Her Charming Secret (14 page)

Aubrey’s peals of laughter broke into his thoughts just in time to see the main character talking about how they always drew his nose wrong, and Grandpa seemed to agree with him. “It iz a pityz that they make hiz beauziful faze zo awful. If he waz a thief in ze France, ze would have got hiz noze right andz hungz him in ze gallowz,” he declared.

Aubrey stopped jumping to stare at him wide-eyed, her eyes slowly beginning to water. Ashton had had enough of the situation, so he spoke loudly, “Hey, guys, we are home!”

“Aideeeyyy, come here! We are watching Tangled!” Aubrey shouted, skipping over to them. Aiden bent down to pick her up. “Princess, how many of those yummy chocolates you have had?” he asked her. She sat silent for a minute or two before pulling her hands as wide as her shoulder and saying, “Umm, this many! Grandpa said we should have a chocolate eating contest, but we forgot how many we ate,” she said, looking at him innocently. He smiled, brushing off a bit of chocolate that was stuck at the edge of her mouth while internally wanting to bang his head against a wall. As much as he loved babysitting Aubrey, with grandpa along it was going to be hard; but doing so when they were 
both
 high on a sugar rush . . . he was pretty sure it was going to be disastrous.

When he heard laughter behind him, he turned to see Grandpa trying to open an éclair, but the cover kept slipping out of his hands. Hearing a snort from the corner, Aiden turned to see Ashton filming the whole thing. He shook his head and walked towards his room. He had to check his mails and do some work, and he was pretty sure that they would be alright. Switching on his laptop, Aiden logged in to check his mail. Suddenly a little chat box popped up on the lower end of the screen. To his surprise, it was Jo. He sat there staring at the screen for a minute, wondering if he should reply or just ignore her, but seeing as she had done nothing wrong and it wouldn’t be fair to ignore her for 
his
 unreasonable anger, he decided to reply with a simple ‘hi’.

JoWinters: Hi Aiden
:)

Aid Reid:
 
Hey!

JoWinters
: 
How’s the party planning going on?

Aid Reid:
 
It’s pretty good. I’m actually babysitting Aubrey now.

Aiden thought of ending this as fast as he could, but he just couldn’t ignore her. And he had no clue what to talk about, so he just sat there waiting for her reply.

JoWinters:
 
Cool! I’m at my uncle’s place and we are having a little party here, LOL! It’s so much fun.
;)

Aid Reid:
 
That’s great! Wait . . . If you are having a party, then why are you chatting with me?

He knew it was a little rude to say that, but he was already pretty drained and didn’t quite have the ability to control his feelings; he was still upset about seeing her with someone else. He sighed, waiting for her reply again. When she didn’t reply for a while, he thought about sending her an offline message and signing off.

JoWinters:
 
Sorry about that, Abby called. I guess we need to order more pizza.
:)

Aid Reid:
 
Josephine, I’m going to sign off now. I’ll see you later. Have fun!

JoWinters:
 
Are you busy?

Aid Reid:
 
Yeah, babysitting . . . remember?

JoWinters: Oh! Alright, I’ll see you soon. Bye
!
=D

Aid Reid:
 
Sure, Goodbye!

He logged off immediately and switched off his laptop, and decided to check on Aubrey, Pierre and Ashton. Walking back in to the living room, he saw that Alex had dropped in and was busy arguing with Pierre about the finer points of 
Tangled
. The relationship they shared was so strange; Aiden knew that they loved each other, but it was like they couldn’t breathe if they weren’t arguing while sharing the same air or some such. He actually remembered an argument that they had had a few months ago about why the sky was blue and, yes, it 
was
 that ridiculous. Looking around, he saw that Aubrey had dozed off, curled up on the carpet in front of the TV with a blanket thrown over her to keep her warm, and Ashton looked no better with his eyes drooping shut every five minutes even though he valiantly tried to stay awake to see how the argument continued.

Sighing, Aiden picked Aubrey up and got her settled in the bed in his room. Grandpa had declared he was tired and had taken over the guest room; he could already hear snores coming from there. Alex and Ash stood there looking at each other for a minute before jumping at the only available couch. Ashton jumped on it only to be pushed off it a minute later by Alex, who just gave him a raised eyebrow. Sighing, Ash pulled out the sleeping bag and snuggled in, all the while muttering about the unfairness of elder brothers. Aiden just grinned at them, said goodnight and walked into his room, slipping in next to Aubrey, who snuggled into him and fell asleep again.

A little while later, the whole house was asleep except for Aiden. He tossed and turned, but there was this aching pain in his chest and he knew – as much as he denied it – that it was jealously. Thinking back to Jo’s face, he slowly drifted off to sleep, pushing all his problems away for the next day.

- Chapter 12 -

Beautiful Chances

Nicholas woke up early to see Adelynn fast asleep next to him. She looked heavenly; her beautiful curls fallen over her face. When he pushed them back and kissed her cheek, she stirred a little; he decided to get up, but Lynn caught his arm.

“Good morning, darling,” she murmured and hugged him; he hugged her back tightly.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he whispered as he placed a soft kiss on her crown. “It’s Aubrey’s birthday. Wake up, let’s go wish her.”

“Nick, she isn’t here; sleepover at Aiden’s place, remember?” She giggled.

He had forgotten all about the sleepover. He was glad that the kids were having fun, but why did Pierre go with them? He was just trying to annoy him; Nicholas hoped that Pierre wouldn’t show off again by buying some expensive yet useless present. He bought Ashton a house in France for his last birthday, but didn’t realize that he was still in high school and uninterested in moving abroad.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” Lynn’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Nick, I think you should pick her up, she must be asleep.”

“I hope Pierre behaves; I don’t want him to do something ridiculous and destroy my baby’s birthday.” He sighed.

“Nick please, why are you making it harder than it already is?” Adelynn sighed and sat up. “Papa is trying his best to make everyone happy.”

Lynn got up and walked away without a second glance. Nicholas knew it wasn’t a great start that morning, so he got up, too, and went to change his clothes. He waited for Adelynn to come out, but seeing that she was trying to get some time alone, he walked out with his jacket and car keys. Aiden had given them the spare keys to his home for emergencies. Nicholas wasn’t sure if the kids would be up, but he had to check on them. He parked his car outside and noticed that Alex’s car was parked next to Aiden. 
So he’s here too?

He walked in to see Alex sleeping on the couch, slipping off slowly. Nicholas realized that even if he fell down, he wouldn’t get hurt because he would land on Ashton, who was sleeping right next to the couch in a sleeping bag. They both looked exhausted, which was enough for Nicholas to understand that they had had a blast last night. He heard a loud noise and slowly moved towards the guest room. From the room came a loud snore, making him jump; he was pretty sure that the old man was in that room. He walked backwards and started walking towards the other room. The house was a little dark, and it was as good as seeing a ghost because his father-in-law’s snores were that horrible.

He sighed as he slowly opened the door and walked in to Aiden’s room. His kids were fast asleep. Sitting next to Aubrey, he placed a soft kiss on her brow and she stirred a little. Aiden woke up and ran his hand through his hair as he blinked at him, reminding Nicholas of his lovely Adelynn. Aiden was just like his mother, but Adele had taken after Nick. He smiled at the thought of his daughter who was very excited at organizing Aubrey’s birthday party.

“Dad?” Aiden’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Good morning! I’m here to take Aubrey back home,” he said and lifted her up
. 
She just stirred before curling up in his arms with a small sigh, completely unaware of the world.

“What did she eat last night?” Nick asked curiously. Aiden, who was moving towards the bathroom, turned to look at him.

“Just some candies and other sweet stuff Alex bought for her,” he said as he walked in. “Grandpa ate the candies too. Wait for me.”

Nicholas picked her up and walked towards the living room, where Alex and Ashton were still asleep. Aiden came out carrying Aubrey’s bag; he placed it near the door and walked towards his room again, coming back with some sticky notes this time. Nick raised his eyebrow. 
What’s the kid up to now?

“One minute, Dad. I’m just going to write down a message for Alex,” he said and wrote something on the sticky note before placing it on the refrigerator. Nick walked towards it and read the note.

No milk, so no coffee . . . unless you want to drink black coffee.

Nick chuckled as he saw him sticking one on the door of the guest room.

Grandpa is in, and he’s still snoring. Please don’t forget him.

The last note was on Ashton’s sleeping bag.

My poor brother had to sleep here because of you, so you better not forget him either. Dad came by and I’m going home with him, so see you later! And remember, NO MILK!

 “No milk, huh?” Nicholas grinned. Aiden just nodded and snickered.

“They made some kind of milkshake; it was crazy last night; Grandpa was out of control,” Aiden explained. “But they are alright now; is she heavy?” he asked, looking at Aubrey. “Want me to carry her?”

“No, it’s fine, Son. Just grab her bag and let’s go,” Nicholas said, walking out of the house. Aiden opened the door and Aubrey stirred a little.

“Princess, please sit here,” he said as she sat down and fell asleep again. Aiden got into the passenger seat and looked at Aubrey for one last time before closing the door. As he was driving back home, Nicholas thought back to the day Aubrey was born. He had been in London, in a crucial meeting that he couldn’t miss.

Their baby was born a week before the date that was given by the doctor. Danielle and Pierre were there to help Lynn, and Danielle was doing a grand job taking care of the kids. Pierre was nowhere to be seen when Nicholas reached the hospital. Reaching the room where Adelynn and his baby were, he opened the door to see the most perfect sight. Adele came running towards him and hugged him tightly. He hugged his daughter back as he saw Ashton sitting next to Danielle; they were lost in a deep conversation. Adele pulled him towards Lynn.

“Daddy, come meet her. She’s so cute,” Adele spoke softly.

Adelynn looked beautiful as she held their little angel in her arms; she looked up and smiled. His heart stopped the minute he saw her. This was perfect, today his family was complete, their family – Adelynn and his family.

“Congratulations, Nicholas! She is so adorable,” Danielle said as she hugged him.

“Yeah, she sure is,” he said, looking at Lynn. He noticed that the baby wasn’t looking at him or Lynn. She was just staring at Aiden, who sat next to the bed. Aiden had the same look in his eyes, a deep affection and a unique connection between them. As Aiden held the baby’s hand, he was smiling at her.

“Nicholas, I’m going to take the kids out; they haven’t eaten anything yet,” Danielle said. “Why don’t you spend some time with your daughter?”

Danielle walked out with Ashton and Adele. When Aiden didn’t move an inch, Nick raised his eyebrow. He knew that Aiden was already attached to the baby, but he needed to spend some time with her too. He pointed his finger towards the door. Aiden understood what his dad meant and kissed the baby’s hand and walked away.

“Darling, why did you do that?” Lynn asked him softly as Aiden left the room.

“Because it’s my turn to spend time with my lovely wife and our daughter,” he said as he kissed her. “She’s adorable.” Their baby really was adorable; it was like seeing baby Aiden again.

“She looks like you, Nick. But Mum told me that she looks more like Aiden – the same hair,” Lynn giggled. “Papa said she looks like him.”

“What? Is he serious? By the way, where is your father?”

“He said he was starving and left,” she said calmly. “I think he must be at some café. Nick, we haven’t thought of a name yet. What should we call her?”

Lynn placed the little one in his arms. She looked at him with wide eyes, staring at him curiously. He couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw her; she was just like Aiden.

“I’m not sure, love, I can’t think of any names now.” He sighed, looking at Lynn. She was touching their baby’s cheek. “Seeing as the names of her siblings start with an ‘A’, why not choose something similar?”

“Aiden suggested something,” she murmured. “Aubrey.”

“Aubrey? Well, that’s a lovely name,” he smiled as he kissed the baby’s brow. “Hello, Aubrey, I’m your daddy.”

He saw a tiny smile on her face; she had finally recognized him. Adelynn loved that name, too, so they decided to tell their kids that they chose Aubrey as Aiden suggested. Baby Aubrey yawned before closing her eyes.

“She must be sleepy,” Lynn said. He nodded as he placed her in the bassinet. He walked towards the bed and sat next to Lynn.

“I hate it when the kids grow up. Look at Adele; I still remember taking that happy baby in my arms and she gave me her perfect smile, and now she’s all grown up,” he sighed.

“Nick, you still have Aubrey to play with. Maybe in another ten years you might say that again,” Lynn said as she cupped his face.

“Ten years, huh?” He pulled her towards him and kissed her. She kissed him back with equal passion. Another ten years were something he could easily handle. And with his lovely wife and their kids, he knew that his life was going to be exciting. He smiled and continued where he had left.

He was right. Ten adventurous years they were. What with his kids growing up and facing all sorts of troubles, it wasn’t as good as he expected it to be. Looking at Aiden, he realized that he’d faced a lot while he was just a teenager. Losing his memories and forgetting all about his sister’s birth had caused him lot of pain. He remembered that Aiden mentioned a girl once, a girl who was part of his memory, but he couldn’t remember her. Two good things that happened were that Alex understood his responsibilities and Adele found her true love – which wasn’t all that exciting for Nicholas, as his daughter was growing up.

“Dad, is Adele home? We need to go get the cake; you know Mom is making a Princess-themed cake?” Aiden smiled.

“Yeah, Lynn told me about the cake,” Nicholas said. The birthday party was planned out almost a month ago. He was pretty sure that Aubrey would love the surprise they got for her. “And yes, Adele’s at home.”

When they reached home, Aiden took Aubrey in his arms and started walking towards the door; Nicholas parked the car and took her bag with him. Adele opened the door and rushed to hug him, almost pushing poor Aiden aside.

“Dad, where did you go?” she asked curiously. He hugged her back and placed a soft kiss on her temple as they walked inside.

“I had to pick Aubrey up, Princess,” he explained. She nodded and smiled at him. He walked upstairs searching for Lynn, but he couldn’t find her. He really wanted to speak to her to clear the misunderstanding between them and apologize for that morning. Nick watched Adele and Aiden getting ready to go to the Patisserie to get the cake. Aiden seemed to be excited for some reason and Adele was grinning like a Cheshire cat. He knew that instant that the twins were up to something, as usual, but without Alex there, it was hard to imagine what their wonderful plan could be.

Seeing that he wouldn’t be needed for few hours, he walked into his study to do some work. He said bye to the twins and started checking the files of the current project that Aiden and Alex managed to successfully complete in Japan.

Aiden was telling Adele all about last night, including the adventures they had, and she couldn’t help but laugh. It was so funny, and she felt bad because she had decided to stay home to talk to her dad. They were not just picking up the cake but also a very special present for Aubrey. Aiden called a month ago telling her that he thought Aubrey was very lonely, so they decided to get her something that would keep her company. He wanted to get her a puppy. After literally begging their mother, they managed to get a yes and went puppy shopping; it was like a small secret. Nicholas, Ashton and Alex had no clue about this, so first they stopped at the patisserie and managed to get that cake inside the car with Aiden’s help. Adelynn sat next to it, holding it in place.

“It’s beautiful, Mom! Aubrey’s going to love it,” Adele said when she saw the cake. It was a three-layered cake and looked like a huge house with lots of girly, princess-y stuff. There were two small people standing in the backyard, and she realized that it was a mini Aiden holding little Aubrey’s hand. She was there next to Ash near the door. Nick and Lynn were there, too, and there was something weird hanging from the roof. According to Aiden, it was Alex trying to act like Superman. It was just so perfect. She knew that the cake would have been very hard to make, but it looked lovely.

They dropped Lynn at home, put the cake in the refrigerator and moved on to get the puppy from Alex’s friend, Matt’s place. They got him three days ago from a well-known breeder who was Matt’s friend. As they couldn’t take the little one home right away, Matt offered to take care of him for a while. They reached Matt’s home and as the door opened, the puppy came running towards them and jumped on Aiden, knocking him down. He licked Aiden’s face and Adele knew that Aid had just found another Aubrey.

“Adorable, isn’t he?” Matt asked her as he picked up the pup in his hands. “What are you going to name him?”

Aiden had wanted a child-friendly dog. Adele thought he would get a poodle, but he ended up getting a lovely Golden Retriever puppy. He kept saying that they were trustworthy, friendly, kind, intelligent and reliable. But no one besides her knew the real reason. Aiden once had a puppy named Fluffy when they were kids but, unfortunately, the pup didn’t live long. It was a major heartbreak for Aid, and he buried Fluffy near the garden. Sometimes she saw him sitting near Fluffy’s grave. Pushing her thoughts away, Adele stared at Matt, who was talking to the pup as if he understood everything.