But these past days spent with him only reminded her of all his fine qualities—his kindness and generosity, and his complete lack of snobbery.
“Well, you can count yourself partly responsible.”
She blinked in surprise. “How so?”
“You were the one to introduce me to Spiro and his family. And their amazing food. It would be a real sin to deprive the city of these gyros.” He grinned and took a big bite of his sandwich.
She laughed and dabbed her napkin at the blob of yogurt sauce at the corner of his mouth. “Slow down. Your gyro’s not going anywhere.”
Aaron glanced at her bare left hand. She’d removed her wedding band years ago, though she hadn’t gotten rid of it. It had its own little spot in her jewelry box, apart from the pins and other items she occasionally wore. She simply couldn’t bring herself to part with it.
“I thought for sure you’d be marrying that guy you were seeing.” His voice was low. “What’s his name, Derek? According to the boys, you two were pretty serious.”
Derek. Something curdled inside her at the mention of his name. “If they told you that, then they must have told you that I stopped seeing him months ago.”
“Yes, and frankly, I was—” he stopped for a moment, as though catching himself. “I was a bit surprised.”
Surprised. Was that what he’d really intended to say?
He continued with “The two of you were together quite a while, no?”
Too long. “Yes. Three years. I suppose we had a pretty good run. It just didn’t work out in the end.”
“Were you the one to end it, or was he?”
She eyed him warily. “What on earth difference does it make?”
“Because if it was him, I’d like to kick his butt.”
She let go a laugh. “Totally unnecessary, though I appreciate the sentiment. No, I was the one to walk.” She shifted on the bench as her face heated with nervous embarrassment. “We’re getting into some personal territory, aren’t we?”
“I’ll back off if you want me to.”
“Why are you so curious?” She hadn’t spoken about the matter with anyone besides her therapist and a couple of close friends. She hadn’t even brought it up to her sons, not wanting to burden them with her emotions.
“Because I hate the thought of anyone hurting you,” Aaron said. “You deserve to be happy, Claudia.”
She knew from his tone of voice and the tenderness in his gaze that he spoke truthfully. She knew him, the kind of man he was. Suddenly, she found herself wanting to be honest with him. “Derek was perfect on paper. Founding partner in his law firm. Wealthy, successful, good-looking. The whole package. And he treated me beautifully. Like a princess. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. When he asked me to marry him, I could see no reason to refuse. I was fond of him…loved him.” Though not the way she’d loved Aaron. But nothing compared to one’s first love. That was always special, wasn’t it?
Aaron’s eyebrows rose. “It doesn’t sound particularly passionate, for want of a better word.”
She stiffened. Her ex-husband was a bit too perceptive. “Well, we were adults. Not teenagers looking for something hot and heavy.” Or so she’d thought. At the time, she didn’t realize Derek was getting hot and heavy elsewhere.
“But after a time, little cracks started showing,” she went on. “He’d be called away for business at odd hours. He’d always be texting someone whenever we were together and had to step out when he got a call. He took his phone with him everywhere, even to the bathroom. When I questioned him, he said I was being silly. Imagining things.
“We often socialized with another couple. A very nice married couple whose daughter would sometimes join us. A lovely girl in her early twenties. Madison. She was attending law school and looking for a mentor. Someone to guide her. And Derek was more than happy to…assist.”
The look on his face told her Aaron knew where the story was heading. “Assist her into the bedroom, I gather.”
“I didn’t want to believe it, at first. I actually felt guilty about my doubts. That I was just being overly suspicious. I hated what I was becoming—mistrustful and insecure. But his behavior was so off, all the signs pointed to an affair. I even told him to leave me if I wasn’t enough for him. If he wanted someone else. Anything, but don’t lie to me. And every time he insisted there was nothing going on. How could I not trust him? Didn’t I know how crazy my questions were? Couldn’t I see how I was turning into a jealous, paranoid nag?”
Aaron’s expression turned hard as granite. “He was gaslighting you.”
“I understand that. Now. But at the time…” she shook her head as shame filled her. “It’s so embarrassing. I’ve worked with women—and men—who have experienced all kinds of abuse, physical and emotional. I know about it. Yet when it happened to me—”
“It’s easier to see it from the outside. When it happens to someone else,” Aaron told her. “When you love someone, you let your defenses down. You want to trust them. And if they’re the wrong kind of person, they can take advantage of that trust. Mess with your head so badly you can’t even trust your instincts.”
“That’s exactly how it happened. I began thinking I was completely paranoid. Between Derek’s accusations and my suspicions, I didn’t know which end was up. He spent so much time ‘mentoring’ Madison. But it was all perfectly innocent, he assured me. Finally, even if just to prove to myself how wrong I was, I hired a detective.” She took a breath and waited, grateful that he didn’t rush her to finish. “It felt so humiliating, so…I don’t know, like something out of a trashy movie. But I had to find out once and for all. And it turned out my suspicions were true.”
Aaron clutched her hand tighter. “I’m sorry.”
“Do you know what happened when I confronted him with the evidence? He asked me how I could betray him by snooping on him behind his back.” She laughed weakly, sickened by the memory. “And crazy as it sounds, he almost had me feeling guilty about it.”
“He’s the one who should feel guilty.” Aaron ground his teeth, his eyes blazing. “Now I really want to kick his behind. You didn’t deserve that, Claudia. Nobody does, but especially not you.”
“I’m not special,” she answered. “It was awful, but I was actually relieved to learn the truth. To know I wasn’t some crazy jealous witch. But it was hard. Tough to get over.” She wasn’t sure she was over it even now, months later.
Then she thought of Andy. “But not as tough as seeing my son lying in a hospital bed hooked up to machines. The mess with Derek is nothing compared to that.”
Suddenly uncomfortable with the intimacy of their conversation, Claudia fell silent. Though Aaron’s sympathy and kindness moved her, exposing herself so nakedly to him made her feel too vulnerable.
It did no good to rehash the past and relive old hurts. She and Aaron had enough to worry about here in the present.
“What time is it?” she asked, bringing their discussion to a close. “We should finish up and get back to the hospital.”
Chapter 10
The next day Claudia was sitting with Andy when Aaron stepped in. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she answered, still feeling a bit awkward with him after their conversation the evening before. She hadn’t intended to reveal so much to him during their talk.
He gestured to the notebook on her lap. “What are you doing?”
“Just keeping a diary for Andy. For when he wakes up. That way he’ll know what’s happened during this time. One of the nurses suggested it.”
“Ah. Good idea.”
Her chest tightened with a mixture of tenderness and pain as Aaron walked to Andy’s bed and gazed down at him. “Hey, son. How’s it going? When are you going to wake up and show us those baby blues of yours?”
“Fairly soon, we hope,” came a voice from the doorway. Dr. Suresh entered the room. “We’re pleased with Andy’s improvement and feel he’s ready for us to bring him out of sedation.”
“He’ll be regaining consciousness?” Aaron asked.
“Yes, but we’re not certain how long it will take. Your son’s been sedated nearly a week, and we’ve had to use a stronger sedative to keep him under. That means regaining consciousness may take longer. When he wakes up, he may be very confused. He may not remember the accident or events leading up to it. He may even be angry and combative—that’s sometimes a side-effect of the sedation. I’m not saying any of this to alarm you, but just so you’ll be prepared.”
Claudia heard the doctor’s warning but somehow couldn’t find space in her head for it. All she could think about was Andy waking up. Her boy would open his eyes and recognize her. He’d be back with them. His family.
She and Aaron sat vigil by Andy’s bed, wanting him to see them as soon as he opened his eyes. Hours crawled by as day turned to night then day again.
Then someone called Claudia’s name, startling her out of a doze. Her eyes jerked open and her heart thumped in panic. A moment later she realized it was Aaron who’d called out as he struggled with Andy.
Their son was thrashing in bed, trying to rip out the lines connecting him to the monitors. Claudia sprang to her feet and rushed to him. “Andy. Stop it, please.”
Aaron tried to restrain him, but he fought back. “Son. Look at me. It’s Dad.” Andy only struggled harder, staring at them without recognition. Confusion and anger fueled his strength.
“Ring for help,” Aaron said as he tried to wrestle Andy’s arms down to his sides.
She pushed the button then ran out to the corridor, shouting for help. Fear made her voice weak. In a blink, staffers were rushing her way. Claudia stood shaking in the corridor as they raced past her into Andy’s room…
“As I said, this occasionally happens,” Dr. Suresh told them later. “The drugs we use to sedate the patient may make them confused and combative when they wake up. I realize it’s very disconcerting, frightening even, but they sometimes do try to pull out tubes and wires. What we’ve done now is sedate Andrew again. We hope to help him regain consciousness more gradually this time, so he’ll be less aggressive. But don’t be surprised if he’s very confused and has lapses of memory.”
"Why don’t we take a walk,” Aaron said a bit later, taking her arm.
She nodded, still shaky. The nurses were taking care of Andy, repairing the damage he’d done, and needed some time alone with him.
They descended to the lobby and Aaron led her outdoors to a small garden on the hospital’s property. He indicated a small wooden bench. “Let’s sit here.”
Claudia sat beside him. Looking around at the colorful array of wildflowers, she took a deep breath to settle her clanging nerves. “It’s lovely here.”
“Yes,” he answered softly before adding “Claudia.”
“Hmm?”
“What happened was just a setback. We can’t let it get us down. Andy is going to wake up again and be fine.”
Willing herself to believe it, she answered “I know.” She turned to gaze at him, grateful for his steadfast confidence. “Thank you. The way you’ve behaved through this whole ordeal…” Emotion clogged her throat as tears stung her eyes. “You’ve been a rock. So strong.”
He quickly grasped her hand and enveloped it in both of his. “I could say the same for you.”
“Really?” She gave a little laugh. “Most days it’s felt all I could do not to crumble.”
“You, crumble?” His smile was warm, his gaze tender. “Never.”
Her breath escaped in a long exhale. “I must be a better actress than I thought.” A sob caught her unawares. “If anything happens to him—”
“He’s going to be fine, Claudia.” He answered quickly. Firmly. “He’s young and strong. The doctors know what they’re doing. He’ll get through this and so will we.”
“Yes.” She had to stay upbeat and not let fear get the best of her. The doctors wouldn’t lie. She needed to hold it together for Andy.
“Don’t forget, he’s like me.” Aaron gave her a lopsided grin. “Stubborn as a mule. You saw how he fought me, didn’t you? Well, that’s how hard he’ll fight to come back to us.”
“Yes.” He was resilient. A, fighter, just like his dad. Smiling, Claudia placed her palm on Aaron’s cheek. “Stubborn is right. Hard-headed, too. Has to get his way every time.”
Aaron moved her hand to his lips and kissed it. An electric thrill buzzed through her. She’d never gotten over him. Not completely.
“It’s funny how our strong points can also be our biggest weaknesses,” he said. “If I hadn’t been a stubborn mule, I never would have won you when we met. And it was that very thing that made me lose you.”
“We both made mistakes.” The differences that brought them together at the start forced them apart in the end. “I was by no means perfect.”
Growing up, her home life was precarious and she’d never felt quite safe. There had always been plenty of love, but life changed overnight when her dad was injured and could no longer work. There was never enough money or time. Her mother took as many shifts at the hospital as she could to provide for the family and pay off their medical debt. Though an aide came in to help with her father, many daily tasks at home fell to Claudia. While going to school, studying and doing homework, she also cleaned and dusted. Did laundry and prepared meals. And she worried.
They struggled along and managed all right, but she felt as though her little family was walking a tightrope. The slightest breeze, the tiniest set back could tumble them over the edge into homelessness and poverty. What if her dad’s health grew worse? What if her mom lost her job? The only way Claudia could feel safe was to control her environment as much as possible. Following rules and establishing a routine were everything. She carried that need for order into adulthood. To the detriment of her marriage.
Remembering her parents made her chest ache with longing. If only they could be with her now. “Your parents showing up the other day only make me realize how much I miss my own mom and dad.”
Aaron nodded. “I miss them, too.”
Claudia’s dad Mickey had died shortly after she and Aaron were married. Her mom Joanne had passed away only a couple of years ago of a massive heart attack—completely unexpectedly, as she'd had no signs of illness previously. At the time she’d still been working as an ER nurse, scoffing at Aaron’s offer to support her in early retirement. “I’d go crazy with all that time on my hands. What would I do with myself all day, crossword puzzles and the home shopping channel?”
Claudia smiled to herself, remembering. That was her mom, all right. Though her death had rocked Claudia’s world, at least her mom had been busy doing what she’d loved right up until the end.
“Your mom and dad were more like parents to me than mine ever were.” The corner of Aaron’s mouth lifted in a half-smile. “Even if it did take them a while to come around.”
True enough. Mickey and Jo Nichols hadn’t been his biggest supporters—at least, not at first. “It wasn’t so much that they disliked you. No, you were very charming.”
He quirked an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smile. “Too charming, right? They thought I was slick.”
Claudia grinned. “That’s true.” She became serious. “But they worried you were only playing with me. You know, a rich boy getting his kicks with a girl from the other side of town. When they found out you weren’t that kind—that you really loved me—they had other worries. You have to admit we came from completely different worlds. Once the thrill wore off, would we have anything in common? Frankly, they didn’t think we’d make it.”
“We proved them wrong, though, didn’t we?” As the words left his mouth, Aaron faltered as if realizing he’d misspoken. In the end, her parents had been right. He and Claudia hadn’t made it. “At least for a while.”
“Yes. For a while.” There was a moment of silence as she mourned the loss of her marriage. “O
nce they got to know you, they loved you, Aaron. They were proud of you. Of the way you made your own success.”
Color tinged his cheeks. “I’m glad,” he answered, his voice low. “That means a lot to me.”
She understood how deeply it moved him, especially since he’d never heard those words from his own parents. “You know, whatever her early reservations, I think the end of our marriage broke my mom’s heart.”
“No more than it broke mine,” Aaron murmured.
“And mine.” Yes, she could admit it now. Even though it had been her decision, the divorce made her feel like a failure. “I felt ashamed we couldn’t hold it together. Especially after what my parents went through. I know things were tough for them after Dad got hurt and Mom had to go back to work. But they stuck it out—fought it out—because they loved each other.”
“Was that our problem?” Aaron caught her in a gaze so intense, she couldn’t look away. “That we didn’t fight hard enough to save our marriage?”
“I don’t know.” Could they have tried harder? Could she have been more understanding, more forgiving? She sighed. “If only…”
He finished the sentence for her. “If only we knew then what we know now.” A moment passed before he added “But now we’re smarter.”
She lifted a shoulder. What was the saying? Too soon old, too late smart? “A lot of good it does us.”
As though he were thinking out loud, he murmured “Maybe it’s not too late.”
Her heart rate spiked as she realized what he was suggesting. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. “What?”
“Maybe we could…”
His voice trailed off as he slowly drew her close, and in that moment it seemed the most natural thing in the world to slide into his embrace. As his arms closed around her, Claudia realized how much she had missed this. Missed him.
Their lips met. The kiss began as one of comfort, soft and gentle, before it became fervent and intense.
She pulled away. “No. We can’t.”
Aaron’s eyes searched her face. “Why not?”
The Billionaire's Big Risk Page 9