by Natalie Ann
“Don’t worry about your mother,” his father said. “She’s more bark than bite, but I’ll see what’s going on.”
Brody disconnected the call and turned to walk back downstairs, confident there was nothing going on with his mother, when Cade walked in. “Sorry, didn’t know someone was in here,” he said quickly.
Brody walked forward and shut the door, giving the two of them privacy. “What’s your problem with Aimee?”
Cade crossed his arms in front of his chest. Sometimes it was like looking in the mirror when the two of them were ticked off. “I don’t have one with Aimee and I’m surprised she told you I did.”
“She didn’t tell me anything.”
“Then what’s this about?”
Brody held Cade’s stare. “I know you. I know you probably gave her more grief than the rest and I want to know why. I want you to tell me to my face.”
“Why? So you can hit me again? You won’t catch me unaware this time. I’ll hit back.”
Brody laughed and relaxed his stance. “I’m not in the mood for another week of solitude. Do you want to go back on the boat?”
Cade cringed. “No.” Then he dropped his hands down, walked to the conference table and sat down. “I like Aimee. The relationship threw me off is all. I just don’t want you to get caught up in something blind again.”
“I’ll give you points for being blunt. But there is nothing to be caught up in. Aimee and I are truthful with each other. We understand each other. Unlike some people, I can learn from my mistakes. I just wish people would stop throwing it in my face.”
“Is that a shot against me?” Cade said, standing up from the chair.
“Take it any way you want.” Then Brody walked out the door.
***
“You’re going to give yourself away,” Gavin said when Jolene walked in the front door.
“What are you talking about?” she asked as she set her shopping bags on the floor.
“What the heck did you buy today?” Gavin asked, looking at the bags from a toy store. Not just one, either. Talk about giving away plans.
“Stuff for Sidney when she comes to visit.”
Gavin sighed. “You’re losing your edge with the kids.” He hated to admit it, but felt he should point it out.
“Never,” Jolene said confidently. She turned and walked to the back of the house and started to help herself to a drink. “Why would you even say that?”
“Because Brody called and wanted to know what was going on with you. He couldn’t understand why you were all over his case about not being there with Aimee.”
“He should have been,” she argued.
He didn’t want to fight with her, but after thirty-five years of marriage, he’d learned to hold his own.
“But he gave you a good reason why he wasn’t and that he’d planned on it. That didn’t count for something?”
“He did,” she agreed.
“Yet you still gave him grief over it.”
“I might have gone overboard,” she said. “But I don’t want him to blow this.”
“He’s going to figure out you set this up if you keep pushing like that.”
“I thought you were against what I did,” she said.
“I was, but now I see the difference in him. I don’t agree with your methods, but it seems to be working.” He walked over to kiss her cheek. “Just watch your step. Too much interference will push Brody away, and it’s the last thing any of us want right now.”
“I know. Of all the kids, he’s the one with the biggest sensitive side.”
“And he fights the hardest to hide it from everyone.”
One of Us
Summer was coming to an end and things were already starting to slow down during the week. There were fewer vacationers with the kids going back to school. Not that the bar got an influx of children, but in the summer there were more than normal.
Aimee was fine with that as long as she stayed busy. If things got to be too slow, she’d talk to Brody about expanding her responsibilities. Or maybe one of the others could give her something to do. She liked to show her worth to everyone.
She and Cade had come to terms and were getting along great again. He often came in and picked her brain on ideas and she enjoyed it. She loved thinking up new things to try. Some were flops, some were successes. So far, the flops were less.
Brody and Aimee seemed to be settling into a nice routine. The bulk of their time was spent working together, but he was starting to take Sundays off so they could spend the time together. Almost like a family.
She and Sidney would go to his house on Saturday night after her shift while Brody was still working. She’d put Sidney to bed and just relax out on the patio until Brody came home, then they’d go to bed together. She enjoyed waking up with him more than anything. His strong arms around her, holding her tight, holding her close, making her feel…almost loved.
Then on Monday morning, she’d leave his house and bring Sidney to Melanie’s and go to work. Other than that one night together, she only saw Brody outside of work when he stopped to see her on her day off before his shift.
She’d like more time with him, but couldn’t see how to make it work at this point. It was probably for the best, anyway. It could be like eating five sticks of cotton candy on a summer day until you were sick. Then you didn’t want to touch it again for a year.
She was wiping up the bar around three when Steve came in. Brody had something to do today so he wouldn’t be in until later, so Steve was covering for him. She could have handled it alone this Tuesday afternoon, but didn’t say anything when she saw that Brody changed the schedule.
“What can I get you?” she asked a middle-aged man that sat at the bar. She eyed him as a businessman, but casual at best.
“Aimee Reed, right?”
She frowned. “That’s me. Do I know you? I’m pretty good with faces, but I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“Jackson Race, agent for Hope’s Breath,” he said, holding his hand out.
“That’s a band?” she asked.
“They played here over the summer,” he said.
“A lot of bands play here. Sorry, all the names start to sound the same to me after a while.”
“Do all the bands have men in them that fathered your daughter?”
She looked around the bar and saw no one was paying attention to them, then turned to Steve. “Steve, can you cover for me while I take a quick break and deal with something?”
“Sure can,” he said. The staff took her and Brody’s relationship in stride, too. She’d thought life was finally going right for once. She should have known better.
“Come with me,” she said to Jackson. “We’ll go somewhere we can talk privately.”
She led him out back, up the stairs, and to the conference room. Ella was on the phone, but gave her a quick wave as she walked by. With any luck, Ella wouldn’t think anything of it. Brody and she often came up here to meet with vendors in the conference room.
“Please have a seat,” she told Jackson, then shut the door. Once he was seated, she turned and sat across from him. “What do you want?”
“So you aren’t denying that Pick is the father of your daughter? Sidney Marie Reed, correct?”
She flushed, knowing he had that information. “Why do you say that?”
“I’m good at what I do. I can find information when I need it.”
She was shocked Pick actually put this all together, or even remembered, but she wasn’t confirming or denying anything just yet. “What does Pick want?”
“This isn’t about what Pick wants right now. Does he know about your daughter?”
Nothing was making sense and she was wondering how much she should say or not. “Why are you here?” she asked instead.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Jackson said.
“You didn’t answer mine, either. Looks to me like we’ve got a stalemate. You’re on my turf right now.” It was a g
ood thing her voice was strong because the rest of her was like jelly.
“I always have the best interest of my clients at heart.”
She went to open her mouth when there was a knock at the door. She turned when it opened and saw Ella, Cade, and Aiden standing there. “Are we intruding?” Ella asked, her business face in place.
She wanted to say yes, but realized she might need all the help she could get. The siblings looked dead serious standing there, and she hoped to God they were there for her and not against her.
“I’m not quite sure. Jackson hasn’t told me what he’s looking for just yet.”
Cade stepped forward, all smiles now, with his hand extended. “It’s good to see you again, Jackson. If you’re looking to book another gig for the band, you should have contacted me.”
“I’m not here for that,” Jackson said, returning Cade’s handshake enthusiastically. “Though I just might try to again. It was a big success that night. Then again, Hope’s Breath has some huge things lined up right now.”
Aimee wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. All three siblings walked forward and sat on her side of the conference table. Cade to her right, Aiden and Ella to her left.
“What does that have to do with Aimee?” Ella asked. “She’s why you’re here, right?”
Jackson looked around and started to grin, then turned his eyes to her. “Do you really want to bring this out in front of your employers?”
“I’ve got nothing to hide,” she said, and hoped that was right. Brody knew about Pick but she highly doubted he would tell the rest of his family. No one had questioned her about Sidney’s father.
“That’s fine. Your choice,” Jackson said. “I believe Aimee’s daughter was fathered by one of the members of Hope’s Breath. Aimee has kept her daughter from my client.”
“Wait just a minute,” Aimee said, throwing all caution out the window. “Pick—no let’s call him by his real name—Wilber told me to take care of the pregnancy when he found out I was pregnant. Then he left the next day. And by take care of, he meant end the pregnancy.”
“Did he tell you that exactly? Did he expressly tell you to have an abortion? Maybe it’s because he didn’t think the child was his?”
She was starting to sweat and didn’t know how to answer. She should have never said what she just did, but she couldn’t control the words. Cade lay his hand on hers and said, “You’re the band’s agent, correct?”
“Yes. I know you’re aware of that,” Jackson said. “I manage all of the members in the band.”
“But you aren’t Wilber’s legal representation,” Cade stated.
“I can get their lawyer here with one phone call,” Jackson said, his eyes shifting just a touch.
“Make that call then,” Cade said, then he turned to Aimee. “Give me a dollar.”
“What?” she said. What the heck was wrong with him?
“Just give me money,” Cade said again. She reached into the pocket on her apron and pulled out a dollar bill and handed it over like a robot. Frigid and distant, exactly how she felt. “As Aimee’s attorney, I’m advising her to not say another word. Your client can come back with his attorney. Until then, let us show you the door.”
Aimee watched as Jackson stood up and Aiden walked him back downstairs. She remained there with Ella and Cade, her hands shaking, her heart racing, a cold sweat running down her back.
“I didn’t know you were a lawyer,” she said to Cade.
“I am. For a number of reasons, we found it was easier to have a lawyer in house rather than pay a firm for every little thing we do. Our business is too big and too diverse. It came down to Ella or me to go back to school.”
“Who are you kidding?” Ella said to Cade. “It never came down to me and you. You were all over it when it was brought up.” She turned to Aimee and rolled her eyes, “No one blows rainbows up someone’s butt like Cade. Kept going on and on that he was made for it.”
“Well, I am,” Cade said, winking at her.
“Okay, fine. You’re an attorney. But what, business law?” Aimee said, trying to bring the conversation back to her.
“That’s what I deal with, yes. No worries, I can handle what they might bring your way…which I’m thinking might not be what you’re imagining.”
“I don’t even know what to think. My guess is Pick wants to see Sidney, but I don’t understand that. As far as I know, he doesn’t even know about Sidney. When he was here a few months ago, he could barely remember my name let alone what happened when he saw me last. I still don’t know how he suddenly realized I have a daughter.”
“He might not know. Jackson is a pretty sleazy dude. Let me look into a few things. My guess is he has stuff lined up for the band and is making sure there aren’t any skeletons in anyone’s closets to ruin his plans.”
She shook her head. “Pick made a comment about not wanting me to blackmail him when I said he was nothing but a cheat and a liar. Said he didn’t want his reputation ruined, that things were starting to line up for him. I told him I would forget about him if he forgot about me. I just thought that was the end of it.”
“It probably was,” Ella said.
“Then what’s going on now?” Nothing was making sense to her. Not even Brody’s siblings standing behind her.
“He’s gone,” Aiden said, walking back in the room.
“We were just telling Aimee,” Cade said, “that Jackson is probably trying to dig up any dirt on the band and making sure it’s taken care of before whatever plans he has for them take shape. I’m sure he looked back on Pick’s past, asked around, and put things together.”
“Pick isn’t that smart,” Aimee said. “He probably went back to his band and bragged about knowing me before. About hooking up with me.” She was feeling embarrassed now, but had to push it aside.
“Whatever happened, it made Jackson dig,” Aiden said. “I recognized him when you walked by and came upstairs to see what was going on, grabbing Cade out of Ella’s office.”
“I didn’t even know Cade was in there,” she said, glad someone was paying attention with what was going on with her. “Thank you for everything. All of you. I don’t know what he’s after, but I’m sure I probably would have messed it up somehow. That’s the story of my life, it seems.”
“You’re one of us now,” Ella said. “We all stick together. Brody would skin us alive if he knew we left you alone.”
She stood up, needing to get some air, the tight remnants of fear and embarrassment clogging her throat, mixed with the joy of acceptance into the Fierce family. “I’ll talk to Brody when he comes in and let him know what’s going on. Cade, if you can let me know what you find out, I’d appreciate it.”
She walked back downstairs and outside to get air. She didn’t care the air was thicker outside than the tightness in her throat. It was still air and letting her breathe right now.
She gulped in a few more deep breaths. No one was coming near her baby.
Have His Back
“Why haven’t I heard anything yet?” Aimee asked Brody two weeks later. “Why hasn’t Cade given me any updates on what’s going on?”
“These things take time,” he said, pulling her across the couch onto his lap. When he found out what happened while he was gone a few weeks ago, he’d been livid. But when she said Cade, Ella, and Aiden were there with her, he was relieved. He knew they’d have his back and therefore have Aimee’s.
She was both shocked and humbled by it, he knew. They’d talked that night, she’d cried and said she was scared, but he held her, telling her he’d be there every step of the way. There was no way that loser was getting anywhere near Sidney.
“Which makes no sense. Why come see me unless you have an agenda?”
“Cade thinks it’s Jackson that has the agenda. If that is the case, it might take time to get Pick on board with whatever it is.”
Brody hoped that sounded reasonable. The truth of it was, he didn’t know much more than Ai
mee, but didn’t want to show his anxiety.
“I just want to know, then I can plan and move forward.”
He’d been thinking about moving forward himself for weeks. Maybe now was the time to bring it up.
“What do you think about moving in here with Sidney?”
She turned sharply. “Where did that come from?”
He was trying not to be hurt, but it was hard. Why would she be so shocked over the question? “We don’t get to spend that much time together.”
“We see each other every day of the week,” she said, laughing.
“Alone, Aimee. Working together isn’t the same. I want to spend more time with you. I don’t even care if it’s just sleeping next to you at night or having coffee with you in the morning. I just want more.”
“Why?” she asked.
He moved away and stood up, running his hand through his hair. Wondering if maybe he was in a place all by himself again.
“You obviously don’t feel the same way if you have to ask that.”
“I want to spend more time with you. I really do. I guess I just want to know if there is an underlying reason you want to.”
He looked at her. Saw desperation bordering on hope. The silent pleading that he couldn’t leave hanging. “I want to be with you more because I feel like I’m falling in love with you. I’ve never felt this way before. I don’t know what it is and can’t seem to stop it even if I wanted to, which I don’t. I’m at a point in my life where I want to take a chance and see where this leads.”
Her eyes filled a little, but she walked forward and put her arms around him, her head against his chest. “I don’t know if what I feel for you is love or not either, but it’s more than I’ve felt for anyone before. I just wonder, though, if this is all too soon.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, but our relationship is different. I’d like to think we have a level of trust and respect that most dating couples don’t have since we work together.”