Her Charming Secret

by Sam Ayers

  He realized that she was gloomy all day, so he wanted to do something special for her. When he asked her if she had any plans for the evening, she just shrugged her shoulder and said that she was going back home to eat leftovers and watch crappy drama. That was when he asked her to join him for dinner. She looked at him as if he spoke Latin, but accepted the invitation while they were going home.

  Now here he was, standing alone, waiting for her. When the doorbell rang, he rushed to open the door. Jo was standing there with a grin on her face, completely drenched and looking for all intents and purposes like a puppy, all wet and bright-eyed.

  “Oh no! You’re going to catch a cold; come on in,” he said and pulled her in, closing the door behind them.

  “Hey,” she murmured, looking around. Finally, she turned towards him. “Just had a shower? You smell nice,” she said as her hand ran up his neck and touched his damp hair, slowly running her hand through it.

  He pulled her closer. “Yup! Just now. You’re drenched; I think you should take a warm shower.”

  “Later,” she whispered and pulled his head down, crashing her lips on his. He was warm, and she liked the feeling of being in his arms and could have stayed exactly there all day. But he pulled away and pulled her towards his room. He gently pushed her inside the bathroom and handed her a huge towel.

  “Go shower; I’ll get you a change of clothes,” he said and walked away to his wardrobe. Sighing, Jo walked into shower.

  Aiden pulled out the red t-shirt she had worn in Tofino. Every single item from that trip had its own special memory. Smiling to himself, he pulled out a pair of shorts and placed them on the bed along with the t-shirt, wondering if Jo had the same fondness for the memories as he did. He knocked on the shower door to let Jo know that he had left the clothes on the bed, and closed the bedroom door before walking away to the kitchen to heat up the food.

  Jo was glad that Aiden suggested that she take a warm shower; the cold that was setting into her bones was quickly replaced by heat, and she couldn’t stop the tiny moan that escaped at finally being warm again. It was an added advantage that she loved the feel of the warm water running over her skin. She took a quick shower and was out in less than ten minutes. He had laid some clothes out on the bed. She quickly put them on and grinned widely when she wore the red t-shirt. She loved that it smelt like him. Giggling to herself, she walked out to see him placing the food on the dining table.

  “Hey, you’re back already?” he asked, walking towards her.

  “Yup! Thanks for letting me use your shower.” She smiled. He came closer and ran his hand through her hair. It was still damp.

  “Are you planning on falling ill?” He pushed her lightly towards his room before asking her to sit quietly on the bed. She bounced on it a bit and sunk in because it was so soft and fluffy. He pulled out another towel and started to dry her hair with it.

  “Wait! What are you doing?” Jo pushed him away and jumped on the bed.

  “Come back here,” he called, and jumped on the bed to tackle her. The position they landed in got a little awkward as he was on top of her with his hands behind her head, towel still in them as he was trying to dry her hair. Their faces were close, breaths mingled. He had to lean down just a bit more or she lean up a little for their lips to meet.

  Instead, she wriggled and tried to push him and he started tickling her. She was extremely ticklish, and laughed as she tried to push him away. Finally, he stopped and kissed her slowly. He had to taste those soft lips again. She deepened the kiss by pulling him closer. He pulled away when he heard a grumble; she ran her hand over her tummy and grinned.

  “You should eat,” he said and pulled her up. When Jo walked towards the kitchen to help him, he asked her to take the non-alcoholic sparkling wine out. They moved towards the dining table, and Jo smiled when she saw him serving the food. She was starving and it looked absolutely delicious.

  “I hope you like pasta bake,” he said, setting down a plate in front of her. She nodded like a child. She gasped at the plethora of flavors that attacked her taste buds the minute she took a bite of the pasta. The taste was so exquisite that she let out a moan unintentionally, causing Aiden to look at her in surprise.

  “This is awesome! The most delicious pasta bake I’ve ever eaten,” she declared. “Where did you get this from? Which restaurant is this from?”

  He looked at her, a bashful smile on his face as he said, “Umm . . . It’s not from a restaurant; I made it.”

  She put the fork down and looked at him with wide eyes, reminding him once again of an innocent puppy. “You made this? You cook?!”

  He nodded.

  She made some sort of squealing sound and wriggled in her chair.

  “Jo, are you alright?”

  “You are the best! I’m so lucky! You are hot, you can cook, and those glasses . . . darn, you look sexy in those – not to say you don’t look sexy usually, but in those . . . whew!” she said excitedly, fanning herself, a grin on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.

  Aiden burst out laughing at her zest. “I’m glad you like the food. So what did you do for lunch?”

  “Burgers at McDonald’s with Alex!”

  “Really? So he managed to take someone along, huh?”

  “Actually, when you asked me to book a table for two I thought that you were taking me out on a date,” she murmured softly, looking down.

  It took him some time to realize what she just said. “Wait, so when I went away leaving you alone, you ended up thinking that I don’t care?” he asked in disbelief. She nodded. “Jo, you could have accompanied me, you know!”

  “But wasn’t that a business lunch?”

  He shook his head. “I seriously doubt that Abigail would have minded if you had accompanied us to lunch.”

  “Wait, Abigail as in my best friend Abigail? The wedding planner Abigail?”

  He chuckled at hearing her paraphrase the words he had used earlier. “The same! We were discussing Adele’s wedding details.”

  “Oh! And here I was getting all worked up, thinking you didn’t care,” she said, regret flashing on her face the minute the words were out of her mouth.

  Aiden’s expression changed; he looked down, not letting her see how upset he was. She didn’t trust him like she said, after all. But she was already bothered about something; her feelings were important, so Aiden just raised his head and smiled.

  “I may not be the sort of boyfriend who would kiss you in public and take you out on dates, but I’ll try. All this is new to me, so you need to give me some time.”

  She touched his hand lightly and mingled her fingers with his. He raised her hand and kissed the back lightly.

  After the dinner, Aiden made a small bed on the carpet in the drawing room. They decided to watch a movie. But she stopped him when he was choosing one.

  “Let’s just talk,” she said. They sat there with her sitting in front of him, his arms around her waist. She moved back and rested her head on his chest.

  “So, are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” Aiden asked, holding her tightly.

  “Huh? I’m fine, and it’s nothing,” she smiled. He was quiet; she turned around to see his face filled with disbelief.

  Sighing, she said, “It’s Jacob. This morning he introduced me to his girlfriend.”

  “Is that wrong?”

  “He has known her for almost a year, but he never mentioned anything about her. I don’t know why I feel so sad,” she replied, resting her head on his chest and snuggling closer.

  “I think I know how you feel. Aubrey might react just like you when I introduce you to my family as my girlfriend.”

  She looked up to see a smirk on his face. “What do you mean?” she asked in horror.

  “Meeting the parents? It’s not that bad. Mom invited you to dinner.”

  “You told your mother about us? Is she okay with that?” Aiden moved closer and kissed her red nose.

  “Of course. They will lo
ve you; you see, we have to go to the lake house this week, for the wedding arrangements. Why don’t you come along?” he murmured, kissing her neck lightly.

  “Umm . . . yes,” she purred. Aiden raised his head to see her expression and laughed out loud at her face. She snapped out of it and blushed.

  They ended up talking about lots of things. She told him about her father again and how much she missed him. He told her to meet him and sort out the issues.

  Aiden didn’t realize how late it was as they talked. Eventually he fell asleep, and when he woke up, Jo was still in his arms. He lifted her off the ground slowly and carried her to his room. He lay her down on the bed slowly, pulling the comforter over her.

  * * *

  Aiden started spending more time with Jo and things slowly started to take a turn for the better. They started going out on dates or just staying in with takeaway and a movie, but for now all their dates were low key and away from the public.

  Jo had taken to sneaking a kiss or two in office when no one was watching, mostly when he didn’t expect it. He looked forward to those unexpected – but completely welcome – encounters where she would give him a peck when asking him to sign documents or pull him into an empty boardroom for a longer kiss.

  He had to go to the lake house for the wedding preparations. The Reids decided to stay there for a while. The day before he left, they went on another date. It had become a routine for them as she came over to his place on Friday and spent the weekend with him. They would go to the other part of the town, basically avoiding any kind of trouble.

  Aiden took her to get sprayed at Niagara Falls. It was a ninety-minute drive from Toronto. Jo had visited with Jake a long time ago, but with Aiden it was different. Everything was brighter and so much more vibrant. She took in the breathtaking view, wide-eyed and completely mesmerized by the sight in front of her. Aiden grinned, happy that he was able to put such a look on her face and put an arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

  “Can I take a picture?” Jo asked him.

  “Sure! Who’s stopping you?”

  She turned around and pulled out her phone. Switching to the front view camera, she took a picture of them.

  “I thought you wanted to take a picture of the falls!” Aiden grinned.

  She shook her head. “Nah! This is better!”

  Aiden noticed flashes that felt like they were aimed in their direction. He felt a shudder run up his spine at the thought of someone taking their pictures. He turned around to look, but seeing as everyone in the vicinity had a camera, he couldn’t pinpoint who it was.

  “What’s wrong, Aid?” Jo placed her hand on his shoulder.

  “It feels weird here. I think we should leave.” He muttered.

  “Already? But we just got here!” She groaned and looked down.

  “I’m starving; let’s go to Dairy Queen and get something to eat.” Aiden looked around one last time to see if he recognized someone, but he couldn’t.

  They headed out to Dairy Queen and ordered Blizzards. Jo got a Midnight Truffle Blizzard and Aiden ordered a French Silk Pie Blizzard.

  He smiled to himself when he saw a little ice cream on her lips. Noticing it, Jo asked, “Is everything alright?”

  He moved closer and wiped it off with his finger. “Much better!”

  The date was simple, but they enjoyed it. When it was time to head home, Jo didn’t want it to end. She put on her innocent puppy dog expression and hugged him tightly.

  “Don’t go. Stay with me,” she murmured.

  “I don’t want to go, but I have to, love. I will see you at the wedding. And I’ll be at work every day, you know?” He placed a soft kiss on her brow and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her.

  She held on to him and smiled. “Promise?” she asked, looking so innocent in that moment that he couldn’t help but pull her in for another kiss, breaking which, he rested his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes.

  “Promise.”

  She smiled and pushed him away, a grin on her face. “Go before I change my mind and lock you in here with me.”

  He gave her a boyish grin and waved goodbye as he walked away.

  Aiden went back to his place to pack his clothes and other stuff. They were staying at the lake house for almost a whole week. With just one week left before the wedding, he couldn’t help but feel nervous. He knew that Adele was feeling the same pressure. The twins had always been connected in a way that they could feel each other’s feelings and emotions, and right now he sensed exactly what Adele was going through. Sighing, he picked up his bag and a jacket and walked out. He got into his car and drove to his parents’ place.

  Fifteen minutes later, he pulled into the driveway and walked in to see Aubrey running around, playing with Pierre.

  “Youz can’t catzh mi,” Pierre laughed.

  Aiden remembered that something exactly like this happened eight years ago. Aubrey gave up and sat down.

  “I’m tired, grandpa. I can’t run,” she groaned and plopped down. Aiden immediately walked towards her and picked her up.

  “Aidey,” she squealed and hugged him tightly.

  “Hey, angel. No more running around. Time to go to bed,” he said, carrying her upstairs.

  “Aidey, where are we going?” asked Aubrey, her hands fiddling with his hair.

  “I’m going to read, and you are going to bed,” he smiled.

  “Noooo . . . nooo . . . don’t wanna sleep now!” She wriggled in his arms.

  “But you must, Aubrey. We are going to the lake house. We need to pack tomorrow, so now you are going to bed.”

  She pouted, and then nodded, “Okay, Aidey. But you have to read me a story!”

  “Sure, angel. You know that new one we bought? Written by your favorite author Jo Winters?”

  She nodded happily because she loved Jo’s stories.

  “Do you want to meet her?” Aiden raised his eyebrow.

  “How? She is not writing her name in the books now,” Aubrey said. She shook her head before continuing, “I don’t know if she will meet me.”

  “What if she wants to meet you? And she will write her name in your book,” he smiled.

  Aubrey bounced in his arms, causing him to almost drop her. “Yay! Yes, I wanna!!!”

  “Okay, so if you want to meet her, you need to go to bed first.”

  “Okey!” She squealed excitedly and jumped out of his arms before running towards her room. In a minute she came back with a pillow in her hand and ran towards Aiden’s room. He followed her to see her jumping on the bed.

  “Hey, bro!” Aiden turned around to see Ashton standing near the doorway.

  “Hey, Ash! Wassup?”

  “I need some advice,” Ashton replied and plopped down on the couch.

  “Sure, what is it?” Aiden looked at his brother, who had a confused expression on his face.

  “So Alex planned to dress up as a vampire at Gabe’s bachelor party.”

  “What?” Aiden cried in surprise.

  “Yay! A vampire!” Aubrey screeched and jumped higher on the bed.

  “Yeah, didn’t you know?” Ashton raised his eyebrow. Both Aiden and Aubrey shook their heads.

  “So, is it okay if I become a werewolf?”

  “Are you kidding me? Are you planning to wear a werewolf costume?” Aiden shook his head, wondering if something was wrong with Alex and Ashton or was it just the crazy gene.

  “No no, I can’t get a costume anywhere. I decided to attend the party without a shirt. You know, just shorts would do. It will make me look . . . err . . . hot!”

  Aiden stared at him in shock, but little Aubrey, who was still jumping, said, “Can I be a princess? Then Alex and Ash can be my vampire and wolfy man.”

  Ashton grinned at Aiden. “See? Even Aubrey agrees it’s a good idea.”

  “Okay, kids, listen.” Aiden got up and looked at them. “You be a werewolf if you want. And Aubrey, you can be a princess. But I don’t want anyone to
force me to be either a moronic zombie or a lazy prince. You hear me?”

  “Aye Aye, Captain,” Ashton saluted and Aubrey did the same.

  “Are you going to be a captain, Aidey?” asked Aubrey innocently.

  “No, Aubrey. Aidey will be Aidey. No Zombie, no Prince or Captain,” he stated.

  She pouted and plopped on the bed. Then she brightened, saying, “So you will wear your busy men clothes?”

  “My what?” he asked, confused.

  “She means your suits,” Ashton explained.

  Aiden laughed and nodded. “Sure, Auby. I’ll wear my suit.”

  With the vampire and werewolf craziness not ending, Aiden finally decided to go to bed.

  The only thing hindering this from being an absolutely lovely day was the feeling that when he was on the date with Jo, there had been someone there, taking photographs of them. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that they had been followed, but with the amount of tourists with cameras it had been impossible to be completely sure.

  “Could someone have followed us?” he asked himself.

  No, that’s not possible, he thought. No one knew that they were going to Niagara Falls. Putting all his thoughts aside, he closed his eyes, drifting into a fitful sleep.

  - Chapter 22 -

  Unconventional Swims

  A deep, searing pain started to engulf me, slowly ripping me apart. It felt like an invisible force was tugging at me from all corners, stretching me too thin. Cut, bruised and broken, I prayed for a reprieve from this agony. Groaning and screaming with anguish, I writhed about on the bed. Deep sleep finally claimed me, a sense of calm settling over my turbulence. I knew that Adele was nearby, taking away my pain while giving me comfort, even if it was for just a minute.

  Nightmares filled with voices claimed me, and I cried out. A minute later, I felt her calling me to her, guiding me to peace, sometimes just with her voice and sometimes by lightly touching my arm. Groggy, I slowly awoke to a buzzing near the bed I was lying in. There was an IV in my arm, and looking around, I saw that my whole family was here. The minute they saw me, hope filled their faces and my mother walked closer to sit in the chair next to my bed.