“I think he made a mistake. People have been known to do that, Aria,” Jeannie said.
“I know, Mom, but insinuating that my business was a result of someone else’s work was insulting. He sees how much of a perfectionist I am. How could he possibly think that I’d ride anyone’s coattails, especially Dad’s?” I asked.
My feelings and my ego were still battered and bruised. Declan had unleashed an ugly side of himself, and although I did speak with him through text-messaging, that type of hurt didn’t just disappear for me.
“Have you ever known Declan to be an unkind man? Put yourself in his place. When you first made the change from hairstyling to residential renovations, you had the support of Dad and me. You had your own finances, true, but you had the two of us as your cheerleaders reinforcing you constantly that your business was going to be great, because you were gifted at what you were attempting to achieve. He’s a man, and he doesn’t have anyone cheering for him except you. True, his brother and sister-in-law would wish him well, but it isn’t the same as Dad and I did for you. We were there every day, and we spoke with you constantly about the business. You bounced ideas off of us. We gave you our opinions, good and bad. In us, you had good counsel,” Mom insisted.
“But he has me, and I’d help him, just like you and Dad helped me.”
“It isn’t the same, honey. Men want to take responsibility for their work. They want to achieve on their own. They want to have something that they’ve built to present to a woman.”
“Sorry, Mom, but that just sounds like a load of crap. If I can help him, then I want to help him because I love him. If he can’t accept that because of some stupid macho feelings, then maybe he isn’t the man I thought he was.”
“All I’m saying, Aria, is to give the man a chance to explain himself. You love him, and he loves you. He deserves that chance,” Mom said, sighing into the phone.
“He sent me a text, saying that he’s sending me and all the girls to the spa. When he gets back, he wants to go to dinner.”
“Then give him a chance. It sounds like he’s already trying to make an effort to rectify the situation.”
After a few more minutes, we said our goodbyes. My mom was pretty intuitive about people, especially those that were close to her. I agreed with her that Declan needed to have an opportunity to explain himself. I’d at least give him that. For now, I was grabbing my purse, meeting my girls, and going to attempt to release the stress.
…and as Aria and Declan thought of their reunion, stress levels were varying…for a variety of reasons…
T Doin’ What She Likes – Blake Shelton
“To Men! You can’t live with them, you can’t live without them, but they make it easier to live with them when they send you and your girls to the spa!” I said, and we all laughed and raised our glasses. T
Since deciding to live at the beach, I had built a small, but close, circle of friends. Aimee was a friend of Declan’s, but we had become very close. She also lived at the beach, but at the resort town north of us. She was a model and gorgeous, though her personality and Marisol’s were as different as night and day. Declan had also hired an assistant, Katherine. She was a real sweetheart. She handled everything for him, which enabled him to live a more peaceful life when he was at the beach. I had introduced both girls to Paige, and the four of us enjoyed the company of one another whenever we could get together. Today, our outing was on him.
“So what did Declan do to warrant us this lovely treatment, Aria? You can spill the details. He must have been very bad,” Aimee pried.
“No, he was just feeling generous,” I said.
“Sure, and I’m the Duchess of Cambridge!” Aimee laughed.
“C’mon, Katherine, you’re his assistant, so you must have an idea of what crime he committed. I’ve known him a long time, and I’ve never known him to do this for any woman, much less for her friends. What did he do to get himself in hot water?” Aimee was now trying to interrogate Katherine.
“I really don’t know, Aimee. I was as surprised as you when Aria called.” Aimee tilted her head and cocked her eyebrow in disbelief at Katherine. “I’m being serious, Aimee! Stop looking at me like that. I don’t know any more than you do, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I’m just going to enjoy the pampering! Now hush up and stop badgering me!” She laughed back at Aimee and threw a small pillow at her.
“Well, I don’t know about you girls, but I don’t care what he did or didn’t do that inspired him to send Aria to the spa and include us, but I’m going to enjoy every minute of it,” Paige said.
Aimee then threw the little pillow at Paige.
“You know I’m just teasing her! She knows I love her, don’t you, Aria?” Aimee blew me a kiss.
“Yes, I do. Not all supermodels hate me because I’m beautiful!” I laughed and dramatically placed the back of my hand at my forehead.
Aimee stopped laughing, her tone more serious, “Aria, you aren’t concerned about Declan and Marisol, are you? That’s not what prompted this spa day, is it?”
“Oh, gosh, no!” I said; then I looked at Aimee. “Should I be?” I was immediately sorry that I asked the question.
If the four of us weren’t in the midst of getting pedicures, I would have found a way to exit the room gracefully and found something else to occupy me. I didn’t like the topic of Marisol, and I certainly didn’t like the topic of Marisol and Declan.
Aimee decided that now was a good time to broach the topic, while I couldn’t escape and with two witnesses present.
“Aria, first, let me say that I have never seen Declan with a woman the way he is with you, and I’ve known him for a very long time. He’s dated scores of women, and he’s been seen with even more. If you haven’t noticed, he’s the kind of man that women throw themselves at, if you know what I mean. He gets offers all the time.”
I glared at her. “If this conversation has an upside, now would be a good time to bring it, Aimee, because this isn’t making me feel warm and fuzzy at the moment, but thanks for pointing all this out to me.”
Aimee then looked very apologetic as she knew I was becoming distressed with the topic. Katherine and Paige were giving her very disapproving looks as well.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, Aria. I was just stating the obvious. You don’t see that side of it down here; how crazy women can be. When he’s here, with you, he’s a different person. He’s relaxed. He isn’t ‘Declan Sinclair male supermodel’, he’s just ‘Declan’. I think that’s what he loves most about you. You see him for who he really is and not all that he could give you, not that he wouldn’t give you everything he has. He lives here with you in the real world, yet he’d give you more if you asked him. When he’s with you, he’s content, and you’ve given him that. No other woman has ever done that for him. He’s given you his heart because you’ve shown him that he has one.”
I could feel my eyes misting over at the thought of Declan never having felt contentment before. It was the one thing I also felt with him.
She paused for just a moment and took a sip of her drink; then she continued, “In order for you to appreciate the way Declan is, Aria, maybe you need to know something of Marisol.”
I frowned at that, but I rationalized that the best way to fight your enemy is to know them better, and Marisol was certainly not my friend.
“Marisol, Declan, and I have all been sought after quite heavily in this business. It can be a powerful feeling when people are constantly reinforcing to you how beautiful you are, how stunning you are, yadda, yadda, yadda…it can really go to your head and inflate your ego. Declan and I are lucky in that we both had family to kick us in the backside if we got too full of ourselves. Even then, with good reinforcements, this business can still make you cocky. There are men and women, constantly making a play for you, but Declan and I have had conversations about this before, it’s your personal responsibility to use or abuse that power. I’m sorry to say that all of us ha
ve used it and abused it at times. There also comes a time when you grow up and become responsible for your choices. You can find good people in this business and surround yourself with them. That’s how Declan and I became friends. When we weren’t in front of the cameras, we became genuine friends, along with a few others, who held each other accountable for how we were conducting our lives, and we were honest and truthful with one another. It was a very small, but tight group.”
“Marisol wasn’t one of us. Marisol Franzi is an egotistical and maniacal creation. She was a very lonely little girl. She was the fourth of seven children and wasn’t very special in her family. She was tall, thin, and picked on through her school years. When she was discovered and became a model, she was a very nice girl, and she was grateful for her opportunity. She was thankful for her good fortune…but then it went to her head. She began to believe in her own hype. She and her publicist created her persona, and over time, Marisol began to believe that she really was the person she created. In her mind, there was no one—absolutely no one—above her. No one dressed better, had better hair, wore better make-up, had a better tan, wore better accessories, or was more beautiful than Marisol. She had begun to develop, with the help of self-serving people around her, a completely misguided sense of entitlement. Her self-inflated balloon of ego had taken off, and no one had—or no one wanted—the ability to pull it back to the ground.”
By now, Aimee had our attention. I had begun to have a tiny speck of pity for Marisol, but it was more for the child that she was, not the woman she had become.
“Aimee, she still behaves this way, but how does Declan fit in to this? I’ve seen her with him. She acts as if she’s dating him, or that she did date him, and he tells me that he never did. If that’s true, how has she come to such an unrealistic conclusion?” I asked.
“Ah, now you know how the monster was created, but you don’t comprehend how the monster lives. Marisol believes, in her own fabricated world, that whatever, wherever, and whoever she wants, is hers. It’s that simple to her. If she wants a home, object, or person, she sends someone to purchase, obtain, or send for it. No matter what she wants she procures it. Since she’s become Marisol the ‘supermodel’, no one has denied her—That is, no one except for Declan. She doesn’t understand the concept that someone wouldn’t want her now that she’s ‘Marisol Franzi, world supermodel’. She doesn’t accept that he’s rejected her, so in her mind he hasn’t.”
With that, Aimee truly emphasized how obsessed and deluded Marisol was. I felt a mixture of fear and anger at the realization that she would think of Declan as a possession to acquire.
“So, you’re telling me that even though Marisol knows that Declan and I are together, and in a committed relationship, it means nothing to her? That it’s completely insignificant? Does the woman have no concept of boundaries?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Marisol doesn’t regard your relationship with Declan, because in her mind, there is no relationship. Declan’s significant because he’s a possession she wants to acquire, and once she does achieve her goal, she’ll eventually lose interest or have no use for him. Only then will she disregard him. You, however, she doesn’t regard at all. You’re insignificant. You’re just an obstacle to her acquiring something that she believes is already hers to possess. You’re a hindrance to her plan to have him, and she’s greatly annoyed by your interference.”
I had a sick feeling in my stomach. This spa day wasn’t turning out the way that it had been intended, and I wasn’t relaxed at all for the moment.
Aimee took one look at me, and her face softened. “Now for the other side of this story…” she paused for a moment before continuing, “I’ve known Declan my entire modeling career. He’s a bit older than me, and I asked millions of questions when I started. Women aren’t always so kind to give other women good advice in this business. He was a good friend to me. I count him as one of my best friends, and I feel I know him well. I say this to you with all sincerity. I’ve never known him to stay away from New York longer than a few days, and now he stays away for weeks. He used to attend posh parties, and now he prefers not to attend. He’s never refused an invitation to spend a month on someone’s yacht, or a few weeks on someone’s private island, but now he does. I know for a fact that in the time the two of you have been together, he’s refused all of these things, and it appears the reason is due to him preferring to spend time here—with you.” Aimee’s words were comforting, and I knew without a doubt that she meant everything she said.
Katherine looked over at me and shook her head. “Aimee’s telling the truth, Aria. He’s had me politely decline several invitations in that regard. I haven’t been working for him that long, so until now, I didn’t realize that it wasn’t the norm.”
I looked over at Paige, and she looked back at me, smiling. It was a very kind, soft smile that said she was happy for me.
Just then, one of the spa staff walked into the room with a huge arrangement of cream colored roses in a round bowl.
“Are you Aria Cole?” he asked me.
I nodded. “I am.”
“These are for you.” TT
Katherine chimed right in, put her hands up, and said, “I didn’t have anything to do with this. If they’re from Declan, this was all him.”
All three of the girls watched me as I opened the envelope and removed the card.
I’m an ass, and I don’t deserve you.
I love you, beautiful.
I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Love, Declan
The girls continued looking at me.
“Well? Are you going to read it to us?” Aimee asked.
I just smiled at them “No,” I said, slipping the card in the pocket of my fluffy, white robe.
“Awww…” they all said.
As we began to prepare for our massages, I looked at all of them and shrugged my shoulders.
“I just don’t know what to make of all of this,” I said out loud to no one in particular.
Aimee tried to assist me, “Oh, I do. I know exactly what to make of all of this. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind and heart that Declan Sinclair, male supermodel extraordinaire, is hopelessly in love with you…”
…and as the flight from Tokyo continued, Declan had much time to consider that he needed to make things right…with the love of his life…
T Feel Alive (feat. Pitbull & DJ Poet) (Revolution Remix) – Fergie
TT A Kiss to Build a Dream on – Tony Bennett & k.d. lang
TTT I’m Confessin’ (that I love You) – Tony Bennett & k.d. lang
“Yes, Mr. Michaels, my plane just landed.” “I personally e-mailed the information to you before take-off.” “Did you receive everything that you needed?” “Great.” “I’d say seven o’clock would be fine.” “I appreciate your assistance.” “Yes.” “I’m certain of that.” “Yes.” “Thank you.”
I retrieved my luggage and had rented a limo to drive me home from the airport. My next call was to the most important person in the world to me.
“Hi, beautiful,” I said when Aria answered the phone.
“Hi,” she answered. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, baby,” I said, and I truly meant it. Neither of us spoke of how horribly wrong our last conversation had gone, but we both knew it was on our minds.
“Are we still planning dinner tonight?” she asked.
“Absolutely. We’ve been planning this dinner at Fresco’s since our first date. It’s long overdue, and besides, I’m famished. Do you still want to go?”
“Yes, I’m getting ready now. Thank you for the day of pampering. I’m not stressed at all anymore.” Aria laughed into the phone.
“That’s good to hear, baby. Don’t worry about me. Go and get dressed. I have a suit with me. When I get to the house, I’ll jump into the downstairs shower, dress, and then we can go. I’ll come up and get you when I’m finished. Just take yourself a nice
, long bath. It’ll be a little while until I get there.”
“Okay, and Dec?”
“Yea, baby?”
“I was angry, but I really did miss you…terribly.”
The pause in her voice clenched at my heart. I was a lucky man to have the love of this woman.
“Me too, baby. Me too.”
Feeling content with our brief conversation, I relaxed back into the seat of the car, contemplating what a fortunate man I had become since deciding to live at the beach. T
Hearing the sound of Declan’s deep voice always sent a thrill through me. I was really excited to see him. I truly did miss him—even when he infuriated me.
Having Aimee enlighten me at the spa actually made me feel better the more that I thought about it. If I were to admit the truth to myself, Marisol did make me feel a bit insecure. She was stunning and exotic—all the things that I wasn’t. Aimee’s report about the changes Declan had made was a bit much to take in at first until Katherine had confirmed everything Aimee was saying. Declan’s life had changed since he met me, and it made me feel more confident. I didn’t doubt that he loved me; however, the world he operated in had many temptations every day, and Marisol was but one of them, making me feel my insecurity on more than one occasion.
When speaking with Mom, it helped me to see things a bit differently as well. She reminded me that Declan had never really received a great deal of support before now, but he’d never asked for any either. She also explained that he may have wanted to offer me something more in a relationship. That hadn’t occurred to me. I needed him to know that I was only trying to help him—to be his partner—not to emasculate him.
I didn’t want to think about any more negative things at the moment. I only wanted to concentrate on dressing in something delectable that would please him. I was anxious to see him, and I was looking forward to our evening. As I applied my makeup, I found myself humming, and thoughts of this evening made me smile.
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