All of Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy

by K E Osborn

  I pull him onto the bed and on top of me. He chuckles and raises his head, his bright blue eyes stare deeply into mine and a broad smile beams across his face.

  “Do you know how much I love you, Jenifer Taylor?” Aiden asks, his nose brushing mine.

  “About as much as I love you?”

  “Yeah, about that much, and then some. Guess I’d better get going.”

  “Do you have to?”

  He gets off me and stands to put Chris’ pants on.

  “Yes, I have to go into work and prepare them for Tokyo. I need to make sure Father and Tori have everything they need.”

  It hits me just how much I’ve missed working at the office with him.

  “Do you need a PA to fill in while Tori goes to Tokyo with your father?”

  “I have Brielle, but thanks for the offer. How’s it going at your mom’s?”

  “It’s alright, but I need to find something I’m better suited to. I’m going to look for a new job today for a position as receptionist or a PA.”

  He leans forward and pulls me from the bed, taking me into an embrace.

  “Baby, you know I’d have you back in a heartbeat, but I can’t fire Tori for no reason. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do. I know it’s my own stupid fault for leaving you in the first place.”

  He holds me tighter.

  “Well, never leave me again. I’ll see if I can use some of my connections to get you a job you’ll enjoy.”

  “I will never ever leave you again and thanks, that would be awesome,” I say, leaning in to kiss him.

  We walk outside; the day is much brighter than yesterday. The sky is blue and there’s not a cloud in the sky. I smile, how appropriate. It’s going to be a good day. He kisses me goodbye, a strong passionate kiss, and then gets into Mike’s car.

  As the car pulls away from the curb, I think about Aiden heading back to his apartment, and I realize we have so much to talk about. I’m not sure if I can go back there. I know I’ll probably have to if I want to live with him again. I decide to go and get ready for work; I may as well since Aiden has gone. I get dressed and go through my usual routine.

  I arrive at work, park and lock my car, then walk inside. Mom checks out my car through the window.

  “Jeni, what happened to the front of your car?”

  “I got into a minor accident. As fate would have it, I crashed into the back of Aiden who was driving to see me.” I grin.

  “You what? Jeni, I know you’re angry with him, but rear-ending him on purpose is dangerous and illegal. What were you thinking?”

  I laugh in response. “No, Mom, it was an accident. To make a long story short, I went to see him at his office, and he said he was moving to Tokyo. I left in tears. He was driving to see me, and I crashed into him at the light near Sarah’s. Then we made up.”

  She looks at me wide eyed, mouth open. “So are you back together?”

  I hold my left hand up, showing her my engagement ring. I watch as it registers, and then she hugs me tightly.

  “Oh, honey, I’m glad you finally came to your senses.”

  “Me too.”

  We start the workday on a high, and it continues throughout the morning. I get ready to go to lunch when I see Aiden walking towards the salon. Mom spots him and runs to the door, giving him a giant hug as soon as he enters.

  “Hi, Ev, how are you?”

  “Oh, I’m much better now that I know you two are back together.” She hugs him tightly, rocking him from side to side.

  “I know. You have no idea how happy I am.”

  I walk over to them.

  “I was hoping I could steal Jeni away for an hour for lunch? But only if it’s alright with you, Ev?”

  “Of course you can, honey, take her for as long as you like.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” I unwrap my apron and grab my bag. She gives Aiden a kiss on the cheek and winks at him. He chuckles and takes my hand. We walk out of the salon to the restaurant next door.

  “We have a fair bit to talk about.”

  We walk hand in hand. “Yes, I know.”

  Walking into the restaurant, we take a seat at a little table for two in the back by the window. A waitress hands us our menus and gushes over Aiden. I roll my eyes because he doesn’t even notice. She blushes and then quickly scurries away.

  I giggle and Aiden looks at me with his head tilted, eyebrows creased.

  “Never mind.”

  He takes my hand on the table.

  “So…” I say then bite my lip as I feel a little nervous. He gazes at me lovingly with a gorgeous smile.

  “I’d really love for you to move back in with me. I miss waking up to your beautiful face every morning,” he says. His knee is agitating up and down and he rubs the back of his neck.

  “I’d love to live with you again, but I don’t know if I can handle it at the apartment. There are a lot of very bad memories there for me, Aiden. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of good ones, too, but I’m sure you know what I mean.”

  His eyes light up with that sparkle that I haven’t seen for a long time. He grins widely and exhales, seeming to be relieved.

  “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  My heart races and my chest goes tight. “What? Why?” I ask, wondering why he would be happy about me not wanting to move back in to the apartment.

  He starts to talk really fast, like he’s nervous or excited, maybe both. “Before we… um… took some time apart, I’d made plans to build us a house on the land at the scope. When you left, I didn’t want to be at the apartment anymore either, so I continued with the development of the house. I have plans if you’d like to see them?” he says, grinning from ear to ear, watching my every move.

  My heart flutters and a sudden wave of excitement floods my veins. “You were building us a house?”

  “Yes, it was going to be your wedding gift,” he says, looking up at me through his lashes, almost like he is worried about how I will react.

  I bite my bottom lip as the overwhelming feeling of love and adoration I feel for him right now ignites a fire in my soul. He strokes my hand with his thumb.

  “I can’t believe you were doing that for me.”

  He’s looking very pleased with himself. His knee stops agitating, and he looks at me and exhales. “You deserve a nice house with a yard. I want to give you something that you’ll think of as ours not mine. We can get a dog and maybe raise a family? What do you think?”

  I’m beyond elated; I can’t believe he was planning all this for me. And to think I nearly gave this up makes me tingle with a cold sweat. I love him so much right now that I want to jump over the table and into his lap, but I stay in my seat. I don’t want to overwhelm him, we’ve only just started talking. “Aiden I don’t know what to say.”

  He grins widely and pulls some papers from the inside of his jacket pocket and lays them on the table. He pulls them out so quickly I hardly had time to focus on what they are. “Don’t say anything. Take a look at the plans and tell me what you think.”

  I look at him and bite my bottom lip, suppressing my urge to smile. The current of excitement flowing through me in this moment is electrifying. I giggle as I open the plans of the two story luxurious open plan living home. It has six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study, two living rooms, a game room, a theater room, and a giant kitchen/dining/living area opening out on to a deck with a water feature. The deck leads out to a giant pool and spa. The main bedrooms have en-suites and walk in closets and there’s a centerpiece staircase in the main entrance. Our bedroom has a balcony which will overlook the city.

  I study the plans in awe. “Aiden, this is huge.”

  “I know, only the best for my baby.” He pulls out another plan and lays it on top of our house plan.

  I tilt my head and look at him with my brows furrowed. “What’s this?”

  He looks so excited; his eyes are bright and his smile isn’t fading. “It’s a smaller house I wa
nt to build on another part of our property that we can use as a guesthouse.”

  I look at the plan in front of me and I can’t help but feel excited about this house as well. “I love it, I love all of it. You’ve done a great job.”

  He inhales a deep breath and looks at me. His knee starts to agitate again as he takes my hand over the table. “Good, because the foundation has been laid, and they’re about half way through the construction phase,” he says really quickly.

  I watch his face; he’s looking at me with an intense stare.

  I swallow as the reality of the situation hits me. “When will our house be ready?”

  His body tenses as he looks at me, his eye brows furrowed and his forehead creasing. “About another month. I’ve got men working around the clock to get it finished quickly.”

  I shake my head in awe. Wow, we’re going to have our own home. A mansion like Callie and Alistair’s. Well, just Alistair’s now, but still my own home where we can have pets and a garden. It’s going to be fantastic. My nerves wash away with another round of undeniable excitement. I grip onto his hand tighter. “Aiden, thank you so much. I can’t wait to see it.”

  He exhales loudly, I’m assuming in relief that I am on board. He takes his hand from mine as he puts away the plans. “No, thank you for coming into my life and filling it with love.” He rubs his thumb across my hand. We sit chatting, and the waitress comes back to take our drink orders.

  “What do we do in the meantime with living arrangements?”

  He raises his eyebrows and seems deep in thought. “We can stay at the Intercontinental in the penthouse suite.”

  I scoff at him. “No, a month in a hotel room will drive me crazy.”

  He looks deep in thought again as he takes both my hands in his. “We could stay at Sarah’s if she’ll let us?”

  “I can ask, but would you really be happy there?”

  “I’m fine anywhere you are. Living with my girl and my best buddy sounds awesome to me.”

  “I’ll ask her. I guess we should start talking about our wedding.”

  “Anything you want, baby, you can have, anything at all. I want this to be your dream wedding; nothing is out of the question.”

  “To be honest, I’d be happy with a garden wedding, and maybe a nice place for the reception. How about you?”

  “That sounds fantastic, but I want this to be a day you’ll remember forever. I want you to have the best of everything and whatever you want.”

  He takes a sip of his soda, and his attention is focused on me. “Are you happy?”

  “Ecstatically happy.”

  My reassurance makes his eyes sparkle, and he sighs with relief. “So, we’re doing this then. Getting married? Building a house and starting our lives together?”

  I giggle. “Definitely.”

  The corners of his mouth turn upward as his whole faces beams a smile. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” I know that this feels right. He’s the man I’m supposed to marry and be with until the end of time. I couldn’t be happier.

  CHAPTER 4

  Aiden follows me home after work, and we decide to ask Sarah together if Aiden can stay until our new house is finished. We both walk into her house, down the hallway, and see Chris sitting at the dining table in his boxers playing on his cell.

  “Been really busy today I see, Chris.” I giggle as we walk past.

  “Yeah, flat out, can’t you tell?” He smirks and continues to play on his cell.

  We walk to my room and kick off our shoes. Sarah comes rushing in. Her eyes are sparkling, and her face is beaming.

  “Aiden, are you staying for dinner?”

  “Actually, there’s something Jeni and I would like to discuss you guys over dinner, if that’s alright?”

  Sarah raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, no worries.” She runs back out of the room as quickly as she entered.

  We sit on the edge of my bed.

  “Are you sure you want to ask her if you can move in here. You won’t have much private space or an office to work in.”

  “Baby, anywhere you are is perfect for me. It’s only for a month, and since being with you, I’ve learned what is truly important to me, and I can assure you, luxurious living is nothing if you don’t have someone important to share it with.”

  My heart sinks a little to know that he was as lost without me as I was without him. I kiss him on his cheek. He winks at me, and in this moment I know that Aiden and I are truly made for each other. We gaze at each other and his bright eyes sparkle, giving me goose bumps all over my body. I lean in and kiss him softly then stand up and grab my grey sweat pants and pink tank top and start to get changed. He takes off his jacket and tie and starts unbuttoning his shirt. “I was thinking of asking Chris to be my best man. What do you think?” Aiden asks out of the blue.

  “That would be great because I already asked Sarah to be my maid of honor.”

  “How many bridesmaids and groomsmen are we going to have?”

  “I asked Brielle and was thinking maybe Mel? What do you think?”

  “I think that’s fine, because I want to ask Blair and Benjamin.”

  “Perfect.” I pull him up from the bed, so he’s standing before me. His arms wrap around my waist, mine around his neck. Sarah eventually comes in disturbing our gaze at each other by telling us dinner is ready. We walk out to the dining room and sit at the table waiting for Chris to dish up another masterpiece. Chris brings us homemade spaghetti and meatballs, and it smells delicious. Sarah pours some wine and hands the boys a beer. She sits at the table.

  “What is it you wanted to talk to us about?”

  I grin and let Aiden do the talking.

  “As you know, we are back together—”

  “Yay,” Sarah interrupts, clapping her hands.

  “We want to live together again, but for obvious reasons, we both don’t want to go back to the apartment…”

  “You can both stay here,” Chris interrupts this time.

  “Yeah for sure. Stay here with us. It’ll be cool having you guys around. It’ll be like a permanent double date,” Sarah says in her bubbly voice.

  “It would only be for a month or so while our house is being built,” Aiden says. Sarah and Chris’ mouths drop open.

  “Wow, you’re building a house? Where?” Chris asks.

  “On the outskirts of town, at the top of Commitment Hill.”

  “Is that what it’s really called?” Sarah asks.

  “Yes, strange name I know, but that’s what it was called when I bought it.”

  “I think it’s a fitting name. It’s where we went on our first date and slept under the stars,” I say. Aiden winks at me.

  “That’s so cool. When do you want to move in, Aiden?” Sarah asks casually as she swallows a mouthful of dinner.

  “Tonight? If that’s alright with you guys?”

  “Yeah, dude, I need a little more man power in this house.” He puts his beer up for Aiden to clink and they both take a sip. “Is the wedding back on then?” Chris asks matter-of-factly.

  “Yes, we haven’t decided when, but I’ve decided on who I’d like my best man to be.” Chris looks up. “So, Chris, you interested?”

  “Of course, thanks, you won’t regret it.” He stands up, a giant grin beams across his face. He leans in and gives Aiden a man hug. “I’m going to throw you a killer bachelor party, man.”

  “Now, now, nothing too dramatic,” Sarah says. “We want him to still be in one piece.”

  “No way. It’s going to be epic,” Chris says, high-fiving Aiden.

  I take Aiden’s hand under the table. He gently strokes my hand with his thumb. Sarah and Chris continue to argue over the bachelor and bachelorette parties, eventually agreeing to disagree. They continue to talk about our future plans and ideas for the wedding, and how they can help. Sarah suggests that our mothers do our hair and makeup, which I quickly agree to.

  We continue talking over dinner. Eventually we
leave to go to the apartment to pick up some of Aiden’s things. Exiting the house we make our way to his car, get in, and drive downtown to the apartment. We arrive at the parking garage and make our way to the elevator. My heart starts to pound when the doors open.

  “Baby, you don’t have to come up if you don’t want to.”

  “I know, I’m fine.” Of course I’m lying, I would’ve been happy if I never stepped foot in his apartment again. I take a deep, steadying breath.

  He takes my hand, and we enter the elevator. My breathing becomes quick and shallow. The elevator travels up to the apartment. It seems to take forever. The doors open, and I intertwine and tighten my hand in his. The last time I was here was that heart shattering day when my world ended and we broke up. We step out of the elevator and proceed through to the living room. He turns on the lights. Memories fill my head of Jason and the incident. My heart pounds harder and faster, and I feel like I’m going to be sick or faint, I’m not sure which one. I quickly walk into the bedroom with Aiden following closely behind.

  I walk into the closet and start packing frantically. I stop when I feel Aiden’s arms wrap around my waist. I sigh and instantly feel calmer while he holds onto me tightly. I bask in his warmth and take a deep breath. I love this man. He kisses my cheek softly. We finish packing and walk to the elevator.

  “Before we leave, I need to stop at Mom’s.” He pushes the button for the second floor; we exit, and leave Aiden’s things outside Callie’s door. He knocks and Callie answers it with a gasp as she takes a step back.

  “Oh my God, it’s good to see you two together. You are together again aren’t you?” she asks, quickly needing reassurance.

  “Yes, Mom, we’re back together.”

  Callie moves aside and ushers us in. Mike is sitting on the sofa watching TV. I look at Aiden who has a smile on his face.

  “Hi, Mike,” I say and sit next to him on the sofa. He’s dressed in suit pants and a pinstriped shirt, rather than his usual uniform.

  “Good evening, Miss Taylor, it’s very good to see you. I’ve missed having you around.” He leans in and throws his arms around me.

  “I missed you too, Mike.”