Loving My SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 10) (17 page)

“She’s in Europe,
which is why I brought this guy,” Miles says, gesturing to Brayden.
“He knows Europe better than any of us. Too bad he sucks at
romance.”

“Bugger off,
Kilometer. My romance got me Darcy, no thanks to you.”

“Kilometer?” Miles
asks, his forehead wrinkling.

Tegan and I look at
each other before we burst out laughing. Everyone but Brayden is
looking at us like we’re nuts. He’s just smirking. “Metric
system,” I get out between laughs. “No miles, just kilometers.”
Stella and Alex start laughing then, and I see Miles’ lips shaking
like he’s trying to hold it in as well.

“Good one, Bray. I’m
definitely going into payback mode, but I have to admit, that was a
good one.”

“Now that we’ve got
a new name for my brother—thank you, Brayden—I just want to be
kept informed of what cities Reina is in, and I’ll take it from
there.”

“You can’t just
send her flowers,” Stella tells me.

“Please. I don’t
send flowers. That’s a rookie move.”

“Wait, but you’ve
sent her some before, right? Like on her birthday, or just because?”
Tegan asks.

“No. I’m not that
guy.”

“Bloody hell, man.
You haven’t sent her them even once? No wonder she left you,”
Brayden tells me.

“Really? That’s
what you want to focus on? After all the other shit between me and
Reina, all you care about is that I never sent her flowers?”

“It’s kind of a big
deal for a woman to get flowers from the man she loves,” Tegan
says.

“And not just some
red roses, either. Even though those are somewhat acceptable when the
relationship is new, we want some creativity,” Stella adds.

I look at Miles,
feeling a little panicked. I’ve never sent flowers to anyone but my
Gram, Jessica, and yeah, years ago to my biological mother. Romantic
flowers seemed overdone. Reina never said anything, but fuck, she
probably wouldn’t have. Who wants to admit you’ve been let down
because of some weeds?

“How many women have
you sent flowers to, Kilo?”

“Bastard,” he says.
“I used to only have one-night stands, remember? I wasn’t going
to open some invisible door by sending them something. My beautiful
wife, here, gets flowers regularly. You have to have seen them at her
desk.”

I think back to all the
different looking and cool flowers I’ve seen when I’ve walked
through the Foundation lobby. I thought they were ordered in weekly
as decorations. Huh.

“Kace sends me exotic
flowers. Whatever he finds that looks sexy and different.”

“Caleb sends me
bouquets that look like wildflowers since that’s what he used to
give me when we were kids.”

“I send Darcy red
roses, but always mixed with some other flowers that are sleek and
sexy like her.”

“Okay, so I need
flowers at some point. I’ll add that in. Just keep me posted about
her whereabouts, and I promise you, I’ve got this.”

And I do. I’ve never
forgotten one moment of the two weeks we had together, and I’ve
also paid attention to her while we’ve been married. More than she
could ever imagine. I say goodbye to my brother, and friends, and
then pull out my tablet and phone. Time to get to work. Making my
wife feel loved is my only job right now, and it’s the most
important one I’ve ever had. I just need to make sure that I get
promoted, and not fired.

* * *

Reina

It was a little weird
to fly commercial after so long, but I’m glad I did it, even with
the jet lag. Jane offered me one of the jets, but I didn’t want to
make it so easy for them to know where I am. Not that I have any
doubts that Ainsley’s team is tracking me. I’m just helping them
earn their paychecks by not making it so easy for them. Job security
and all.

First class was nice
with the little sleeping pods and the special amenities, but nothing
can compare to a private bedroom, which is why I’m feeling that jet
lag a little more than usual. I know I need to stay awake, so after
checking in to the Royal Cardiff Hotel, I head out on foot to explore
the city. I’ve always wanted to visit Wales, and now I can do it
with no time constraints or job to get back to. I could choose not to
work for the rest of my life, and still live in luxury. It’s time
for me to start giving some of that money away. I feel safe enough
now.

As I walk past pubs and
restaurants on my way to Cardiff Bay, I think about how scared I’ve
been all these years. Scared of being kidnapped again, or of my
parents somehow losing their Green Cards. I had to have money ready
for those things, even though I logically knew I didn’t need to. If
I was kidnapped again—which I recently was—the Society would
rescue me. If something happened to my parents, the Society would
help them, too. Nothing’s going to happen to them with their
immigration status, though. My father is a well-respected surgeon in
Chicago, and my mother is on all the right boards for the charities
and museums. They’ve truly achieved the American Dream, and with
the exception of Matt, I guess I have too.

I held on to almost all
of the money I earned because I was scared, and now that I’m away
from the situation, and the Society, I realize how wrong I was.
Driving a nice car, but not the one I craved, wearing gorgeous
clothes, but only if Stella got me a good discount, donating money,
but not as much as I could’ve, and letting Matt pay for everything
in our apartment were things I needed to do because I was scared. I
shouldn’t have been. He may have closed himself off from me for all
of these years, but Matt would’ve never let me be out on the
street, even if his grandmother wasn’t around to help. My friends
wouldn’t have let that happen, either.

It’s time for me to
use a big chunk of my money for a cause that’s important to me.
Something that the Foundation would help with if I’d asked, but I
want to do on my own. I also need to spoil myself a little, and buy
things I
want
and
don’t just
need
. I
have almost a billion dollars in various accounts, just sitting there
gaining interest. It’s time for me to have some fun.

My first stop is The
Dr. Who Experience. My girls and I love the show, and I can’t wait
to see all the props. I take more pictures than necessary, and have
other tourists take some of me, too. I hesitate a few seconds, but
then send them in a group text. My phone is blowing up almost
instantly, and I promise to come back here with them. I buy us all
t-shirts, tote bags, “Official Companion” patches, and pretty
much everything else I see in the gift shop. I have to ask them to
hold it all for me while I grab a bite to eat and do some more
exploring in the area.

I drop into the
converted church next door. It’s where Roald Dahl was christened,
and Helen once told me they had great tea and cakes. She’s been
here several times, because she loves the city, and her enthusiasm is
one of the reasons I chose Cardiff as my first stop. I order a slice
of orange chocolate cake and a pot of tea, but when I go to pay, I’m
told that it’s been taken care of already. I look around, but don’t
see anyone I know. The cashier has a smile on his face, so I smile
back and thank him. He wasn’t hitting on me, so I don’t think he
bought it. Maybe they give one treat away a day or something. I’m
not going to analyze it too hard. The cake is delicious and the view
of the bay from my outside table is breathtaking.

A text comes in from
Helen as I’m finishing my snack. “I heard you’re in Cardiff.
Have a great time, and make sure you visit the mall, the arcades, and
the shops down Queen Street. You deserve to wear out your credit
cards a little. Or a lot. Hugs.”

I laugh, and then write
back. “Thanks for always talking about this city. It’s beautiful
here. I promise to give my cards a workout. Hugs back.”

I wander through the
shops on Mermaid Quay, buying handmade hair accessories for Stella,
and other little gifts for my friends, as well as some freshly made
Welsh Cakes. I also get myself some gorgeous perfume bottles. I won’t
take anything from my apartment with Matt, no matter where I end up.
I might as well start grabbing things when they catch my eye. Once
I’ve retrieved my Dr. Who bags, I take a water taxi back to the
town center, and a regular taxi to the hotel to drop everything off
before heading back out to explore.

Tomorrow, I can do most
of my shopping, but today I just want to see the city. I walk through
gorgeous parks filled with topiaries, and more tulips than I’ve
ever seen in my life. They’re beautiful, and I’m just in awe that
places like this exist, and are just the norm for residents. I could
sit in one of the parks all day, just reading and people watching. I
might extend my stay for a day to do just that.

The National Museum is
impressive. I go through the different exhibits, marveling at the
art, and smiling at the dinosaurs. I pick up some Cardiff souvenirs
in the gift shop, and when the woman hands me a denim tote bag with
the word “cwtch” on it, while smiling, I smile back and take the
free gift with purchase.

Cardiff Castle is
impressive. I walk up the stairs into the Castle Keep, and then come
back down to find some Marines using the grounds for training
exercises. Seeing a familiar face, I smile at him as our eyes meet.
His go wide, and then he gives me a small nod. The Society has worked
with the British government and military forces for years, and the
Marines are no exception. I can’t approach him in case someone
recognizes me and connects us, but it’s nice to see a friendly
face.

I walk into the gift
shop, because I’ve vowed not to pass up any chance for shopping
during this trip, and look everything over. I’m immediately drawn
to the dragon items. I grab a t-shirt, another tote bag, and am
reaching for a stuffed dragon when an employee approaches me.

“We have a dragon for
you.”

“Excuse me?”

“A dragon has already
been purchased for you, Ma’am.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

I pay for my other
items, and take the offered dragon. All I can think of is my friend
from outside, but he’s still out there. Maybe he saw me when I
walked in. How does that explain the other gifts I’ve gotten today?
I’m tempted to text Helen, but while we’re friends, this doesn’t
seem like something she’d do. I would expect a man waiting in my
room courtesy of her, but not a stuffed dragon.

I shake it off as I
walk back to my hotel for the night. I actually love my little gifts,
and I’m not going to try and analyze why I keep being given them.
That’s too much like work, and I came here to get away from all of
that. I grab some takeout—or take away as they call it here—and
settle in for the night with some British game shows. When it’s
late enough, I finally let myself go to sleep, and for the first time
in a long time, I actually sleep for the entire night.

Reina,

Do you remember
the date we went on about a week after we met at the ball? The one
for your birthday? I remember trying to romance you because I knew I
should. I didn’t know what I was doing, and nearly burned the
boathouse down. You said you loved that I tried, but I could tell
something was bothering you. I had everything you could want.
Candles, romantic music, and great desserts. I made love to you all
night, in every way you asked me to. I don’t know what I was
missing, but that night keeps bugging me. Even though I know I’ve
now hurt you more than I ever could’ve by forgetting something on a
romantic night, I still wish I knew. I have an overwhelming need to
know what I forgot. Maybe one day, I’ll ask you. If you aren’t
too angry, you might even answer honestly. I don’t know if a sorry
is really good enough after all these years, especially since I’ve
already admitted that I don’t know what I’m sorry for. I just
want you to know that I am sorry for any and every time I’ve let
you down. I know I’ll keep doing it, but the regret is real.

I love you, my
beautiful queen,

Matt

* * *

Twelve years ago…

“
Where
are we going, Matt?” Reina asks me as I lead her down towards the
water.

“
Skinny
dipping,” I lie.

She
stops, and stares at me as I squeeze her hand harder. “I don’t
want to do that. I mean, what if someone else sees us? Sees me?”

“
No
one else is going to see you. I can promise you that,” I growl.
Yeah, I’m growling. Just the thought of anyone else seeing my girl
naked is enough to bring out the animal in me.

“
You’re
sure?”

“
Yeah.
Because we’re not going skinny dipping. We’ll save that for when
we have our own private pool or lake.”

“
That
sounds much better,” she tells me, and I can hear the relief in her
voice. “Do you really want that? I mean for us to have a place to
ourselves?”

“
More
than you know, Rei. If I could, I’d whisk you away somewhere for
the next week, but I think you parents would freak, and my Gram would
be disappointed.”

“
I’m
eighteen now. My parents can’t stop me. But I know Jane is happy to
have you here for another week.”

“
Happy
birthday, again, by the way.”

“
It’s
the happiest one I’ve ever had.”

“
I
hope it’s going to get better,” I tell her as I open the door to
the boathouse. I filled it with candles, and there’s her favorite
song playing, “I Can Love You Like That.” I’ve got all kinds of
desserts spread out inside one of the rowboats, and blankets and
pillows spread out inside of the one next to it. There are also some
presents I got for her. I already gave her a Tiffany bracelet at her
party, but one present isn’t enough for her. All of the presents in
the world aren’t enough for my beautiful queen.