Beyond Chance

by Karice Bolton

  I had two options. I could continue on, open the door and go inside, or I could turn around and introduce myself. One option allowed me to ignore fate and the chance encounter standing behind me, and the other option forced me to face the truth that Aaron had been so good at hiding. As my hand rested on the door, I took a deep breath and knew which option I had to choose. I heard laughter from inside the building, and I almost chickened out. It would be so much easier to pretend this woman didn’t exist.

  But she did.

  My heart threatened to break silently as I turned around slowly and walked down the steps to introduce myself. The woman looked startled as I stopped in front of her. I debated what to say, and I realized I had absolutely no idea as my smile slipped away. Her brown hair was in a pixie cut, and her dainty features only accentuated how large and beautiful her eyes were. She was quite pretty. It was hard for me to imagine Aaron being attracted to me after being with her, and I hated myself for thinking such a ridiculous thought.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” she asked, finally disconnecting her gaze from the window and connecting with mine.

  “Is your name Elizabeth?” My heart pounded so loudly in my ears I could barely hear my voice when I spoke.

  Her blue eyes widened, and she bit her lip before speaking.

  I glanced behind me and saw a couple walking up the steps to the party. I returned my attention back to the woman and drew in a breath.

  “I am,” she replied coolly, but her trembling hand slid down her dress.

  A shiver ran through my body as I stared at Aaron’s ex-fiancée. What had I thought I’d accomplish by introducing myself to her?

  “Thank you for recommending Aaron for this exhibit. It’s such an amazing opportunity. I’m sorry. I’m his girlfriend, Brandy.” I stuck out my hand rather robotically and she politely shook it.

  “I didn’t really do anything. His work speaks for itself,” she assured me. Her body relaxed slightly and mine tensed. “It’s nice to finally meet the woman who tamed Aaron.”

  “I don’t think there’s ever any taming Aaron,” I laughed, but my voice was unexpectedly strained.

  I glanced through the same window Elizabeth had been staring at and saw the back of the man we’d both loved.

  “You have a point there,” Elizabeth chuckled slightly. “But with everything he’s been through, I’m surprised he’s willing to finally settle down. I honestly didn’t think it was in his DNA.”

  I wriggled my fingers in front of her. “I’m not sure it is.” The color drained from my face when I realized what I’d just done. I didn’t feel that way. It had to have been the champagne. I wasn’t sure what was coming over me. This man had been by my side during my darkest days, and now I was dismissing the importance of everything because he didn’t mention the woman standing in front of me.

  “True.” Her lips pressed together, and then her mouth broke into a smile. “But I can tell you, he’s more in love with you than life itself.”

  Her words immediately warmed me, but it quickly turned to suspicion. She obviously still had feelings for Aaron so why was she being so nice?

  “Well, thank you for that. I love him more than I thought possible. He’s been…” my voice trailed off. Why was I talking to his ex-fiancée about how much I loved the very man she’d been staring at before I interrupted her?

  Elizabeth folded her arms in front of her and took in a deep breath. “You didn’t know about me, did you?”

  I wasn’t sure who I felt worse for, Elizabeth because Aaron never bothered to mention her, or me because Aaron never bothered to mention her.

  “That’s what I thought,” she replied, without me replying.

  Things had gone from awkward to uncomfortable, and I began regretting my decision to introduce myself. A breeze swept down the sidewalk and I shivered.

  “Would you like to come inside?” I asked. “I’m sure Aaron would love to see you.”

  Elizabeth’s expression turned to horror and she shook her head. “No. This is his night. I don’t want to take away from that.”

  I felt lightheaded, but that didn’t stop me from what I was about to ask. I glanced up and caught Tracy staring out the window. Aaron was no longer around, and my heart pounded at the thought of him coming across us. Sense was knocked to the curb, and I blurted out what had been eating me since I found out Aaron had been engaged.

  “Is there a good reason why he never mentioned being engaged?”

  “I don’t know if it’s a good reason, but there’s definitely a reason; one that he really should tell you.”

  “What if he doesn’t?” I asked.

  “I think you already know the answer to that. Don’t let him get away with dismissing this or—” she stopped herself.

  She knew Aaron well. She understood his ability to sweep things under the rug or run away, whichever was easiest for him. I’d hoped we’d broken the latter of the two, but I honestly didn’t know.

  Not realizing I’d been holding my breath, I exhaled slowly and nodded.

  “Aaron was involved in something that changed him forever. He was a broken man, Brandy. You’ve somehow changed that. But it’s not fair for you not to truly know the man he is. It might be easier for him, but it won’t be easier for you. These things have a way of sneaking up on people, on couples.”

  “Tracy mentioned you and Aaron speak every day…”

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes and looked genuinely annoyed. “Of course she did.” She shook her head and her arms now hung at her side. “She’s a good friend. A little too good. But to answer your question, we are in touch almost daily whether it’s a text or a call.”

  It felt like I’d been punched in the gut and I became nauseous.

  “I see.” Wasn’t I supposed to be Aaron’s confidant? These two had some sort of shared history and somehow that was continuing to shape his future. To say I wasn’t pleased was being kind, and I was no longer in a kind mood.

  “We’ll probably have to be in touch almost daily for many years.” Her eyes connected with mine.

  My heart dropped at the thought of what she was saying. Did Aaron have a child? Is that why they were in constant contact? That would be the end. I couldn’t take someone not telling me something so important. My heart ached, and all I wanted to do was go back to the apartment and bury myself under the sheets. Her voice brought me out of my endless spiral of confusion, and I steadied my gaze on hers again.

  “He invested in a business that I started and has been helping me grow it. The task has been difficult because I’ve been trying to break into a category that’s pretty small. If it hadn’t been for his guidance, my business never would’ve even made it off the ground.”

  My body and mind felt like it had been liberated from the ghostly hollows of my imagination. I was so happy I wanted to kiss Elizabeth, but I restrained myself. Instead, I pressed for more answers.

  “So how did you meet Aaron?” I asked.

  Her expression hardened slightly. “We were in the military together.”

  I nodded, feeling more confused than ever. Getting just these tiny bits and pieces almost made it worse.

  “Before he went into Special Forces, we started dating,” she continued.

  My blood chilled. Aaron was in the Special Forces?

  Elizabeth let out a sigh and shook her head. “He didn’t tell you that either?”

  “No,” my voice barely squeaked. “Aaron and I apparently have a lot of catching up to do.”

  Elizabeth reached for my hand and squeezed it. “I shouldn’t have come by. I just hadn’t seen him in a while and debated about stopping by. Listen, he really loves you. He lost sight of what was important to him. You showed him that again. With everything you’ve been through, I’m sure he didn’t want to burden you.”

  “It wouldn’t be a burden,” I whispered, looking into Elizabeth’s eyes.

  “You and I both know that, but that’s not how it works for a certain kind of man
. He sees himself as a protector. That’s how he was wired.”

  I nodded.

  “Don’t hold it against him. I promise you have yourself a good man. He might need a little bit of work around the edges. I shouldn’t be saying this but have you Googled him?”

  My cheeks blushed and I smiled.

  She laughed. “Who hasn’t, right?”

  “I didn’t find anything though…I mean other than all the beautiful women he’s dated over the years. It was all pictures from the social pages and the events he either sponsored or escorted someone too. Nothing that would give me reason—”

  Elizabeth looked perplexed and then a wry smile surfaced. “You looked up Aaron Sullivan.”

  I nodded.

  “Try Thatcher. That’s what he went by in the service. He changed it briefly to Bernie’s last name.”

  I felt absolutely gobsmacked.

  “When did he change it back to Sullivan?” I asked.

  “When Mr. Sullivan decided to start speaking to him again. He figured it would be better for business. Bernie might have been his biological father, but he didn’t raise him. Aaron said it didn’t feel right to turn his back on the man who had.”

  “But Mr. Sullivan turned his back on Aaron when he found out. He stopped speaking to his own son.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Yeah, but he did eventually come around.”

  I shook my head. “It just never occurred to me.”

  “I only knew because I was there during all the turmoil.”

  “So you must know Jason?” I asked

  She smiled. “Absolutely.”

  The click of the door opening alarmed Elizabeth, and she spun around and took off before I even had a chance to say goodbye. I glanced up the steps and saw Aaron poke his head out.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “I have no idea,” I said, walking up the steps. “But I have a feeling it will get a lot more intriguing soon.”

  Aaron gave me a quick peck on the cheek as he slid his hand into mine. “I was getting really lonely.”

  Guilt worked its way through me and I smiled, taking another flute of champagne off the tray as we entered the foyer.

  “Are we okay?” Aaron whispered, his eyes connecting with mine.

  “We’re always okay,” I said, sipping my champagne. “But I think it’s time we both start sharing a little more.”

  Beautiful music began funneling through the hallway, and as if on command, I watched as all of the people began trickling out of the sitting room, following the beautiful melody down the hall. I finished my champagne and placed the flute on an empty table as the music poured into all my senses. I absolutely loved waltzes. It sounded as if a small symphony had joined the evening’s festivities.

  Aaron slid his arm around my waist and pulled me to him.

  “I’m sorry for not telling you everything. Do you forgive me?” he whispered next to my ear. My skin tingled as his lips lightly touched my ear lobe before his hand slid up my back.

  I looked into his eyes, feeling dizzy with emotion, and nodded. “I’ll forgive you if there are no more secrets.”

  “Then I have a lot of explaining to do,” he whispered, as he brought my body to his.

  A waltz echoed down the hall and he smiled. “I think the festivities have begun.”

  “I thought these were the festivities.”

  He smiled and backed up a few steps, giving a slight bow. I knew he was teasing, but I had to admit that being in this new city, surrounded by ghosts from another era made me fall right into his plan. I was forgetting the earlier events already. I was forgetting Elizabeth.

  Arching my hand in his, we walked down the hall and turned into a room that made my jaw drop. It sounded like a symphony was playing because one was playing. The orchestra was set up in the far corner of the ballroom, and the entire space was filled with graceful couples waltzing on the gleaming marble floor. It was like a scene out of a movie. I looked up to see not one, but three crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The walls were painted peach, which somehow fit the entire décor. Ivory and gold columns and pedestals were spaced evenly down three of the walls, and the fourth wall was filled with paintings and sculptures. It was absolutely fanciful, and I was beyond grateful to Aaron for picking out my dress. Seeing the women dressed in their beautiful gowns as they glided across the floor made my heart override my mind as I looked on in awe as the entire crowd swayed from one direction to the other. This was what I wanted to remember from my first night in Paris.

  The waltz drifted away and the crowd stilled, and I suddenly felt all eyes on Aaron and me as he took my hand in his and walked me to the floor.

  Gregory Sennet announced to the room that Aaron Sullivan would be taking my hand in our first waltz in Paris and my entire body seized up. I suddenly felt like I was thrust into a high society gambol that I wasn’t fit for. Gregory repeated what he said in French and before I had a chance to object, Aaron brought me into his arms as Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite II hummed through the air. It was my favorite waltz in spite of it appearing in Eyes Wide Shut. I was surprised that Aaron remembered, but that was who he was. Regardless of what information I’d found out tonight, this was why I loved this man.

  “You are way too slick,” I laughed, feeling his arms tighten as our bodies melted into the waltz.

  Our bodies swayed and flew to each beat of the waltz as the rest of the couples joined us. We were swallowed into the ballroom as the waltz serenaded through the air, and my world felt whimsically misplaced.

  “I love you more than anything, but you have a lot of explaining to do,” I whispered.

  “Don’t I always?” His eyes twinkled and between the bubbles of the champagne and the magic of the moment, I let myself drift into another world as he carried me across the floor.

  I pushed down the sheets and stretched my arms as the bright light shone through the sheer curtains, introducing my first Parisian morning. I saw brioche and a glass of orange juice sitting on the small table by the window. Aaron had gotten up a couple hours earlier. I vaguely remembered him kissing me and telling me to sleep as long as I needed and that he’d be in the studio. Every so often, I’d hear a scrape of metal against the wood floors or his footsteps walking quickly across the floor upstairs, but I generally slept through most of whatever he was busily working on.

  Now I was faced with nursing this slight headache from too many flutes of champagne and too little to eat. We were out late last night, and I’d crawled right into bed the moment we got back to our apartment. Between the champagne and my flight, I was completely exhausted and every welcome home move I’d thought about unleashing on Aaron was extinguished the moment my eyes closed. It also didn’t help that I ran into his ex-fiancée.

  Elizabeth!

  I grumbled aloud and slid my feet into the slippers next to the bed as I almost wished myself back under the covers. The longer I was awake, the more our little encounter wedged itself in my mind.

  I had to find out what Aaron had been hiding, but more importantly, I needed to understand why he didn’t tell me. Our relationship had steadily grown into something profound and beautiful, and the thought that there were pieces of his history that I wasn’t privy to made me internally cringe. No matter how foolish it sounded, it made me doubt who he was or at the very least how he came to be. I felt like it was impossible to see him as a whole person if I didn’t get invited into his life fully.

  I trudged over to the table and took a sip of orange juice before toothpaste wiped out the pleasure of fresh squeezed juice. I picked up the brioche and inhaled the buttery scent as I smeared more butter on top and crowned it with a tiny amount of jam. Taking a bite, my tongue met with the buttery goodness, and I took a seat on the chair next to the window. I opened the curtain and looked out onto the street below. People were walking down the sidewalks, and cars were driving by on the street with places to go. I leaned against the back of the chair and pondered this last revelation. I di
dn’t have any place to go. I wrinkled my forehead and took another bite. I’d have to change that.

  Polishing off the brioche and juice, I saw that Aaron had already connected my iPad and phone to the wireless. He had them sitting on the chair. My stomach knotted as my grogginess exchanged for trepidation. With only a few swipes I might be able to see what Aaron Thatcher was hiding from me. I took in a deep breath and reached for my iPad. I’d never been one to sit and speculate when I had answers so close to my fingertips. I swiped my fingertip along the screen and waited for the home screen to flash on. Quickly typing in Aaron Thatcher, I waited impatiently for the results but was interrupted by someone’s footsteps, but I couldn’t tell where they were coming from.

  I set my iPad down on the bed and followed the mysterious noise down the hall and through the kitchen, only to find Aaron pushing open the hidden door in the dining room. It was going to take some getting used to all these strange noises in such an ancient building.

  Aaron’s snug-fitting jeans were splattered with solder, and his thermal shirt had a thick coating of metal dust entwined in the fibers. His hair was completely disheveled, and he had a few dark smudges under his left eye, and for some reason, that combination was sexy as hell. When his gaze landed on me he grinned and shook his head.

  “Good afternoon, sleepyhead,” he teased, closing the door behind him.

  “Do you blame me with all that champagne you force-fed me.” I smiled and walked over to him. He placed a quick kiss on my forehead and was about to go for my lips when I shook my head and took a step back, bumping into a dining room chair.

  “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”

  Aaron rolled his eyes. “Like I care.”

  “You would. Believe me,” I teased, following him through the hall. “Thank you for the delicious breakfast.”

  “The least I could do. Would you like a mimosa?”

  “Hardeeharhar, Mr. Sullivan.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “I think I’m just fine in the booze department.”