A Secret Fate (23 page)

He stretched out his arm toward her, motioning for her to take his hand and join him at the window. “Come here, beautiful.”

She got up, wrapped the sheet around her still-naked body and took his hand. “You’re dressed,” she said, with a hint of disappointment she wanted him to detect.

“Just pants.” He grinned. “Which are easily removed if need be. There are a few joggers down there.” He pointed to the stretch of sandy beach, still smooth and void of many footprints. “I didn’t want to give them a show so early in the morning.”

She peered down at the beach. “I don’t see any joggers.”

“Well, not now. But there were.”

“That’s pretty far down there. Do you really think anyone can see you?” She laughed, snaked her arm around his waist and leaned her head against his chest.

“One can’t be too careful.”

“I see. You do realize they would have to be looking up while they jogged. Not too good an idea, especially right there.” She pointed to the rocks jetting out to start the archway where most runners would usually turn around and head back in the direction they came from. “We don’t usually get many joggers down there. I’m sure there won’t be any more for a while, so … Mister Modesty, let’s get these off,” she tugged at the top of his jeans, “and go back to bed.”

“You trying to seduce me, woman?”

“No, nothing that politic. I just want to have sex with you.” She pulled him with her as the bed sheet fell from her clasp to the floor and they tumbled onto the bed, laughing. Somehow, he managed to turn them so his body landed under hers.

The laughing stopped as soon as their eyes met. With his hand at the nape of her neck, he pulled her to him, his lips, soft, gentle at first. “It doesn’t take much finesse or smooth talking to convince me.” Then, his lips were like fire on hers, tasting, exploring, loving. She hadn’t been able to restore his memory, but they didn’t seem to have much trouble making new ones.

***

After having spent the morning making love again and taking their time with breakfast, it was nearly noon when they walked into the Cliff Hanger. Addison was supposed to be at work at eleven and she fretted over Gerry being livid with her about being late, but when they walked into the bar, he merely looked up at them and smiled.

“Sorry I’m late,” Addison said as she hurried toward the bar.

“Glad you could make it in today, Addie,” Gerry said.

Cael, walking beside her, his hand at her lower back, spotted Aiden sitting at the bar. Addison grabbed her apron, slipped in behind the bar and started talking with a couple of customers by her station. Cael decided it best to pretend he didn’t notice Aiden sitting there. Everyone knew the guy had feelings for Addison and having Aiden there every time she and he walked through the front door was damn awkward. Didn’t that guy have a home? Cael knew he shouldn’t worry about him. Aiden hadn’t come to the house to see Addison for a while now, but still, it was an uncomfortable situation when he knew Aiden spent so much time at the establishment where his girlfriend worked.

Cael stepped up to the part of the bar where Addison worked, leaned in to kiss her lightly on the lips and headed for the door. It was easier to leave and trust that Addison would be able to hold her own than stay at the bar, watching and wondering about the feelings of some other guy who had the hots for his woman. Or had Cael stolen her from Aiden? Addison had said there was never anything between them, but still, Cael couldn’t help the guilty feeling he had whenever he saw Aiden, considering he’d thought they had been a couple.

“Cael!” Gerry yelled to him as he placed his hand on the door handle. “Got one here for you.” Gerry held up a pint of beer toward Cael before placing it down on the bar in front of an empty stool, the one right next to Aiden. “I owe you one, so this is on the house.”

“Cael, stay and have a sandwich,” Maia added. Her hand seemed permanently adhered to the small crease between her abdomen and her breasts. Her stomach, Cael noticed, seemed to have doubled in size since the last time he’d seen her. She looked as if she was ready to give birth any minute. Cael could hardly decline Gerry’s invitation and figured the man owed him lots of beers, considering he was the one who had stolen his memory. Then having his dad show up a few months ago after twenty years of pretending I-have-no-family only added to the whole damn complexity of his life. Yeah, he could use a beer.

Cael strolled over to the empty stool and plastered on the best fake smile he could.

Aiden gave him a nod when he sat down. “Cael.”

“Aiden,” Cael returned before glancing at Addison. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aiden staring at her too.

“You’re a lucky man,” Aiden said softly, nearly a whisper. Almost as if he’d said it to himself. Then he took a sip of his beer.

Cael blinked and turned toward the guy. “I think I know that.”

“Just sayin’.” He moved his thumb up the side of the glass, wiping away some of the foam that had spilled over the top and was trickling down. Both men sat there in silence for a few minutes, then Aiden said, “She never lost hope you know.”

Cael gave him a side long glance. “Sorry?”

“Addie. She never lost hope.”

“Are you talking about the crystal?” Cael was aware that Aiden knew all about the crystal and couldn’t for the life of him think what else he might be referring to. “You’re right; we haven’t lost hope about finding it. There will be hell to pay for whoever has it, but unfortunately there are absolutely no clues.”

“No. I’m talking about you. She never lost hope that you would return.”

“Return?”

“You know, when you disappeared that day with Finn. I have to say, we were all surprised how that all went down and when you didn’t return right away, we all thought you were a goner. But not Addie. She never gave up hope. As painful as it is for me, I must admit, it’s good to see you two back together and to see her happy again.”

“Back togeth…?” Cael stopped mid-word.
Back together?
Addison and him? Back together?
They
had been a couple? It was like something large and hard struck him over the head, something just short of a freight train. The impact made him a little lightheaded. The recent memory of a closet full of men’s clothes tickled the surface of his mind as he remembered Addison’s explanation.
“They belonged to my fiancé. He disappeared.”
The clothes in the closet were his. He was the missing fiancé.

“Aiden.” Gerry’s harsh chiding use of Aiden’s name startled Cael from his thoughts.

“What?” Aiden said. Cael looked up to see Gerry’s narrowed eyes glaring at Aiden’s like they could suck the blue right out of them. Aiden turned to Cael. “Oh, hey. I’m sorry, man. I thought you knew.”

The slight shake of Cael’s head involuntarily revealed that he knew nothing about what Aiden had just divulged. Cael was the fiancé. They had been engaged to be married. Why hadn’t she said anything? If they had been in love … if she had been in love with him, why hadn’t she told him they had a relationship. It was possible that maybe she hadn’t told him because she didn’t want to be engaged to him anymore and all this sex they were having was just a … a what? An attempt to see if they were still a good fit? When would she decide?

Cael stood and glanced down toward the other end of the bar where Addison was mixing a drink and talking with her friend Darcy, too preoccupied with whatever they were discussing to pay any notice to what just transpired with Aiden. Cael swallowed the lump in his throat. He wanted to throw up. He looked around the bar. Everyone was happy and laughing, involved in their own perfect little worlds, but they all knew. Everyone knew except him. Every fucking person in that God forsaken town knew all along and nobody said a damn thing to him. Not even his uncle or his mother or Addison herself.

Anger crept up his spine and settled at the base of his skull. He reached into his pocket, grabbed his wallet, pulled a twenty out and threw it on the bar before he strode to the exit. He heard Addison call out his name as he opened the door but walked out without looking back.

***

“Where’s he going?” Addie mumbled under her breath as Cael stormed his way toward the door, leaving the bar without looking back or saying anything to her. He didn’t answer her when she called to him. What the hell just happened? Addie tucked a damp bar rag into the top of her apron allowing it to drape down her hip and stepped to the other end of the bar where Gerry and Aiden were talking; well, more like arguing from the sound of Gerry’s tone of voice.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Gerry’s voice took on more of the Scottish accent it had a tendency to do when he was upset, and sounded an octave higher than it should.

“I don’t know.” Aiden shrugged his shoulders. “I thought the guy knew.” Aiden’s Scottish rhythm mimicked Gerry’s.

“Gerry?” she said, giving him a puzzled look. “What’s going on? Where did Cael go?”

“I don’t know, sweet thing. Ask this idiot.”

“Aiden? What happened?”

“I’m sorry, love. I had no idea you hadn’t filled him in.”

“Filled him in on what? What … did you say?” God, she already knew but didn’t want to believe it. How could he?

Aiden shook his head. “I may have said something along the lines of being glad you two are back together and happy again.”

“You said that?” Shock overwhelmed her and her heart may have skipped a few beats.

“I thought since you were, or at least seemed to be, back together that you had explained to him about your past as a couple. It wasn’t something easy for me to admit, either. You should be commending me for my efforts in accepting that someone owns your heart now, and it’s not me.”

Addie didn’t know what to say to that. Cael has always owned her heart. She thought Aiden knew that. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get a grip on the situation as her concerns divided between what Cael must be thinking of her and Aiden’s bruised ego. Or was it Cael’s bruised ego? Maybe both. She hated herself at that moment and her emotions were swirling out of control. She wanted Cael to fall back in love with her more than anything, but the last thing she’d wanted to do was hurt Aiden in the process. She supposed that was inevitable, though, especially since she still had to believe that she and Cael were fated. He had to realize why she never told him. He would understand. All she needed to do was talk to him.

“Why didn’t you use your ability first? I thought you could see into the future.”

“Not all the time, and I don’t do it when it isn’t necessary. Sometimes it just happens without me realizing it, but then other times, I have to make it happen. I didn’t see the need to figure that out this time.”

“I’m sorry, Aiden. I know it’s not your fault but you’ve always known where my heart lies. I wish … I wish things could have been different. Maybe in another time …”

“Or another life,” Aiden added with a scoff. 

She shook her head slowly at Aiden, feeling a bit sorry for him but there wasn’t anything she could do. Love was love. Her heart did belong to Cael and it always would, no matter if he loved her back or not.

Gerry began to slowly back away as if he wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere else but in the middle of their conversation. But that conversation was over. Addie grabbed Gerry’s arm. “Gerry, I’m sorry. I need to go talk to Cael.”

“Sure. Be careful. Driving when you’re upset …”

“I’ll be fine.”

She untied the apron and threw it along with the wet rag into the hamper just inside the door of Gerry’s office.

Inside the cab of the truck, she sat, head in hands, thinking. She looked up and pounded her fist against the steering wheel.
Where do I even begin to look?
Having no clue, she put the truck in gear and headed south, realizing she was going toward Bart’s house. That might be a good place to start.

As she pulled up the long gravel drive to Bart’s, the crunch of rocks under the tires and the vibration of them hitting the underside of the truck reminded her to slow down. She’d been in such a hurry that the truck skidded as she applied the brakes. She stopped when she reached the front of the house. Bart’s car sat up ahead outside the garage as if he was about to leave. He got out of his car and headed toward her. Addie pushed the button on the side of the door panel and the window rolled down.

“Hey, Addie. Do you have the day off? Where’s Cael? You know, I haven’t seen him much since he’s been spending so much time with you again. I’m glad to see that.”

“So he’s not here.” It was a statement but Bart answered with a shake of his head.

“No. Far as I knew, he was with you. Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, you might say that. Cael found out about our past.”

“Oh. By the look on your face, I take it you weren’t the one who told him.”

“No. Aiden did.”

“Damn.” Bart sighed. “Why’d he do that?”

“It was an accident, I’m sure.” At least she thought it was. Aiden didn’t seem like the type of man to sabotage someone’s relationship, even if that relationship was one that prevented his own happiness.

Bart nodded. “Maybe. But then again, the man might still have his own agenda. I guess Cael got upset.”

“Yeah. He walked out of the bar and didn’t say anything to me. Didn’t even look at me.” She shook her head, her eyes welled and she rubbed them. “I don’t know where he went. I came here first. If you see him …”

“If I see him, I’ll have a chat with him. Maybe talk some sense into him. He loves you, Addie. You know that. He’ll come around to realizing it again. I know he will. Just keep the faith.” He gave her that fatherly smile she used to love getting from her own dad.

***

When Caitlin entered her father’s office and saw he was on the phone, she turned to leave, only stopping when she heard him say, “No. You said you would let her go if I got it. You can’t go back on your word now. I’ve done what you asked. Please, she’s my daughter.” Then silence reigned as she watched her dad listen, nodding until he finally hung up the phone. He ran his hand through his thick dark hair now sprinkled with a little gray.