Her Charming Secret (25 page)

“And die of hypothermia? You know that I’m getting married this week, right?”

“Oh, c’mon, scaredy cat!” When he tried to get up, she pulled him down.

“Don’t!” Adele groaned.

“C’mon, Ads! It’s gonna be fun,” Aiden insisted.

“Oh no, you don’t. I am not risking a runny nose on my wedding day just because you think something is fun,” she said, backing away from him.

Just then, it started to drizzle. Aiden laughed and said, “Ha-ha! Even the heavens agree with me.”

Adele sulked and stood up, all set to get back in the house.

Aiden grinned at her, stretching his hands wide and started to sing ‘
Why does it always rain on me?’

She laughed when she heard him. Her laughter seemed to urge him to continue, and he started to sing louder. He pulled Adele’s hand and spun her around silently, asking her to join him. Adele got into the mood right away and she continued with the song. Aiden laughed when she got the tone right. It had been a long time since they had just let things go and had a blast.

Adelynn and Nicholas returned from their beautiful date. Nicholas had planned to take her out to lunch. They completely lost track of time when they were together, and today had been no different. They had had a splendid lunch, enjoying the scrumptious food.

And now they stood looking at the twins in surprise. They were jumping and dancing and singing, seemingly lost to the world. They watched in surprise as Aiden pulled Adele into a waltz, which didn’t really work as Adele slipped a little; laughing the twins continued, 
“Sunny days . . . Oh, where have you gone? I get the strangest feeling you belong!”
 they shouted at the top of their voice, completely off-key and looking like they were having loads of fun. The rain was still coming down heavily, but neither seemed to care. Adelynn saw Aiden pull off his shirt, and couldn’t help the sound of surprise that left her when he suddenly dived off the deck into the water.

“Nick, he jumped in the water!” Adelynn exclaimed, holding his arm tightly.

Adele looked down at her twin, who was beckoning her to join him. “No way, Aidey! I am not going swimming in this weather.”

Aiden sighed in defeat and stretched out his hand so she could pull him out. She leaned over to pull him up, but instead, he pulled her in, causing her to scream as she fell into the water. She rose to the surface, spurting water and glaring at Aiden.

He gave her an innocent smile, and soon enough she was laughing right with him.

Adelynn looked at them in shock; the water was cold at this time of the day, yet they were swimming. She turned around to face her husband. “Nick, I’m going to get some towels for them. Please tell them to get out of the cold water.”

“Sure, hon,” he said, walking towards the deck.

Nicholas stood on the deck and watched his kids playing around in the water. They looked like two wet puppies.

“Hey, kids,” he called cheerfully.

“Daddy!” Adele grinned. “The water is amazing. Join us for a swim?”

“I don’t think so, Princess. You’ll catch a cold. Come on out. You too, Aiden,” he said, and helped Adele climb up on the deck. Then he held his arm out to Aiden to get him out of the cold water. As soon as the twins stepped out, they started shivering.

Adelynn and Danielle came running towards them with towels in their hands. Ashton and Aubrey trailed behind them, a little sad because they missed all the fun. Danielle put a huge towel over Aiden’s shoulders. Adelynn did the same with her daughter before going to see if Aiden was all right. Nicholas was already walking towards the house with a protective arm over Adele’s shoulder.

“What do you think you were doing?” Adelynn asked Aiden.

He grinned. “We were having fun!”

“In you go, and don’t come out until you are warm again,” she said. “You too, Ashton. Inside. Now.”

Ashton groaned and walked in. Aubrey picked up Aiden’s t-shirt and ran towards him. “Aidey, I’ve your t-shirt.” She grinned.

“Thank you, my angel,” he said and placed a soft kiss on her temple.

“Ooooh  . . . cold!” She complained and ran towards her mother. The twins took a warm shower and Adelynn made hot chocolate for them, but they ended up being grounded for what they did. It was funny since they weren’t teens anymore, and they had both Aubrey and Ashton laughing at them, but they loved their mom and if she said they were grounded, however old they were, they were grounded.

Later that evening, Nicholas decided to step out for a while. William was coming home, so Nick decided to wait for his brother. He looked around and admired the wedding arrangements. He still couldn’t believe that his little girl was getting married. When Adele first told him that she was getting married, he saw a three-year-old toddler telling him about how much she loved Gabriel. Pushing his thoughts away, he saw William parking the car and getting out.

Nick waved to his brother. William came closer and shook hands with him. “Hey, Nick, how are you?”

“I’m good. How’s it going?”

“I’m fine. You know, the Knights are keen on getting their hands on the project, but we’ll take care of that,” William replied. “Where are the kids? Where’s Alex?”

“The kids are inside. The twins are grounded for swimming in this weather, so they’re all watching a movie.”

“They were swimming in this weather? Wow! Talk about fun! And Alex? I’m pretty sure he would have either talked them into it or would have joined them.”

Nicholas looked around for a minute before answering, “I haven’t seen Alex all day. He wasn’t there when we arrived. Ashton was the one who saw him leave. He said Alex was getting some pizza.”

“Did he inform someone that he was leaving? He must have said something to Aiden, right?” William sighed.

“No, not a word.”

Just then, they heard a car pull over at the other side. It was Alex’s BMW convertible. Alex stepped out and ran towards the other side to open the door for someone. William looked at him, shocked to see such manners. Alex pulled the girl closer and kissed her hard. He was running his hand through her hair and didn’t let her move away.

William groaned. “I warned him a few days ago that he shouldn’t play around.”

“Umm . . . brother, do you know who that girl is?” Nicholas raised his eyebrows.

“His new chase?” William sighed, raking his hand through his hair.

“That’s Abigail, the wedding planner.”

As soon as the words came out of Nicholas’s mouth, William groaned deeply and looked at his son in disbelief. He was certain that Alex was just taking this as a challenge, and before they would know, he would end this relationship, too. And this time they could end up in a really bad spot if he broke up with the girl before Adele’s wedding.

- Chapter 23 -

Devil Wears Armani

Aiden walked towards his office, surprised to see everything organized perfectly when he stepped in. Jo was taking the day off as she had fallen ill after getting wet in the rain while shopping for more books. He had told her to dry her hair properly many a time, but she just wouldn’t listen.

He planned to visit her later, but first he had to get his tux. Alex and Ashton would be joining him. He checked his diary, and it was quite empty. The wedding was just days away, and they had managed their schedules so they had maximum free time.

Aiden went through the documents related to the new project; he had a video conference call scheduled with Ryu Nakamura from Japan. Apparently the site they had been searching for had been found. He couldn’t help but sigh when he thought about their disturbing adventure in that haunted onsen. He checked a few emails, signed some documents and picked up his coat to leave. He put on his suit jacket, picked up his laptop and walked out.

Aiden noticed a young man standing near the reception. He looked a little older than him, but very professional-looking, going by his attire: black suit, neatly combed hair and an attitude that would be useful during new deals.

As he moved forward, he noticed the man speak to the receptionist. “Yes, I have an appointment with Mr. Reid. Of course, I talked to his secretary yesterday.”

Aiden saw how stressed the receptionist looked. This man may have meant business, but he had no right to barge in and demand something. 
What an arrogant guy,
he thought as he walked towards him.

“Excuse me, is everything alright?” Aiden asked politely.

“No. I have an appointment with Mr. Reid and he isn’t here yet. What kind of professionalism is this?” the man replied harshly.

“If you don’t mind, I would request you to take a seat at the lounge. Mr. Reid is a busy man, and I highly doubt that you wouldn’t mind waiting for him,” Aiden maintained a professional tone. “If you would follow me, I’ll lead you to the lounge.”

The man made a gesture with his hand asking him to lead the way. Most clients didn’t mind waiting, but this one seemed to be highly impatient and stubborn.

“Please take a seat,” Aiden said politely. “And excuse me for a minute.” He dialed the number of William’s office. Mrs. Greene, his secretary, picked up. The man heard Aiden speak, politely enquiring when the Chairman would arrive. Three minutes later, Aiden ended the call and sat in front of him.

“The Chairman will be here in ten minutes. Thank you for waiting. I didn’t catch your name earlier,” said Aiden.

“Knight. Richard Knight,” the man replied, moving his hand towards Aiden, who shook Richard’s hand and moved away.

“I’m Aiden Reid, the Managing Director.”

“Ah! I have heard of you; you are quite popular in the business sector,” Richard smirked.

“What can we say? Hard work pays off.”

Richard shifted uncomfortably and looked at Aiden carefully. He knew the Vice President of the company, having had been personally introduced to him by the Chairman. Alexander Reid was a confident man, but this guy sitting in front of him outsmarted the chairman himself.

“Mr. Reid is your father?” Richard questioned.

“Uncle, if you are talking about William Reid. I’m the son of the President and CEO, Nicholas Reid.”

“Impressive! The whole Reid family is a part of this company,” Richard smirked.

“I’m afraid not. My mother has an independent business, and my sister is an interior designer. My younger siblings are still at school,” Aiden replied. “I presume you don’t live with your family.”

“Yes. Why do you ask?” Richard raised his eyebrow. The smarty in front of him was planning something, alright.

“I asked that because of your evident frustration a while ago. Basically, you don’t have a family to spend time with, and you might not realize that when a person starts spending time with his family, he does not get frustrated that easily for having to wait for a while. It’s not good for your health.”

Richard groaned and stared at Aiden incredulously. This guy was nothing compared to the other Reids. He had heard about Nicholas Reid, who shared the same attitude. 
Like father, like son,
 he thought.

The door opened then, and in came William Reid. He looked tired, but his expression masked his tiredness in a minute. He put on his best professional smile and walked in.

“I’m sorry I’m late, gentlemen. Richard, if you don’t mind we can have the meeting in my office,” William said and walked away.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Knight,” Aiden said politely. “I’m running late for an appointment; I’ll take my leave.”

“Why did you wait here if you were running late?” Richard asked curiously.

“Oh, that! My level of patience is very high and that helps me keep calm,” Aiden said and walked away, leaving Richard speechless.

Aiden exited the office wondering about the unusual encounter with the Black Knight. That was Richard Knight’s nickname in the business sector. Aiden knew why he got that nickname in the first place: not because of his attire, but his attitude. Arrogant and stubborn. Just then, he remembered a man who shared the same name. That day at Foresters Falls, a guy named Richard had called Jo. Come to think of it, he sounded the same, too; the same voice filled with arrogance. But if he 
was
 the same Richard, how did Jo know him? Was she keeping a secret from him? Lost in his thoughts, he made his way to the café near his office. He had agreed to pick Ashton up from there.

He parked his car and walked out to get himself some coffee. Ashton was at the counter, ordering something.

“Hey, Ash,” Aiden called.

“Hi, Aid, just ordering a cappuccino; you want something?”

Aiden moved closer and ordered, “One double espresso to go, please.” He pulled out his wallet and paid for the coffees. “Keep the change. Thanks.”

“I was going to pay for the coffees.” Ashton mumbled as soon as they walked out.

“You are a kid, and kids allow their brothers to buy them coffee,” Aiden teased him as they got into the car.

“Okay, fine. Next time it’s my treat.” Aiden just nodded and started to drive.

“Are we going to the tux shop first?” Ashton asked. “It’s been a long time since I wore one. Wasn’t it at cousin Jeff’s wedding which Alex ruined completely?”

Aiden smirked, remembering the wedding disasters caused by Alex. “Yeah, but you were so young. How do you still remember that?”

“It happened to Alex! Of course I remember.” Ashton grinned widely.

“Actually, I need to go to someplace before we visit the tux shop.”

“Where?” Ashton questioned curiously.

“Umm . . . to a friend’s place.”

“Why?”

Aiden sighed heavily before replying, “My friend is sick. I need to visit her.”

“Who is this friend of yours?” For a minute, Aiden thought that Ashton sounded exactly like Alex while he questioned him.

“What’s with all the questions?”

“I’m curious!” Ash pointed out, still grinning.

“Alright, fine. Her name is Jo Winters.” He sighed.

“The author? Are you serious?” Ashton asked, excited. Aiden just nodded. “No freaking way, bro! How do you know her?”

“Well, she is my secretary. So yeah, I know her.”

“Why would she be your secretary? I mean, she is a published author and an amazing one.” Ashton exclaimed. She was his favorite novelist; Jo wrote novels for young adults as well, and he had fallen in love with her works.

“Ash, too many questions. And I’m not answering another one.”

“Okay. Do you know how old she is?” he asked eagerly.

“Why would you want to know her age?” Aiden sighed. “Twenty-three, I guess.”

“Oh! Six years. Do you think she would date a younger guy?”

That was it, Aiden couldn’t stand it anymore; he groaned and punched the steering wheel.

“Stay away from her, do you hear me? She’s mine,” he hissed.

“What? What do you mean?” Ashton asked in horror. The one girl he admired so much was already taken? By his own brother? “You are dating her?”

“Yeah,” Aiden muttered, calming down. “Sorry for acting like that. I really like her a lot and can’t bear to see other men talking about her like that.”

“Possessive, much? Nice!” Ashton grinned. “At least I get to meet her, right?”

Aiden nodded quietly. They reached her place and he parked the car in the driveway. He turned back and picked up the box of chocolates and bouquet from the backseat.

“I had no clue those were there,” Ashton called after him. “Hey, can I give her the chocolates, please?”

Ashton put on an innocent puppy dog expression that Aiden was sure he had picked up from Alex. Sighing, Aiden handed over the box of chocolates. He walked towards the door and rang the doorbell. Jo opened the door and her face lit up immediately.

“Hey, I missed you,” she said, hugging him tightly.

He ran his hand over her back and hugged her. “Me, too. Someone is here to meet you.”

Ashton walked in, his face filled with admiration, and his eyes twinkled when he saw Jo. “Hi, I’m Ashton. I’m a big fan of yours. This is for you.” He handed her the box of chocolates and smiled shyly.

“Oh! Thank you so much! Nice to meet you, Ashton.” She smiled back before looking down at the box in her hands. “Hey, these are my favorite chocolates!”

“Here, I hope you like them.” Aiden gave her the flowers and pecked her on the lips.

“They are beautiful, thank you. I’ll put them in a vase.” She grinned before walking away. Aiden couldn’t help but notice how weak she looked. She wore a beige sweater and sweatpants, and her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail.

“Ash, I’ll be right back,” Aiden said before following Jo. She put the flowers in a vase that was kept in a room that looked like a study. Books were scattered on the floors, and there were papers lying all over the table. Jo’s laptop was on the couch, and her famous writer’s hat sat on the chair near the table. It looked more like an elf’s hat. She turned around to see him inspecting the room closely.

“Is everything alright?” she asked.

“Umm . . . yeah. You don’t mind me bringing Ashton along, do you?”

She moved closer and rested her head on his chest. “Not at all. I’m glad you came. Thanks for fitting me in your tight schedule.”

Aiden placed a soft kiss on her brow. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, but I hate staying here. Jake has gone out with his girlfriend and I’m all alone.” She sighed. “It’s boring here.”

“Why don’t you come with me? We are going to the tux shop.”

“Oh! So I get to remove this shirt off you?” She grinned playfully.

“Ha-ha, no. Not that. You get to see me in a tux,” he murmured.

“I see you in a suit every day; what’s the difference? Oh! Ashton is still here, isn’t he? We should go there.” She smiled and pulled him along.

Ashton was going through a book that was on the side table. He put it down immediately when they came out of the room.

“I’m sorry I was reading that,” Ashton apologized hurriedly.

“Ah! Don’t worry about that, Ashton. It’s my idea book. Whenever something catches my attention, I put it down in that book,” Jo said as she plopped down on the couch. She lifted her legs and curled up, hugging herself tightly.

“I can do that much better.” Aiden smirked as he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. She snuggled into his side and rested her head on his chest. Ashton couldn’t help but feel crushed. The expression on Aiden’s face said that he loved her a lot. He decided to ignore his feelings; it was just a mere crush, he would get over it.

“Book of ideas?” Ashton asked her. “Why have you written ‘glasses’ and ‘stubble’ all over? And pasta bake?! Is that your favorite dish?”

“Umm . . . I really like pasta bake and brownies,” she said with a smile. Aiden figured that the glasses and stubble were about him.

“Oh! Grandma makes awesome brownies; you should visit us. I’ll ask her to make brownies for you.” He grinned widely.

“So, Ashton, are you excited about your sister’s wedding?” Jo asked, smiling.

“Oh yeah! It’s gonna be amazing because the food is gonna be great.” He grinned. “Umm . . . do you mind signing my copy?”

He pulled her novel out of his satchel and gave it to her along with a pen. She looked at him in surprise. She never realized that people were actually reading and liking her novel so much. She grinned widely and started to sign it.

“You carry that with you?” Aiden asked his brother.

“Of course, I’m reading it!” Ashton grinned.

“Here you go, Ashton. I’m writing another novel now, actually; the teen fiction is almost completed. Once I publish it, I’ll mail you the copy with an autograph.” She smiled widely.

“Really? That would be awesome!” Ashton almost squealed in excitement.