Discovering Pride (Pride Series) (24 page)

Aaron could hear her speech slur and smiled as she let out a large yawn.

He laid her down gently on the comforter; she stretched her arms above her head. He could make out her form under the light t-shirt she was wearing.

How had it come to this? He not only wanted her most of the time, but he needed her. Needed her in his life; needed to wake up next to her, for her to be home when he got home, and to see her to hear her and to smell her.

He had set out to make a home for himself. Now looking around the place, he realized he had accomplished that, but the walls, paint and furniture didn’t make it a home. It was the small woman lying on the bed staring up at him with big sexy sleeping eyes and the slight smile on her lips.

“You did well today Dr. Stevens .” she reached up for him.

“Hmmm… You didn’t do so bad yourself. Although I think you were more nervous than Todd.” he smiled remembering when Lacey had almost pulled his arm out of its socket trying to get to the hospital.

He had always wanted a family, a brother or sister to spend time with. Instead he had been shipped to boarding school after boarding school. He had never even really spent holidays with his parents.

He didn’t have a home to go home to as a child, that’s why he took such great stock in this place. He could imagine raising kids here in this house. He wanted to be a father. He wanted to spend his weekends wrestling with kids in the back yard, going to school plays, or just helping them with homework. Looking down at Lacey now, he could just imagine doing that with her. The idea didn’t scare him like it had with Jennifer. With Jennifer he couldn’t see the future. Seeing Lacey’s family made him feel the emptiness that his childhood had left was now full.

“What?” Lacey said looking up at him. He had been staring into space, his eyes not focused. She leaned up and pulled him closer. “Where were you just now?”

Aaron shook his head to clear it and took a deep cleansing breath.

“Sorry. I’m back.” he smiled down at her and played soft kisses along her jaw.

“Mmm, you know, someday your going to have to talk about it.” she felt him stiffen. “Aaron, I’m not pressuring you, but sometimes it’s better to get it out in the open.” she pulled back and looked into his eyes.

“What’s in the past is done.” he said simply. She pulled back further when he tried to return to her neck.

“It’s not in the past if it keeps coming between us. Is it that you don’t trust me? Or just the fact that this is too personal?” Lacey reached over and flicked on the bed side lamp.

“It’s neither. It’s just done. I don’t want to talk about it.” He ran his hands thru his hair and walked over to the window.

Maybe it was the nerves or the fact that he had gone almost thirty hours without any sleep or a real meal, but he just couldn’t talk about Jennifer with Lacey, now or ever. He didn’t want something so evil to in any way touch what they had. He didn’t know how to convey this or whether he should even try.

Lacey quietly got up and walked over to him.

When she reached up to him, he stiffened and she quickly pulled her hand away.

“I don’t mean to pry. I thought….” she trailed off remembering the conversation yesterday before Todd’s phone call. Had Aaron been hinting at something?

His shoulders were stiff and his back remained to her. She didn’t know what she had thought. They had been so close the last couple of months; it was starting to feel like they had been building up to something more.

Her brothers had always warned her of getting too close, of being so trusting. Aaron had come from the city, had in fact lived in the city his whole life. He had admitted to her just a few days ago that he had only dated models, actresses, and that type of women. Maybe he was bored already. How could she compare to the life he had come from? Standing there looking at his back, things finally sunk in.

She’d been such a child. It was apparent he had wanted to pull away. She could imagine he had become bored of the small town girl. The house was done, what was to stop him from selling the place. He would sure make his money back now that it was fixed up. Taking a step back she turned and looked around the room. She’d been staying here almost every night for months. Was she smothering him? Did he want his space? She hadn’t meant to smother him; she looked at his back again. A little piece of her broke. It had been time to move on and she’d been so blind, a child. Well, it was time she was an adult.

Aaron had stood there looking out the window. His head ached and he wanted nothing more to just make love to Lacey and fall asleep next to her. But, she wanted to know about Jennifer. And in his mind that would never happen. Turning around finally he noticed that she’d retreated across the room. Her shoulders stiff in determination.

“I’m sorry Lacey.” It came out as a whisper as he started walking towards her.

“Don’t.” Lacey held up her hands and took a deep breath. “I understand. I’m sorry for prying. Listen, I need to get home, I forgot my uniform there. I have to be in work early for some interviews and I’m just a little punchy.” she tried to smile.

“Lacey, I want to explain.” he tried again.

“It’s not necessary.” She looked around, for what she thought might be the last time. “Goodnight.” Turning she walked quickly from the room.

He let her go without a word.

A
aron woke to the screeching of his phone. His head hurt, his eyes stung from the lack of sleep and his heart hurt. Answering it, well more like  mumbling a hello. He knew the day wouldn’t get any better when he heard his mother’s voice on the other end.

His mother told him they had just landed in Portland, were on their way down to Pride and would be there by noon. Because he had no say in it, he told her to meet him at his office. It was funny, he’d been living in Pride for almost eight months and his parents had contacted him only twice.

His parents hadn’t really put any stock in his life, that was until the last few years. He had gone to the finest boarding schools around the world and then on to the best colleges his parent’s money could buy. Oh, he had worked hard all his life, but never for them. Only and always it had been for himself. Now, he had moved to Pride for the same reason.

Oh, they were extremely proud when he had proposed to Jennifer; they had taken an instant liking to her, she came from the right kind of family that they thought he should marry into. It seemed his mother had talked more to Jennifer on the phone than she had to him his entire life. They had flown out there several times to visit during their brief engagement.

When Aaron had broken off that engagement, he thought he would never hear the end of it from his parents. It seemed that they thought Jennifer would be the best match for their daughter-in-law role.

Making his way to his office, Aaron noticed Lacey’s car at the Golden Oar, and felt a twinge in his chest.

He’d let her walk away because he thought it best. He wasn’t in the mood to explain anything to her. Now, however, he wished he hadn’t let her walk away at all.

He had a hard time getting to sleep; he kept reaching for her only to find a cold pillow. He was determined to stop by tonight and explain everything. He wanted her back at home where she belonged.

Lacey had woken up early, not that she’d gotten any sleep. Her eyes had been swollen and red when she’d heading into work. She got there two hours early. There was always something there she could do to keep herself busy and keep her mind off of Aaron. She had a few interviews that morning, she hadn’t lied to Aaron about that. It’s just that they were at eleven. She was the only one in the place this early in the morning and would be for hours, she enjoyed it, or so she told herself.

Trying to convince herself that it was better for her to walk away from Aaron, after all what did she really know about him, sure over the last couple months they had become very close, practically living together. But, he never opened up about himself, never talked about his childhood, or his past. She knew there was a big weight of an old relationship, but knew nothing about it.

She could tell his heart had been broken. He would sometimes look off and she could see him
reliving the pain. She’d hoped that one day he would open up to her, but now… She hated to think that somewhere out there was the woman he really loved and she’d been just a rebound girl. After last night, that possibility played in her head more and more.

Iian walked in several hours later as she was filing some paperwork in the office. He took stock of her, taking in her red eyes and puffy cheeks and had her in his arms in less then two strides. Iian had a second sense for these things. She cried in his arms as he murmured comforting words into her hair. It was so nice to hear him speak, to hear his voice. Holding on to her brother, she let it all go.

Aaron’s office was full of kids; evidently one of the McKenzie kids had gone to a birthday party in Portland and come back with the chicken pox.

Well, of course little Susie McKenzie had then gone on a play date with Katie Norris who then passed it on to the whole church group gathered for some brunch at the church. At this point, there were about a dozen children and parents crammed into his small offices. Children with calamine lotion and runny noses, along with either one or in some cases both worried parents sat or stood in his waiting room.

Aaron decision to hire Betty Thomas was paying off; the older woman had quickly come in and organized his appointment books. She had a small desk shoved up against one wall in the front office and was holding a baby covered in red blotches.