Over the next fifteen minutes, Aria explained the situation, just as she had to Monroe. It was Libby who broke the stunned silence.
“What an impossible choice,” she empathized.
“What do you mean?” James asked, looking confused. “What choice is there?”
Libby rolled her eyes. “You men. Sometimes I wonder how you manage in this world with your two or three emotions. If she seeks out her father, she could essentially put her mother in jail for years to come. If she doesn’t, she has to live with never knowing him.”
James took a moment to think it over. “It’s not her fault her mother would go to jail. She committed crimes. She has to face the consequences.”
“It’s her mother,” Libby replied flatly.
Jessica shook her head, not agreeing with her friend. “A mother she says is unstable. Suicidal. A mother who wanted her freedom more than she wanted her daughter to be safe or happy. You can’t give endless loyalty to someone who never gives any back.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about it,” Aria admitted. “I don’t think I’m in a position to make a choice until I know the truth. Was my mother stealing me away to hurt my innocent father? Or was she rescuing me from him?”
“If she was trying to hurt him,” Mathew said thoughtfully, “he’s been without you for twenty-three years. That’s a harsh sentence she gave him and you.”
“I know that,” Aria agreed. “There has to be a way to find the truth. I pulled all public documents I could find, but there was sealed testimony from a lawsuit my father filed after I was missing for almost a year. I wasn’t able to see any of the information related to that case.”
Mathew slid a pen and notepad over to her. “Write down everything you remember or anything you managed to find when you were searching. My brother can help get those files unsealed.”
“Emmitt?” Jessica asked, looking unconvinced that it was a good idea. “Are we talking about getting them unsealed legally?”
“Is he a lawyer?” Aria asked simply.
“No.” James laughed. “He’s a mercenary. A war hero. A hothead. And a pain in my ass. But he is most definitely not a lawyer.”
Mathew, looking thoroughly annoyed, cut in, “We can start the paperwork now for unsealing them, and we can spend the next few months waiting to see how that goes. Or Emmitt can contact someone he knows who can hack the appropriate places and get us the information we need. I didn’t think we were looking for slow and steady here.”
“We’re not,” Monroe assured him. “Have your brother get the documents. Hopefully there is something in there that tells you what you need, Aria.”
James still looked like a judge weighing an important verdict. “I want to get this straight. If you find no evidence that your father was a danger to you or your mother, you’re going to reunite with him?”
“Yes,” Aria answered confidently.
“You know the risk that puts on your mother’s freedom?” he asked.
“I honestly don’t know where she went once I took the job at the resort. I can tell them even under oath I don’t know.” Aria felt a prickly sting all over her body as she admitted out loud she didn’t know where her own mother has been for years now. More so, her mother demanded she disappear.
James bit his pen, attempting to deliver his message delicately. “You know the alias she used for years. You know her friends. Her skills. How she makes money. You may not know exactly where she is right now, but you have information that will lead them to her. They’ll threaten you with severe legal tactics to get you to divulge what you know.”
Aria drew in a deep breath. “If we find evidence that my mother was truly acting to protect me from something imminent then I’ll do the same for her. I’ll protect her. I’ll walk away from all this and find a different path for my life.”
Libby cautioned her. “Your father may have changed. You’d be missing out on knowing a man who might be very worthy of your love and forgiveness now. I’d do anything for more time with my father or for my mother to be healthy enough to remember me. Don’t close any doors that keep you from that.”
Mathew cleared his throat and stood. “We know where to start. I’ll give Emmitt the information you provide and he’ll get what we need. No one makes any other decisions before we see what he comes up with.”
“Yes,” Aria said, also standing and calling an end to their time. “I’ll let you get back to work. I know it’s not easy to dedicate time to something like this.”
“Oh please,” Jessica said as she and Libby rose from the table and headed to the door. “These guys spend more time talking about baseball and cheeseburgers than they do working. Now I hear you’ve been working on an island with next to no fashionable clothes. That is a situation we have to rectify.”
“Here,” Monroe said, pulling out his wallet and handing over a credit card. “Anything she wants is on me. Even if she just looks at something long enough to act like she wants it, get it.”
“I don’t need much,” Aria said, waving the card away. “You’ve already given me enough.”
Libby snatched the card from Monroe and looped her arm with Aria’s. “We need to plan a celebration, and for that you need an outfit.”
“And earrings,” Jessica added excitedly.
“Anything she likes,” Monroe called out as they left in a flurry. “I just want her to be happy.”
Chapter 34
“I’m cooking,” Libby announced as she slipped her apron over her head. “We were going to do a big night out, but I thought it might be nice to just hang around our house and eat a good meal.”
“I helped,” Jessica jumped in as the three men came in the door looking exhausted.
Mathew scoffed. “There is no way you cooked. I won’t believe it until I see it. Remember that time you made grilled cheese and we had to call the fire department?”
Jessica planted a kiss on his lips and then swatted at him. “I didn’t say I helped cook. I said I helped. The wine wasn’t going to open itself.”
“Or drink itself apparently,” James commented as he picked up a bottle of red with only a sip or two left in it.
“Everyone head to the dining room,” Libby said, ushering them in that direction. Aria had gotten the grand tour of the six-bedroom mansion James had bought as a gift for Libby. Somehow a space this large was made to feel cozy and welcoming. Something Jessica gave Libby all the credit for.
“Are there assigned seats?” Mathew asked, taking in the elegantly decorated dining room and artfully coordinated table setting. “What time does the queen arrive?”
“I wanted it to be special,” Libby said, threatening him with her spatula. “Are you sure you want to piss off a pregnant woman? We’re notoriously irrational.”
Mathew threw his arms up disarmingly and took a seat next to Jessica. When everyone else was seated they sat in silence as pots and pans clanked in the kitchen.
“Should we help her?” Monroe asked sheepishly.
“No,” Mathew, Jessica, and James shouted in unison.
James cleared his throat and laid his napkin over his lap. “She has it all under control. She’s been trying all sorts of new recipes, and she prefers if we all stay out of her way.”
“Got it,” Monroe said, taking a big swig of his wine.
“Emmitt should have something back for us any minute,” Mathew updated, trying to quell the awkwardness of the noise pouring from the kitchen.
“So soon?” Aria asked, stunned that could be possible. It had been only eight or nine hours since they’d all spoken this morning.
“I told him James was sure he couldn’t help us. He accepted the challenge and said he’d have it done by dinner tonight.” Mathew smirked victoriously.
“You men are so competitive,” Libby remarked as she carried a large platter of succulent beef to the table. “This is a pot roast with a red wine reduction, fingerling potatoes, and roasted carrots.”
“Wow,” Monroe said, eyeing
the meal with excitement. “It actually looks good.”
Libby’s head snapped in his direction with a menacing look. “What were they telling you to expect? Burnt lasagna? That happened one time.”
“No,” Monroe said, waving his hands nervously. “I just meant—”
Mathew cut him off quickly. “Emmitt is sending some encrypted documents. He said he got it all.”
Aria dropped her fork down with a loud clank against the plate. “What does it say?”
“I’ll have to pull up my laptop and use my program with the decryption code. It’ll take a few minutes.”
“And my dinner will be ice cold,” Libby said, with a tiny pout. “But go ahead. It’s fine. It’s more important.”
“No,” Aria edged out reluctantly. “We should eat. You worked really hard on this.”
“Go get your computer, Mathew. But take your plate,” Libby said, with a little smile. “Just holler when you’re finished, and we’ll come see what you have.”
Like a bolt of lightning, Mathew darted from the table with his plate balanced in one hand.
Libby took her seat next to Aria and touched her shoulder gently. “It took a few hours to make this meal. You’ve been waiting a lifetime for what is in those documents. It’s important.”
Jessica took a heaping scoop of potatoes and looked curiously at Aria. “What are you hoping to find? Do you want to believe your mother had no choice? Or do you hope your father was a good man she was trying to hurt?”
Aria took a bite of the roast to buy some time. The answer changed minute to minute. There was no easy answer. As she swallowed she looked at Monroe. “I think I want my father to be a good man. My mother is a known commodity. She is who she is. We had some wonderful experiences together and some very painful ones. She was all over the place at times; the ups and the downs were a lot to deal with when I was a child. My mother was hard to love. It wasn’t impossible, but it was difficult. But my father could be kind. He could be easy. It would feel good to have someone like that.”
Monroe smiled warmly. “You had to inherit it from someone. I’m sure he’s a good man.”
The next few minutes were silent, the words replaced by delicious bites of Libby’s meal. Aria’s stomach was in knots, knowing the truth she’d wanted so long might be waiting for her a few rooms away.
“I have it,” Mathew said, coming into the room with his laptop in his hands. He sat at the table and Aria couldn’t read his expression. He looked stunned, yet saddened. “Emmitt pulled all the sealed testimony and sworn statements from the trial. It was a hearing to determine if anyone had assisted your mother when she left. It called her family and friends to testify under oath.”
“I never met any of her family,” Aria said somberly. “It was always just the two of us.”
Mathew nodded. “The testimony supports that. No one knew she was going to leave. No one knew where she was going. But more importantly, no one knew why she left.”
“Why is that important?” Jessica asked.
“As far as anyone knew there was no cause. She and Aria were not under any direst or imminent danger. Your mother’s friends testified she’d been acting paranoid and irrational. A drug dealer testified, letting the court know how much he’d been selling her and how long she’d been using. Your mother’s own parents spoke out in defense of your father. They stated that in high school their daughter had run away countless times and had once attempted suicide. She would invent stories about threats and danger.”
Monroe spoke tentatively. “Was there anyone speaking against her father?”
“Not one person,” Mathew explained. “His employer, his own parents, their mutual friends. Everyone came to his defense. By all accounts he was a good, hardworking man who had his daughter stolen from him. He was devastated.”
“I don’t see how they couldn’t find her,” Libby said, angrily. “That man was hurting; they’d proven he’d done nothing to make them run.”
Mathew looked at his computer and sighed. “Twenty years ago fathers had very little recourse. Divorce hearings, custody. They were not considered equal to the mother. In parental abductions most people, even agencies, assumed the dad must have been horrible if the mother was willing to run. During the divorce, it seems like your mother did a lot to smear his name. Until this hearing he didn’t have a chance to clear his name and get any agency support. By then they were long gone.”
“So,” Aria asked, staring at his hands, “he’s a good man?”
Mathew fidgeted some as he continued, “It seems like it. A forklift operator in Philly. Just a normal guy who loved you and wanted to find you.”
The silence was broken only by the ping of emails coming into Mathew’s laptop. It was proof to Aria that the world outside of this house hadn’t crashed into nothingness. Only her consciousness had.
“Now what?” James asked, the honest reaction of a man of action. “You want to meet him?”
“I do,” Aria said, swallowing hard. “I want to apologize to him.”
“Apologize?” Monroe asked, taking her hand in his. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Growing up I didn’t have any choice, but when I found out . . . I knew his name and I didn’t reach out. I prolonged his pain for years. I’m no better than she was.”
A clamor of voices rose to disagree with her, but she waved them off. “I can’t make that right, but I can stop this. I can fix it.”
Mathew began typing on his computer. “I’ll have Emmitt get us some contact information and an address.”
“I’d like to meet him in person,” Aria asserted. “I don’t think this is something you can explain over the phone. He probably wouldn’t believe me.”
James folded his hands and looked at Monroe. “The company jet is at your disposal. If you need to go to Philadelphia it’ll be your best bet. Any other resources we have, please use them.”
Aria wiped a stray tear from her cheek and leaned her head on to Monroe’s shoulder. “I can’t believe this. I’m going to meet my father. He wanted me this whole time.”
“James, get that bottle of champagne. We’ve been saving it for something special, and I can’t think of a better time than now. Let’s celebrate.”
He hopped to his feet and retrieved the bottle while Jessica grabbed the crystal flutes and passed them out. When the cork popped loudly Aria jumped and giggled nervously.
“Dessert,” Libby announced, dashing toward the kitchen. “I almost forgot.” In her hands was a lopsided, poorly decorated cake, ablaze with candles. “We never got to have cake for your birthday Mathew. I baked this for you.”
“It’s . . .” Mathew said, getting a good look at the cake. “It’s very homemade.”
“It was a bit of a rush job,” she admitted bashfully as they all began to loudly sing happy birthday. When he blew out the candles they showered him with slaps on the back and hugs.
There had been so many birthdays missed for Aria and her father. So much time had passed between them, and the questions were whirling in her mind. Monroe leaned in close and whispered through her hair.
“Having you as his daughter, getting you back, he’ll be the luckiest man in the world.”
Chapter 35
“Why haven’t we heard back from Emmitt yet?” Libby asked, looking thoroughly annoyed. “Ever since he met Evie he’s been chilled out. He’s hardly taking any of his old jobs. He should have an answer by now. Aria’s going crazy.”
“It’s fine,” Aria lied. The last three days had been excruciatingly long. She and Monroe had tried to pass the time sight-seeing and hanging out with their new friends. But every free minute passed slowly, and Aria felt an urgency she couldn’t explain. She wanted to meet her father. She wanted to make amends.
“Have you given more thought to your mother?” Mathew asked, changing the subject.
“What do you mean?” Aria asked, lying on the blanket and staring at the sky. The guys had taken a lunch break from work an
d joined them at the park for a picnic.
“The documents stated your father was granted a large settlement from your mother if and when she was apprehended. Besides the charges she’ll face, she’ll also be expected to make financial restitution.”
“She has no money,” Aria explained. “Or at least she didn’t six year ago. Who knows what she has now? I doubt my father will care about the money. He’ll just be happy to see me.”
“Right,” Mathew said, sounding unconvinced. “He may want to pursue your mother. And if he doesn’t, the police likely will. I want to make sure you’re prepared for that.”
“I’m prepared for anything,” Aria said adamantly. “I’m in the angry stage right now. I’ve never let myself go there. I’ve always given my mother a free pass because she was protecting me. She did what was hard in the face of real danger in order to give me a better life. Now that’s gone, and I’m left with she used me as a pawn to hurt my father. He and I have been robbed of important years together. I rotted away in that hellhole for no reason at all.”
“Oh,” Libby said, reaching for her phone, “I almost forgot about that hellhole. I have some news from Randolph. Look at these photographs. This is Javier’s new apartment. He settled in south Florida, and his family met him there last week. This is all of them reuniting at the airport. He doesn’t have to worry about gangs anymore. His mother was so excited; they’re all starting fresh.”
“That’s wonderful,” Aria exclaimed as she looked closely at each picture. “It looks like a beautiful apartment. I hope they’re happy.”
“He said to tell you he is grateful to you and Monroe,” Libby said, looking fondly at Monroe, who was busy checking email on his phone. “These big tough guys always end up being the kindest in the end. Once we show them the way.”
Mathew was now pacing as he held his phone to his ear and grunted replies.
Jessica handed Aria a plate full of freshly cut watermelon. “These guys never stop working. We’re going to fix that next. They can’t all keep this pace. We should plan a big vacation for all six of us. Something before the baby comes.”
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