Love Me Like I Love You

by Willow Winters

  I climb the stairs to my room, take off my clothes, and slip inside my bed. Sophia’s pillow still has her scent. The taste of her lingers in my mouth, and I’m afraid I’ll never be able to touch her again. It’s not because I’ll fall for Martina, but because I might lose Sophia forever. I pound on my pillow, angry at everything and everyone. After a couple of hours, I realized that for the third night in a row, I won’t sleep. Maybe this will be the pattern for the next three months. Everything changed in just seconds, and my mind goes back to my conversation with Parrish and his last words.

  You remind me of William. Don’t let this break you.

  Was William intending to break me, turn me into him, or save me from making the same mistakes he did throughout his life?

  After hours of tossing and turning, I get dressed and leave the house. I walk around with no destination in mind, but I end up in front of her house. She’s sitting on the swing I installed last weekend.

  “Having trouble sleeping?” I ask.

  She hands me her phone and there's an engagement announcement. Edelstein Electronics have announced the engagement of their youngest daughter Martina, to Henry Lloyd Merkel Aldridge.

  My gut clenches because they’re pushing for this to happen. “I didn’t know.”

  “Eva texted it to me,” she mumbles.

  “Your parents know?”

  She nods once.

  I feel like I’ve lost the little trust they had in me. Everything I worked for while they visited us is gone. Who the fuck gave those assholes the right to post something that’s not true? I want to make them suffer because they are playing with people’s lives just so their daughter can have a good cushion. How about giving her a career or teaching her how to fend for herself?

  “Did you explain to them?”

  “That you have some previous engagement? Yes. They want me to go home because, according to them, I’m pretty heartbroken.”

  “Are you?” I ask stupidly because if she feels like I do, she’s more than broken.

  “I don’t know how to be, Henry. Leyla and Blaire stayed with me on Friday afraid I’d cry myself until the end of the year. I’ve yet to shed a tear. I’m disappointed.”

  “But not surprised.”

  “Danny Howard,” she says. “He gave me a promise ring, but he met someone less complicated and more to his style. He dumped me with the typical ‘it’s not you, it’s me.’ Aiden Mattis. We were engaged for a year before he moved to California. When my best friend back then received his wedding invitation...well, it’s obvious it was over. He didn’t have the heart to tell me he had moved on. I love to watch people fall in love. It’s beautiful to follow their story, but I’m always skeptical about the outcome. I won’t lie to you—even when I was falling, I was waiting for this moment.”

  “You didn’t believe in us?”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way. It wasn’t you, but me,” she continues. “I love my parents, but I think my destiny is to take care of them. That’s my life, and I accepted it a long time ago. Any guy who happens to like me usually leaves immediately when they take a look at what my life implies. Long hours at the office, taking care of my parents, and focusing on how to keep Mom alive. I don’t blame them; it’s daunting to be with someone like me. What you and I had was magical, but momentary. Some loves are just meant to last a beat. I think that was ours.”

  “But it’s not. Being with you is special and everything I want from life,” I assure her. “Our love is meant to become a tale that’ll last forever.”

  She sighs and retrieves her legs hugging them. I wish I could take her in my arms, but I don’t want to cross the boundaries. I can still feel her heartbeat pulsing so slow it’s painful, just like mine. Since I’m not ready to leave, I tell her the story about Parrish.

  “Maybe he was in love with your mom,” she suggests, intrigued by what I just told her.

  “It doesn’t sound like he knew Mom,” I respond.

  “Beacon can figure out a lot more with his private security guy,” she says.

  “Do you know about him?”

  She nods. “They told me the story yesterday. There is something more, but I don’t think finding out will give you the advantage. Parrish had years to prepare for this. You guys are going to have to be careful. I can’t believe your grandfather had an arrangement with William’s dad. You’re destined to be just a commodity.”

  That might be what they originally wanted me to do, but it’s not what I’ll do. Not anymore. Instead, I say, “Cyril always called me Mom’s mistake, that I should learn from her and not repeat it.”

  “I don’t think a kid is a mistake. We aren’t born by accident. We all come with a purpose. I was my parents, oops baby. What would you do if you had a surprise baby? Would you consider it a mistake?”

  My heart beats fast, and I wonder if she’s about to give me some good news. “Who is the mom?”

  “Unknown, a one-night-stand, I don’t know… It’s a hypothetical question.”

  I can’t think of a stranger. I can only picture having babies with this woman and loving them. If she told me right now that she was expecting our baby, I would consider it the fruit of our love. Proof that we’re meant to be together. I’d be the happiest man in the world. Maybe I won’t be a great father like Mills, but I’d try to learn from my little brother and Sophia’s father.

  “Love them, make sure they grow knowing I am proud of them, and teach them what little I know about life and everything I know about business, but give them a choice to follow their own path.”

  “You’re already a different person from those men,” she assures me. “Maybe you came to change the destiny of the Merkels and be part of a new dynasty of Aldridges. You guys are going to create amazing things together. I can see it.”

  “And our kids will be a part of it.”

  She nods. Reaching for my arm, she says while giving it a light squeeze, “It meant a lot that you gave me your heart when you had never done that before. It’s okay to fall in love with someone else.”

  “I have a theory,” I confess.

  “What’s that?”

  “We Aldridges only give our hearts once. I see it with Hayes and Pierce. You have mine, Take care of it while I’m away.”

  I kiss her on the top of her head and leave.

  Sophia

  “You need to stop avoiding the house,” Blaire says.

  It’s been a week since Martina moved into the mansion, and I’ve avoided visiting it because what’s the point of meeting her?

  “She’s okay,” Leyla informs me. “You need to remind her this is Baker’s Creek and not fucking New York, but other than that, she’s not that bad.”

  “I’m not avoiding the house,” I explain. “Aldry’s needs more attention than I thought. Also, I’ve been driving to Portland to take my cooking classes and check on the new building.”

  “How’s that going?”

  “The cooking…I’m not cut out for that,” I confess. “I burnt butter five times, but it’s all part of the process. At least, that’s what the instructor says each time I manage to burn the food.”

  “What’s your excuse for not going to the house tonight?”

  “I have a headache?” I lie.

  Blaire growls. “I wish he hadn’t told you he loved you until he had gotten rid of his problem. This wouldn’t be a thing.”

  “You could stay,” I offer, pulling out a tub of ice cream from the freezer. “Dessert?”

  “My man is waiting for me,” she protests but grabs a spoon. Thankfully, her morning sickness has lessened, and she’s now craving sweets again. “What do you think, Leyla?”

  “We’re staying. I’m not in the mood to deal with the Aldridges or Martina,” she concludes, going into the wine fridge and pulling a bottle of champagne for us then turns to Blaire and asks, “Water?”

  Blaire nods and asks, “At what time do the strawberries arrive?”

  I look at the clock. “They should be h
ere soon. Are we just eating sweets?”

  Henry keeps sending me a dozen chocolate covered strawberries every night. I hate him and I love him even more. I can’t seem to be able to think about anything else but him and how much I miss him.

  “No, I’ll order us some food,” Leyla offers.

  “Martina learned a new lesson today,” Blaire states while I’m looking at the menus.

  I try not to grin because every story they tell me is better than the last one. The other day she went to the stable to feed the animals and Ally chased her all over the barn.

  “Who was it this time?” I ask, taking a spoonful of the upcoming flavor peach melba and champagne. Maybe I can’t cook, but this flavor was my idea and so far, everyone has loved it. “You guys need to stop teasing her and be a little more understanding.”

  “This time it was Arden,” Blaire answers. “No one does anything to her. If it were the guys, you’d be just laughing at whatever happened to them. They are also a bunch of spoiled brats learning how to live like the rest of us mortals.”

  “True,” I agree.

  “Anyway, Martina left her cosmetics all over the bathroom the night before. Mills was making breakfast. The guys and I were at the gym and little Arden got ahold of her stuff. He took it upon himself to apply the makeup on Martina.”

  Blaire shows me a picture, and she looks like she got a bad face paint job from a carnival.

  “I bet she wasn’t thrilled.”

  “Nope, and she began to yell at my boy,” Leyla complains. “According to Mills, Buster put himself in front of Arden and began to bark at Martina. You know how my guy is pretty protective of Arden. It’s funny now, but it wasn’t great while it was happening. She was threatening to put my dog down and to teach Arden a lesson for being a stupid brat. I had a few words for her.”

  “Her excuse is that she doesn’t know how to be around children,” Blaire explains.

  “As I told her, she shouldn’t be talking like that to anyone. It was mean and just degrading,” Leyla says flustered. “Mills had a few words for her too. She’s not allowed to be close to Arden.”

  “But she’s not bad,” I repeat what she said earlier.

  “I’m trying to see the good in her as Blaire does. Because there’s always something good inside everyone, but that woman…she’s not great. We should start digging further to figure out how to get rid of her or one of these days I’m going to ask Ally to sit on her while she’s asleep,” she concludes.

  They continue complaining about Martina and though she sounds like a nightmare, I can’t help thinking about how she must feel being in a house where everything is different from what she grew up with.

  Sophia

  The next Monday, I call the factory to let them know I’m going to stay in Baker’s Creek to deal with Merkel. After my daily run and workout, I go to Love You A Latte for my daily dose of caffeine. I haven’t met Martina, but I’ve seen her picture on social media.

  When I spot her at the coffee house, I’m tempted to leave. I don’t. This town is too small to avoid her forever. It’s not like she knows who I am. Chances are she’s just going to ignore me. She’s a New Yorker. Unlike the people in this town, we don’t talk to strangers just for the sake of it.

  She places her order, repeats it three times, then she has her repeat it back to her before she pays.

  “Hey, Sophie, same as usual?” Barb, the owner, asks.

  “Yes, Barb. Thank you,” I answer. She looks at Martina and then at me and asks, “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m doing marvelously. My parents will arrive next Monday. New York isn’t as appealing as it used to be for them. Would you please make sure to have rice milk in stock? I can bring you some if you need me to.”

  Mom only drinks rice milk, and Barb makes sure to have some so she can have a tea latte. Blaire introduced her to it, and she loves them.

  Barb looks at me for a heartbeat and says, “Yes, please. Just in case my supplier doesn’t deliver it on time.”

  “You got it.”

  “You’re from the city?” Martina asks.

  “Queens,” I answer, omitting that I have a place in Manhattan.

  “Do you have family here?”

  Technically, the Aldridges are my family but I don’t answer that. Instead I say, “No, I live here.”

  “Why would you live here willingly?”

  “I manage…never mind. I work in the next town.”

  She gawks at me. It’s obvious that I’m doing something wrong. “How do you do it?”

  “What?”

  “Live in this town? There’s nothing to do. If I want coffee after three, this place is closed. The diner is filled with fatty food. The restaurants are always maxed up; I can’t get a reservation until the end of September.”

  “Talk to the owners,” I suggest. “They can get you in.”

  She smiles. “My…my boyfriend is one of them. He insists on eating at home with his family. They are too family oriented. I have five meals a year with my family—that’s the norm, right?”

  I shake my head, trying not to react to her comment of my boyfriend.

  “When my parents are in town, we eat with them almost every day so…I guess it’s up to each person,” I tell her and then feel bad for her because she seems lonely.

  If I didn’t have my girls and work, I’d be bored to tears.

  “Try the bookstore,” I suggest. “There’s a candle place in Happy Springs where you can make your own candles. Try the winery too.”

  “Happy Springs is the town next door, right?”

  I nod.

  “The best excuse to avoid walking around town is to volunteer during the festivals. Next weekend I’ll be in the information booth handing out maps and answering questions to tourists.”

  She smiles and grabs her coffee once it’s ready. “Thank you. You’re the only nice person I’ve encountered in this town.”

  Twenty minutes later, I’m at my house in Henry’s office making decisions about the future of Merkel. We’re on a conference call with Santiago, the legal department, and thank God, Pierce is with us today. Being in the same room with Henry is painful. Around noon, as I’m about to order food from the restaurant, the hostess arrives with lunch boxes.

  “You know what I need?” Pierce asks. “An assistant. Henry is keeping me busier than I thought I’d be when we first moved here.”

  “I can find you one if you send me your requirements,” Santiago offers. “If this is all, I have to go back to work. Please send me the paperwork when you have it ready and the timelines when they are set.”

  “Thank you, Santi,” I say, ending the call.

  “It sounds like your brother is planning on moving,” Henry starts the conversation once we hang up with Santiago.

  “Yeah,” I answer. “Would you be needing anything else?”

  “Awkward,” Pierce whispers.

  “It’s not,” I argue, but he’s right.

  Henry and I don’t speak much, and when we do, it is painfully serious and too professional. I’d rather be fighting with him than having this polite exchange that tears my heart into pieces.

  “You lost your spark,” Pierce insists. “Being around you two is depressing.”

  Is it? I haven’t noticed, probably because when I’m around Henry I try to shut down all my emotions and focus on work.

  “Well, if you don’t require anything else, I’m leaving. I have to drive down to Portland.”

  “I can fly you,” Henry suggests.

  “No, but thank you for the offer,” I decline, making my way outside the house and toward the garage.

  He catches up with me and says, “At least let Vance fly you.”

  “I can drive.”

  “Soph, please,” he begs me. “I understand that you’re capable of driving and doing anything you set your mind to, but I just want to ensure that you’re safe.”

  “You have to stop,” I demand. “No more coming at night to si
t on my swing. No more strawberries, no more… I can’t. She called you her boyfriend.”

  “I can end it right now,” he offers. “She doesn’t mean anything.”

  “No. You’re not going to put the lives of so many people on the line because of me,” I protest. “The point isn’t what it means to her. It’s the time that doesn’t seem to pass fast enough. The uncertainty…And even when everyone thinks she’s the bad guy, she’s not. She’s alone and oblivious, and what if one day you decide to rescue her? You’ll feel an attraction to the person who needs saving—instead of me.”

  “Have you slept lately?”

  “Not the point?”

  “It is. You have bags under your eyes, and I don’t feel comfortable to let you drive like that. Let Vance drive you. Julian should be here this week.”

  “I don’t need your driver,” I complain.

  “You can’t possibly believe that I’ll be fine while you barely sleep and then commute for four hours almost every day. I’m not saving you. I’m just thinking selfishly because if I lose you, there’s nothing else for me.”

  He turns around and goes back into my house. In that precise moment, Vance is coming my way.

  “Come on. The helicopter is ready,” he announces. “You’re the best excuse I can use to avoid babysitting Martina today.”

  “Are you taking turns?”

  He nods. “Yeah, that woman is a full-time job. Yesterday she let all the animals loose. Pierce and Leyla weren’t happy.”

  Sophia

  “I haven’t seen you all week,” Henry says, taking one of the brochures I’m handing out for today’s festival.

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “Julian told me you’ve been going from Happy Springs to Portland every day,” he says.

  “Right. I forgot he’s your spy,” I complain.

  Don’t get me wrong, I like Julian a lot, but he’s always reporting to Henry my every move. Seeing him was exciting, but also it felt like I’m back in Henry’s care, and I can take care of myself. He even bought me a top of the line SUV, so I can be safe and comfortable.