the middle of the living room.
Immediately, I glance at my hands. Strong Jeni all but vanishes. Why do I need his approval so badly? More importantly, why is he so fucking blunt? This man has no manners. At all. I shouldn’t let him get to me, but he’s Aiden’s father, and whether I want to admit it or not, his acceptance of me means something.
“Aiden, where are you?” he shouts, making me jump at the sudden volume of his voice.
“I’m here, Father. There’s no need to yell,” Aiden chides, storming out of his bedroom.
“Why is that here?” His father points in my direction.
Aiden’s face turns red, his nostrils flaring in obvious anger. “Jeni’s with me. She’s my girlfriend. You need to get used to that fact and treat her with some damn respect.”
His father huffs as I sit back on the sofa folding my arms over my chest in defiance but also in self-defense.
“Can’t it go somewhere? I need to talk to you about today,” Niall grunts shocking me.
“Jeni is not an it. Don’t be so ridiculous, Father. Cut it the fuck out!”
“Whatever! Just… go away, little girl.” Niall’s demeanor is one of ridicule. He waves his hands around at me, causing Aiden to exhale abruptly.
No one’s ever talked to me the way Aiden’s father does. That shit intimidates the hell out of me, and I have no idea how to react, let alone retaliate to it. So, instead of saying anything, I simply stand and walk toward Aiden’s bedroom.
“Don’t you listen in either, girlie,” Niall warns.
My deflated eyes shift to Aiden, and I can’t help the disappointed look I give him. With a sympathetic half-smile, he mouths, ‘sorry.’ I nod in acknowledgment and walk into his bedroom, closing the frosted doors. Holy hell! What’s wrong with that asshole? I lean against the doors, my subconscious deciding she wants to hear what Niall has to say. I slide down the wall next to the doors listening in intently.
“What the hell are you doing, boy?” Niall asks loudly. “I’ve told you she’s no good for you or your damn career for that matter.”
Fuck! He’s right to the point.
“I thought you were here to talk about what happened today, not my love life.” Aiden’s tentative, almost submissive in his approach to his father. Nothing like the assertive man I’ve come to know.
“That is the damn point, Aiden. You shouldn’t have a love life. You’re too young. And if you want the vice president position, you have to earn it, not expect it. Having that fluff on your arm is a distraction. I want, no need, you to achieve your goals, son.”
“Your goals, Father, not mine.” Aiden raises his voice now. “I don’t expect it. I never have. I know I have to earn it…” he pauses, but I have no idea what’s happening. “The distraction isn’t Jeni. It’s that detective breathing down my neck.”
What the fuck? My heart rate increases as I crease my brows at the mention of detective.
“We’re all being investigated, Aiden, not just you. You don’t see Matthew wasting his time with meaningless women.”
“Jeni’s not meaningless, Father. I love her. And I’m not going to jeopardize my relationship with her just to make you happy.”
I can’t help but smile as he defends my honor.
“Jesus, Aiden… love? There’s no such thing as love. There’s only convenience. And at the moment, she’s a distraction. It won’t last. I know it won’t, so stop wasting your goddamn time, boy.”
“No such thing as love? What are you talking about? What about Mom? Don’t you love her?”
“Convenience, Aiden. It’s all a matter of convenience.”
I bite my bottom lip, so I don’t shout out something I shouldn’t.
“What? You’re full of shit, you know that?”
“Don’t you talk to me like that… I put you where you are today, boy, and I can take it all back in an instant if I wish. I’m guessing your girl won’t stick around for long once you’re a poor man living like trailer trash.”
“You patronizing son of a…” Aiden’s voice trails off trying to calm himself before he begins speaking again. “Father, listen… thank you for bringing me up the way you have. I appreciate it, and everything you’ve done for me. However, I’ve worked hard to get to where I am today. Yes, you may pay my salary, but I still work for it, and damn hard too. As for Jeni, I trust that she doesn’t care about my money and will stick by me no matter what.”
I can’t help but smile, he knows me so well already.
“Then you’re a bigger fool than I thought you were. Women like only one thing in a man… money and the power it brings. That’s all she’s after, Aiden.”
I roll my eyes. He’s such a jackass!
“Father, why are you here?” Aiden asks, his voice is defeated.
“What did the detectives say to you?” Niall asks.
I lean closer, to make sure I hear everything being said.
“That they’re getting closer. They told me when they find out who it is, they’re going to take them down. That’s basically it.”
“Did they say who they suspect?”
“They seem to suspect us all. That’s why we’re being questioned.”
What the hell for?
“All right, keep your guard up and get rid of the girl!”
“Father… Jeni is none of your business. She stays.” Aiden exhales.
“Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. That woman’s no good for you. She’s a distraction, son.”
“I’ll see you on Monday,” Aiden dismisses, sounding further away now.
“Right,” Niall replies.
The elevator chimes, Aiden exhales loudly, walking toward the bedroom doors. I jump up quickly and run to his bed. Lying down, I pretend like I wasn’t listening. He slides the doors open, and I glance up at him with a smile, pretending not to be completely pissed off about his father, and more importantly, about the fact that Aiden’s keeping some investigation, or whatever it is, away from me.
“Hey, babe,” I try to sound upbeat.
“How much did you hear?”
“Nothing,” I lie to him, shaking my head slowly.
“Jeni?” He narrows his eyes on me.
“Okay… everything.” My tone is high-pitched as if I’m unsure, but I’m not. I heard it all.
He runs his hand through his hair, a move I notice he does when he’s frustrated. “First of all, I want to apologize for my father and the way he talked about you. Fuck! I want to hurt him so bad right now.” His face twists with rage as he lashes out and slams his fist on the desk, which makes me jump, then he rushes over to the bed and sits next to me.
I rest my hand on his knee. “Are you okay?”
“He yells at you like that, and you ask me if I’m okay? I should be asking you that question. Are you all right?”
I shrug. “Someone once gave me some great advice regarding your father. I was told that insults and intimidations are his way of communication, and to take anything he says with a grain of salt.”
Aiden tilts his head slightly. “Very wise words.”
“She is a very wise woman, your nana.”
He nods. “Ah… yes, she is.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Let me guess… what’s the investigation about?”
“Yeah. It’s not the first time someone has mentioned it... and, I’m curious.”
He inhales sharply, and his face scrunches. He closes his eyes, breathes slowly through his nose, and then opens his eyes again. “Father believes someone within O’Connell Finance is embezzling money from company funds.”
Shock runs through me as a sinking feeling settles in my gut. “Do they know who?” I ask trying to sound unaffected by this news.
“No. But everyone is under investigatio
n, including me,” he divulges, looking at me intensely.
“Do you suspect anyone?” I ask, looking at my hands in my lap.
“I have my suspicions, but I can’t be sure.” He shifts one finger to my chin and raises my head to meet his eyes. “It’s not me,” he clarifies, staring right at me.
I shake my head quickly like he’s being ridiculous. “I know,” I reassure him, but not entirely reassuring myself. I wish I didn’t have these horrible trust issues.
Are they raising their ugly head again?
He kisses me gently on the lips. “All that bullshit he said about you, that’s not how I feel. You know that, right?”
I smile in an attempt to ease his growing angst. “Yes, babe, I know, and I’m not after you for your money, either,” I tell him in all honesty.
“I know. The thought has never once crossed my mind.”
“Now that we’ve sorted that out, what are we having for dinner?” I ask, trying to change the subject.
“Can we skip to dessert?” he asks cheekily as he pounces, pinning me to the bed and kissing me like he means it.
We call into the local shopping center on the way to Skye’s birthday party to buy a box of chocolates and some flowers for Skye. Although I know Mel said that our presence is Skye’s present, I still feel like we should take a little something.
When we arrive, Mike pulls up to the curb to let us out. There are purple and turquoise balloons forming an archway at the entrance of their home. Sky obviously couldn’t decide which color, so she chose both. Aiden takes my hand, and we walk through the archway into the backyard. As we turn the corner, Mel’s serving drinks for the guests.
She spots us right away and comes over. “Hey, sweetie, how are you?” She gives me a big hug.
“Mel, let me introduce my boyfriend, Aiden.”
Her eyes quickly dash to mine as she raises her eyebrows and then shakes Aiden’s hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Aiden offers.
“You, too, Aiden. Would you both like a drink?”
“Yes, please,” I chime.
“Beer and wine okay?”
Aiden answers for both of us. “That will be perfect, thanks.”
We head into the backyard where a lot of people I don’t know are congregated around a long, rectangular table set with a purple tablecloth. I see a table in the corner set up for presents, so we make our way over and place the chocolates and flowers on it. John, my boss and Mel’s husband, spots me and heads on over.
“Hey, John, how are you?” I ask, hugging him as the rented jukebox clicks over and plays another song.
“Fit as a fiddle, hon.”
“This is Aiden, my boyfriend. Aiden, this is John, Mel’s husband.”
Aiden puts his hand out. “Nice to meet you, John.”
“So, you’re the culprit who’s responsible for all those flowers appearing in the reception area, then?”
“Yes, sir, that’s me.” Aiden beams with pride.
“As long as you keep treating our girl right, you’re okay by me,” John assures him as he takes a sip of his beer. I shake my head and suppress a laugh as Mel brings over our drinks. “Here you go, guys. Make yourselves comfortable. Everyone should be downstairs shortly,” Mel informs as we head over to a table, then take a seat.
Aiden holds my hand under the table, interlacing our fingers as usual. He takes a sip of his beer when we hear a ruckus coming from the stairs and turn toward the commotion. It’s the girls in their short dresses and high heels. They’re all grown up, not like the picture in Mel’s office. Aiden chuckles as they chatter loudly among themselves, making their way outside to join the party.
One of them spots Aiden, eyeing him up and down. He doesn’t notice at first, but her eyes open wide with excitement as she sees my handsome boyfriend, and she elbows one of her sisters to point him out.
I start to laugh, and Aiden looks at me, confused. “What’s so funny?” he questions.
“The girls are excited to see you.”
He turns his head to look, and they all giggle, so he waves. They shriek and whisper to each other like the fans of a boy band. He laughs, taking another sip of his beer like he’s unaffected by their affection.
Mel ushers them over to us. “Girls, this is Jenifer from work. Jeni, these are my girls… Skye, Amy, and Jade.”
I let go of Aiden’s hand and stand to greet them. “Happy birthday, Skye.”
I lean in, hugging her, and she whispers in my ear, “Thanks for the eye candy.” I can’t help but smirk at Aiden, who seems completely oblivious to his fan club.
“Oh, and here’s my son, CJ,” Mel gushes, pointing to him as he steps around the corner with a tall, young brunette in hand. He walks toward us, and my eyes almost burst out of my head in shock.
Sarah runs up, hugging me with a small laugh. “I didn’t know you’d be here. Thank God… I don’t know anyone, and I’m so nervous,” she whispers in my ear, so I comfort her with a smile.
“Hey, Chris, I had no idea you’re Mel’s son,” I announce not giving away Sarah’s inner turmoil.
“I didn’t realize you were the Jeni that they never shut up about. Now I understand why I feel this need to be so overprotective toward you,” Chris states.
“Well, I’ll take that brotherly protection any day, Chris…” Changing the subject I say, “Question… what does the ‘J’ stand for in CJ?”
He scrunches up his face. “The ‘J’ is for Jagger. It’s embarrassing, and that’s why I never mention it. Dad’s obsessed with the Rolling Stones.”
We chuckle as Aiden stands to shake his hand. “Hey, man,” Chris remarks.
“Small world,” Aiden replies.
Chris bobs his head. “Tell me about it.” He takes Sarah’s hand and pulls her to him. “Mom, I want you to meet Sarah.”
Sarah blushes as Mel pulls her in for a hug. “I’ve heard so much about you, Sarah…” She pauses with a sly smirk. “Just so you know, part of my job is to check our employees’ emails to make sure we are reaching customer goals, and I officially know way too much about my son’s sex life.” Sarah’s mouth drops open as does mine. “So glad he’s using protective measures in your climactic events,” Mel jokes with a smirk so wide as she kisses Chris on the cheek. “It’s great to finally meet you, Sarah.” Mel beams as she walks away.
Chris and I burst out laughing while Sarah turns the brightest shade of red I have ever seen.
“Well, that was officially mortifying,” Sarah murmurs under her breath.
“You guys talk about our sex life in your emails?” Chris asks quietly.
“Sarah talks, I listen and tell her off. I always thought that maybe Mel read them but was never sure. I do think it’s pretty hilarious she was reading about her own son, though.”
I glance at Aiden, who doesn’t seem the slightest bit amused by this development. “You okay?” I ask quietly as Chris tries but fails to comfort a humiliated Sarah.
Aiden scrunches his brows at me. “You talk about our sex life via email?”
Oh shit! He doesn’t look happy at all. Actually, he looks hurt.
I frown at his demeanor. “Not explicitly.”
He inhales sharply as Chris slaps him on the back, plonking down next to him, interrupting us as Sarah sits next to me. “Hey, dude, what have you been up to?” Chris asks Aiden, taking his attention away from me.
I turn away to face Sarah. “You all right?”
Her eyes are still wide from the shock. “I never thought for one second your boss would actually read your emails. And would never ever have put two and two together that she could be Chris’ mother. Shit, shit, shit,” she stammers.
“Don’t worry. Mel thinks it’s funny. I could tell by the way she joked about it. She’s probably delighted that you’re in a good place with her son.”
“She probably thinks I’m some sort of whore taking advantage of him.”
I suppress a laugh. “You’re not a whore, and I know for a fact she w
ouldn’t think that. I’m sure she’s glad you make him happy.”
The sisters run over to hug their big brother, shifting closer to Aiden as they go. Chris stands, takes Sarah by the hand, and introduces his sisters to her. “Sarah, these are my crazy sisters… the birthday girl, Skye. And this is Amy and Jade. Girls, this is my girlfriend, Sarah.”
They squeal and rush around Sarah, all talking to her at the same time. The noise is more than I thought could come from such small girls. Chris shakes his head. “Girls, one at a time. Don’t overwhelm her.” They laugh as Sarah looks at me with her eyes screaming, ‘help me.’
Skye takes Sarah’s arm in hers, and the girls lead her over to the jukebox. Chris follows, putting his arms in the air while shaking his head. I watch in delight at my best friend being welcomed into her new family. It’s so freaking nice to see.
My mind wanders to Aiden’s family. They’re so welcoming of me as well, that is, except for one. I turn to face Aiden who’s watching me somewhat distantly, almost like he’s looking through me.
I swallow hard. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d be upset about me talking to Sarah about us.”
He laughs, confusing me. “I’m not angry because you talk to Sarah about me. I’m angry because it’s in writing, on the damn Internet, and I’m currently being investigated for embezzlement. I can’t have any red flags popping up about me. I need to be squeaky clean, Jeni,” he whispers.
I bite my bottom lip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even know about the embezzlement thing until yesterday. How was I supposed to know that emailing could negatively affect you?” I question. “If you’d have told me sooner what was going on instead of leaving me in the dark, then maybe I would’ve known not to say anything.”
His body sags. “I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d run and never look back.” His eyes seem sincere.
My chest squeezes at the thought he’s just as worried about losing me as I am about losing him.
I take his hand in mine as a show of comfort. “If I were going to run, don’t you think I would’ve by now? Think back to the retirement ball when your father was… let’s just say, less than welcoming. I don’t care if you’re rich, poor, being investigated for embezzlement, or have an arrogant ass of a father. I’m here, and I’m not running. I love you, Aiden. I regret putting how I feel about you in writing, and I’m very sorry. I won’t do it again, and I also promise that I’ll delete the emails as soon as I get to work on Monday. I don’t, however, regret our time together. I don’t even care about your father being the way he is. I don’t care how he feels. I only care about you!”