Jordan nodded. “She and I had several discussions about that subject. She always insisted she was so happy with her adoptive family that there just didn’t seem a point in delving into the past. Obviously, her resemblance to Tessa made me suspect there was some connection between them, but I stupidly didn’t share my suspicions with anyone. But it seems like the two of them have figured everything out now. And are getting along, since Aubrey’s staying with you. Is - is that going to be a long term thing?”
“Difficult to say. Tessa, of course, is overjoyed to have her sister staying with us, and Gilly adores her brand new auntie. But since Aubrey seems like the independent type, I’m guessing she’ll want her own place sooner than later. Unless, of course, you can persuade her to move back in with you,” Ian murmured suggestively.
“That’s certainly my ultimate goal,” confirmed Jordan. “Though I have to convince her to speak to me first.”
Ian tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I might have an idea or two about that. Let’s put our heads together, shall we, and see what we can dream up?”
A grin threatened to split Jordan’s face in two. “You’re a good man, Ian. And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of this, especially when you could be wiping the floor with me right about now.”
In all seriousness, Ian replied, “All was forgiven the moment I saw how happy Tessa was to learn Aubrey was her sister. She’s been so delighted to have Aubrey in her life that I’m finding it very hard to stay angry at you, since you were indirectly responsible for bringing the two of them together. And,” he added with a lift of his brow, “if you manage to convince me that your intentions towards my newfound sister-in-law are honorable, I might be persuaded to help you get your own once in a lifetime love. So don’t screw this up, Jordan, because I’m not the forgiving and forgetting type. And for your sake, you’d better hope Aubrey is.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Mmm. I don’t know about you, Gilly, but this is the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had. Your Mummy is a really good cook, isn’t she?”
Gilly nodded enthusiastically as she opened her mouth for another spoonful of her lunch. “Mmm,” she repeated, imitating her aunt’s voice. “Mummy good cook.”
Aubrey grinned as her young niece continued to eat hungrily of the lunch Tessa had prepared for them. “And you’re a good little eater, Gilly. You have very nice table manners, too. When Auntie Aubrey was around your age she probably would have been eating mac and cheese with her hands, and half of it would have wound up in her hair.”
The little girl gave her a sunny smile, then opened her mouth as Aubrey brought the spoon to her lips again. In between bites of the creamy white cheddar mac and cheese, and nibbles of baby carrots, Gilly drank water from her pink plastic sippy cup. She was actually old enough to feed herself, but Aubrey found that she liked doing it, liked spending these few minutes alone with the child while Tessa was upstairs nursing Liam. As the baby of the family, she’d never had younger siblings around the house, and the likelihood of either of her brothers getting married and producing nieces and nephews anytime soon wasn’t very promising. Both Josiah and Mateo were totally devoted to their burgeoning careers right now, and Aubrey figured it would be some time yet before they were ready to settle down. As for herself – well, her love life was something she wasn’t quite ready to deal with just yet.
She did enjoy being around children, however, ever since working as a summer camp counselor during high school. And she was good with kids, if she did say so herself, making them laugh and finding different ways to entertain them. Gilly was a particular delight, so sweet and adorable that a person would have had to be a real jerk not to be enchanted by her. Aubrey had loved spending time with her this past week and a half, ever since she’d taken up residence here with Tessa and Ian.
Lorena and Kurt had been thrilled that Aubrey had agreed to return to San Francisco with the Gregsons, and even more so when she’d announced her intention to follow through with her job interview at Ian’s company. Aubrey knew her parents had been concerned about her future plans - or lack thereof - and even though it meant she’d be leaving San Diego again, they were relieved that she had a realistic job prospect, one that would provide a steady career path. Besides, as Lorena had pointed out, San Francisco was barely an hour’s flight away, so they could easily visit back and forth as often as they liked.
She’d returned to San Francisco ten days ago, flying in the Gregson corporate plane. Aubrey had never even flown first class before, much less in a private jet, and she’d been awestruck at such unexpected luxury.
But that had merely been a prelude to what came next - being greeted at the airport by a chauffeured limousine, and then driven to Ian and Tessa’s magnificent brick mansion in the ritzy Pacific Heights neighborhood. She’d recognized some of the streets on the way, and realized that Jordan’s condo building was not very far away. Aubrey had been tempted to ask if she was likely to run into him around the area, but because she wasn’t quite ready to talk about Jordan, she’d kept quiet.
The house itself had been awe inspiring, both elegant and warm, spacious and cozy at the same time. It was beautifully decorated but also designed for comfort and functionality, and was most definitely a family home. Mixed among the priceless antiques and paintings were dozens of framed family photos, keepsakes and mementoes from travels, as well as the children’s toys and belongings. Aubrey knew Ian and Tessa employed a housekeeper - something Ian had insisted on, according to Tessa - but that her sister had adamantly refused to hire a nanny, preferring to raise her children on her own.
“Though I know one of the conditions Ian will insist on if we have a third baby is hiring a nanny or au pair,” Tessa had confided a few days ago. “And I’ll probably have to give in next time. Ian indulges me plenty, but when he sets his foot down about something he doesn’t fool around.”
Aubrey had stared at her sister in disbelief. “You’re not seriously thinking about having another baby this soon, are you? Good God, Liam’s barely four months old and you’re still breastfeeding him! I don’t blame Ian for setting his foot down. Though, of course, you seem to be handling a toddler and a baby just fine. Not to mention you sure as hell don’t look like you just had a baby a few months ago. Do you have a personal trainer or something?”
Tessa had smiled. “Not at the moment, no. Frankly, I’ve hardly had time to exercise except for taking the kids for a walk or an occasional yoga class when I can squeeze it in. As for the weight loss - well, I think it’s just good genes or something. I lost the baby weight really fast with Gilly, too. That’s probably why I never noticed that our mother was pregnant with you.”
“Most likely. But I’m not sure that’s something a four or five year old child would have really remembered anyway. And I’m glad to hear that you lost all your baby weight so quickly with both kids. Maybe these good genes you claim to have run in the family.”
Tessa had grinned at her. “Already thinking about having babies, Aubrey? Aren’t you missing one vital ingredient - a father? Or does this mean you’ve decided to forgive Jordan and give him another chance?”
“I don’t know,” she’d admitted. “I go back and forth a dozen times a day on the matter. On the one hand, I’m still ticked off at him for keeping the truth from me for so many weeks. But on the other hand - God, I really miss him, Tessa! I miss his corny jokes and picking up after him because he’s kind of a slob. I miss welcoming him home every evening, and then having a drink while we watch the sun set outside on his balcony. And I really, really miss the um, well, the bedroom stuff, because he’s really, really talented there if you know what I mean. But mostly I just miss him,” she’d finished in a quiet voice.
“So what are you waiting for?” Tessa had asked. “Call him. Text him. Put both of you out of your misery and just get back together, for God’s sake. After you make him beg and grovel for awhile, that is.”
Aubrey had smiled faintly. “W
ell, that part goes without saying. But - what if it’s already too late, Tessa? It’s no secret after all that Jordan was a real player before he met me, probably dated a different woman four or five nights a week. And it’s hard to believe someone like him can just give up all his old ways that quickly. What if he’s already moved on, started dating again? Frankly, even though I told him in no uncertain terms not to contact me for awhile, I sort of expected that he’d at least try. So I can’t help but think that he’s not just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. Especially if that manwhore friend of his Finn is trying to convince him to get back into the swing of things.”
“I don’t think you should be in the least bit worried about that,” Tessa had assured. “When I had lunch with Jordan that day he was really upset about everything, really regretful. And it was very obvious how much he cares for you, Aubrey. If I’m being totally honest, I never in a million years thought that Jordan Reeves would ever be the sort to fall in love and settle for just one woman. But I was wrong, Aubrey. Because he is definitely crazy about you. And I’m guessing that right at this very moment he is sitting around waiting for that call or text from you.”
Aubrey had actually gone so far as to type in a quick text to Jordan several times over the past few days, only to chicken out at the last second and delete the message before hitting the Send button. But Tessa was right. She was only making herself - and Jordan - unhappy by this continued silence, and she needed to figure out in a hurry what her next course of action should be.
At the sound of footsteps, she glanced up from feeding Gilly to see Ian striding into the kitchen, a rather mysterious smile on his handsome face. Aubrey still didn’t feel quite at ease with her brother-in-law, finding his commanding, rather controlling presence more than a little intimidating. But he was obviously completely devoted to Tessa, treating her like a queen, as well as being a wonderful father. She supposed she’d get used to his dominant personality over time, and even learn how to relax in his presence.
“Hey, Ian. How was your workout?” she asked as she wiped Gilly’s hands and mouth off. The little girl was already clamoring for her father, holding her arms out to him.
Ian grinned at his daughter, swooping her off of the booster seat and up into his arms. “Very therapeutic, I would say. Thank you for asking, Aubrey. And how is Daddy’s little girl this morning, hmm? Ah, but no. It’s already afternoon, isn’t it? And we’ve just had our lunch, haven’t we?”
Gilly nodded, wrapping her arms around her father’s neck. “We had mac and cheese, Daddy,” she announced importantly. “Mummy made it.”
He brushed his knuckles tenderly against her rosy cheek. “That’s your favorite, isn’t it? And it was very nice of your Auntie Aubrey to feed you. Where’s Mummy?”
“Upstairs nursing Liam. Though I expect she’ll be down any minute now,” Aubrey told him as she cleared away the dishes. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink, Ian?”
He shook his head as he set Gilly down. “Thanks but no. I had breakfast after my workout with a - a friend. A friend named Jordan, to be exact.”
Aubrey’s spine stiffened as she began to load utensils into the dishwasher. “Oh? Was this something you planned ahead of time?”
“Not at all. We ran into each other by chance. And if you have a few minutes, I’d like to discuss something with you, Aubrey.”
She hesitated, glancing uncertainly at Gilly, but the little girl was already scampering off to play with some toys that were kept in a corner of the enormous kitchen/breakfast room. Wiping her hands off on a dish towel, she looked back at Ian, trying to feign a nonchalance she certainly didn’t feel right now.
“Sure. What’s on your mind, Ian?” she asked.
He smiled in amusement. “Actually, it’s not what’s on my mind but rather what’s on Jordan’s. He was quite penitent over breakfast a little while ago, and while I’m still not quite over my annoyance with him, I do believe he feels very badly about the chaos he caused. And in particular he feels terrible about keeping the truth from you, and possibly ruining any chance of reconciling with you.”
“Hmmph.” Aubrey crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against the granite counter as she regarded Ian suspiciously. “So he asked you to plead his case for him, did he? Too much of a coward to do it himself?”
Ian’s smile deepened into a grin. “I think it’s more a case of Jordan treading in unknown waters. He’s somewhat of a novice when it comes to relationships, after all, and was looking for guidance on what to do next. And I don’t know if he caught me in a weak moment, but I offered to run interference for him.”
“What an ass,” she muttered. “Can’t even work up the nerve to call me himself.”
“Actually, he’s planning to launch an all-out assault,” corrected Ian. “You should expect to be bombarded with texts, voice mails, and gifts in the coming days. He decided that being patient and understanding wasn’t working, and that changing tactics was the only logical solution. You should know, Aubrey,” he added quietly, “that the very first thing he did after apologizing to me was to make sure that you would still get that interview. He didn’t want his actions to unfairly penalize you.”
She was somewhat mollified by this announcement. “That was decent of him, I guess,” she admitted grudgingly. “So, tell me. When should I expect this so-called bombardment to commence?”
Ian cleared his throat, looking a bit uncertain all of a sudden. “Well, I’m probably overstepping my boundaries here, so forgive me if that’s the case. But you might just have a visitor waiting to see you in the foyer. And he’s waiting very anxiously, I might add.”
Aubrey glanced at the faded jeans, sloppy T-shirt, and ancient rubber flip flops she was wearing today, wondering if she could possibly look any worse. “Jordan’s here?” she asked incredulously. “I mean, here in this house? Right this very minute?”
Ian nodded solemnly. “As we speak. And you don’t have to see him, Aubrey. I can tell him you’re not quite ready for that. But while it’s not my place to encourage you to give him another chance, I think you should at least hear the man out.”
She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, cursing herself for not having washed it this morning. Or putting on even a lick of makeup. “I look a mess,” she protested. “Is there a way I could sneak upstairs and freshen up for a few minutes?”
He shook his head. “There’s no way of avoiding him, Aubrey. And you look just fine. I guarantee you Jordan isn’t going to give a damn anyway. So, go. Talk to the man. But don’t you dare let him off too easily, hmm?”
Aubrey laughed. “Not even a possibility. But, okay. You’ve convinced me. I’ll go listen to what he has to say. Though maybe you should move anything breakable out of the way in case I’m tempted to throw it at his head.”
Ian glanced around the kitchen, then smiled triumphantly as he picked up a large fuzzy ball that belonged to Liam. “Here. If you’ve got to toss something at him, use this. That way nothing will get broken, including Jordan’s head.”
She shared a conspiratorial smile with her brother-in-law as she took the ball from him. “Got it. And - thanks, Ian. Before you came in a few minutes ago I was trying to work up the nerve to contact Jordan myself. And while I’m not sure if this makes it easier or harder, at least it takes the decision making out of my hands.”
As she made her way out of the kitchen towards the front entrance of the house, Aubrey tossed the fuzzy ball up into the air and caught it multiple times, a welcome distraction from the confrontation that was about to occur. With each uncertain step that would bring her that much closer to Jordan, she rehearsed in her mind exactly what she would say to him, visualized how she’d keep her distance and, more importantly, keep her cool. She smiled wickedly as she imagined herself snapping her fingers and commanding him to crawl to her on his hands and knees, and then maybe kiss her feet for good measure. She would not, under any circumstances, fall for any of his
corny pick-up lines or suave compliments, would not allow herself to be swayed by his declarations of love or pleas for forgiveness. And she would definitely, absolutely, not let herself go weak in the knees at the sight of his handsome face, wicked grin, or leanly muscled body.
But all of her good intentions, every single damned one of them, went straight out the window the moment she saw him standing in the entryway. He looked a little thinner, and the tan he’d acquired in Maui had all but faded now. His black hair was longer than she recalled, and that one stubborn lock was falling over his forehead, tempting her to brush it back with her fingers. He was wearing black track pants and a lightweight gray hoodie over a cotton T-shirt, his shoulders hunched forward as he stared off into space. He looked tired, depressed, and maybe even a little defeated, and Aubrey cursed beneath her breath as she felt her stern resolve weakening second by second.
And when he lifted his head, as though aware of her gaze upon him, he smiled broadly, his dark gray eyes twinkling with renewed life. His smile faltered a bit, however, when he realized she wasn’t returning his greeting, and his eyes widened in alarm as he noticed the fuzzy ball in her hands.
“Uh, are you planning to throw that at me?” he asked dryly. “If so, I guess I should be grateful that Ian’s kids are too young to play basketball just yet. And you can go ahead and toss that thing if you really want to. God knows I deserve it. But, well, maybe these will change your mind.”
He held out a bouquet of the most perfect long-stemmed yellow roses she’d ever seen, the ones he knew were her favorite. And with that gesture, the last of Aubrey’s self-control disintegrated and she found herself dropping the fuzzy ball and running straight into his arms.
The Girl of His Dreams (Bachelor #1) Page 33