BWWM: BEFORE I WAKE: A Bad Boy Billionaire Book Collection (African American Interracial Series) (370 page)

              I squeezed her back then. “I’m proud of us. We did this as a team.”

              She smiled, her eyes glistening with excitement. “Yes we did. We make a great one.”

              I raised an eyebrow. “Since we have a little extra cash now, you can start your facility...” Over seven figures was more that an
a
littl
e
cash. We were set.

              She gasped as she brought her hands to her mouth. “You..  don’t have to do that…”

              “Please, I know I don’t have to. I want to. Not only because I am madly, passionately, head over heels in love with you, but…”

              “Wait…you’re what?”

              “Oh, did I forget to mention that?”

              She laughed nervously. “Um…yeah, you did.”

              Chuckling, I hugged her to my chest as I dipped my head to speak into her ear.

“Aye, I’m in love with you Stella. If you’ll have me I’d love to be a part of your life for a very, very long time.”

              I pulled away to find she had tears in her eyes.She touched my face. I love it when she does that. “I love you too.”

              “Hallelujah!” I said with a grin.

              She broke her gaze and pulled back. “Uhm I…I did something and I’m not sure what you’re going to think about it…”

I couldn’t imagine her doing anything I wouldn’t be okay with.

“Don’t be mad, okay?” She tried to smile as she headed for the door. She opened it into the hallway and flurry of lights went off. Damn reporters. As I shielded my eyes, Stella allowed a man in. I looked up to see a familiar face.

I nearly fell in the floor. Nine years had aged him, but he still looked like the toughest old bastard in the world. My father smiled and for the first time ever, I saw the smile reach his eyes. My brain scrambled in confusion. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him smile. I had no idea what to say.

I’d been euphoric only moments before and now suddenly my stomach was in knots and there was chaos running rampant in my head. I looked at Stella. She glanced between us nervously. I suppose by now she was second guessing her decision.

When neither I nor my father had said anything for a while her voice broke the silence. “Aaron?”

              I glanced at her, feeling sorry to have to disappoint her again. I couldn’t do this. “We have to get to the press conference.”

              “Can I talk to you son?” His voice was different too. Warmer, somehow.

              I raised an eyebrow at him. “Son? Where were the endearments nine years ago da? Where were they when you told Santos and I quote, ‘Take him, I don’t care.’ Where were they then, hm?”

              He looked down at the floor. He didn’t lift his eyes back to me as he spoke. “I was sick Aaron. I’m so sorry.”

              “You were sick my whole life. You were… cruel and I spent my whole life trying to make you proud…and then you just turned your back on me. Now that I’m doing well…you want to cash in on it, right? Is that why you’re here?”

              He finally looked at me. “No. I came because Stella and Santos  asked me to…and it was way past time. If you want nothing to do with me, I understand. I deserve it, but I couldn’t live with myself any longer if I didn’t at least try.”

              “Okay well, you came and you tried. You can go home now.”

              “Aaron!” Stella had stood by silently until then. I looked at her.

              “What Stella? Did you expect a fucking tearful reunion? This is my night…” She cocked an eyebrow.

“Okay…okay…this i
s
ou
r
night, but not his. I can’t do this right now!” I stormed out, pushing my way past the mass of reporters.

A lump formed in my throat and I felt bad leaving her standing there. She was the one I wanted to celebrate with…but I couldn’t do this now. I found my way to the open rooftop and stood there watching the city sparkle around me. I was supposed to be downstairs at a press conference. Santos was going to be pissed. But years of torment wasn’t going to evaporate overnight and I needed a minute to myself.

I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. It was probably Santos. I ignored it and continued to pace until I heard Stella’s voice behind me. “Aaron?”

              I turned and looked at her. God she’s beautiful. Even her annoyed face was cute.

“Stella, I just... can’t.”

              She nodded. “Okay baby. It’s okay. I shouldn’t have sprung him on you like that. You’re needed downstairs. Santos and the guys are waiting. Can you do this?”

              I sighed. This was their night too. “Yeah, I can do it.” She held out her hand to me and looked relieved when I took it. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and soothed her with a little riddle as we rode the elevator down to where the press conference was being held. As soon as we stepped off, I saw my father, pacing the marbled hallway, waiting for us. I looked at Stella and she shook her head vigorously.

              “I thought he left Aaron, honestly.”

              I took her hand and walked towards him, planning to walk by him but his words stopped me.

“Aaron, I’m going home. The last thing I want to do is hurt you more than I already have. But, in case I don’t get the chance to see you again I need to tell you that... I love you. I should have told you all those years ago. I shouldn’t have been such a coward when your ma left…I should have done so many things differently…but I didn’t. I love you son and I wish you only the best.” He turned to go and my heart seized. I felt like I was seven years old again.

              “I love you too, da.” He turned towards me with tears in his eyes. He nodded, but a sad smile played at his lips. At least if he dies before I see him again, I’ll be able to live with myself.

S
TELLA

            
 
“So what do you think?” Aaron asked me. I was trying to find the words and nothing would come to me that seemed to express the feelings that this place gave me.

              “I can’t even describe it, Aaron. I’ve never seen such a beautiful place.”

              He smiled sadly.  “I didn’t really know how much I missed it until the plane landed. I guess it’s true what people say about the land you were born in being a part of you.”

              We were standing at the bottom of a hill in the Highlands near where Aaron grew up. We were surrounded by stunning views of hillsides covered in soft  blankets of purple heather and thick underbrush. A running brook weaved it’s way through the lush landscape and rolled down towards the green valley below. I glanced up at a hawk that glided across the overcast clouds and sighed.

“I can’t even imagine growing up here. There had to be so much to do in the summer and springtime…” I caught myself when I saw the shift in his expression. He didn’t lose his smile, but his eyes dimmed.

“I’m sorry.”

              He put his arm around me. We had long since spoken about what had happened in New York. In the past two months they had emailed back and forth and had even spoken on the phone a few times. Aaron told me there was a lot about his father he never knew. The only thing he’d really ever known about him was that he was a fighter.

It turned out that his father had been a Senior Naval Officer in the Royal Navy before Aaron was born. He’d been on leave just after Aaron was born when he got word that there had been an accident off the coast during a violent storm. The ship had gone down and fifty eight men had been killed. Aaron’s father admitted to his son that he felt guilty because had he not been home with his family on leave, he would have been in charge of that particular ship.

He’d found ways to release the grief. One of those ways had been fighting. He discovered, after signing up for a few local fights for money that he had a natural talent for it. Aaron’s mother hadn’t been pleased with his choice of careers… but he admittedly hadn’t cared. Over the years his moods and fights with Aaron’s mother worsened. He was never physically abusive, but he admitted if not for the fight clubs he may have been.

              After a couple of months of getting reacquainted with his father by phone and email, Aaron agreed to go to Scotland for a visit…but only if I would agree to go with him. Amara and I had just found a building we liked for our joint endeavor but I could handle shopping for our gear online. I agreed to go with him. I’d always wanted to see Scotland and the idea of being separated from him by an ocean didn’t sit well with me either.

              We had been here about two hours and had just checked into the inn. We were out walking now, holding hands and enjoying the gorgeous early fall day.

“What time is lunch with your dad?”

              “At one o’clock,” he said. “He’s coming into the village so we still have a couple of hours.”

              “What do you want to do until then?” He got that mischievous grin on his face that I’ve come to know so well and pulled me by the hand.

              “I want to show you something,” he said. With a smile I followed him, marveling at the sights along the way. There was a massive stand of Douglas fir trees. The smell was wonderful, like Christmas. Aaron pointed out a tree to me that far higher than the rest. Even if I tipped my head back as far as it would go, I couldn’t see the top of. He said it was one of the tallest in the country. We took a path from there along the River Braan and up to a little outlook. When we got there I saw a tiny little house.

“That’s so cute, what is it?”

“It’s called Ossian’s hall,” Aaron told me. “It was built in the middle 1700’s and then it was refurbished in the 1800’s for a famous blind bard. It used to be lined with mirrors and you could stand and look out at the Black Linn Waterfall while it was also projected all around you, they say. The mirrors don’t work any longer, but it’s still a nice view.”

He took my hand and led me up to the hall. It was larger on the inside than it looked and the views were absolutely breathtaking.

“I can’t believe you got to grow up here. This is amazing. I grew up in Reno and counted myself lucky we lived far enough out of the city that Wayne and I got to play in the rocky areas of the desert and catch tarantulas and turtles and snakes…”

“Are you kidding?”

Aaron had a hilarious look on his face. I burst into a fit of giggles. “Don’t tell me the big, tough guy like you is afraid of a little spider or snake?”

“I’m not afraid, lass.” He was a bad actor.

“Good, then our next trip will be to my hometown…”

“And we’ll stay at Harrah’s right?”

“Oh no, we’ll camp out in the desert. It’s lovely there in the fall.”

I had to laugh at his face again. “Just admit you’re afraid of the spiders and snakes and we’ll stay at Harrah’s.”

“Terrified,” he said with big eyes.

I put my arms around his big waist. “Okay, I won’t make you camp in the desert. I was going to volunteer to share my sleeping bag with you and keep you safe but…”

“Well now, let’s not be so hasty.” I looked up at him with a smile. His face suddenly went serious, his forehead resting on mine.

“I’ve never been so happy, Stella. You make me so happy.”

I felt a lump in my throat. “I’m so glad. You make me deliriously happy.”

He laughed. “Deliriously, eh?”

“I have no other words for it!”

“Deliriously it is then.” He brought his mouth down to mine and we kissed, lazily tasting each other’s mouths and tongues. I felt his hands sliding underneath my blouse just about the time I heard another couple coming up the path towards the hall. I broke the kiss and took both of his wandering hands in mine.

“I think this place is a little too public.”

He grinned. “Sorry, I can’t help myself with you sometimes.”              

He gave me another sly smile and without a word he practically dragged me out of the back door of the hall and down another short path. When we reached the end of it I followed him over some rocks and through another thick patch of trees. When the trees opened up, I gasped.

“Oh my God Aaron! It’s gorgeous!”

“I wasn’t sure if this clearing would still be here,” he said glancing around. “I used to come here a lot when I was a kid. When things got too bad at home, I’d come here and recharge.”

“I can see why. It’s amazing.” From where we stood you could see a clear waterfall cascading down mossy rocks. Part of the river was visible in the distance too, but the best part was the lush field completely isolated and off the beaten track.

As I stood gazing out over the falls I felt him slip his arms around me from behind. He rested them on my stomach as his warm lips found my neck. I leaned my head to the side to give him access and he planted kisses across my neck and down my shoulder, giving me goosebumps that trailed down my spine.

“I love you, Stella,” he whispered into my flesh.

“I love you too, Aaron,” I breathed out. “I love this place too. I love being here with you in a place that’s a part of you.”