Jerry tucked his finger under her chin and lifted her face towards him, “I would have stayed,” was all he said, and Yvonne’s eyes welled up.
*
“So Jerry’s out on a date with Yvonne,” Vicky was excited by the possibilities of those two getting together. As long as she has known Yvonne, she had never seen her with anyone, or indicated she had a significant other.
“Yeah, he told me. Oh jeez, have you been matchmaking again?” Aidan tended to be more pessimistic about such things.
“No ma’am, not this time. They found each other all on their own.”
“So then, it’s just you and me tonight?”
“Yes, just us two,” Vicky grinned.
Aidan kissed her sweetly on the head and walked into the living room. She moved the coffee table against the wall, turned on some soft music and turned off all the lights except for a small lamp.
Vicky watched with anticipation, it had been quite a while since she danced with her lover, and she missed the closeness.
Taking her hand, Aidan led her into the middle of the room, twirled her around once, and then drew her close. Vicky smiled up at her lover, and laid her head on Aidan’s shoulder. They both held each other tight and slowly swayed to the music. I love you so much, kid, Aidan thought, as she ran her hand through Vicky’s silky-smooth hair, sighing with gratitude.
Vicky, who had a beautiful voice, began to softly sing to the music, which made Aidan well up with emotions. After all that they had been through together, all the trials and tribulations, and to have this beautiful soul holding her tight and singing to her, was like holding an angel here on earth. Aidan knew she was experiencing just a glimpse of what it will be like to be married to Vicky, and she wished the world would stop right now, and just let her enjoy this perfect moment.
She waited until Vicky finished singing before she said, “I can’t wait to marry you, baby”, then she kissed her affectionately on the head again.
“Oh it will be wonderful, sweetheart, so wonderful,” Vicky replied.
The next song, which had more of a tempo, began to play, and Aidan took Vicky’s hand and twirled her around again, then brought her in close, waltzing her in place.
“Honey, have you ever thought about what it would have been like if our childhood had been different?” Early on Vicky learned the best way to get Aidan to talk openly about herself and her dreams, was to ask questions. It wasn’t that Aidan was trying to keep secrets from her, far from it; she just wasn’t as much of an extravert as Vicky was, and it was harder for her to talk about her feelings without some prompting.
Aidan replied, “Actually I use to fantasize about that.”
“You did? Please tell me.”
“Well, when I first joined the Army, I would visualize you as my wife, dancing at the graduation ball. You were dressed in a beautiful blue ball gown, and I was in my dress Army blues, and I danced you around the floor to the envy of everyone there.”
“Oh gosh, sweetheart,” Vicky looked up at her fiancée, “that is so romantic. I’m so sorry I missed that.”
“You know, since I was awarded the medal, I can wear my uniform at the wedding, if you’d like?”
Vicky gave it some thought and couldn’t decide one way or the other. She loved seeing Aidan in uniform, so tall and strong and beautiful, but she didn’t want Aidan to wear it just for her. She knew Aidan was a proud veteran, that wasn’t the question. The question was what did Aidan really want to wear? Vicky decided she’d need to think on that possibility some more, “Let me think about that, and I’ll get back to you, okay?”
“Sure. So what about you, did you ever fantasize about me?”
“Oh yes, I had many fantasies about you, but my favorite was the high school prom. I would think about you as my prom date, wearing one of those gawd-awful tuxedo t-shirts, and being all cocky in your boots and tight jeans. Then when it came time to announce who the couple of the year was, the one where the couple dances alone in the spotlight, it would be you and me of course, and we danced like we are now, much to the awe of everyone in the gym.”
“That’s a great fantasy, kid. I would have loved that.”
“What about now, what’s your fantasy for us today?”
“Oh no, I went first last time, it’s your turn now,” Aidan teased with a smile.
Vicky was happy to share her dream, “My fantasy is actually a childhood dream coming true. It’s our wedding. Our extravagant, over the top, out of control, wedding.”
Aidan grinned, not surprised by her lover’s fantasy. Even as children, Vicky talked about getting married and how beautiful the wedding would be. “It’s going to be a spectacular wedding, kid,” Aidan twirled her around again, and pulled her in tight so she could kiss her ardently.
“Oh, don’t make my head spin,” Vicky was referring to the kiss, not the dance, “So, what about your fantasy?”
Aidan looked at her as if she were visualizing that fantasy right then, “Remember when we were on the plane, and you were coddling the baby and singing to him? I was watching you, and that’s when my fantasy began. To be able to just stand in a corner and watch you sing to our baby is my fantasy, my dream.”
“Oh Aidan,” Vicky’s heart swelled with happiness, “I love you so much!”
Aidan ran her finger across Vicky’s collar bone, and down across the scar by her heart. She leaned in, and gently kissed her breast. Vicky threaded her fingers through Aidan’s hair, and pulled her even closer. She tilted her head back, and gasped, as Aidan kissed her way up her throat.
The feel of Vicky’s pulse, quickening under her kisses, sent a fire through Aidan’s blood. She raked her fingers through Vicky’s hair, and tilted her head, so she could move in closer. As she teased her with searing kisses, she slipped her hand inside her blouse, and caressed her hardening breast with her warm hand.
When Aidan felt Vicky’s knees go weak, she guided her to the couch, her tongue sliding in between Vicky’s pulsating lips.
Vicky welcomed her. She opened herself to her touch, her caress, her love. She pulled Aidan inside her soul, and became one with her.
Chapter 11
Even with the best of intentions, it is hard to carry out a prolong deception to a positive conclusion. And if one isn’t careful, they’ll run full circle and catch themselves in their own trickery. To quote Sir Walter Scott, ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.’ Aidan was caught in a web of her own making, and the spider was creeping closer.
The next morning Aidan awoke to screaming. She had just fallen asleep from her vigil of watching for one of Vicky’s nightmares, when her screams woke her.
Jerry came barreling down the hallway and practically broke the door down to get in, his hunter’s knife at the ready. But Aidan stopped him with a wave of her hand, and told him it was all right, that Vicky was having a nightmare. Jerry did an immediate about face, and left their room, closing the door behind him, as Aidan turned her attention back to Vicky.
She began to softly speak to her, trying to draw her out of the dream, like she’d been able to do before, but this time the dream had a new element to it. Vicky wasn’t dreaming that she was a little girl, this time she was an adult.
“No, get off me; you can’t have my ring. Help Aidan!”
“I’m here, baby, I’ll protect you. Wake up now, it’s safe.”
“Aidan, help me, he wants my ring!”
Aidan realized that she must be talking about her engagement ring. But she thought Vicky was unconscious when Harold tried to take the ring, why would she even know he tried unless…, unless she wasn’t completely unconscious, and saw him on top of her. Oh my God! Stay calm, Cassidy, don’t scare her. “It’s okay, baby, let him have the ring. Don’t fight him.”
“No, that’s Aidan’s ring, you can’t have it!”
Desperate now, Aidan yelled, “Vicky, come here, I need you!”
That one must have worked because Vicky woke up, “What d
o you need, honey?” then she realized she had been asleep, “Aidan, was I dreaming?”
“Yeah kid, I think you were.”
“I…, I remember. Someone was trying to steal my ring,” Vicky hugged her ring to her chest, “it was a man, but I can’t remember him, it’s so vague.”
“It was just a dream baby, don’t worry about it,” but Aidan knew, it wouldn’t be long before Vicky put all the pieces together. Aidan was quickly running out of time.
After dropping Vicky and Jerry off at the hospital, Aidan went into work at Homeland Security. She grabbed a cup of coffee, and tapped on her bosses door. Tom was at his desk, also drinking coffee, and studying the latest intelligence reports.
“Sir, they said you wanted to see me?”
“Yes, come in Aidan. I’ve been giving some thought to your situation here, and wanted to advise you on some things you might not have thought about.”
Aidan was surprised, “Of course sir, any help is appreciated.”
He indicated a chair for Aidan to sit in, as he continued, “In my job, I not only have to consider the law but I also have to consider the consequences of my actions on behalf of Homeland Security. Have you considered the consequences of capturing or killing your father? Or worse, of Victoria killing him?”
“Off the record sir?” Aidan needed to be able to speak freely if she was going to speculate on the outcome.
“Go ahead.”
“Right now I would love nothing more than to blow the bastard away.”
Tom nodded his head, “I thought as much, but what happens afterwards?”
“Afterwards? I get on with my life, I guess.”
“It’s not that simple, Cassidy. Think about it. A two time Medal of Honor recipient kills her own father, whether it was justified or not, will be the headline of every newspaper and TV news broadcast in the nation. Or maybe Victoria shoots him; the press will have a field day with that as well. What would that do to her if she is the one that kills your father? I’m no shrink, but that would play havoc on my emotions to say the least.”
Aidan sat there absorbing what he was saying and she knew he was right; the consequences could make things worse. Vicky had such a huge heart and Aidan knew if she were to kill Harold, she would be consumed with guilt, the type of guilt you don’t easily get over.
“What do you suggest sir?”
“Plan B, turn the investigation over to the police detectives, let them capture him.”
“Sir, on the advice of a well-known psychiatrist, we have managed to keep Vicky from knowing that the bastard is even alive, if I bring the detectives into this she will know, and she will suffer needlessly because of it. I just can’t do that to her.”
Tom simply stated, “Then you’d better come up with a plan C pretty damn quick before it all blows up in your face.”
Aidan looked at him with shock and understanding. Shocked that she hadn’t thought all of this through to the end result, because he was right, it will blow up in her face, or worse, in Vicky’s face, and she was not about to allow that. Understanding that shock, was all she needed to formulate plan C.
***
“So, did you have a good time last night, Yvonne?” Vicky, ever the matchmaker, was anxious to hear how her secretary’s first date with Jerry went.
“I did, I had a great time. Jerry is very much the gentleman and a really great listener too. He had my son eating out of his hand in no time, and had me telling him things that I haven’t told anyone before.”
Vicky watched as Yvonne’s face turned from happiness to concern, and realized that perhaps Yvonne was regretting some of the things she may have said to Jerry. Vicky knew first hand that Jerry is very easy to talk with, and if you weren’t careful you could end up telling him things you never intended to. She figured that was the case with Yvonne, but she wasn’t going to pry.
“I’m so glad you two had a good time. Jerry is a good guy, you can trust him,” Vicky concluded.
Praying that her boss, was right, Yvonne looked at Jerry, sitting in the reception area, and realized she was strongly attracted to him, but she needed to know if he felt the same way. If what she told him last night made a difference, she would know it as soon as she talked to him.
Yvonne poured a cup of coffee, and carried it to Jerry, then sat next to him, “Good morning.”
Jerry replied with a smile, “Good morning, Yvonne.”
“Freddie and I sure had a great time last night, thank you for taking us.”
“I had a great time too. Maybe the three of us could go again sometime?” Jerry wondered if the vibes he was feeling meant she wanted to go out again? As much fun as it was, winning her son over, he really wanted to spend some time alone with Yvonne first, to get to know her better. While he didn’t like the fact that she played the worse possible game on a man that a woman could play, he did appreciate her pain and regret for having done it, and believed she was someone he wanted to know better.
“Yes, I’d like that very much.”
“Can I be honest with you Yvonne?” Jerry asked a little too politely.
Okay, here it comes, the ol’ dump-er-roo “Of course Jerry, I’d prefer honesty above all else.”
“I really enjoyed spending time with you and Freddie last night, but I would also like to spend time with just you. Maybe go to dinner or something?”
Yvonne was shocked; she really wasn’t expecting that kind of honesty. She found it refreshing and enticing, and in the pit of her stomach she even giggled like a school girl at the anticipation. But when Yvonne didn’t answer right away, Jerry feared he’d screwed everything up. Shit, I should have kept my fat mouth shut.
Yvonne finally found her voice and said, “Jerry, I would like that very much. Dinner would be perfect.”
Jerry exhaled and said, “Great, uh, is tonight too soon?”
Pleased at his eagerness, Yvonne laughed. “Tonight will be fine, pick me up here, at say around five?”
“It’s a date then, I’ll see you tonight. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to make a quick phone call,” Jerry got up and pulled out his cell phone to call Aidan. He walked into the hallway and positioned himself across from the entry way, so he could continue his surveillance.
“Hey, Aidan, got a minute?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I’ve uh…, got another date tonight, and was wondering—”
“No problem, Jer. But I am going to need you on Saturday, if you can keep it open for me?”
“Can do. Have you got something in the works?” Jerry knew Aidan would have to make a move sooner or later, and he was hoping it was sooner, so they could get back to a normal life. Not that life has ever been normal since he met her, but that was okay, he preferred the action over the routine.
“It was something that Vicky said about the Champaign, that’s been bugging me, so I went back to the hotel room and tried to relive the moment, and that’s when I realized, the Champaign we drank had to of been the one stolen from Vicky’s parent’s home. You know they’re living in the city now, but we haven’t had time to move everything up here, and there was a break-in recently. I think my father stole the Champaign from their house, because there’s no way he could afford a bottle like that on his own. So we need to draw him back there, and capture him. I’m going to need you to go down there early on Saturday, and set things up. In the meantime, I’ll get the word out that Vicky is going back there again to pick something up for her mother, or some excuse like that.” Aidan said a silent ‘thank you’ that Harold wasn’t aware of them being there recently, or her boss’s fears might have come true.
“It just might work, Sarge.”
After she ended the call with Jerry, Aidan returned her focus to the computer. She knew that Vicky would be busy this weekend, working on the wedding plans with Ellen and Joyce. As she tried to contemplate every contingency, she realized that the safest course of action was for Vicky to fly to New York to be with her friends, instead of having them
fly down here. That way, not only would she be safe, but Aidan knew she wouldn’t have to divide her focus between the sting on Harold, and the safety of her fiancée. She picked up her cell phone and sent a text to Vicky, asking if she could go to lunch, to which Vicky replied yes. Aidan told her she would bring lunch to her, thinking that would save both of them some time.
Two hours later Aidan walked into Vicky’s office with a plastic bag full of Chinese food. Vicky was still in a meeting, so Aidan used the opportunity to ask Yvonne her opinion on clothes. Aidan was beginning to feel the need to buy some fancier clothes, because her soon to be wife, who was well known and well liked in the community, attended several social events and fund raisers, annually.
Yvonne assured her that all she needed to do was wear pleated slacks and tailored shirts, maybe with a vest, and she would fit in practically anywhere Vicky went. Another tip Yvonne gave her was that Aidan needed a thinner billfold, and maybe carry less keys when they’re at a party, or let Vicky carry them. That way Aidan’s pocket wouldn’t bulge. And one last tip Yvonne gave her, because she was on a roll, and one that Aidan was sure she couldn’t do, was to keep her hands out of her pockets when at a reception. But Aidan never knew what to do with her hands, so she always stuffed them in her pockets to hide them.
Vicky finally returned from her meeting and together they ate lunch in her office. It always made Aidan laugh, when Vicky tried to maneuver the chopsticks, because she was not very proficient with them. Aidan was a whiz at it. She picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks, and offered it to Vicky, who playfully stuck her tongue out to accept it. Oh if we weren’t at work…
“So I’ve got this great idea, Vick,” Aidan said in-between bites of her Moo goo gai pan, “why don’t you fly to New York this weekend, and work on our wedding there, saving Joyce another trip down here?”
Remember, You Love Me: Little Girl Lost Page 21