Forbidden: A Ward Sisters Sisters Novel

by Sorensen , Karla

  I’d probably seen pictures of Aiden’s wife in the past, but if I had, there was no recollection of her face. Nor had I searched the house for her picture the night before, but I had no doubt there were images of her around the space where they lived.

  Behind me, I felt him approach, his presence something akin to its own force field. Since I closed the door to take my bath, he hadn’t spoken a word to me.

  He simply watched, studied me with a wariness that I hadn’t seen in him before, like I did him harm in some way that I didn’t understand.

  Didn’t he know? I didn’t want to do any unseen damage. I’d love them so easily if he’d let me.

  “Will you bring Emmett to play again sometime?” Anya asked, now fiddling with the edge of my braid. “You didn’t get to walk to the lake with us and see me skip rocks. I’m really good at it.”

  Aiden came to stand next to the chair, and carefully, I glanced up, but his attention was on his daughter.

  “We’ll talk about it later, okay, gingersnap?” he said.

  She pouted. “You only say that when you don’t want to say no in front of people.”

  I smothered a smile. “I’ll tell you what, Anya, maybe your dad can drop you off at Emmett’s house someday when I’m there.” I tapped her on the nose. “No climbing that tree, though.”

  “Can I, daddysnap?” she asked, bouncing excitedly on my lap.

  Aiden gave a slight nod. “Why don’t you hop off her lap? I think her brother is here.”

  Logan’s SUV pulled into the driveway, and I caught sight of their identical worried expressions.

  “Here we go,” I murmured.

  “Mom looks pissed,” Emmett whispered.

  I gave him a look when Aiden sighed.

  Emmett glanced up at Aiden, voice serious. “I don’t know if you’re ready for this, Mr. Hennessy.”

  Aiden’s eyebrows lowered. “For what?”

  Paige threw open her door, and in a flurry of red hair and long legs and motherly affection, she filled the entire front yard with her presence.

  Her hands ran over my hair, my shoulders, and then tilted my chin to the side. “Oh my gosh, Isabel, we are going straight to the hospital. What is the matter with you?”

  I stood, and when I grimaced at a twinge in my leg, she set her hands on her hips and glared at me.

  “You told me her head was fine,” she said to Aiden. Paige pointed at the bandage on my head. “You call that fine?”

  His eyes were huge, and he glanced at me for help. “I—”

  I shrugged because I’d had more than a decade to get used to her.

  Logan approached at a normal speed, and with normal people skills, he held his hand out to Aiden. “Logan. Nice to meet you.”

  Aiden shook it, still casting wary looks at Paige as she clucked and cooed over my wrist, which was rewrapped in clean bandages after my bath. “Nice to meet you too.”

  “Paige,” Logan said evenly.

  She didn’t so much as look at him. “Not the time to rein me in, buddy.” Her eyes were pinned to me. “You’re sure this isn’t broken?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Trust me, if the pain or swelling was worse today, I’d let you take me. But I’m fine.”

  “Forgive me if I don’t trust your opinion on that, Miss I refused to get checked out at the hospital.”

  Anya came next to me and tugged on my good hand. “Is this your mom? She’s pretty.”

  “Kinda,” I explained. “I was fourteen when she married my brother, so even though she’s my sister-in-law, she’s my mom in all the ways that matter.” Paige sniffled noisily, and I gave her a look. “Do not start crying right now.”

  Paige softened her posture, giving Anya a sweet smile. “You must be Anya.”

  Anya nodded. “I’m sorry I broke your tree branch.”

  “Oh honey, you don’t need to apologize for that. I’m just happy you’re all right.”

  Paige straightened, and Logan slid an arm around her waist. He eyed my wrist. “How bad’s the sprain?”

  “Grade two,” Aiden interjected. “If I had to guess.”

  “I love when athletes make medical diagnoses like they’re doctors,” Paige said to me. “It’s my favorite thing ever.”

  Logan ignored her. “I made you an appointment with the team chiropractor for an adjustment. He’s coming to the house tomorrow.” When I opened my mouth, he held up a hand. “You are staying with us for a couple of nights.”

  “I love it when the men in my life make decisions for me,” I told Paige. “It’s my favorite thing ever.”

  Aiden swiped a hand over his mouth, and Logan gave me a level look. “Isabel, my sister whom I love and respect greatly, would you be so kind as to stay at our house while you recover?”

  I gestured for more.

  “Please,” he managed.

  In answer, I gave him a magnanimous smile. “Of course. Thank you for asking so nicely.”

  “Aiden, it was nice to meet you. Thank you again,” my brother said, then he walked back to the car, muttering something about sisters and gray hair.

  Paige laughed. “Emmett, grab Iz’s backpack. She’s injured.”

  “I can carry it.”

  “No way, let him be useful. It’s good for him.”

  Emmett slung it over his shoulder and waved goodbye to our hosts. “Thanks for letting us stay over.”

  Aiden nodded. Anya ran up to Emmett just before he climbed into the back seat and squeezed him in a tight hug. Emmett’s face went bright red, and Paige grinned. “I love that kid.”

  Anya ran back in our direction and flung herself around my legs. I smoothed a hand along her downy soft hair. “I hope you feel better soon,” she told me. “Thanks for catching me.”

  Paige waved a hand in front of her face, and her eyes were suspiciously bright. Mine probably were too. Aiden was staring at the ground.

  “Anytime,” I told her. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

  When Anya disappeared back into the house, Aiden finally, finally made eye contact with me. My stomach flipped featherlight at what I saw.

  I blew out a slow breath because we both seemed to have lost the ability to pretend anything after what happened in his bedroom.

  Paige glanced between us, her eyebrows popping up. “I’m, uhh, just going to get in the car. Aiden,” she said, waiting until he looked at her to continue, “thank you for taking care of my girl.”

  He nodded. “You’re welcome.”

  “I’ll be right there,” I told Paige.

  She squeezed my hand, eyes warm and understanding. Honestly, there was no conceivable way she could understand shit because I’d told her so little. That was always my problem. Hold it just long enough that it pressed the seams of my skin to bursting.

  I’d done it with my mom leaving.

  I’d done it with Paige showing up.

  And now I was doing it with Aiden.

  All the big things, the changes that I hadn’t seen coming, the pieces that made me who I was. And now, I knew, he was part of that. Even if he may not be able to say the same.

  Neither one of us spoke for a moment after Paige left us alone.

  “I’ll probably take a day or two off work,” I said quietly.

  His brows lowered.

  “I’ll go crazy sitting at home.”

  Aiden sighed, briefly moving his gaze to the car where Logan and Paige weren’t even pretending not to watch us. “I’d feel better if you took the whole week. Definitely no teaching.”

  “I’ve already got my classes covered.” I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt because I had nothing to do with my hands. “If I take this whole week off, that means I miss most of the next two weeks.”

  He tilted his head. “Why?”

  “My sister’s wedding. It’s on the calendar.” I sighed. “And the—” My voice cut off because it wasn’t like I owned the self-defense class. But it was important to me. To him, too.

  I saw in his face that he wanted to ask, i
n the way he opened his mouth, in the searching way he watched me. But no words came out, and the searching stopped when he turned his attention to the car again.

  Standing in the silence with him no longer felt tolerable, and that realization could so easily turn to frustration, to anger, if I let it.

  He wanted me. I knew he did.

  “Thank you, Aiden,” I said.

  His jaw clenched. And nothing.

  Right.

  “You’re welcome.”

  There was so much I wanted to scream at him in the wake of that. In the wake of those bullshit, politely spoken phrases. I wanted the Aiden who sat in the dark with me. But instead, I chose to protect what was left of my energy after a really draining twenty-four hours, and I walked to the car with my head high.

  Once I was buckled in, Paige turned around and gave me a look.

  “Holy shit, girl, you and I are going to talk when we get home.”

  Logan sighed, pulling the gear shift so he could back the vehicle out of the driveway. “I don’t have to be a part of that conversation, do I?”

  “No,” Paige and I answered in unison.

  “Excellent.” He caught my eye in the rearview mirror and winked. “Ready to go home?”

  I sank back against the seat and sighed. “You have no idea.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Isabel

  “Please?”

  “No.”

  “Paige, I’m so bored.” I pushed my lip out, but all she did was roll her eyes. I’d never pouted in my life, but this seemed as good a time as any. “I have been doing nothing for the last three days. You can’t keep me here. You heard the Wolves’ chiro, he said if I feel fine, I can do light desk work. Kelly texted me that the schedule is a mess.”

  She finished putting away the groceries. “Yeah, I also heard him say you needed to be careful because of how out of whack your hip was. He said ice and stretch and rest, nothing strenuous for a few days.”

  “It’s been a few days.”

  “He was here yesterday, Iz.”

  My breath came out in an angry puff, moving into the family room so I could sit on the couch. Emmett tossed me a controller, and I shook my head. “No thanks, bud, I’ve played enough video games to last me for ten years.”

  “You know,” Paige said from the kitchen, “this just shows how badly you need to find a hobby. Only workaholics freak out after three days off.”

  “I have hobbies.”

  She laughed. “Name one.”

  “I—” My jaw set mulishly when nothing sprang to mind. “I love hanging out with my family. And … sports. I love sports.”

  “That doesn’t count, Iz.” She pulled a box of Pop-Tarts out of the paper bag. “Admit it or I won’t toss you one of these.”

  “That’s emotional warfare,” I told her. “And I’m not admitting anything. There is nothing wrong with loving my job and wanting to be there. I’ve always been like this. It doesn’t mean I don’t have hobbies.”

  “Falling out of trees to rescue your hot boss's daughter doesn’t count, kid.”

  Eyes wide, I gestured at Emmett.

  “He’s not listening,” Paige said.

  “Yes, I am.” He hit buttons on the controller. “You think Mr. Hennessy is hot?”

  I gave Paige a look. “Answer that carefully.”

  The only way I could describe her smile was pure evil. “My, my, someone sounds possessive. You never did tell me what happened.”

  “Nothing happened.” Again, I pointed at Emmett.

  “Liar,” she mouthed.

  “So, the wedding,” I said. “Getting close, huh?”

  “What an inconspicuous subject change.” But Paige smiled as she glanced down at her watch. “I actually have to go. I’m meeting Molly at her and Noah’s place to go over the last details for the rehearsal dinner. If you’re so bored, you could come.”

  I tilted my head to Emmett. “What about him?”

  “I’m going to my friend's house,” he said, eyes still glued to the TV. “His mom is picking me up in a little bit.”

  My wheels started turning immediately. “Nah, you go ahead,” I told Paige. “I might nap.”

  Her eyes narrowed slightly, so I yawned for effect.

  “Okay.”

  “Still nothing from … her?” I asked.

  Even after so many years, I didn’t love saying Brooke’s name, and Paige knew it.

  Paige shook her head. “Not yet.” Paige knew about my phone call with Molly, but I still hated feeling like I wasn’t sure what to expect. “I wouldn’t worry about it. If she was going to come, she would’ve sent in her RSVP.”

  I laughed humorlessly. “You guys give her more credit for manners than I do.”

  Paige walked around and dropped a kiss on the top of Emmett’s head, then mine. Carefully, she traced her thumb by the butterfly bandage. “It’s starting to peel up a bit. How long until you can take it off?”

  “Paramedic said probably seven to ten days. Once the wound is totally closed.”

  She nodded, then tilted her head. “You going to sneak out to work as soon as I leave?”

  I held her eyes. “Maybe.”

  “Aiden know you’re coming?”

  “It’s his day off, so no. I just want to fix the schedule and check that he did payroll right.” I paused. “And make sure he didn’t mess up my storage closet.”

  Paige sighed. “No kicking or running or punching or anything other than a sedate walk, okay?”

  I smiled. “Okay.”

  Fifteen minutes later, I was behind the wheel of my car with the warm September air blowing through my hair. It wasn’t like I wasn’t enjoying some extra time with Logan and Paige and Emmett, but it had been so long since I’d had to account for my time to anyone. And after the night at Aiden’s, I found myself craving a little solitude to process it.

  It was the only reason I felt sort of okay with the agreed-upon four days off work, tacked in front of my usual day off. Seeing him, thinking about what I’d say or how to act, I was still tiptoeing around it.

  The last thing I wanted to do was make the work environment impossible for either of us, but I was no good at faking. I never had been. My thoughts, for better or worse, had always been stamped clearly on my face.

  It was probably why most men didn’t even really try with me.

  And now—wasn’t it so freaking ironic—I found a man I wanted, and his lack of trying stemmed from something entirely different. I just wasn’t sure if he’d ever trust me with the truth of why.

  After parking my car, and making sure I didn’t see Aiden’s big black truck, I let myself into the gym and smiled at Gavin, who was on the phone behind the front desk. He mouthed something, but I couldn’t make it out.

  I pointed back to my office. “Tell me later,” I said.

  He gave me a thumbs-up.

  But as soon as I cleared the front area, I knew what he was trying to tell me.

  Aiden was standing in front of a small news crew, an attractively dressed woman holding a microphone in his face. He hadn’t seen me yet because he was angled away from the front door.

  “And what’s the biggest problem you see facing young fighters today, Aiden?”

  With his hands propped on his hips, a black shirt bearing the gym’s new logo tight across his chest, Aiden looked so serious, so handsome. He shook his head. “No doubt about it, it’s the way the weight classes are set up. If they don’t add more, you’ll just see more and more big guys dehydrating themselves going into a fight so they can make a lower weight class.”

  She nodded. “And why do you see that as an issue?”

  “If you’ve got someone who weighs in at one ninety before the match, but normally weighs two fifteen, and he’s going against a guy who’s a healthy one seventy-five, you will have more injuries. Serious ones too. Not just the injuries that can come from a fair fight. It’s one of the reasons I was ready to be done when I retired.”

  She smiled.
“No chance you’d ever return?”

  “No, my fighting days are over. I’m excited about what we can accomplish here.”

  I shifted my weight, and Aiden noticed.

  He did a quick double-take, and his countenance went as dark as a thundercloud. Head down, I walked back to my office and hoped it would be a very, very long interview.

  The newscaster started speaking again, and I closed my office door.

  “Well, shit,” I whispered.

  I got to work because I had a feeling my door would burst open, and a very tall, very angry man would be behind it as soon as it did.

  As I was staring at the computer screen and clicking through a few things, my phone buzzed.

  Molly: Ooooooooooh, PAIGE TOLD ME ABOUT THE LINGERING EYE CONTACT. You owe me stories.

  * * *

  Molly: I need something to distract me from wedding stress. Why didn’t we just elope on a beach with our families??

  * * *

  Me: It’s not too late, Mol. You still can.

  * * *

  Molly: Don’t think I don’t notice how you deflect.

  * * *

  Me: See? Wedding isn’t getting you down. Still sharp as a tack.

  The phone got tucked back into my bag, and when I heard someone knock on the door, I froze.

  “Come in,” I said.

  Gavin popped his head in. “Got a minute?”

  “Of course. What’s up?”

  He nodded at the clunky black wrist brace I was wearing. “How long until you can ditch that?”

  “Another week probably. Thanks for covering for me this afternoon.”

  “Sure.” He pulled his phone out. “I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to take any pictures or videos for our social media with that news crew showing up, so this is all I got.”

  I flipped through a couple of shots, stopped to watch a quick video he’d snagged of Aiden demonstrating a few moves in the ring with one of our regulars. “These are great, Gav. Can you text them to me?”

  “Sure.”