by Kayla Perrin
“You have no clue how much that hurt me,” he said, shaking his head as his jaw tightened. “I thought she was having my child. I was excited about that. When she lost the baby... I felt her devastation, and I was devastated, too. Then I wondered if I hadn’t done enough for her. Maybe if I’d gotten the help she’d wanted, this wouldn’t have happened. The guilt I felt over Chantelle was back full force. I felt as though I’d failed Ella.”
“Aaron, I’m so sorry.”
“She wanted the status of having me as her husband and wanted all the best things money could buy. I gave her almost everything she wanted, especially after she lost the baby, because I felt guilty over what happened. Plus, she was so depressed and needed pampering. A trip to Venice with her best friend would perk her up. Or a shopping spree in Miami. Honestly, I felt like a fool. Once I learned the truth, I left her. That’s when she started her smear campaign, so I didn’t file for divorce right away. I wanted things to die down.”
“You never said anything.”
“Because I didn’t want to lower myself to dragging her name through the mud. I always thought my character would show who I really was. But it appears I was wrong.”
He held her gaze. Melissa’s lips parted. “For the record, I never could wrap my mind around the rumors I’d heard about you—at least not that you would be callous with your indiscretions.”
“There were no indiscretions,” Aaron said. “I didn’t cheat on Ella.”
“What I’m trying to say is that I slept with you because...because on some level, I knew you weren’t some heartless jerk.”
“Marry me.”
Melissa’s eyes bulged. “What?”
“Marry me. I’ll be there for you and the baby.”
Was Melissa losing her mind? Certainly Aaron hadn’t just said what it sounded like.
“There’s no need for you to consider adoption, or God forbid, abortion...”
“I can’t marry you,” Melissa said.
“Why not?” Aaron asked, and the expression on his face said that he was genuinely perplexed.
“Because...you just got finished telling me that you wanted to the right thing with Ella, and how that turned into a big mistake. Now you’re proposing marriage to me?”
Hadn’t he learned his lesson? Marrying someone for altruistic reasons was doomed to fail. “I know you want to do the right thing, and I appreciate that.”
“Are you saying there’s nothing between us? Because this isn’t like with Ella. We never had a meaningful relationship. I never cared about her the way I should have.”
“And we have a meaningful relationship?” Melissa asked. Her pulse began to race. Part of her—a very big part of her—wanted to believe that they did. But the wall around her heart was so high, and she didn’t want to get her hopes up.
“Definitely, we could.”
Melissa’s hope fizzled. “It has to be more than could. We can’t just do something because I’m pregnant. This can’t be about Chantelle.”
As she looked at him, she also knew that he was proposing marriage not just to do the right thing, but because he didn’t want her to terminate the pregnancy or give the baby up for adoption. She sensed that the loss of this baby would be as devastating as losing Chantelle. “Look, I promise you that I won’t terminate the pregnancy. That’s not something I ever really considered. It’s not who I am.”
“But adoption? You’d give away our baby?” The question sounded like an accusation.
“And your option is for us to enter a loveless marriage?”
He looked stricken then, and Melissa couldn’t understand why. They didn’t love each other. A wave of sadness washed over her with that thought. Her feelings for him had deepened. No doubt about it. Sex had clouded her emotions.
“I liked how things were developing between us,” Aaron said softly.
“But we don’t really have a relationship,” Melissa countered.
“Because you keep pushing me away. When are you going to realize that I keep coming back?”
“For how long?” Melissa asked. “Because if you won’t deal with the pain from your past, how long before you run?”
“How do you think I’m supposed to deal with losing my sister? I’m just supposed to forget?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. But you have to let go of your guilt.”
Aaron expelled a heavy breath. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to be a father.”
“You’re only suggesting marriage because I’m pregnant. I know we like each other, but it’s nothing more than that.”
“On your part,” Aaron countered.
“Both of our parts.” Aaron had never told her that he loved her or anything even remotely like that. He was only saying this now because he wanted her to keep the baby.
“We can make it work,” Aaron said.
“I can’t say yes to your proposal.”
She swallowed, thinking just how surreal this was. Years ago, she’d hoped that Aaron would propose to her. If things were different and Melissa believed that he loved her and this was a romantic proposal, she would say yes. In a heartbeat.
But this was a practical proposal. A solution to a problem.
“So you’re not even going to consider it?”
“I know that we have sexual chemistry,” Melissa said softly. “But love...?”
She looked into Aaron’s eyes, searching for an answer. Perhaps he would refute what she was saying, prove her wrong. Instead, he looked away. She couldn’t read what he was thinking, but she could see that his brain was working.
“Just a few weeks ago, marriage wasn’t even a remote possibility for us,” Melissa continued.
“I do have feelings for you. Very strong feelings. But every time I think we’re making progress, you pull away.”
Melissa sighed softly. She didn’t doubt that he had feelings for her. Lust, attraction and, perhaps, respect. But love?
“I have a long drive ahead of me,” she said. “I promise, when I get a test done at my doctor’s, I’ll let you know the result. But right now, I do have to go. Okay?”
Aaron looked at her long and hard. Then he finally nodded. “As long as you agree to consider what I said. I don’t need an answer now or next week. Just...give it some thought.”
Then he exited her car, and tears instantly filled Melissa’s eyes. The only man she’d ever loved was offering her the one thing she’d always wanted—and she couldn’t say yes.
Chapter 28
The next day, it was confirmed. Melissa was indeed pregnant.
She left the doctor’s office and went to work, hoping she could escape to her office and stay there undisturbed. If she didn’t have work to do, she would go home. She needed time to truly process this news.
When Melissa entered the Turning Tides group home, she could hear voices in the kitchen. She went straight to the office but caught a glimpse of Teresa in the hallway just before she closed the door.
Seconds later, Teresa was opening the door. “You sneak in like that without saying hi?”
Melissa burst into tears.
“Hey, what is it?” Teresa asked, gliding across the room and over to the desk. “Tell me.”
Melissa wiped at her tears, then spoke. “I’m pregnant.”
Teresa’s eyes bulged. Seconds passed. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. My doctor confirmed it.”
“But you’re not happy?” Teresa surmised.
“The whole thing is a mess. I wasn’t supposed to get pregnant...how can I have a baby now? It’s the wrong time.”
“As a single mother, I can tell you that there’s never a right time. You make plans, but life happens.”
“I know,” Melissa said. “And I really admire people like you who seem to be able to do it effortlessly without a partner. But t
his isn’t what I wanted for myself.”
“What does Aaron want?”
“He asked me to marry him.”
Teresa looked confused. “But that’s great...isn’t it? I thought you had strong feelings for him.”
Melissa scoffed. “It was fun, but it wasn’t a relationship. He just wants to do the right thing.”
“This is the twenty-first century. There’s no need to get married just because you’re pregnant.”
“I don’t want a man who wants to marry me just because I’m having a baby. I want a man who’s crazy and passionately in love with me.”
“Maybe you’ve been so busy running from Aaron out of fear that you’re not seeing the truth.”
“What would you know?”
“Look to your left.”
“What?” Melissa asked, confused.
“Look to your left. On the wall.”
Melissa did. And she gasped.
Because there on the wall was the painting she’d put a bid on at the charity auction. The one of the swan on a lake by Felix Virgo.
“What...when...how?” Melissa asked.
“This morning,” Teresa answered. “The card’s in the top drawer.” A slow smile spread on her face. “It’s from Aaron, isn’t it?”
“Did you read the card?” Melissa asked.
“No. But who else would send it for you?”
Melissa quickly opened the envelope and pulled out the card. She opened it and read.
I hope this painting puts a smile on your face. You loved it so much, I made sure you’d be the one to have it.
Love, Aaron
“What?” Melissa asked, the word catching in her throat. When had he gotten this? They’d left the auction early, and she’d hoped to hear that her bid was enough. Now that she thought about it, had Aaron made sure to whisk her away to keep his winning the bid a surprise?
“You need to call him,” Teresa said. “Stop being so afraid.”
Teresa left and closed the door behind her. Melissa pulled her cell phone from her bag. She held it in her hands for several seconds before she finally made the call.
“Melissa,” Aaron said without preamble. “What’s the news?”
“I’m pregnant.”
“You are? You’re sure?” He sounded excited.
“The doctor confirmed it. So, here we are...”
“I’d like to come see you. So we can talk in person. When’s a good time? Tomorrow? Friday, maybe?”
“Tomorrow I have to go to court. How about Friday?”
“Friday’s good. I’ll see you then.”
“Aaron, wait. The painting. I...when did you get it? I don’t understand.”
“I bought it the night of the auction.”
“You did?”
“I put down a bid that I was certain would win. I wanted to surprise you with it at the right time. Today seemed like that time.”
“Aaron... I’m shocked. I... I love it. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. I hope it gives you that sense of calm it did when you first saw it.”
“Yes,” Melissa said, surprised that Aaron remembered what she’d said about the painting. “It does. In fact, I can use a good dose of that calm right now.”
“I don’t want you worrying about the pregnancy, okay?”
“It’s not just that. I have to go to a hearing with one of the boys tomorrow. I’m worried about him. I’m hoping the judge will have leniency on him and understand that his father not being around was a factor in him committing the crime. I’m hopeful, but I always worry. I know that Tyler has a big heart. He just made a mistake.”
“I’m sure the judge will see that, too.”
“I hope so.” She sighed. “All right, so I’ll see you Friday.”
“Yep.”
As Melissa ended the call, her eyes ventured to the painting. A smile touched her lips. She no longer felt as anxious as she had just an hour earlier.
Did Aaron actually care more for her than she wanted to let herself believe?
* * *
The next morning, Melissa was heading out of the house with Tyler and Mike, one of the other counselors, when she drew up short. She blinked, making sure that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.
Indeed, they weren’t. Aaron was standing outside a car in front of the house. When his eyes connected with hers, he smiled.
“Excuse me,” she said to Mike and walked down the driveway toward Aaron. “Hey, what are you doing here? We said Friday, remember?”
“I know.” He looked beyond her, toward Tyler, and waved. “I figured I’d come by and see if I could go to court with you. On Tyler’s behalf. Speak up for him, tell the judge he’s a great kid. That I’m happy to mentor him, if that’s okay with you.”
Melissa stared at him, unable to fathom what he’d just said. Then she glanced over her shoulder at Tyler, who was grinning from ear to ear. She faced Aaron again, confusion making her head swim. “You’re saying you came here to go to court...for Tyler?”
“If that’s okay,” Aaron said.
A wave of emotion washed over Melissa. She couldn’t believe it. He cared that much?
He must, because here he was, in Newark, prepared to go to court to support a boy he had met once.
“What you told me really got to me,” Aaron said in a hushed voice. “A kid should have his dad in his corner. I can’t understand anyone who would walk away from that responsibility.”
His words hung between them, and Melissa knew that they were for her as much as they were about the situation with Tyler.
“I’m prepared to come back here...often. Not just because I want to see you, but because I’d happily spend more time with the kids. They’re great. Every kid needs an opportunity to succeed. It’s what we believed way back when, when we were counselors at that summer camp.”
Indeed it was. A slow smile spread on Melissa’s lips. This was the man she’d fallen in love with. The one who cared about others and was giving of his time.
The wall around her heart was crumbling. And she couldn’t stop it.
“I’m sure Tyler will be elated. Just look at him.” She glanced over her shoulder, saw that Tyler was still beaming. “I don’t know if you’ll be able to speak to the judge, but we’ll play it by ear.”
“If nothing else, I’ll be there for him.”
This wasn’t grandstanding. This wasn’t putting on some elaborate show just to get to her. What would be the point of that? To play with young Tyler’s emotions to score some brownie points with her?
No, she didn’t believe that.
“Tyler,” Melissa called, turning to face him. “I’ve got something to tell you.”
* * *
Considering Aaron had only met Tyler once, he wasn’t allowed to speak on his behalf before the judge’s ruling. But it didn’t matter. The very fact that Aaron was here by Tyler’s side had caused a marked difference in the boy. He looked confident and happy, like a totally different child. Perhaps that was why the judge decided to be lenient. Or maybe she’d already made that decision before today. Melissa would never know. What she did know was that Aaron being there for Tyler had changed something in the boy so profoundly that the difference brought tears to her eyes. It was as though finally Tyler knew somebody cared.
Yes, Aaron was a celebrity. But it was more than that. Tyler had held his hand and looked up at him with the eyes of a boy looking up to a hero.
To a father.
Melissa was deeply moved. She could tell that today marked a turning point in Tyler’s life. Aaron being here meant the world to him.
The fact that the judge had been lenient was a bonus.
They left the courthouse, all of them excited about the news that Tyler would not have to go to juvenile detention. He would be ab
le to return to the group home, and in a couple of weeks, he would go home.
“Aaron!” Tyler bounded out of Mike’s car and toward Aaron as he exited Melissa’s vehicle back at the group home. He threw his arms around his waist as though this was the first time he was seeing him.
Tears welled in Melissa’s eyes.
“Are you coming inside?” Tyler asked.
“Sure. I’ll come in for a little while. I can’t stay too long.”
“I want you to be with me when I tell everyone the good news,” Tyler said.
“Absolutely,” Aaron agreed.
“I’m gonna miss everybody when I go back to my real home,” Tyler said.
“Sure you are, buddy. That’s normal. But you know what’s awesome? You can still visit.”
“Are you going to visit me?”
“Tyler,” Melissa began.
But Aaron cut her off. “I sure am. I’m gonna make sure you’re keeping on track.” Aaron affectionately rubbed the boy’s head. “Is that okay?”
“It’s awesome!”
They entered the house, and Tyler shared his exciting news with the other boys. Aaron was by his side the whole time. Melissa stood back, watching the very real bond between Aaron and Tyler, her heart filling with even more love.
“Hey, can we play a game of soccer in the backyard?” Tyler asked Aaron.
Aaron leaned over so that he was at eye level with Tyler. “Actually, I’ll have to come back and we can do that later, okay? Right now, I need to talk privately with Ms. Conwell.”
Tyler looked from Aaron to Melissa. “You like her, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
“You really like her,” Tyler stressed.
Aaron chuckled softly. “Is it that obvious?”
Tyler nodded enthusiastically.
Aaron stood tall. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
Chapter 29
“Where are you taking me?” Melissa asked.
“You’ll see,” Aaron told her.
“You were really awesome today,” Melissa said. “Tyler was so happy. I’ve never seen him so genuinely excited and hopeful.”