Forever Touched

by Lilly Wilde

  Sienna’s voice cracked as she looked at her son. Aiden stood and embraced his mother. And I watched as mother and son connected on a level of which they never had before.

  “Mother, you don’t have to explain any more. I think we all know. We all get it. And I’ve seen a glimpse of the mother you are, the mother you want to be … in the music gifts, and more recently in the photograph Aria shared with me of you crawling around the floor with Lyric. You can’t fake the look I saw on your face, and you can’t reproduce it at will.”

  I remembered that day. I’d taken the picture of Sienna crawling around the floor with Lyric. I’d wanted Aiden to see it. It was a shock … a huge shock, but nothing as shocking as the person I was seeing now. Her face wasn’t made up and her hair wasn’t impeccably styled. She was even dressed in regular clothes. I didn’t think I’d ever see a day that Sienna Raine wasn’t dressed in designer swag … but then again, I was sure her jeans weren’t those you’d find at department stores.

  Aiden never came out and said it, but he’d truly forgiven his mother and she understood that. She was grateful for it. That conversation marked a turning point.

  Chapter Nine

  “Sienna, don’t go. Please,” Connor said, as his wife prepared to make her exit.

  Aiden, his siblings, and I had tried to persuade Sienna to stay—to hear Connor out. We’d told her of the unkempt state in which we’d found him. We’d gone as far as telling her of the eye-opening conversations we’d shared with her husband—conversations which revealed the magnitude of Connor’s remorse for neglecting what was most important over the years. Despite our pleas, Sienna remained firm on her stance of placing space between Connor and a way of life she felt would never change.

  “Why, Connor?” Sienna asked, spinning around to face her husband. “Why would I stay and subject myself to more of the same?”

  Although Connor appeared speechless, his expression exhibited desperation for something—anything—that would give Sienna reason to take pause. He wanted his wife, but he had no idea of what it would take to keep her.

  “Dad, now is your chance to tell Mother the things you shared with us,” Aiden urged.

  Sienna released her hold of the door knob and waited—her expression doubtful that Connor could say very much of anything that would change her mind.

  Connor took a few determined steps toward his wife. “Enna, I’ve been a fool. I know that,” he said.

  Sienna’s resolve appeared unshaken, but then her stance wavered. “You haven’t called me that in years,” she replied, choking back the emotion stirred by the use of her nickname.

  “I haven’t done a lot of things in years,” Connor replied. “I owe you a great deal more than what I’ve given you. Stay. I can be the man you fell in love with. He’s still in here,” he said, placing his hand over his heart. “Just as you are.”

  Sienna’s eyes widened. “What’s happened to you?” It was as though she were looking at an apparition—undoubtedly as shocked, if not more so, as we’d all been to hear Connor’s expressions of love and regret.

  “I want to get back to who we were—before the money, before the kids. Please give me a chance to show you how much you mean to me,” he said, extending a hand to his wife.

  Despite her early declarations of breaking ties with Connor, it was easy to see Sienna wanted to say yes. But she hesitated, her eyes cautious as she looked at each of us.

  “Mommy. Do it. Please,” Allison urged.

  Nicholas echoed Allison’s plea, but Sienna didn’t budge.

  “Mom, I understand your hesitance,” Sloan said. “But I think you should give him a chance.”

  Sienna looked toward her younger son for guidance, or maybe it was approval. “Aiden,” she said.

  Aiden crossed the room to his mother and pulled her hand into his. “I know why you’re asking me. Because of all the children, I’ve expressed the worst opinion of Dad over the years. And I’ll be honest, if you’d asked me this before I came to Chicago a few days ago, I would have told you to cut your losses. But after observing and listening to my father over the past several days, I think you’d be making a mistake if you walked away without at least giving the old guy a shot.”

  “Hey, I’m not too old to kick your butt, son,” Connor said, stepping closer to Sienna.

  Aiden laughed as he placed his mother’s hand into Connor’s and stepped back, allowing the estranged husband and wife a moment of closeness. Sienna glanced back and forth between her son and husband, astounded by their jovial exchange. Her gaze fell to her hand resting inside Connor’s, and a smile gradually appeared. “I’m not sure what’s happened since I’ve been gone, but I guess I’d be an old fool, too, if I didn’t at least hang around long enough to find out,” she said.

  *****

  Connor and Sienna disappeared upstairs for the better part of the evening. Actually, we didn’t see them anymore until the following afternoon, a little after lunch, when they strolled into the family room, hand in hand.

  “I’m taking my wife out to celebrate,” Connor announced.

  “Your reconciliation?” Aiden asked, looking up from the toy he was holding for Lyric.

  “No, my awakening,” Connor replied, looking at his wife, his gaze warm with adoration.

  “So does this mean we’re a family again?” Nicholas asked.

  “It means your father and I are committed to healing our marriage,” Sienna said.

  Sloan rushed over and hugged her parents. “I’m so relieved. We all are,” she said.

  “So where is our celebration taking place?” Aiden asked.

  “Thank you all for your support, but Enna and I have plans for two,” Connor replied.

  Sienna and Connor looked happier than I’d ever seen them. Sure, I’d caught a glimpse of joy here and there, but nothing as obvious and profound as the couple who were beaming at us now.

  “That’s a great idea,” Allison said, and smiled at her parents. “Daddy and Mommy need some alone time,” she said. “So while they’re celebrating, we should too. Why don’t we all go to the sky lounge tonight? You know, the one on West Erie Street.”

  “Vertigo?” Nicholas asked.

  “Yes, that’s the one,” Allison said.

  “I don’t have any club appropriate clothes,” I said. “But hey, it gives us an excuse to shop, right?”

  “Exactly,” Allison replied.

  “You kids enjoy yourselves,” Sienna said.

  “And that goes for you two, also,” I said. “Have a wonderful time, Connor and Sienna.”

  “We plan to,” Connor replied, and with his palm at Sienna’s waist, he guided her out of the room.

  Allison spun around toward me and Aiden. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go,” she said. “You too, Sloan,” she added.

  I looked at Aiden. He was still on the floor with Lyric, persuading him to walk. Although he could walk, Lyric’s preference was to crawl or scoot across the floor. Part of me wanted to stay back and play with them. After the mess of the last few days, I relished time with my two favorite guys … time when nothing mattered except the three of us.

  “Aria, they can come with. Right, Aiden?” Allison asked, when she noticed my hesitation.

  “Wrong,” Aiden said. “I’ve shopped with Aria before, so I know how it is. Multiply that times the three of you and I think it leans toward any guy’s worst nightmare. Lyric and I are fine. Go ahead without us.”

  “What will you wear?” I asked.

  “I have a closet full of clothes upstairs,” he said.

  “Fine. Stay here.”

  “Are you upset with me?” he teased.

  “No, but you may just want to go. Just to see what I pick out,” I said, raising my brows suggestively.

  “I love you in whatever you wear. You know that.”

  “Ugh. You two,” Allison said. “We get it. You’re in love. You can’t get enough of each other. Blah, blah, blah. Let’s go, Aria. We don’t need Aiden killing
our buzz anyways,” she said.

  “Oh, I’m a buzz kill now?” he asked.

  “Now? You’ve always been a buzz kill,” she said, laughing.

  *****

  My afternoon with Allison and Sloan resulted in a pile of clothes scattered across the bed. Aiden was already dressed and downstairs, ready for an evening out on the town, while I stood surveying the damage of my impromptu shopping spree. I quickly deduced I had too many choices. After a period of going back and forth, trying on this and axing that, I finally decided on the black lace top, ultra-short leather shorts, and thigh-high boots.

  Just as I slipped into the boots, my phone pinged. It was a text from Allison prompting me to hurry. Except for Nicholas, everyone was waiting in the billiards room to start our evening. I rushed to the bathroom, applied my makeup, added some volume to my hair, and headed downstairs.

  Stepping out of the bedroom, I almost ran right smack into Nicholas.

  “Hot damn! Further proof you’re with the wrong Raine brother, Ms. Aria.”

  “You know, Aiden’s gonna snap one of these days if you keep saying things like that,” I said, reaching up to hug my brother-in-law.

  “I’m not worried. I can take him.” Nicholas’ eyes washed over me again. “By the way, has Aiden seen you in these clothes?”

  “No,” I said, my gaze following his. “Why?”

  Nicholas flashed his cheeky grin. “That explains why you still have them on.”

  “What?”

  “You know he’s not going to let you walk out of the house in that,” Nicholas replied, very matter-of-factly.

  “Excuse you, Nicholas, but I’m an adult. I don’t require Aiden’s approval for my wardrobe. He’s not the boss of me.”

  “Are you implying he’s the boss of me?” he asked, grinning, as we headed to the stairwell.

  “You said it, not me,” I replied.

  “I guarantee he thinks he’s the boss of you. He thinks he’s the boss of everybody.”

  That was true, but I wouldn’t let Aiden even think he could determine what I’d wear. As we started down the stairs, I surveyed my clothing again and then looked up at Nicholas. “You don’t think he’ll like it?”

  “Oh, he’s going to more than like it. He may bring you back up here and show you just how much he likes it. I know I kid around about it, but had you crossed my path first, you would have been mine.”

  “What makes you think I would have been a willing conquest?” I asked, as we made our way down the last flight of stairs. “I’ve heard you’re quite the playboy, and man whores aren’t really my thing.”

  “Not with you. You’re the kind of woman that makes playboys stop playing. Why do you think Aiden is so head fucked over you?”

  “I didn’t know he was.”

  “He’s changed. I know a lot of it has to do with my nephew, but even before the baby, he was different. And this thing with the merger, he never would have gone through with that had you not been in his life.”

  Nicholas and I stepped into the entertainment room and my eyes immediately found Aiden’s. He was reclining on the couch, smoking a cigar. His leg was crossed, his ankle resting on his knee.

  Allison whistled and I forced my eyes away from Aiden’s, smiling at his sister’s compliment.

  “I think Aria should be on my arm,” Nicholas announced to the others.

  “And why is that?” I asked.

  “I’ll appreciate you in something like this far more than Aiden will. He’s not going to be cool with you going out like this. Isn’t that right, bro?”

  I watched as Aiden drank me in. A slow, sexy smile graced his perfectly sculpted lips as his dark gaze slid over me. Smoke coolly escaped his mouth as he exhaled. Uncrossing his leg, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He dropped the cigar in a canister on the table, and then he looked at Nicholas. “She’s gorgeous and most importantly, she’s mine.” He smirked and glanced back at me, the heat of his gaze touching my skin as his eyes held mine. “I’m not worried. She knows who she’s coming home with.”

  “Stop instigating, Nicholas,” I said.

  “Where’s your date?” Aiden asked his brother.

  “She’s running a little late,” Nicholas said, and checked his phone. “But she should be here in a few.”

  “You have a date?” Sloan asked. “One that you’re allowing to come here?”

  “Well, I figure since Mom and Dad have finally stopped interfering in our love lives, I can do what I’ve always done. The only difference is, thanks to Aria and Aiden, there’s no need to do it away from prying eyes anymore.”

  “Just one more thing to add to the list of changes I’ve made to this family,” I said, with a grimace. “Who’s your date? Anyone we know?”

  Nicholas pulled his gaze from his brother and looked at me. “Aiden didn’t tell you?”

  “No.”

  “It’s Anja.”

  “Lyric’s former nanny?” I asked.

  “That’s the only Anja I know,” Nicholas replied.

  “God no.” I thought I’d seen the last of that nurse. When Aiden first learned he had a son, he’d hired Anja as Lyric’s nanny. Of course he’d done it without my consent and that, along with Anja’s less than professional interest to please Aiden, had been a source of tension between Aiden and me.

  “What’s wrong?” Nicholas asked.

  “Aria isn’t too fond of Ms. Schmidt,” Aiden said, with a wry smile.

  “You’re an asshole. Do you know that?” I asked, sneering at Aiden.

  “So I’ve been told.”

  *****

  Sitting in the V.I.P. section of Vertigo, we’d started on our second round of drinks when Grayson Miller approached our secluded table.

  “Glad to see you could make it,” Aiden said, standing to greet his friend.

  “I can’t miss out on a chance to party with the Aiden Raine,” he said jokingly.

  “You remember Aria,” Aiden said, re-introducing me to his friend.

  “Yes, we met at your party,” Grayson said. “And I remember asking you for a dance and you declined, so what about now?” he asked, having directed his full attention to me.

  I looked at Aiden.

  “Go ahead,” Aiden replied with a nod toward the area surrounding the disc jockey.

  Grayson grasped my hand and led me to the dance floor. I really wanted to dance with my husband, but for some reason he’d been resistant to my overtures. Before I could give Aiden’s stubbornness any further thought, I was moving to Tinie Tempah’s Girls Like as Grayson pulled me to the edge of the floor. He and I were soon a mix of body rolls and gestures that I knew Aiden would disapprove of, but the music had completely taken over my rational thinking. I’d dropped it a little lower than I should have when a hand was suddenly at my waist. I stood upright, prepared to push it away, and was surprised by what I saw when I spun around.

  “Don’t do that again,” Aiden said, having taken Grayson’s place.

  “Do what?” I asked, still moving to the beat, and hoping to tempt him to dance.

  “Bend over like that,” he said, frowning his disapproval.

  “And if I do?” I teased.

  “You got the reaction you wanted from me,” he said. “Let’s leave it at that.”

  What was his problem? The playful glint I’d seen in his eyes earlier was gone.

  “Hey, Nick,” Aiden said, turning to his brother. “Aria needs a dance partner.”

  “What? You can’t handle her?” Nicholas joked.

  “Just watch her, Nick,” he ordered.

  Having given up on swaying Aiden into a dance, I stopped moving. “Watch me for what?” I asked. “And why can’t you dance with me?”

  “I will. Just not now,” Aiden said. He turned away and headed toward the entrance.

  “What’s going on, Nicholas?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure,” he said, leaning down to my ear. “He got a text a few minutes ago and damn near lost it.”<
br />
  Moments later, Aiden was following two huge security men as they escorted another guy toward the rear of the club. I pointed it out to Nicholas.

  “Aria, grab a seat with my sisters and Anja. Wait at the table for us,” Nicholas said. “I need to see what’s going on.” He headed in the direction Aiden had disappeared.

  Turning my attention from Nicholas, I looked for Allison. She was dancing with a group of girls and I didn’t see the point in interrupting her fun. Since I couldn’t focus on my own, I walked to the table to wait on Aiden but after only a few minutes, my curiosity got the better of me, so I went in search of him.

  There were several closed doors along the dark corridor, so I slowed my steps, listening for recognizable voices. The music was too loud for me to distinguish anything, so I waited. Eventually a door opened, and Aiden and Nicholas emerged.

  Aiden frowned when he saw me. “What are you doing back here?”

  “Wondering the same thing about you.”

  “See you in a few, bro,” Nicholas said, walking past us.

  Before I could get an answer from my husband, the two large security guys filed past us. They were ushering that same guy around, but this time his nose was bleeding.

  I looked back at Aiden. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ll tell you later.”

  “Who’s that guy and why is he bleeding?” I asked.

  Ignoring my question, Aiden asked one of his own. “Didn’t you want to dance?”

  I tossed him a warning look and waited for an answer. When he saw I wasn’t backing down, he let out a frustrated sigh and guided me back to the room from which he’d just come.

  “Remember several months ago when you and I were at odds about Lyric? You were being you, and went out to a bar,” he said, once he’d closed the door.

  “What do you mean, I was being me?” I asked.

  “You know exactly what I mean.”

  “Please continue,” I urged.

  “I followed you to the bar, and we talked—or maybe flirted is a better word for it. Either way it led to our behaving rather indiscreetly on the side of that bar.”

  “Yes, I remember.” How could anyone forget a night like that?