Swallowing with difficulty, Aidan continued, “But now the truth is out. Both Simon and his father are dead. I’ll mourn my friend Simon the right way this time.”
Ragged breaths gushed from his lungs. “Aw, hell, Mellie, how did things get so messed up and confused? But it’s done…over with. Guess you know what else I’ve come for. I’ve come to say goodbye again. I’ve met someone…guess you know that, too.
“You would love her, Mellie. She’s smart, sassy, so full of goodness and light. I’m crazy about her. I’ll always love you, you know that. But I got lucky. I fell in love again. Never thought it could happen. She’s different from you in a lot of ways, but in the ways that matter—the things that would make you friends—she’s a lot like you, too.
“I’ll bring her here someday to meet you. She won’t think I’m crazy for talking to you like you’re actually here. That’s one of her greatest gifts—she understands me. Gets me.
“So, here we are. Saying goodbye once again. I hope you’ll look down on me from time to time and remember the good times we had. The love we shared. And if Simon’s up there with you, will you tell him I’m sorry for being such a boneheaded nitwit?”
Aidan got to his feet, wiped the tears from his face. “Thank you for loving me, Melody Thorne. I was so damn lucky to have you in my life. And thank you for understanding that I have to let you go. Anna is my future.”
Turning, he walked away from the past, both beautiful and sad. A few feet in front of him, a redbird swooped down and perched on a branch. Its trilling, melodic song followed him as he walked away. And he knew a peace he hadn’t felt in more than a decade. His Mellie had just wished him well.
Chapter Forty-five
Phoenix, Arizona
Anna stared at her image in the mirror. This was a face only a mother could love, and she had a feeling her mother might even have her doubts. Green goo was so not an attractive look for her.
She’d returned home a couple of days ago. The final test results had shown there was no residual damage to her body. Other than dehydration and exhaustion, she was in excellent health. There had been no reason for her to stay.
She hadn’t heard from Aidan since he’d walked away more than a week ago. She told herself it was fine. What he was going through would be agonizing. Talking it out with her would only make him relive the pain. He’d said they would talk when he returned. She would hold on to that.
Her employer had given her a few more days to recuperate, and while part of her appreciated his generosity, another part just wanted to jump back into work and bury herself in other people’s problems. But that would be wrong. Her job required her full attention. She would not use other people’s pain to help her forget her own.
This morning, she’d looked in the mirror and had been disgusted with herself. She had let herself get mired in worry, and as her mother had told her many times before, worry wasn’t good for the complexion. There were still shadows of bruises on her cheek, but those could be covered with make-up. It was the lack of vitality in her overall appearance that bothered her. So she had set out to do something about it.
Last Christmas, her mother had given her an expensive spa therapy kit—everything a woman would need to have her very own at-home spa experience. Since she had no plans for the day, she had decided to indulge.
She had washed and conditioned her hair with the honeysuckle-scented shampoo and conditioner. And because she loved the big waves they gave her, she had rolled her damp hair in giant curlers. She had soaked in a tub of hot water with aromatic beads filled with some kind of gel that was supposed to make your body feel like sunshine. She’d gotten out feeling cleaner but not especially sunshiny.
After her bath, she’d spread forest green goop on her face that made her look like a bad Hollywood version of an alien. While that set, she had buffed her nails, both fingers and toes, and painted them an Exquisite Dawn, which just looked orange-red to her.
Now here she sat in her recliner with a glass of red wine, cheese, crackers, and fruit, with some kind of guitar music playing on her iPhone. Since her face was getting kind of tight, she’d get up in a few minutes and clean off the green goo.
All in all, not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Who needed an expensive spa when she could do all of this alone, in the privacy of her own home? She closed her eyes, took a deep, cleansing breath, and allowed peace to wash through her.
And then the doorbell rang.
Aidan had been stunned when he’d arrived at the hospital and learned that Anna had gone home. Stupid not to have considered that once the final results of the tests were in, she would be discharged. He had talked to her doctors several times since he’d left, finding reassurance that so far, no damage to her organs had been found. After one last discussion with her primary physician, relieved beyond measure that Anna was indeed healthy, he’d gone back to the airport and caught the next plane to Phoenix.
He hadn’t called her while he was gone. That was likely a mistake. One of his many where Anna was concerned, but he had been so damn torn up inside, he had figured she’d come away from their conversation worried for his sanity.
Today, if she let him, he would rectify all his screw-ups where she was concerned. That was if she would answer the door. He pressed the door buzzer and knocked again.
He knew she hadn’t returned to work. Riley had said she had a few more days off. Could she have gone to see her mother or father? Again, the knowledge that he’d been stupid not to call her was kicking him in the ass.
Turning from the door, he pulled his cellphone from his pocket and pressed her speed-dial number. Wherever she was, he’d go to her. As it rang, he heard an echoing ring. He put his ear to the door. Her phone was in the apartment. No way in hell would she leave her phone behind.
Aidan pounded on the door. “Anna, I know you’re in there. What’s wrong? Why won’t you let me in?”
“Nothing…um. Why didn’t you call before you came?”
“Sorry. I—” He jiggled the doorknob. “Dammit, I don’t want to talk to you through a door. Open it up.”
“It’s not really a good time right now, Aidan. Maybe later.”
Confusion gave way to alarm. Her voice sounded both nervous and upset. There was someone in there with her. He had checked and rechecked, assuring himself that there would be no more threats from Cook, but he must have overlooked one. And now Anna was once again in danger.
He answered with as much nonchalance as he could fake. “No problem. Just call me when you want to talk.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Aidan charged down the hallway and down the stairway to the first floor. A sensible man would go to the main office, explain the problem, and get a key to Anna’s apartment. When it came to Anna’s safety, sensible was not in his vocabulary.
He had to get into that apartment right now.
Anna stood at the door and heard Aidan practically run away. There was no way she could have opened the door. Having him see her like this would have humiliated her beyond bearing. She hadn’t, however, expected him to take her refusal so well. He hadn’t even argued with her.
Dejected, she padded on her heels, toes in the air, to the bathroom. She would get this goop off her face, remove the curlers, and take out the cotton she’d put between her toes to keep her wet nails from smearing. Then she would call and ask him to come back.
She was halfway to the bathroom when she heard the sound of breaking glass coming from her living room. Her heart thudding, Anna forgot all about her toenails as she dashed into the bedroom and grabbed her gun from the nightstand. She tiptoed back to the hallway, pressed her back against the wall and, with silent footsteps, eased sideways toward the living room. She peeked around the corner and gasped. Aidan stood in the middle of the room surround by glass from her broken patio door. Gun in hand, he was wearing the fierce expression she’d seen more than once. He was ready to destroy whatever threat was in his way.
Without giving it a sec
ond thought, Anna stepped out from her hiding place. “What on earth are you doing?”
“Anna? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Well, then why didn’t you let me inside? I thought someone was in here holding you hostage.”
“Of course not. I just—” The realization of what he was seeing suddenly hit her. Wanting nothing more than to sink through the floor in total humiliation, she muttered, “The visit was a nice surprise, but I just wasn’t in the best position to receive company.”
A grin stretching from one side of his face to the other, Aidan holstered his gun and came toward her. “I’ve noticed you’re at your most polite when you feel at a disadvantage.”
She frowned, and when she realized she couldn’t frown because the mask had hardened and her features were frozen, she glared instead. “I’m always polite, even to men who break into my apartment. Even the ones who don’t call me and let me know how they’re doing.”
He stopped in front of her, and though she was sure he was having trouble not laughing, she saw no amusement in his eyes, only tenderness. He took the gun from her slack hand and placed it on an end table. “I missed you at the hospital. I didn’t know you’d been discharged.”
“That’s what happens when they decide you’re perfectly healthy.”
“Yeah, I talked to your doctor.”
“Someday we need to have a discussion about privacy laws.”
“Just one of the many discussions we need to have.” He touched her cheek where the mask had dried to the point that she was having trouble even moving her mouth. “This is an interesting new look for you.”
“It’s a mm…sk.”
“A what?”
She rolled her eyes. “Sp…pa.”
His mouth twitched, but again she had to give him credit for not laughing. “You look like you’re having some difficulty speaking. Is it time to take off the mask?”
She nodded, not only greatly fearing that the mask wouldn’t let her talk anymore, but that she’d start crying. Fat tears streaking down her green face would be even worse.
He took her arm. “Let’s get this off of you so you can tell me what an insensitive, hardheaded idiot I’ve been.”
She wasn’t necessarily going to do that, but getting the mask off her face was fast becoming a necessity. She headed to the bathroom, and since he didn’t seem inclined to leave, she grabbed two washcloths, dampened both of them, and handed him one. He worked on one side of her face while she worked on the other. He didn’t speak, but from time to time his beautiful, sensual mouth would turn up, and she knew he was doing his best not to laugh out loud.
“There. My side is all done.” He gently touched the lingering bruise on her cheek. “Does it still hurt?”
“Not at all.”
“Good.” He quickly kissed the bruise and then asked, “Want me to finish your side?”
“Not. I’ve got it.” Relieved to finally be able to form words, Anna made short work of the remainder of the mask. She tried to tell herself that her soft, dewy-looking skin was worth the embarrassment she’d just suffered, but she couldn’t make herself believe the lie.
“So what do we work on next? The curlers in your hair or your fuzzy toes?”
In for a penny, in for a pound. Nothing could happen that was going to embarrass her any more than she’d already suffered. She sat on her vanity stool and held out one foot. “You can start on this. I’ll take the curlers from my hair.”
That beautiful smile now in full force, Aidan took the foot she offered and removed the cotton between her toes. When he finished, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her foot and said, “Now the other one.”
So mesmerized by his Prince Charming looks and actions, Anna gave him her other foot and completely forgot about her curlers.
Once again, Aidan removed the cotton, even blowing on her toes to get rid of the final wisps. Once again, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of that foot before lowering it to the floor.
“Want me to do your hair, too?”
Torn between an immense desire to throw herself at him and ravage him on the bathroom floor and the equal need to sob her heart out in his arms because she’d missed him so much, she quickly shook her head. “I’ll do it. Why don’t you pour yourself a glass of wine? It’s on the kitchen table. I’ll be there in just a minute.”
Showing her he had the sensitivity to go along with his gorgeous face, he gave her another look, one of heated longing and then walked out of the room.
A shaky sigh gushed from her as soon as he disappeared. The things that man made her feel were probably illegal in most states.
She jumped to her feet and quickly went to work on the curlers. Within minutes, her hair was a gleaming mass of thick dark waves. She applied a light moisturizing cream to her face, a little concealer on the bruises, lengthened her already long lashes a bit, and then added color to her lips with a light coral lip gloss.
Taking a step back, she viewed the results and decided that, despite her embarrassment at getting caught looking like the green-faced glob from another world, she was happy with the results.
She rushed into her bedroom and grabbed her favorite dress from the closet. Even though the style was a bit dressy for wearing around the house, with its short, flared skirt and lacy sleeves, the shimmering aqua-blue was the exact color of the water on the island. Those few days there with Aidan had been the happiest of her life and Anna couldn’t resist the reminder.
The tender looks Aidan had given her had made her so optimistic, her heart was pounding in anticipation. But if she was wrong and he was here to break her heart? Well, then, she wanted to look nice for that, too. A girl needed a confidence boost when her heart got shattered.
Determined to act like a mature, reasonable adult either way, Anna walked out of the room. She found Aidan in the kitchen where he had rummaged around until he had found what looked like the ingredients for some kind of pasta dish.
Anna didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. All she could do was lean against the doorframe and watch the man she loved with all her heart and wonder exactly why he was here.
Aidan stopped abruptly when Anna appeared at the door. He had never seen her lovelier. Nor had he ever seen her so uncertain. He planned to address that in just a second. But first he had to taste her.
Standing in front of her, he lifted a long brown strand of hair that lay in a soft curl on her creamy shoulder. “You are one of the loveliest women I’ve ever known.”
“Green goop can do wonders.”
“Your beauty has nothing to do with green goop, hair curlers, or nail polish. It’s all you, Anna. Your courage, your strength, your perseverance. You have a smile that lights up a room, a beautiful, compassionate heart.” He lowered his head. “And the softest…sweetest mouth.”
She tasted even sweeter than he remembered. He wanted more…he wanted all of her. He allowed himself only a small taste. They had things to talk about, and there was a lot he needed to say.
Lifting his mouth from her luscious lips, he kissed the tip of her nose, her forehead, and stepped back, away from temptation. For the first time, he noticed what she was wearing.
“You dressed up. Would you rather go out to dinner?”
“I didn’t dress up to go out. I dressed up for you.”
Would this woman ever stop making his heart turn over? He knew she wouldn’t.
Unable to keep himself from another taste, he bent forward for another kiss. Before he could make contact, she stepped out of his reach and said, “What can I do to help?”
Her move was what he needed to get back on course. First, he wanted to know what was going on in that quick, intelligent mind of hers. Then he had some confessions of his own to make.
“If you’ll put together a salad, I’ll finish up the pasta, and we’ll be set.”
They worked together in silence, but not the companionable one they had shared on the island. The atmosphere was tense. He figured part
of it was anticipation, but he also detected something else. Anna had a sadness about her that disturbed him.
When they sat down to eat, the conversation covered current events and weather-related news. He wanted to keep the conversation light for one very important reason—she needed to eat. By his calculation, Anna had lost at least five to seven pounds with this last ordeal. Aidan had never been hung up on size, but he sure as hell was hung up on keeping Anna healthy.
When at last both their plates were clean, he stood, held out his hand, and led her into the living room. “I’ll take care of the dishes later.”
As she settled on the sofa, Anna tried to pull her hand away. Aidan wasn’t having it. He sat beside her, and as if that didn’t quite satisfy him, he abruptly lifted her in his arms and settled her on his lap. “There. Much better.”
The move was exactly what Anna had needed to settle herself down. Since they’d returned from Colombia, she’d felt awkward with him, disconnected. Wanting to get back to their earlier closeness, she lay her head on his shoulder and said, “How bad was it?”
His arms around her squeezed in appreciation for her understanding. “It was painful for both of them. Kristen has done a great job of moving on with her life. She said that what I told her just gave her more closure. I hope that’s the case. Amy didn’t feel the same way. She’s still struggling and is understandably bitter toward me. I’ve offered to help her in any way I can, but—”
“Don’t beat yourself up, Aidan. People process their grief in their own way, in their own timeframe. Sometimes it takes years for a person to come to grips with trauma. Sometimes they never do.”
“I just hope to hell I didn’t make things worse.”
She hugged him to comfort him. Sometimes there were no answers, only more questions.
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