 
# Love on Hold

### The Wilkins: Book One

## Robin Shaw

### Contents

Summary

Copyright Notice

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

Thank You So Much For Reading!

Other Titles by Robin Shaw
**LOVE ON HOLD: The Wilkins, Book 1 (Contemporary Romance)**

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Millionaire Mariah Culver thought she had finally found something good that would last... until she discovered that the man she was set to marry in two short months betrayed her. Devastated, she regrets that she'd trusted another man after the first love of her life, Aaron Wilkins, broke her heart. When Aaron came back into town, he turned her world upside down by bringing back to the surface feelings that she thought had vanished along with his swift exit from her life.

Aaron Wilkins wouldn't have come to his hometown of Bloomfield Township, Ohio, if his parents hadn't put their feet down. They didn't just want him to visit; they wanted him to move back home for good. However, Aaron soon realized that he couldn't stay home if Mariah Culver wasn't by his side.
Copyright © 2014 by Robin Shaw

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License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. This book contains explicit language and sexual situations. If this offends you, please do not read it.

# Chapter 1

After greeting most of her guests, Mariah Culver watched as they eyed the brightly-colored, round lanterns surrounding the tables placed in the middle of her spacious backyard. Even though the decorations were minimal, the space was open and inviting, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the music and the food. She stayed home all day yesterday, completing the finishing touches for her engagement party and making more arrangements for her wedding with the help of her best friend, Rianne.

As Mariah's gaze roamed from person to person, she caught Roger Floyd, her fiancé, looking at her. He threw her an air-kiss and then resumed conversation with one of the guests. Mariah appreciated that Roger was conversing with most of the guests so that she could take a breather.

She never understood how stressful engagement preparation could be; the wedding planning was causing her to skip meals and get little sleep. While she didn't let herself get intimidated by her business associates, or allow her voice to be drowned out in a meeting occupied by mostly men, when it came to Roger's mother, Evette, she kept her mouth as quiet as she could without feeling like she was giving up her dignity.

If it weren't for Rianne, Mariah knew her simple engagement party would have been a lavish affair with people she didn't know, which would've really exhausted her. She was currently in the process of developing a program at work that would provide corporations with optimum data protection and online security, so she didn't have a lot of time to be involved in every aspect of her wedding planning.

Mariah proposed visiting the justice of the peace instead of an opulent ceremony, and Roger was on board with it. However, after receiving over fifty calls a day from Evette about having a wedding, the justice of the peace plan was tossed out of the window. Mariah loved Roger, but her childhood dream of having a fairy-tale wedding had died a long time ago.

"I think you need this fan more than I do," Rianne remarked, handing Mariah a green-and-silver Asian silk hand fan. Since it was unseasonably warm that evening in Bloomfield Township, Ohio, Mariah held onto the pretty fan and moved it back and forth over her clammy face. However, her perspiration was due to her nerves more than the weather.

"Did you call him?"

Mariah knew Rianne was referring to her father. "He didn't say he would make it," she replied in a nonchalant tone and shrugged her shoulders. "He'll probably come to the wedding even though he's never been into crowds."

Rianne's alabaster complexion flushed to a rosy color. "You don't have to make excuses for your dad," she fumed, shaking her head. "Bristol and Caleb are in school, so they get a pass for their absence."

Turning around, they watched as Roger and Drake, Rianne's husband, edged closer to them. Drake gave Mariah a chaste kiss on her cheek and then he took Rianne arm, whisking her away toward a darker area where the trees provided ample room for privacy.

"Tonight is going off without a hitch." Roger broke into a smile. Even though he was only an inch taller than Mariah, he carried himself like he was six feet tall. In a pressed tailored suit, Valentino shoes, and a crisp haircut, he was an attractive man who clearly took pride in his appearance. "Mom hasn't said one thing."

_Just because your mother has kept her trap shut so far doesn't mean that she won't criticize our engagement party before the night is over_. She knew that being with Roger had to come with some unpleasant strings attached—like his opinionated, controlling mother.

Before she met Roger at an international business conference in New York City two years ago, she thought that she was going to have to endure uneventful dates for her entire life. He called her office the following day to ask her on a date.

Evette Floyd's sudden presence interrupted Mariah's reverie. With an acid expression, Mrs. Floyd spiritedly squeezed herself between her son and Mariah, and placed her arms around both of them. At that exact moment, a colleague of Roger's called him over. He told them he'd be back, and then he fled.

"I don't think I'll ever understand what my son sees in you," Evette commented as her expression shifted to a smile. "This shindig looks like it took you and Rianne five minutes to throw together, and it had to cost less than the price of my shoes."

Mariah took a step to the side, leaving them an inch apart, and blew out a weary sigh. She felt anxious, a major departure from the relaxed state she was in moments ago. She hesitated for only an instant before she shot back facetiously, "You can ask Roger if you haven't already." She lifted her chin, not willing to show Evette how much the comments had spoiled her mood. "Oh, Evette, you should know more than anyone else that you can't buy class. Not even in your six-hundred-dollar shoes. I'm going to mingle with guests who've been patiently waiting for me. I guess you'll be doing what you do best... trying to tear others down."

Opening the fan Rianne had given her, she began cooling herself and sauntered over to people she had known her entire life: some members of the Wilkins clan.

Relief washed over Mariah as she extended her arm to Kenneth and Rita Wilkins, who warmly thanked her for inviting them to her engagement party. Wyatt and Logan, their youngest sons, seemed to magically appear beside her. Instead of taking her hand for a handshake like their parents had, each brother drew her in for a tight hug.

"She's soon to be married, boys," Rita chided, but she couldn't fight the humored expression surfacing over her face. "Roger's right over there." She made a slight gesture with her head in his direction.

A cheeky grin curved the corners of Wyatt's mouth when he replied, "Then he shouldn't leave Mariah to her own devices." He sucked in a shrill breath as if he was overwhelmed by how much he was taken by her. "I must say that you get finer with age."

Mariah hit his arm with her fan, but it seemed to encourage him even more as his eyes dimmed with evident amusement. "I see some things haven't changed." She cocked her head over to Logan, and Wyatt stood even closer to her.

She touched Logan's arm for a moment. "I hope it wasn't too much of a hassle for your internship for you to get away for the night."

"No hassle at all." Logan had eight more months to go until he completed an internship where he worked to meet the local needs in the underserved areas of Canton. For the last two years, he had been home only during the holidays and occasionally on a weekend. Mariah knew he felt most useful working directly in disadvantaged communities, and recalled that he'd won awards and certificates for his volunteerism growing up.

Her focus returned to Kenneth and Rita. "How's everyone?" Although her question was polite, it was loaded as well.

A smile slowly grew across Rita's features. "Aimee's still modeling all over the world." Her tone indicated her discontent with her daughter's current occupation. After an awkward silence, she added, "Aaron is working nonstop. He's sorry he couldn't be here."

Mariah nodded. "He sent me a wonderful congratulations card. That was very thoughtful of him." She changed the topic, "If Rianne hadn't helped me with getting this party together, it wouldn't have gotten done."

Wyatt snickered, shaking his head. "Well, don't think I won't tell Aaron that you're as pretty and sexy as ever."

Kenneth grimaced at his third oldest son, and Wyatt started to backpedal, making a defensive gesture. "I see when I'm not wanted." His voice carried over, and another female sidled up to him the second he was a few feet away from them.

"Wyatt gets carried away," Rita said in an apologetic tone before switching gears. "How's Todd getting on?" In other words, she was asking why Mariah's father wasn't there, but she was too considerate to be that blunt.

"He's okay," Mariah decided to say instead of outright lying. She'd learned that most people wanted to hear that everything was great. But in that instant, she caught the sad expression on Rita's face, and she recalled how comfortable she had always been unloading her problems with her like this in the past. Rianne was an attentive friend, but Mariah found that Rita was nurturing in a parental way. Mariah didn't chalk it up to just more life experience—she knew Rita's actions could be somewhat immature, but that also helped Mariah relate to her.

Mariah watched as their expressions grew serious, so she pivoted around. Most people had a similar reaction when they saw Merrick, her bodyguard. After being bombarded by people when she traveled and having received some serious threats, she took the advice of one of her colleagues and hired him. Although she invited him, she didn't think he would make an appearance because he'd always kept their relationship professional.

One glance at him, and Mariah knew Merrick was there on business.

"We look forward to seeing you on your special day," Rita said before Mariah walked off to meet her bodyguard in the same spot she and Evette had exchanged words just minutes ago.

Merrick was a few years younger than Mariah's father. He was just as stern, a likeness that had almost turned her away. However, his reputation and his eagerness to work for her after years of retirement in the protection field had sparked her interest. When she asked him why he wanted to work for her, he'd unequivocally pointed out weaknesses in her security detail and betrayed knowledge of her schedule that he shouldn't have known. In a nutshell, he was experienced and efficient, and she knew he liked her even though he swore up and down that the salary and benefits she offered were what sealed the deal. He'd done his research on her, and he respected her.

"I have some pertinent information for you," Merrick cut to the chase in his gruff voice.

Despite being as well dressed and groomed as the other guests, he stood out. He wore no smile, and his outsized frame wasn't relaxed. Mariah observed the scowl on his generally impassive face.

Removing a manila envelope from the inside of his blazer, he gave it to her.

She shook her head. "Show me what it is."

He didn't second-guess her; he unsealed the envelope, displaying photos of Roger with people who had contacted her for negotiations. One photo in particular commanded her attention. In it, Roger was enjoying dinner with one of her first business rivals, Henry Gawlick, who'd publicly challenged Mariah's competency as a young female entrepreneur and made unwanted advances toward her. Once Merrick was on her team, she immediately noticed that Henry stopped behaving inappropriately toward her when they both attended the same events.

"Roger knows that..." Her voice trailed off. Frantically, she tried to calm the rapid beating of her heart. She knew there was no good reason for her fiancé's communication with her business associates, especially with Henry Gawlick.

"Henry Gawlick came onto you when you were seventeen. A child," Merrick finished off the thought for her. "I obtained these photos this afternoon from a photog I know, but I waited for another contact of mine to give me the story behind them. Roger has been negotiating with your competitors for some months now. He may have been given money to cause a roadblock on potential deals so that only one corporation gets their hands on your program, or has the rights to it. I think it's Henry."

Mariah's body started to tremble in an effort to control the mixed emotions coursing through her. When her eyes flew up to meet Merrick's steely violet gaze, she saw that he looked as incensed as she felt. "Do you think Henry's the mastermind behind the stalled negotiations I had with my other programs last year?" she questioned, her brain buzzing with urgency to see Roger. She trailed Merrick's gaze and saw her fiancé approaching them.

"You don't have to talk to him," Merrick cautioned. Neither of them noticed the shift in their relationship from strictly professional to a more personal one.

Her vision of sharing her life with Roger fled from her mind and her body. She thought that they were friends who'd grown to forge a profound esteem for each other. That was when the lightbulb went on in her head: she'd been disrespected.

"Earth to Mariah," Roger said with a chuckle when he was before her, seemingly unaware that something was amiss.

"Please don't go too far," she asked Merrick, who followed through with her request. The threat of crumbling before Roger made her straighten her shoulders and examine him closely.

"Now what was that all about?" he asked with an annoyed countenance. "I've told you to get rid of that guy. I think he has that PTSD thing going on. He shouldn't watch over you."

Roger's tactless comment about PTSD sparked fury inside of her. In a matter of minutes, her feelings for him grew dark—she didn't think it could happen so fast, but it was. "He's watching over me just fine. I see that you've been trying to take over my business deals?" She shot him a stiff smile and watched his affable demeanor vanish.

Glaring at her, Roger stepped into her personal space and whispered harshly, "You've had that G.I. Joe head case spying on me?"

She didn't get a chance to respond because Merrick and Drake dragged him away from her. Mariah heard him loudly unleash a round of expletives, and she marveled at how wrong she'd gotten it. She didn't have a good thing—she had a very rotten thing.

As she collected herself, she registered that her best friend was leading her to the sliding doors of her house. "What are you doing?" she asked Rianne.

"Taking you back inside. I'll tell everyone that the wedding is cancelled."

An imperceptible look came into Rianne's teal eyes, and Mariah paused just as they entered her house. She faced the crowd. "You know what," she began, sounding much more composed than she was, "I'll do this."

Aaron Wilkins didn't have to wait for a limo at the Akron-Canton Airport for a ride home, as Logan was leaning on the side of his green Chevy with a smile creasing his face. Aaron hadn't seen his brother in almost a year. Like Logan, when he came home, it was for no more than two or three days.

"I'd help you carry your belongings if you actually had anything with you." Logan shook his head as he gestured at Aaron's computer bag and small duffle bag. "Please tell me this isn't all you've brought with you."

Aaron raised his shoulders. "Okay, I won't."

Logan glared at him for a split second, got into the driver's seat of his Chevy, and opened the passenger door for his older brother. Aaron took his spot and leaned over to put his luggage in the backseat.

"Dad told me that he'd pick me up," he spoke when Logan started the engine. "I thought you interned six days a week." Nothing made him happier than seeing Logan, but he knew his brother's schedule was just as hectic as his. They had video chats whenever they could, like Aaron did with all of his siblings.

"Dad's probably gonna bring you back to the airport when you leave, so I took this off his hands," Logan replied. "I work the evening-to-early-morning shift today."

Aaron bobbed his head as he thought about how much Logan could benefit from a vacation. But he didn't want to tell his brother that, when he knew his mother already had.

For the rest of the twenty-minute ride to Bloomfield Township, Logan didn't say anything. Aaron observed how fit and strong his brother had become, and he began to feel like he hadn't really seen Logan for years. His thoughts shifted to the other members of his family, like his older cousin, Zachary, who he'd co-founded and continued to run their main company, Vested in Your Comfort, or VYC for short, with. His brother, Wyatt, had also worked for them since he graduated from college.

Aaron and Zachary had created over a hundred products since their college days and currently held over eighty patents. Wyatt mainly secured deals in the Mideast region and he worked at the VYC comfort wear line manufacturing plant in Bloomfield Township. When Aaron and Zachary had asked Logan to work for them, he declined.

A risqué picture Aimee had posted online from one of her photo shoots in Europe suddenly popped into his head. If she were in Bloomfield Township now, he'd make her change the profile picture immediately. Aaron knew that her skimpy bathing suit photo shoot would eventually show up in an online catalog and on numerous websites, but he didn't want to see a photo of his barely clothed sister on her profile. Knowing about it nearly gave him indigestion daily.

Aaron thought he was alone in the living room after he had a cup of coffee with Logan before his younger brother left for work, but when he felt a weight on the other side of the couch, his amber eyes fell open. He cocked his head and gazed at his father, who was staring directly ahead at a large family picture that had been taken when all the Wilkins' children lived under one roof.

He patted his father's hand. "Hey, Dad, where's Mom?"

"She's helping Rianne clean up Mariah's house after the engagement party last night."

A surge of nausea rolled through Aaron at hearing that Mariah had an engagement party. He knew that Logan hadn't said her name because he was very conscientious and tended to listen more than talk.

About five months ago, Zachary broke the news to him about Mariah's upcoming nuptials, and he'd been working nonstop since. If he was alone, he would think about what could have been, and he didn't want that. He avoided reading the economics and technology sections of the daily newspapers and his favorite magazines because of the likelihood that Mariah Culver's upcoming wedding would be mentioned. He'd heard about Roger Floyd in his small circles; a multi-millionaire, Roger had a fortune from birth and made a lot of money as a day trader before the market crashed. Aaron didn't want to think about why it upset him that another man would have a claim on her... forever.

"Okay," was all he could manage to get out at that moment. He hadn't realized he'd leaned forward, digging his elbows into his knees, until he felt his father's hand on the middle of his back.

"Aaron, Mariah isn't getting married." His father's tone was somber.

He wanted to know why the wedding had been called off. Were Mariah and Roger just postponing the wedding? Or were they over?

"She appeared to be happy with him," Aaron remarked. Reluctantly, he pulled his body backward and ventured a glance at his father's tough, angular face. Aaron, Wyatt, and Logan bore a striking resemblance to him.

"Should I assume that you've looked up Mariah and Roger even though you duck and dive from her when you're home?"

"It's more a matter of her and I not crossing paths, Dad," Aaron offered as a lame excuse. He held in a breath when a severe look flashed in his father's bourbon gaze, and he revised his statement. "I saw photos of them on the gossip websites, when they became official. I didn't want to see her with Roger."

A crooked smile appeared on Kenneth's face, which confused Aaron. As a kid, he'd seen that expression various times during good and bad times.

"Why did they call off the wedding?" he asked after some time, but then the front door opened.

"You'll have to talk to Mariah to find out," his father told him in a hushed tone as his mother stepped into the house.

Kenneth soundly kissed his wife while Aaron stood a foot away from them. He didn't make any disgusted faces, but he did groan. _How can they act like love-struck teenagers after being married for over thirty years?_ he mused. He had no doubt that they were still very much in love. The way his mother cupped his father's face in her hands, the way that she blushed scarlet, showed that neither the flame nor their mutual admiration had dimmed in their relationship.

When his father angled his head in her embrace, she shivered slightly. Aaron glanced at his neighbors and waved to them as he slowly closed the door. "Do you mind if I say hello to my mom?" he asked his father.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he playfully put his hand on Kenneth's firm chest. He knew that while his father didn't have the same muscles he had in his physical prime, he still did a hundred push-ups a day.

Aaron wanted to be just like Kenneth Wilkins, the man, when he was little, and started doing a hundred push-ups and fifty jumping jacks when he hit puberty. Unlike his younger brothers, for some reason, he was rail thin growing up. He hadn't easily grown into the athletic physique he had now, and so before bed or first thing in the morning, he followed that routine. He was no way near the puny young adolescent he'd once been.

Kenneth responded to Aaron's request by kissing his wife again as he took the shopping bags from her and went into the kitchen.

A surge of guilt enveloped Aaron as he took in the relief in his mother's gaze; she didn't think he was going to make the trip.

"How many days do I have you for?" Her voice was low, but carried emotion which Aaron couldn't help but feel.

"Three days," he answered, pulling away from her, but his hands gently settled on her arms. "It depends on what happens in New York or LA."

Sighing, his mother raised her eyebrows. "I thought you'd heard us when we said that we want you to take a real vacation, Aaron. Three days won't do you any good if you're working around the clock. Zachary and Wyatt should delegate while you're here, and contact you if there's an emergency they can't handle." Her suggestion came out as a direct order—something that wasn't a foreign concept to him, even at thirty-one years of age.

"I won't be working like that while I'm here," he assured her. "I know you and Dad are tired of New York and Cali. We could've gone to Madrid or Naples, but you gave me an ultimatum." If he didn't make the trip to Bloomfield Township, his mother threatened not to travel to see him again. He was left with no other recourse but to succumb to her demand.

After not seeing his parents for four months, he began to feel out of sorts. He thought that the nice limousines and private jets more than made up for the hours they traveled in order to be with him. He was very wrong, apparently, and he knew that his mother meant business.

His mother flashed him a smile. "If it's in the cards, we can jet-set later on, but your dad and I want to stay home. It's been ages since most of my children were in the same state. And you made it worse on your dad and me by encouraging Aimee to do those big-girl modeling gigs." She pursed her lips, shaking her head in disapproval. "Now we don't know if we'll have to fly out so we can see her, too!"

Aaron watched as she brought her hand to her hip. "Mom, Aimee is a model. She's having a great time doing it, and she takes after your beauty. More and more designers are recognizing that she's the face and shape of many women today. I don't think she's ever thought that the way she looks is a bad thing."

With an indifferent expression, she remarked, "If only she'd lose those pesky forty-something pounds, she could be a mainstream model." She was quiet for a beat. "She'd have more options. It's a tough enough industry as it is."

Aaron had his reservations about his baby sister becoming a model, because he didn't want her to face the ugly aspects of that profession. But he had confidence that Aimee would know when to make her exit. He wanted her to be safe more than he wanted her to combat the toxic people and situations that could potentially impact her life for the worse.

Unlike his mother, he didn't think Aimee should lose a pound. He preferred her to just be covered—from her neck down to her feet—at any size. He assumed it was a brotherly thing, as Wyatt, Logan, and even his cousin, Zachary, had expressed the exact same wishes.

"And you taught her that she's not only beautiful, but also bright and capable. Aimee would look emaciated if she lost that much weight. She refuses to promote an unhealthy image to young girls, and you know that she has a fan base now." Aaron sent her a pointed look. "A growing fan base that has blasted through department stores just so they could get the outfits she's worn on the runway and in the catalogs."

"You've always defended what she does," she said with a resigned sigh. "If she doesn't gain more weight... well, then she may have a long career in the plus size modeling world."

"Mom," he pinned her with his stare, "stop. Aimee is healthy, and she happens to like what she sees in the mirror. That's hard to come by these days."

Rita slightly bobbed her head like a sulky child, and Aaron couldn't be upset with her anymore. He knew it was hard for his mother to change her way of thinking, as she'd been on every fad diet to hit the scene. He believed that if it wasn't Aimee's weight that she focused on, it would just be something else.

A curious expression formed over her face, which told Aaron that another topic—or person—had come to her mind.

"Did your dad tell you where I was?"

"You were at Mariah's," he answered impassively, and his thoughts returned to his ex's broken-off engagement. He felt like a bastard because he liked that she was a single woman again.

Knowing that his thoughts were selfish, he inwardly grimaced. He wanted her to have a fulfilling life in every way she deserved. He didn't want her to live a solitary one like she had for many years, despite dating other men and having a close friendship with Rianne. Eventually, he understood: friendships didn't seem like they were enough, as they could remind one about what else he or she was missing out of life.

"Don't you want to know what happened?" his mother asked him in a plaintive tone, and he considered his father's words—he'd have to ask Mariah to find out.

All of a sudden, he wanted to hear the recent change of events directly from his first girlfriend and from no one else. Now he felt that by asking his father about Mariah, he had been disloyal to her again. He just didn't think he could do anything right when it came to her.

Aaron gave his mother a peck on her temple, then took a step toward the stairs. "I'd like to know if I may take you out and Dad out for brunch."

As her eyes glinted, the corner of Rita's mouth curled up. "I think I can speak for us when I say yes, yes you may."

# Chapter 2

"He's here," Merrick announced with a frown as Mariah sat behind the cherrywood desk in her office. Her blonde hair was pulled away from her face into a tight ponytail, and she was wearing a lot of foundation to cover up the evidence of last night. Despite crying on and off and being unable to sleep, she decided she wasn't going to spend her days feeling sorry for herself. She had taken one night off, and—technically—most of the morning for self-pity.

That afternoon, she reviewed so many results from the tests of her new program that she forgot about her ex-fiancé for four straight hours. In fact, the one person she thought about for the entire morning was her first love, Aaron Wilkins. She knew he was in town, because Rita Wilkins mentioned it before she darted out of her house that morning. It meant the world to her that Rita helped Rianne and her remove all evidence of an engagement party at her house less than twenty-four hours ago.

Mariah didn't get up to throw her arms around Roger like she had for the last two years. Merrick stared holes into the back of Roger's head as he marched toward the chair and sat down. He tried to act like he was unaffected by Merrick's uncompromising attitude when it came to him, and it made her want to titter. Her instincts, which she hadn't really listened to in some time, told her that he may never have been as self-assured as he'd appeared to be. _Perhaps_ , Mariah thought, _he's using whatever nerve he has to show some courage, to have one last conversation with me in person_. As far as she was concerned, they wouldn't even be acquaintances.

With a brisk nod, she said, "Thank you, Merrick." She shifted her gaze to her former lover and friend. "I'll buzz you in to drag him out if necessary."

"Yes, Ms. Culver," Merrick replied as he closed the door.

Mariah cast Roger a glare, which seemed to cause a stupefied expression to creep on his face. It was a major contrast to his sharp and pulled-together look, but nothing about his appearance impressed her like it once had.

"You asked to see me?" she said in a nonplussed manner.

"Last night," he started, "you blindsided me."

It took every ounce of self-control Mariah had to not kick him out of her building for that statement alone. She wanted to know if he had ever cared for her, if the moments she'd thought were special were false, too.

Silence descended upon them as she studied him and repeated his words in her head. She watched as his gaze fell to her now naked left hand. Then she eyed his left hand, realizing that he still had on the engagement ring she bought for him the day after he proposed to her. To her, it'd meant that she was equally committed to him. To their future. Now she wanted the engagement ring back. Not so that she could sell it and earn some of her money back... no, she wanted to take a hammer and crush it until it was unrecognizable.

"Why did you ask for my hand in marriage when you've been planning on sabotaging my business? My reputation? Because believe me, when I heard about that, I felt more than blindsided."

"You're letting your hostility toward Henry cloud your judgment."

"I see you and he are on a first-name basis. That's just swell," she said in a snarky tone, clamping down other feelings that were swirling inside of her and causing sweat to break out on her skin. "But when a guy is crude with me, and I don't welcome that behavior, then no, I don't want to associate with him. Henry Gawlick is neither professional nor respectful." She breathed out through her nostrils, recalling how he had cornered her after her first conference. As skilled as she was with developing computer software, she hadn't known at the tender age of seventeen that Henry Gawlick was harassing her. She thought he was trying to intimidate her.

"So he was obstinate," Roger said dismissively and exhaled a breath. "It's not every day that people like him see a girl, just out of diapers, become a millionaire entrepreneur. You were a smart, pretty little thing, and that remains true today. We can meet up with him and see what he has to offer." He shot her a look that was unmistakably patronizing, and she couldn't believe that she ever loved him, much less liked him. Ever since they began dating, the words that had come out of his mouth were so sweet. Now she thought he must have put a lot of work into acting like Prince Charming.

"I am not discussing my business practices with you, Roger. I'm asking why you went behind my back with a dirtbag like Henry Gawlick. I thought you respected me. You just seduced me at that conference so you could take everything I've worked so hard for?"

"Wasn't our relationship just another form of a business deal?" he challenged, and she couldn't deny that the answer to his question could be a resounding yes.

"That's no excuse for you to undermine me and make light of Henry Gawlick's behavior. I cared for you and loved you, make no mistake about that. There were other men who wanted to marry me because we were within the same income bracket, but I turned down their offers. I didn't share my time or my bed with you because it was convenient."

A disparaging expression grew over Roger's face, one she hadn't seen before. "Mariah, I know that you believe that, but come on. You love me like you love Drake... like a great old buddy. Sure, it doesn't hurt that I'm the best-looking guy in this town, but I think there's only been one man you've really loved, and that's Aaron Wilkins."

Mariah felt her shoulders bunch up when he compared her love for him to the way she loved her best friend's husband. She knew what he meant, but she didn't like that he mentioned Aaron Wilkins. She couldn't explain what about it upset her more than everything else he had said so far.

With a negligent wave of her hand, she countered, "Aaron was my high school boyfriend. You're trying to assign blame to me, but I'm not blaming you for anything. I was the idiot who fell for your lies; I guess I wanted to believe them. Did you and Henry come up with the plan for you to act like you loved me so that you and he could ultimately take over my business?"

"You haven't tried to convince me that what I said about me and Drake isn't one and the same," he pointed out in a tone that tested Mariah's patience. She didn't want to give in to his provocations. "No. When I started talking to you at the conference, I didn't even know who you were. You weren't really famous until you hit the top one-fifty millionaires' list. You've never been one for publicity. Around the time I proposed to you, Henry approached me during my morning jog and explained that you were sitting on a huge offer that could make you a billionaire." He paused, and she flinched in her chair at the way the word had rolled off his tongue in a sickened tone.

It was one of her major concerns when she dated: most of the wealthy men she knew had come from money. They hadn't made millions from starting a profitable social networking site for business elites by using their saved-up allowances, like she had.

"And I began to see that you aren't as savvy as I thought you were. You put your emotions into everything. If some asswipe offered me the deal that he has on the table, I wouldn't have to give it a second thought. Money is money; there's never enough of it coming in."

Shifting in her seat, Mariah leveled her pale green eyes on him in the same way she did during heated business negotiations. She didn't know if he believed what he said or if this was just another way of his to win her affections again, by making it sound like he became colleagues with Henry Gawlick for purely practical reasons. But she felt like it was his way of trying to prove something—perhaps, to prove to himself that he was smarter than her and was the more capable businessman. Only, in his mind, he probably thought that he was teaching her a thing or two. And Mariah pondered for some passing seconds that he'd taught her one important lesson: unconditional love didn't exist.

"Contrary to what you think, I don't make decisions primarily based on my emotions," she said, then let out a sigh. "Aside from how Henry Gawlick has been toward me, it's been proven that he has given money to corporations who have funneled it into companies with direct ties to child labor worldwide. And the fact that he's still in bed with these organizations stirs a lot of emotions in me, Roger."

She observed the shock that he tried to mask from his face.

"You're talking out of your ass," he accused in a low and grave tone, because he didn't want Merrick to storm in and drag him out by the seat of his pants. He wouldn't come out of a scuffle with Merrick uninjured.

Mariah squared her shoulders before she pressed on her button. The sound of the door seemed to make Roger nervous, but she wasn't concerned about his nerves—if Merrick put him on edge, she welcomed that. It was the only shred of closure she could really have at the present time. Mentally, she thanked herself for never confiding in him about the stages of her program developments, or her business strategies.

"I wouldn't throw around statements like that. A second grader could go find the special that corporate investigations did on Henry Gawlick. He denied having any knowledge that he'd invested in those corporations, but his lawyer said no further comment when the reporter asked why he hadn't stopped doing business with them." Mariah leaned forward like she did at some point in every meeting, and Roger hauled himself up, his face lined with rising panic that he was trying to contain. She may not have known Roger Floyd inside and out, but she recognized that emotion very well. "So my suggestion would be that you watch whom you get in bed with. If someone is willing to gain money at all costs like he is, he'll stab you in the back sooner than you think."

Roger rose and stormed out, with Merrick behind him.

Ten minutes after they were gone, Shaina, Mariah's secretary, called her office to notify her that Bristol and Caleb had left her messages to call them back. She figured they hadn't known that her relationship with Roger was over until that morning.

Within minutes of Mariah calling off her engagement party last night, it became public knowledge. She wanted her younger sister and brother to concentrate on their studies and on having fun with their friends, not fretting over whether or not she would recover from her breakup.

At the start of the evening, Mariah collected her laptop and folders and slid them into her vintage leather tote. Suddenly, the door to her office swung open, and Rianne rushed over, dropping her stuff on Mariah's table.

Besides her siblings, Rianne was the only person who could visit her without telling her ahead of time. She didn't require Shaina or her guards to warn her unless she was in the middle of a phone call, in the testing rooms, or in a meeting. And Rianne always visited Mariah just when she needed it.

Rianne must have hugged her for minutes because she began to feel confined. A second later, her best friend let her go.

Mariah sat down in the chair next to the one Roger had occupied that morning. Her whole day seemed to have taken on a dreary air after his visit.

"Do you wish you had given yourself another day?" Rianne wondered.

"Yes and no," Mariah answered honestly. "I began to feel like I should've stayed home when I spoke with Roger today. But if I gave myself one more day, I might have been cooped up at home for a week or a month."

"Mariah, after the way he spoke to you last night, I can't believe you listened to his bullshit." Rianne's mouth turned down as she glowered, as if Roger was in the room with them.

"You know, I ignored his calls this morning," Mariah started to explain, and then slowly swallowed. "I checked my voicemails when I came into the office, and he'd left over ten. I didn't want poor Shaina to repeatedly tell him I was unavailable and to leave a message. So when he called, I told him to come here at eleven thirty sharp if he wanted to speak with me. He showed up early, but Merrick made him sweat a little by doing a body search and checking his devices for any bugs."

Rianne snickered, and her expression conveyed her satisfaction with Merrick doing a body search. "Was it worth it?"

After blowing out a long-suffering breath, Mariah said, "Of course he tried to place our fallout on me. If only I'd done business with Henry Gawlick, he wouldn't have to go behind my back. It was worth it, seeing him thrown for a loop when I told him about Henry's involvement with child labor. He didn't know."

She rested her temple on the palm of her hand at the thought of a man she believed to be charismatic and ethical doing business with a guy like Henry Gawlick, who treated women like their sole purpose was to entertain men.

"I didn't think Roger could be so heartless," Rianne remarked with a huff. "Merrick was always suspicious of him, never once tried to even act civil with him." A wide smile spread over her face, instantly turning her cheeks a rosy color. "It was pretty bold of Merrick to give you all that information last night."

Mariah gestured in agreement. "He told me that he's had Roger followed for almost four months, and he came up with nothing until two nights ago. He wanted to collect more evidence, to find out if their meeting was happenstance or not. And his connection also informed him that they had dinner six times in Cleveland—"

"My goodness," Rianne interrupted. "He really didn't want you to find out about his dealings with Henry."

"Yep, and Merrick had all the photos and the paper trail in his folder."

Rianne reached for the small plastic bag she'd brought along with her purse. As Mariah's gaze fell onto the Martha's Pastries bag, she instantly forgot about her ex. Rianne took out the small wrapped pastries from the bag, and the scent of sweet, dewy red velvet scented the air. It was heavenly.

Mariah considered leaping from the chair and just attacking her friend, when Rianne finally handed her the cupcake. "You're evil!"

Rianne responded by taking a big bite out of her cupcake and closing her eyes for a moment. She took her time chewing on every morsel of it. "If I didn't make you work for it, you wouldn't really appreciate it," she said with the corner of her mouth curled up. A second later, her expression became thoughtful. "Have your siblings and dad checked in on you yet?"

"Bristol and Caleb called me while Roger was here, and left messages. I'm going to call them back so they know that I'm fine." Mariah's gaze shifted to the last piece of red velvet cupcake, which had surprisingly uplifted her mood. "If Dad had called me, I would've closed down the building so everyone here could have the day off," she joked as she finished off the cupcake.

She jumped from her seat when she saw that there were two more cupcakes in the bag. After she grabbed another one, she handed the bag to Rianne, who rounded her eyes on her like she always did when she was about to say something Mariah didn't want to hear.

"When I see him at the bank," Rianne began in an irritated tone, "I'm going to remind him he has a family. He shouldn't ignore you like this. He didn't come last night, and for him not to have at least called you first thing this morning to offer you comfort just... pisses me off."

Mariah allowed herself to chuckle a little as she swallowed the rest of her second cupcake. The fiery tone of Rianne's voice matched her auburn hair. "Well, I can't be pissed off at anyone after having the best cupcakes in town." She slid off her seat. As much as she enjoyed talking with her best friend, she wanted to drive home, take a long, warm bath, and pretend that all of the gossip in town today hadn't been about her. By tomorrow, she wanted to be yesterday's news. However, she wasn't naïve enough to believe that the good in people prevailed over their more unfavorable predispositions.

"I'll take you and Drake out later this week. You've seen me more than you've seen him. He has to know that it hasn't gone unnoticed."

"Oh, hush!" Rianne held onto the pastry bag and her purse. "You were superwoman eight years ago when we were arranging my wedding. Next time we do yours, though, it'll be the last time."

Vigorously, Mariah shook her head as if she'd been accused of something that she hadn't done. "There won't be a next time."

Rianne gave her a skeptical look, but let the subject go. She knew not to push Mariah too far. She'd been with Drake since eighth grade, but both agreed to take a break during their sophomore year of college to make sure they weren't missing out on how it could be to see other people. While they went on fabulous dates and made great friends, they hadn't found anyone else who interested them. Drake proposed to Rianne when he transferred from the University of Dayton to Ohio State University, her alma mater.

"Let's get going before it gets too packed in the gym," Rianne said like an order.

Mariah feigned surprise. "Oh, I didn't know we were going. Shaina must have forgotten to remind me about that today."

"You're going to work out all the frustration and anger that you're trying to suppress," Rianne directed in a mild tone, but it was just as effective as if she'd raised her voice. "You came to work today when no one thought you would. Heck, I didn't think you would."

"You have to get home to Drake. I'll take a raincheck."

Bristling, Rianne said, "I think not! He's out with the boys, and we're going to use our gym membership tonight. Unless you want to talk about the other elephant in the room."

Caving in, Mariah tilted her head to the door. "Lead the way, master."

Aaron jumped at the chance to meet Wyatt at One to One Fitness, the gym Zachary owned. It was the first business Zachary started, and it was doing just as well as it had five months after it opened. Many famous athletes and celebrities came there to maintain their competitive streak while on vacation.

From the minute Aaron started lunch with his parents, he suspected that his mother deliberately found excuses to talk about Mariah, and his father hadn't been much help with steering the conversation in another direction. When one of his former high school teachers, Ms. Roberts, blatantly asked his mother if it was true that Roger called off the wedding because Mariah insisted on having a prenuptial, he felt so angry that he admonished her. He hadn't spoken to his elder in such a direct way in all his life, but she was persistent. And his parents never said anything to him about how he'd handled one of the biggest town gossips.

Drenched in sweat after doing various battle rope and sandbag routines, Aaron and Wyatt dashed up the steps to begin lifting weights on the third floor, where most of the traditional machines were located. Aaron's biceps began to burn and tense after he held the bar of two hundred pounds for eight minutes. He hadn't called out his brother's name because he thought he was silently being dared to hold the weights, until Wyatt relieved him of them in a few more seconds. As Aaron's eyes momentarily drifted from the bar under his firm grip and onto his brother's face, a loud noise escaped his mouth.

Wyatt carried the bar from his hands and set it back on the stand. "My bad."

"Quit clowning around, man. You'll have time to scope out women when we're done," Aaron said because his brother didn't usually get easily distracted when they worked out together. When Wyatt last visited him for a few days, they'd gone to a gym to work out their stress. They also liked it because they got to spend time together without having to talk. And it wasn't any different when Aaron had Logan or Zachary with him.

Aaron raised himself up as Wyatt sucked in a harsh breath of air. "Mariah's hitting that treadmill hard," he commented in appreciation, and Aaron's gaze shifted to the opposite side of the room.

He hadn't looked at that area because he'd been in a rush to get to the first empty weight machine that one of the employees had cleaned. Now all he saw was Mariah's bright blonde hair swinging in various directions. As his eyes slid down her tight body, he felt as if a heavy weight pulled him under. The snug tank top she had on couldn't have accentuated her shapely back any more, and the performance pants outlined her firm rear. Desire rolled straight through him from seeing her, like it had when he'd been a teenager.

As he made quick work of adjusting himself, Wyatt added, "I thought she would've holed herself up in her house after last night. But I won't lift weights when I can watch her ass—"

"Shut it." Aaron found himself on his feet, in his brother's direct line of vision, with his hands curled up in front of him. "You're such a damn cornball, Wyatt. I'm standing right here, for fuck's sake, and you're talking about her like she's about to be your next conquest. Think again."

"Or what?" Wyatt challenged without any evidence that he was joking. "Because Mariah was once yours, you think you get first dibs on her now that she's single again?"

Aaron was opening his mouth to reply when he heard Rianne say his name from behind him. Pivoting around, his eyes landed on Mariah's hesitant smile, and he felt like the biggest jerk alive—worse than Roger Floyd—because he'd been the first to turn his back on her.

Despite trying to seem like she was doing well, Aaron saw the hopelessness in the depths of her vivid sea-green eyes, and he cringed. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that the split between Mariah and Roger hadn't been amicable at all.

Rianne grinned. "Are you boys surpassing your best workouts?"

"We will, by the time we're done," Aaron answered.

"Ah, so you're building up to a sweet finish. Mariah and I are intense from the start." She straightened her face. "Are you just passing by here for a day before going off to the city that never sleeps?" Rianne's tone was facetious, and Mariah gave her elbow a small nudge.

"I haven't seen Mom and Dad in months," Aaron told truthfully. "I'd thought they'd budge, and take a flight to see me, but no such luck. For the next three days, I'm all theirs."

Rianne asked, "What about everyone else?"

"Yeah, what about everyone else?" Wyatt echoed.

Aaron felt like he was being cornered. He'd heard her question loud and clear, but he couldn't drag his gaze away from Mariah. He wanted to hear her voice again, because he hadn't heard it in person in more than a decade. So, he said, "I'll make time if you want to catch up."

Nerves fluttered low in Mariah's stomach when her best friend marched over to the men. Her mouth went dry—she found Aaron to be more striking than he'd been in high school, when most of the other girls threw themselves at Wyatt. She'd seen him in business magazines, but it didn't compare to looking at him in person. Aaron had grown into his broad shoulders, and now he had a wide, muscular chest to match. The long torso that made him appear leaner was tapered to a perfect V, and his legs ripped with defined muscles. As a teenager, Mariah hadn't wanted anything about his physicality to be different. Now, as a woman, she appreciated his fitness, and more than anything, the determination in his chiseled face.

"She'd like to catch up," Rianne said on her behalf, and Mariah felt her eyes blink after seconds of staring at him like she had years ago. After Aaron broke up with her, she hadn't stared at the other men she dated with such unbridled desire that she wanted to be pressed against him like she'd been many times in high school.

As she cleared her throat, she tried to expel the memories she had of Aaron. _He isn't the man you thought he was_ , she reminded herself. Aaron showed her that he hadn't really loved her, just like Roger had.

"Oh, but I think we're catching up real good right now, don't you think?" Wyatt asked her with a knowing expression on his face.

"We are," Mariah agreed. "It's nice seeing you, Aaron." She cocked her head toward Wyatt. "And you."

"Twice in one week is a little scant to me," Wyatt said.

Mariah's eyes widened at the warning in the most beautiful pair of bourbon eyes in the Wilkins family: Aaron's. She couldn't really say that Aaron had shown such strong emotion in the past, but being able to read that he disliked Wyatt's comments sparked something inside of her.

"That's plenty," Aaron snapped in a cross tone. "You can chase other women."

Mariah heard a small giggle come out of Rianne's mouth before she told Aaron, "Maybe we'll see you again."

When Wyatt took a step forward and touched his cheek to Rianne's without any conscious thought, Aaron reached for his brother's arm and pulled him back to where he stood so that he wouldn't touch Mariah. A muscle flexed in his jaw—he was unaware of it, but Mariah saw it—and it left her feeling perplexed. Was it simply sibling rivalry, or did he really want Wyatt not to flirt with her?

Aaron shot Wyatt a quelling look and then focused on Mariah. "Oh, it'll be sooner than that."

He met Mariah's gaze as she glanced back at him when she walked away with Rianne. It was the same look she'd given him when he'd ended their relationship. For years, he'd been haunted by how he'd left things with her. He knew she deserved to be with someone who had integrity, and he hadn't been that man in high school. Some of the niggling doubt remained with him—could he be the man she needed him to be?

# Chapter 3

"How'd it go with Wyatt last night?" Aaron's father asked as he entered the kitchen early the next morning.

When he was little, he was used to following Kenneth around the house while he got ready for work. A construction worker, his father had worked long hours and often did other jobs on the side to bring some extra income into the household. So as Aaron sat down at the kitchen table where he'd been with his cousin and siblings many times while growing up, he felt like he was transported back in time—when he always fought with his siblings to grab the remaining pieces of food, or to read the newspaper first before they all had to go to school, or when he shouted over his siblings to get Kenneth attention. Their parents had made every effort to have private time with each of their children, as well as spend time together as a family, despite the demands of their jobs.

"Your son," Aaron pulled in a deep breath, "and I almost got into it." He'd never wanted to wring his brother's neck more than he had last night. It was like Wyatt was purposely trying to get him riled up. He and Wyatt were as close as he was to his older cousin, Zachary, so he didn't understand where Wyatt's challenge had come from. Aaron hadn't ever seen or heard his brother express interest in Mariah. He knew it'd been years since they were a couple, but he didn't fathom that he would have to lay out boundaries with Wyatt—he thought it was an understood bro code. And from Mariah's demeanor, he quickly caught on that it hadn't been the first time Wyatt flirted with her.

"Oh, really? Since when have you and my son not gotten into it?"

"Actually, Dad, Wyatt and I have been fine, until he basically asked Mariah out in front of me. He should know by now that she can't be his."

A corner of Kenneth's mouth curled up as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Why should my son know that? I will say that it's awfully soon for Wyatt to try to swoop in, since Mariah's relationship just ended. But I didn't raise any of you to wait by the sidelines." He leaned his shoulder against the wall. "He can help her move on."

The thought of Wyatt helping her move on made Aaron's heart pound loudly in his chest, and guilt shot straight into the pit of his empty stomach. He'd only gotten one hour of solid sleep, as he spent most of the night replaying what it was like to see his first girlfriend—and his first lover—again after so many years.

Kenneth's thick eyebrow rose in inquiry. "Aaron, does that piss you off? That Wyatt could be the one for her?"

"That's absurd! He left the gym with a woman last night. He can't even keep it in his pants for one night."

"Wyatt is certainly capable of having some restraint," Rita remarked with her hand on the wall. She shot Aaron a meaningful look that translated to 'no one speaks unfavorably about my cubs but me'. Her husband brought her into his arms, and they shared a brief kiss. "I like the taste of coffee on your lips," she said to him in a soft tone, but Aaron heard it anyway. When they kissed again, he gulped down some coffee.

"Sit with your son while I get you a cup," Kenneth said, and Aaron prepared himself for whatever his mother had to say.

"So, he's just my son now?" she asked with humor as Aaron stood up to give her a brief hug. As she sat next to him, her gaze veered from Kenneth and fell on Aaron's face again.

"Dad said that because I referred to Wyatt as his son, who asked Mariah out when she and Rianne came up to us at the gym last night. He has no shame. For one thing, Mariah and I were together first, and another, she's just become single again. You'd think he'd give her some breathing room."

Kenneth set his wife's cup of coffee on the table and headed toward the fridge.

"Well, I think she's had too much breathing room from you," Rita remarked pointedly. "And Wyatt isn't the only man in this town who has wanted to date Mariah. She wants a piece of what her parents had. While Wyatt flirts with a lot of women, he's much more selective about whom he carries on with."

Aaron stole a glance at his father, who was taking the biscuits out of the fridge and placing several of them out on the pan and into the oven. He wasn't going to tell his mother that the only women Wyatt hadn't slept with were ones in a relationship or were clearly unstable. He believed Wyatt might like Mariah because she's one of the few women who didn't get that seductive gleam in their eyes when they saw him. And if Rianne were single, Aaron was pretty confident that his brother would go after her, too.

Aaron knew that his mother was telling him the truth. Mariah hadn't been surrounded by all of the love that he, his cousin, and his siblings had, to the point that it'd been suffocating at times. It had been cut short for her when her mother passed away.

"She does have a good heart," Aaron remarked, and he felt his parents hang on his every word. "VYC is getting a lot of proposals from people who want us to invest in their products. They know we'll secure patents if their products prove to do as they claim and are marketable. So your son will be a busy boy for weeks, if not months."

Rita turned her body to the side and placed her arms on the back of her chair. "Kenny, Aaron's gonna work your son to the ground." She feigned concern but Aaron heard the hint of a smile in her voice.

Leaning forward with an expression of keen interest on his face, Kenneth planted his big, calloused hands on the counter. "Then that leaves Aaron ample time to see Mariah by himself."

Rita leveled Aaron with a stare that would've made him squirm in his youth, but he'd been expecting this talk with his parents when he ended his relationship with Mariah—not over a decade later. "That's if she wants to talk to you after all these precious years have flown by."

Aaron made a slight motion with his head as he watched his father take the heated biscuits out of the oven, the smell of hot bread and coffee assailing him. He wondered if Mariah's morning was off to a positive start. She was more radiant than he remembered her to be, but her expressive green gaze had always betrayed her state of mind since she was a little girl. She was taciturn last night, which was unlike her. The fire she usually held in her eyes had evaporated.

There were emails and some prototypes which were going to be mailed to his parents' house today so that he could give his final approval, but all of those things would have to wait. He had his smartphone clipped to his hip, and if an urgent matter came up, his family knew how to reach him. They were the only ones who had his cell phone number. If a call needed to be answered immediately, it would go straight to Zachary, the CEO.

With a steadying breath, he eased up from his chair.

"Going without eating?" his father asked.

"Yes, Dad," Aaron quickly replied before taking a few steps toward his mother, his eyes meeting her expectant expression. "I'm going to Mariah's before she leaves for work."

Aaron pulled up to the gray-and-brown brick house, feeling like his lungs were starved for air. It made perfect sense to him that Mariah hadn't moved far from her childhood home, which was within a ten-minute walking distance. Even though she made the news for making her first million as a teenager, she hadn't become conceited. Mariah had devoted more of her time to Bristol and Caleb rather than indulging herself with trips and material possessions.

He knew he should've called her house to let her know he was coming over, but then she would've probably told him not to. He was scheduled to leave on a commercial flight tomorrow night. If he couldn't make that flight, he could easily get a pilot to fly Zachary's jet to Bloomfield Township. He didn't want to go back to New York without seeing Mariah, and get more than just a glimpse of her. He owed it to her to explain himself, even if it shed light on parts of him that he preferred to ignore.

Aaron eased out of his Grand Prix and strode toward her house. Before he knocked on the door, he turned his head and saw one of Mariah's neighbors, an elderly woman with her arms crossed. Her thick head of ebony hair was in rollers and she was in her nightgown, but it didn't look like she'd just woken up. She pinned Aaron with a suspicious glare. He recognized her, but he couldn't place from where.

"Mariah left for work already," she announced, giving him a head-to-toe inspection. As she studied him, her face began to relax... marginally. He had the feeling that if he told her to have a good day and dashed to his car, she would call the police. But then he saw her brow crinkle for a second before her expression became curious. "Are you Kenneth and Rita's boy?" Her voice was friendlier than it had been seconds ago.

Aaron bobbed his head, feeling some relief course through his veins that he was somewhat recognizable to the lady. He hoped that this chance meeting didn't turn unpleasant. "I'm Aaron," he said with a brief smile. He didn't advance toward her or offer his hand, and he could tell she appreciated that.

"Oh, really?" she asked. "And how do I know that you're telling me the truth?"

He liked the woman's spunk; she sounded much younger than she appeared. He watched as she retrieved her cell phone from inside her pocket. "You can call my parents if you'd like. I can give you the house number in case you don't have it. They have something against cell phones, so that's all I have for you. I just came to see if I could catch Mariah before she left for work, honest."

The woman continued to hold her cell phone in the palm of her hands, but she seemed to be less suspicious about his presence at Mariah's house. "You must be the one who makes rare appearances," she said. "You know, I was starting to think you were a figment of your parents' imagination."

"I very well could've been if I hadn't hightailed it back home. They want me to visit more often. Which of course makes sense since they've mostly traveled to see me over the years," he acknowledged, and she granted him a wry grin.

She tipped up her chin as if it would make her look taller or just bigger overall. "Mariah hasn't forgotten where she comes from, and she didn't move to the more upscale section of Bloomfield Township. She raised her siblings in this house, and she's remained here since they've left for college."

Aaron gave her a brief nod—he knew Mariah had raised Bristol and Caleb in this house.

"Uh..." a crease formed on her chin as she lowered her arms and clasped her hands in front of her in a more comfortable gesture, "you and Mariah have a lot to address."

Feeling a sting of embarrassment, Aaron confirmed with a forced smile. He'd been the one to reject her; to make the decision that they couldn't even be friends.

"Explains why you weren't at her engagement party with your parents and brothers the other night." She cocked her head to the side. "How are Zachary and Aimee getting on in their own endeavors?"

"Zachary's in New York, handling proposals and negotiations in our midtown office. He's busier than ever, but I believe that's what keeps him going." A slow smile spread over his face, and he felt more jovial and centered by the shift in conversation away from him. "We're securing more patents by the minute, and I think we'll be getting into a very important partnership that'll enable us to have wider distribution of our products." Aaron watched as she measured him carefully. When she took a step in his direction, he advanced toward her, too. "Aimee... well, has been modeling for a little over a year now. And to my dismay, there are a lot more people who like seeing her splashed on magazine covers and strutting the runways, wearing scraps of clothing." His voice was thick with both pride and mild unease at the same time.

The woman gave him a muted grin. "I'd be worried if you wanted Aimee to have that sort of exposure. But she ought to celebrate what she's got while she's tight and firm and in her prime! Not that a lot of things don't get better with age." She shot him a wink, which made him feel uncomfortable, and she curled her lips.

"I'll remember that," he said. "And what's your name?"

"I'm Carol Etherege." She walked right up to him and extended her hand as she pinned him with her perceptive gaze again. "And I suggest you get a start on it if you want to catch Mariah at work. Her days get jam-packed. Especially with those sneaky, snoopy reporters who tried to get information outta me yesterday." Her friendly expression grew fierce, indicating that she didn't want anyone to take advantage of Mariah or to bombard her with inappropriate questions.

He liked her, even though he knew the odds of her having a positive impression of him were dismal. It was no secret in their town that he'd been the first man to break Mariah's heart.

Whether Aaron liked it or not, he knew that Mariah was a public figure. Sure, she wasn't a celebrity, but she was well known in the business sector. People would be curious. At the same time, Mariah liked her privacy. So, he discerned that Carol would enforce her position as Mariah's friend and neighbor as much as she could. He briefly mulled over how much Mariah's life had changed since her mother passed away, and he'd left her to shoulder her responsibilities on her own. His self-disgust was increasing by the second, and the fact that she had such a loyal neighbor and friend only multiplied his guilt.

As Aaron returned her firm handshake, he carefully said, "It's been a real pleasure to meet you."

She flashed her teeth. "It turned out to be very nice making your acquaintance as well, Aaron. I see you've still got some of your parents' personable demeanor stored in you somewhere. Call me Carol."

"Carol it is."

She drew her hand away from his, her light maroon eyes dancing with laughter. Aaron, who understood he needed allies if he wanted to convince Mariah to give him the time of day again, had given her the respect that she was due.

The cool breeze trickled into Culver Hardware as Mariah listened to her father explain the different types of saws in his store, and their most useful functions. He was in one of the flannel shirts he'd had since Mariah's childhood, and she observed how his once-fit stomach had become round. Despite his aging body, Todd Culver still looked robust. Mariah believed that her father's hardware shop, the only one in Bloomfield Township, kept him going.

A middle-aged male customer avoided her gaze when he said hello to her, yet she hadn't expected a different response from him. He wasn't rude, but it seemed like every person Mariah saw that day was awkward to her. How could they not? For the second day in a row she was on the front page of the local newspaper, a copy of which was on top of her father's counter.

After several minutes of patiently standing by the stockroom so she wouldn't be in anyone's way, Mariah exhaled when the customer left the store with his purchases. _Dad's always good at getting customers to buy more than they intend to_.

When her father's gaze flashed toward her for a moment, she straightened her shoulders, and a tremulous smile graced her face. She disliked feeling unsure of herself around him, but she had also hoped that today of all days, he would take some pleasure in seeing her, even though she came unannounced. She didn't know what else to do but be proactive like she knew Rianne would be in the same situation. Besides, this was her father, not some stranger.

"If another customer comes in, you'll have to stand by the stockroom again," Mr. Culver stated before she could say anything.

After hearing his dry tone, she regretted that she drove there. She dropped her gaze as she approached him. "I know," she said in an almost faint voice. "I've been calling you... and haven't heard from you."

"I'm not a phone person." A dark expression settled over his features when he looked down at her. "Something up with Bristol and Caleb?" His question would be appropriate under any other circumstance, but Mariah found him to be aloof.

With a firm shake of her head, she answered, "No, Dad. I wanted to see you since I haven't been to your house in weeks, and I thought it'd be nice if it didn't become commonplace." She shrugged a little. "I can come by the house and cook dinner."

"So you can ask me why I didn't come to that party you had on Sunday?" he accused.

Understanding that not everything was easy in life, she kept herself from blowing out a weary sigh. Would she be trying so hard to have some sort of connection with Todd Culver if he weren't her father? Absolutely not. She would've given up when he started avoiding her and criticizing her. But as much as she battled with herself to leave him alone, she couldn't. Not without feeling like she was disappointing Janice Culver. This wasn't how her mother would want their relationship to be, and that was motivation enough not to cut ties with him.

"It's been on my mind, Dad, but I wasn't going to bring it up," she admitted. "Your actions speak for themselves. You didn't come to my engagement party, and you haven't called me to see how I'm holding up. But I want us to enjoy each other's company nonetheless." She regained her smile and began to feel more optimistic. "Even if we have to work at it."

Mr. Culver shot her a sharp look that brought back a flicker of doubt to her eyes. In an instant, the confidence she was building back up diminished. She wanted to fight the feeling of ineptness seeping through her skin and tensing her muscles. With two very important meetings that day and the tests she had to run on her security program, Mariah didn't want to put spending time with her father on the back burner.

"The only work I have to do is get up every morning to open up this shop and close it." He looked at her drolly. "You should've been working more on your relationship with Roger. He might not have broken the engagement had you put him first."

Mariah's stomach tightened at the mention of her failed relationship. Her pale emerald eyes shone with unshed tears, but she refused to let him see her cry... to see her crumble before him. Only Aaron and Rianne had ever seen her when she'd allowed small tears to roll down her face; however, the latter was the one whom she could completely be herself with now. She hoped that her father's company would somehow cheer her up, but being on the receiving end of his verbal blows made her feel powerless.

"Believe it or not, I broke off our engagement. You didn't want to talk about my relationship with him when we were together." With an intense expression aiding her to fight the rush of emotions which momentarily shook her, she braced her shoulders. "Why bring it up, Dad? What other purpose could it serve but to be a put-down?"

Mr. Culver yanked his gaze from her to the door, as if a new customer had stepped inside.

She cleared her throat loudly as she strode up front. "Don't worry, Dad," she said in a voice that cracked, "I wouldn't get in the way of your business."

He looked at her directly once more, and Mariah saw nothing. No emotion. No acknowledgement about what she'd just asked him. She didn't believe her father hated her or that he was an unfeeling man; she didn't dislike him or have any feelings amounting to hatred for him, either. She refused to give up even when he'd given her plenty of reasons to throw in the towel.

"What do you say, huh? We can have dinner wherever you want, anytime you want. I'll rearrange my schedule," she said softly, but there was also determination in her voice.

He gave her a noncommittal look, and Mariah stared at him resolutely. Minutes passed by, with her blinking only once.

"Stop by the house Thursday night," he grudgingly replied.

Mariah's shoulders sagged, and she held onto the handle of her tote with an iron grip in order to prevent herself from jumping over the counter. She wanted him to understand that even as his daughter, she needed him, but he didn't like it when she expressed her feelings. He had shaped her to be tough and impassive when she was at work, that much she could give him credit for.

She gave him a short nod and pivoted, ambling toward the door when she heard him say, "Don't make anything fancy!"

Aaron eased down on a plush leather chair in the waiting area after being frisked by one of the security guards at Culver Group. He anticipated as much because he came unannounced, even after he walked through the metal detectors without any problems. Important information was stored in that building, so he had no qualms about his cell phone and watch being in the custody of security while he was there. When visitors and most employees were at the VYC buildings, he had the same requirement.

As his gaze roamed the bare metallic walls, he noted the polished marble floor up front and the elegant handwoven flat weave of the beige carpet his feet rested on. The main difference between this building and VYC's was that he didn't see any paintings or accolades; the walls were bare. While the furniture here was clearly handmade and well crafted, the vibe from this building screamed understated sleek.

A door swung open, revealing an older man in a black suit with a scowl on his face. Aaron knew this man was Merrick Stark, known as one of the best bodyguards in the business. He and Zachary had commissioned his services when he retired from working for politicians, but then Aaron found out that he had accepted Mariah's offer for employment.

Hauling himself up from the comfort of the chair, Aaron gestured in acknowledgement to Merrick, meeting him halfway.

"Kenneth, I understand that you want to see Mariah."

Aaron nodded.

"Mariah's day won't be winding down any time soon. She knows that you're here and doesn't want to see you. However, you can leave a message with me or with her receptionist, Shaina," Merrick stated bluntly.

"From the long line to get entrance into this building to waiting here, no one could've told me within this hour that Mariah wasn't going to see me?"

"Oh, Mariah told me straight away." Merrick's eyes narrowed. "However, I decided to inform you just now."

Aaron pinched his lips together and silently counted from one to ten before he responded, "Mr. Stark, I find your conduct unacceptable. You've been unprofessional by toying with me."

A look that resembled an ominous smirk skirted over Merrick's features as the two stood only a breath apart. Aaron wasn't frightened in the least. He didn't know what Merrick's problem was, or if this was how he treated all of Mariah's visitors, but he was standing his ground.

"And you're an arrogant prick. I work for Mariah, not you. I'll take as long as I want to deliver a message to you. She's dealt with enough. I didn't say anything to the guy before you, but I'll tell you this: she doesn't need another headache in the form of a pretty face in a nice suit."

Aaron's eyes glittered with building frustration as he proceeded to level a pointed stare at Merrick. "I am the guy before Roger-freaking-Floyd and every other guy she's seen since me. Don't lump me in the same group as them. You tell her that I'll be here again. Bright and early at her house if I have to, so I won't miss her."

He felt someone's hand on his forearm, and he thought the person must have been crazy until he glanced over and saw Rianne, with her other hand on Merrick's forearm.

A deep frown crept between the bodyguard's eyebrows. "Please take your hand off me." His stormy expression demanded that Rianne comply, and she did so without having to be told twice.

"Looks like I need to referee whatever's going on here," she scolded in a low voice. Then she dropped her other hand from Aaron's forearm.

"I've been here for over an hour so I could talk to Mariah, but he said that she didn't want to see me. Now I don't know if I should believe him or not."

Rianne huffed out a breath. "He wouldn't speak for Mariah dishonestly. If you won't leave a message with him," she tilted her head to Merrick, "or Shaina, then we can step to the side, and you can tell me."

"Or," Merrick said, "I can remove you—"

"Gentlemen," Rianne cut him off as she inched closer to him, "we can be civil. Mariah has been in the press enough. Do you really want her to read a story about an argument between her bodyguard and her ex, at Culver Group?"

Aaron whirled around, facing the main entrance doors. He didn't want to contribute to the gossip surrounding Mariah's personal life, whether in town or in the press.

The look he sent Rianne and Merrick conveyed that he wasn't going to be out of the picture. This wasn't over.

# Chapter 4

"Aren't you curious why Aaron's so intent on seeing you? Alone." Rianne pursed her lips in amusement as she scooped up some sauce and spread it over her rice.

Mariah raised her eyebrows slightly; her expression flattened. "I think that you're more curious than I am. Aaron was insistent because the only man he has no issue telling him what to do is his dad." She shifted in her seat as she made an abortive gesture with her hands. "Aaron's used to being treated like a Boy Scout. And Merrick is suspicious of everyone."

"Except for me," Rianne smugly pointed out.

A small smile played on Mariah's lips as she made a slight dip with her head. "I think that's because we've been friends since puberty."

"And he knows that I'm basically as devoted to you as I am to Drake."

Mariah's expression warmed, her emerald eyes sparkling with deep affection for her dear friend. Rianne had attended college and made a lot of new friends, but she and Mariah had never drifted apart. She'd found a great ally in Rianne.

"That you are," Mariah concurred. Then she added, "I don't want you to be late to work." She rose from her chair, gathering the remains of their empty takeout in her hands, and put them in the trash, tying a knot to trap the smell of their lunch.

With a flush roaring over her skin, Rianne said, "That's why I love having Drake as my boss and husband." Shaking her auburn mane, she extended her back so her rear popped out. "He might punish me for being late to work, or he might fuck me in his office. The possibilities are endless!"

"You're a mess!"

"Aren't we all?"

"Some more than others." Mariah let out a sigh. "And I am more of a mess. At least you know whom you go to bed with every night."

Rianne sobered, sliding her arms into her jacket. "If you don't stop criticizing yourself, I'll take you over my knee and spank _you_. Don't test me." She brought her hand to her hip and fought the tugging of the side of her face. "Drake and I are going out tonight. You're welcome to come with us."

"No, have your couple's night with him," Mariah encouraged. "I'm gonna stay in tonight."

"Okay."

"What are you and Drake planning, anyway?" she asked as she headed back to her desk.

"We're hitting the strip club!" Rianne ran over to Mariah and brushed her cheek against the side of her friend's face. Then, with a wicked grin, she dashed out of the room.

Mariah wondered what she would do without Rianne in her life, and she thanked God that she didn't ever have to find out.

When she got home after work, Mariah marinated the meat for her dinner with her father the next day. An hour later, she stood under the thrash of lukewarm water, rinsing off the suds from her body. She recalled seeing Aaron saunter toward her building that morning after she'd gone to her father's hardware shop, and a shiver ran through her, making her feel slightly unsteady. She knew that he came to see her; she wanted to hear what he had to say, but she thought it would just end in disaster. When she wanted him to consider her feelings and how much she needed his support, he had denied her those simple requests after years of friendship.

She wasn't ashamed that she was the first one to ask him out when they were fourteen, and he said that he wanted the privilege of being her friend before he took her on a date. She'd thought he was kidding. What fourteen-year-old boy talked like that? Much less possessed any conventional criteria for modern-day courtship? When he finally asked her out their junior year, she felt like her dreams came true. Rianne had teased Aaron about it throughout high school, but the more Mariah got to know him, the more it all came into place: his parents had influenced him. They made Aaron want to be a man of solid character, even when it'd been unpopular among his friends and his brother, Wyatt.

_So why did he ruin their friendship and the love they had for each other?_ She was pondering this when she heard the alarm system alert her that someone was in front of her house.

After quickly drying herself, Mariah threw on some clean clothes and descended her spiral staircase. She hadn't even checked her video surveillance to see who it was. She figured the worst-case scenario was that Roger was at her door, or that Rianne and Drake had changed their plans and came to her house because they didn't want her to be alone.

When she opened the door, her eyes connected with Aaron's, and an overwhelming rush of heat flooded her system.

She wanted to yell at him and tell him to take a hike, but she didn't. Instead, she said, "Coming to my headquarters on a whim is plain rude. And coming to my house, twice in one day, leads me to believe that you have stalker tendencies." She thought that he would be at his parents' house by now, since he was leaving town tomorrow.

"Carol didn't seem to mind," Aaron said lightheartedly, and Mariah gave him a bland look.

He looked decadent in his navy-blue polo shirt, windbreaker, and dark wash jeans. She thought about how Roger couldn't even exude half the sensuality that radiated off Aaron. Mariah wanted her ex more than any of the slew of attractive men she had dated, but she wouldn't admit it to herself.

"That's what you think," she shot back with a guarded expression.

"I know that you're just off your engagement with Roger," he started, "and I don't know what he did to mess things up, but I know I want to apologize for walking out on us. For abandoning you when you needed me most."

He paused and took a long, leisurely look at her that sent her a tingle of sensation.

After a moment's hesitation, Mariah leaned against her door and made a gesture for him to come in. She was trying to formulate the right words to convey her thoughts. _Is he only here because Roger is out of my life now? What does he expect from me after all these years?_ She certainly expected him to live his fast-paced lifestyle in New York City.

After she closed the door, she shut her eyes for a moment. Then, she met Aaron where he was standing in the living room. There was a rigid set to his jaw, but the tender look in his eyes almost undid Mariah's resolve.

"It smells great. What are you cooking?"

"I haven't cooked the chuck yet," Mariah responded. "I'm letting it marinate for a few hours before I bake it, but the smell's still in the house. It's for dinner tomorrow with my dad."

Aaron tilted his head. "Lucky man." He turned the muscular length of his body to the side so that he was facing her. "How's he doing?"

"He's healthy, still working at his store. Grumpier than ever."

The corners of Aaron's mouth quirked up. Mr. Culver had been short with him when he began dating his daughter; prior to the change in their relationship, Mariah's father had at least said hello to him.

"And your siblings?"

Mariah notched her chin up. "Your mom must've told you that they're at Ohio State." She flung him a quick look and then glanced down at her hands. She felt jittery and nervous at the same time. "Bristol is a junior, and Caleb is a freshman. They like it."

"I bet Rianne swayed them toward Ohio State," he said with a smirk.

She nodded. "They did very well on their SATs and they had a superb academic record, so I was thrilled for them when they were accepted into all the schools they applied to. They insisted on going to college in-state, even if they knew I would've paid the tuition to any other school."

"Maybe they just wanted to be close to you, and they worry about you."

Mariah moved her gaze over to Aaron's. She found him looking at her compassionately, and yet with something else entirely stirring in his rich bourbon eyes.

"They think about my recent personal troubles," she told herself in a rush of a breath.

"Not just that. Unlike how I've been toward you, they value you. They could have it all, but what you do for them is enough."

She began to feel a knot in her throat. "Why did you say that we didn't make sense at graduation?" She shuddered. "Why do you believe that?"

"I was a poor kid, with nothing to offer you—"

"And now that you're rich, you think you have something to offer me?" Mariah shot out of her chair, an angry flush creeping over her face. "Are you here to give me a half-assed apology? If so, save it. Really."

Aaron got to his feet, his expression unreadable. "Damn it, Mariah! I am not apologizing." He reached for her wrist, his hand tightening on it a little to emphasize what he felt was his valid argument. "I should've danced with you at prom even though I didn't look good enough for you in my cheap suit. I shouldn't have broken up with you after graduation."

"So after ten plus years, you've been enlightened about your cowardly ways?" She pulled her wrist out of his grip, then turned away from him and stalked toward her kitchen.

Aaron caught up with her in a split second, but gave her space. Grimacing, Mariah washed her hands and began kneading the chuck meat into her loaf pan.

"I know you don't like to hear it, Mariah. But money matters. Even when we were dating at sixteen, it mattered—"

She cut him off. "But when I covered you at the movies and at other spots, it was already an issue. You'd done it for me before I became a millionaire."

Aaron scrubbed his face with his hands. "I tried to be cool about it because the more successful you became, the more it was like we were pulled in entirely different directions. Your life just... changed. Mom babysat Bristol and Caleb less and less. You hired this fancy nanny. You and your siblings didn't come to Sunday dinner anymore. It's like we didn't meet this new standard you had, even though I knew you were just trying to depend on others less and do it all yourself." He took a cleansing breath, and his eyes bore into hers more than they had the entire evening. "When I was your boyfriend, I wanted to be the one to treat you to things, to take you out and cover it."

"I didn't want you to do all of those," Mariah said with a sigh. "I just needed you."

"You made me feel safe when Mom died, when I didn't know what in the world to do first. You let me cry on your shoulder, and I didn't feel weak because of it. You and your family stepped in and helped me out even though I was too proud to ask. Those memories have stuck with me, because I wasn't alone. Bristol and Caleb weren't alone during that time in our lives. Your parents were so compassionate toward all of us. You, Zach, and your siblings didn't seem upset about us taking up your parents' time."

"None of us were. You three are family to us," Aaron insisted. "Our moms were friends."

Mariah gave a dip of her head as her mind sifted through all of the tender moments she'd shared with him and his family. When she and Aaron weren't a couple anymore, it had been awkward for her to be around the Wilkins. Some of their mannerisms and expressions reminded her of him so much that it became hard for her to be around them, even though Aaron had moved to New York with Zachary.

"And then I remember the last thing Mom worked on before she got sick: my prom dress. She was more excited about that thing than I was, but I didn't have the heart to tell her." She sucked in a breath and looked Aaron straight in the eye. "I went to prom for her." Tears pricked her eyelids. "When she was on her last days and some of her memory slipped back, she asked me to wear the pretty off-white dress with green lining that matched my eyes. So when Rianne and Drake came to my house on prom night and you hadn't shown yet, I didn't think much of it, because you weren't the most punctual person." She paused for a long moment, and she heard her heart thud against her chest. "But you didn't show up at all. I was so pathetic. Looking over my shoulder every minute to see if you'd arrive, hoping that nothing had happened to you. That I hadn't lost you, too."

Aaron took a step closer to her, but with a grim expression Mariah held her hands up.

"You'd said it after graduation: we weren't made for each other. I'm a great person, and I'm worthy of having people in my life who bring a smile to my face instead of making my heart painfully ache. You wished me all the happiness in the world. I thought you were being facetious, and now I don't. You hadn't wanted to be there for me, so I don't have any false hopes of you being a friend to me again."

"I've always wanted to be there for you, Mariah. And yeah, it's fucked up, but now that I'm on more of an even playing field with you, I'm more capable of being a friend to you than I ever was in the past," he told her thoughtfully before dropping his voice. "I said that we didn't make sense, because I was just a stupid, insecure chump. And I am not claiming to be a better man now, Mariah. The way we ended rests entirely on my shoulders."

Mariah's long, smooth fingers trembled as she fell back into the rhythm of kneading the meat uselessly. She didn't like the adjectives he'd used to describe himself as a young man; she didn't know if it was just an inability to get it right when it came to men.

"I've tried my hardest to have many long-lasting and strong friendships. Roger and I were friends first," she said with a dry laugh and a roll of her eyes. "But that goes to show how much I know. I got used to some people in town treating me differently. But I never quite got over how you'd uprooted to the Big Apple, like you didn't have a life here. A loving family. Friends. And me. If you can only offer me your friendship now that you have deeper pockets, then that means you'll only be a friend for the perceived good times. Not the in-between times. The bad times. Like Rianne and Drake have been. Like the old Aaron Wilkins I once loved had. There are an abundance of one-minute friends to go around, especially since I'm projected to make my first billion in less than a year from now. I'm gonna hang on real tight to my real friends and to everyone else I love."

Aaron crossed the kitchen in long strides when Mariah placed the meatloaf in the oven, and as she turned around, Aaron covered her small wrists with his hands. Her eyes widened; Mariah breathed in rapid spurts as her face blazed with heat. Then he raised his hand, slipping it underneath her narrow chin, and she moved out of his grasp... but he reclaimed her chin, tilting it upward until she met his burning gaze. Unable to tear herself from him again, Mariah nearly melted into his chest as he edged closer.

However, she fought it and firmed her chin under his loose grasp.

"What are you doing?" was all she could manage as emotions she recalled feeling bombarded her senses.

"Looking at you, Mariah. _Really_ looking at you," Aaron answered a second later. "And, even though you don't want me to, I'm gonna do my best to be the friend I was once. I never knew your mom made that dress for you. It was definitely made for your body. I wished you would've told me..."

"Would that have really made a difference?" Mariah's voice was faint. "Did I have to bring up one of my private mother-and-daughter moments so that you would've been my prom date?" A frown marred her face as she flicked her watery eyes in the direction of her house door. "We can't undo what's done. All we have to look forward to is the present. Because, obviously, we weren't the kind of friends or lovers that could weather the hard times."

Mariah's gaze dropped to her hands when the smell of the marinade hit her nose. Looking at Aaron's smoldering and yet regretful expression made her feel like she was being too hard on him. She hadn't had an inkling that he'd felt so firm about having a lot of money, or that he measured his worth by his income. Even now, in the heavy silence and the electric atmosphere he'd generated since she permitted him into her home, Mariah knew that Aaron evaluated himself in the same manner.

With a quick glance over her shoulder, she watched as Aaron bowed his head, telling her that he waited to see if she would regard him. It seemed like he would've stood a few feet away from her all night just for the small exchange they had just had. And while they both lived different lives since their young "we can face the world together" coupling, Mariah hadn't ever been able to communicate with a man like she had with Aaron. She knew from the small movement of his head and the intense way his eyes glittered that she wouldn't only have to fight him, she'd also have to fight herself so she wouldn't think about how comforting talking with Aaron sounded to her.

When he retreated from her kitchen, Mariah finally turned on the water and lathered her hands with soap. As she rinsed the suds from her hands, her eyes slid closed, and she recalled the feel of his fingers when he'd grasped her chin.

Less than a minute later, she heard him close the front door.

Roger was someone whom she'd felt comfortable with, despite the fact that she hadn't fully trusted him. What if Aaron hadn't just spoken with her to alleviate the guilt that appeared to be weighing him down? What if Aaron had an ulterior motive, just like Roger had? Sometimes when people attained power, they became hungry for more.

A tremulous smile tugged at the side of her mouth as she reminisced about seeing her parents and siblings waiting for her at the dinner table after she got home from school. She'd taken for granted how vibrant her mother looked and how overjoyed her father was when they had all been together. She used to think that Bristol and Caleb were little brats, as they had usually been the ones to seek her in her room when she was on the phone with one of her friends.

After she dried her hands, Mariah heard her cell phone ringing from her living room. She ran inside, picked up her cell phone from the chair she'd left it on, and answered the call.

"Hey, sweetie," Mariah greeted Bristol as she eased down in the chair.

"Uh, don't call me that. I'm a college girl; my friends call me Bristol Marie."

"Right," Mariah said, shaking her head. "Mom was the only one who called you that. And now you like it?"

"Marie was her middle name," her sister said warmly. "So what are you up to?"

"Just waiting for the meatloaf to finish for dinner with Dad tomorrow. I might sauté spinach and green peas or cut up some lettuce."

"Meatloaf is Dad's favorite," Bristol said cautiously. "Did you have to go to him to arrange dinner for tomorrow?"

"You know I did," Mariah murmured. "If I hadn't begged him to, he would've never agreed to it. I can't help that I want him to at least pretend for one evening that he's the loving man he once was. You might not remember—"

"Caleb and I were young," Bristol cut in with an edge to her voice, "but we do remember how full of life Dad was. Keyword: was. Ever since Mom died, he's lost himself. He handed us over to you because he couldn't deal. Little did he know you weren't dealing very well, either."

"Swee—" Mariah stopped herself. "Bristol, we don't have to talk about Dad. All it ever does is make you angry. How are your classes? I know you have exams coming up..."

"Mariah, it's okay to get angry with him. I don't think he'll ever change. If I didn't admit to myself how angry I feel that he asks you about Caleb and me as if he's a friend of the family, instead of our dad, I'd crack. Like, have a major meltdown. He's made you our parent, and you're not. I guess back then, it made sense because he'd lost his wife, and he hadn't been our caretaker like you and Mom were. He was at that damn store from sunset to sundown just like he will be until he's using a walker. You're my sister, but it's all messed up because I feel like you're not. You not only provide Caleb and me with what we need when we can't do it for ourselves, but you give us the support that should come from Dad. He should be banging on your door, imploring you to give him the time of day. You're furious at him, admit it."

"I am," Mariah conceded several minutes later.

"And did he offer any explanation about why he didn't come to your engagement party on Sunday?"

"No, but that doesn't really matter now. Looks like he knew Roger and I weren't a good match." She didn't tell Bristol that their dad had blamed her for the end of her engagement; Bristol would've demanded that she not speak to him ever again.

"You're making excuses for him."

"I may be," Mariah said, and changed the subject. "Have you and Caleb seen each other?"

"Not much. We see each other when we're on the go. It's like we don't even go to the same college."

"I feared that would happen."

"Our schedules clash and our friends couldn't be more different."

Mariah hummed in understanding. "I want you two to come home soon. It'd be a shame for you and Caleb to become strangers."

Bristol let out an audible sigh. "I know." She paused. "Do you want to tell me what Roger did? I have to confess that I've read what they're saying, and I can't believe that any of it's true. Especially the story that your relationship with him was a sham, and that you called off the engagement because he didn't want to sign a prenup."

"The only thing that's true about what you've relayed to me is that Roger and I had a prenup, which he signed. The rest is poor speculation," Mariah replied. "But the media will soon catch wind of the whole truth, then they'll spin it in a million directions to make it juicier for their readers. Anyway, I talk with Rianne about my uneventful love life so you don't have to hear about it. Have your friends been asking you about it?"

"What do you think?"

"What have you told them?"

"That it's none of their damn business, and that they can gossip about it when I'm not with them. I know most people have talked about it, and they know I'm your sister. I wanna know what happened, too... and it's not only because I care about you; I'm a little nosy bitch just like the rest of them. But the difference is that I won't tell everyone and their momma why you dropped him."

She felt some small victory in hearing Bristol accurately assume that she was the one to sever ties with Roger. Mariah did take some responsibility for the lackluster and safe relationship she had with him, because they both went into it as if it were a business transaction. She couldn't even say there was any emotion when they were physically intimate. She would be lying to herself, and she deduced that she'd been doing it for two years so that she wouldn't explore the discontent she had with Roger and herself.

She replied, "You and Roger got along."

"Because after two years of you going out with him, I caught on that he might have a permanent fixture in our lives. I thought he was great to you, and I assumed you got laid on a regular basis. I played nice; I was never over the moon about him. And FYI, Caleb didn't like him at all."

"Were either you or Caleb going to tell me that?"

"What for? You've been all about work and us. We want you to grow old with someone... but we were all dead wrong. For whatever reason, uh, Roger is out. Can you blame Caleb and me for not wanting you to end up like Dad? Could that be why he's a year-round grinch? Maybe because he hasn't had someone since Mom passed away?"

"Who really knows? I'd be surprised if he's given it any thought."

"He's human, Mariah. I know Mom was his everything, and no one could possibly fill her shoes, but how often have we heard about a man who has lost his wife and not moved on to another woman at some point?"

"It's unheard of," Mariah hesitantly acknowledged, "but when you and Caleb were both in high school, he didn't talk to me for almost a year because I asked him about his personal life. I can't see any woman having the patience to wait for him to break the wall that he's erected around himself. And I'm with you: no one could replace Mom, but I know she would want him to have a companion."

"And to embrace his children," Bristol pointed out again.

"I wish I could tell you that Dad's just in a rut and he'll come out of it any day now, but as you reminded me tonight, you're not my sweetie anymore. You're a young woman. I have you and Caleb, so I'm not holding out for another kind of love when I've got the best little sister and brother to rejoice in."

Bristol snorted, but she ignored it. "Thanks, Mariah. I'll be free tomorrow night, and this weekend, if you wanna tell me how dinner with Dad goes. And about anything else."

"Have a good night, and be careful," Mariah said. "Don't be alone if you can avoid it. And text your location to Caleb as a precaution. He has his own social circle, but he'll drop everything if you're in trouble."

"I'm gonna hit the sack. Tell Rianne and Drake that I said hello."

The timer went off in the kitchen at the precise moment that Bristol ended their phone conversation. Mariah rose from her chair and sent Caleb a quick text to ask him to check on their sister, who didn't like her younger brother looking out for her.

As Mariah set the phone on the edge of the island and slid her hands into her oven mitts, her thoughts returned to her father. Slowly, she opened the oven and looked at the baked meatloaf—a little crispy at the corners, just like Todd Culver liked.

Allowing the meatloaf to cool off a little bit, she remembered that she hadn't eaten since she got home. She took a large container of greens from her fridge and finally decided that stir-fry vegetables would be a great dinner and an excellent side dish with the meatloaf.

# Chapter 5

Aaron, hours after he'd left Mariah's house, was nursing a warm glass of beer at Joey's when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He didn't really want to drink alcohol that night because he was a festive drinker, but he wanted to come to a place where he thought he wouldn't be bothered. It was dark, dingy, and low-key like it'd always been when he would use his fake ID to come in there with Zachary, and the memory caused a mischievous expression to line a side of his cheekbones.

"You just let anybody touch you, and you don't say anything?"

Aaron heard the amused tone in Wyatt's voice, but he still didn't shoot his brother a glance. "I knew it was you," he said, his eyes focused at the bottom of his tall glass. He felt like he kept drowning himself with every admission he made to Mariah earlier, but he was certain that she knew his feelings for her weren't gone. He needed to grow and know that he could strike out on his own—or rather, without her—since much of his success was due to starting VYC with Zachary. However, Aaron doubted she would believe that he was able to truly admire her, and shamefully, it required a great deal of distance on his end for him to be happy for her. Was it fair to her? He knew that it would've been more unfair if he would have stayed in Bloomfield Township or had tried to maintain a friendship with her with all the toxic emotions festering inside of him.

Wyatt took off his tie as he eased down on a stool. Aaron ordered him a beer, but he himself still hadn't taken a sip.

"Are you getting me a drink as my brother or as one of my bosses?"

"You're off the clock. So it's me getting you a drink."

Wyatt accepted his beer from the bartender and gulped half of it down. "Okay. Then I'll ask you why you're sitting on this hard-ass stool instead of standing at Mariah's doorstep. Because last night and all the work you dumped on me today told me loud and clear that you don't want me near her. What could you be torn about?"

"I'm not torn. And I'm not going back to New York tomorrow. After talking with Mariah tonight, I realized... I need to step up more. She doesn't want anything to do with me, but she's not getting rid of me that easily."

Wyatt slapped him on the back. "I would've made a play for her much sooner if I'd known you would come to your senses. When I got home on your prom night, Mom and Dad said that you left to meet Mariah, Rianne, and Drake at school. If you weren't at school, then where'd you go?"

"To get a new tux."

A frown puckered Wyatt's brow as he leaned his elbow on the table, and Aaron saw the confusion that flitted over his younger brother's matching amber eyes. At that point, both men's shirts were unbuttoned and marginally damp from the lack of ventilation in the old tavern. They had both had a long day, only in different ways.

Aaron tried all day to converse with Mariah, but it hadn't turned out the way he wanted—with Mariah in his arms, looking at him with unadulterated joy the same as she had when they used to go off to be alone when they were teenagers. He knew that getting her to understand where he was coming from wouldn't be a smooth process, because there was no justification for his behavior.

"I never told Mom and Dad 'cause Logan was afraid they'd ground him," Aaron started to explain as his warm glass of beer was replaced with an ice-cold one. He gestured his appreciation toward the bartender and continued. "When I was about to wear the tux, I noticed major grease stains on the lapels of the blazer and on the pants. I knew that when I'd rented it, it was stain free. I didn't know how it happened until I heard Logan come into our old room within seconds of my being there. I was already late to pick up Mariah; I hadn't bought a corsage yet because I forgot. I just wanted to get in the shower, wash the smell of fried food off me, and get her corsage en route to her place. Logan saw me holding the tux in my arms, and he immediately admitted to trying it on and eating mozzarella sticks while he was wearing it. He hadn't wiped his hands when he touched the suit. He thought it was silly, and he didn't know why I had to get dressed up when I usually dressed regular when I went out with Mariah. He hadn't seen any of us in a suit before. Logan tried everything he could to remove the grease stains for days.

"He figured I would've noticed earlier. But between school, work, and Mariah, checking on the tux in my closet was the least of my worries. I just thought that prom was an important occasion where guys gave their girls their fairy tale." Aaron let out a heavy sigh. "And I felt like I wasn't gonna be able to give her that dream for a night.

"I was late, and Logan looked like he was on the verge of tears. As I irate as I had been, I didn't want to get him in trouble because it was rare for him to do anything wrong. I understood it: he saw me, Zach, and you doing our own things, and he felt left out. He wanted to see what it'd be like to be us. He felt badly and offered me his glass jar... with all the money he'd saved up. He was trying to make it up to me, but I wasn't going to take his money so he'd learn a lesson. I didn't want Logan to feel worse, so I told him that I wouldn't tell Mom and Dad and I'd get a new tux."

Wyatt ran his hand through his dark brown hair and took a long pull from his beer. "I would've done the same thing," he said, a thoughtful expression creasing the corners of his eyes. "Logan always stayed in the corner, like he didn't want to get in anyone's way. I hadn't given him much thought back then, either—I was into playing basketball and chasing skirts." He gave a negative shake of his head and gulped down the rest of his beer.

"And things weren't easy at the house. Mom got laid off from her teaching job, and Dad was taking on more construction jobs. Mariah's life had been turned upside down with her mom getting breast cancer and suffering like she did before she died. Mrs. Culver was Mom's best friend."

Wyatt nodded. "Yeah, losing Mrs. Culver was a major blow to all of us. We knew she'd die, but damn..." He paused for a beat. "I liked seeing Mom cut up with Mrs. Culver on the playground, or when they were at our house."

"I didn't want to bother Mom and Dad with what Logan had done. I believed that he wouldn't go into our room again or touch anything that wasn't his. From what I know, he never did." He signaled with his hand for the bartender to take the glass—he didn't want another beer. "At the bridal store, I'd tried on one tux after another, but they all looked like an eighties flashback. And then a sales associate showed me this suit that would fit right for prom. But I knew it would take me months to pay back that credit card bill, which left me with the stiff-fitting bright-ass tux. The manager at the time, an old high school friend of Dad's, said that he'd buy me the suit. Apparently, Dad had told him about me getting in NYU. He'd congratulated me and said that the suit was a gift." Aaron glanced over his shoulder and met his brother's gaze again—Wyatt's expression wasn't judgmental or chagrined by what he was saying. "I told him that I'd pay for the eighties tux and would pay for the tux I'd rented because it was stained. He gave me a deep discount on the eighties tux, and I paid for the stained tux, leaving me enough money for gas... but not enough to get Mariah a corsage."

"Aaron, Mariah didn't care about that shit. She just wanted you to be with her. You were going to New York, and she was gonna be here." With conviction in his voice, Wyatt rested his sharp gaze on his brother's face. "I don't know if she said it, or if you saw it, but she had to be scared that you'd find someone else in New York City and start a whole new life. There's an endless supply of women there. By not going to prom, you fucked up. Big time. She must have thought that you were falling out of love with her."

Aaron frowned. "She's always been on my mind."

"Didn't look that way to me." Wyatt lifted his shoulders doubtfully. "From what I'm gathering, Aaron, your problem was with the fact that she'd become rich, and you were poor. It wasn't right for you to take out your insecurities on her."

Aaron bobbed his head, briefly recalling Mariah's morose green eyes when she'd opened the door. "And that's why I gave her space—"

"For fourteen years! I know you don't bullshit Zach, so don't do it with me. You didn't wanna face the impact of what you'd done to her," Wyatt said heatedly. "Since you didn't go to the prom, what did you do? You came home late, which made everyone think that you'd been with her."

"I did go to the school on prom night, but I didn't walk into the gym," Aaron replied with self-recrimination. "I watched Mariah dance with Drake through the gym doors, and they both looked like they made sense, like—"

Wyatt put his hand on Aaron's bicep as he interrupted him. "And where was Rianne?"

"I wasn't there long enough to find out. I sat in my car the whole night, thinking about how Drake came from a wealthy family, and Mariah was a newly rich woman. I thought that if he and Rianne didn't work out..."

"If Rianne ever heard that, she'd knock your teeth out," Wyatt remarked with a quirk of his mouth.

Aaron's throat felt dry and constricted. "But if she got me on the right day, I might let her. Rianne was my friend, too. I'd briefly thought about Mariah being with Drake."

Wyatt swigged some beer and then flashed his teeth. "Doesn't matter now, Aaron. Don't make promises you can't keep to Mariah. In fact, don't make any promises. Breaking her heart again could result in your ass getting kicked by yours truly." He looked at Aaron pointedly. "You're my bigger brother and all, but when you went to New York, Mariah didn't see Mom much, and I think it hardened Mom a little. They were both still grieving, and Mom didn't know if she was being overbearing or if Mariah didn't want the Wilkins in her life, period." He cocked his head to one side. "Mom had put two and two together and realized it was you. Mariah didn't come to our house anymore because hearing about you or looking at our family photos was painful, when she and Mom could've had each other during that time."

Aaron's breath burned in his lungs at his selfishness. He'd remembered his mother being so composed and collected when Janice Culver died; he supposed that being busy had helped her with her loss.

Wyatt nudged him in the arm, and Aaron heard the loud vibration of his phone that clashed with the uncharacteristic low volume in the bar. Exhaling deeply, he reached for his phone from inside his windbreaker.

"How did the presentations go, Zach?" Aaron addressed his cousin, but he kept his eyes on Wyatt.

"Very well," Zach replied. "I think you'll like their eco-friendly home products, and the sales they've earned over the past fourteen months. They're having a problem meeting the demand of their products, so they need more employees in their factory out in Newark."

"When I saw their presentation and all the parents surrounding their stand at those street fairs, I knew they were onto something. They're gonna make kids wanna clean their rooms, and parents will have some peace of mind knowing that there aren't any toxins in those products."

Zach made a sound of agreement over the phone. "Tell me what you think about the contract I emailed you. They're on board with our terms, but if they keep doing well, I wanna provide some extra incentives. I know they've got other products under their belts that they haven't made public yet... maybe they're in the prototype stage. I want them to work exclusively with us."

"I was thinking the same thing. I had a chance to read the potential exclusivity agreements you emailed me between catching up on important matters—"

Zach interrupted with a hint of mirth in his baritone voice, "Such as snaring Mariah because Roger Floyd was as asinine as you were? Well, don't get in your own way again." He quieted for a moment as Aaron sighed at his remark. "Since I doubt you'll be on the flight back tomorrow, I'm gonna request Wyatt in your place. I could use his input."

Aaron tapped Wyatt's knee. "He's with me as we speak," he told Zachary. He knew that he wasn't a victim, and that he deserved far more than the collective reprimand he was receiving since coming home. "Let me hand the phone over so you can tell him to get ready."

As Wyatt took the phone from him, Aaron's need to be a more attentive son to his mother grew stronger than he'd ever known it to. And even though he realized that a few days of showering her with his company and giving her whatever she asked for didn't make up for how tactless he'd been, he figured it was as good a start as any.

"Rita, please tell me that you're going to have more than a glass of water," Carol said, her eyes leveled on Rita as she began cutting into her T-bone steak and fried eggs that had been served seconds ago.

"I had gelatin for breakfast like I told you I would last night, when you called me to meet up." Rita slid the sunglasses from the top of her head down to the bridge of her pert nose as she felt the sun's rays on her sapphire eyes. "God knows I might just cheat on my self-prescribed five-day clear liquid diet after Kenny and I take Aaron to the airport tomorrow."

"That diet is intended for medical procedures." Carol scowled. "So you've got more meat on your bones than you used to. You're healthy, and you look as marvelous as ever. Has Ken commented on your weight?"

Rita shot her a _yeah, right_ look. "He can't keep his hands off me. He says more cushion for the pushin'... knowing how much I despise that saying. Makes me feel like a hippo. He can't be objective and tell me I look badly when I do. He wants to get lucky every night."

Carol groaned in appreciation of the bite of her T-bone steak that was well done, but moist enough that all of the seasoning melted onto her tongue. Moments later, she said, "You make yourself feel like a hippo. Ken hasn't looked at you any different since you and he dated."

Her comment brought an easy smile to Rita's face, and it made Carol feel like doing somersaults—after her decadently heavy breakfast digested. Making people she loved feel good about themselves was like a badge of honor for her.

"And Ken isn't like those stupid men who tell their women they look fat or bad, even when it's true. That's what girlfriends," she pointed her fingers toward her chest, "are for. And so you can curse me out about it, then get over it. Ken's saved up the passion for where it belongs... anywhere he gets you hard and fast!"

"We're in public!" Rita chastised in a hushed tone.

Carol's lips twitched. "And when's the last time you and he did it in public? You wouldn't believe what a thrill that gives you." She pointed her finger. "I prescribe that you give it a go. You'll be so damn delirious that you'll forget about this weight issue foolishness. I've got some jiggling on my hips, thighs, and rump... still, all the men come back for more."

"I have a feeling you're not about to select any of those fine suitors and make an honest man out of him," Rita said with the corner of her mouth tipped up.

Carol shook her head. "I've been up front with all of them. The only man I'll ever answer to again is my dad, and he's been dead for a long time." She finished her meal as the waiter refilled their glasses of water.

Rita and Carol knew that he was new to town, as they practically knew everyone. A nervous expression took over the young man's face when he asked, "Is there anything else I-I can get for you?"

"I'm fine, but I think she'll need a few more minutes," Rita replied.

Carol made a noise that confirmed her statement, and then ordered a piece of apple harvest pound cake.

He bowed his head and started toward the table ahead of them.

"I think he heard you."

Leaning back against the chair, Carol said, "And if he did, it'll inspire him when he's by himself or with a special friend. Men love women who talk dirty."

"According to you."

The waiter returned a little while later and served Carol her dessert. Then he said, "The little girl at the table over there with her babysitter was wondering if you're related to Aimee... the model, by any chance."

Not subtle at all, Rita jerked her head in the direction of a beautiful young girl with dark brown ringlets and naturally pink cheeks, who she guessed was about seven or eight years of age. The babysitter, who appeared to be in her late teens, cautiously put her hand down on the little girl's shoulders. Knowing that the little girl had wanted to walk up to them, Rita happily gestured for them to approach her. Relief flashed over the babysitter's face as she slid out of the booth, and the girl paced toward them excitedly. Her demeanor reminded Rita of her daughter.

"Thanks for letting us come over," the babysitter said, grinning at Carol and Rita. "I'm Paulina." She gestured to the girl and asked in a soft voice, "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

Lifting her chin up, the girl took on a concentrated expression, which made all of them titter. "I am Annabelle. Are you Aimee's mom or something?"

As Paulina tossed her hair behind her shoulders and shifted her gaze to the girl, Rita couldn't help but appreciate her lithe form. She thought that Aimee would be a real knockout if she slimmed down to the babysitter's size, even though Rita wasn't certain if her daughter had ever been Paulina's size. She was shorter than Aimee, but her slender frame made her look taller than she actually was.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Paulina instructed the little girl.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Annabelle echoed impatiently, yet it still managed to sound genuine.

"I'm her proud mom. Do you and Paulina wanna sit down with us for a bit if you don't have to go anywhere else soon?"

"Call me Carol. I promise I don't bite."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Carol. And I promise I don't bite... unless I have to."

Paulina said, "Would your parents be proud of you for being cheeky with these nice ladies? Apologize to Miss Carol."

"I took no offense." Carol gave Annabelle a reassuring smile.

"We'd love for you to sit down with us if we're not interfering with your other plans," Mrs. Rita said.

With her eyes trained on Rita, the girl slid down beside Carol. Paulina shrugged and took her place on the opposite side.

"Is she really as nice as she looks on TV?" Annabelle asked. "Has she given to charity like it says on her biographies, or is that just what she does for her taxes and when the cameras are on? Oh! And does she—"

"How about you let her answer a question one at a time," Paulina recommended as Rita offered Annabelle an encouraging smile.

A moment later, Rita answered, "Aimee is a kind person, and she has given her time to charity all her life, because at one time she didn't have any money to give. She has money now and donates to charitable causes dear to her heart. She does wish that she could spend time helping abused animals and spending time with elderly people—"

"Like you and Miss Carol?"

Carol rolled her eyes at being referred to as elderly.

"Who don't have family or friends who spend time with them," Rita replied.

After answering more questions about Aimee, the women considered Annabelle their younger friend and Paulina a good sport. The little girl didn't like being reminded that she had to get homework done despite her convincing argument that she'd had a half day and could use a long break from anything academic. While Paulina had been amenable to satisfying Annabelle's wishes, putting off schoolwork in favor of finding out more about Aimee Wilkins to brag to her friends was not an option.

It really hit Rita that Aimee was as influential to young girls, and likely to women, as Aaron had said. And to her surprise, Annabelle hadn't mentioned Aimee's looks. Rita felt very shallow as she realized this, and while she was grateful that Aimee hadn't grown up with severe self-esteem or body image issues because of her unhappiness with her own body, she herself didn't know how to alter her pattern of thinking. She thought the motto _the more you know, the better you do_ applied to an enlightened few.

"Aaron came to see Mariah yesterday morning and evening," Carol said as she paid the bill.

Rita, leaving a tip for the waiter, felt her face ripen into a dusky pink. "I was meaning to ask him if he'd spent the whole day with Mariah when he came in last night, but I was... preoccupied."

Carol nodded knowingly. "At first, I wasn't sure if it was Aaron or not," she admitted. "He's come and gone so fast. Zachary is just as busy as Aaron, but he's made it a point to visit you all many times a year. When I looked at Aaron more closely, I instantly saw a younger version of Ken. I was a little tough on him yesterday. Roger had fooled me into believing that he'd make a fine husband for Mariah. But when I saw how hostile he'd gotten with her at the engagement party, it shook me up!" She paused for a second and drew in a steadying breath. "Has she said anything about it?"

"I didn't ask. I know she's talked to Rianne about it. Mariah can't hold anything in if Rianne can help it."

"Mariah allowed him inside." She winked. "And if my watch was accurate, he came out forty minutes later. That's a little quick in my book, but I imagine he was just giving her something more positive to remember him by."

Rita bristled at Carol talking about her Aaron's virility, but she knew that Carol meant well. Which was why she hadn't taken her to task for it.

On their way out of the diner, the door opened and in came Aaron, his lips curved into a tiny smile.

# Chapter 6

"Have I missed anything?" Aaron quirked a brow at his mother and then she leaned in, embracing him. Carol gave him a warm smile as his mother pulled away.

"What are you doing here? Carol was just about to drive me home."

"I asked Dad where you were when I came downstairs this morning. He said that your friend picked you up to have brunch at Lou's. And since he said you didn't have other plans, I wanted to take you to the park."

With an approving bob of her head, Carol said, "It's a beautiful day to go to the park. The wind is bearable."

"It is," Aaron said. "You're welcome to join us, Carol. Mom and Mrs. Culver talked a lot about a friend of theirs named Carol when I was little?" His statement came out as a question.

Carol smirked. "I was a truck driver, so I didn't get to see them often." She lightly elbowed Rita. "But it's good to know they hadn't failed to think about me. They used to give me grief about it, like I'm sure your mom does about you not being home enough." She stepped aside as new customers came in, and fixed Aaron with a serious look. "So, are you a runner like me or are you gonna give her some peace of mind?"

Sighing loudly, Rita pinned her with an annoyed glare. "That's my place to ask."

Aaron settled his hand on his mother's shoulders, and he felt her muscles loosen a little. Apparently, Carol was direct with everyone. "I was going to let Mom know that I'm not going to New York tomorrow night. Wyatt will be heading out instead."

Mouth puckered up into a frown for a moment, Rita cocked her head to the side and queried, "Why hasn't Wyatt called me? It feels like I'm getting to have you for a little longer at the expense of his absence. You kids should just be home."

Aaron swung his arm around his mother's shoulders. "That's not what's happening here at all. Zach needs Wyatt for some potential clients. This might be a record season for us; we're getting patents faster than we ever have. Wyatt tried calling the house this morning to talk to you." He flashed a grin that he knew his mother had found endearing since he was very young. "If you had a cell, he could've called you while you were here with Carol."

"I won't be getting a cell," she replied. "It's nice that Zachary gets to have Wyatt with him while you're here. Whenever he calls us, it's from his office. It's basically his home." Rita shot him a quick look as they headed for the door. "Wyatt will take Zach out on the town," she said confidently. "After you had him slaving away for so many hours that he skipped lunch yesterday, he'll want to relax. And what could be better than having his cousin as company?"

"You brought Wyatt lunch yesterday, didn't you?"

"I have to take care of my babies whenever I can. You all have it in your heads that you're not my babies anymore."

The fragrance from various flowers filled the air as children and their caregivers were scattered throughout the Bloomfield Township Park. With no cloud in sight, the sky couldn't have been any bluer this time of the season.

Aaron and his mother rested in companionable silence for several minutes after they sat down on a bench.

Rita broke the silence. "Carol and I made a little friend today. Annabelle. I could picture her like some of these tykes. Hair flying in every direction, not a care in the world but to get as much playtime in as she can."

Aaron gave a short laugh. "Sounds like all of us when we were kids. But we were probably snatching toys from one another or throwing sand in each other's faces. And one of us was guaranteed to be testing your eardrums."

A reminiscent smile crept over his mother's features as she laid her hand on top of his on the bench.

"Where'd you meet Annabelle?"

"In the diner. Her babysitter took her home before you arrived. She wanted to talk to me _if_ I was Aimee's mom or had some relation to her. Annabelle had asked about almost every area of Aimee's life once she knew that I met the criteria."

"Did she tell you her last name?" Aaron asked, a frown puckering his brow.

"Franks."

"She must be the daughter of one of my employees who just reached the one-year mark of employment at VYC. The employee moved here from Albany."

"I don't think I've ran into her mother before. That's weird, since I know everyone in this town."

Aaron tossed his mother a quizzical look. "Who said it's Annabelle's mother?"

"Then it's her father who works for you and Zachary."

"Yes. He's the only Franks in Bloomfield Township. She has long, dark, curly brown hair down her back, right?"

She nodded.

"And pretty, big brown eyes?"

"And the kind of spunk that Aimee had even at that age."

"Actually, I saw the photo of her on his desk when I went to the office on the way here. He doesn't talk about her, and he must know that Aimee's my sister. He probably hasn't mentioned that Annabelle is a fan of Aimee's because he has very set boundaries—wouldn't want me to think that he wants anything from Zach or me besides his job. When Aimee comes home, I'll ask Evan if he's okay with Annabelle meeting Aimee, or if he's more comfortable with a signed photograph. Something like that."

"Aimee will do both for Annabelle if she can. Otherwise, a signed photograph will have to do. She looked mesmerized when she was asking about Aimee. She knew so much already, but she wanted to make sure that she'd gotten the correct information. She probably talks about your sister nonstop. Plus, she'd be over the moon. I can't see why Mr. Franks wouldn't agree to it. He could come with Annabelle, supervise their meeting. I'll be there since Annabelle and I have established a rapport. That should ease any worries he may have."

Aaron gave her hand a light squeeze. "Mom, we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. Don't be defensive—I'm not even taking it that way." A smirked tugged the corner of his mouth. "Zach and I have the feeling that he's a private guy. We can appreciate that, because we like to keep our private life under wraps, too." He heaved in a breath. "But I think it's just the two of them, and he doesn't want anyone to be a bad influence on Annabelle. Even if the celebrity model is my baby sister and is pretty damn fantastic."

His mother shot him a reproving look.

"Darn."

Rita motioned her head approvingly. "I am very protective of what's mine," she acknowledged. "Mr. Franks is, too. Hopefully, his protectiveness won't ruin the chance of Annabelle getting to meet your sister." She sighed as her thoughts shifted. "Aimee might get some years in before her beauty fades, and then she'll have to obtain a specialization that will see her through until she gets to my age."

Aaron eased up from the bench and gestured his mother to walk. The wind was picking up, and he wanted to enjoy more of the park's beauty before it got dark. Holding onto his arm, she gazed at him adoringly. "She'll cross that bridge when she gets there. She could spend every minute thinking about what her next move will be. And then it passes by," he snapped his fingers, "like that. Her moment is lasting longer than it has for other aspiring models. We'll help her out when we can, just like Zach and I helped Wyatt out when he moved out of the house."

Rita threw him an inquiring look and held onto his arm tighter as the cool breeze rushed over their faces, pushing their hair back. "And is this your next move, Aaron? Being home? While I'd like to believe that you've changed plans for your dad and me, there has to be someone else," she said in a knowing tone.

"I haven't stopped loving Mariah," Aaron replied without hesitation. "And I've been denying it, because I'd have to face how much I've hurt myself, her, and you."

"Did you tell Mariah last night that you loved her?"

He shook his head. "I think that would've gotten me thrown out of her house much faster." He slid his eyes in her direction and saw her make a move. "It wasn't wise for me to profess my feelings for her; I'm the one who hasn't been courteous enough to at least tell her why I thought she'd be better off without me.

"One of the last talks Mariah had with her mom was about the prom. Mrs. Culver wanted her to go, to wear the dress that she'd sewn for her when she wasn't as ill. But instead of being a good boyfriend, I fixated on what I couldn't do for her."

A tear fell on Rita's cheeks and rolled off her chin. She paused.

Lines creased Aaron's forehead as his gaze darted back to her face, and she wore the same stricken expression she had when Mariah came over to their home to inform them her mother had passed away. Patiently, he waited until she was prepared to speak minutes later.

"On Janice's last days, she'd talked to me about your guys' prom," she said, wiping the moisture from her face as she forced a smile. "Janice had stopped being angry that her life was being cut short."

Rita swallowed and raised her head as she eyed the darkening sky. Usually with her husband when flashes of melancholy overtook her, she didn't fight her body from trembling as she loudly cried out in anger. She had fewer crying spells over the fourteen years since Janice passed away, but sometimes, she felt like her best friend had just died all over again. "I still haven't reached the acceptance stage. Thinking about her kids gave her that fight to make her time on Earth count. I promised her that I'd let Mariah crash at our house if she drank too much on prom night. I was surprised that Todd had given her one night free from taking care of Bristol and Caleb." Her breath hissed out a little. "I accompanied Janice with Bristol and Caleb when they wanted to come here. Walked with them along this trail, until the time came when she only left the house for her doctor appointments."

Aaron gentled his arms around his mother, and she settled her head against his chest. He didn't know what to say to comfort her. He hadn't known what to do in the past but to help out with the bills and his siblings, as he'd seen Zachary do even after moving out of the house. He fully understood now that Mrs. Culver had been more than just a friend to her. They'd been raised in that small town and supported each other through their own relationships, in motherhood, and with work.

Aaron knew that what had sustained his parents' marriage was a strong friendship as well as their physical attraction toward each other. Even during the difficult financial period his family experienced during most of his high school years, his parents managed to be drawn closer together. And yet, he was aware that his mother's friendship with Janice enabled Rita to give her best to his father and to all of them. Aaron understood how important it'd been for his mother to not just be in mother or wife mode all the time. With Janice, Rita could be Rita, and she hadn't felt like she was shortchanging her family.

"Janice entrusted me to love her children like they were my own." Her eyes began to well up again as she dropped her voice to a whisper. "But as they grew, it became harder to look at them and not see how much they were like her. At one point, I couldn't see them. How they were becoming their own people, because I saw only her in them. Saw how much had been taken from them. And so I hadn't visited them as much as I really wanted to."

Rita gave a little huff of laughter, but the shame on her face was heart-wrenching for Aaron to witness. He rubbed her back a little, and for the first time in his life he saw Rita Wilkins, not the beautiful and wonderful mother he was fortunate to have all of his life. Not the way he'd always seen her, shortcomings and all. If he'd known his mother was still grieving, he would've visited her as frequently as Zachary did.

Before he guided her toward his Grand Prix, he gently touched his lips to her forehead. "You watched over them and gave your all to Mariah, Bristol, and Caleb. There are a lot of things I wished I'd done differently with Mariah. And with you, most of all. You're the Wilkins' family's first lady. I'm gonna show up, quit checking out."

Rita's expression lightened up considerably.

Mariah mentally chanted to herself to contain the exhilaration that was making her a jittery mess as she retrieved the reheated meatloaf and stir-fry vegetables from the oven in her father's kitchen. She was in her childhood home, filled with cherished memories of baking decadent sweets and belly-rubbing food with her mother as her father and siblings played board games in the living room. Secretly, she liked having her mother all to herself during those times. They didn't have many conversations, but she learned how much fun the simple things like being home with the people who mattered to her were. Even though it appeared like the family was divided by participating in two separate activities, the connection between everyone was cohesive—her father and siblings had taken frequent breaks to get a beverage or snack from Mariah or her mother.

It was the first day since she called off her engagement that she hadn't anticipated her day being uneventful. She loved her job—from creating an online forum in which small to large business owners could exchange experiences and advice on information management, international organization, and effective entrepreneurship, to having the premier company in corporate cyber protection, and most importantly, providing her siblings with the means to achieve their goals.

Mariah eased down on the chair at the small family table and fiddled with the bottom of her crème cable-knit pullover sweater while waiting for her father, who was washing up before dinner. The table was made up with one of the old dinner sets that had been used since her childhood, with a cool bottle of her father's favorite apple cider at the center, unopened.

When Mr. Culver slid down his chair at the head of the table, Mariah gave him a smile in greeting and began serving him.

"I can do that myself," he snapped, stopping her in her tracks. "I tell people what they'll need for their home projects and for work. Putting some slab of meat and greens on my plate isn't below my abilities."

"Dad," Mariah said in a low tone, "how is it that we haven't had anything to eat yet, and it's already like this?"

He served himself and paused a short while. "It's just..." He heaved in a breath. Mariah's fingers trembled on her lap as she anxiously waited for him to fully voice his feelings. "I didn't ask you to replicate her dish." He hesitated for a split second. "I said I wanted it simple. She was the only one who made me this meal and served me food. I didn't take those women who used to knock on my door with the same dishes she made trying to be the next—"

"She? She? Is that how you're referring to Mom now? You have the gall to criticize how my life is turning out but you won't say Mom's name?"

"You can't one-up her!" he shouted, his face as flushed as hers.

Mariah's nostrils flared, and her hand began to shake uncontrollably like someone going through a bad episode of withdrawal. "I'm not trying to one-up Mom," she argued, her voice steely. "I was holding onto the idea that the man Mom loved would make an appearance." Slowly, she raised herself from the seat and clamped her eyes shut, the pads of her fingers pressed onto the table. "Or that you'd recognize that there are still people in your life, besides Janice Augustus Culver, who depend on you to pretend that you give a damn about us. But no, you lost your wife. We don't have _her_ anymore either, and you insist on robbing us of a dad!"

It seemed like her father hadn't blinked or been affected by her words at all. Tentatively taking steps toward the head of the table, Mariah had the urge to shout from the top of her lungs like she'd wanted to do when he came out of the bedroom with the nurse and announced that her mother had taken her last breath. She contained her initial reaction then, because she'd told herself that her father and siblings' outrage about the death somehow outweighed her own. She didn't know what it would take for him to see that his resistance was crippling everyone in the family, even though she was the one who openly risked getting hurt.

The sharp edge of the table was the sole physical boundary between them. The silence was killing Mariah, but she refused to break the silent contest they were locked in.

When Mr. Culver unconsciously tightened his lips, a shadow flashed through his eyes, causing a shiver to coast down Mariah's spine. As the tears she was fighting from falling gathered in her eyes, she couldn't deny to herself that she was afraid of him. She'd touched a nerve, and there was no going back. _Is this why he steers clear of me?_ she couldn't help but wonder. _Have I caused this rage in him, or has it always been there?_

"When the cancer metastasized to _her_ brain and stripped me of the woman who gave me—the black sheep of this town—a chance, it infected every ounce of me that dreamed and hoped there was something special after her."

He took a step toward her, and Mariah fought for air. She found it hard to regulate her body and contain her emotions as her gaze shifted uncomfortably from her father to the front door. She couldn't seem to move.

"And she was the one who wanted you kids. I did everything to make her happy. She was my life. My light. When all that money started pouring in from your online business, it was a godsend. I didn't have to look after you kids no more, because you had it covered. You had the money and the energy to do for Bristol and Caleb what I couldn't. Without her..."

He gave a humorless laugh as he gestured widely with his arms, as if to illustrate the big, dark cloud of emptiness that his life had become. As hard as it was for her to hear what he was saying, she needed to hear it, but she had no intention of telling her siblings about it. It'd crush them as much as it was tearing her up inside.

"Without her, there is no us. I gave you parental rights over them because I didn't want to look after them myself... bringing them up was not something I could do. Not without screwing up their heads real good." He pressed his lips together firmly and stepped away from her.

With no trace of a flush remaining on her features, Mariah blanched. Tearing her eyes away from him, she gathered the food that she'd brought. Her father stood there, without uttering another word or even sneaking a look at her.

Tired of begging him to want something that he didn't want, she shut down to the point that she didn't even realize she was outside until the cool evening breeze whipped her hair forward. Besides running his hardware store, her father lived a solitary life and didn't want to integrate his children into it.

She was carrying two big heavy trays of food while strands of her mane were in her face, making it hard to see. Since the sun was out earlier, she walked to her father's house. She'd be in her own house in a few minutes, so she didn't care if she bumped into anyone. It would be in someone else's best interest not to be in her way—she didn't feel like being polite or making small talk.

Tonight could have been worse, had Bristol and Caleb been there to hear everything their father said. She knew that they weren't naïve, but she wanted to protect them from being hurt by truths she'd been afraid to face for a long time.

When Mariah was three blocks from her home, the sound of a horn honking didn't stop her internal tirade. But everyone else on the block heard the obnoxious sound. Some looked through their windows while others opened their doors to see what was causing the ruckus. No one, however, called out to the driver to stop honking.

Mariah's body was pulsing with frantic energy, and her breaths were ragged, uneven, as if she hadn't worked out in ages. She turned around, gripping onto her trays of food. A strand of her hair went into her mouth, disgusting her, so she turned her neck to the side to allow the wind to brush that wayward strand away from her face.

Her blown-out blonde locks were returning to their naturally frizzy state. And she didn't need a mirror to know that the makeup she'd applied to look extra nice had smeared. She felt hideous, unwanted, and disillusioned—just like she had on prom night when she realized that Aaron wasn't going to show. She didn't even want to tell Rianne how dinner with her father had gone, and she told her best friend almost everything. Hearing "I told you so" or even reading that thought on Rianne's face was not something she thought she could handle; she didn't want to argue with her over him.

"I'll get these for you," Mariah heard a male voice say, and felt strong arms slide underneath hers, relieving her of the heavy weight of the trays. As she slowly lifted her eyes and saw Aaron, her eyebrows shot up in disbelief. She'd been certain that he would've been gone already.

"Thanks, Aaron," she said quietly. He slightly bowed his head, and she resumed walking again after she saw him ahead of her. After a minute of silence, she asked, "Leaving tomorrow?"

"Nah, I'm gonna be in town for a while."

"Why?" Mariah asked, the shift from her stern tone to an intrigued one causing Aaron to wiggle his eyebrows. She blushed, her face growing warm at his unapologetic silliness.

"Because I have unfinished business here. You're on the top of my list. And Wyatt and Zach have spent too many months apart."

"Why, Aaron Carter Wilkins!" Mariah fluttered her long eyelashes and pushed her full lips out for half a second, which appeared more sensual than playful.

Aaron's groin twitched and fully hardened in an instant. He couldn't have been more grateful that he was carrying her trays of food and that her focus was above his waist. Or else, she would've assumed that while he was in town, he was trying to get some action. With her.

"It's an honor to be at the top of your list rather than at the bottom..." Her tone turned tight. "But we've already settled everything."

He wanted to cover her soft, full, shapely lips with his own. "I've always looked up to you. Been in awe of you. I can't think of one moment when all of your success got to your head or you lost yourself. But I was losing myself."

He firmed his chin and cocked his head, searching her face with those bourbon eyes that connected with Mariah's undivided attention. Her posture had loosened, and when the wind gave a final hard sweep over her head, dismantling the fast work she'd done to right her unruly hair, she didn't fix it. Aaron finally felt like she was more receptive to seeing what was really in his heart, with the knowledge that most of it wouldn't be favorable to him. It would, though, be his truth. His uncensored feelings.

"I refused to swallow you up in my self-loathing and self-pity. I didn't know how to be the other man in the house, like my dad had always been. Like Zach had become. I'm not proud of how I carried myself. Everything in me wanted to be happy for you, but I was a little envious of you. Resented you, too. When what I should've concerned myself with was that you were losing one of the most precious and invaluable people in your life: your mom. Instead of being your rock, I was like a pendulum. You didn't know what you were gonna get from me. I want you to have total confidence in me again, but I understand that might not happen. You're wary of me." He sighed heavily. "Open the door so I can get these inside."

_We could've done this as a unit had we not been estranged_ , Mariah thought as she complied, and Aaron made purposeful strides into her home with the trays. When they were both in the kitchen, she retrieved two dishes and some utensils from her cabinet.

"Is that enough?" she asked him after she filled his plate with the meatloaf and stir-fry vegetables.

Aaron nodded with surprise that she was making him a plate of food.

Starting on her own plate, she said, "What's up? Cat got your tongue?"

"Some things don't require words now do they? And I didn't think you'd fix me a plate. Thought I'd be tossing and turning in my bed all night with the smell of your food swamping my senses."

Mariah allowed her lips to ease into a smile as she shuffled her feet just so she could avoid his gaze for one more moment. She felt a little anxious and nervous, but it was more pleasant than the nerves wracking her body when she'd been with her father. For ten whole minutes, he hadn't skirted through her thoughts.

"Your mommy didn't feed you?" Her tone was teasing as she covered the tray and raised her head. She thought it escaped Aaron's attention that she'd swayed her hips, but it hadn't.

He stared at her as he retrieved their plates. "Why would I need her to, when you're doing it?" he replied with a look of feigned naivety.

"Whoa, buddy! This is a one-shot deal. You can have your mommy's delicious cooking while you're under her roof."

Aaron gestured with his head toward the living room, and she understood that he was telling her to walk in there first.

As they sat across from each other at the table in the living room, Mariah didn't know what to make of his behavior. _Is he having dinner with me because he's starving and doesn't want to go to Lou's or the local pub?_ She'd heard from Carol that he and Wyatt had been at Joey's Pub late last night.

Aaron rubbed his chin, as if he was mulling over something. "What happened that I'm eating with you and not your dad?"

"He struck out."

A frown marred his face. "That's it?"

Mariah gulped down some water and tried for an indifferent gesture by squaring her shoulders, but she knew Aaron wouldn't fall for it.

"I'd gone over with the food. It was a brief visit, and now we're in my home, Inspector Wilkins."

"Mariah, it was important to you."

"It was. But things change, don't they?"

Aaron made a quick motion with his head and shot her a look. "If you were capricious, I'd just take it and leave it at that. You're dolled up; I can't think of a time you did that with me. It's clear that making a good impression on your dad is important. We can talk about the weather if you so desire, but you haven't beaten around the bush with me before—you've called me out on my shit. Don't deny that you'd like to dunk his head into this meatloaf if you wouldn't feel guilty about throwing money away like that."

Mariah's face grew brighter as she steadily lifted her eyes and confirmed his assessment with a hearty laugh. "Please tell me you had a better evening than I've had."

Feeling encouraged, Aaron nodded and began to eat after she did. Some minutes later, he said, "I spent most of the day with Mom at the park. But it got off to an interesting start when I picked her up at Lou's diner. She had lunch with Carol."

"You're surprised that your mom and Carol are friends?" Her statement came out as a question.

"Without seeing them together, I'd have a hard time wrapping my head around it." He paused, kicking up a brow. "If you utter what I'm about to tell you, I'll deny that I ever said it."

A grin tilted Mariah's lips as she made a motion with her hand that her lips were sealed.

"Mom looked about ten years younger when she was with Carol. If someone would've told me they were friends—"

"If you'd been around." She shook herself. "That was petty of me. I know that you're trying to take my mind off things."

"Don't be one of those women who watches her every word and moves around a prick like me. You're right."

Mariah let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, and she gave him a thoughtful glance. She swept her tongue over her lips, and Aaron's gaze dropped to her mouth.

"Carol and Rita were the kind of friends who spoke every few months, like my mom had with her." Her brows drew together when he didn't respond, and she found him staring at her mouth. "Aaron, have you heard anything I've said?"

"Absolutely."

"What did I say?"

"My mom and Carol are closer than ever."

Mariah's left cheek lifted into a smirk, and she felt her pulse race when a satisfied expression shaped his face. "You were staring at my lips."

Amusement brightened his eyes as he took another hefty bite of the savory meatloaf. "And you can't stand that I can do two things at once."

Taking a sip, she watched him over the rim of her cup. Then with an impish look about her, she said, "Just two?"

"Maybe you need a trip down memory lane to see how I am at doing more than two things?" The subtext of the question was without a doubt suggestive.

"I wouldn't want you to burn out," she shot back, mild laughter vibrating through her voice.

"Oh, I am just getting started."

They almost finished the entire meal she'd made as they talked about the recent trends in music and movies. They argued about which remakes of the classics were the best. And when Aaron readied himself to go home, he didn't know that he shared the same exact thought as Mariah: their dinner would've only been more perfect if it didn't have to end.

# Chapter 7

Mariah worked nonstop the following day as the gossip in town about her was finally dying down. She didn't get more than four hours of sleep last night or a cup of coffee that morning.

She entered her office for the second time that day as the sun was setting, and it was the first small moment she granted herself. Bloomfield Township Park was only a few blocks from the Culver Group building, and she released a dreamy sigh, remembering that Aaron took Rita there. A part of her knew that he was still in town because of her.

Both of Aaron's parents were still alive and in his life. Despite knowing that Aaron probably didn't have discord with his parents, Mariah thought that he was fortunate to have time to mend any issues. He could retire now, and it'd be enough for a future wife and children.

The image of him with another woman made her shudder, and a deep emotion she couldn't define as envy crept through her bones, causing a chill at the possibility of Aaron having children with someone else.

As Mariah gave in to her body and eased down on her chair, her office phone rang. Shaina told her that Caleb was on the line. _Bristol must have tracked him down_ , she thought, eagerly picking up the phone.

"Hey, sis," Caleb said in his soft and deep voice.

"Caleb," Mariah gushed, and tittered a moment later at the small groan that he made on the other end of the phone. "How are your classes going?"

"They're going good. I've been meaning to call you again, but I've taken up more hours at the insurance company so I'm knocked out cold when I get back to the dorm."

"Without speaking to me about it first? After your recent academic probation, I thought you were going to take it easy all around. You know, focus on your classes, being mindful of the company you keep. If you need more spending money—"

"I've only been to one party this semester, and I plan to go to only one more when this semester is over. I know you won't like this since technically I'm not allowed to have a drop of alcohol, but I'm not gonna start lying to you now: I've had a can of beer with Mark and some of the guys a handful of times. I haven't driven a car when I've had a beer. Most of the money you've transferred to my account is still there; you can't support me forever. I should get on that now 'cause some of my friends are having a real hard time with hearing the word no. After all you've done for Bristol and me, I refuse to do that to you or myself."

Mariah liked his honesty, and after a thoughtful silence said, "Everything I do for you two is because you're family. You both shouldn't want for anything. You and Bristol are conscientious, so I don't fear that you or she will turn into spoiled brats. If you fall behind again and you feel like it's insurmountable to get back on top of things, I'll be there."

"You would've talked me out of it, and I had to give my supervisor an answer that same night. I didn't want her to think I was indecisive or that I needed to consult with anyone else about it. For two months, I haven't had trouble keeping up with my job and school." He paused for a moment. "So I've missed some parties and lost some friends along the way. It's not that serious. Chill, okay?"

"Okay," Mariah reluctantly replied.

"If I know that I'm gonna crash and burn, I'll ask for my per diem hours back."

"I can live with that."

Caleb's chuckling rippled over the other end of the phone line. "How's Dad? I heard you had dinner with him."

"He's Dad. What else is there to say?" she said casually and changed the subject. "Have you met anyone since you've become so responsible and have more money to wine and dine?"

"Nah, Mariah. That worked too many times when I was an easily distractible kid. I'm putting the spotlight on you: you actually went all out and cooked the grumpy son of a bitch dinner. What'd he do now? Cancel on you at the last minute again?"

"We were home and—"

"Dad met you at _our_ home?"

Mariah shook her head as if he was in her office. "No. I meant that I decided to walk to _his_ house. We hadn't even started eating before all hell broke loose, so I returned home. I feel miserable when it comes to him."

She heard someone rap on her door. When she lifted her head, a fraction of Rianne's face showed as she pushed the door open and welcomed herself inside. Mariah gestured her friend to make herself comfortable, even though she knew Rianne was going to do that anyway.

"I've washed my hands of him, and I promise not to push you or Bristol to have a better relationship with him anymore," Mariah continued.

"What relationship? Bristol and I have been telling you to forget about him ever since I can remember. What did he do? Throw Roger in your face?"

Rianne mouthed, 'Who's that?' as she pulled out the sofa's footrest, sank down, and trained her eyes on Mariah's tense expression.

She scribbled _Caleb_ on her notepad, briefly held it up for Rianne, and replied on the phone, "Oh, he's done his share of that, but not yesterday. He's just an unhappy man, and I hate to say it, because I do believe people can change..."

"But he ain't never gonna change." Caleb supplied the words in a droll tone.

Mariah made a noise that echoed what he had said. Her eyes widened as she noticed that Rianne was suddenly sitting across from her desk.

"You can't possibly think that I'd go without hearing from you, do you?" Rianne shouted loudly enough for Caleb to hear her.

"She must've just gotten there, 'cause there's no way she could be quiet for this long," he answered.

A corner of Mariah's mouth quirked up. "She wouldn't be Rianne if she could zip it."

"Great! Now Caleb's razzing on me." Rianne's face formed into a slight moue. "Have you turned Bristol against me, too?"

Mariah shot her a mocking sympathetic look, then handed her the phone. "Here you go."

While Rianne caught up with her surrogate godchild, only bits and pieces of their conversation prickled Mariah's senses. It wasn't a surprise that Rianne had praised Caleb for doing well at his job and working full-time while being a college student. Mariah didn't know if she could've done that had she gone to college.

"And don't drop your briefs or boxers at the drop of a hat! Girls don't take fast-asses seriously, either. Respect yourself and you'll get a nice lady."

Mariah crossed her arms at Rianne. As soon as her best friend ended the call with Caleb, she teasingly said, "Slut shaming much?"

"The boy practically croaked. He couldn't get a real syllable out! Have you gone over the birds and the bees with him yet?"

Mariah bit her lip, and Rianne was the one to fold her arms this time around.

"Wyatt talked to him about it."

A look of alarm creased Rianne's face. "You're pulling my leg."

"Believe me, Rianne. Wyatt, of all people, wasn't my first choice to talk about the deed. But after I'd gone through it with Bristol, she and I couldn't look each other in the eye for over a week. Girls began calling the house after they couldn't get Caleb on his cell. And when he turned fifteen, you and Drake were visiting his parents a lot. I hadn't known when you guys would return. Caleb turned red every time a pretty girl spoke to him. Wyatt picked up on it, and told me he'd talk to him about sex."

"Just like that?"

Mariah sent her a pointed look. "That's how Wyatt is. He told me that he wouldn't pressure Caleb into having sex. That whether or not I'd had that conversation with him, Caleb probably had questions swimming in his head. And it made sense. Caleb and Wyatt weren't particularly close despite our families knowing each other for forever, and Caleb was mortified when I'd started with, 'When you meet that person...' Sex oftentimes doesn't have any other purpose but to satisfy baser urges, but he's not a Wyatt. I can't see him hooking up and not regretting it."

Rianne inclined her head. "And you wanted him to hear the various implications of sleeping with someone who has meaningless sex?"

"Yes. Even though I had my preferences for him, I didn't want Caleb to be ashamed of his sexuality in the same way I didn't want Bristol to be. I knew that his friends told him. I even overheard one of those friends joking that Caleb would be the forty-year-old virgin. He laughed about it with the rest of the guys, but for days he was closed in."

"You told me about it that same night. I had to reason with you to not call his friends' parents. To let Caleb handle it."

Mariah smiled tremulously. "When someone attacks my brother or sister, I take it personally." She raised her shoulders and then peered at her best friend's reproachful expression. "I've improved."

Gesturing in agreement, Rianne remarked, "I would think that Caleb would have soaked up some of Wyatt's confidence. He's handsome, just like Bristol. A good kid, too. He'll be dating eventually, whether he's ambushed into it or he initiates it. And if he's still going to those parties—"

"He's not partying all night and morning and missing his classes this semester. It's incredible that he made it to work last fall. Now he's a full-time enrollment specialist at the auto insurance company."

Rianne beamed. "I told you it was just a phase, and now he's whipped himself back into shape." A soft, content sigh escaped her mouth. "So, I heard that a certain somebody was in your home last night."

Mariah stopped her head from ducking as a flaming hot flush stole over her cheeks. Remembering how sweet Aaron was with her, her insides fluttered. He kept her company last night, when she was too proud to admit that she was hurt and confused because of her father's rejection.

Mariah's eyes flew up to the ceiling. "Knowing Carol, she told Rita last night, giving her the Etherege play-by-play of what she imagined took place." Then she tapped her chin. "Let me guess: Carol was the first customer at the bank this morning, and she requested you?"

Rianne answered with a lusty laugh. "I can't help it that Carol loves my excellent customer service and charm. I knew from the way Aaron was with you at the gym that he set his sights on you again. And he looked at Wyatt like he wanted to rip his head off." She jumped from the chair and settled on the edge of the desk, changing the subject. "What made you realize that your dad's heart is made of stone?"

Mariah swallowed thickly and returned her gaze to Rianne, who straightened her posture as a gentle expression flickered across her features. Most people saw the playful, loud, and confident side of Rianne, even at the bank. But she left her dominant traits in the backseat when she felt it was appropriate.

"He," Mariah breathed out shallowly, "fathered us because it was what my mother had wanted. And when she passed away, he stopped acting like a doting father. We're nothing to him because she's not alive. He had the nerve to accuse me of trying to fill Mom's shoes." She sounded depleted. "I'd begun to fix him up a plate. I've done it before, but it ticked him off last night." Holding her arms around herself as if she were outside, she said, "I knew that watching Mom's body break down from the breast cancer and chemo was a slow, painful death for Dad, too. Bristol and Caleb didn't really see her when she could barely open up her eyes, b-but Dad and I did. Heck, Rita did, too. She held up pretty strong, though. Maybe she did when she was with us. But, Rianne, my worst fear was that Dad would continue to go through the motions, as if there isn't more to life than his hardware store." She took a couple of breaths and cleared her throat. "What if he really never changes? Bristol and Caleb say they don't want anything from him, but they just don't want to be rejected again."

Rianne tilted her head to the side sympathetically.

"They have a clue," Mariah added, averting her gaze. "It took Dad to spell it out for me last night to finally see that we can want him to care about us, but we shouldn't have to do all of the heavy lifting."

When her friend didn't immediately respond, Mariah looked up to see that Rianne's expression had noticeably darkened.

"He's putting himself in an early grave."

Mariah blinked at that. It was a blunt and bold statement, but there wasn't a ring of coldness to it.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Rianne continued. "I know he's not a cold man. He's your dad, and you want to bring him back to life. To create new memories. And I know you want to really do it for Bristol and Caleb, but don't be a glutton for pain. He's been holding onto your mom and focusing on what the breast cancer has taken away from him, and not on the greatest accomplishments they both have: you, Bristol, and Caleb."

An almost imperceptible expression crept over her face for almost a moment before she eased down from the table and came over to Mariah, who then stood up and was drawn into a tight hug.

Rianne's expression was sympathetic . "Bristol and Caleb, as much as they love you, couldn't wait to get out from under your watchful eyes." Tilting her chin up, she slowly separated herself from the comfort of her friend's embrace as a muscle in Mariah's face twitched, shaping into an abashed smile. "And with them in school, you had more time to think about your dad. But he might have to be nearing his end so that he can wake up. Roger didn't seem to be anything like your dad, so you thought, 'He treats me fine. He's not like my dad. We're on the same trajectory.' Thank God Merrick did some digging and stepped in before you spent one more moment with him."

Mariah gave her a tremulous smile. "That's easy for you to say. You have Drake."

Shaking her head, Rianne replied, "And it looks like you've got Aaron. He came through yesterday, didn't he?"

Mariah made a fractional dip with her head and then she pulled her drawer out, retrieving her gym bag.

"Nuh-uh," her friend shook her finger, "we're not going to the gym."

Eyebrows furrowed in suspicion, Mariah asked, "What are you getting us into?"

"Nothing that's a danger to your health," Rianne replied in a light tone as she slid her arms into her tote. "We have a date with Drake. Fix up your flyaways and dab on a little more makeup. Merrick will be bringing him here very soon."

# Chapter 8

Aaron wasn't alone at Joey's pub as he had previously thought—he'd been with his old high school friends, Donovan and Michael, for most of the night. Based on the video conferences he'd had with Zachary, Wyatt, and the VYC staff throughout the day, it looked like Wyatt would be in New York more than a week.

"I'd answer that if I were you, before Lyla pops up in here," Michael cautioned as he cracked a smile.

Leaning his head against the wall, Donovan replied, "I'm eight minutes late, and she's already blowing up my phone." He huffed out a breath and darted his gaze over to Aaron. "I never go out. Always do what she says. She's gonna give me grief about hanging out."

"Not like you can hide from her," Michael quickly said.

"Lyla thinks my friends will give me the wrong ideas—like acting like a single man." Donovan motioned a waitress to refill his glass with beer. "She thinks everyone should be married. I don't want anyone else," he said, "but sometimes she reminds me of her mom. If Lyla wasn't my best friend and wasn't great in the sack, I really would've reconsidered marrying her."

Michael clucked his tongue. "You're full of shit. She was the only one willing to sleep with your ass when you were skin and bones. Skinnier than Aaron."

Aaron quirked his brow and flashed his teeth at Donovan, who made a dismissive gesture as the waitress refilled Michael's glass with beer and Aaron's glass with soda.

"Call her back and tell her when you'll really be home," Aaron suggested. "You know your boys run wild when you're not reinforcing what she's telling them to do."

Donovan grunted. "She'll just be mad."

"Have to cosign with Aaron on that, Don, if you want a chance of getting any in the near future. And I'm saying, like within weeks and not months down the line. Apologize profusely."

Donovan started to nod his head when his cell phone vibrated again, causing the table to shake. He excused himself and answered the call.

"I saw Patrice on my way here," Aaron told Michael. "She's a good look on you, man."

A sheepish smile ghosted Michael's lips. "Who would've thought the librarian and this orderly could have something? She could do better, but this has been the best ten months I've ever had. She's cool. Smart, and not ashamed of it. Not pretentious, either." He gave a small shrug. "She obliterates all my sexy librarian wet dreams," he added, nonplussed.

Aaron smirked at him.

"This one is gonna stick," Michael said.

"There must be a sudden buildup of wax in my ears." Aaron lifted the front of his gray shirt and shook it. "It _is_ pretty warm in here. I think I misheard you."

Michael glared at him. "Great! Now you're giving me shit about this, too."

Shaking his head, Aaron raised his glass to his friend.

"You're drinking soda."

"And you're drinking that tasteless thick-as-porridge beer," he replied, bringing his glass closer to Michael's.

He chuckled and clinked his glass against Aaron's.

"It's no secret that I don't know shit about relationships or how to have one. We go way back, so I'm gonna borrow advice that Zach gave me and I didn't take to heart. One: don't take Patrice for granted. Two: don't fuck up what you've got."

Michael gave a cool jerk of his head and drank from his glass of beer. He knew that Aaron was speaking from his own personal experience.

Donovan returned and glowered at them.

"In the doghouse?" Michael asked rhetorically.

"It didn't sound like I was," Donovan replied as he braced his hands on the chair. "She was calm. Too calm." He scratched the scruff on his face and widened his eyes for a split second. "Hate to cut tonight short, guys, but I have to see Lyla."

Aaron gestured in understanding and Michael rose from his chair, setting down some bills on the table.

"And I am heading to Patrice's," Michael said with a smack of his lips.

Aaron shook his head, and the waitress came to the table again, taking the empty glasses and plates. Five minutes later, his buddies were walking toward the door when he saw them pause as they shook hands with someone. Aaron recognized the dark head of brown hair and the friendly smile—Drake.

Drake propped his arm snugly around a voluptuous woman with auburn hair and a spirited laugh. It was definitely Rianne. Donovan and Michael were talking to someone else, but Drake and Rianne were blocking the person from his view.

During several minutes of conversation, Donovan's phone went off again. He accepted the call and began his departure. After Drake, Rianne, and their friend finished their chat with Michael, he gave Aaron a final wave as he slid out of the door.

Aaron came close to swallowing his tongue as his eyes latched onto Mariah.

Her blonde hair was tousled, with her stubborn frizzy strands sticking out a little. Her face looked like a mostly blank canvas with barely noticeable traces of color that accentuated her light emerald eyes and full, naturally pouty lips. Her long, slender neck was bared, as well as her small, sculpted shoulders. His gaze skimmed along her arms and the white tank top that clung to her like a second skin.

Unintentionally, Aaron licked his lips like Mariah had the night before, causing all the blood to travel to his groin. Something flashed in his blood, making him feel overheated. Despite the loose fit of Mariah's trousers, the shape of her compact legs were etched in his mind. Gratitude stirred deep in his chest. Instead of going to her house again, calling her office like he did today, and being told that he could leave a message, he had her in very close proximity.

With desire barreling through his veins like someone elbowing him in the gut, Aaron advanced toward the trio. Drake flashed him a grin while the muscles in Rianne's face grew taut, her mouth pursed into a thin line.

Drake grinned at him. "Hey, Aaron."

Aaron matched his smile and said, "Been meaning to drop by the bank and talk to you about my accounts."

Drake gave a short nod and flicked his gaze to Rianne and Mariah briefly. "Give me a call when you want to make an appointment. I'll keep the bank open later; I know that VYC closes later than most places around here."

Aaron's expression was grateful as he regarded the women. One corner of his mouth twitched upward, his eyes blazing on Mariah so intently that she tilted her head to the side, skimming her fingers over her ears.

"Ladies."

Rianne's features softened, and Mariah met his gaze. "We're gonna play some pool."

Aaron shot Rianne a glance before a shadow of a smirk crossed over his mouth. He slid closer to Mariah, and in a casual tone said, "I could play a few games of pool."

Drake and Rianne had finished their game, and it was Mariah and Aaron's turn to play. Mariah was bent over the table, aiming for the white ball with strong, effortless finesse and causing almost all the balls to slide into the pockets.

With one bright blue ball remaining at an odd angle in the corner, she readied herself and flicked her gaze to Drake and Rianne, whose smooching noises were beginning to distract her. It was enough that she could literally feel Aaron's eyes on her. And even though it made her feel like she didn't have full control of her thoughts or feelings, she liked it. She had secretly begun to worry that Aaron really wanted to make amends—platonically.

As Drake and Rianne quieted down, Aaron flicked his eyes at Mariah's face as she concentrated and smoothly shot the remaining ball into the pocket.

Being with Aaron and two of her dearest friends made Mariah feel giddy and like every other female in Bloomfield Township, not just the employer of about half of the town's population. She didn't feel like a seventeen-year-old; the happiness she felt brewing inside of her was more intense.

A pleased grin touched Aaron's lips when he sauntered over to Mariah. Her cheeks flushed.

Two games later, Mariah returned his smiles and finally accepted a rum and Coke from him, he was hesitant to hope.

Mariah's breath hitched in her throat. A wave of pleasure crested from her nipples down to the flesh between her thighs as she eyed Aaron planting his right foot forward and slightly bending his knees while he aimed for his first shot. She felt a little guilty for looking at the tight muscles in his lower back when he aligned the stick against the white ball. Mariah found herself staring at his dark blue denim-encased derriere, and her eyes glittered.

Rianne leaned her head against Mariah's and softly said, "Just grab it. His ass looks tight."

Mariah grinned at her. "Feast those hungry eyes on Drake's ass. Not Aaron's," she replied in a good-natured voice.

"Sassy," Rianne said lightly while Drake draped his arms around both women's shoulders.

"Think he'll make it?" Drake asked them as Aaron prodded the cue ball with the stick. The others were close to the openings, but he'd missed every ball except for one.

Ever since the four of them played the game in high school, Aaron was always the worst pool player.

All Mariah did was bob her head and turn her body away from them with a small sigh. She told herself that venom coursed through Aaron's blood, but her feelings warred with her thoughts. Aaron wasn't toying with her heart or sending her mixed signals. She felt like she was a bad person for thinking about him so much when she'd just ended a two-year relationship.

"Yikes!" she heard Rianne say at the same moment the sound of a ball thudded into the floor.

"I'd say the beer or liquor has gotten to him, but I haven't seen him have a drink," Drake remarked with a chuckle. "How has he gotten worse since back in the day? The billiard balls never ended up bouncing off the table!"

Mariah quirked her brow up slightly. "You were playing like that yourself at one time." She firmed her chin. "He just needs some warming up, and then he'll show you."

Drake's features drew into a smirk as Rianne nodded infinitesimally, but Mariah noticed it. "At this rate," he said in a skeptical tone as he shot Aaron an impassive glance from the corner of his eyes, "I think it'll take tonight and all morning for him to warm up. Gotta hand it to him: he was never a sore loser. He always kept on till we were kicked out."

Aaron felt like Mariah was slipping away from him with each passing second. The instant that she gazed at him, however, he became hopeful again.

As Mariah yanked that gaze from him, he positioned himself to make his final shot. He saw the challenge in the calculated gleam in Rianne's stare before she said, "If you lose, you're buying everyone in here a round of drinks and an order of the hottest wings on the menu." Her command was received with loud cheers and inarticulate noises.

Inwardly laughing, Aaron watched Drake's and Mariah's eyes grow wide. Without looking at Rianne, he replied, "Oh, I'll do that whether I win or choke on this shot. But what I really want isn't on this menu."

Cracking his neck to one side, he leisurely slid his gaze all over Mariah's face.

"And what would that be?" Rianne shot back, the corner of her mouth curled up, and Drake motioned his head at her reproachfully.

"To have Mariah all to myself come Saturday night. If you sanction it, of course," Aaron said with a touch of sarcasm as he shot the cue ball, which rolled all the remaining balls into the pockets.

The question in the glint of his bourbon eyes made Mariah squirm. A knot formed at her throat because she liked being with him too much.

Rianne pinned her with a look that she could sense despite her gaze being solely on Aaron. She had been connected with Rianne in that way since they were young girls. They could have a conversation without saying much; it was how they'd learned to communicate with each other.

Mariah took in a deep breath as she glanced at Drake and Rianne, letting them know that she wanted to talk to Aaron for a little bit.

Besides going to the gym Monday night after her engagement party debacle, tonight was the first time she was out in town, where people could have a glimpse into her private affairs. So when Drake made a sound in his throat, she remembered that Joey's had more customers tonight than it had other nights, and while most of the patrons were acting like they were busy doing other things—mainly watching television and talking—the abrupt decrease in collective volume betrayed the truth.

Putting on a brave face, she nonchalantly responded, "I'll consider it once I've got Joey's wings to soak up the rum and Coke in my system." When she flicked her eyes to the side, she found Rianne was now beside her. Drake was talking to some people, and it looked like it had something to do with banking, as he wore his inscrutable mien. She ran her hands over her stomach as she heard Aaron ordering specific drinks and wings for everyone.

With a gentle nudge to Mariah's shoulders, Rianne said, "I'll talk people up while you have a bite with Aaron." She paused and blew out a breath. "Miraculously, he got those shots in. He wants to win us over real bad."

Mariah sauntered over to him while Rianne started to participate in Drake's conversation with a growing crowd. When she reached Aaron, she noted how his eyes flashed to hers even as he handed drinks and baskets of wings to others. Without saying anything, she reached out to serve some of the baskets, but Aaron swooped them from her easily and directed her to have a seat with the expression he wore. Complying, she watched him serving the same people who were guaranteed to gossip about them as soon as they turned their backs.

Her heart skipped a beat as she recalled how Aaron worked tirelessly in Lou's Diner during high school. When she had time, she came in and had a second meal just to see him and catch him during his break. Then her online business began to really boom, so missing the opportunity was inconceivable to her. Her mother had already been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, and her income alleviated the burden of mounting medical bills, which enabled her father to spend as much time with her mother as he could. At the same time, the support she received from Aaron and her other friends was what really helped her cope with her dying mother. _Every moment people lived, they were also dying. It's a matter of how passively or actively they do it_ , her mother had said.

She quirked a crooked smile as she inhaled the smell of the fried hot wings Aaron placed in front of her. A beat later, she peered at him and felt a foreign tickle in her chest. It was more gratifying than the flood of emotions that caused the muscles in her belly to knot before it dropped.

"Dig in," Aaron encouraged as his dimples deepened, and for a moment she wasn't sure what she desired to do more: lick the curve of his dimples or take a healthy bite of her meaty wings. Doing both in any order was suitable to her at that point. She fought the urge to lean over the table and grasp the sides of his face so she could have him closer to her, with no physical barrier between them.

Aaron ate only after she took her first few bites and was clearly content. When she took a sip of her soda, she realized that she'd almost glided her hand over his. His gaze lingered on her hand for a moment, and he shook off his preoccupation with it and asked, "What time should I pick you up tomorrow night?"

A deep frown crept over her features that looked so severe it zoned out the background noise, and her voice amplified in his ears. Aaron felt like it was only the two of them in the small, cramped tavern, but her reaction didn't surprise him.

"I didn't say yes."

"And you didn't say no. We can make a day of it, then."

She hated the way his eyes drew her gaze and made her heart pound wildly. She didn't want to miss out on being with him again, but she also didn't want to develop high expectations of him—of them—like she had as a naïve young woman. Was she making him out to be a man who had a tender part to him, like she had with her father?

Her brows quirked upward. "So you think you've made up the rules since you got those balls into those slots?"

Aaron covered his hand over hers, but she didn't pull away. "Mariah, this is me. I'm not playing mind games—"

"How can I really take you seriously?" She breathed loudly through her nostrils as trepidation skittered up her spine, and a guarded look quickly took the place of her uncertain expression.

Aaron wanted to be the man who would swallow up all of her fears and make her believe in second chances, but the thought had crossed his mind that there was an expiration date on those sort of things.

"I want to be the kind of man who can put a smile on your beautiful face again, whom you can rely on. I haven't given you any reason to take me seriously, and now I'm asking you to take a leap of faith. Not just me for me... for you, too." He slid his thumb over her wrist, and her shoulders sagged. "I can feel your pulse race against the pad of my thumb. I'm feeling that, too, whatever you want to call it. I feel it constantly when I'm with you."

"Well..." Mariah said in an easy voice, but her eyes scurried away from his because she didn't want to betray how much his words meant to her; how much she'd wished his words were true. "If there's anything I've learned in my thirty-one years on this Earth, it's that I can't trust what I feel. I need to behave with my head and set a good example for Bristol and Caleb." Her spine stiffened as his hold over her hand loosened, but she didn't let the disappointment show. He was giving up, which was what she needed him to do. It would make their lives easier and save them time.

"I won't hurt you again," Aaron stated in a controlled voice. "I'd hurt myself before ever hurting you again."

Aaron searched Mariah's eyes and saw nothing but a dull, blank look.

"Just what I need! You making promises."

When Aaron tilted his head, Drake and Rianne approached them with deep frowns on their faces. He looked bad. The situation looked bad. If he were Drake, he'd assume that he'd said something to upset Mariah.

"Everything all right here?" Drake asked. He seemed like he was trying to be neutral.

Rianne inched closer and settled her hand on her friend's upper back soothingly.

Mariah offered a half smile. "I was just being an emotional mess." She eased from the chair, and Aaron hauled himself up and reached for her, draping his hand on her arm. When Drake and Rianne exchanged glances, she added, "I have to quickly tell him something before we go."

"We'll give you a minute," Drake said, and he walked away with Rianne.

Mariah slowly drew her arm out of the grasp. "Aaron," her breath came out in ragged gasps, "you've been great these past few days. I've thought about how it would be to go on a date with you, give you a clean slate. Or us, as you'd say. But I can't."

Determination constricted every muscle in Aaron's body, causing him to scowl. "I refuse to accept that this is it."

As Mariah's eyes trailed over him before she departed, there was only one way he could define it: a lover's last caress. And his heart ached.

# Chapter 9

Early Sunday morning, Rita was collecting some vegetables in the supermarket when she heard her name from a distance. Or she thought she had, until she saw a tall man wearing a baseball cap eyeing her questioningly. He could've easily been mistaken for one of her sons given his broad, athletic build. But as he took off his cap, the similarities stopped there. He had sharp cheekbones, an olive complexion she knew was natural, and a cute cleft at the end of his nose that made his handsomeness unique. Unlike her son, Wyatt, this man didn't carry a proud badge of his good looks like a weapon.

When she lowered her gaze, she grinned amiably and said, "Hello, Annabelle."

It looked like the child had regained some of her exuberance. "Hi, Miss Rita. I said your name, and Dad told me I was being disruptive." She contentedly crept over to Rita, making her father send her a look of disapproval. Ducking her head, Annabelle returned to his side.

As a parent, Rita hadn't allowed her children to approach people without her consent, so she completely understood the father's wariness. Danger lurked in places big and small. There was no such thing as a "safe" neighborhood, just safer neighborhoods. She never kept her house unlocked even though Bloomfield Township had one of the lowest crime rates in Ohio.

"I'm Rita Wilkins, and my friend, Carol, and I met Annabelle this week. You have a fine daughter. She's a Barbara Walters in the making."

While happiness was broadcasted all over Annabelle's face, her father's expression was indecipherable. "I'm Evan Franks, Annabelle's father. She told me that she talked to you and... Miss Carol. Usually Paulina knows better than to have my child talking to complete strangers, but she..."

His eyes flashed to Annabelle with warmth and love, the first tender emotion Rita picked up from him. She concluded that he kept what he loved close to the chest and locked away any tender feelings he had.

"Is talented at wrapping people around her finger. I am thankful that you answered her questions about your daughter—"

"She's Aimee's mom, Daddy! Aimee, the supermodel."

"Before she pranced around the world scantily clad, she was a daughter to her parents just as you're my daughter."

Rita's mouth hardened. "Do you have something against my Aimee?" She didn't bother disguising her steel-and-ice tone.

"I have nothing against your daughter, or my bosses' sister," he responded plainly, "but I teach Annabelle to be her own role model. Not admire other people."

She really wanted to give him a piece of her mind, but Annabelle was with them, and she knew that he wouldn't let her leave his side. She'd been the same way when her children were out in public. "I wouldn't want Annabelle to be anyone else but herself." Pausing, she regarded the girl mutely before she continued. "There's nothing wrong with celebrating one's physical attributes. As I am sure you're aware, there aren't enough models like my Aimee out there being recognized."

He inclined his head to Rita respectfully. "While I am sure you have a valid point, there's more to people than how they look."

"Daddy!"

"Shhh, Annabelle. Grown-ups are talking."

"Yes, Daddy," Annabelle replied morosely.

Putting her chin up, Rita said, "There is certainly more to Aimee than her beauty. She's been a volunteer in the community for years, and in her spare time, she takes photographs. Professional-quality photographs, but that little tidbit isn't discussed in the media. Why should she be behind the camera instead in front of it? It isn't often that the best designers put women like Aimee in racy attire. Make no mistake, however, that my baby is beautiful and has talent, wit, and morals. She's a person who can be admired and appreciated. But no, I'm not saying that anyone has to be like her because no one's like her."

"I wasn't putting Aimee down."

"You were putting down my daughter, but you won't do it again. As I'd taught my pupils, you shouldn't put people in a box. Do you know what that means, Annabelle?"

Annabelle looked up at her father for permission to answer, and he waved, granting it. "It's a figurative way of saying that you shouldn't judge people. Like think of them in just one way. There could be more to them than meets the eye."

"I can't think of a more solid definition. Can you, Evan?"

He tilted his head forward in agreement. "Annabelle, did you know that Aimee likes to take photographs? You talk about her often, but I've never heard you once mention it."

The girl shook her head. "Silly goose! I have. You just don't remember. She works hard on animal abuse campaigns, and she's going to run a major anti-bullying campaign. She was bullied for being chubby when she was my age." She edged closer to Rita again and then propped her hands on her hips. "He thinks I'm so shallow. That anyone with a sparkling smile and real nice clothes is going to impress me." She shifted her gaze back to her father, who looked at both of them impassively. "Daddy."

She sighed dramatically, and Rita bit the inside of her cheeks to prevent herself from smirking. It was something that Aimee would've said at that age.

"You're instilling good values in me, but I'm eight. I notice things."

Evan's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What things?"

Annabelle ran her hand over her forehead and shot Rita a "see what I go through" look. She gave in and laughed as she gazed at the girl.

When Rita composed herself some seconds afterward, Annabelle eagerly asked, "Why aren't you with Miss Carol?"

"Because she's with another friend of hers."

"And they didn't include you?" she asked with a frown.

"Annabelle, it's not your place to ask what grown folks are up to," Evan told her delicately.

She nodded. "Is Miss Carol doing good?" she corrected herself.

"She is well," Rita answered warmly. "I'll tell her you said hello. Would you like that?"

"Yes, Miss Rita, because I like her, too. I'd like to talk to you and her. And not only about Aimee."

"Your dad would want to have a word with Miss Carol and me first," Rita explained with a swift smile. "He needs to learn more about us before that can happen. I doubt he allows you to be around just anyone."

Annabelle made a face that confirmed the words of Rita, who saw a reluctant grin tip the corner of his face. She didn't think she'd ever see the skeptical man break out of his stoic demeanor. But he evidently cherished Annabelle, and as stringent as he was with her, she had a gut feeling that she and Carol would have a chat over tea with Annabelle. But she didn't think it would be for a while.

When she noticed Annabelle and Evan cast their gazes as if they saw someone they knew, she pivoted around to see Mariah sauntering over to them, smiling.

"Hi, Rita." Mariah gave her a quick hug. Then she looked at Annabelle and Evan. "I'm Mariah. How's your Sunday turning out?"

"Just fine," Evan answered. "I'm Evan, and this is my daughter, Annabelle."

Annabelle confidently stepped forward and proffered her hand to Mariah. As soon as she started to reciprocate, the girl gave her a firm, strong handshake. "Daddy says that I have to shake people's hands like I mean it. Even if I get their sweat on me, he says I am not supposed to wipe it off."

Mariah grinned. "I have to follow the same rules. And you've made a memorable first impression."

"So have you," Annabelle remarked. Evan shook his head at her, but she didn't appear to be aware of his reaction. "It's not every day I see one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in the world. A boy in my class did his report on you. I think you're cool like Aimee is."

"I think Aimee's cool, too. I've known her all of her life."

Annabelle's brown eyes glinted with interest, and Evan set his hand on her arm, obviously trying to curb her enthusiasm. "We don't get out much, or else we would've met you by now," Evan said as he tilted his head toward Rita. "But as we get out more, Annabelle and I look forward to talking to you and Rita again." His tone was polite.

Rita and Mariah watched them fade into the crowd.

"She's great," Mariah commented. "I could see her making a lot of friends with some of the kids in town, but he doesn't strike me as the kind of dad that would go for playdates."

Rita motioned with her head. "He works for Zachary and Aaron at the VYC footwear division here in town. I knew he wasn't the social type, but his precious daughter is. I think it's safe to say that she's Aimee's biggest fan... except for me, of course. Carol and I met her last week, and she knew information on Aimee that I'd forgotten. Unless Annabelle sees Aimee in the street," her expression was regretful, "she won't get to see what Aimee's really about. Plus, Evan doesn't think much of my daughter, because she struts in racy outfits."

Mariah's eyes widened. "He actually said that?"

Rita gave a firm nod. "But I schooled him. He won't talk about my baby like that when we see each other again. It's only a matter of time. Annabelle did disagree with him, but she didn't like going against him, you know? He's her dad."

"He's afraid that she'll end up like a former teen star gone wild," Mariah replied. "Annabelle also has a lot of opinions." Her eyes flashed to Rita. "And I've only known her for mere minutes." After a beat, she said, "I'd put a lid on it if I were Evan. Because if he said that about Aimee, and one of the boys heard it..." She gave herself a little shake.

Rita grimaced, aware that Mariah was right. "Even Logan would lose his cool."

A smile lifted the corners of Mariah's mouth, and she changed the subject. "Despite having to be schooled, I like that Evan is raising Annabelle here. This year, more people have made Bloomfield Township their home."

"Not just their vacation spots," Rita agreed as she took a peek at Mariah's basket and noticed only one item in it. "You must have more shopping to do. I don't want to hold you up."

Mariah waved her hand. "You're not. I'm not in a rush; I was actually looking at the snacks Bristol and Caleb used to beg me to get them."

"Sugary? Empty-calorie snacks?"

Mariah bobbed her head and let out a barely audible sigh. She knew it sounded corny, but she felt incomplete without them, which was probably why they'd been brimming with elation the day they left for college. She was just happy that they attended the same school even though she knew they had their own lives. "I've decided to start early on dinner. I cook up a storm when I'm hungry."

"Ken and I don't know how to cook small, as you already know," Rita casually said, "and we would be delighted if you'd have dinner with us." With a wide smile, she started for the bread and pasta aisle.

Mariah walked alongside her, and it looked like they'd come to the supermarket together in the first place.

"Aaron will also be there."

Tremulously, Mariah released a puff of warm air and her chest began to feel like it was sinking. She knew that Rita was going to mention Aaron, but she didn't want to complain about him like she did with Drake and Rianne for most of the weekend. They were her friends, and she was Aaron's mother.

"You may want nothing to do with my son..." Rita said, making her way to another aisle and stocking up on other items as if she was going to have dinner with all of her children.

Mariah grimaced, averting her eyes. "It does look harsh, I admit that. I don't have any bad feelings toward Aaron anymore, but—"

"But he was a jerk and thinks that now that he's ready to talk, you should play ball."

"And he acts like we can just pick up where we left off. It doesn't work that way." A second later, Mariah glided her knuckles across one side of her face, wishing she'd remained silent. "Talking about Aaron isn't a bright idea. He's your son."

"Aaron is my son, and he's made a big mess. Even though my kids have their virtues, I haven't deceived myself into believing that they're flawless." Her expression instantly became sanguine as she gave one last smile. "Our home has more life to it when the people we cherish are with us. I pray that Bristol and Caleb realize their dreams. You're all welcome anytime."

"When Dad said he had to have his people—Mom, Zach, Wyatt, Logan, me—call your people, I didn't think that he was for real, Aimee."

From his computer screen, Aaron watched his only sister peering at him with her crystal blue eyes and the trademark Wilkins half smile against the backdrop of alluring hues of orange and red in the sky. Her room had spacious windows that emphasized the natural beauty and serenity of her surroundings.

He couldn't really blame her for soaking up as much as she could of Brazil while she was there. He'd gone to Brasilia with Zachary once, as part of their worldwide distribution initiatives when their investments paid off substantially, and to this day they still had good relationships with many companies who partnered with them to place VYC's products in many parts of Brazil.

"It's been super crazy," Aimee replied as she gathered her blonde hair away from her face and into a knot. He couldn't deny that she seemed to be having the time of her life. "I called the house yesterday—two times—and missed Dad. But I got a hold of Mom, and she sounded the same."

He nodded. "She's going through the empty nest syndrome even though I'm here. She hasn't stopped saying how much you amaze her."

Aimee rolled her eyes. "Sounds like a bunch of baloney to me."

"During breakfast this morning, she told me that she doesn't know where you've gotten your confidence and identity from. But she thanks God that you believe in yourself."

Her pleasant expression began to marginally slip. "So she didn't mention that she wants me to drop four dress sizes?" she asked with a perfectly arched brow.

"It came up once... when I arrived. But since then, she met a fan of yours. I think she's beginning to have a different perspective." He didn't know if the curiosity that flickered across her face was about how their mother really felt about her now, about her special fan, or a combination of both. "How long have you been in Brazil? It's about time you stopped posting your itinerary on your fan page."

"Yep. I've only been posting information about our public appearances that's on my agency's website. I haven't had any fans miraculously pop up at my hotel door or at my shoots or through the security detail you arranged for me. Thanks for getting me a new security team, by the way." She turned her head toward the romantic view behind her.

"Anytime," Aaron assured her, knowing full well that his sister was thrilled—and yet overwhelmed—by how much her life had changed in less than a year, when she'd decided to defer her enrollment to college and signed a one-year modeling contract. Aimee's decision had resulted in many arguments between most members of the Wilkins clan. Ultimately, however, everyone had to come to terms with her being an adult and choosing her own path. He knew that she thought long and hard before putting her formal education on hold.

She was never too proud to ask for guidance or assistance from any of her brothers. Despite Zachary being adopted by her parents before she was even born, he didn't identify himself as her brother even though she thought of him as such.

"Aaron, you'd love Marajó," Aimee said, sounding mesmerized. "I've been here for two days. I've made friends with the most beautiful boa constrictor I've ever seen. They even got a hot shot of me with a water buffalo a few feet away from me." She shook her head as the dark flecks in her azure eyes glinted. "Someone could've created that image... but, Aaron, actually petting it was the best part. I thought I'd be too chicken shit to do it, but I went for it!"

"I don't know what you or your agency was thinking," Aaron replied, his eyebrows furrowed in displeasure. "There's something called Photoshop, and they could've added that snake and water buffalo in your photos. They're not pets."

"That's why I won't tell Mom or Dad about it, they'll freak. And if it lessens your anxiety, we had zoologists with us the entire time."

"Don't think Zach, Wyatt, and Logan won't give you grief about it," he said cautiously.

"But you've always been aligned with me, even when I was wrong. So you're not really gonna get on my case about this, are you?" she asked knowingly.

"Just don't let that risk-taking streak cloud your common sense."

Aimee obediently bobbed her head to make him think that she'd play it safe from now on. "We never went outside of the US when we were little." She lowered her voice as if she were with him in his old bedroom right now and didn't want anyone to overhear. "I mean, we went on trips, but..."

"It's hard to put to words what it's like to be in other parts of the world," he voiced her thoughts with a gentle smile. "I had that rush that you now have. Zach did, too. We did some reckless things—"

Aimee's face lit up. "Do tell!"

Aaron acted like he didn't hear her request. "And I also felt bad for enjoying them so much. But comparing your travels to our childhood camping trips will put you in a lose-lose situation because you'll ruin this whirlwind ride that you're on."

A frown crinkled his forehead as Aimee fell silent, and then all he saw was the bright sun dancing against the rooftops of the other colonial, Italian-style houses.

"You still there?" he called out.

"Aaron," Aimee said a short while later, "we're doing things ahead of schedule, so my makeup and hair has to be done now."

"I'll think of this as payback for the countless times I've had to cancel our video chats."

Aaron flashed a smile as he minimized the window on his screen and was about to turn the camera from his laptop off when he heard Aimee say, "I heard everything you said. Especially when I'm missing everyone like mad." She pointedly looked at him. "When I get back home, you better be there. With Mariah."

And the window on his laptop went black.

# Chapter 10

After not only hearing how Aimee was but seeing how well she was doing thousands of miles away, Aaron felt great as he went into the kitchen for dinner later that evening. He called Mariah, and even parked outside of her house for most of yesterday, until Carol approached him and suggested he let Mariah come to him. He had to hand it to Carol.

It'd only been a few days since Mariah told him that she couldn't give them another try, but he wanted to let her know that he would be present in her life so that she'd see how determined he was. He recognized Rianne's car in the driveway yesterday and knew that Mariah was with her and probably Drake, too.

When he looked at his mother, he noticed that she seemed to have an extra pep in her step as he started toward her by the island.

"Dad home?"

"In any minute he'll be in." The side of Rita's face quirked up. "I stopped by Mr. Bancrofts's house when I returned from the market, and your dad got paint all on me when he took it upon himself to kiss me. We weren't alone, mind you. I thought that he'd wait till he was back here for all that."

"And it's not like poor Mr. Walker and his tenants haven't been victims to Dad feeling you up before you and him walked into the house."

His mother waved her hand at him and pursed her lips.

The sound of the door being unlocked made them pivot around. Kenneth entered with a bucket of paint in one hand and his toolbox on top of it. Dry paint covered him, save for his face and hands. He placed the bucket and toolbox by the wall. Afterward, he gave Aaron a nod and stalked over to his wife, who threw her arms around his waist. In turn, he gripped her hips with his hands.

"You've been a bad, bad boy," Aaron heard his mother say. When he started toward the open door—pretending he hadn't heard her—his gaze fell on Mariah, a bag held in her hands, traipsing toward his parents' house. He strode toward her, taking the bag from her.

A tremulous expression crept over her face. "Thanks."

He inclined a shoulder to her, and he paused so that she could enter first. When she was inside, Aaron closed the door and found that his father was not in the kitchen anymore.

"You didn't have to bring anything, dear," Rita said, holding onto Mariah's hands as Aaron opened up the bag and placed the bottle of wine in the fridge.

"Pinot blanc is your favorite," Mariah replied with a thread of nostalgia in her voice. "I used to watch you and Mom kick up your feet in the backyard and enjoy it."

"It was her favorite, too." Rita pulled her hands away. "And I'll relish one of the fondest memories of friendship when I drink it. Sit anywhere you'd like. Kenny's getting a quick shower; he'll be down really soon. I think he'll be impressed that I've gotten you to come over this evening."

A hot flush stole over Mariah's cheeks as she took the spot that she always had when she ate there in the past.

"You and Ken have an incredible way of making me feel at home when I am here," Mariah remarked as Aaron placed a glass of water in front of her.

"This is your second home," he told her. "Mom and Dad are just smarter than me, and they let you know whenever they can."

Rita couldn't agree with her son more, and so she nodded. "Anything you'd like, dear? I know you're a rum and Coke girl. And you like screwdrivers."

"I'll mix it just how you like," Aaron offered.

"No, thank you." Mariah held up her glass. "I'll stick with this glass of ice-cold water for now." Lifting __ her gaze from the glass she settled on the table, she saw Aaron staring at her. He looked like he'd just gotten out of the shower with his damp-looking brown hair. Suddenly, the wrap she was wearing over her shoulders made her feel overdressed.

"Who do we have here?"

Mariah whipped her head around and saw Kenneth heartily laughing as he spritely sauntered toward her. She rose from her chair, but he gestured her to sit back down. As she complied, he patted her on the shoulder. "You look great, kiddo."

Mariah's lips slid into a grin. He was the only man who could call her _kiddo_. It took her back to a different moment in her life, when everything was black and white.

With bated breath, she wondered when Aaron's feelings for her would shift from friendship to one that included passion. A warm buzz traveled through her body, making her insides coil in delight from Aaron's unabashed gaze. His expression smoldered, and she found herself admitting, "Drake and Rianne thought it'd be good for me to come here. They know that I have many fond memories in your home."

Approval and pride bled into Kenneth's features. "Drake and Rianne have been great kids. From what I've seen, they've stood by their friends. Bristol and Caleb should also stop by when they're back home."

"I'm to blame for them not coming by this past year." Mariah looked chagrinned. "They thought it would be... wrong to come by when I'd gotten so serious with my ex, and I didn't told them differently."

"Oh, dear," Rita said with a shake of her head as she placed the last dish on the table in record time. "We expected you to want to make a life with someone. But that man, who shall not be named, wasn't that person. Not from how irascible he'd been."

Aaron's expression grew dark. "Did he... hurt you?"

"Drake and Merrick intervened, so no."

"Before we have dinner, I need you to answer me truthfully," Rita said in a deceptively calm tone. "Are you and that man done with?"

"I wouldn't go back to him if he came crawling," Mariah replied vehemently.

"You'll tell us if he gets out of hand?" Aaron asked.

"I'd get Merrick on it, and the—"

"Don't keep us in the dark about matters like this," Kenneth said. "I don't know what occurred last Sunday for the engagement to be called off, but it must've been something serious. Merrick hasn't told me, and unless he hasn't been transparent about it, he felt like your ex was always up to no good."

Mariah felt a hand on the back of her neck, and when she looked up, Rita said, "I don't know about you, but this is turning into an interrogation." She shot the men a glare. "And if you don't come here for say, another two years, I'll know the two culprits. I don't think they can handle my form of retribution."

"They're looking out for me and that means a lot to me, but I can fight my own battles."

Mariah felt like Aaron was an inch away from her instead of across from her at the table.

"How much more do you have to go with Mr. Bancroft's house?" Rita asked. A slow smile started at one corner of her mouth and spread to the other as everyone began to serve themselves, and she inhaled her food appreciatively.

"I would've been done today, but one of his tenants hadn't cleared his room so I'm going in first thing tomorrow morning."

"Dad, it's great that you're doing this for Mr. Walker. After you're done with it, maybe you could slow down a little? You're retired."

"Try telling half the town that," Aaron's mother said warmly. "He's one of our handymen, plumbers, and whatever anyone else needs him to do. He'll do whatever he can to get something built or repaired."

Kenneth reached his hand out and stroked the side of his wife's face. When Rita saw moisture brimming at Mariah's eyelids, she quickly lowered her head and took a big bite of her chicken-and-cabbage sandwich. Aaron also eyed Mariah's reaction to his parents, but he acted like he'd missed it.

"When Bristol and Caleb couldn't fix something around the house, you were the first person I called," Mariah said as she began to recover from the brief moroseness that washed over her. She admired that Kenneth wasn't afraid to show how his wife's opinion affected him. She couldn't say that her father had been the same exact way with her mother, but she knew that he had been equally devoted to her.

"And you can still give me a ring when something needs fixed, because we all know houses have a mind of their own. It seems like out of nowhere something is banged up or damaged."

The smile that Mariah gave him brightened her eyes. Kenneth and Rita knew that Mariah didn't have much of a relationship with her father to speak of, so they did whatever they could to make her understand that she was family to them, even when she dated other men. They were relieved that she hadn't ruled out the possibility of having a more fulfilling personal life.

"All right, Kenny. But no more discounts on your labor since you're accommodating his tenants. Mr. Bancroft notified them weeks ago about this."

Bestowing her a grin, Kenneth canted his head at his wife.

"How does Aimee look?" Rita asked Aaron.

"You mean how is Aimee?" he corrected her, and Mariah observed that Kenneth settled back in his chair and crossed his arms. She was aware that Rita had focused on Aimee's weight ever since she could remember. She didn't personally like it, but she never commented on it. And she had no plans on doing so in the near future. Rita sometimes needed to reevaluate her view of what was attractive and the beliefs she internalized about her own figure.

"It's bad," Rita said, a frown creasing her forehead, "that I want to know how her shoots are and if she's been indulging in the cuisine over there. But of course I care more about her well-being than anything else."

Aaron cleared his throat and gave his mother an uncertain smile. "I think Marajó is her second home away from us. She's soaking up the sights, learning some Portuguese, and will leave for Rio de Janeiro tonight. The view I saw from her window is beautiful."

"Aimee wants to see as much of the world as she can," Rita remarked.

"And she knows that this could be a once in a lifetime journey," he added. He shifted his gaze from Mariah to his mother as he said, "Aimee wanted to see how you're _looking_ , Dad."

Aaron quirked one corner of his chiseled face, and he could've sworn that the tip of Mariah's tongue peeked out of her mouth. It was admirable that he continued to speak without showing the stirrings of desire that had his erection straining painfully against his pants. He wanted to reach under the table and pull at the crotch of his pants to stretch it out a little, but that was impossible—everyone would notice. And if he excused himself, he'd broadcast his excitement.

He added, "She would've gotten me to get Mom to come and get you, but she and I haven't even talked on the phone since... a few days after the New Year."

"Oh, my. I hadn't realized. Is this the first time you haven't met our thirty-day rule?" Rita asked.

Aaron's face took on a very serious expression. "Guilty."

Mariah knitted her brows. "What's the thirty-day rule?"

Aaron slid his eyes back to her and caused heat to spread on every surface of her skin, firing her nerve endings. He wanted to savor her lips, kiss them until they were a swollen ripe red, but he settled for answering her question for now. "When Logan started college, Mom instituted the thirty-day rule: none of us could go thirty days without talking to each other. It was easy for me to follow through with it because Mom and Dad saw Zach and me many times every few weeks. And then for the holidays Zach or I would also fly in Wyatt, Logan, and Aimee. But as soon as Logan committed to his internship, Mom knew it'd be hard for us to hear from him often. He has to fulfill three thousand hours in three years for his internship."

"He'll clock those hours in half the time," Kenneth stated confidently.

Rita's mouth formed into a small moue before she said, "And he gets so consumed with the rough trials his consumers are having. It'd eat him up if I didn't require him to talk to us." She pulled in a deep breath that came from eating too much—she was ravenous after trying her liquid diet for a few days. "And if Aimee didn't have the thirty-day rule, we would lose her to the party scenes in that modeling world. She's spoken with Kenny on the phone, but he prefers the video conference like the boys do. I don't need it."

"You don't, Rita," Kenneth agreed. "You'd get started on the boy's appearance, too. Logan didn't even get to wash his hands when he came through the door last week because you had your scissors and were chasing him around so that you could give him a haircut."

"All that hair covers his face so no one gets to see how handsome he is." She rolled her eyes. "He looks fourteen, not like a man who'll be nineteen years old."

Mariah smirked. "Logan does look that young. He has a healthy, full head of hair. Even at fourteen, he looked the same way he does now. He was past six feet at the time." She shrugged. "I may have to enforce the thirty-day rule myself. Bristol and Caleb aren't far from here, but they may be one of these days. It'd be a good habit to start."

Rita nodded. "It could keep intact the stability you've given them. I know it's probably how we stay grounded. I would make it so we all video conferenced at least once every thirty days, but sadly that's not feasible."

"Bristol's in the physician assistant program?" Aaron asked, shifting the focus to Mariah.

Her face split into a huge smile. "Yes, and she may be accepted into their advanced track PA program if she does well this semester. Then she'll be in their graduate program!"

"And she's a junior now, right?" Aaron added.

"That means she can earn her bachelor's and master's degrees in physician assistant three years from now," Kenneth said enthusiastically.

"That's exciting!" Rita grinned. "Does she want to work in pediatrics, like Janice?"

Mariah tapped her chin. "Her externship is with a physician who specializes in geriatric care, and Bristol is taking a real shine to it."

"That's just as good." Kenneth flashed his teeth, and it reminded Mariah of Aaron's smile. "I don't think many people choose to work with the older population first. As I am getting up there in age, I know that I want medical professionals in my corner like Bristol, who have as much patience and understanding as they do knowledge and skill."

"She'll make a fine physician assistant," Aaron remarked.

No one could've believed in her sister more than her except for her mother, but she didn't allow that to hover over her mind. It made something inside of Mariah want to reacquaint herself with Aaron. But she didn't think that she could ignore the sensual sensations that alternated between mild and strong when she was around him. Who was she kidding? She couldn't deny that her heart almost stopped beating when Aaron flashed through her thoughts. Mariah liked him a lot more than she had a few days ago.

As she placed another serving of bread, cabbage, and chicken breasts on her plate and found Rita watching her, she had the feeling it wasn't a secret from Aaron's mother. Had she invited Mariah over for dinner so that she'd realize that she still liked him?

"And Caleb?" Kenneth queried.

"He has more of a balance now between fun and his classes," Mariah replied without missing a beat, and a knowing grin flickered across Rita's features. "He's been asked to work full-time at the auto insurance company he's been interning for. I think he starts this week."

Kenneth firmed his chin. "They're making their own strides as adults. Heck, if I had the drive that all of you kids have, it wouldn't have taken Zachary's entry into our home for me to be a productive man."

Based on the expression that crept over Rita's face, Aaron and Mariah understood that she hadn't always seen Kenneth as a dedicated husband and father.

As Aaron's mother rose from her chair and her husband helped her gather all of their empty dishes, she asked, "Am I the only one who thinks Aimee, Bristol, and Caleb's milestones call for a toast?"

Kenneth placed the dishes into the dishwasher, admiring the image of his wife from behind while no one was the wiser. Helping around in the house had its perks.

"Thanks for deciding to have dinner with us after all," Rita whispered as she squeezed Mariah for several minutes. "The wine hit the spot."

Mariah was surprised that she, too, was holding onto Rita just as firmly until she looked up and saw that Aaron and his father quietly stood some feet away from them. "Everything about tonight was perfect," she admitted, the gratitude in her tone evident. "Sometimes I forget that things can be perfect even though we're not, if you get what I mean."

Rita nodded. "I sure do." She cocked her head to the side, looking at Mariah thoughtfully. "I know you're a grown woman, but you'll make it easy on me to get some sleep by calling the house when you're home."

The edges of Mariah's lips curved into the tiniest of smiles, but the effect of Rita's concern on her flashed through her light emerald eyes. She motioned that she would as the women parted from each other.

"I'll walk you to your car," Kenneth announced as he sauntered toward her.

Without tearing his eyes away from her, Aaron held his hand out, letting his father know that he'd be the one to do it. It wasn't forceful, just assertive. Unfazed by his son's reaction, a smile pulled at Kenneth's mouth as he shifted his movements toward his wife. "The door's always open to you, kiddo," he told her with a wink as he wreathed his muscular arms around Rita. They mounted the stairs quickly until it was quiet.

Mariah pivoted around to face Aaron. He held the door for her, and she walked through, her breath catching in her throat. He walked alongside her in an instant, taking her hand in his. When they reached her car across the street, Aaron lifted his other hand, tracing a line along the side of her jaw. Mariah slid her hand over his, fighting the pull to angle her head on his hand.

"When you talk about Bristol and Caleb, you look like you're on top of the world." He caressed her chin, and his gaze fell on her plump lips. "It took too much damn time for me to know what really makes a person whole. My family is everything. Money doesn't make the man, but it can help make living easier. I sound like a cornball, but I've taken this for granted."

He peered at Mariah as she seemed to be searching for words. When he felt her lean into him, her hand absently running up and down his back as if she wasn't in control of her own actions, the sensation sent tingles up to his scalp. He was at the mercy of the only woman who had plagued his thoughts and dominated his body since their first intimate union.

Swallowing hard, Mariah tore her eyes away from Aaron's hypnotic influence on her. She longed to see him opening up to her the way he was now, and she knew he was practically imploring her to hand her heart over and believe that he wouldn't hurt her again like he'd promised.

A second passed before Aaron dropped his head, his breath on her neck and ear multiplying the flash of hot need between the juncture of her thighs.

Mariah stopped stroking his back and grasped the back of his shirt in her hands until she balled them in her fists. Aaron pushed into her, and she trapped the groan of frustration that almost came out in a deep exhalation.

"Will Wyatt be with us?" Her tone feigned innocence as her eyes scrolled over his face.

With hooded eyes, Aaron cradled the back of her head. Ever so slowly, he brushed his face against hers, slanting his mouth over her parted lips in a scorching kiss. He worshipped her mouth slowly, and all coherent thoughts fled from her brain.

Gaining confidence, Mariah nipped his lip once, and through half-lidded eyes, she saw the tortured expression flitting over his strong features. The muscles in his jaw were working overtime. As Aaron's fingers threaded farther into her hair, she gently stroked her tongue against his, but her lower region rubbed against him roughly, enjoying the friction of the thick bulge in his pants.

They reveled in the taste of each other, not knowing what the other would do next for several minutes. Aaron couldn't believe that Mariah was letting go like that. That his parents and neighbors could possibly catch them.

The soft moans of pleasure were almost too much for him to take as he licked across her lips and then took her mouth deep again. He wanted to kiss and knead and suck every surface of her body, but he held back with restraint he didn't know he had. She was starving for a stronger connection to him, too. He felt like she understood how much she was a part of him despite the fact that he hadn't articulated it until tonight. How could he feel closer to her than he ever had, after years of having no communication? It was inexplicable.

Mariah wrapped her hands behind his head, sensuously sliding her tongue over his top and bottom lips. Her nipples puckered and strained against the thick fabric of her ruched waistband dress, beading into pointed knots.

Breathing hard, Aaron reluctantly tore his lips from her swollen mouth and dropped his hands to her slack shoulders. Despite his throbbing erection, he wanted only to hold her—to show her that she, too, was his everything.

"It's safe to assume that Wyatt won't be with us," Mariah said after she gained even breathing.

A pleased grin touched Aaron's lips. He grabbed her face, ravishing her mouth with his tongue while canting his lower region against hers so that there was no misunderstanding how much he ached for and wanted her to be his.

# Chapter 11

Three days later, Mariah sat at the head of her desk in her conference room, barely registering a word spoken by most of her employees. The graphs on the wall showed her that the security program was efficacious in safeguarding highly sensitive information and anticipating real-time potential threats to their existing client's databases. But no one was aware that her thoughts had drifted in and out the entire morning.

As she took a sip of her tea and felt the steam against her lips, she couldn't help but reminisce about being trapped by Aaron, not only feeling his hard muscles, but the way his body responded to hers. She wouldn't have done anything differently Sunday night. She was taking a risk by letting her emotions guide her instead of his past actions, which he'd done because he thought he couldn't measure up to her success. Mariah didn't believe that amassing a fortune had restored Aaron's self-worth.

"Great updates, everyone." She gave her team a firm nod as the last person to speak turned off the projector. "You've improved the areas that I spoke about last week. I don't foresee any major glitches, and the program is more user friendly." She stood up and looked each employee directly in the eye. "Before we go to lunch, I want to remind everyone that what we do here must not be discussed outside of this building. You've signed many contracts and know the consequences you'll face for violating the strict terms of the Culver Group, but I know how things can slip... unintentionally.

"There are others who want to know exactly what we're doing. They want to copy this program and misuse its special features for their questionable purposes. But you should know that we don't have just anyone as clients. I care about what my clients stand for and their history. So when someone asks you a question about what you're doing, I expect you to restate the mission statement on our site. Get used to having discretion now or else you won't last long in my particular field of corporate communication and security. And if someone you don't know asks you about our work here, red flags should go up instantly." She gestured everyone else to rise from the table. "You may go now."

As everyone began to depart from the room, Mariah noticed that Hank, one of her newer employees, cast his eyes down to his shoes, the muscles in his face twitching fretfully. Merrick opened the door without being directed to, and the rest of her employees walked out quietly. She'd thought about having an emergency meeting with her staff after her last discussion with Roger, but she didn't want them to connect her recent breakup with her business. Now she'd waited long enough.

"Take a seat by me," Mariah said, and when he was at the edge at the table, she added, "Hank."

Shock at the fact that she knew his name flashed through his eyes, but she didn't respond to it. She knew every employee's name. No one whom she signed a paycheck for was insignificant to her.

"Who asked you about G-Defender?"

"A new m-ember of m-my church," he stuttered. "Can't remember his name. He m-might not have t-told me."

The response made her grimace. "Go on."

"My l-little girl r-ran down the s-steps and tripped. She scuffed her knees, and the man helped her up, asked her if she was okay. My wife and I didn't see any problem in thanking him. Then, I saw him again this Sunday. He was at the big lunch we had downstairs after service. It looked to me maybe he wanted to be a member of the church, get to know me and my family, our experience with the church. Meet more members and have a full stomach."

He paused for a few moments. When Mariah sighed heavily, he continued.

"Once, he asked me about my job. It went from there, like it has with many people. Some people have just asked me how it was to work for you, nothing really about what I do. But he did. He asked what I was working on, and I said that I'm working on a new program that will help protect many businesses." His voice shook. "And then he asked what color my ID card was. At that point I became wary, and I told him that he must know what the colors mean or else he wouldn't have asked." He gave a sharp shake of his head. "I should've told you first thing Monday, but I didn't want to overreact. I sat on this too long." His tone was regretful.

"You've told me today, and it's a good thing that you were vague with him." Mariah kept her tone even. She didn't think Hank could've handled the situation any better than he had.

"Okay, Ms. Culver," he replied, his voice quivering. "Am I going to get the pink slip?"

"Oh, God, no." Mariah tilted her head to the side. "If this man comes to your church again, tell Merrick and me. We need to know, because if he's who I think he is, then it's not a coincidence that he has been going to your church and has tried to befriend you and your family."

With a frown, Hank raked his fingers through his hair, making it disheveled. "He talked to my kids." He sighed. "My wife was going to invite him and his family to our home for dinner. But after hearing what you've said, I have reason to be suspicious of his interest in my job."

She nodded. "You can't be the first employee of mine that he's pursued, and you won't be the last. Just to be safe, I'll have some of my security detail at your children's schools and at your wife's work for this week. In fact, I'll have Merrick at your church on Sunday, in case Henry steps one foot inside. That should put a stop to him going anywhere near you and your family... especially places that are sacred, like your home and church."

Mariah hauled herself up from her chair, but she didn't show Hank how upset she was. She strode toward the door, which Merrick opened for them. She directed Hank to leave first with a wave of her hand, and as he looked back at her, she sent him a firm look.

She blew out a sigh of relief. If the man had gotten Hank to talk about codes, Mariah knew there would be a corporate security program similar to hers available in less than a month. If Henry Gawlick couldn't persuade or bully someone into selling all the rights to their products and ideas, he'd attempt to copycat them. He'd done it repeatedly and earned a lot of money from it more often than not.

Merrick was beside her as she went inside her office, not bothering to sit down. He closed the door and Mariah said, "I think Henry Gawlick went to Hank Lansing's church and tried to get information on G-Defender. He may have sent someone, but I think he went himself."

The bodyguard cursed. "Since when?"

She slightly raised her shoulders. "My guess? No more than a month. A man brought back Hank's daughter to him and his wife when the kid tripped after running down the steps of their church."

"Mr. Good Samaritan," Merrick said sarcastically. "Did you ask Hank for a description of the man?"

"Merrick, he was so agitated... I wanted to give him the day off so he could pick his kids up from school and get his wife from work so he'd feel more relaxed, but then he would've assumed that I was gonna fire him tomorrow. Otherwise, that would've been the first question I asked." She fell silent for a moment as she contemplated sitting down, but she continued to stand instead. "Henry Gawlick tried to get Roger to influence my business decisions, such as selling G-Defender and then my other programs to him alone. Henry wouldn't shy away from going to any of my employees. He knew that he could scheme with Roger, so he must have assumed that everyone here is disloyal, too."

She saw a quick flash of vulnerability creep over Merrick's strong features. There was no way she believed that Henry saw her bodyguard as disloyal—Merrick was the most dedicated employee she had. Because he wasn't a sentimental person, she chose not to tell him that she'd become dependent on him. He always seemed to have an answer, and clearly his poor impression of Roger had been more than precise. Not even her father, who didn't liked Roger either, protected her like Merrick did. She couldn't understand why he went above and beyond for it since she interviewed him, but she was grateful. She wouldn't trade it for more success.

He whipped out his phone and started texting. "We just need to stay one step ahead of him. I'll get some guards to follow Hank's family till we feel confident that it's not necessary anymore. Going to an employee's church to get information is low."

Mariah tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That's what I was going to tell you to do. But, as usual, we're on the same page. Knowing Henry, he won't go near Hank's family. Henry has to know that Hank is onto him and won't speak about what goes on here."

Merrick lifted one brow. "With the exception of a small number of people, everyone has a price. Henry thought Hank would violate the terms of his employee contract if he put a bigger opportunity on the table for him. Hank doesn't look like he's that easy to tempt, though."

The sound of a light rapping noise brought their attention to the door. Merrick opened it, and Shaina tremulously smiled at them. "Aaron Wilkins is right outside. He says you're expecting him, but he's not on the appointment book, and you didn't mention it to me." She furrowed her eyebrows. "I asked him to take a seat in the waiting area, but—"

"He doesn't take no for an answer, but he will once I get to him," Merrick said as he breezed past her. Taking a deep breath, Mariah ran after him. He didn't know that she was on much friendlier terms with Aaron now.

She called Merrick's name before they got to Shaina's desk, where Aaron was standing in a sharp charcoal three-piece suit that showcased his muscular form. Mariah thought it suited the rich golden flecks in his sepia-colored eyes, and that he looked wickedly good. A faint flush stole over her face as he regarded Merrick by facing his body toward the bodyguard, but his eyes brazenly ventured from her face to the hands Mariah had folded in front of her—probably her way of trying to control that she felt a little giddy inside and didn't want anyone to know.

Merrick eyed him sharply, and Mariah took a step closer, placing the palm of her hand on Merrick's bulky arm. As she looked around, she saw that no one else was there. Everyone was having lunch. "It's okay," she told him as she withdrew her hand. "He's not on my shit list at this moment. I'll put him on the authorized visitor list starting today."

"I can take care of that," Shaina said, which eased the tension between the two men, as well as heightening the anticipation of Aaron and Mariah in her office—together.

Mariah gave her the go-ahead, and Merrick acted as if he wasn't aware of Aaron's presence anymore as he turned back to Mariah. "The guards are posted where they need to be. If you want, I can talk to each employee. Find out if Henry has mingled with them," he told her in a low tone.

She gave him a nod, and then she started for her office without looking back. Aaron grabbed the box he'd placed on top of Shaina's desk and was in Mariah's office before she shut the door.

With a remote in her hand, Mariah pressed a button to turn the glass windows black. "So you brought me Martha's pastries?" she asked in a light tone as Aaron strode over and placed the box on the table. "What does a girl have to do to get a meal from you?"

A side of Aaron's face quirked up, and he lifted his finger, motioning her to walk over to him. With a laugh, Mariah took very small steps as Aaron latched his gaze onto hers, like he was going to spread her over the table and have her for lunch. There was no other way to read the lustful expression that flickered over his features and made him take an involuntary step toward her. Once Mariah was a few inches away from him, he seized her by the arms, and she slammed into him, her mouth partially meeting his. He angled his head so that his lips fully covered hers. His taste and mild cologne flooded her, and she smiled against his lips. Ending their brief kiss by touching his mouth to hers one more time, he pulled away from her a little.

Mariah planted her hand over his chest. He was so close, in her grasp, and she didn't want to lose that connection with him. She was relaxed. What she and Merrick were discussing was not on her mind right now, and he was that reprieve for her.

He opened the box of cupcakes with his free hand. "Have a cupcake. Or two. Or three."

With a grin playing over her face, Mariah made a small turn toward the table and reached for a chocolate cupcake with the works: frosting, sprinkles, and thinly sliced strawberries on top. After she took a big bite, she snapped her eyes closed. Aaron had already moved and slid the chair behind her; she sank down on it as she took another bite. When she fluttered her eyes open, he sat close to her—very close—and suddenly, taking another bite of her favorite cupcakes didn't look as appetizing as licking his lips and kissing his dimples.

"I got red velvet and the other flavors you like, too." He reached over to her, capturing a lock of her blonde hair.

Though the touch was brief, he remembered the softness of her hair. Even when it was in its naturally frizzy state, her hair felt soft. He couldn't find one feature—even an imperfect one—about her that he wanted to be different. But he knew how much it always bothered her, along with the braces she'd worn from middle school into their sophomore year of high school.

She swept her tongue over her mouth, and Aaron groaned. Feeling some satisfaction in it, Mariah took her feet out of her high heels, lifted them, and settled them on his knee. If she brought them any closer to his thighs, she would've made another discovery.

"This is what I get when I go to Martha's." She gave a sidelong glance at the still-open box of cupcakes. "Did someone help you with this order? It's enough to feed my administrative staff."

Aaron brushed his thumb from the heel of her foot to where her toes were, the pressure against the fabric of her pantyhose feeling surprisingly good to her. He repeated the process on her other foot. Relaxed and aroused at the same time, she felt a pink flush spread over cheeks.

With a measured voice, he said, "They're all for you." He pressed his thumbs on the curve of her feet, and she exhaled roughly. "Want me to press harder?"

Mariah swallowed hard and fought to breathe evenly as the muscles low in her stomach clenched. She couldn't respond. He applied more pressure, one at a time to each arch, the sensation shooting straight to her groin and causing her to tense so that she wouldn't throb. She hadn't had to do that in many years, but she did now and suddenly straightened herself in her chair, causing her feet to fall to the floor. He sought her feet again, but she slid them into her high heels.

Crooking an eyebrow at her, Aaron pushed his chair even closer, his knees touching hers. She took a few deep breaths.

"I could get used to that."

"As you should."

"No, Aaron."

His smile slipped away. "I know we haven't talked since Sunday. I couldn't stop thinking about you at work; I don't know how I got anything done. I left you messages, and I was going to drop by your house." He looked regretful. "Zach needed me to handle things at the VYC here. Usually Wyatt's there, but since he's in New York—"

Leaning forward, Mariah laid a hand on his knee, cutting him off. "We didn't get to pick up each other's calls. You don't have to explain everything to me; you've answered my questions. I still don't like how you valued yourself and made decisions about you and me, but I get it, really." She swept her light green eyes around her spacious office. "We're busy people. We have our own businesses to run, and I've listened to your voice messages more than once."

A small grin resurfaced over his handsome face. "You do know how many times, don't you?"

Mariah rolled her eyes. "Getting smug on me now?"

Firming his chin like she often did, Aaron replied, "Wouldn't conceive of it." A long silence fell before he spoke again. "Mariah, I've listened to the message you left me constantly since I got off work Monday night. I sound hooked on you because I am."

She couldn't help herself from grabbing his hand in hers.

"And I didn't want you to get the wrong idea if I showed up at your doorstep at two in the morning. I don't only want to warm you at night; I'm going to be here more than I have been. For my parents. For you. I'll have to make some business trips that I've committed to already, but besides that, I am not going anywhere. I've given you all my numbers on the voice messages I left so you can always get a hold of me." He canted his head to the side and gently stroked his fingers over her smooth hands. As his gaze zoomed in on Mariah's face, her eyes shone with something that he couldn't discern. Was it arousal? Was it the tiniest indication that she still loved him? He wanted to know but he chose to continue with, "I'll still be at my parents' house for a while."

"What's a while? When's the last time you spent more than two or three days here before you got that itch to go to the Big Apple or to one of your houses in Madrid or Naples?"

"A while may be a few more days or weeks. I don't think I'll be getting that itch since my parents really want me home." Aaron's eyes went soft. "And you're letting me be the kind of friend that gets to kiss you and hold your hand. Give you a much-needed foot massage."

"Don't forget cupcakes. You're the kind of friend that gets me cupcakes, too. Rianne will want to know who else is getting them for me."

He held his hands up defensively. "I wouldn't want to step on her toes, but I don't think she'll have a problem with it."

Mariah gave him an unsure look as she took a napkin from her desk and grabbed another chocolate cupcake with all the works. Aaron angled his body to the side and pressed the dial on the hand sanitizer on her desk. As she finished her cupcake in two big bites, he rubbed his hands together. She closed the box and pushed it to the opposite side of her desk, like that would make her forget that the cupcakes were there. Then Aaron found her shooting a glance at her watch, and he realized that he had to leave—he had a video conference with Zach, Wyatt, and their staff in New York very soon.

They stood at the same time, and Aaron brought her into his arms.

"You have to get going, too?"

Sighing, he said, "Wear a dress like you wore on Sunday."

Mariah moved her face against his, and he grasped her cheeks in both of his hands tenderly. As he lowered his lips to hers, she dug her fingers into his hair and felt the movement of his throbbing erection. Thighs tightening from the contact with the tent in his pants, Mariah panted.

Aaron didn't want her to think about his groin. He didn't know how he hadn't come yet. Heck, if he gave it any real thought, he needed to run to his parents' house to change his suit altogether.

She lifted her hands up from the back of his head, settling them on his muscular forearms. Deepening the kiss, Aaron persuaded her to open her mouth more; he tickled his tongue with hers, and Mariah panted louder. When he came up for air, he planted a soft kiss on the edges of her full lips. In turn, she nibbled on his bottom lip a minute later.

"I didn't know you could taste any sweeter than you do," he said roughly.

"I didn't know you could get harder than you were on Sunday," she quipped, feeling unsteady in heels that were suddenly too high as the flush of arousal made her limbs feel rubbery. She liked knowing that his body was going crazy just like hers.

Aaron cursed. "Mariah, you have no idea." He shook his head and then strode toward the door and rearranged himself. With one last look over his shoulder, he told her, "Eight thirty tonight."

"Not even my pole dancing sessions worked my muscles like that strength training class," Rianne said a few hours after she picked up Mariah from work. They were getting dressed into clean casual clothes in the gym locker room after a long, warm shower.

"We always do the treadmill and lift barbells that are too light for us. And I know that my body was getting used to it," Mariah breathed as she slid down on a bench and lazily glided her feet into her sneakers.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. With any luck, Drake and I will benefit from me enrolling in these classes... pronto," Rianne said, smirking.

As Mariah rested her hands behind her on the bench, she quirked a brow at Rianne. Her muscles gave a little strain under the shift in movement, but she wouldn't admit it aloud. "You'll be able to do more on the pole."

"There are some things I'd like to do, but I slide down too fast. Like when I put my leg straight up—"

Mariah's head snapped up, as she interrupted, "This class will help...you with all the tricks you want to execute. Zach added this fitness class to One to One Fitness's program when Bristol and Caleb were in high school, but there weren't enough hours in the day or night for me to commit to it."

"That's not an issue now, is it?" Rianne pursed her lips slightly as she shut her locker door and locked it. "With Aaron on the brain?"

With a deep flush flooding over the apples of her cheeks, Mariah finished tying her laces. She then rose to her feet and saucily said, "It might prove useful."

As they picked up their duffel bags, their gazes flickered toward the opening door. Most of the other gym members weren't there yet because they usually came later in the evening or at night. One to One Fitness was the only gym in Bloomfield Township, and it was open twenty-four hours a day to accommodate everyone's schedule.

Shaina entered the locker room with her shoulder-length dark brown mane in a low ponytail drenched with sweat.

Rianne let out a heavy breath. "What I would give for my tits to be naturally bouncy like a twenty-year-old's," she whispered to Mariah as they took in Shaina's sports bra and boy shorts. Anyone could tell that her top didn't really provide her breasts with substantial support; it was just a comfortable cotton and spandex material to sweat in.

"She's not that young," Mariah quickly told her.

Shaina didn't hear them, fortunately, as she approached. "Hi, Ms. Culver... Mrs. Abbott," she said tremulously before quickly striding toward her locker.

"I've told you that you can address me as Mariah outside of work. We see each other practically everywhere in town."

Shaina gave a small nod, but Mariah didn't think that her assistant would start calling her by her first name anytime soon.

"And you make me feel ancient, Shaina. I love being Mrs. Abbott and all, but I thought you would've been more comfortable with me. I'm not your boss; this chick is."

Mariah glared at Rianne before she canted her head at Shaina, who had gathered her towel and caddy, her attempt at grinning falling short of unwound. "You finish your computer science program this May, right?"

"Can't wait," Shaina replied with a heavy sigh. "Didn't think I'd ever reach the finish line, but I'm going to."

"The IT department has spoken highly of you. You've performed your administrative duties and your internship there seamlessly. For two years and five months you've been exceptional. When you graduate, give me an official copy of your transcript, and I'll interview you for a position in IT that's opening up around the summer."

The assistant's expression brightened, and she bobbed her head, finding it hard to express her gratitude.

Rianne touched Shaina's arm and said, "See you in the office," as she and Mariah departed from the locker room.

Rianne loosely linked her arm with Mariah's when they were a few feet away from the locker room.

"I'm pretty sure Shaina's gonna think about your offer all night. She looked so stunned that you'd consider her for the position."

"When she started, she was late—a lot—and she didn't immediately get the hang of things. So she became one of my clerical aides till I knew she could handle the administrative assistant position."

Rianne's brow furrowed. "You didn't fire her?"

"The HR specialists who interviewed her did, but I knew Shaina had great potential so I rehired her. She didn't know what she wanted to do in life or who she even was. Not everyone has their shit together at twenty-four, and she's made amazing strides. She's twenty-seven years old... not that much younger than us. I may have been more lenient with her than I would've with any other employee, but I can look back at my decisions and say that it's paying off. I had confidence in her, and she soaked it up and ran with it."

They walked out of the gym and into the parking lot, where the cool air greeted them.

"I wouldn't have even thought that about Shaina. She could... how should I say it delicately? Reward herself. Get laid. It could take the edge off."

With a frown, Mariah shook her head as she opened the door to her car, slid down, and closed the door, leaving the window down. "Tell Bristol or Caleb something like that, and I'll take you over my knee and spank you. It might keep you in line."

Rianne sent her a skeptical look.

"Aaron wants me in a dress tonight. Which one flatters me the most?"

Rianne rubbed her chin as she considered. "I'm sure he had a hard time keeping his eyes off you in that shimmery waistband dress you wore on Sunday. And you've neglected to tell me how that went." She snapped her fingers. "Wear that silk thin strap dress I gave you for Christmas. It cinches your waist and makes your boobies look bigger."

"I've been waiting for an occasion to wear it."

"You and me both," she said, blowing out a breath. "Work that dress. Unless Aaron gets you out of it before you and he go anywhere."

Mariah blushed uncontrollably. "Thanks for the recommendation."

Her best friend gave her a cheeky look. "Ah! He _did_ fuck you. How was it? How does he measure up to Roger in the sack?"

Mariah ignored the mention of Roger because despite both men being imperfect, Roger wasn't even in the same league as Aaron. "Why couldn't I have fucked Aaron?" Her lips curled into a smirk as she put her keys in the ignition.

She liked not only giving Aaron something to think about, but also Rianne.

# Chapter 12

Aaron asked himself if it was normal that he'd checked his face and hair in the mirror of his Grand Prix several times over the past ten minutes. What was normal, anyway? He told himself that the reason he kept doing it was because he was early.

He was parked across the street from Mariah's house like he'd been on Saturday night. The major difference was that now he was supposed here; he and Mariah had plans. He demanded that she go out with him, and she said yes. He would've begged her if he had to, but thankfully, he didn't have to go that route.

The front door was ajar when Aaron walked up to her house. He called out her name and when he heard nothing, he marched inside, a sick sensation surging into the pit of his stomach.

"I unlocked the door, figuring you'd come early," Mariah told him breathlessly.

Relief immediately flooded through his system. He moved closer to her in the large hallway, but it suddenly felt like an enclosed space.

"Do you always leave your door open for expected guests?"

She cracked a grin. Aaron couldn't explain why his chest fluttered, but he relished it. They'd kissed and held onto each other like one clinging onto a tree with an unsecure foundation, and yet this felt more special because she now had some level of real trust in him.

"Answer me."

Mariah placed her hands on his lower arms and crept an inch toward him, her feet meeting his. Her sweet vanilla scent engulfed him, pleasantly prickling his skin as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He quickly forgot how much her hold had melted his heart, and his eyes riveted to how striking she was in her black satin dress. Despite covering some of her arms and all of her chest, it was still sexy. He could see the contour of her mounds, and he craved to slide his hands down her dress and cup them. He somehow thought he could hit the pause button on his lust for Mariah... but after earlier, it was harder. The sight of her proved to be another challenge he had to overcome.

"I only did this tonight. For the first time ever. Rianne has a key, which obviously makes leaving my door unlocked unnecessary. And when Bristol and Caleb are home, that's not even a question. Visible and hidden cameras surround this house. I check the surveillance from my tablet a lot." She trailed her fingers from his arm and onto his sternum. He almost mimicked her touch, but his internal scolding saved him from looking like a hormonal teenage boy who had difficulty separating his fantasies from reality. He knew that the physical connection they shared was not an invitation for more.

Aaron cleared his throat, and his voice grew raspy. "You're more comfortable with me," he commented as he traced her cheek with a finger, and then he kissed her cheekbone softly.

Goose bumps formed on Mariah's flesh, and she took his hands in hers, wrapping their fingers together. "I am," she acknowledged with a short laugh after some seconds of silence. She cocked her head at an angle as she caressed his hands. "Do something for me?"

Aaron's eyebrows slightly rose, but he fixed his face a second afterward. Mariah pivoted around, revealing her bare upper back. He stroked her skin; she'd definitely applied lotion—her skin was smooth, flawless. He wanted to dart his tongue out, taste her from the back of the neck and down her spine, leaving every pore on her skin prickling for attention.

"Please zip it up... I'm afraid I'll stretch it if I reach any higher."

Luckily, she couldn't see Aaron's face redden at the softness in her tone. He slowly pulled the zipper up, but Mariah didn't face him. He filled the small gap, wreathing his hands around her stomach. Her back pressed to his hard, well-built chest as she murmured, holding onto his hands again. Aaron intertwined their fingers, and she dropped the back of her head on his shoulder.

"I need this more than I need water," he told her, his voice pained and sincere.

Mariah rolled her eyes. "More than you need air to breathe?"

"More than I need air to breathe," he repeated with a serious expression.

With a smile that lit up her face, Mariah turned around, her arms hung on his shoulders. She stroked the back of his hair. Her four-inch heels gave her a great advantage tonight. A light swipe of eye shadow and lip gloss painted her face, and Aaron was lost to her pale jade eyes, swirling with an array of feelings occurring at the same time—yearning, confidence, and most importantly, trust. It chased away the little apprehension he had from feeling that this seemed too good to be true.

Mariah gave him a puzzled look and released one arm.

"Which coat are you going to wear?" His gaze darted to the coat hanger in the corner, and Mariah smoothed her features, deciding to confront him if he continued to be in a pensive state throughout the night.

"The white peacoat. The scarf's tucked inside one of the sleeves."

Aaron walked toward the hanger and took the coat. As he took off the plastic cover, Mariah sauntered over to him, her heels making a clicking sound that he found sexy. For a brief moment, he wondered if she would be willing to wear heels during sex. He pulled out the scarf and opened the coat for her, providing him enough time to shake the thought from his head as she brought her arms into the coat.

They slipped out of the house. She locked the door and moved toward her garage. "Where'd you make reservations?"

His brow wrinkled as he reached for her. "You want to drive?"

"Oh no, Aaron," Mariah said with an unsteady laugh. "We can go in our own cars."

"We're going in my Grand Prix."

She propped her hand on her hip. "I'd be stuck with you if our date turns into a colossal mistake. And the cab company's already closed."

"We're going to enjoy ourselves, and I won't mess it up. I'll be on my best behavior."

Mariah cocked an eyebrow. "Making more promises?"

He gave her a dimpled grin. "I do have an amazing lady who will put me in my place if I step out of bounds. Don't I?" He cocked an eyebrow and held out his hand.

With a dip of her head, Mariah glided her hand over his, and he directed her toward his vehicle.

Aaron eased into a parking garage in Akron twenty-five minutes later. After he paid the parking attendant, he and Mariah sucked in a deep breath at the same time and grinned at each other as they eased out of the car.

"We're at a hotel."

Mariah said it like Aaron didn't know where he'd driven them, and he chuckled.

"You brought me dessert for lunch, and you think we're going straight to tangling our limbs? Even if we have a main course?"

A small frown marred his face. "What's your fondest memory of being at this hotel? I remember that it was the first fancy one you'd ever been in."

"I just became a teenager..." Her eyes became slightly unfocused as her brain swam with images of her mother, then of Bristol.

"And?" Aaron prompted gently.

"They've got a ballroom that's easily a contender as one of the best in the world."

"Do you still like it here?"

Unexpectedly, tears sprung to her eyes so he settled his hands on her arms, searching her face.

"I love it here. Haven't been here since Bristol turned fifteen." She sighed with a wistful smile. "She went from a tomboy to a young lady in a matter of hours. She covered the entire four thousand square feet of floor when she danced. All eyes were on how fluidly she moved. She was the epitome of graceful; even I didn't have that presence when I danced. And she'd taken dance classes... only for about four weeks." She swallowed thickly. "Mom had brought me here—just us two."

Aaron notched up her chin with two fingers. She gazed at him, willing herself not to shed more tears.

"Mariah, don't hold back what you're feeling. There's nothing wrong with still missing your mom and loving her so much."

She drew one hand away, took out some tissues from her coat pocket, and pressed it against her damp cheeks. "I ugly-cry if I think about Mom too hard." She shook her head. "She didn't cry when she was going through all that pain. The chemo, the meds—she didn't complain once or even asked why, like we all did."

"Maybe Janice didn't cry in front of you, Bristol, and Caleb." Aaron pressed his free hand to the left side of his chest. "She didn't want you guys in pain. Ugly-cry with me; that doesn't scare me. Bottling up everything inside that big heart of yours does." He lifted the hand he held and touched his lips to her knuckles. "Janice brought you here," he prompted for the second time, and a composed expression grew over her features, leaving little trace that she shed tears moments ago.

"Mom had brought me here. I'd been in awe of how grand the ballroom was, and how sophisticated the men and women had been. I didn't know people could tell a story without words, just some sounds. Sometimes none at all. They just moved. Didn't matter if they were polished or not."

Aaron nodded. "You and Rianne talked about your mother-daughter dance lessons in homeroom. Janice was the lead, but you always tried to be the lead. I could tell this ballroom was a great experience for you, because you carried yourself with more confidence. You quit hiding your braces when you smiled. And there were days when you let your wonderful unruly hair go free—the things about you that had never diminished your beauty, compassion, and intelligence."

Mariah didn't know that he observed her so closely at that time—she befriended him days after she took ballroom dancing classes. She mainly took the plunge because Rianne had dared her to say something to Aaron.

"You hate dancing."

"I like doing anything that gets my body closer to yours. Even in a room filled with more than three hundred people."

Mariah's face flushed crimson, and he grew more captivated by her every second they were together. He snaked an arm around her lower back as he moved toward the elevators leading to the ballroom while more vehicles zipped through the parking lot. Mariah held back her grin with all of her might as she sauntered alongside him.

"Are we taking dance lessons?"

Aaron feigned an unknowing expression. Mariah pulled her full bottom lip out, and he began to breathe harshly. Her lips were as much a seductive weapon to him as his dimples were to her, and she was aware of this. She'd learned last week how obsessed he was with her mouth.

Other people, dressed just as nicely as the two of them, assembled by the elevators. A corner of Aaron's mouth tipped up when he heard her groan with impatience—it was hard for her to let him take full reigns on their plans tonight.

Inside the elevator, his arms were wrapped around her middle, and he glowered at most of the men who were eyeing how amazing she looked in her satin black dress, despite the fact that they weren't by themselves. They weren't even trying to be discreet about it. One man had given a cool jerk of his head, but Aaron didn't respond to him like he was all right with the man checking out Mariah.

She wasn't in a little black dress but it did the trick: with her soft curves and firm muscle definition, the dress was made for her. Any other woman could walk in with the same dress on, and Aaron wouldn't have noticed. It wasn't one of the traditional ballroom dresses, but he thought she looked elegant anyway. What did he know? He thought she was gorgeous in her oversized shirt, baggy shorts, and polka-dot slippers.

Mariah's eyes scanned the opulent ballroom on the fifth floor of the Plaza Hotel as if she'd never been there before. She wasn't one of those women who were in to jewelry or anything flashy, but in her head, the glittering chandeliers from the forty-foot high ceilings amounted to wearing a very unique piece of jewelry around her neck. She felt like she was being showered with glamour.

Mariah looked on as Aaron gave the gentleman at the door his name. Another employee took their coats while she listened to the slow tempos and minimalist arrangements. There were couples who were just completing a routine.

"Um, Aaron, I don't think you're ready for this."

Another song started, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they took their position on the big dance floor with six other couples. If either of them made a mistake, it would be noticeable. He stood with his back straight, raising his head high as he clasped her right hand with his left while cupping her shoulder blades with his other hand. Their midsections were smashed together, and Mariah felt tingles shoot down her feet as she finally settled the tips of her fingers on the shoulder seam of Aaron's blazer. Letting her breath go, she felt a great rush over her skin. _He's doing this correctly,_ she mused.

To her surprise, Aaron wasn't moving stiffly. As they stepped backward, forward, and together nicely, Mariah thought that her knees might be unsteady. But he pressed the pads of his fingers on her lower back and she felt more energized, eager to continue following his lead without stumbling or missing a step.

As Aaron added some flourishes to the complexity of their dance, the heat of his stare caused a deep blush to rise over her cheeks, pleasurably tightening her skin and sending searing sensations to dart through her.

The waltz group ended and Mariah felt his hand roam around her upper back in soothing strokes. She had a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead, and her full lips looked parched just for him.

"I'd say we were very prepared," she said, her voice dropping an octave.

With a cocky expression on his face, Aaron took out a handkerchief from his pocket and blotted the moisture from her forehead.

Inhaling sharply, Mariah nodded her thanks just as she heard a familiar voice call out her name. When she pivoted, Carol sauntered over to them. A wide grin broke out over Mariah's face, because her neighbor oozed sensuality.

Even Aaron made a noise, showing how struck he was by Carol tonight. He'd only seen her in a nightgown or a big sweater and sweatpants. Mariah had seen the older woman with her hair out, wearing a touch of makeup and fitted casual clothing, and she'd thought that was dressing up for Carol. Outside of work, it was Mariah's way of dressing up, when she'd much prefer to wear a baggy sweater and sweatpants.

Soft, black curls brushed Mariah's neck as Carol took her into her arms for a quick but close hug. The rich red dress Carol wore complemented her ivory complexion, dark eyes, and dark hair. Her makeup was tastefully done so that it minimized her wrinkles but didn't have a heavy look, either.

"You make quite an impressive pair," Carol said with a bright smile. She lifted her head to the tall, dark, handsome man near her, who looked to be about her age.

Mariah recognized him instantly. She'd seen him come in and out of Carol's house for almost a year now, longer than her other suitors had. She couldn't say she had any concrete reason for liking him for Carol, but she did.

"This is Dean."

Dean smiled at them, then shook Mariah's hand and Aaron's. "Are you having a good time?" he asked Mariah, and Aaron knew that Carol had told him everything she knew about his history with Mariah.

"Aaron surprised me," Mariah replied. "I didn't think he remembered how much just being here means to me. He's been nothing but a complete gentleman."

"Well, when you truly care about a woman, you do anything to make sure she doesn't doubt it for a second."

Carol slid her hand over Dean's wide chest and gave Mariah a knowing look; besides the awkward hellos Mariah had with Dean when they saw each other, this was their first conversation. "We've been here all night. I'm dying to take these heels off." She leaned close to Mariah, pressing her cheek against the side of her neighbor's face again, then gave Aaron a firm nod. When they walked away, Carol looked back at Aaron and made an "I'll be watching you" gesture by pointing two of her fingers toward her eyes and then back at him.

"Should I sleep with one eye open?" he asked Mariah.

She twirled the end of his tie around her finger, and Aaron almost let out a curse. She fluttered her eyelashes innocently, but she knew exactly what she was doing to him: thoughts of her hand and mouth wrapped around his length flashed through his mind.

"No way," she answered facetiously. "Carol is sweeter than honey."

"To you, she is!"

Chuckling, Mariah gave his tie a tug. Aaron took her hand away from it, firmly covering her hand with his palm as he motioned her toward the exit.

"Where are you taking me?"

He crooked a smile. "To get a real meal. Martha's desserts are heavenly, but they do make you hungry. I left you ravenous this afternoon."

As Mariah wrapped her arm around him and nodded against his arm in agreement, the vanilla scent from her shampoo penetrated his awareness, making him realize how much he'd really denied himself. No other woman molded against his body like Mariah did. And with her, he didn't feel like he had to entertain her. They could've been in her house right now, eating her delicious cooking, and he would've been fine with it.

While Mariah lived a comfortable life, she didn't spoil herself like many did when they had money. She gave Bristol and Caleb everything they wanted, but she didn't splurge on anything for herself. He understood that this date wouldn't erase how he stood her up at prom and broke up with her after their graduation ceremony, but he hoped that the present made it easier for the past to fade from her memory.

A bell attendant escorted them to the other end of the floor where the food hall was. Guests were talking and laughing among their own circles, and the liveliness pulled Mariah out of the fog she appeared to have slipped under. Aaron caressed her back and his heart dipped—she hadn't pulled away from him in that public space, her arm remaining around his slim waist like she was proud to be with him.

There were people in the food hall who he and Mariah knew from similar professional circles, and he wanted to send a clear message: Mariah wasn't home alone, pitying herself. He was by her side. Perhaps he was the rebound guy, simply an old flame. For now, she seemed to enjoy his company, and if this was what it took for her to see him as the man who loved her unconditionally, then so be it.

A few seconds later, the bell attendant guided them inside a vast private dining room within the food hall. Aaron pulled out the chair for Mariah, then he took a seat across from her at the circular table. The waiter asked to take their orders.

Mariah said, "May I have a well-done burger with melted mozzarella and the curly fries, please? And sparkling water."

Aaron's brows turned up. "No rum and Coke?"

"My day begins bright and early tomorrow," she replied, "but thank you."

He nodded at her. "The prime rib special, and... a sparkling lemon water, please."

The waiter slipped away as Aaron examined Mariah's expression carefully. He reached out his hands, and she wove her fingers with his. His breathing picked up. For a moment, he thought that she was deeply conflicted about staying with him in that big, yet surprisingly intimate, dining room.

"What are we doing?" Mariah asked.

Aaron raised one of her hands and kissed the front of it. "Loving you in the way that feels natural to me. Even when I finally got the balls to ask you out, I didn't really know what I had in you. Zach took me under his wings, and I earned a ton of money. I really thought that would complete me, end my need for anyone else... for you. But look at Mom and Dad. They've been a force through some turbulent times, when it was easiest to break. I know that I'm falling harder for you every second. I will always be repulsed by my own spinelessness, and nothing can change who I've been." He expelled a long sigh. Something dark clouded his face, tapering his eyes to fine points for a split second. "Even if we end up apart, I won't ignore you like I have." He gulped. "Whatever happens, I'll be that force you can come to. We were friends from the start." He gave his shoulder a shrug. "And I'll be that friend who sees everything I could possibly need to feel alive."

A tremulous smile shaped Mariah's lips as the waiter, wearing an inscrutable expression, placed their meals and drinks on the table and left as quickly as he'd appeared.

"I can't see myself just wanting to be your friend," Mariah admitted, then sipped some water.

The emotion in his words made her stomach flutter with love and some acrimony toward him that had drastically diminished. Since Sunday night, she'd thought about the present. She was still processing his words in her brain, and couldn't be objective about them. "And no other man would be secure enough with himself that it wouldn't get to him if I spoke with a guy who's in love with me. I couldn't do that to anyone anyway, because my feelings for you haven't been fleeting. They've been there, under the surface, when I've been with other men. It's all or nothing with us."

The look that flashed across his chiseled features meant the world to her. He knew that they couldn't have a platonic relationship. It was actually easier for her not to communicate with Aaron over the past fourteen years, because just being in the same space as him made her body flush all over. She would've yearned for how their lives could've been more than she already did. Outside of his family, Aaron hadn't felt like he could talk to his friends Donovan and Michael as openly and as honestly as he could with Mariah.

"When did you take dancing lessons?" she asked after they ate in companionable silence.

"Last year, when Aimee came to visit Zach and me in New York. She wanted to do something that wasn't," he made air quotes, "too crazy for me. Zach took her shopping and to most of the touristy sites, and the idea flew out of my mouth before I could stop it."

Mariah grinned broadly. "And it came to perfect use tonight, show-off!"

He chuckled. "Okay, so I practiced a little before I came to get you."

She threw her napkin at him. "Cheater!"

"I've got two left feet."

"So do I."

"Nothing about how you move your body is uncoordinated. Just wearing that dress tonight and standing in the elevator made every eye zoom in on you. And having you lined up against me, falling into step with me, was hot."

"Rianne has great style. She gifted me this dress."

"She gave us a great gift indeed." He gazed at her longingly. "And seeing what's underneath will be the gift that keeps on giving."

Mariah felt her cheeks flame, and when the waiter refilled their glasses they swigged down their drinks.

On the ride back home, Aaron and Mariah listened to the radio with the windows wide open like they did in high school. Whenever the light turned red, he touched her knee, and when she let out a moan, he heaved in a deep breath.

As Aaron pulled up to her closed garage door, Mariah's mouth quirked up and irritation flared in her eyes, making the color look like a deep jade.

"Have a good rest," he told her. "I know I'll need one, because tomorrow my day begins before dawn."

Mariah didn't say anything. His gaze blazed over her face reverently, making her pulse leap and her entire body heat with growing need.

"But"—Aaron's voice was husky—"I've got to taste your mouth before you go inside."

He leaned toward Mariah, and she pulled at his tie with a lusty laugh. Sealing the sound shut, Aaron claimed her full lips, kissing her as if he had all the time in the world. She started to tug his shirt from his pants and then slid her hands up his back, coming in to contact with the sculpted ridges of lean muscle. Nothing compared to feeling him like this, how his body shook from her touch. And they were just kissing. Feeling the warm silk of her underwear against her groin, Mariah tightened her thighs as he ravished her with his tongue, intensifying the kiss.

Panting, they separated their mouths at the same time. She glided her fingers down his cool back. Settling her hands on his firm derriere, she buried her head in his arm, and he released the hair pendant that had kept her tresses in place.

"Aaron, I was going to tackle you if you hadn't kissed me," she said on a heavy breath.

He combed his fingers through her hair, feeling her strands expand. "I wanted to kiss you just as badly."

Mariah lifted her head, tasting his lips for a minute.

Aaron caressed her jaw, and she gazed up at him, her pupils dilated. He shifted his hips as much as he could in his seat. "I know it's hard to believe, but I really am just a call away. And in the coming weeks I'll be getting a condo, probably in the same building as Wyatt. Mom and Dad say they wouldn't mind if we all move back in, but that's one madhouse I don't think even they can picture."

Mariah giggled; Aaron displayed those lethal dimples.

"That would make for a better reality show than what's on television this season," she replied as she freed herself from his warmth. "Thank you for the much-welcomed escape."

Aaron watched as she went inside her house, then he drove to his parents' home. He didn't want to be a source of escape for her; he wanted what they'd shared together over the past few days to become their reality. He needed to take it one day at a time, proving it to her.

# Chapter 13

"They ordered how much more?" Aaron asked Zachary the following morning during their one-on-one video conference.

Zachary smirked. "Five thousand in ten days. A lot of people have been raving about it and calling up all these chains... including the ones who offered us those crappy deals to put ShedGuard on their shelves."

"And we'll see what their new offers look like," Aaron responded. "Do we have the manpower we need to get that huge-ass order filled and shipped out to the locations on time?"

"Wyatt handled all those details last night till... about two hours ago. He's still in your condo, dead to the world for now." He fell quiet for a beat and said, "Having him around has been real helpful. A great addition to our team here. Even they like him, which has made his presence appear less threatening to them."

Aaron's mouth moved, forming a wide smile. "I can see how some of our staff freaked out at least a little by Wyatt being there. He's just always dealt with the footwear division of VYC and the Midwest distribution deals."

"He's dealt with our current clients and potential clients very, very nicely. He really looks out for everyone's best interest."

Aaron gave a firm motion with his head.

"Aunt Rita had told me last night that you looked dapper." His cousin fluttered his eyelashes, and Aaron took in a deep breath. Zachary was letting him off the hook lately by not bringing up Mariah like he did the night after he arrived home. "Aunt Rita also told me that she didn't think you came home at a respectable hour! Is that what happened, young man?"

"Zach, shut up!"

His cousin chuckled. "Hey! Uncle Ken knocked himself out last night after he finished the painting, and her friends must've had plans, so that left me. She wants to push things further along, dude. Don't you get it? You're never leaving home again."

Aaron's expression grew thoughtful. "I _will_ be here for a while. I'm either gonna get a condo or a small starter house. I'll keep the condo for when I've got to fly out to Manhattan and for Wyatt, Aimee, and Logan, but other than that..." He shrugged. "I'm not trying to run from here. It's not bad at all. Never has been. I know we haven't talked about it—"

"I'd do the same thing. I hope that you're patching up things with Mariah." Zachary crooked a grin. "You've had Aunt Rita and Uncle Ken jet-setting all these years. They want a change of pace, and it can't be any sweeter than having all their sons living in Bloomfield Township. Next, Aunt Rita will concoct a scheme to get Aimee to move back into the house."

"I don't think Dad will be a fan of that. He hasn't gone through the empty nest syndrome like Mom has." Aaron frowned. "Zach, you're the oldest. We all see you as our oldest brother—"

Zachary schooled the expression he had on his face. "I'm a Cahill despite the fact that I've had the Wilkins name since I was eleven or twelve. Doesn't change just because Aunt Rita and Uncle Ken adopted me and found it within themselves to raise me when they'd just moved in together. When they probably should have been trying to have their own children."

"You're their first child, they've said so many times. And I don't have a hang-up about it. Mom hasn't ignored that my aunt was your birth mom, as she shouldn't. Mom always told me that you were more than my cousin. That she felt like you were hers, too. And Dad has said the same thing. You're more than a close cousin of mine and my mentor. I call you cousin so that we don't argue, but I've always seen you as my brother. You helped take care of me while Mom was grading homework, or doing something that needed to be done around the house while Dad had been working. Who knows what would've become of me if you hadn't filled those big-brother shoes times ten."

Zachary lifted his glass of water and drank from it for several minutes. Then he began shuffling some papers, his deep azure eyes avoiding Aaron's unwavering golden-brown gaze. "Shit, Aaron! Are you serenading Mariah with your poetic words in your sleep?"

"I probably am. And it doesn't make me a pussy for telling you how it is. Mom would talk your ear off all day, so you should be glad that she didn't hear what you just said. You'd be on the first flight here, brother."

Zachary gave a reluctant nod and changed the subject. "We've got two clients who have great products but can't meet the demand of filling their orders. One client has a special technology that we can patent." He moved his mouse on the desk, making a clicking sound. "It should be in your inbox now. It's real early, which is why I haven't even mentioned it to Wyatt yet. Everything they've said looks to be legitimate, and our background check people are doing a fourth inquiry on them."

Aaron quickly scanned through one of the attachments and made a face. "Hmm, this Prompttotest product looks good."

"Yep. Parents, employers, whoever, won't need to wait on the labs anymore for the urine results. It detects everything, including those hard flushes. One of the requirements to ensure its efficacy, though, is monitored urines. And this solves many of the holes in other drug test kits."

"Their manual is very thorough and answers the first questions that came to my mind," Aaron replied with a bob of his head.

"Those clients are at the head of the list right now. Oh, gotta take this call."

Aaron waved to him and then logged out, ending their video conference. His bedroom door opened, and his father entered with two mugs before kicking the door closed with his foot.

"Good morning, Dad. I woke you up?"

Kenneth handed him a mug. "Got up much earlier to make your mother breakfast, which she's eating now. She wanted me to give you something to eat. I saw you doing your push-ups so I came back with breakfast for you again, but I heard you and Zach talking."

"You heard what he said." Aaron stated it as a fact. The coffee was ice cold.

Kenneth perched on the edge of his son's bed. "The coffee's cold and taste crappy?"

Aaron shrugged. "Cold. There's some taste to it. Nothing that microwaving won't fix." He placed his mug on the desk. "Zach thinks that he's your and Mom's charity case. He won't let himself see who he is to all of us, because he doesn't want to get hurt."

"Zachary has never been a charity case to me or your mom. And what you told him? All of it was correct. He's my son. He doesn't have to call me Dad—that doesn't sit right with him, and I can see how—but he'll always be the first child I raised. Your Aunt Blythe brought him over so much... and then he eventually became ours, in my gut, I knew he belonged with us. I took work a lot more seriously. Quit clowning with the guys after work so much, so that I could get home to your mom and to Zach. And Janice and Todd helped by babysitting him. We made it happen, though it wasn't a breeze. I may have an immediate family that can fill a baseball stadium, but they knew more about kids than I did."

"Todd babysat? As in Todd, Mariah's dad?"

Kenneth barked out a hearty laugh that made Aaron laugh, too. He could really see himself in his father when he was relaxed. "All you kids have known Todd as a grumpy bastard who lives to be in his hardware store, but he was once an amiable man." His voice shook as he continued. "Just hearing what you said to Zach made me real thankful to the man upstairs that you came out how you have. I can't say there's been one time that you were obnoxious because of the attention we gave to Zach or the others."

A frown creased Aaron's forehead as he wheeled his chair across the room to where his father was.

"Zach has tried to pay us back for raising him, but he helped raise me! When I married your Mom, I didn't have cold feet. And he paid our mortgage even before he knew if he'd ever have that much money again in his life. Then you followed in his footsteps and expanded this house so that Logan and Aimee had their own rooms. So that guests could stay here."

"Zach doesn't know that when he calls the house to talk to you and Mom, what you guys want from him most is to know that he's okay." Aaron gave a shake of his head. "Dad, he eats right, works out, works hard. He's okay, but he could get a lot more out of life like what I'm getting now. Talking to you like this isn't like talking over the phone, and having Mariah in my life now... If it weren't for you, I'd be in my Manhattan office, miserable. But as much as we drill into Zach that he deserves more than to be okay, the ball is in his court."

Kenneth raised his eyebrows in suspicion. "Does it bother you that Mariah is richer than you? That she may always have more money than you?"

"Not like it would've fourteen years ago," Aaron answered immediately. "Or even a year ago. Having more money than her won't make me any more of a man."

Kenneth nodded as he rose to his feet. When he stood by the door, he said, "I'll be here all day if you want to tell me how your date with her went. Meanwhile, I'll see if my wife would like anything else."

Aaron smirked as he stood up with mug in hand and met his father at his bedroom door. "And I'm headed to the kitchen, so please tell Mom that I'm eating breakfast, when she asks."

"That'll guarantee me some more uninterrupted hours with her. The oatmeal and fruit salad are in the microwave."

Mariah stopped typing when she saw Rianne closing her office door. She hadn't looked up when she heard the door opening, because she knew it was her best friend.

"Everyone knows you're seeing Aaron," Rianne announced as she threw her coat on one of the chairs and took a seat across from Mariah.

"That would explain the different reactions people gave me on my way over this morning. That must also be why my ears were itching for a prolonged period of time today: the constant chattering." She saved her document and jerked her gaze to Rianne.

"Then I take it that Aaron swept you off your feet on the dance floor last night."

"The whole town knows about the specifics of our date?"

The corner of Rianne's lips curled. "No. Carol told me in the bank today that while Aaron led you in a cute waltz number, the men were ogling you in that hot black dress. Not a shocker that he couldn't stop making love to you with his eyes, either."

Mariah nodded. "Carol cleans up very nicely herself. And you should meet Dean, one of her main squeezes. He's almost as handsome as Aaron. He's also in great shape. Seems like he's old-school. They're beyond the fling stage—reaching that one-year mark."

Rianne's grin widened as she tucked her feet underneath her body on the chair. "Drake and I have met Dean before, and I knew that he liked her more than she liked him, or maybe that's how she played it off. Dean knows he has a great woman, so as long as she has the upper hand in their... arrangement, then that's what counts." She cast her friend an inquiring look.

Mariah cocked an eyebrow as she kicked off her high heels. "Are you asking me if I am more into Aaron than he's into me?"

"Do you both know what you're doing?"

Mariah laughed throatily, and then she met Rianne's eyes. "We're two consenting adults. I sure hope that means we know what we're getting ourselves into."

Rianne's expression was as fiery as her beautiful auburn hair, telling her best friend that she wasn't pleased with the response.

"I like Aaron, more than I think I ever have. He's been real with me, and since we've reconnected, I don't feel weak for giving in to what he and I both want."

After heaving in a deep breath, Rianne said, "Sex changes everything. Now you're all in, and he might be on the next flight to New York in the next twenty-four hours."

"My hormones aren't responsible for my decision to date Aaron. Last night, we decided that we're going to see each other exclusively. He'll be here for a while. We discussed it: he'll be at his parents' for a couple more weeks and then he's getting his own place... a condo like Wyatt's, or he might buy a home."

"Look at you!" Rianne shouted as she leapt to her feet, her mouth dropping. "Your mind's addled, and your vajayjay is on the same song and dance you went on last night. He could crush you... again. And this is bad because he's not Roger; you're all in with Aaron, and we've seen how he gets when he can't deal with his feelings. He'll have to fight off Merrick and me if he ditches you again."

"Rianne," Mariah said softly, "Aaron and I haven't made love. I've given him just the amount of care he's given me. He's not Roger, and I am partially responsible for that debacle. I was super aware of everything I did and said around him. And while no one really knows someone else's thoughts, I knew that he hadn't shared a lot of what he thought with me. He didn't love me, and I didn't love him. I thought we had enough... respect for each other not to toss that word around recklessly. If he had, then I would've ended it on the spot." She sighed deeply. "Aaron isn't pushing back his feelings anymore, and neither am I. You and Merrick will understand if Aaron and I don't ride off into the sunset together. I might fall, and you'll help me back up. Merrick will, too, after I get that silent lecture from him."

"You wouldn't have done this a few years ago," Rianne said, her face lifted in a half smile. "When Drake and I had taken that break our freshmen year, you were in my dorm so often that people swore you were my roommate. You had so much to do for work and Bristol and Caleb, but you knew that I was falling into a depression."

"But you let Drake date, and months into your separation with him, you did, too. And you realized that if you hadn't let him go, it would've irrevocably changed what you guys have for each other. Because, Rianne, it may look like he loves and honors you more than you do him, but I've seen you feel just as strongly for him."

Rianne's deliberate blink told Mariah that she was more devoted to Drake than she'd ever been.

"In Aaron's and my case, we had to work out some of our stuff by being apart. He needed to know that he could have his own career, provide a life for himself."

"And it's enough baggage to keep your hands full since you and he aren't doing the nasty," Rianne quipped, her expression softening. "You've gotta have some pent-up—"

The knock on the door took them away from their conversation. Drake sauntered into the office, a curious expression on his face.

"Hello, Mariah," he said delicately. "How are you?"

The women exchanged an amused look as he stood behind Rianne, who rested her head against his stomach.

"Aaron and I are great."

"I was going to ask you about him," Drake said, his mouth curved upward.

Rianne cast a glance at her husband before she shot up and went across the room to get her coat and handbag.

"What does he have in store for you tonight?" Drake asked

A flush spread over Mariah's face.

"Whatever she wants," a voice said.

They all glanced and saw Aaron, holding the heavy glass door open. Mariah trailed her eyes over his dark button shirt, jacket, and the low cut of his jeans, which suited his long and fit torso. No one else heard the breathy sigh that came out of her mouth, but Aaron spotted the desire that flashed through Mariah's eyes, which had darkened to a beguiling emerald. He wanted to rip each article of clothing she had on with his teeth, and he conveyed as much to her with his stare.

Drake greeted him with a nod, and Aaron responded with a brisk bob of his head, his gaze remaining on Mariah.

"Aren't you the man of the hour?" Rianne asked rhetorically as she edged closer to Drake. "It looks like I'll have to actually ask Mariah when I can see her."

Mariah felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment—she'd forgotten that Drake and Rianne were still in the office with them.

"You're still the boss of me, but remember: workers really appreciate bosses who let them go on the wild side a little bit."

"I grant you permission. Who knows what tricks my boss has up his sleeves for me?" Rianne shuddered, rubbing herself a little against Drake, who tightened his arm around her as he guided her out of the office.

Aaron held the door wide open for them and shut it after they left.

Mariah released a short laugh. "They didn't say good-bye," she said with false melancholy in her voice.

She pressed her toes on top of his freshly polished shoes while she leaned into him. His hand settled on her tight backside as she sprinkled kisses on his square jaw, on the dimples that made her swoon for him every time, and on the prominent bridge of his nose up to his eyelids.

With his eyes closed, Aaron rubbed his face against Mariah's until his lips skimmed over hers, and a ripple of need swirled in her body. As his kiss went from gentle to unrestrained, his pelvis canted forward against her belly, and goose bumps sprouted over her sensitive skin. Feeling breathless, Mariah slid down from him, the side of her head resting against his pectorals. A lazy smile formed on the corner of her mouth as she heard Aaron's heart beating as erratically as hers.

She felt Aaron tunnel his fingers through her hair, recreating for several moments the spiral curls she'd had in it until he smelled her vanilla shampoo on his hands. He liked that she now had that bedhead look, although he thought she hadn't been thoroughly touched. When he pressed his lips to the front of her head, she looked up. The dreamy look in her eyes hit him square in the gut, and everything he was feeling was being reflected back to him.

"Not fair," she murmured.

Aaron's eyebrows drew together in confusion, and Mariah stepped on his feet again. She smoothed the temporary line between his thick, yet shapely, brows with her soft mouth. She decided to grasp his full head of thick, dark brown hair that made her warmly think of his father. It was impossible not to hope that Aaron aged just like him—despite doing very hard labor all of his life, Kenneth Wilkins wore all that hard work phenomenally.

The fact that she was thinking so far into the future brought a shadow of gloom over her, making her appear stoic.

"Mariah," he whispered softly, "I want to know your thoughts. It might put a damper on this, but we can't really move forward unless you tell me what gets to you. Because I cause you to have reservations."

She settled a hand on the muscled cord of his neck as she tucked her head underneath his chin. His broad chest shook against her breasts and the beat of his pulse thrummed against her palm. "I'm thinking that you're a dead ringer for your dad. Not only in looks, but as a man."

"I think I'm now more than I was in the past. Am I acting out of my own self-imposed insecurities or not? What I do when I'm with you is because I'm so damn in love with you that I can't do anything else."

She started to move her mouth to say something, but she closed her lips and snuggled into his chest as if they were resting on the hammock at the back of her house, having a languid day together. Aaron smoothed her hair back from her face so that he could at least see some part of it.

Mariah had only ever loved Aaron. She tried to rewire herself to give something to other men because she believed in one's capacity to fully change, but Aaron had always consumed her thoughts.

"What's unfair?" Aaron prompted as his hands returned to her derriere. He liked how that part of her physique was both soft and taut. He gave each cheek a pinch, and the stirrings of desire she had for him morphed into an ache.

She brought her head back and gazed at him. "That your breath is so fresh, because that mint melted on your tongue instead of mine." She blew an errant strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face. "And you still look neat." Her expression became regretful. "Zip up your jacket to hide the mess I made of your shirt, and you'll almost be in same condition you were in when you arrived."

Aaron dropped his gaze below, and Mariah blushed with her whole body. She quickly met his eyes again because she didn't trust that they'd leave the office otherwise.

"It's just a shirt; that can be replaced. You, baby, can't be. Bring your waist to meet mine again, and my condition will work against me."

With her eyes locked on him, Mariah took a step forward again and cupped his excitement in her hand. Aaron fought for his eyes not to close, as she didn't hide how turned on she was getting by how plentiful he was. How he swelled more as she moved up and down his length.

"Have you leaked?" she asked, her voice husky.

"Not yet." His voice was hoarse. He attempted a smirk but he was so lost in her ministrations that speaking was more of a trial than not coming in his pants. "Not like the first time."

Mariah ran her tongue along her lower lip for less than a second, and Aaron thought he was going to die. "I was too quick on your hard-on back then. So of course you came on my hand before I really did anything." She drifted her hand inside his pants, and the heat of her hand on his warm penis was icing on the cake.

Clenching down below as his pants dropped, Mariah moaned, and a wave of want erupted through her core. Small dark hairs surrounded his cock, and she found that he was more endowed than before.

He rolled his hips in a way that muscles she'd forgotten existed in the human body flexed in his thick legs. "You're... too good to me," he said, his breath soughing in and out.

Sliding her palm down and back up very slowly, Mariah grasped onto his balls with her other hand, and started to gently tug him. The different motions and pressure made Aaron jerk forward, exciting her even more. She wanted his desire to intensify for the remaining minutes—she could see that he was going to ejaculate soon. The veins on his penis looked like they were going to rip from his skin, because he wanted a release so badly.

She changed the direction, quickening her pace from the root to the tip while she delicately caressed his testicles in small circles. Aaron moved against her hands, creating a friction that she reveled in as she clenched her thighs together.

His eyes flew open, and he found how flush her body was. "Oh shit! You're close, too. Bring your ass here."

Mariah followed his command. He brought his hands around her, almost ripping the zipper from the back of her skirt in his haste, but that didn't bother her. When her skirt fell down her ankles, Aaron tucked her ruby-colored thong to the side of her labia, trailing his fingers over her mound. Her small, curly blonde hairs were slightly damp with her desire. Deftly, Aaron managed to focus on her with one digit on her taut and rigid clitoris, and another on the sensitive, throbbing tissues of her vagina.

Thick streams of semen flowed on Mariah's hand, and when she moved faster more droplets reached her arm and hit her blouse as her orgasm slowly built. Aaron held himself in one hand while she rubbed some of his slickness on his balls. Their gazes flitted down as he stimulated her with his cock. He dragged his penis on her outer folds, and then he slipped his crown on her overly roused knot of nerves. When Mariah shot her head back in ecstasy, he deepened his finger against her walls, hitting a spot that only she reached when she stimulated herself.

With her knees buckling, Aaron began torturously measured plunges in and out of her while he rubbed his length up and down her stiffened clitoris and he became more erect. A tremor came over Mariah as her sex tightened around his finger, the full impact of her orgasm causing her breath to come out in a whooshing sound. As she wreathed her arms around his waist, Aaron took her mouth in a fierce kiss, then his lips brushed down to her clavicle. Mariah gave a contented little sigh, and Aaron's groin pulsed against her belly. The moisture from the sweat on her stomach, along with her sweet sound of satisfaction, made him grunt. He was too wound up to not come again if his groin came in closer contact with her body, so he stepped back but steadied her with his hands.

Aaron lifted a shoulder toward the small bathroom next to her closet. "I'm going to clean you up." He inhaled their combined sweet and musty scent.

"And then I'll clean you up afterward. Next time, though, I'll lick every last drop from you with my tongue, okay?"

He let out a strong round of expletives, and Mariah tittered as both of them—on shaky legs—started toward the bathroom.

"Aaron, I want a cupcake with all the works."

"Martha's it is, then."

# Chapter 14

"Your dentist won't know if you have an itty-bitty piece." Mariah moved a piece of cupcake in front of Aaron's face.

He took a bite of it, snatched her arm, and pulled her toward him over the table, hovering his mouth over hers as she chewed a small bite.

Mariah slid her tongue out, sweeping it across his bottom lip, and he gave her a light kiss as his fingers stroked her arm. He liked how she couldn't control the shiver that passed over her body.

"From the sample I had of you tonight, your taste is more delicious than this cupcake," he whispered, and smirked at the glances people were giving them.

Mariah's face blushed to the most beautiful shade of pink Aaron had ever seen. She brought her mouth an inch from his as she stroked her toes over his crotch under the table.

Aaron's eyes fluttered closed, and he groaned. "Is this what you want to do? Bring out your wild side now?"

Mariah used one toe, running up and down his responsive excitement. He lifted his eyelids, raking his gaze over her arm and up toward the small, confident smile she gave him.

"Aaron, take me home." She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger as she eyed him impishly.

He didn't wait for her to change her mind, as seconds later he was by her side, helping her into her coat. But when they were both dressed and had thanked the staff for giving them a fresh batch of cupcakes and coffee, the entire place suddenly became quiet.

As they pivoted to find out whom everyone was looking at, a patronizing tone Mariah had forgotten sent her heartbeat crashing against her eardrums. She felt Aaron standing behind her, propping his strong, firm hands on her tense shoulders. In turn, Mariah clutched onto one of his hands, letting him know that she wasn't afraid of Evette Floyd's glacial stare as she blocked the main door with her taller—but frail—body.

"Poor Roger has been stricken with an unbelievable amount of sorrow over the called-off engagement, and you've hopped from one bed to another without blinking." Her features contorted. "Must account for how you made it to the top of the Forbes list."

Unwilling to just stand and listen to her hostile talk, Aaron slid beside Mariah. "Now, Mrs. Floyd, you've espoused female professional unity since most of us here were born. And you're attacking Mariah in front of all these people to... what? Humiliate her?"

"She'll never find anyone like Roger," Evette replied without sparing him a glance. "Who knows what you were doing when you were with my son. From the beginning, I saw that you didn't really belong with him."

Mariah looked at Evette Floyd like she was speaking in tongues, and the room filled with some giggling and whispering. She couldn't believe that her wonderful, fun, sweet date would include this confrontation, but it couldn't be avoided.

Twining her fingers with Aaron's, she replied, "My career speaks for itself. Nothing can refute that, not even your verbal daggers, Evette." Straightening her shoulders, she took many quick breaths through her nose as she felt Aaron's grip on the sides of her waist. "I didn't belong to Roger, and contrary to what you or others say, I hadn't strayed. I belong to my boyfriend tonight. I see you're alone and everything, but if you want to find someone to talk to, perhaps some of the customers will take pity on you. Most will only speak to you because of me. Because you thought it classy to create a scene."

She looked at Aaron, who gestured her to walk ahead of him, so she did. He grimaced at Evette over his shoulder, and when Mariah was at the door, he held it open for her, also making it clear to everyone that he wouldn't be as tolerant of overt disrespect toward Mariah as he had been with Evette Floyd. She was an older woman, so he refrained from being painfully blunt toward her. Now, he knew that everyone would be gossiping about Evette as much as they gossiped about Mariah.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mariah asked as they walked toward the front of her house after they'd parked their cars in her garage.

"Because you're smart and amazing, and it humbled me like you wouldn't believe that you told everyone at Martha's I'm the man you're spending your night with."

Mariah stroked some of the stubble on his face when they were at her door, and he crushed his mouth to hers. They groaned as every nerve in their bodies buzzed.

"Aaron," she said his name breathlessly, and hearing her shaky voice shot straight to his balls. He could never get enough of the desire and love for him that flickered in her expressive gaze.

She turned the key inside the door, and Aaron pushed it open. He shuddered out a breath. When Mariah whirled around to see that he wasn't with her yet, her eyebrows drew together anxiously and then he strode into her house. He was so close to her that she could feel his warm, minty breath on her overheated forehead. She briefly wondered how he managed to always make his breath smell and taste so good.

He tipped a finger under her chin, her eyes meeting his. "Can I have you?" he murmured.

Unsteadily, she pressed her chest forward, rubbing it against the hard planes of his upper body. She didn't tear her gaze away from him. It was like they were dancing around the big elephant in the room—their need to be together—just like they had at the ballroom. It was palpable in their uneven respirations, and every second weighed heavily between them.

"Aaron," she circled his neck with her arms, "you've always had me."

He brought her hands down to her sides. "Stay here, okay?"

She bobbed her head. From behind, he surrounded her with his warm, hard body as he unbuttoned her peacoat. He quickly put her coat up on a hanger, not bothering to button it or slide the protective plastic to cover it. When he embraced her again, Aaron pressed his erection against the cleft of her rear and a second later, his hands seemed to be everywhere she liked to be caressed all at once: the width of her curvy hips and her full thighs. And when he pressed his face between her buttocks and traced one wet finger from her stiffened clit and around her entrance, she trembled.

Aaron bit each full cheek before he hauled himself up and tore the front of her blouse. The small sting sent a sensation from her nub to her core. Eager to look at him when she was fully naked, Mariah unsnapped the front of her bra and spun around. She felt butterflies in her stomach because she could tell that it was hard for him to concentrate on just looking at her face. She liked her body and wasn't worried about some of her stretch marks or the cellulite she had on the back of her thighs. And yet none of her other lovers had even taken the time to look at her like she was a beautiful, sensual woman. With the appreciative awe that Aaron held in his expression, in the depths of his intense bourbon eyes, she had no question that he did.

He carried her, and she tittered with joy and feverish need as he mounted up the steps to her bedroom. She wouldn't be surprised if she'd have a bruise in the shape of his hand on her ass; it didn't bother her for a second.

When he reached her bedroom door—the farthest one down the hallway—he kicked the door open, and they chuckled loudly.

Besides the faint rosy color on his face, Aaron looked like he'd gone for an easy jog as he deposited Mariah onto her king-size mattress. She was underneath his fully clothed body, so her hands crept up his thighs and slid over his dress pants as she freed the front.

Aaron's impressively sized cock sprang from the opening in his boxers. Mariah raised her body up, her face meeting his groin. As she gripped his shaft, she nipped and licked his balls, making a delicious groan. He felt that euphoric rush like when he was about to come.

He took off his blazer and pulled out a condom from an inside pocket. "The next time I bust, it'll be when I'm inside of you."

Mariah's breathing sped up from the predatory gleam in his eyes. She didn't say a word as she took her turn undressing him. After tossing his articles of clothing on the floor, Aaron gave her a push on her bed. She was on her back again, her eyes flickering at his feral expression. He crouched down and ran his tongue on the deep indentation of her navel, making her arch her back, but he grabbed onto her thighs to hold her in place.

When Aaron kissed her hips and around her mound, she let out a light whimper, and he levered himself upward. Then he ripped open the condom and Mariah grasped his cock, slowly sliding up and down for a few seconds as he became harder. Reaching down, he touched the heart of her desire, feeling her damp, blonde curls against his fingers as he sheathed himself with the thin rubber at the same time. He licked her desire from his limbs like it was an icicle that was melting fast, and he spread her legs more with his knees.

She was so open to him. Undaunted. Bold. And his to serve.

"Do you feel wet enough?"

Mariah nodded. "I don't get dry like I used to."

He rose over her. "If that changes at any point, you have to tell me. Okay, baby? It won't ruin anything for me to get you wet again."

"I'll tell you if I need it," she replied with a breathy sigh.

Pleased with her response, Aaron held himself as he put his crown against her core. She was slick and already smelled of sex, making him want her more desperately. Preparing her for his width, he massaged the sides of her small opening with his crown. When she tucked her lower lip inside her mouth, he nudged forward, stretching her sex to accommodate him. He could feel her relaxing her muscles. He thrust deeper into her tight heat, and her pussy closed around him like a vise.

"Oh, Aaron." Mariah ran her nails over his butt, feeling it flex and bunch underneath with the control he was exerting. "Drive your cock to the hilt. A little pain won't kill me... waiting one more second will."

Unlike the handful of times when they made love as youth, they weren't inexperienced or incredibly nervous now. He wasn't fumbling with a condom, and she didn't have a hard time achieving an orgasm like she once had. Mariah had learned what she liked and didn't like and her ability to voice what she wanted from him was a turn-on, but he had no intention of letting her have a complete say in what he did.

With a firm nod, Aaron lifted her hips so her ass was off the bed, and he drove in harder. Their muscles strained as he began to move in and out of her at different paces, at some moments his head barely meeting her core. And when Mariah thought she'd have to reach for his testicles to get him to surge in, he'd answer her sound request, plunging to the hilt, the friction of his groin hairs against hers sending her small, erect bundle of nerves into a frenzy.

He couldn't compare anything to being inside of Mariah and seeing the haze of pleasure flicker in her eyes as she gazed at him every step of the way. He knew how much she wanted to clamp her eyes shut and just rock him right back, but he needed to see her, to maintain that connection for their first time in years.

"We fit just right," he growled, loosening his hold over her hips. Mariah raised her pliable legs high so that he could access her as deeply and as quickly as he wanted to. Hands molded to her small breasts as Aaron sank into her, his balls smacking against her and rousing her other nerves. When she bucked upward with a loud, harsh moan, he pinched her nipples, the sensation rippling through her overly sensitive flesh. Mariah squeezed his butt, remembering how good the bite on her ass had ignited her desire for him.

"There you go, baby," Aaron said with a daring smirk. "Try to push me deeper into your pussy."

Mariah tried, and he paused. He throbbed inside of her as her heat clenched around him. Despite her moving her hips in stiff gyrating motions because his weight overpowered hers, Aaron brought his hands to either side of her, his eyes zooming in on her puckered nipples. He swirled his tongue on each nub and began to enter her warm, slippery channel inch by inch.

Mariah felt like she was drowning in sensation, and she lost herself to him, her brain going numb. When he saw that she wasn't thinking about getting a release, he moved back, bringing his forearms underneath her knees. A glassy look came into her eyes as she stared at him determinedly, and he hammered into her without any restraint.

The canopy and mattress shook as he pulled back, letting the tip of his cock brush over her swollen folds before he rocked into her again, targeting a special place in the anterior wall of her pussy that made her eyes sting from the rush of adrenaline flashing through her chest and giving her chills. As she cried out with the shudders of her orgasm, Aaron threw his head back. A second later, when his release gathered in his balls and traveled to his penis, his hips flexed as he plunged forward, erupting inside of her.

He collapsed on her side. She slowly moved closer to him, her body feeling limp as she laid her head in the crook of his arm. Mariah's hum told him that she felt great. She traced small circles on his abs and then she slid the condom off him.

As she turned around and pulled a tissue from the box on her nightstand to cover the condom and throw it in the trashcan, Aaron surrounded her, his hands moving over her body. Her fingers circled his growing erection and then began exploring every inch.

"I think you need to feel wet again," Mariah said with a mischievous tilt to her mouth as she sank down to his pelvic region, one hand on his elbow and the other on his iron-hard thigh. When she wrapped her tongue around his crown, Aaron's fingers furrowed her into her messy, damp, frizzy hair. She brushed his cock against one cheek and then closed in, giving a little suction on the very tip. She raised the hand on his thigh and sought his testicles as she proceeded to take his throbbing flesh more into the depths of her mouth, where it came close to her throat for a moment.

Aaron tightened his grip in her hair. She sucked on him hungrily, making up her inability to take him in her throat by massaging each sack, tripling the waves of sensation sweeping over his body. Sliding in and out of her mouth, Aaron wrapped his legs around her, his feet covering the small of her back. When she moved her jaw and tongue in an impossibly inverse rotation, he swelled more in her oral heat. In one shattering moment, he lodged in as musky drops of his seed spilled onto her tongue, somehow amplifying his rough, harsh pants in her eardrums.

Mariah found it heady and rewarding, which explained why she hadn't ever loved any other man with her mouth. It felt wrong and sounded so mechanical to her before, when the others had mostly wanted a quick thrill.

Aaron stroked her scalp. "Come up here," he told her in a soft tone.

She released his thick, softening cock from her mouth and snuggled up to him.

Aaron swept down and kissed her puffy lips that tasted as much like cupcakes as it did of him, and that made him smile. He knew she'd think that he was smiling because of what she just did to him.

After he worked his way around her mouth, pressing kisses on her neck and jaw, Mariah blinked sleepily, his name coming out as a sigh before she drifted off to sleep.

Aaron couldn't think about living in Bloomfield Township without her. It would suck. He could visit much more and have a place here, but no woman could affect him and possess his body like Mariah did.

He held onto her tightly as he watched her contented slumber, and a slight grin crept on his face at seeing her nipples pucker.

# Chapter 15

Early the next morning, Mariah carefully touched Aaron's jaw and trailed her fingers up to his forehead. Despite Aaron being deep in sleep, his arm went out, as her body wasn't molded to his as it'd been before she went to the bathroom. Not wanting him to become distressed and wake up, she slid closer to him and kept her hold on one side of his face. He had the beginning of a five o'clock shadow that scraped her skin a little when she caressed him last night.

A somewhat maniacal laugh escaped her tightly sealed lips, closely resembling a gurgling noise. Mariah laid her leg over his. Aaron seemed to stir all of a sudden, trapping her leg with both of his as he turned on one side, facing her.

A smirk skimmed his lips, displaying his to-die-for dimples which instantly brought a flush to her cheeks. He loved seeing her buck naked, with no sheet or clothing to serve as a barrier in getting an eyeful of her—he could touch her, lick her, and devour her. Images of last night flashed through his mind, making his penis surge above her navel.

"Hello, beautiful."

"That's my line!"

Mariah quirked a brow and flashed her gaze down to his erect penis. "I think he deserves some praise." She ran her hand through his and he settled his other hand on her butt cheek, giving it a small squeeze that he knew mimicked the bite from last night. "I wouldn't want him to feel ignored."

"I don't think that'll happen." Aaron shot a look to his cock as if it weren't connected to him, which made Mariah smirk. "Believe it or not, sometimes Aaron Jr. doesn't get that I'm his owner."

"So he's not a gentleman."

"More like he has a one-track mind." He was quiet for a beat as his cock twitched in agreement, and they chuckled. When the laughter died down, he murmured, "What led you to call it quits?"

Mariah blew out a heavy breath as he started to stroke her lower back, his gaze softening. Despite not wanting to think about Roger, she wanted to be as open to Aaron as she was hours ago. She knew that he'd answer any questions she had of his previous relationships, if she had any.

"During the engagement party, Merrick showed up, which I didn't expect. I'd sent out an invitation to him like I had with most of my long-term, loyal employees, and there he was. When I took him to the side, he informed me that Roger was making under-the-table deals to sabotage my business."

Aaron's eyebrows shot up, and a frown settled over his features, replacing the relaxed one he previously had.

Mariah's hand skated down to his sternum, but he didn't look composed. "He was having clandestine dinners with Henry Gawlick—"

"The motherfucker who sexually harassed you?" Aaron shot up with a death glare she knew was aimed at her adversary.

"Calm down."

"I hate being told to calm down. It makes me want to do just the opposite."

Mariah huffed as she angled her body, swinging both legs on either side of her. "And where do we go from here? Back to square one, not speaking at all? Because believe me, if you're gonna get all caveman about this, I can't continue to date you. We have to be rational. I know you love me, and I love you. Okay? I love you. But you can't storm into his office, threatening to beat the living shit out of him if he ever speaks or looks my way like you did when you were seventeen. Thank God the judge only made you take anger management classes and expunged your arrest from your record."

"He conspired with Roger to sabotage your business. To tear to shreds your credibility and good standing in the business sector."

"There are many people who are trying to do what Henry is aiming. I had someone asking my coworkers questions about my latest program, and I found out that it was a man whom HR had interviewed. They didn't hire him."

"Is Merrick handling the disgruntled man?"

She nodded.

Aaron's mouth fell into a straight line, and while he didn't say anything for several minutes, Mariah saw his shoulders relaxing. Mariah knew he didn't like that she was against him talking to Henry Gawlick, but he wanted to respect her wishes.

"If he corners you like he did in the past or speaks to you directly, I can't say that I won't hand deliver him a taste of his own nasty medicine."

"And I feel safe and glad that I have your love and devotion. I don't want you to deny your instinct to protect me, but I want you to have your freedom more."

Aaron's frown dissipated. "What had the devious duo schemed, anyway?"

"They planned to have exclusive rights to the code of a live security program I'm developing to further secure an OS I'd created for some financial institutions, most of which are Henry's competitors."

"They just wanted to cock block your business."

Mariah bobbed her head.

"Was the whole relationship a lie, then?"

"Most of it," she replied in a faraway voice. "I think Roger grasped that I wouldn't love him like I loved you before, and he thought that using me was fair game." She fell silent for a short while and exhaled slowly before she continued. "His investments weren't great. There's only enough left of the money he'd earned before the market crashed to live for... I'd guess a year, tops, given his extravagance. See, I've always been a homebody, but he liked vacations and dining at five-star restaurants. And he shopped like it was his vocation—it was something we used to argue about. So I could've been his meal ticket. I guess marrying me is work he should get paid for!"

"Don't joke about yourself like that." Aaron crossed his arms. "Doesn't Roger have a trust fund to fall back on?"

Mariah shook her head. "His dad left everything in Evette's name. Since he was an elderly man when he became ill, Roger tried to contest in court, claiming Roger Senior was senile. But his dad had neurological testing, and geriatric specialists all found that he was of sound mind."

"Wow. He acts like he doesn't have a care in the world."

"He can put on a convincing act, but that's his burden to carry. He wants to maintain his cash flow so he'll find a way to do it... but it won't be from me."

Aaron nodded in agreement and placed his face against Mariah's, moving his mouth from one corner to the other. She grinned broadly as he flicked his tongue inside of her mouth.

"Not fair," he said against her lips after they came up for air.

"What's not fair?"

"You don't taste of me anymore."

Mariah raised her shoulders. "The tooth fairy told me I had to brush my teeth since I didn't last night." She planted a kiss on his lips, and he gave her that boyish grin that sent butterflies in her stomach. "Do you wanna know what else she told me?"

He bobbed his head up, brushing his stubble against her mouth and chin.

"That I've got an Adonis in my bed whom I can taste if I feel like having something salty for breakfast."

Aaron's features lifted into a devilish grin. "Will your boss approve?"

Her gaze landed on his mouth. "She adamantly supports whatever fuels me for the day."

Then Aaron swept down, taking her down with him in a scorching kiss.

Rita Wilkins swung her husband's arm up and down as they strolled toward their house after spending most of their morning jogging in the park. He twirled her so that she collided against his chest, and he bent his head down, nuzzling her neck.

Rita's heart thumped against her chest as he slipped his fingers into her silky blonde hair, making her shiver, her skin vibrating because of their closeness. He always supplied her with the attention she craved, especially in small ways, during their thirty-one years of marriage.

"I love the way I feel with you, Kenny." She tilted her head to the side so that she could see the golden-brown eyes that had been passed on to her sons. "Some believe that the peak of their lives is when they're young, but as cliché as it sounds, I'm having the time of my life now. We're making the most of the time we have on this Earth. Our children have had us all over the world as if we're celebrities, and while they're on their own journeys, I know in my soul that we're not far from their minds. I love you for carrying my groceries from the drug store thirty-five years ago and making it your mission to become my husband. For being a parent to Zachary when we had no idea how hard it was to live together. But we rolled with the punches."

"Sweetheart, it's about growing younger—that's the new term out there. We're sixty-one years younger. Our kids need us to give them that kick in the right direction. Show them how living in style is done."

"They can all live in style within walking distance from us. By the way, have you asked Aaron about moving here for good?"

"I didn't need to."

"Kenny, I asked you to really talk to him about that and Mariah."

"That goes hand in hand. Having Mariah as a daughter-in-law would be incredible, but she, Bristol, and Caleb have always been extended members of our family."

"Of course, that's a given. They're Janice's children."

Kenneth wrapped his arms around her neck, and their mouths met in a lingering kiss for several minutes.

"Aaron loves Mariah just as fiercely as she loves him. It was hard to miss during dinner," she whispered after he rested his mouth on the groove between her nose and upper lip.

"That's why I didn't need to tell him what he has to do."

As they walked back toward their house, they saw Aaron's car pull up to the driveway.

"There's an important delivery for you. The carrier says your signature is required," Shaina told Mariah over the phone after she spent most of her morning in the test room for G-Defender. She would sign on it to be released to one of her biggest clients—the financial institution who hired her to develop an OS for them—very soon. They'd been the first to pay for G-Defender before she started developing the program.

When she reached Shaina's desk, Mariah flicked her gaze around and saw her employees but not a carrier. Every package went through metal detectors and were inspected by her security, so she asked, "Is the package still being inspected?"

"It's been inspected. Merrick told me that it's a big box, so they're doing another scan on it."

"A big box?"

Shaina gave a brisk nod. "Yes, Ms. Culver."

Mariah decided to see what the holdup was.

"Surprise!" was all Mariah processed when she went into the security room and heard two distinct voices.

After making love to Aaron last night and kissing and spooning with him all morning, she doubted that her personal life could soar any more than it was right now. Gasping for oxygen when she felt Bristol and Caleb crowd her with their long arms, she knew that she wasn't delirious: her siblings were in the security room.

"You two should be in school!" she sputtered, and they drew away from her. She couldn't believe how mature they looked to her. Especially Caleb, who had gotten a haircut and was dressed in a button-down shirt, slacks, and polished shoes. She used to have to drag him out of bed for school most mornings and check that he didn't leave the house in the clothes he'd slept in.

"Mariah," Bristol's small, heart-shaped face curved into a grin, "we have a long weekend. Afternoon classes were cancelled today."

"Your boss told us that your schedule is clear," Caleb added.

"What else did my boss tell you?"

"That you and Aaron are hot and heavy," Bristol said, making Caleb cover his ears.

Mortified, Mariah averted her gaze, thinking that Rianne definitely needed a spanking.

"Let's get out of here... this a real sterile room," Caleb said as he strode toward the door and opened it for them.

Ten minutes later, they were on the road in Caleb's car. Mariah sat in the passenger side, but she looked back between her siblings every few seconds.

"Would you stop that? It hasn't been that long since you've seen us."

"It's March now. The last time you and Caleb were with me was the day after Christmas." She cocked her head to him. "Bristol has had three years of the college grind. You've been a little homesick, right?"

Caleb didn't answer but he smirked. Mariah pursed her lips, not being fooled for a second into thinking that he didn't have his moments of homesickness.

"Caleb, I need you to make a stop at the supermarket before you make that turn."

"Rianne stocked the fridge with groceries already."

"Hmm... what would she and Drake eat?" she asked herself. "They're such different eaters. Maybe they can come over for dinner tonight or tomorrow."

When she refocused her thoughts on her siblings moments later, Caleb was driving into the parking lot of Lou's Diner.

"We're having lunch," he said. "On me."

"You don't have to spend—"

"Oh, but he really does," Bristol countered, and flashed her dark blue eyes at her brother. "He's a cheapskate so I think he really should." She shrugged. "We can vote on this for old time's sake."

Knowing that she was outnumbered, Mariah didn't protest further.

"I have an announcement to make," Bristol said as a waitress took the menus from them.

Mariah tilted her head.

"I've been accepted into the physician assistant master's degree program."

Lunging from her seat, Mariah wrapped Bristol into her arms, enveloping her sister with her strength and shameless adoration. A few minutes later, she released Bristol and turned to Caleb, giving him a long, tight hug that he wasn't quick to free himself from.

Mariah brought her hands to her face. "How will this affect your current studies?"

"I'm completing my junior year like normal. Then when I begin classes this summer, I'll be a grad student, in a more intense externship than I'm in now."

Caleb swung his arm around Mariah. "I'll be in Columbus, too, working at the auto insurance company. I've been linking up with Bristol more since our last phone call. We're gonna live in an apartment. It's cheaper than living on campus, and we've lived together our entire lives."

"Uh-huh, that's why you're here: to get your stuff for your apartment."

They both looked at Mariah sheepishly. The waitress appeared at the table and served them their meals.

"This is the next step in your lives," Mariah began after several minutes passed, and the only sound that could be heard was the use of utensils. "Everything I've heard is fantastic." She grinned at Caleb. "Your promotion to a full-time employee." Jerking her head toward Bristol, she said, "And your new matriculation. I know how cutthroat that program must be—getting in is half the battle." Emotions clogged up her throat, so she reached for her sparkling water, taking slow sips. "Please let me know how I can help. Movers, the deposit, three months' rent, furniture—"

Bristol slid her hand on top of Mariah's from across the table, gently cutting off her older sister. "The security deposit and three months' rent have already been paid. The lease has been reviewed by our family lawyer and the appropriate adjustments were made. We're just going to take a few things—some family photos, my old textbooks which are still useful, and all of my lab coats. We don't need movers or anything like that since the apartment is furnished."

Caleb nodded, his mouth full of food. Mariah brushed his hair and he rolled his eyes, making Bristol snicker.

She felt like it was yesterday when they were running around her at every turn, competing for her undivided attention, and now they were growing up—trying to be independent.

As Caleb left the waitress a tip after he paid the bill, Mariah followed his gaze: their father had come into the diner, greeting some people in town. Mr. Culver's gaze landed on them, and he gave them a curt nod before resuming his conversation with the manager.

With her face tightening into a scowl, Mariah started toward him, but her siblings stepped in front of her. Caleb settled his hands on her biceps, surprise splashing over his face at how she came out of his grip. She shot her younger brother an I've-been-working-out-more __ look.

"Mariah," Caleb said calmly. "We surprised you, not Dad. You're happy that we're here. We are where we are today because of you. This is just any other day for Dad; he's been like this with us before Bristol and I became college students. He entrusted you to raise us, because you had what it takes."

A soft smile spread over Bristol's lips as she gestured for them to go.

Mariah knew everyone present in the diner probably thought that their father had already seen Bristol and Caleb since they arrived in town. She returned her father's nod with a stiff smile and left with her siblings quietly, not feeling as skilled as her sister was at hiding her feelings.

"Do you know how long Bristol and Caleb will he home?" Rita asked Aaron during dinner.

He smiled. "Till Sunday."

"It'd be nice if we could see them."

Kenneth exchanged a knowing glance with his son. "Sweetheart, Mariah has them on such limited time. I think it's safe to say that she wants to spend every minute she has with them. We'll invite them over the next time they come home."

His wife pouted, so he quickly filled the small space between them and kissed her pout away.

"I ended my call with Mariah as soon as she told me that they're leaving Sunday," Aaron told his mother. "I didn't want to take up all her time, and I could hear in her voice that she was anxious to get back to Bristol and Caleb."

Rita quirked a brow at him. "So you won't be spending the night with her while they're here?"

Aaron immediately wore a deep flush. "That's a no. You're trying to embarrass me."

"There's no reason for me to do that. Last night and this morning must have been very special."

"Rita, he wants to eat without you fishing for information."

The color on Aaron's face began to fade. "Mariah is special." He cleared his throat. "We'll be together for many more days and nights."

"Aaron, I like hearing that."

"Then you'll also like to know that I contacted a realtor today. I'll be a Bloomfield Township resident again. I still haven't decided if I want to live in a condo or buy a home."

Rita sighed in relief. "When will Wyatt be back?"

"Very, very soon, Mom. The employees at the VYC in town are used to him. It'll be business as usual for everyone."

His father looked at him like the news of him moving back home for good and of Wyatt's return was going to ensure Kenneth a great night with his wife.

Aaron wanted to live with Mariah in the near future.

# Chapter 16

Mariah made sure not to make a sound as she brushed her teeth at seven thirty the following morning and slid into the tracksuit she'd laid out before she went to bed last night.

Bristol and Caleb hadn't mentioned their father at all when they got home yesterday. They may have spoken about him privately, but she knew that they felt the sting of his aloofness. Instead of acknowledging how they felt about being only a few feet from him at Lou's Diner and getting the cold shoulder, they'd just written it off as "Dad's usual behavior."

As Mariah drove toward Culver Hardware and saw that most of the businesses weren't even open yet, and that only a few people were out, she exhaled a harsh breath. She hadn't wanted to talk to her father since she attempted to have a civil dinner with him.

She didn't draw any attention when she parked her car right in front of her father's store and went inside. She found him at the counter, reading the newspaper.

His eyes shifted to Mariah a moment later. "A week ago, you and Roger were the cover story on our newspaper, and now Culver Group is in the technology and economics sections. Your PR team must be worth every penny."

"I didn't come here first thing in the morning for your backhanded compliments."

"Your hair looks like it went through a storm and came out on the losing side. That tells me that you're not here to make nice, either."

"Would it have killed you to come see Bristol and Caleb yesterday?"

"How do you know I wasn't going to see them today or tomorrow? They know where I live."

Mariah shook her head, fighting the temptation to throw something in his face. "It's tearing them up inside that you treat them like old news. I listened to what you said days ago at dinner—I saw the turmoil in your eyes. Maybe I shouldn't have used Mom's recipe for the meatloaf or tried to serve you dinner like she used to. I know that this may be the best place we'll be at with each other, but I don't want you to reject Bristol or Caleb till they hate you."

"They're not the little kids they were when Janice got that cancer and was taken from me. I hadn't coddled you, so why would I coddle them?"

"Dad—"

"I am not your dad!" he shouted.

Mariah jumped at the words, raising her arms up, as if shielding herself from an object thrown at her. She felt like she'd been knocked down on her ass without a chance to defend herself.

Silence stretched between them. Some semblance of remorse flared in the same sapphire blue eyes that both Bristol and Caleb shared with him, but she didn't. Nor did she have their tall, athletic bodies. She always thought she was short like her mother and had inherited her very fair skin, light green eyes, and blonde unruly hair from someone on her mother's side of the family. Was she even her mother's child?

She saw his mouth move, but she didn't hear what he was saying. She knew that what he said in that moment of frustration, irritation, or anger was not a lie: he wasn't her father.

When Mariah found herself back in her car some time later, it all seemed to click for her. Even as a little girl, there were many instances in which the man she thought was her father was hot and cold with her. And when her mother said he had a long day work, Mariah didn't believe it.

The passenger side door to her car opened, and she canted her head. Still in shock, she struggled with gathering her wits as Rianne said something to her. When her best friend brought a tissue from her purse and wiped away at her wet face, Mariah realized that she was crying.

Mariah rested her head on Rianne's lap for several minutes and managed to ask, "How'd you find me?"

"Your dad called me at the bank and said that you might be having car trouble. Then he hung up in typical Todd Culver fashion... without further explanation."

Mariah swallowed hard as she raised her head and slouched in her seat. "Well," she said shakily, "no car trouble here. But you shouldn't call him my dad since I was just informed by him that I'm not his daughter."

Rianne covered her mouth with her hand and then a moment later, Mariah was in her friend's arms, letting the tears flow onto her shirt.

"Don't eat all the popcorn," Aaron told his father while they sat in the living room and watched reruns of _The Honeymooners_.

Kenneth set the bowl of popcorn onto the table as Aaron's cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the number from the screen.

"You're missing the best part," he heard his father say, but something told him to answer his phone even though he usually answered calls only from people he knew.

He sped into the kitchen, taking the call. He opened the fridge to see what else he could snack on before he ordered pizza for dinner, as Rita had already left the house to have dinner with Carol.

"Aaron," a familiar female voice said.

He was quiet for a moment. "Rianne?" he asked, shutting the fridge door.

"It's me," she spoke quickly. "I got your number from Mariah's cell."

"Okay..."

"She's had a rough day. And I know that she's only spoken with Bristol and Caleb because she never wants them to think that she's mad at them."

"I don't understand. Hasn't she been spending her time with them? Did they get into an argument or have some misunderstanding?"

"Nothing like that."

"Then what happened?"

"It's not my place to say."

"Since when do you care about what's appropriate for you to say?"

"I haven't seen Mariah look so empty since her mom died. She hasn't talked much to me. Just lay in her bed and cried throughout the day, even cried herself to sleep. Bristol and Caleb think it's that time of the month—the only thing they know that can make her feel like this."

Aaron wanted to do anything he could to make Mariah happy again.

Bristol, Caleb, and Rianne were at the door when Aaron arrived less than ten minutes later. Despite the siblings' inscrutable expressions, Aaron could see the concern in their eyes.

"Thanks for coming over so fast," Caleb addressed him with a proffered hand that he shook. Aaron turned to Bristol and shook her hand, too.

"Don't take it personally if she's dry with you," she told him as Rianne closed the door behind him and then gestured for him to take off his coat.

He handed it to Rianne, replying, "I won't."

When Caleb bobbed his head and then stepped back, Aaron noticed boxes on the wall. "Spring cleaning?"

Bristol answered for the two of them. "We're bringing some of our stuff to Columbus tomorrow because we have an apartment there that we're going to move into soon. I just got into the PA graduate program, and Caleb's employer wants him to work there during the summer."

A big smile spread across Aaron's face as he thought about how proud and sad Mariah must be about the news. Was this why she had a rough day?

"That's awesome," he told them. "I wish you the best in your endeavors. You're gonna kick ass."

Caleb smirked. "That's what Rianne said."

Aaron nodded his head, flicking his eyes between Bristol and Caleb. "It'd be great if you had dinner at my parents' when you're here again."

"Sure," Caleb said.

"Well, I'm gonna head to Mariah's room."

Bristol and Caleb motioned with their heads and walked into the kitchen. Aaron heard Rianne talking to someone on the phone—probably Drake.

When Aaron appeared at her room, the door was open. The curtains to her windows were far apart. Mariah was perched on the edge of the windowsill, her features lit by the moonlight. He moved toward her and bent down, taking her feet out of her slippers and into his warm hands as he settled himself on the other side of the windowsill. She took a deep breath, and a genuine smile shaped her lips as he slipped his fingers between her toes and pressed his palm against the arch of her feet, making her emit a heavy sigh.

Twenty minutes into a very calming and arousing foot massage, Mariah swept her feet down and glided over to Aaron, her back against the protective shield of his chest. She placed one hand on his leg stretched out on the windowsill.

"Are you going with Bristol and Caleb tomorrow to help them bring their stuff to Columbus?" he asked.

By no means was Aaron a mind reader, but he understood Mariah enough to know that she wasn't distraught about her siblings moving forward in their lives. She'd raised them so that they could do what was purposeful to them.

Mariah shook her head, and he brushed his lips against the back of her neck.

"Remember last week, when you walked home with me after my disastrous dinner with Todd?"

Aaron felt every sense in his body heighten when she said _Todd_. Despite not talking to her in fourteen years, he hadn't heard from his parents or his siblings that she called her father by his first name. It was very much unlike her.

"We talked over your homemade meatloaf and stir-fry vegetables," he said with a hint of a smile in his voice.

"It was kind of delicious, huh?"

Aaron nuzzled his nose against her nape in answer.

"It was Mom's recipe. Everyone who's had it became happy and full." She looked up at him for a slight second. "He said that he had children with Mom because it was what she wanted. He just went along with it. When she passed away, he didn't have to pretend that he wanted to be a parent anymore. I guess any parental instincts he has," she huffed out a bitter breath, "if they really exist, died with Mom. And I stopped wanting to reconnect with him."

"That's hard to hear."

Mariah appreciated that he didn't try to make her feel better by lying to her about how Todd Culver felt, because he didn't know how Todd Culver felt.

"Sad thing is, I still love Todd."

"Baby, I gotta admit it's weird for me to hear you call him Todd. You haven't done it before... at least not when we talked about him."

"He's not my dad," Mariah whispered hoarsely.

Aaron's expression stiffened. "He's not your dad?" he stated as a question.

"I learned that this morning."

"Turn to me."

Nodding, Mariah did as instructed, wrapping her legs around his waist. She met his gaze tentatively.

"We had lunch yesterday. At Lou's. After they surprised me at work. Told me about their good news. Their dad came into Lou's right as we were heading out, and he just nodded at us and went back to talking to the manager. I was so close to losing my cool, but Bristol and Caleb reasoned with me not to waste my energy on him. But I changed my mind last night, and earlier today I went to his hardware store to reason with him."

Aaron rubbed her outer thigh when she paused.

After a beat, she said, "I'd called him Dad." She audibly swallowed. "But then he shouted, 'I am not your dad'."

With a curse, Aaron wreathed his arms around her trembling shoulders, and she allowed herself to be held by him as she blinked back tears.

"He was shocked at himself that he let that slip. That much I could tell." Her voice cracked. "When he insults me, it's intentional. I can see it coming a mile away. He's done it, because he wanted me out of his hair. This morning, though... it was this piece of information that he got off his chest."

"Do you think there's a possibility that it's not true?"

"It's true," Mariah replied, her voice barely more than a breath.

Aaron's chest heaved as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down his throat—he couldn't stand seeing Mariah look like she didn't know who she was. The confident and successful woman he loved looked like a frightened young girl.

"I feel so drained, and my head feels heavy. Stay with me tonight."

He inched closer to her, pulling her mouth in a slow, deep, thorough kiss that caused her pulse to pound loudly. As every responsive nerve in her mouth came to life, so did her body, which began writhing against the hard barrier of his chest. Then he lifted her into his arms.

Mariah half-smiled and some tears escaped her eyes, streaming down her cheek, but she didn't look sad. Her eyelids flickered until they closed minutes later, when she drifted into unconsciousness.

The only satisfaction Aaron had as he covered the love of his life under the covers and joined her in bed, molding his body to hers, was that he would be available to her and do whatever she needed from now on.

A few minutes before dawn the next morning, Aaron's arms felt empty. Wiping the grit of little sleep from his eyes, he hauled himself up on the mattress and slid the curtain from the center of the canopy. His gaze zoomed in on Mariah, her hands pressing down on the windowsill as she stared out the window.

He slid off the bed and sauntered over to her, tracing her inner arms when he stood behind her. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and shoulder. "I haven't told Bristol or Caleb."

"But are you going to?'

Mariah inclined her head. "Yes," she answered with apprehension in her voice. "I don't want to, but I couldn't live with myself if I kept this from them."

After a pause, she explained, "Mom and... Todd got married a few months after knowing each other, so I don't know if Mom cheated on him thirty-one years ago, if they were on some break, or if she was pregnant with me when they dated. I don't want them to think of Mom in a bad light. At the end of the day, she was our mom. A loving mom. Even when she felt like shit as she got sicker, we were her priority. She always put our needs above her own. And Todd knows that. He didn't revealed that..." Her words trailed off as she felt a thick lump in her throat. "That I am not his daughter because he didn't want to stain our memory of her and judge her. Even if the truth is ugly, I refuse to stop putting her on a pedestal. And I'll be damned if Bristol and Caleb stop putting her on a pedestal, too. I'm going to talk with them before they hit the road. Over breakfast."

Aaron turned his head to the side and kissed her temple. "Okay. I'm going to my parents' house, wash up, and take them to breakfast at Lou's."

Mariah tugged at the front of Aaron's wrinkled shirt and drew him down to her, nipping at his bottom lip before her tongue invaded his mouth.

"Are Bristol and Caleb okay?" Rita asked her son as she forked pieces of her salad disinterestedly.

Aaron nodded. "They're probably on the road back to school now."

Rita briefly looked at her husband, then returned her focus to Aaron. "So you ran out last night? Your father assumed it had something to do with Mariah."

He set his utensils down, because he'd eaten as much as he was going to. His stomach churned—his worry about Mariah was rising. Though she seemed like she'd accepted the news that the man whom she thought was her father wasn't, he could sense how lost she felt; not only lost because it changed how she viewed herself and perhaps, her family, but more so because she couldn't talk to her mother about it. If Janice Culver were still alive, there was a big chance that Mariah would've never found out.

But as he saw his mother studying him, the idea drifted to his mind that she had to know who Mariah's father was. Aaron thought Mariah was agonizing so much over whether or not to tell her siblings that they didn't share the same father biologically, that she didn't consider talking to his mother about it. Despite wanting to preserve her mother's memory, Aaron believed that if Mariah didn't want to ask questions from his mother now, she would want to at some point.

"Yesterday, Todd revealed something to Mariah that will forever change their relationship," he responded grimly.

"Which was what?" Rita asked in a controlled tone.

"That he's not her dad," Aaron said.

His mother's face paled. Kenneth snaked his arm around his wife, and a loathing expression flashed over his face before it was calculatedly replaced with impassivity.

Eyes downcast, Rita was visibly lost in her thoughts.

"Go pay for the meal," Kenneth murmured to his son.

Aaron did as he was told.

For the remainder of the day, Rita stayed in her room. Aaron saw Kenneth come out of their bedroom a couple of times. When the evening approached and Aaron stopped by his parents' room to offer to order some dinner, his father slipped out of the door, looking exhausted.

"Can I see Mom?"

"She's still real raw right now," Kenneth replied softly. "Damn, Aaron. You opened one big can of worms. She's just calmed down."

"Dad, I'm sorry. I was looking for an honest reaction from her."

"Your mom has never lied to you. Janice was her best friend, and she's still very cautious about respecting her friend even in death."

His father's hand came down on his shoulder so hard that he involuntarily took a step back. Eyes clouding over menacingly, Kenneth heaved in a deep breath, and Aaron inched back again... this time on purpose. He felt like his father was furious at him and someone else—perhaps Todd Culver.

"But the cat is out of the bag now." Kenneth shook his head. "I've always hated that expression, but it is. Todd saw to that. And now your mom has to make some hard choices because she loves Janice and her children. I see Todd going mute while Janice's children, Mariah especially, have questions. Ones that only your mom can answer."

The door opened, and Rita stood in front of them. Even as she was about to speak, Aaron could see that she was pondering about what he knew and how to handle it. As his eyes sought hers, a deep frown marred the delicate wrinkled skin between her eyebrows.

They both tried to talk at the same time, with Aaron ending up telling his mother with a slight movement of his mouth that he was going to listen.

"Mariah may now believe to some degree that Todd has removed himself from her after Janice died, because he isn't her father by blood." She jerked her gaze to her husband, who held her hand as he looked down at her reverently. "But he was at odds with himself. He loved Mariah so much, despite her not being his. This is more complicated than you think, and I have to thank Todd for that. I've felt that Mariah should've known... and Janice was going to tell her after her visit to the doctor. Then, well, we know what happened. They found those worrisome lumps on her breasts, and then telling Mariah about her father wasn't the priority."

Sadness brimmed in his mother's cerulean eyes, making Aaron and his father curse at the same time.

"Sweetheart, why don't you get ready for bed? I can make you some tea."

Rita patted her husband's wrist, telling him that she would return to their room in a minute. "I'll answer Mariah's questions, but there's something I need to do first."

"Mom, she'll be so thankful. I know my telling you that at breakfast has pained you, and I—"

Rita cut him off by swiftly raising her hand, a gesture she made to him and his siblings countless times. She rarely yelled at them when they were being too loud or when they weren't on their best behavior; she raised her hand or gave them _that_ look, the wait-till-we get-home look, and all of the Wilkins children immediately behaved appropriately.

"I'm not going to discuss this with Mariah tomorrow, though. I'll keep you posted."

"Yes, Mom."

She tilted the side of her face up to him, and he swept down, giving her a soft kiss on her cheek. As Aaron leaned back, the furrow she was wearing smoothed out.

Rita clutched her husband's arm, and they went back into their bedroom. Pivoting around, Aaron headed toward his room and took out his cell phone from the pocket of his pants to call Mariah.

"I was just thinking about you," Mariah said as soon as she answered.

Aaron was lying on his bed, a wide grin on his lips. "I've been thinking about you, too. Nonstop."

He could hear the smile in her voice even before she spoke. "What kind of thoughts have you had about me?"

"That you're an amazing sister to Bristol and Caleb," he told her warmly. "And that I know that they can only love you more, not less. You inspire the people around you. You inspire me to be the sort of man you can have a real future with."

The phone went silent for several minutes until he called out, "Baby... are you still with me?

"I've fallen for you," Mariah replied in a hoarse voice, "more than I ever thought I could. You inspire me, too, Aaron. Mostly to not hold grudges and not pass up on you because I'm happier with you than without you. Since I've become well-off, Bristol and Caleb brought me happiness. Completed me when some of my work didn't quite do it for me. You're a part of that equation now."

"Ah. Oh, don't forget your boss," Aaron joked. "She'd reprimand you for not bringing her into your happiness equation."

Mariah chuckled. "I'll pretend I haven't forgotten her place in my equation, if you can."

"What did I forget?" he feigned confusion. After hearing her calm, even breathing, he asked, "Did you tell them that Todd isn't your dad?"

"Over breakfast, like I intended. And Aaron, it was a dead-silent breakfast. But I wouldn't have done it any other way. If I held out on them today, I would've lost the courage to tell them later on. Remember Rita needed to tell them that Mom had cancer a month after she was diagnosed?"

Aaron made a sound that amounted to a yes.

"I was crippled with shock and denial. And dad... Todd didn't acknowledge that Mom was dying till it was undeniable. They said that they don't love me any less because we don't share the same dad."

"Baby, you're very brave. You taught them how to love unconditionally. This has sent everyone into a tailspin, and you're trying to be in control of not only how you deal with this news but the feelings it has aroused in you," he said. "Maybe the feelings you have toward your mom contradict the pedestal you put her on. When it comes to loving family, your feelings and thoughts about them doesn't have to be all or nothing."

She sighed. "But my devotion to her is either there or it isn't."

"That's what my mom's going through tonight. Questioning whether or not she's breaching the sisterhood code has to be weighing heavy on her."

Mariah dropped her voice. "You asked Rita if she knew?"

"During breakfast," he answered guiltily.

"I wanted to be the one to do that. Besides Todd, if anyone knows about who my dad is, it's Rita. She and Mom were roommates during college. Rita has to know about my mom's personal life at that time."

"She does have information, and tonight she told me that she'll answer whatever questions you have when she's ready."

"I'm actually not in a rush to know everything about how I came to be."

"Have you been creating all these different scenarios in your head?"

"Every single outrageous one," Mariah replied with mirth. She yawned after a beat.

Aaron smiled, knowing how gorgeous she looked when her mind shut down into a vulnerable state and her body went completely soft under his hold.

"Forgive me, Aaron. It's not you, it's me."

"I think that's the line every guy fears."

"It's the line every woman fears—guys just get a bruised ego. Women are braver because when we're a hundred and ten percent in love with someone, we let our hearts lead us. Even if we're doomed for misery with that person."

"If the end result is misery, then it's not love. That's something else that mimics the symptoms of being in love: infatuation, lust, obsession. I am not saying love is always flowers and chocolate, but love is when someone's giving you his best and bringing out the best in you. Fourteen years ago, I couldn't have acted out of my love for you. I would've made you miserable, because I couldn't provide adequately for myself, much less for you. But everywhere I was, I loved you baby, so much."

"I love you."

"I won the debate!"

"There was no debate: you have your position, and I have mine. I'm just not going to argue into the morning about it, when there are other fun things we could do even though we're not next to each other."

"I thought you were tired."

Mariah tried to trap her yawn over the phone, but Aaron still heard her. "Baby, go to sleep."

"You've been providing me with everything I need. Before I even knew what it was."

"What do I provide you?" His voice was soft and raspy.

"Your family. I hated you for what you did after graduation, but my love for you never wavered. So even now it's all or nothing with us. You've been a family member that I didn't talk to, but being in touch with your parents and some of your siblings made me feel close to you."

"They are your family. I'm your family, too. And you have total access to me now."

"Same here."

Aaron fell into a deep sleep after he ended his conversation with her. At some point he dreamed about her and the future they could have, but he didn't recall the details of it the following day. When he woke up, he felt like he had slept with Mariah because she had been in his thoughts and in his dreams.

# Chapter 17

Rita neared Culver Hardware late in the afternoon almost two weeks after Mariah had learned that Todd Culver wasn't her biological father.

Todd tipped his chin up to Rita as he jerked the door open to let her in. She glared at him, and a moment later they were both inside. When she glanced at the closed door, she saw that he'd flipped the sign on his door to _Closed_.

"I'm surprised Ken didn't come with you," he said as he sat behind his counter.

"Oh, Todd. He was going to, but I asked him to stay home," she replied as she eased down on a stool that she knew was primarily used for his returning customers.

He bobbed his head, looking a little contrite, when he asked, "Are the kids doing okay?"

Hands on her hips, Rita's lips drew into a rigid line. "Are you asking about my kids, or your kids? Or my kids and two of yours?"

"I opened myself up to that one."

"You think?"

"I was asking about all of my children. I know that your children are spectacular."

"This," Rita said with a sigh, "would crush Janice... this hostility you carry with you. I'm surprised that it doesn't drive your customers away." A contemplative look entered her azure eyes. "You're still Mariah's father—"

"I really don't know what came over me, Rita. I've been so diligent about safeguarding that secret. I've failed Janice. Haven't kept most of the promises I made to her. But I didn't have to try hard not to tell Mariah, because she's my kid. Really became my kid when she went through colic and the idea that she wouldn't make it through gutted me."

"Yeah, well, that nurturing side of you has been on vacation. Todd, Janice told you years ago, when she chose to keep Mariah, that you didn't have to stay with her. She wouldn't have contested a divorce."

"I chose to do what Janice wanted: to have Mariah. I loved Mariah, though it wasn't at first sight."

"So... what? You've been resenting her, because Janice didn't have an abortion or put her for adoption?"

"No," Todd answered sincerely. "She was innocent in all of this."

Rita nodded in agreement. "You want to know how Mariah is? Your oldest daughter isn't going through the motions in life. She graciously allowed Aaron back in her life after all the mistakes he made. Aaron told me that she visited Bristol and Caleb at school this weekend. Which is _spectacular_."

"You and Ken have done a good job with your children."

"Mariah has done a good job with your other children. She's been mom, dad, and sister since she was seventeen." Rita eased off the seat. "Todd, from one parent to another: I mess up with my kids. I have hang-ups, which I project onto them. I am not a spectacular parent. I know that you think keeping your kids at a distance is helping them, but it's messing with their heads. Please think about that."

His expression told Rita that he really would think about everything they'd discussed. A minute after looking at each other in a peaceful silence, he said, "I know you came here so we could have a sit-down with Mariah together. I can't go there. On top of that, it's like I can't stop myself from being derisive toward her."

With a sad smile, she replied, "I'll do it."

Mariah had been carrying her cell phone with her twenty-four seven since Aaron told her that his mother would tell her what she knew. She also instructed Shaina to send any calls from the Wilkins directly to her even if she was in a meeting.

Rita called her at six o'clock that evening and told her they could talk later. Now Mariah was at the dinner table with Aaron and his parents after a delicious, filling dinner and some small talk, but no one was in a jovial mood.

"Mariah," Aaron said in a low tone, "do you want to talk to Mom privately?"

She shook her head and swung her gaze to Kenneth. "Do you know what Rita's going to tell me?"

Kenneth nodded.

"Then I see no point in you not hearing this, Aaron."

Aaron slid his hand from the edge of the table and onto Mariah's knee comfortingly.

"Do you know who my dad is?" she asked Rita.

Aaron's mother held in her breath as a pained expression crept over her features.

Rising from her chair, Mariah asked, "May I get you some water?"

Kenneth raised his hand, gesturing for her to sit down as he stood up. "I'll get her some water," he told Mariah before focusing his attention back to his wife. "Sweetheart, try to breathe. Mariah can come over another time."

Mariah's expression conveyed that she didn't want to cause Rita any distress, but a part of her felt a great urgency to know who her biological father was.

Kenneth returned to the table with a glass of water for his wife, shooting her a questioning glance.

She held the glass in her hand and slowly drank from it. As she placed the glass back on the table, she said, "Janice was assaulted one time she went into the parking lot of the hospital after her shift."

Mariah gasped, and Aaron's mouth seemed to drop from his face for a minute before he pulled her to his side. The fury that entered Kenneth's bourbon-colored eyes days ago resurfaced, seeming almost ominous.

"Do they know who the rapist was?" Mariah's voice trembled.

Aaron's parents shook their heads.

"Did she go to the hospital? Did she tell the police?"

With a dip of her head, Rita answered, "The assailant covered his face with a mask and put a knife to her throat. The only description she had was his height, his weight, and his voice. It happened fast. Then he ran on foot and people heard her screaming for help. She gave the police our number, and we waited for her at the station."

"She was with us for a few hours before Todd got to her," Kenneth added.

Mariah asked, "Why didn't she also give the police his number?"

"They were going through a rough time," Rita answered. "Todd thought she worked too much, and she believed that he would blame her."

"Did he?"

"No, Mariah. He didn't blame her." Blowing out a long breath, Rita sagged in her seat, and her husband hooked one arm behind her neck.

"Why did she have me?" Mariah asked a moment later, her voice a whisper.

"She really tried to give you up like her parents urged her to. I can't lie to you, Mariah: I told her she should when she asked for my advice. Kenny and Carol were the only ones who kept their opinions to themselves. During her second trimester, she began buying baby clothes, and we went bargain hunting for your crib and stuff." She sighed and then drank the rest of her water. "After that, I knew she wasn't going to look at any more families at the adoption agency. And I didn't know I was pregnant with Aaron by then. We already had Zachary."

"But I must've reminded her of the rape constantly. I don't look like her at all."

"You've got the same petite, shapely body as her. Even after having Bristol and Caleb," Rita argued.

"Need a break?" Aaron asked, gazing at Mariah and then at his mother.

Mariah shook her head.

"I'm here to talk this through with her. I haven't revisited that time in Janice's life in over thirty years," Rita told him. "When she gave birth to you, she refused to see the pain in it."

Mariah nodded. "Much like how she denied the pain she was in from the cancer, and her discomfort."

"Classic Janice," Rita remarked with a smile that eased the tension in her face.

"That's how Mom knew how to be strong." A few minutes later, Mariah said, "Thank you for telling me. I wish I didn't know how I was conceived, but the not knowing would've driven me up the wall."

After many minutes of pensive silence, Rita said, "You must be sapped. Tomorrow's the weekend, so why don't you sleep here tonight."

Mariah's gaze volleyed between Aaron and his parents.

"Rita was speaking for me, too. You're welcome to sleep over anytime."

"Baby, you can't really be wondering if that's even a question for me."

"Come with me," Rita told her. "I'll show you where I put everything now."

# Chapter 18

On Sunday afternoon, Mariah was swimming in one of Aaron's old NYU sweatshirts and a pair of his pants as she sat on his lap in the loveseat in the living room. Kenneth and Rita were lying down on the couch, so she felt like she was in a very relaxed double date after her emotions had been wrung dry since Friday night.

As a commercial came on, the TV's volume was muted, and they heard voices coming from the kitchen. Everyone stood up and was in the kitchen a minute later to see Logan and Wyatt just placing their suitcases down. Rita pulled them into a hug, one arm hooked around each of their necks.

"Mom, I'm gonna get a mean neck cramp," Wyatt said, and a second later she released them.

Logan grinned at everyone bashfully. Then Kenneth inched closer and gave him a bear hug. To Mariah, it looked like one giant was hugging another, despite Kenneth being taller.

"You could've called," Rita told her sons as her husband and Logan pulled apart. Wyatt went around her to give a half hug to his father, who hooked both his arms underneath Wyatt's arms. In turn, he lifted his other arm and patted his father's back for a longer hug.

"Uh, I caught an earlier flight. I would've been here in the middle of the morning but I didn't want to wake you up. I called Logan up, and here we are," Wyatt said.

Pivoting around toward Aaron and Mariah, Wyatt flashed his teeth as he swept down and wreathed his arms on her waist. When he gave her a kiss on her cheek a split second later, Aaron deftly slipped in between them, scowling.

"You didn't break enough hearts?" Mariah said with mirth. "Don't try to woo me. I've been courted while you were in the Big Apple this month." She raised her head at Aaron, and a corner of her mouth kicked up.

Wyatt acted as if his brother wasn't shielding Mariah from him. "Does that mean we had a chance?" he asked, feigning disappointment.

"Nope. Not even a fraction of a chance."

Aaron gave him a smug smile when Rita said, "You boys stink! Go upstairs and shower while I warm up some food for you."

Wyatt winked at Mariah before he spun around and pressed his lips to his mother's forehead as Logan mounted the stairs.

After a pleasant dinner with his family, Aaron was lying in the backyard, Mariah's head on his chest.

"I think that Janice did what she thought was right," he remarked because he knew that Mariah was ruminating about her mother.

She swallowed. "I don't hold any bad feelings toward her because she kept my rapist dad a secret from me. I just don't understand how she did it, you know?" She glided her head onto his bicep as she flicked her eyes at him.

"Mom doesn't know either, I can tell. She doesn't understand why or how Janice went on with her life after the rape and then raised you. It may have been her way of getting the power back in her life. Everyone responds to trauma differently; maybe she saw you as the only positive thing from it. But you're the person you are because of your mom and the man who raised you: Todd."

Mariah moved her head up and down against his arm and caressed the deep dip in her waist. "Yes, Mom and Todd had major roles in who I am. I just feel... terrible about it. And guilty."

Aaron's body went stiff beside hers. "Rapists. People like them who forever steal a part of someone's spirit deserve to face a worse hell than what they've forced on others. You're not responsible at all. It goes to show that what Mom told us when we were kids was true—some things, like one's capacity to forge ahead, cannot be explained logically. Janice may have faked it till she made it, could've found peace within herself and some healing."

Mariah's eyes softened. "I think in some small way, Mom did."

The door opened and then immediately closed. With a frown, Mariah eased off Aaron and darted to it. She saw Logan walking away.

"Please come back," she urged with Aaron behind her, echoing her.

"I didn't mean to interrupt. I wanted some fresh air," Logan said.

"You can sit out here with us," Aaron suggested.

"I'll be back down in a little bit." Logan gave Mariah a small smile. "It was great seeing you here when Wyatt and I got in. Aaron hasn't looked this happy in years."

"Thanks, Logan."

He grinned and then walked away.

When Mariah looked back at Aaron, he proffered his hand, and they returned to the backyard and held each other.

# Epilogue

The weather warmed over the next two months, and more people spent their time outside in Bloomfield Township.

Telling Bristol and Caleb that their mother had been assaulted, and that Mariah was a product of that assault, had taken some time. She told them when they came home after their semester ended, but she knew that the wounds were still fresh. They were going to return to Columbus at the end of the week to begin moving everything they had in storage into the apartment they leased. She still wanted to buy an apartment for them, but she knew they wanted a taste of what more responsibility felt like.

Almost everyone who was important to Mariah was scattered in her house, eating and drinking. As she brought out more wine and beer into her living room, she felt someone touch her shoulder blade. She cocked her head, gazing at a pair of dimples and golden coffee eyes that made her weak in the knees.

"Hey," Aaron said.

"Hey back at you." She grinned. "Are we running out of anything?"

Tucking a frizzy stray lock of hair behind her ear, he said, "Everyone's gathered in the living room. Some people want to see you before they leave."

"Who wants to leave? Carol? I know she has a date soon, but she told me it was a casual, no-fuss kind."

Aaron didn't answer. She followed him into the living room, where it was eerily quiet and all eyes were on her.

Mariah's gaze zoomed in on her siblings and Merrick, who she hadn't noticed come in. She said his name softly, and he gave her his version of a smirk. She invited him over for the small party, but as the last three hours flew by, she didn't think he'd make an appearance. If he hadn't shown her pictures of Roger having clandestine dinner meetings with her rival, she might not be with the man she's loved since she wore bulky braces.

"Thank you all for assembling in the living room so fast and for coming here on such short notice," Aaron said before jerking his gaze to Rianne and Drake, who wore their best poker faces. "And thank you for coaxing Mariah into having this party with people who have been instrumental in our growing up and with those who have contributed their wisdom and especially their patience during the fourteen years that I didn't have the one person who looked at me like I was her world when I was flipping burgers at Lou's and who loved me till I finally woke up."

Aaron faced Mariah, who shook her head incredulously as he swept down on her knee and produced a pretty black leather box in one hand. Strangled sounds came out of her mouth as she eyed the small crowd. Aaron's brothers—even Wyatt, who had just stopped flirting with her last week—and her siblings beamed.

"My love for you grows with each passing second. May I have the honor of loving you as my wife?"

Dissolving into tears, Mariah hauled him up and nodded her head. He opened the box and quickly slid the simple diamond ring on her finger.

As everyone cheered, Mariah brought her face closer to his so that no one else could hear them, and said, "When we're alone, I'll wear those patent red heels you like on me in bed."

Aaron cracked a wide smile—he was getting his passionate lover back.

# Thank You So Much For Reading!

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# Other Titles by Robin Shaw

An Unexpected Encounter: The Wilkins (Book 2)

Take Me On: The Wilkins (Book 3)
