One Hundred Excuses (An Aspen Cove Romance Book 5)

by Kelly Collins

  His career be damned. He’d kill the man if there was something wrong with Marina or Kellyn.

  When he pulled into his driveway and saw his girls were home, the first thing he did was take a deep calming breath.

  He hopped out of the cruiser and went inside to change. He wanted to talk to her as Aiden her boyfriend, not Sheriff Cooper. This conversation could go one of two ways. He hoped it went his way.

  Dressed in jeans and a polo shirt, he knocked on the door. A shadow crossed in front of the peephole, which meant Marina was being cautious.

  She opened the door and smiled. “Hey, you’re off early.”

  He lowered his head so she wouldn’t see the truth. “We need to talk.” When his eyes rose to meet hers, he saw a glimpse of fear. He realized that was the stupidest way to lead into a conversation. “Not like you’re thinking.”

  Air whooshed from her lungs. She moved aside and let him in. “Oh, that’s a relief. I thought—”

  She wore yoga pants and a T-shirt covered by a hoodie. Odd for such a warm day. It told him a lot about what had gone down at lunch.

  “I’m not giving you up.” Aiden said. “You’ll have to break my heart into a thousand pieces before I let you go, because if one sliver remains intact and beating, I will still want you.”

  He considered coming straight out with what he knew, but he had to trust that she’d tell him. It was one way to gauge how much confidence she had in him.

  “How was your day?” she asked.

  “Good. How was yours?” He looked around the sparsely furnished living room. “Where’s Kellyn?”

  “She’s taking a nap. Between the Williamses and the ball pit, she was tuckered out.”

  “Did she have a good visit with the therapist?”

  Marina chuckled. “How bad could playing with Legos for an hour be? She didn’t bring her blocks so that was a plus.”

  His jaw tensed. The one time she didn’t have her blocks, and she needed them. “So everything was okay today. No problems, no…”

  She turned away from him. “Yes, everything turned out okay.”

  He had to give it to her. She wasn’t lying to him. She appeared okay, and if Kellyn was napping then she was unlikely traumatized. He followed her into the kitchen, where she was preparing their dinner. On the counter sat several chicken breasts she’d been dipping in egg and dredging in flour.

  “Okay. That’s great.” While he was disappointed she didn’t tell him the truth, he had to let her work it out. “You have a kiss for me?” He stepped to her side and placed his hands on her arms, turning her to face him. The light pressure caused her to wince.

  She pulled back. “I worked out at the self-defense center. I must have pulled a muscle.” She rubbed her arms and leaned in to give him a quick peck on the lips.

  He had two choices: he could trust that she’d tell him, which at this point he wasn’t confident she would, or he could let her know in a roundabout way that he knew what had happened. He chose the latter because it ate at him that she didn’t call him when she was in danger.

  “I ran into Wes.”

  She turned around and leaned against the counter. By the surprised look in her eyes, she knew that he knew. “It wasn’t a big deal,” she said. “I handled it.”

  Aiden walked to her and removed her hoodie to show the bruises blooming on her arms. “This is a big deal to me. He touched you. He hurt you, and you didn’t trust me enough to call me.”

  She tugged her hoodie from his hands and tossed it on a nearby chair. “It’s not that I didn’t trust you. I knew you’d come. I knew you’d act. I’m not willing to give you up.”

  He considered her statement. He drew her into his arms. “I have to be able to protect you. I told you last night the minute we made love things changed. While I won’t pound my chest and drag you by the hair into my cave, you are mine to love and protect. How can I do that when you don’t tell me things?” It took everything inside him to keep his voice calm. He knew he’d lose her if he showed frustration instead of restraint.

  She tucked her head against his chest and breathed him in. “He said I smelled like a man.” She placed her hand over his heart. “I used your body wash today so I could smell like you. You were with me the whole time. I stood up for myself. I pushed him away, and then I walked away.”

  “He broke the restraining order. I can do something about that.”

  Marina tilted her chin to look at him. “No, you can’t. He knew he did it. Even he knows that a phone call to his brother won’t accomplish anything.”

  Aiden knew it was true. “Maybe I should pay him a visit.”

  She fisted his shirt. “Please don’t. Let it go. It’s over.”

  That was a lie she told herself because men like Craig didn’t understand what over looked like. He had no intention of letting it go—letting her go. She was right, going to Chief Caswell wouldn’t garner them any favor, but maybe a visit to the mayor would have merit. “For now, but only because I want to kiss you. This isn’t over. Don’t try to convince me or yourself it is.”

  He lowered his head and took her mouth in a hungry kiss. Their tongues danced until she was breathless, and he was so hard it was painful.

  When a sound came from the hallway, they broke apart, with Marina going back to her chicken breasts and Aiden taking a seat at the table so he didn’t embarrass himself.

  In walked Kellyn dragging Mrs. Beasley behind. She fisted her tired eyes with one hand and walked straight toward him. She dropped her doll and held out her arms.

  Aiden smiled at the precious one in front of him. How Craig Caswell could have had anything to do with creating something so sweet was a mystery to him.

  “Pease,” a whisper broke the silence.

  Marina dropped the chicken breast.

  Aiden lifted Kellyn to his lap. “Did you just say please?” he asked her.

  Her eyes grew wide like she was in trouble.

  “I’m so proud you used your words and manners,” he said, trying not to make a big deal out of the monumental occasion that had just taken place. The first word out of her mouth had been please and she had asked him to hold her. “Give me a hug.” He looked over her shoulder to Marina, who was trying to contain her tears. Her mouth hung open in awe.

  “How long before dinner?” Aiden asked.

  She put the tray of breaded chicken into the oven. “About forty-five minutes.”

  He stood and held Kellyn high in the air. “How about we check on the daisies and play on the swing?” He turned toward Marina. “Is that okay with you, Mom?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Aiden put Kellyn on her feet and tapped her bottom. “Go get your shoes, little monkey.”

  Kellyn took off to her room.

  Marina waited for her to be out of sight before she threw herself in Aiden’s arms. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “Did she really say please?”

  “I think. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t asking for peas.”

  “I’ve been waiting for years.” She hugged him tightly. “I’m so glad you didn’t make a huge deal out of it. Dr. Thayer says she’ll talk when she’s ready, and I shouldn’t force it. One word is more than I hoped for.”

  Kellyn raced around the corner with her shoes on the wrong feet.

  Aiden lifted her to the table and pulled them off. “You’ll be able to go faster if these are on right.” Once he had them flipped around, the three of them were out the door and running to the swings. Craig Caswell was a distant memory.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Kellyn turned her head and waved goodbye to Marina, who had second thoughts about letting her stay the night at the Williamses’. Not because she didn’t trust Kellyn would be cared for, but because she was afraid she’d miss her second word.

  After that first please, nothing else was said.

  Louise, who was getting bigger by the day, answered the door with a smile. Kellyn rushed past her without giving Marina a second glance. It should have stu
ng, but she was so happy her little girl was finding her place in Aspen Cove.

  “Come on in.”

  Marina stepped inside the door and stopped. Aiden was waiting for her so she couldn’t stay and visit. “Thanks for taking her.”

  Louise gave her a knowing smile. “She’s happy here. She loves the girls, and they love her. It’s like having another sister.” She looked at Marina’s dress and heels. “Going someplace fancy?”

  “I don’t know. It’s a surprise. Aiden told me to dress up.”

  “You look beautiful. I’d be surprised if he didn’t take one look at you and cancel everything.”

  Marina blushed. “I wouldn’t be unhappy if he did.” She craned her neck to look down the hall to see if she could catch a glimpse of Kellyn. “If she says anything, don’t make a big deal of it, but call me right away.”

  Louise’s eyes sparkled. “Is she talking?”

  Marina tilted her head. Did a single word count? Damn straight it did. “Yes, she said please the other day when she wanted Aiden to pick her up.” Marina thought Louise would turn to molten mush and collapse on the floor right there.

  “He’s so good for both of you.”

  There was no doubt about that truth, but the bigger question was if they were good for him. Aiden had stayed silent about Craig since Wednesday, but silence didn’t mean he’d let it go. She wondered if they’d have to revisit the subject tonight. It was so hard to have candid conversations with her daughter around because saying Craig’s name sent her running.

  “Aiden’s a good man.” She remembered the first day she met him. Her first instincts were correct. Maybe she wasn’t such a bad judge of character after all.

  “What are you waiting for? Go get your man and have fun tonight. Your baby is safe here.”

  Marina hugged Louise and raced as fast as her heels would take her to her SUV.

  She hadn’t seen Aiden all day. He’d been at an out-of-town meeting and when he got home, he texted her to say he was climbing into the shower and would be ready when she got back from dropping off Kellyn.

  When she pulled in front of her house, he was sitting on her porch with a bouquet of roses. Her heart skipped a beat.

  He stood as she approached. “You get more damn beautiful each day I see you.” He handed her the flowers and gave her a kiss that promised more.

  She brought them to her nose and breathed in the sweet smell of roses. “You are way too good to me.”

  “Let’s put these in water and get on our way. We’ve got reservations, and then when we get home—” he waggled his brows “—I’ll be really good to you.”

  “We can skip dinner and go straight for the good.”

  “Nope. I want to show you off.”

  They spent a few minutes in her house putting the flowers in a mason jar, then they were in Aiden’s Mustang driving toward Copper Creek.

  “Where are we going?” As they neared the best steakhouse in town, her stomach felt sick. This was Caswell country and their presence wouldn’t go unnoticed.

  He reached for her hand. “Who loves you?”

  She sucked in a breath. “You do.”

  “We will not cower. You said it yourself. You’re a victor, not a victim. You deserve a life and a good steak.” He pulled the car into valet and handed the keys over. “Let’s have dinner. We are celebrating our favorite word.”

  She thought of lots of words she liked when they came from Aiden. Words like love and kiss and passion. “What’s our word?”

  He opened the door and winked at her. “Pease…as if you’d have to ask. ”

  How silly she was. Pease was the best word in the universe.

  The hostess showed them to a table. Aiden pulled her chair out and took the one next to her. He ordered a bottle of wine and held her hand in his. “See, this isn’t so bad.” He squeezed hers for comfort.

  “No.” She relaxed. “This is great.” It was great. She was on a real date with the man she loved. A man who cherished her, kissed her like she was last woman on earth, and made love to her like she was everything. “Have you been here before?”

  He winked at her. “Is that your way of asking if I’ve been here on a date?”

  The waiter came with the wine and filled their glasses.

  She hadn’t really thought about Aiden dating anyone else, but why wouldn’t he? He’d been in Aspen Cove for years. “Have you?”

  “Nope. You’re the first. I’d be lying to say I haven’t been on a date or two, but none of them were steakhouse worthy and none got a second date or a promise of my heart.”

  He always knew what to say to make her swoon.

  “I bet you were quite the player in high school.”

  “Me?” A deep, full-bodied laugh rolled out of him. “I had braces and pimples. I also had a father who demanded I respected women. Somehow being a player and being respectful to women wasn’t a match.”

  She sipped her wine and when the waiter asked for their order, they both ordered steak because what else would a person order in the best steakhouse in Copper Creek?

  “Surely you dated.”

  “I did, I went to prom. I lost my virginity to Roxanne Belvedere under the bleachers at homecoming. I had game.”

  “Roxanne Belvedere? Sounds like a porn star.”

  Aiden chuckled. “Nope, she was the police chief’s daughter. Our fathers worked together.”

  “Dangerous.”

  “Safe really, because neither of us were talking about it, knowing if it got to our dads’ ears we’d both be doing hard time at home.”

  “Sounds like you already did hard time—with Roxanne.” Her shoulders shook with laughter.

  “Are you jealous? It sounds like you might be.”

  She loved the way they could tease each other. “Maybe,” she said. She’d never had that with anyone else. One mention of a past relationship and things turned dark. One thing she loved about Aiden was she could be herself. She could talk about anything without fear.

  “Just remember, it’s all that practice that gave me the skills to make your body sing.”

  “Now you’re just bragging.”

  The waiter brought their meals.

  “Eat up, sweetheart. You’re going to need that big meal if I’m going to show you all my skills.”

  “Are you sure you want to blow your load in one night?”

  While he laughed at her choice of words, she took a bite of steak and hummed with satisfaction. It was the best steak she’d ever tasted.

  They finished their meal and wine over the next hour. Marina couldn’t remember a day where she felt so happy or carefree.

  That all ended when a set of hands rested on her shoulders, and she saw in Aiden’s eyes a murderous glare.

  She turned to look up at Mayor Caswell.

  “Marina, so good to see you.”

  She put on a fake smile and returned the nicety. “Mayor Caswell.” She turned to his wife. “Mrs. Caswell, I hope you’re doing well.”

  The mayor looked at Aiden. “Good to see you again.”

  Right then she knew he hadn’t let it go. She had no idea if she should be glad that he was fighting for her, or angry that he’d insinuated himself into her business.

  “Mayor.” Aiden reached across the table and took her hand. “I ran into the mayor today and told him about your problem.”

  Her breath left her. She didn’t know where the next one would come from. Her mouth dried and any word she might have said was stuck in her throat.

  The mayor looked her over as if searching for injury but he’d never see them because she’d worn a three-quarter-sleeve dress that covered the bruises on her arms.

  “I’ve taken care of it.” The mayor smiled, but she knew the look. It was one of intimidation that said we have a deal. “It’s all good now. Back to the original plan.”

  Marina said nothing but nodded. When they walked away, she grabbed her purse from the empty chair and ran for the door.

  Aiden had
to pay for dinner so he took a few minutes to catch up. He handed the claim card to the valet attendant before he walked to her.

  She spun around and yelled, “How could you? You poked the biggest bear of all. He knows I told you.” She paced in front of the restaurant. Her heart beat so hard she was certain it would exit her chest any second. “I could see it in his eyes.” She looked to the door to make sure the mayor wasn’t standing there listening.

  Aiden tried to pull her into his arms, but she shrugged him off.

  “He knows he has to get his son under control, or he’ll lose the election.”

  She gritted her teeth and suppressed a scream. “God, for a smart man, you’re not thinking. You don’t get to make choices that can have me and Kellyn silenced forever.”

  The valet pulled the car around. Aiden opened the door and Marina climbed inside. She was so angry. Once again the Caswells had ruined everything. Only this time they’d made Aiden their method of delivery.

  He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway. “I was thinking, and that’s why I paid him a visit. If one person knows—a person like me—then you’ll never be silenced because I’m your echo. I’ll always be able to tell your story. Isn’t it bad enough that Craig silenced his daughter through terror? The family silenced you. I won’t allow them to rule my life, and right now, Marina, you’re part of my life. I won’t stand by quietly and let them ruin it.”

  She stared out the window as quiet as her daughter the rest of the way home. When he pulled into his driveway, she hopped out of the car before it stopped and ran to her house. This wasn’t how she’d imagined her night would end.

  Angry.

  Alone.

  Afraid.

  Chapter Twenty

  He was on his third beer when he saw the lights in her house go dark. Had he screwed up everything by stepping in to make sure someone did something?

  He’d made the appointment with the mayor as a courtesy, one that told him Aiden wouldn’t blink an eye to arrest his son if he showed up anywhere in Aspen Cove. Marina’s and Kellyn’s safety and security were his number one priority. That was his only objective.