I was tired but I was also annoyed at Holden. I had two more days stuck out here in the middle of nowhere and Julia was leaving tomorrow. However, if I could avoid getting a lecture from Aiden about tonight, then I would do as I was told.
For now.
I sighed. Bedtime for me.
Chapter Eighteen
The next morning, I woke up late. This was one thing I really had missed since meeting Aiden and staying with him. I loved to sleep in on my days off. There was something to be said for getting up early and getting things done, however, getting up before the crack of dawn like he did was not my thing.
I had taken over what I assumed was the master bedroom. My clothes were laid out on the small lounge chair in the corner, and my replacement toiletries that Julia had given me at the hospital were in the bathroom. It still smelled like wood cleaner and lemon from my previous day’s cleaning spree.
I had changed the linens before going to bed the night before and they were soft against my skin. There was a large quilt that looked a little tattered in places, but had kept me warm overnight. I wondered if it had been bought or if Aiden’s mother had made it. Maybe a family heirloom?
I yawned, getting out of bed. I was in an oversized t-shirt that Aiden had let me borrow before leaving. I was already missing my sweats and camis that I had lost at Aiden’s house. When I eventually made it home, I would buy some new ones. If I ever made it home.
I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and called my landlord.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hey Mr. Grimaldi, it’s Olivia Dawkins.”
“Oh hey, Liv. How are things?”
I sighed, “Well, good, sort of. Listen I’ve had some weird stuff come up and I think I’m about two days behind on rent.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I sent a notice to your house. Have you been gone?”
“Yeah, I haven’t been there. Julia has been in and out though. What was the notice?”
He coughed several times into the phone. “Sorry, I’ve had a cold this week. Just that I’ve sold the properties and it gave the contact name of the new landlord. Nice guy. Gave me an incredible deal. Let me see if I can find his number.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The house was something I had really wanted to buy for a long time. “Wait, Mr. Grimaldi, we were talking about Julia and I buying the house. You’ve sold it?”
“Yeah, just call this guy, name is Latimer or something.”
He gave me the number but I had stopped listening when he had mentioned Aiden’s last name. I mumbled a goodbye and hung up the phone.
What the hell had he done?
I called Aiden.
“Hey babe,” he answered.
“Don’t hey babe me Aiden! When were you going to tell me that you bought my house? You can’t be mad at me for not sharing things with you when you don’t tell me stuff like that. I was trying to buy the house from my landlord.”
There were a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
“Olivia, are you done?”
I frowned at the wall and huffed. “I guess. This is beyond controlling though.”
“Yeah babe, it would be, I agree, but you actually own it now.”
“What?” I coughed in surprise.
“Look, it’s a gift to you. Are you going to watch the press conference today?”
“Wait, you can’t just give me a gift of a house Aiden! No one does that. I mean, seriously crazy, rich people might do that, but not when they’re dating the occupant. I don’t do that.”
I put my head in my hand and started pacing. I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or furious with him. We were a thing. I loved him. But he went a little overboard. What did it mean for me to own a house that he had given me while we dated?
He chuckled. “Babe it’s ok. You know that cabin you’re in was a gift from my father to my mother before they got married and she loved it. Are you going to watch the press conference today?”
“Well, obviously, she liked that sort of thing. But I’m me Aiden. I wanted to do that on my own.”
He sighed. “Sweetheart, it was a big deal to her too. From what my father always used to tell me, my mom flipped out. Probably just like you’re flipping out, but everything turned out just fine. If you want to pay me for the house then fine. But I’ll only take payment in the form of kisses and Danish pastry mornings.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. This man was insane. Sweet, but insane.
“We’ll talk about it later Aiden. Any other surprises?”
“If by talking you mean having copious amounts of sex when I get home to you, then yes, we can talk about it. Otherwise, it’s not up for discussion.”
My fingers tapped on the back of the chair I stopped in front of. “Aiden. Any more surprises?”
“Get used to the surprises, love.”
I shivered from an unexpected jolt of happiness. He said love. Not I love you, but it was sweet and he said it, without really saying it. I wondered if that was the same thing.
I smiled. “Uhm—”
“Yeah babe, need you to watch the press conference today.”
“Why?”
He chuckled. “You’ll see. Now give it to me, I’ve got to go.”
I rolled my eyes. “I love you Aiden.”
“Good.” Then he hung up.
Nope, he hadn’t said it yet. That was frustrating.
Going quickly through my bathroom routine, I got dressed in a pair of shorts and t-shirt. I threw on my sneakers and headed out the front door.
Jake was just coming up the drive as I skipped down the steps.
“Heya Jake.” I said with a smile.
He nodded at me. “Miss Dawkins, I was just coming to see you.”
“Yeah what’s up? Do you know when the press conference is today?”
“It’s in about an hour I think. Holden and I have to get on a conference call with Brock this morning then we’re going to be patrolling. I was going to ask if you needed anything.”
I shook my head. “Nope, I was going to head down to the dock for a bit then come back to watch the news.”
“Okay, please stay on the grounds. You’ll have a couple of people around and by the dock you might run into. So, there will be eyes out.”
“Not sure I need it today, Brandon hasn’t texted or called or emailed. He probably thinks I’m dead. Looks like he’s taking the bait.”
“Well, not exactly. He’s been blocked on your phone and in email, so you wouldn’t get the messages even if he tried. He hasn’t made his move yet for Aiden, so we’re moving forward with Aiden’s plan at the press conference today.”
I frowned and pulled my phone out of my back pocket. I looked at it trying to think of how that was possible. “Brock?”
“Yeah, while you were in the hospital. It also has a GPS signal that he’s been monitoring. So, when I say don’t go wandering off, I mean it. He’ll call in the national guard if he thinks you’re in trouble. Then he’ll call Aiden and I would not want to mess with that.”
“Got it. I’ll be back in a while.”
He nodded and walked back the same way he had come.
I turned toward the back of the house and started walking toward the well-used dirt path that led to the lake. One of the guards from the previous night was standing near it and nodded at me.
He spoke into a handheld radio as I passed. “I’ve got the lake.”
Ignoring it I began walking down the path. The sun was filtering through the trees. I alternated from being in the sun to the shade as I made my way along. There was a breeze that was coming up from the lake that was cool on my face.
I heard the guard behind me and turned to see where he was. He was several feet behind and following at a good distance as to not be hovering.
Well that was at least something. I wasn’t being hounded, but I still had some protection.
There was a screech from above me in one of the trees. I raised my eyes up
and hooded them with my palm. I could see a large bird circle and then land on a branch near a nest. The bird bent into the nest and I heard the sound of babies.
I continued down the path and thought about the possibility of children. Specifically, Aiden’s children. Logan had said that his guys were his family now, and Aiden had no siblings.
My family was small as well. My mother was the only close family member left to me. I wanted children. Not just one, but a few. My reasoning was that at least when I was gone, they would have each other. It just hadn’t happened yet.
I was twenty-five. Aiden was thirty-six. I wondered if he even wanted to have children. He hadn’t said anything about it when we had talked about birth control. Would he be upset?
The dock was in front of me before I knew it as I tossed that around in my head. It was simple, nothing overblown, no yacht sitting around for the rich and fabulous. The path flattened out to a sandy area on the lake before reaching it. The wind was a little more fierce as I walked over to the wooden planking and it whipped my hair around my face.
There was a guard standing at the end of it, looking out over the water. He nodded at me as I walked along the platform. It was built for several boats it seemed because there were four enclosures. I didn’t know much about boats and had only been on one once. The experience had been exhilarating, but I never had the chance to do it again.
Inhaling, I smelled lake water and the woods.
The sun was warming my face as I looked out over the lake. It was the largest in the area which made it very popular with the locals that liked to have fun with water sports. There was a huge marina on the south side that served as the main hub of activity for most people. It housed nearly a hundred boats at the dock.
When I had come out to the lake more frequently, there were always people in various boats, on skis, and plenty of activity. There was nothing visible today. The water was choppy with the wind, and it was evident that people weren’t in the mood for it.
Aiden said he owned a boat, but I hadn’t seen one. There was a small row boat hitched to one of the pillars. I eyed it speculatively. Surely, he didn’t mean that thing. It looked like it might sink any minute.
“Miss Dawkins?”
I turned my head around to the beach area. There was a guard approaching that looked like he had driven in on a four-wheeled golf cart. He looked like a younger version of Dylan in a way with sandy blonde hair and a slim athletic build.
“Yes?”
“Sorry to bother you but Jake said it was nearly time for the press conference and he didn’t want you to miss it.”
“I didn’t realize I’d been out here that long.”
He smiled. “It’s a nice place, I understand. If you’ll come with me I’ll run you back.”
“Thanks,” I said. “What’s your name?”
“John ma’am.”
I stepped off the dock and walked back with him to the cart. “Call me Liv, John.”
“You got it, Liv,” he said while rolling the souped-up golf cart back through the trees.
I grinned. “And only Miss Dawkins in front of Mr. Latimer. He gets a little nuts.”
“Understood.”
“How old are you?” I said innocently.
“Twenty-nine. But if you’re asking and it has anything to do with Miss White, I’ve already been warned.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well she is single.”
“I’ve heard. Not on your life. Here we are.” He stopped in front of the porch steps.
I climbed off the cart, walked up the stairs and waved at him. “Thanks John! I’ll see ya soon! Oh, do you like star-gazing?”
He gave me a puzzled look. “Uh, I guess.”
“I was thinking about going back to the dock tonight. There’s a telescope in one of the bedrooms and I thought I might move it down there, but it’s really heavy.”
“Yeah, just let me know if you need me to get the cart and run it out.”
“Great!” I gave him a big smile and walked into the house.
I texted Julia.
Olivia: Up for some star-gazing tonight?
I flipped on the TV while waiting for an answer. She might like John.
Jake and Holden came in through the front door without knocking. I was really going to have to speak with Aiden about that.
They nodded at me. Jake smiled and took a seat on the sofa.
I sat down on the opposite end and handed Holden the remote.
My phone beeped.
Julia: Packing
Hmm, well that was short and sweet. I would have thought she would be done by now.
Olivia: Later?
I set my phone on the coffee table. Holden was flipping through channels and landed on one that had national news.
The woman was chattering about stocks.
“What time is this supposed to be on?”
Jake leaned forward toward to TV. “Should be here pretty soon. They get those things set up and then start prepping the press with the agenda.”
Holden turned up the volume slightly. “Yeah, they’ll be on in a minute.”
“So, he hasn’t contacted anyone or done anything. Maybe he’s done. Right?”
Holden eyed me. “He’s not done yet. He just hasn’t made his move. Considering the news has been the same thing for the last two days on the explosion, he’s either going crazy for information, or he’s up to something.”
I looked at my phone. “Maybe we shouldn’t have blocked him. We could have drawn him out.”
Jake coughed. “Yeah and he’d come straight for you if you replied. This way, his direction is on Aiden. Aiden can handle himself and we’ve got a good crew up there around him.”
When they had first discussed this plan, it seemed like a good idea, but the thought of Aiden in danger was starting to worry me. If he could feel protective of me then the same was true for the way I felt about him.
“Here it is,” Holden said.
There was a picture of Aiden standing in front of a glass window with microphones set up in from of him. He greeted the press, then began speaking about his businesses being in good shape. This went on for several minutes until someone asked about his home.
Aiden smiled. “Well, I’m glad you asked. We’ve made some breakthroughs on that, and we will be tracking down the responsible party. We lost four good men that were employed by Latimer Corporation’s security division. Their families have been notified, and our deepest condolences go out to them.”
Another reporter asked for more details.
He shook his head. “I can’t report anything other than that unfortunately, but I will say that my fiancé and I are glad to be alive. We’re both truly thankful for the dedication of those men, not only to our welfare, but their extended duties overseas as well.”
A different reporter asked another question.
“Yes, I said fiancé, if she’ll have me. I need to get home and ask,” he said while looking directly in the camera. Then he winked.
There was suddenly a surge of reporters snapping pictures and talking over themselves all at once. Aiden just kept smiling at the camera for another minute then waved goodbye to the rabid journalists wanting more information.
My mouth hung open. I blinked several times.
Jake and Holden were looking at me. Holden coughed and turned off the TV.
I stood up, walked to the kitchen, and started rummaging around in the cabinet.
“Liv, you okay?” Holden asked. “Had no idea that’s what he was going to do. Brock is probably losing his mind.”
Jake’s phone started ringing. He looked at it. “Yep, Brock’s losing his mind. I’ll step out and talk with him.”
I found the shot glasses and a bottle of vodka Julia had brought over the night before. I lined up two and filled them. Holden came over and tried to take one. I swatted his hand and did both shots back to back.
“WOW!” I yelled. The liquid burned my throat as it went down. “Yep, I’m good.”
>
Holden leaned against the counter with his arms folded. “He means it.”
“Oh yeah. I know.” My phone started ringing.
I wondered what life in prison was going to look like after I killed him.
Chapter Nineteen
Holden left the house after I had wandered back into the living room and assured me before he left that everything was good. The alcohol was settling my frazzled nerves.
Aiden.
I shook my head.
I could take his performance one of two ways. Either he was really trying to prod Brandon, and that stunt would most assuredly do so. Or, he really was serious. If serious, then it was a poor way to propose to someone. Specifically, when you hadn’t told the other person that you loved them yet. Me, being that other person currently, was a little pissed.
The other part of that issue was that we had known each other for only a few weeks. He said he didn’t beat around the bush about things, but there was a certain level of the “getting to know you” stage that had been severely rushed if he was serious.
He was great and I loved the things I knew about him, now, but what if there were traits or issues that I just hadn’t seen yet? The love I felt for him was completely different than what I would now consider a small infatuation with Brandon back in college. It was far more complicated in its existence.
I picked up my phone to see who had called.
My mother. Great.
I wasn’t going to deal with that right now. First, eat some lunch then, on a non-alcoholic stomach, call Aiden and have a nice chat.
My phone rang. Sexy Beast Calling.
I sighed.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey babe, just got back to the hotel. Did you catch the press conference?”
“Uh, yeah.”
He hesitated. “So, what did you think?”
I decided to dodge the issue.
“Yeah, that’ll drive Brandon crazy for sure. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t try to contact you or do something. Holden and Jake were here. They said Brock was going to lose it. I guess he called Jake right after.”
“Yeah babe, but what did you think about what I said?”
I let out a long sigh and crossed my eyes. Moment of truth time.
Run (Lakefield Book 1) Page 18