Beyond Chance

by Karice Bolton

  “That’s good.” Aaron walked over and stood next to me. He reached his hands into the sack that had been strapped to Bruno.

  “How about you. Are you getting sore?”

  Aaron shook his head.

  “You wouldn’t tell me if you were, would you?” I narrowed my eyes and he laughed.

  “We’ve only been riding for an hour. It’s not like I’m an old man,” he teased as I grabbed the blanket that was rolled behind the saddle.

  I found a nice place to lay the blanket down and spread our lunch out. I felt like we were worlds away from civilization as I looked around the picturesque countryside.

  “This is absolutely beautiful,” I whispered, taking a seat on the blanket. “Thank you for planning this.”

  Aaron sat next to me and stretched out his legs. “I thought it would be a nice change.”

  “It’s perfect.”

  Aaron slid off his helmet and I did the same, trying to fluff my hair. We sat in a silence for a few minutes while we unpackaged the food. The silence was soothing with only the horses making an occasional sound. I took a piece of bread and placed some meat and cheese on top and leaned back on one arm. Feeling the rays from the sun splash on my skin reenergized me.

  “This is delicious,” I said, taking another bite.

  “I swear it wouldn’t taste like this in Washington,” Aaron replied.

  “Weird how that works. So how is everything coming along?” I asked.

  “Just as I thought it would. I’m still debating about pulling out though.”

  I shook my head. “I wouldn’t do that. Tracy’s shenanigans are ridiculous, and I think that would feed into whatever weird game she’s into. The best revenge is having a successful show and us living happily ever after.”

  Aaron grinned and his gaze intensified sending a flutter of anticipation through me. “I think I can handle that.”

  Before I even had a chance to feign objection, Aaron rolled me onto my back and began dusting kisses along my neck. A shiver ran through me as I felt his body press against mine, and his gaze darkened with longing as he brought his lips to mine.

  And that’s when I realized I’d been mistaking the look in Aaron’s eyes ever since I met him. It hadn’t been complete arrogance that rested behind his gaze. He’d spent his entire adulthood safeguarding himself from others. He was guarded, and I’d finally started to break through.

  Between the bucolic farmland and rustic vineyard, the ride had felt like we were in a fantastical wonderland. When we returned back to the house, I didn’t even think about the trial. We’d had a wonderful dinner and night to ourselves, and there wasn’t one moment that my mind wandered to the mess back home. It wasn’t until this morning when I was awoken by another nightmare. This time Derek had arrived at our house after being found not guilty. I turned around to flee back inside but had nowhere to run. His followers were inside my house waiting.

  I must have said something in my sleep because Aaron had woken me up and held me tightly until I calmed down. I’d fallen back asleep in his arms, but when I woke up the second time, he wasn’t in bed.

  As I took in a deep breath I understood why he wasn’t next to me. He was downstairs cooking breakfast. I stretched under the covers once more and then climbed out of bed. I walked to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, not wanting to scare him away. I thought about brushing my hair and decided against it. That was far too painful of a proposition before conditioner had a chance to work its magic.

  I debated about bringing my phone down to have Aaron hook it up to the wireless and decided to take it with me. I couldn’t hide from the trial forever. I let out a sigh and reached for the phone. It dropped from my hands and landed on the floor with a horrible thud. I picked it up and flipped it over to see a cracked screen.

  “Shoot.”

  I twisted my lips in frustration and slipped on a robe, tucking the broken phone in my pocket. Maybe it was a sign. My stomach knotted at the thought of what my own destiny might be trying to hide from me. I padded down the stairs slowly to the smell of ham and eggs. The kitchen looked like an explosion went off and I chuckled at the scene. There was a bowl with batter dripping from the sides, a plate with a stack of burned toast, steam arising from eggs on the stove, and ham sizzling on a burner. It was quite the triumph.

  “You always outdo yourself,” I whispered. “I feel like the luckiest girlfriend in the world.”

  Aaron laughed. “Well, I have a lot of making up to do.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  His brow arched and he smiled.

  “Maybe just a little.”

  He laughed, bringing me closer into him, and I rested my forehead against his chest as my fingers trailed down his arms. He’d somehow managed to sneak in a shower between waking up and making breakfast. He smelled of citrus soap and it made me want to stay nestled in his arms.

  “I’m just a nosey person, which seems to translate into a nosey girlfriend.”

  I felt Aaron’s body shudder as he chuckled. “Not nosey, Brandy. You deserve to know everything about the man you love. And you said it yesterday… to live happily ever after is the best revenge.”

  I took a step back and grinned. “Well, you know me. I always like to set goals.”

  “You look so damn sexy in that robe with your hair all messed up,” Aaron nearly growled.

  I laughed and narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re scoring points left and right.”

  He stirred the scrambled eggs a couple more times and turned off the burners. “Wanna grab a couple of plates?”

  “Your wish is my command.” I grinned.

  “Can I count on that always?” He wiggled his brows and I groaned.

  “I’m not that gullible.”

  I handed him the plates, and he scooped some eggs and sprinkled them on my plate, followed by a slab of ham. He opened an oven and pulled out a plate of pancakes or crepes. I wasn’t sure which they were, but they looked wonderful regardless.

  He slid two on my plate and handed it to me. “There’s toast on the counter, but it might have seen better days.”

  “Looks and smells delicious.” I walked over to the plate of toast and grabbed the top piece as Aaron filled his plate up with eggs and ham. I poured some syrup on my pancake crepes and walked into the dining room, feeling absolutely spectacular. France and I really were becoming friends. I set my plate on the table and took a seat.

  Watching Aaron walk into the room made my insides warm. There was something so sweet about him. I doubted many saw it, but I was glad I did.

  And then I noticed him try to sit and giggled.

  He took a seat, rather stiffly, and glanced over at me. “What?”

  “You’re just too cute.”

  He rolled his eyes and took a bite of toast. “Might want to skip the toast.” He reached for some water to swallow down the burned bread.

  I laughed and took a bite of the ham. “Delicious. So how did Bruno treat you yesterday?”

  “Doing fine. Great horse.” He quirked a brow and, unwilling to concede, flashed a brilliant smile.

  “You’re not sore at all?” I asked, taking another bite of ham.

  He shook his head. “Not sore at all.”

  “Liar.”

  “I’d tell you.”

  “Sure you would.” I dropped my napkin on the floor and glanced at him. “Do you mind picking that up for me.”

  Aaron drew in a deep breath and reached over, letting out a little groan as he snatched it from the floor and handed it to me.

  “Guess I was wrong.” I smiled and he grinned, shaking his head. “You must not be sore at all.”

  “You play so dirty.”

  “Not me.” I grinned as we quietly ate and enjoyed our breakfast together, and I thought about the coming days. I really should see what was going on with the trial. There was no such thing as a sealed deal when it came to the legal system. No matter what I did or didn’t see, I promised myself not to get my hopes up. One s
tep at a time... Aaron’s voice broke me out of my daze and I glanced at him.

  “I really wish there was something I could do to Derek to make it all end.”

  My eyes locked on Aaron’s and I nodded. “It’s hard to believe when there’s this much evidence against him a conviction isn’t a sure thing.”

  “Attempted murder is murder, if you ask me. Just because he did a lousy job or made a mistake doesn’t mean the guy isn’t a murderer.”

  I let out a sigh and understood where Aaron was coming from. It was frustrating. Someone wanted me dead, tried to kill me, and yet there was a possibility that he could walk away with not even a slap on his wrist.

  “All I can do is hope that justice will be served.” I pressed my lips together and thought about what that actually meant. Was justice possible? I’d always be left with reminders of that horrible day.

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone with the newly broken screen and handed it to Aaron.

  “I did this upstairs. Apparently the screen doesn’t like to fall flat onto hard surfaces.”

  Aaron let out a whistle and examined the cracked screen. “Could be worse.” He clicked the phone on and slid the screen on. “Looks like it still works. Might be kind of hard to see detail, but we can get it replaced.”

  “Here or when we get back to the states?”

  “Probably here, but I’m not sure. I’ll add the wireless for you though. It might take some finagling to see what you’re trying to look at. I’ll leave my phone in here for you to use.”

  “Thanks. Maybe I’ll stick with this and miss all of the bad news with a broken screen.”

  “You never know.” He handed me the phone that was now hooked up to wireless, and I felt my chest tighten as I thought about checking my emails.

  I set the phone down on the table and decided to wait. Waiting a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt a thing.

  Scooping the last bit of scrambled eggs onto my fork, I took a bite and sat back in the chair. The breakfast was delicious, but now I was ready to go back to bed.

  “I think I’ll be able to get another two pieces put together today and that will leave only one more for tomorrow. There’s a town, Chartres, not far from here that I thought you might enjoy visiting tomorrow afternoon.”

  I nodded and watched Aaron’s expression soften as he spoke. “It’s known for some Gothic cathedral. I thought it would be a nice change.”

  “I can’t wait. I’ll probably need it after I spend today finding out about who knows what.”

  Aaron reached for my hand and squeezed it. “I can push off putting the pieces together. We could go to town today, or I could stay inside with you while you look into things. I’m game for anything.”

  I shook my head. “That’s very sweet of you, but I want to get it over with by myself. I think what you have planned is perfect.” I smiled and took a deep breath in as I thought about what I might find. “I’ll take care of the dishes. It’s the least I can do after getting spoiled with breakfast.”

  He stood up tentatively and pushed the chair into the table before stretching toward the ceiling. It looked like every leg muscle must be sore, but for the life of him he wouldn’t admit it. His shirt rose slightly, and my eyes traveled down his bronzed skin.

  Aaron caught me looking and grinned. “Something catch your attention?”

  I laughed and realized that he was indeed guarded, but he was also a little arrogant, and I happened to be hopelessly enamored with all of him.

  “You are irresistible,” I muttered.

  “That’s what I like to hear.” He walked over slowly and draped his arms over my shoulders and gave me a big hug. Feeling the strength of his embrace made me think that nothing was impossible. No matter what I found online, I had Aaron to lean on and that meant more than anything.

  Aaron let go of me and set his iPhone on the table. “You know the password. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

  I smiled, and he swept a kiss on my cheek prior to heading out to the workshop. I debated about showering before I started the pursuit of information, but I decided against it. The longer I put it off, the worse it would get. I quickly did the dishes and went into the sitting room. I turned on my cracked phone.

  Pressing on my email, I waited for the new messages to populate. To my surprise, there was only one update from my mom. I read through the message quickly and was cautiously relieved. She felt the trial was going well and the evidence was convincing. She praised the prosecuting attorney’s clear and concise arguments. She didn’t want to give me false hope, but she felt things were looking promising. Her thought was that the trial would be over by early next week. I let out a sigh, thankful that there wasn’t any bad news in her email and closed it up. Not that I didn’t trust my mom’s thoughts on the subject, I went to some of the bookmarked sites and reviewed some of the snippets from the trial.

  As I glanced at one of the articles, I realized why my mom didn’t say much. They’d called her as a witness. My heart sank as I read the transcripts and journalists’ recap. I cringed at the depths of deplorable questioning that the defense attorney had been willing to go to. My pulse raced as I read his accusatory statements about my mother. Somehow the defense attorney managed to turn the entire situation into a condemnation of my mother’s legal defense of Derek’s mother versus my attempted murder. Several of his questions got stricken from the record, but the jury was still able to hear them. As much as I hated to admit it, Derek’s defense attorney was good, but I’d like to think the prosecuting attorney was better. I still didn’t know if Derek would be getting on the stand. I guess only time would tell.

  A rather uplifting article showed up in a Google Alert I’d set up about the cult link to Derek. It looked as if there would be new charges brought against the person who sent the letter to me. I quickly scanned through the discussion boards and saw some of the followers of Derek sounding off on this latest revelation. It concerned me, but my hope was that if Derek got locked behind bars, they’d find some other bandwagon to jump on. Unfortunately, I’d also seen how once a person was behind bars, they almost achieved a celebrity status.

  Ever since I was a kid, I always got the heebie-jeebies when the Charles Manson specials would come on, and I couldn’t believe he actually had fan clubs. I shivered at the thought of Derek gaining more recognition and tried to push the thoughts aside.

  One step at a time.

  I glanced out the window and saw the blue skies completely trading out for heavy clouds. In the distance it looked as if buckets of rain were pouring down. It probably wouldn’t be long before the storm arrived here.

  Without even realizing that hours had gone by, I glanced at the time and forced myself to stop searching. It got me more nervous. I should have read my mom’s email and stayed oblivious to the rest, but that wasn’t how I operated. I clicked on my mom’s message again and quickly typed a reply, thanking her for everything she did and congratulating her on the snide comments she managed to slide into her answers. I could only imagine the laughter some had to hold in. As I hit send, I saw a message from Ayden with the subject: Lily.

  I quickly opened the email and read the first line,

  Would you be okay with me asking Lily to marry me while we’re in Paris? I bought the ring already… So I hope the answer is yes, knucklehead.

  My heart beat wildly as I reread Ayden’s question. Seriously? My best friend and brother were getting engaged? I could barely hold in my excitement. Now I really couldn’t wait for everyone to get here. I wondered if she had any idea? I hit reply and filled my message with exclamation points and hearts. This was exactly what I needed to end on today so I wouldn’t be all doom and gloom.

  I nearly skipped my way into the shower. I made it a quick one since I was so excited and had to share the news with Aaron. This was way too awesome to keep to myself. I rinsed the soap off my body and the conditioner out of my hair as I thought about how Lily was going to absolutely die wh
en he popped the question. Miss anti-love was about to get engaged. She’d talked about them spending the rest of their lives together, but then she would stop herself, worried that it was moving too fast. But I knew how my brother worked. He wouldn’t want Lily to slip away.

  I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, drying off quickly and dressing even quicker. I went through the kitchen to grab a glass of water since the ham was making me extra thirsty. I heard Aaron’s phone ding and polished off my water before going into the dining room to take Aaron’s phone to him.

  Sliding the phone on, I looked at the screen and saw Elizabeth’s text flash onto the phone. My chest tightened as I saw her words.

  Please tell me what it is that I did. I’m sorry for anything I may have done. It wasn’t on purpose. If you could just give me a few minutes of your time to explain whatever it is…

  For some bizarre reason I felt bad for her, but then I remembered Tracy and the guilt left as quickly as it came. Taking the phone, I walked out to Aaron’s workshop and was caught completely off guard when I spotted Aaron. Rather than being dressed in his protective gear, he had stripped off his shirt and tucked it in the waistband of his low-hanging shorts. His wide shoulders and strong legs were stretched as he reached for something on a shelf. I couldn’t help but be distracted by Aaron’s physique as I stood in awe and imagined myself tangled within his embrace.

  As Aaron managed to pull a box off the shelf, he spun around to see me ogling. He broke into a smile. “What do you think?”

  “About what?” I asked.

  He shook his head and laughed, pointing to the sculptures. My cheeks heated as I realized I hadn’t even noticed. How horrible of me. I took another step inside and became completely mesmerized at the fully formed sculptures. Seeing them completed in their full size literally took my breath away. I hadn’t expected him to be done with one, let alone two.

  “They’re fantastic. I can’t even imagine what people are going to say…”