Circle of Deception 2 (20 page)

“Baby,” Alex pulled her closer. “Your best friend and my brother have news for you.”

“Well... don’t keep me in suspense... what is it?”

“We’re getting married!” Emily yelled and flashed her ring.

“Oh my god! This is crazy! When did this happen?”

“Last night, we got home, and I couldn’t hold back any longer,” Aiden supplied.

“I’m so happy for you!” Meg gushed.

“Yeah,” Melia sighed. “You guys will be really happy.”

The room was silent for a while as they all studied the hurt look on both Melia and Matt’s faces. Aiden cursed himself for being so insensitive, and Emily felt awful. They were so happy, when their friends were going through so much. Just as Matt walked over to reach for Melia, she ran off feeling sick. Matt thought she was just upset, but Emily and Meg knew the real truth, they raced after her while the guys and Lexie watched quietly.

“I’m sorry, Matt,” Aiden said quietly. “I wasn’t thinking. I swear I meant no harm.”

“It’s okay, you can’t put your life on hold just for me. My problems shouldn’t interfere with your happiness. I won’t let them.”

“Thank you, and if you need my help in any way, you just let me know. I’ll do anything to get your family back for you.”

“Thank you, but I think it’s time to let that dream go.”

Lexie watched while bouncing Jordan up in her arms. She saw the look on Melia’s face, that wasn’t upset in her eyes, it was sickness. She wasn’t a medical professional, but things were starting to make sense now. The rushing past them earlier, and the rushing off now, she wasn’t upset, she was pregnant, and from the looks of things, Matt had no clue.

She knew it wasn’t her business, but he deserved the right to know. She knew it should come from Melia, but she seemed less than eager to tell him. She just hoped Melia would come to her senses and tell Matt about their baby and give them a chance at starting over. They deserved it, after all they were two people madly in love. Even If they didn’t want to admit it right now, she could tell they needed each other.

Chapter Ten

“Melissa, you will never know how much I have enjoyed our time together. I really enjoy your company,” Rogelio ran his hand down her face.

“I really enjoy you too, but I must say goodbye for now.”

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm holding her in place. “Why is it that you rush off so suddenly, and why am I always having to rush off from your house?”

“I have to be home in case my children need me.”

“Sweetheart, your children are adults. If they need you that much, then something is wrong. Why do I feel like you’re hiding something from me?”

“I’m not, I swear,” she lied. “I just don’t want to rush things between us. It got me nowhere good in the past.”

“I’m not Ben, Melissa. I’m really crazy about you, and I don’t want to get in too deep if there isn’t a chance for us. If you tell me there is something or someone else, then I’ll back off.”

“No,” she touched his face gently. “There is no one else, and I would like to get to know you so much better than I do now. It’s just so much that I can’t explain. I just have to be around for them. I’ve made so many mistakes where they were concerned, and I just have a lot to make up for.”

“You’re absolutely excellent. I won’t push even though this seems like something major. Just know that if you need me, I’m here. Just a phone call away.”

“Thank you for that, and for not pushing. You’re a pleasant change.”

“I told you, I’m not like the rest. I’ll wait for you as long as I need to, you’re special to me.”

“And you’re special to me. I really wish I could stay. I’ve never sat up talking with a man all night, it was a nice change.”

“Then stay. I would love the pleasure of your company, and I don’t have anywhere to be for hours.

“I’m afraid, I have to get home before Alex arrives with Jordan. I’m on baby duty.”

“I could come with you, I love babies, and that little guy is incredible.”

“I would but... I just can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Melissa, I know I promised I wouldn’t pry, but are you in some type of trouble? I could help you, it isn’t Ben, is it?”

“No, not exactly, Ben can’t hurt anyone anymore. It’s just something I can’t explain, and you wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“Rogelio, I can’t. Just let it go.”

“Melissa, you can trust me, believe me. I would never hurt you.”

Melissa looked in his eyes and searched for the truth. She saw a tenderness she hadn’t seen in so long, it frightened her. She backed away from him slowly, and he reached for her, pulling her against him tightly. “You don’t get to run, just trust me.”

She closed her eyes tightly and sighed. “Okay, I trust you. I just don’t want to compromise you.”

“You can’t, I’m all in. Just tell me whatever it is, I won’t let anything happen to either one of us, I promise.”

“It’s not just us that I’m worried about.”

“You’re making me nervous, just tell me. I won’t judge you.”

“I can’t.”

“Melissa, you can...”

“I can’t tell you, because it’s something I just can’t put into words. I’ll just show you instead. Follow me to my house?”

“Sure,” he sighed. “I’ll follow you anywhere.”

“You say that now, but just wait until you see what I have to show you, you might not feel the same way. I just need you to promise me that no matter how you feel, you can’t tell a soul. There are lives at stake.”

“I would never endanger you or your family, believe that.”

She looked into his eyes and smiled. “For some crazy reason, I do. I trust you, and that’s hard for me to do considering my tortured past.”

“Your past is just that, the past. I’m trying to be a major part of your future. Take me to your house, darling and show me this deep dark secret you’re hiding. What do you have a dead body hiding in your bedroom?”

“A dead body, why would you say that?” she asked nervously.

“I was just making a joke,” he brushed her face. “Laugh with me, you’ve been tense all morning, and I hate to see it after such a glorious night.” Melissa laughed lightly, offering him a slight smile and he framed her face with his hands. “Now that’s better. Come on and show me what’s keeping you so occupied.”

“I warned you,” she huffed and walked away. Melissa boarded her car, more anxious than nervous. She had known him for almost a year now, but this was the first time she trusted him with more than just herself. She was now trusting him with her family, her secrets, their safety, and she was surprisingly at ease. In the short time they had been seeing each other, he had gotten to her more than even Ben had. He was truly a genuine guy.

She rode over to her house in silence, glancing into the rear view ever so often to see if he was still there. To her delight, he was right behind her the whole trip. She wasn’t sure if that was an indicator or not. Maybe she could really have something meaningful after the crisis was averted. They pulled into the yard just in time to see Alex getting out of his car with Jordan. The infant was surprisingly energetic for the early morning hours.

“Mom, Rogelio,” Alex huffed. When he looked up and saw Emilio emerging from the house, his eyes widened in shock. “Mom, what is going on here? Who are you seeing, Rogelio, or my father-in-law? This is getting crazy.”

Melissa covered her face in embarrassment, she knew how this must look, and didn’t have the words to explain anything. Thankfully Emilio stepped forward and offered an explanation. “It’s not what you think, I’m just here to meet you with Jordan. Your mother phoned me and let me know she was running a little behind schedule this morning, and Margret let me in. I’ve been spending a great deal of time here with Jordan while you guys are working, I hope it’s not a problem.”

Alex looked around the group unbelievingly and passed Jordan to Emilio. “You guys are grown, it’s not my business. I just don’t want my son around anything fishy. You guys be careful with him.”

“We always are,” Melissa kissed his cheek. “You have a good day at work, and let me know how Allison’s appointment goes.”

“I will, we might be a little late picking him up, it’s important that both Meg and I are present for this appointment. We need to get to the bottom of these nightmares.”

“You sure do, honey, and I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thanks, mom,” he kissed her forehead. “And thank you guys. You be good Jordan. Don’t give granny and papi too much trouble.”

“He won’t,” Emilio laughed. “He never does.”

“Okay,” Alex eyed them skeptically and walked back towards his car. He knew there was something peculiar going on between them, but for some strange reason he knew his son would be safe. Neither Emilio nor Melissa would let any harm come to him. As he pulled out of the yard, he watched them gather around Jordan. He couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from the driveway until it was out of his view.

As soon as Alex was out of dodge, Emilio turned to Melissa and sighed. “Do you think he bought it?”

“No, but he trusts us enough to know that we would never jeopardize his children so we’re good, for now. That daughter of yours is going to be a different subject. We have to act fast before our secret is out,” she laughed. “You know Meg is very intelligent, and it will only take her a split second to put two and two together.”

“You’re right, I heard about the perfume incident already. My child is very inquisitive.”

Rogelio cleared his throat, reminding them that he was also a part of the conversation. “Excuse me, but I have a few questions of my own about all this. I know that the explanation you gave Alex is not true, so what is really going on around here? Is he living here?”

“Not exactly,” Melissa sighed. “Just step inside, it will all make more sense then.”

“Melissa,” Emilio reached his arm out. “Are you sure this is wise?”

Melissa looked over and winked at Rogelio and nodded her head. “Yes, Emilio, maybe he can help us, and I trust him. He has been nothing but helpful to me in the past, and I hope he can continue to be that.”

Emilio looked at them and hesitantly opened the door. He wasn’t sure about this man, but he trusted Melissa’s instincts, so he just went with it. When they all stepped inside, Maria was standing at the door with her arms outstretched, awaiting Jordan, but when she saw Rogelio, her smiled faded and she retreated around the corner.

“It’s okay,” Melissa called out. “He is here to help and sworn to secrecy. You can trust him.”

“Was that? Wait, I thought... how is this possible?” Rogelio stammered.

“You see, Maria is, well, was a twin, and when Amanda saw her sister, they grabbed her by mistake.”

“This is amazing, well not for her sister, but the children must be thrilled.”

“They have no idea, it’s not safe to let them know. We have been doing all we can to find Amanda, but we’ve come up short. For the best interest of both of our children and grandchildren, we have been keeping her hidden.”

“You are amazing, for you to do this, putting yourself at risk shows true dedication to your family. It’s admirable.”

“So, you won’t turn us in? I know this has to be against some sort of rule, letting them sit in jail for the wrong murder.”

“Murder is murder, my dear. Even though they didn’t kill Maria, they intended to, they still took an innocent woman away from her family. There is nothing I would like to see more than the woman responsible for those vicious children brought to justice. How can I help?”

“Really?” Emilio smiled. “You’re willing to help us even though we’re sort of breaking the law?”

“I’ve been less than impressed with the progress they have made on the case, so yes. I’ll help in any way I can, you guys are the victims here. These beautiful children are paying the price.”

Melissa placed her hand on his back and inhaled deeply. “Thank you. You don’t know what this means to us. First, we need you to dig up all you can about Amanda’s past just before she came here last year. We know she has had some breaks with reality in the past, and because of that, a lot of her records have been sealed. They are confidential, and without the proper clearance, we haven’t been able to access them. I think with your connections, you could get them and give us some insight on her life, maybe it could lead us to where she’s hiding.”

“I’ll get started right now, I should be able to cut through the red tape that’s been keeping you restricted. Just let me grab my work laptop. I’ll clear my day to help you.”

“You can do that?” Melissa asked hopefully.

“Yes, I’ll do whatever I can to see that justice is done. This was one case I always regretted not solving. It would bring me pleasure to solve it and reunite your family.”

“The only thing is, we don’t exactly have much faith in the police right now, so we would appreciate it if you kept your department out of this. We don’t want anything to compromise our findings. If Amanda were to discover that Maria was alive, it could really cause more trouble,” Emilio offered.

“I won’t alert anyone, it will just be off the record and under the radar. Nothing will be revealed until you’re absolutely ready.”

“Thank you,” Maria said as she made her way around the corner finally. “This means the world to us.”

“It’s no problem, and it’s nice to meet you ma’am. I’m literally flabbergasted that you’re alive. It’s a blessing.”

“It will be once I can be with my children, and my mother...” she paused, “she really wants to meet the children. It’s been so hard.”

“We will do everything we can to make that happen. Trust in me, I won’t stop until we have a positive resolution. I promise,” Rogelio assured her.

“Melissa, I told you I had a good feeling about this one,” Maria whispered. “Very nice.”

“Yeah, I think so too. Definitely a keeper.”

***

“Alex,” Aiden walked into the office and sat down. “What are you doing here? I thought you had Alli’s appointment today.”

“We do, it’s at two, so we are just going to check her out of school around twelve. I didn’t want her to miss the whole day.”

“You look anxious. Is it that bad?”

“Not with Alli, she has been having those awful dreams, but that’s not what’s on my mind. Have you been by moms lately?”

Aiden sat up in his chair and crossed his arms. “Not in a few days, why?”

“This is going to sound strange, but something is up between her, Emilio, and Rogelio. When I dropped Jordan off, they were all in the yard. Emilio offered some tired excuse about coming over because she was running late, but there was something more to it.”

“What do you think it is? You don’t think mom is sleeping with Emilio do you?” Aiden cringed.

“Honestly, I don’t know what to think, but the one thing I do know, is that Jordan’s safe. As weirded out as I am, I know she is very responsible with my little man. I just wish I knew what they were up to.”

“That’s strange, and nasty to think about. I hope they’re not sleeping together, well, he’s a nice guy, but that’s too much intermixing in our families. Think about it, your father-in-law could be our new stepfather,” he laughed.

“Really, Aiden? Come on, don’t make me lose my breakfast. I’m trying to keep my head straight for my baby’s appointment today. I have to know what’s bothering my little girl. I hate having to discipline her and it might not be her fault. There is something she isn’t telling us, and I want to know why. Meg and I want our children to be able to come to us about anything. This is really messing with her head.”