Circle of Deception 2 (3 page)

He held her close while trying to regulate his breathing and she climbed on top of him, laying her ear on his chest. Nothing felt better than her being in his arms this way. He was more relaxed than he had been in a long time, until she sat up suddenly.

When he brushed his hand over her cheek, she let out a deep breath, speaking quietly. “I’m sorry. I know I haven’t been what you need lately. I’m just having a hard time adjusting to how much things have changed, but that’s no excuse for not taking care of you.”

He stroked her back and drew in a deep breath. “You have nothing to apologize for. This parenting thing is new to us. There are going to be times where we have to sacrifice what we want in place of what they need. Tonight was about me showing you how much I still want you. I know you’ve been having a hard time believing that, but I have never found you sexier than I do now.”

“I know you love me and I know the kids have to come first, but I sometimes feel like you don’t look at me the same way.”

“I don’t.” She sighed and closed her eyes tightly to hide the tears she felt stinging them. “You’re my wife, the mother of my children, the only woman I will ever love this way. I don’t just look at you, I worship you. There will never be a person that walks this earth that I will want more than you. Without you, I wouldn’t have my beautiful son, and Allison wouldn’t have the mother she deserves. Don’t ever feel insecure, because in my eyes no one will ever be more beautiful.” She kissed his chest and relaxed against him. He felt like he had given her just the reassurance she needed. He knew she needed to hear that he still found her attractive and that he still desired her.

“I love you, Alex.”

“I love you, Meg, but I do have something else I want to say. I need you to agree to come to me when you feel this way. There shouldn’t be anything you can’t tell me.”

She ran her hand down his chest and exhaled. “I get nervous when the kids aren’t where I can see them. Every time I think about Amanda being on the loose, I worry. I lay awake at night worrying about what could happen to them, and I like them sleeping with us because I know they are safe. I know it’s crazy, but I can’t help it.”

“I know you’re scared, but you have to know that they are safe here. If she comes anywhere near here, she will be dealt with. If you want more security then I’ll get it, but we have to get our lives back. We can’t live every day in fear.”

“I know, but...”

“Baby, I want you to feel safe here. This is our home, and I don’t want you to worry about the kids tonight. This is all about you having time for yourself. You pour so much of your time into the kids, that you don’t have time for you. I’m going to take you upstairs and put you in the tub and then I’m going to scrub your body. You need to relax and I won’t accept anything less; tonight is the night you come first.”

Meg sat up and kissed him gently before attempting to stand. When she felt her legs buckling underneath her, he jumped over to catch her. “You okay, Angel Face?”

“I’m fine, baby, it’s just...” she paused and giggled, her face flushed with embarrassment.

“What? What is it?”

“Three orgasms back to back? It makes my legs go weak every time I think about it. You were really saving those up, huh?”

“You have no idea. There was so much pressure to create a spectacular performance tonight. I have to be a good example for my boy. From here on out, I have to put it down like my life depends on it.”

She laughed and slapped him on the chest. “He is too young for your sex talk. You keep my child out of our sex life.”

“Hell, he is our sex life. How do you think he got here?”

“I see I’m going to have to knock you out regarding Jordan.”

He swung her up into his arms and walked toward the front. Once they were at the stairs, he chuckled and began his climb. She looked to him with confusion in her eyes, and he kissed her gently. Once in the room, he laid her down on the bed and headed toward the bathroom.

“Alex, what’s so funny?” she called out.

“You were worried that we would be a boring married couple with kids, but I don’t ever see that happening. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you.”

“I know I won’t.”

“I’ll be right back.” He went in the bathroom to get her bath started, and lit the candles surrounding the tub and put on soft music to create the right ambiance. By the time, he went back in to grab her, she had her eyes closed with her head resting on a pillow. She looked peaceful, and he felt bad about wanting to wake her. When he turned to go shut everything down, she called out to him.

“Where are you going, handsome?”

“I thought you were asleep, I wasn’t going to disturb you.”

“I was just trying to rest up for round two.”

“Round two?”

“Yes, baby, round two is all about you. As much as I need this, so do you. We are a team, and I need to make you feel safe and cherished just like you did for me.”

Alex grinned and walked over to pick her up. When he reached for her, she stood and then flew into his arms, wrapping her legs around him. He walked her into the bathroom and lowered her into the tub. As he picked up the sponge and drenched her body with the warm water below, he smoothed the hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. Alex knew tonight would be all for them, but he had to do something to soothe her fears. He knew they weren’t going to go away with just his reassuring words. It was time to take action.

Chapter Two

“Mom, what are you doing? Where are you?” Aiden called out as he made his way through Alex’s house. She had called him and said it was important, but she was nowhere to be found. He had almost forgotten that she was staying over at Alex’s during the week sitting with Jordan. He was growing anxious because he was supposed to have been in the office over an hour ago. Thank goodness for Alex going in today. Alex had been working at home mostly, but now that Allison was back in school and Melissa was watching Jordan he had more time to go in.

When he heard Jordan cooing, he walked around the corner, to find them sitting in a rocking chair in front of the TV. Melissa was clutching Jordan with her eyes shut. “Hey, big guy, it looks like you’re the one doing the babysitting.” He tried to lift Jordan out of her arms and she reached out, grabbing his wrist roughly, startling him. “Mom, it’s me. Did you forget you called me? I’ve been looking for you.” She sat up and looked at Jordan smiling and brushed her hand over his fat cheeks.

“I remember, but I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I thought you would have called first. I was just resting my eyes. This one here keeps you going. That’s why I have this pouch on to keep him near me.”

“I did call; several times. When you didn’t answer I got worried, but Mom, you can’t fall asleep with the baby. He is only two months old, anything could happen.”

“Aiden this isn’t my first rodeo, he was completely fine. He was watching Diego, he loves that Diego. Did you hear him crying? No, he won’t because he and Granny have a deal. Thirty minutes of Diego for thirty minutes of rest.”

Aiden laughed at her bribery. “You and Alex try to bargain with him like he really understands what you expect from him.”

“He does. He was quiet, wasn’t he?”

Aiden took Jordan and sat in the chair next to her. “So what’s going on? You had to have called me over for a reason.” When Melissa reached in her purse and handed over a single white envelope, he shifted Jordan over and looked at it. “What’s this?” When he saw the stamp, he dropped it to the floor. “Mom, burn it, or better yet I’ll talk to the warden and make sure his letters never get to you again.”

Melissa sat up suddenly and reached over to touch his hand. “Maybe we should just read it. It may give us some peace of mind. He is your father, and as messed up as he is, he loves you boys.”

“Don’t defend him. I won’t read anything he has to say. You can’t be seriously entertaining this bull...” he looked down at Jordan and calmed down. “This ridiculousness. You’re finally rid of him. Keep it that way.”

“It’s not for me, sweetheart. It was addressed to Alex and Meg,” she held it up for him to see.

Aiden took the letter from her hand and ripped it open. He read over it silently with Jordan wiggling beside him. His facial expressions were blank and very confusing for Melissa. She was desperate to know what was in the letter. When he finally concluded reading, he folded it up and handed it back. “Mom, this is important, don’t speak a word about this letter to Alex. He would go ballistic. He trusts you with the children, and we want to keep it that way, so no more talk about dad. It would only fuel his hatred for him.”

“What did the letter say?”

Aiden huffed and sat up. “Some madness about wanting to protect us and doing what he did for us. I know that can’t be true, he only thinks of himself. He is trying to play with their heads. That bastard is up to his old tricks, and I don’t want him to ruin your relationship with Meg and Alex too.”

Melissa sighed nervously and stood to pick up Jordan. She hated keeping secrets from her sons, but she knew she had to for Maria’s sake. They hadn’t made any breaks in the investigation regarding Amanda’s whereabouts, it was like she vanished into thin air. With no contact or attempts to retaliate on her part, things were looking like they were back to normal, but that was when people like her tended to strike. They could never be too careful, so what was Ben up to? They had agreed that the safety of their children ranked above all, so why was he trying to contact Alex and Meg? Something big must have happened, and she had to know what, the survival of their family could depend on it.

Aiden looked at her vacant expression and got worried. He knew instantly that there had to be something she was keeping from him, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. “Mom, what’s going on? I know there is something up. Your face says it all.”

Melissa placed her hand to his face and smiled. “There is nothing to worry about, you just focus on being happy with Emily. I’m just overwhelmed by what has taken place over the past year. We lost some people, but we gained so much more. We got two beautiful children, we got Meg back, and you finally got your happy ending. We should focus on the joy in our lives now.”

Aiden sighed happily and pulled her hand to his lips. “I love you, mom. You know how to find a bright spot in everything.”

“You, your brothers, and these beautiful grandchildren are my bright spot. You bring so much joy into my life,” she winked at him, “I hope there is a grandchild for me in your future. When are you going to marry Emily?”

Aiden drew in a deep breath and exhaled loudly. “Mom, that’s a huge step. You know the kind of woman, Emily is, she takes a while to adjust to big things. We love each other, but I’m not ready and neither is she. I’m not as impulsive as Alex and Matt. I have to weigh out all the options before I commit to anything. I’m the sensible son, remember?”

“Yeah, you’re sensible, but you’re in love. Love makes you do crazy things, trust me I know. It can make you really impulsive, but no pressure on you,” she blinked deviously.

“Okay, mom, I get your point. You want me to get married and have kids. So, I guess when we’re ready, I can add them to your daycare roster,” he laughed. “Just make sure you stay awake with mine, because letting Diego babysit the children won’t fly with the sensible one.”

“Oh, he was fine, weren’t you, Jordan?” she lifted him. “Tell your Uncle sensible you were fine.”

“If you’re done making fun of me, I’m going to head to work. Alex has to be climbing the walls wondering where I am.” He touched Jordan’s chubby legs. “I’m going to see your Dada. Man, it’s hard to believe Alex has kids. Where did the time go?”

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” she laughed. “Have a good day at work, son.” Aiden kissed her cheek and he left to head to his car. She and Jordan walked to the porch and watched as he drove down the long driveway. As soon as he was out of viewing range, she pulled out her cell phone.

“Broderick, it’s me, I need you to arrange for a private visit with just you, me, and Ben, it’s important.” Broderick inquired about when the visit should take place, and she huffed. “As soon as possible.” When he informed her he could set in for a few days from now, she looked down at Jordan and almost declined when she thought about her babysitting duties, but then thought of an option. “I’ll be there,” she replied, and hung up. She looked at Jordan and brushed his cheek gently. “Jordan, it’s time you meet someone special. You’re going to love this.”

Seconds later, she was on the phone convincing Meg to let her babysit him at her house. When Meg reluctantly agreed, she smiled and kissed Jordan on the cheek. “Now, we get to really have fun, my sweet boy.” Jordan babbled something and she laughed. “You’re really trying to talk to Granny, aren’t you? Well, Granny has the best surprise for you.”

***

“Matt, I’m not joking,” Melia ranted. “I want to know who she is and why she is calling our house.” She threw the phone in his lap as he laid back on the bed. He had been stressed out lately, and one of the women from the office, Julia, had been being overly friendly. When he called to say he would be in to work late, she called to see if he was okay. He had been going through a mini crisis that he couldn’t explain to Melia. Here he was at the age of twenty-five with a wife and child, he was finally feeling the effects of getting married too soon.

He was envious of the life and freedom Aiden had. Aiden and Emily were living together, but she was away quite often on her assignments, and they didn’t have the added stress of having a child involved. He felt awful because he loved his wife and his daughter more than anything. How could he possibly explain to her how he wanted a change?

They had been married for five years and he loved every minute of it, but he missed the people they used to be. He felt like they were growing apart. The love was still there, but the passion they once shared was dying. He needed her in his life, but ever since her mother died, she hadn’t been the same.

When he finally sat up on the bed, he saw her angry expression and closed his eyes, hoping to block it out. That only fueled her anger, and she raced around the bed and took a seat next to him. “You have about two seconds to tell me who this woman is, or I’m going to start breaking things, things of yours.”

“Calm down, it was just Julia from the office. She was just worried when I called to say I would be late; I’m never late. We were supposed to be working together today, and she wanted to be sure we didn’t need to reschedule our meetings.”

“So she couldn’t have just told me that when she called? It’s not like you’re saving the world, you’re only funds managers, not the damn CIA. I’m going to ask you this once, and you better not lie to me, are you sleeping with her?”

Matt looked at her serious expression and slid up beside her. “I have never cheated on you, and I never will. It’s just that sometimes I think we jumped into all this too fast. We really didn’t live or take the time to enjoy being young and in love before we got married and had Cienna. Don’t get me wrong, you know I love our daughter, sometimes I wish we had waited.”

Melia placed her hand to her mouth and looked disturbed. “Wow, you want me and Cienna, but on your terms. So, what do we do? Where do we go from here? Because if you don’t want to be in this a hundred percent, then I don’t want you in it at all. If living out some childish boy’s fantasy is more important than us, then you should go.”

She rose from the bed and stormed toward the bathroom. When he rushed behind her, he found her up against the wall with her eyes closed. He never intended to lay it on her that way, but he had to discourage her cheating inquiries. He couldn’t bring himself to cheat on her if he wanted to. She had been the only woman for him for so long, he didn’t know anyone or anything else. He just didn’t want to get to the point where they outgrew each other.

“Baby,” he touched her shoulder. “Can we talk...” she reached out and slapped him, silencing the conversation.

“Do you think I wanted to be working as hard as I have and having to be worried about being a good mother and wife?” she screamed. “I do all of it because I love you and I love our daughter. I had things I wanted to do, but once she came along, her needs became more important than all of it. I had to learn that she came before everything, even you. If you’re telling me that your needs are more important to you, then you should go. I’ve had a parent who put their needs ahead of ours, and it was something I promised would never happen to my child.”

Matt tried to reach for her, but she sidestepped him. “Go to work, I can’t look at you right now.” He tried to beg, but she held her hand up in his face to shut him up. “I said go. If I feel like it, we will discuss this when you get home. I’m going to work, please don’t call me, and when I say please, I mean don’t you fucking dare.”

“Melia, baby, please...” Matt pleaded as she walked out and slammed the door behind her. He knew he had screwed up, and he instantly wanted to take it all back. How could he have said the things he said about the two most important people in his life? When he thought about the look he saw in her eyes as she walked away, he sank down to the floor of the bathroom. Work was going to be hell today, he needed to wrap his mind around what he was going to say once he saw Melia again, but he knew he needed to try to focus on work too. They had some newly acquired accounts that needed special attention.

Matt collected himself from the floor when he heard the door slam, signaling that she had left. As he made his way downstairs, he pulled out his cell to phone Aiden. He was in a bad way, and he needed advice from his brother. Normally, he would have called Alex, but considering the nature of his issues, Alex was the last person he wanted to call.

Alex had fought so hard to have his family with Meg, and hearing the insensitive things Matt had uttered to Melia would be sure to upset him. He had always bragged how he was proud of Matt for stepping up and being a good man and father, and hearing this would taint his image. He couldn’t bear for both his brother and wife be upset with him.

When Aiden answered, he tried to fill him in on what was going on, but Aiden had clients in front of him. Picking up on the disappointment in Matt’s voice, Aiden agreed to come by once he was finished with all of his business. Matt was completely lost, when he boarded his car. He started it up and pulled out of the driveway feeling numb.

He had never had such a big fight with Melia the entire time they had known each other, and she had never been mad enough to slap him. He knew this had to be a bad sign. He was hoping she would let him explain or at least make things up to her. He vowed never to make such a stupid mistake again, he needed her too much to go on without her.

As much as he wanted to call and plead with her some more, he knew she meant it when she said she wanted him to leave her alone. She explicitly told him not to call, but she never said anything about sending her things. He was prepared to send whatever it took to get her to call him back, or at least to let her know how sorry he was.