All of Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy (4 page)

I turn and walk to the elevator, push the button, and look back at Aiden’s closed office door. The elevator doors open and I enter.
Why did I leave it so long to realize how I felt? What the hell is wrong with me? I’m a total idiot, and now I have lost the only man I’ll ever truly love. My heart and soul belong to Aiden. I’m sure I’ll never get over this.

I walk slowly through the main foyer and drag myself to the parking garage to say goodbye to Mike. He’s standing at the top of the stairs, like he’s waiting for me. He sees me and frowns. I walk over to embrace him in a hug.

“I’m guessing it didn’t go so well?”

I shake my head, making him sigh. “No, not so well,” I mumble.

He holds onto me tightly, hugging me like the father I never had.

“He’s leaving,” I whisper.

“I know, tomorrow.”

“Thank you for everything, Mike.”

“Anytime, Miss. Taylor. Just so you know, I was rooting for you two.”

I walk the block from O’Connell Finance back toward my car. A constant stream of tears flow down my face, pooling at my chin. As I reach my car in front of the salon, I think how fitting it is that another storm is heading into Mornington Vale. It always seems to rain when I feel miserable. I sit in my car for a while, my head in my hands, trying to calm down a little. I turn the car on and pull out into traffic. I have my windshield wipers on full speed, but trying to see through my flooding tears and the rain is very difficult. I see a red light and put on my brakes to stop. I turn to grab a tissue from my bag—
Smash!—
I rear-end the car in front of me, hitting my head hard on the steering wheel.

“Fuuuuuck!”
I scream. I hold the steering wheel with white knuckles and shake it violently in frustration. A line of blood streams down my face, and I continue to cry uncontrollably. I undo my seatbelt and step out of my car into the pouring rain to make sure the driver of the other car is alright.

The driver’s door swings open. Aiden steps out and rushes to my side. I didn’t notice that the car he was driving was actually Mike’s.

“You’re bleeding,” he says, taking a hanky from his pocket and holding it to my head.

I can’t look at him as he tends to my wound.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t see where I was going.”

“Why are you crying?”

“You’re moving away. What do you expect? Why are you out driving in that anyway?”

“I was coming to see you.” He pulls my chin up so I can look at him.

“You were?”

“I love you,” he says.

I stare into his eyes, his bright blue mesmerizing eyes that are staring right back into mine.

“I love you too, so much. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t blame you for anything. I was just angry, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I dealt with it so badly, and then Sandy—”

He puts his finger up to my lips to quiet me. I swallow a lump in my throat.

“Shut up and kiss me.”

He pulls me into a tight embrace, leans down, and kisses me. That familiar surge of electricity flows with ease between us. The feeling of his lips on mine again after so long apart, fills me with pure happiness. It’s like time stops, and at last we’re here together, like we are meant to be.

Cars honk their horns as they drive past, splashing water over us, pulling us back into reality. We both laugh. He tucks some loose drenched hair behind my ear.

“Jeni, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I’ll never forgive myself.”

I shake my head. “No, it wasn’t your fault. It was totally mine. I was angry, and I took it out on the one person I love the most. I’m so deeply and completely in love with you, Aiden. I always have been. That’s why it hurt so much. It tore me apart to be away from you, but my head and heart were telling me different things. I never want to feel that way again.”

A tear forms in his eye; he places his arms around me and holds onto me tightly.

“That’s really good to hear.” He picks me up by my waist and twirls me in a circle. I giggle, feeling lighter and undeniably happy to be in his arms again. He kisses me passionately, and sets me back down to earth.

CHAPTER 3

I wake from my dream. I’m in my bed and think to myself that my dream of crashing into Aiden and us getting back together was perfect. I sigh and roll over. I see Aiden in my bed—he’s actually here and it shocks me.

“It wasn’t a dream,” I say loudly, waking him.

“What wasn’t a dream, baby?”

I lunge on top of him and kiss him repeatedly all over his face, making him chuckle through the kisses.

“Jeni,” he says, steadying me.

“I’m so glad you’re here. It wasn’t a dream.”

He smiles and then frowns.

“What’s wrong?”

“Tokyo. I leave today.”

My heart skips a beat.
He’s still going?
He can’t. Not now, not after we’ve gotten back together.

“I can’t lose you; I just got you back. We can’t spend any more time apart. You are my lifeline, my oxygen. I need you, Aiden.”

He smirks. “Only kidding. I talked with Father last night while you were asleep, and he’s going with Tori, my new PA. Gotta say, he was very unhappy about it, and I’m sure that I’m going to pay big time, but I don’t care.”

Oh thank God!
I slap him on the chest.

“So, not funny. Oh and who picked, Tori, pretty bitch for your PA anyway?”

“Tori, pretty bitch? I’ll tell her you said that.”

“Don’t you dare. Why would you pick her? Is it because you think she’s pretty?” Jealousy floods through me.

Aiden furrows his brows. “I hired her because Benjamin and Blair recommended her. She’s from… their scene. She bats for the other side, if you know what I mean?”

“Oh, she’s a lesbian?”

“Yes,” he says pulling me closer to him.

“I see. Well, good, that’s good.”

He watches me as we lay naked in my bed.

“Aiden, I know I owe you some sort of reason why I acted the way I did. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I need to tell you why I took everything out on you.” I lean back and gaze straight into his eyes. “When I woke, after the… incident, all I could think about was why did this happen to me? I have no idea why, but I instantly blamed you. I couldn’t help thinking that you weren’t there for me when I needed you. I couldn’t get past that, Aiden, and it tore me up to be away from you.” I start to tear up, and Aiden pulls me tightly to his chest as I continue, “I know I’ve talked about Jason a little, but there’s a lot more that I haven’t told you. He was very controlling. So controlling, that if I did anything that he considered wrong, he’d either verbally abuse me, or he’d attack me. No one knew about the physical side. Sarah guessed, but I never really talked to her about it because I felt like I didn’t meet his expectations, and it was always my fault. As far as he was concerned, I was incompetent as a lover and as a person. My self-worth had never been any lower than when I was with him, and I never knew what real love was until I met you. You make me feel whole, and you treat me with respect. You show me unconditional love very day.”

I feel Aiden’s stiff body holding me; he’s listening but struggling with his feelings at the same time. His hands are fisted against my back, and I can hear him grumble every now and then while I speak. I pull back a little. His eyes are no longer sparkling, but dark and serious, his brows are furrowed, and his mouth is in a thin straight line.

“When you came to our apartment that night, when I was… well I was drunk, it literally killed me to watch you walk out our door and away from our life. I was unable to get up, and I basically spent the night curled up on the floor. Once the morning came around and I had sobered up, it really hit me that you were gone from my life forever. I knew that there was no way for me to win you back. I could see it in the way you saw straight through me and that there was no compassion in your voice. You weren’t the Jeni I fell in love with. She was gone. My heart literally broke. My body stopped functioning. My father found me the next day; he straightened me out, fed me, and managed to get me back on my feet. He sat and talked me into going back to work, insisting that I put my heart and soul into it, and that it would help heal my heart. Amazingly, he was right, and I found the only way I could function was to immerse myself wholly back into work. I spent most of my waking hours there, and I was able to function like I did before I met you. Work was my salvation and my curse. I missed you so much, Jeni, more than you will ever know. I honestly thought I’d completely lost you. You’re my absolute everything, Jeni. I live and breathe you. I’ll never love another the way I love you. My life has purpose and meaning when I’m with you. My life was empty without you and I was a shell of a man with nothing to live for. You are mine and I’m yours completely; we’re meant for each other, baby. Your love means everything to me, and I won’t survive if you leave me again.”

“Aiden, I don’t know what to say. All I can say is I’m sorry. Sorry I hurt you. Sorry I left you. Sorry I treated you the way I did. Sorry I was such an idiot. What you don’t know is how I felt about you. That never changed. I always loved you; I never once denied my feelings for you. You’re the love of my life, Aiden. Life without you was bitter and empty; I was incomplete and lonely. I only hope you can forgive me for everything I put you through. I promise you that I will never leave you again. I love you so much. I can only imagine what your father will be like toward me now.”

“There’s nothing to forgive as long as you’re here with me. As for Father, you let me worry about him. What I really need right at this moment is to be buried deep inside you; I want to make love to you, Jeni.”

***

After a few hours of making love, cuddling, and Aiden telling me how much he loves me, and I him, I decide we should get up and start the first day of the rest of our lives together.

“I guess we should get up and tell Sarah and Chris that we’re back together. Are… are we back together?”

“Of course we are, baby, but there is one more thing I need to talk to you about. Jeni, would you consider going to a counselor to talk about what happened to you? I think it might help you to come to terms with it.”

“I have thought about it, and I think that you are right, but can I just think about it for a while?”

“Of course you can. I have something to give you, if you want it?”

A blank look crosses my face. He gets up from my bed and makes his way to his jacket pocket, where he fumbles around for a second or two. He pulls out my engagement ring. I sit up, and he walks over to me holding the ring out. He gets down on one knee, making me giggle.

“Jeni, from the time I crashed into you… again, I knew we were meant to be together. We will
always
be together. Will you marry me?”

I nod my head and bite my bottom lip. He takes my left hand and places my engagement ring back where it belongs.

“You had me at crashed.”

He laughs. I stand up; he moves in close and kisses me feverishly.

I gaze down at my engagement ring, back on my hand where it should be. Aiden kisses my engagement ring and turns around to grab his suit pants. He feels them, and they are still soaking wet from the rain last night.

I put on my robe. “I’ll be back.” I walk down to Sarah and Chris’ room and knock on their door.

“Come in,” Sarah says.

“Hi, guys. Sorry to intrude. Chris, can I borrow some clothes?”

They both raise their eyebrows.

“Sure who are they for?”

A smile broads over my face in response.

“Jeni, did you bring a guy home?” Sarah asks angrily.

“Um, kind of.”

Chris frowns. “You know, Aiden is a good friend of mine, and I don’t think he’d appreciate you shacking up with some random dude so soon.”

“Chris!” Sarah says, slapping him on the chest.

Aiden pops his head around the door; he has a sheet wrapped around his waist.

“Hi guys.”

I watch both their mouths drop open.

“You’re right, Chris, I would’ve hated it if she had shacked up with some dude so soon. Thanks for being such a good friend.” Aiden pulls me close to him.

Sarah jumps up out of bed and claps her hands.
Thank God she’s wearing a negligee.
She runs over and practically jumps on us.

“It’s about time you guys got your
shit
together. You were both horrible to be around,” she says, making us both wince.

Chris stands up and walks in his boxers to their closet and grabs some clothes for Aiden.

“Here you go, dude.”

“Thanks, for everything,” Aiden says to Chris, shaking his hand. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to kiss my woman,” Aiden says. He lifts me up and flings me over his shoulder. I squeal as he slaps me on the ass.

“Woohoo. Go, Aiden,” Sarah calls out when we exit her room.

Aiden carries me all the way back to my bedroom and flops me down onto the bed.

“I’m so happy, happier than I’ve been in a long time.”

I pull him onto the bed and on top of me. He chuckles and raises his head, his bright blue eyes stare deeply into mine and a broad smile beams across his face.

“Do you know how much I love you, Jenifer Taylor?” Aiden asks, his nose brushing mine.

“About as much as I love you?”

“Yeah, about that much, and then some. Guess I’d better get going.”

“Do you have to?”

He gets off me and stands to put Chris’ pants on.

“Yes, I have to go into work and prepare them for Tokyo. I need to make sure Father and Tori have everything they need.”

It hits me just how much I’ve missed working at the office with him.

“Do you need a PA to fill in while Tori goes to Tokyo with your father?”

“I have Brielle, but thanks for the offer. How’s it going at your mom’s?”

“It’s alright, but I need to find something I’m better suited to. I’m going to look for a new job today for a position as receptionist or a PA.”

He leans forward and pulls me from the bed, taking me into an embrace.

“Baby, you know I’d have you back in a heartbeat, but I can’t fire Tori for no reason. You understand, don’t you?”