Her Charming Secret (27 page)

Pierre nodded so vigorously that his headpiece rolled off, making him look extremely funny. “Oui, zat iz whatz I meanz!”

*  *  *

They walked into the club, and Alex immediately disappeared into the crowd. It was sort of hazy, with strobes of light in varying shades of electric blue, green, yellow and red coloring the air in vibrant shades. The people were merely shadows whose features were discernible only when one stood really close.

Aiden dragged Ashton and Pierre and followed behind Gabe to find their table to sit and drink. Gabe hadn’t really wanted to come there, but Alex had dragged them. A few drinks later, Alex came back and dragged them all on the dance floor. Even though they were initially a little stiff, they soon relaxed and started to dance. Alex took it a step further and climbed on the bar, causing the women to holler. He grinned and danced, winking at the enthralled audience before falling back into the crowd, only to be caught by a lot of hands – most of them women who just wanted to touch him. Aiden grinned when he saw that Pierre was already so drunk he was dancing with a barstool. It was absolutely ridiculous.

Aiden walked to the bar to get a glass of coke and another glass of cold water for Gabriel. Gabe hadn’t had much to drink, but Aiden didn’t want to risk him getting a hangover, so he had been getting Gabe to drink water at regular intervals. If he got drunk on his watch, Adele would kill him.

Gabe excused himself halfway through and Aiden had just placed his order at the bar when he heard someone shout his name. He turned to see Jo standing there, looking ridiculously beautiful.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” he shouted back so she could hear him over the music.

She grinned and kissed him. “I told you! Partying with friends, remember? What are
you
doing here?”

“This is part of the bachelor party for Gabe,” he said.

She laughed and pulled him onto the dance floor. “Come, dance with me.”

Aiden had no clue what to do next, so he held out his hands for a waltz. She looked at him in shock before bursting out in laughter.

“No waltz; just listen to the music and lose yourself!” she shouted and started dancing, singing along at a high pitch.

Alex watched Aiden stand amid the crowd, completely lost. He went to him and handed over his drink.

“What’s this, Al?” Aiden asked curiously, taking a sip. “Hmm . . . It’s sour! Yuck!” He held the glass away and groaned. Someone had added alcohol to his coke, and he wasn’t supposed to have any due to his health condition.

Alex looked guilty and took back the drink. “Sorry, Aido, didn’t realize that had alcohol. But you need to relax!” he shouted before pushing Aiden at Jo. Aiden stumbled into Jo and they both laughed before she pulled him closer and just swayed with him in the same spot, both getting lost in their own world.

Alex left the two alone and went to find Ashton, who was trying to stop Pierre from dancing – because, frankly, it was disturbing. They dragged him out for a breath of fresh air.

Gabe returned to see Aiden dancing and his best friend Ryan sitting at the bar. There was no sign of the other three. Shrugging it off, thinking they were somewhere on the dance floor, he went and sat next to Ryan.

It was only an hour later that he started getting worried, realized that he hadn’t seen Alex, Ashton and Pierre in that time. He walked towards Aiden, who was still dancing with a girl.

“Aid, buddy, you okay?” Gabe asked, noticing his behavior. Aiden was never this carefree. He pulled Aiden’s arm and discreetly took his pulse. It was really high, as if Aiden was experiencing an adrenaline rush that very minute.

Aiden smiled and said, “Gabe, let me introduce you to my girlfriend. Jo, this is Gabe, my soon-to-be brother-in-law, and Gabe, this is my darling Jo.”

Jo smiled and waved. “Nice to meet you.”

Gabe smiled at her and said hi; turning to Aiden he said, “Have you seen Alex and Ashton?”

Aiden looked confused as he scanned the floor. “They were here just a minute ago.”

Gabe shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen them or Pierre for over an hour now.”

*  *  *

Outside the nightclub, Ashton groaned. “Oh God! I’m freezing!”

“Moron, who told you to go around half-naked at this time of night?” Alex scolded him and handed over his coat. They were walking towards the club again and noticed Pierre wasn’t with them.

“Grandpa?” Ashton shouted, turning around searching for him.

“Old man, where are you?” Alex called.

At that moment, Aiden, Gabriel and Jo came out. Aiden ran towards Alex and asked, “Where is Grandpa?”

“He . . . well . . . you see . . . he disappeared,” Alex muttered.

- Chapter 25 -

Disastrous Disappearance

“Disappeared?” Aiden asked incredulously.

“Yeah, we turned away just for a second and he was gone!” Ashton said, looking distressed.

Aiden sighed, feeling a migraine coming on. Pierre was a disaster waiting to happen at the best of times, and now that he was drunk . . . Aiden hoped he would turn up safe.

Gabe, ever the voice of reason, suggested that they split up and look for him. He told them that he was going with Ryan to the nearest police station. The other four were to search for him nearby. Jo groaned when Alex came closer. He sulked, too. Ashton, who noticed all this, spoke loudly, “Jo, let’s go search near the end of the block.”

*  *  *

While the others were busy searching for Pierre, the man himself was happily walking down a road, humming a French tune. He came to an abrupt stop, looking at the small black cat that stood in front of him.

“Mizz Fuzzlez! You are zuppozed to be homez wiz mi Danielle. Whaz ’re you zoing here? Here, letz me zake you homez,” he said, picking up the frightened cat.

Stroking its head to calm it down, he strolled down the road, having completely forgotten about Aiden and the others. The cat struggled for a bit before purring and lying in his arms contently. Having had been abandoned as a kitten, it hadn’t met any kind human in its short life. Pierre stood at a crossing, worried. He had no money, and he had to get his kitten home safe to his dear Danielle.

He stood there, staring, when he was struck by an idea. There in front of him, a kid had parked his bike, and it had a basket. Putting the disgruntled cat into it, he took off on the bicycle, completely ignoring the shouts of the kid.

“I will zet you homez zoon, Mizz Fuzzlez!” he proclaimed, going in the direction opposite to their house.

The cat gave him a lazy yawn before curling up to sleep. The human had gone crazy, it decided.

*  *  *

Aiden was extremely worried when they couldn’t find Pierre even after over half an hour. The fact that Jo was with them was the only reason he wasn’t giving it to Alex and Ashton.

“We need to split; only then we can search different locations,” Aiden finally declared. “Ashton, you are coming with me. I can’t afford to let anyone else disappear tonight.”

“Wait, so she goes with me?” Alex asked in horror, pointing towards Jo.

She just smirked before saying, “Looks like you are stuck with me for a while.”

Alex gulped.

They decided to go to the other side of the neighborhood to search for Pierre. There was no guarantee that he would stay put in one place. As soon as they left, Aiden pulled his phone out and called his father.

*  *  *

Nicholas was having his own party with his friends and his brother at a nearby restaurant. When he saw Aiden’s name flashing on the screen, he picked it up at once.

“Aiden, is everything alright, son?”

“Dad, you see . . . err . . . something happened!” Aiden said.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Nick replied calmly.

“Is it Alex?” William asked him. Nick shook his head before continuing, “Aiden, is it Pierre? Did he do something?”

“Tell him he disappeared!”
Nicholas heard Ashton’s voice from the background.

“Is that Ash? What does he mean by ‘disappeared’?”

“Exactly what he said. We were at the nightclub, and then Ashton and Alex took him out for some fresh air. They turned around to see him gone. Gabe has gone to the nearest police station and we are searching for grandpa here.”

“Okay, son, calm down. Tell me where you are and we will be there soon. Don’t let your mom know. If we can’t find the old man by tonight, the wedding is cancelled.”

Nicholas got the address and in minutes he was in the car with William driving. William assured him that everything would be fine, but for the first time, Nicholas couldn’t believe his words. He knew that Pierre could and would do something silly that might destroy the wedding, but now he had done something, which assured that there would be no wedding taking place tomorrow.

Nick sighed. He knew it was his daughter’s wedding, a day she had been waiting and planning for forever, but Adelynn would want her father at her daughter’s wedding. They reached the address Aiden gave them and saw him sitting near a tree with his head in his hands. As they got out, Ashton ran towards them.

“Dad, Aiden had another spasm just now. He isn’t talking, come look at him,” Ashton cried as he dragged his father towards Aiden.

*  *  *

Alex and Jo were still searching and arguing.

“Damn it! Why did he have to disappear today, of all days?” Alex growled.

Jo glared at him. “He wouldn’t be lost if you had kept an eye on him!”

“Yeah, right! That old man causes trouble for everyone . . . just like you,” he added at the end, annoying her big time.

“What? What do you mean?”

“Look at you, Josephine. You can’t even stand your friend’s happiness,” Alex muttered and moved ahead.

“You don’t know anything about me, so don’t judge me. You are going to break her heart, and that’s why I was keeping her away from you.”

“Jo, why can’t you just trust me? I really like her, and I won’t hurt her.”

She didn’t reply as she walked ahead. He caught her arm and made her face him. “Wanna try the forgetting act?”

“The what?” Jo shot back in annoyance.

“Jo, for now let’s just forget that you are dating my cousin and I’m dating your best friend. Let’s go back to being good friends. No complications and stuff.”

“You mean just forget all this?”

“Yeah, because searching for the old man is important right now.” Alex sighed.

Jo decided to give him a chance and nodded slowly. He pulled her into a tight hug and she giggled before pushing him away. Alex as a friend was much better than Alex as her best friend’s boyfriend.

They walked ahead and saw a kid standing near the road looking gloomy. Alex immediately understood that Pierre had crossed his path like a black cat, a very unlucky black cat.

“Hey, kid, did the black cat cross your path?” he asked before realizing what he had said. Jo punched his shoulder, asking him to stop the nonsense.

“No, not just a black cat – but a man wearing a yellow monster costume with a black cat in his hands. He stole my bike,” the kid cried.

“He stole your what?” Alex asked in disbelief.

“Do you know where he went?” Jo asked the kid in a soothing tone.

“Yeah, he went that way,” the kid said, pointing to the right. “You should find him easily, because the paint I was carrying slipped on the wheel and the wheel tracks might lead you. Please bring my bike back,” the kid said.

“We will! Thanks for the help,” Alex replied. “C’mon Jo, let’s go meet trouble.”

*  *  *

Back at home, Nicholas helped his son upstairs before Gabe returned to check on him. Aiden felt better soon after the medication began to kick in. Their only hope was Alex, and they knew that he would bring Pierre back home. The girls were still at the bachelorette party, so no one knew what exactly happened.

 *  *  *

Alex and Jo followed the paint trail. It soon took a complete U-turn and they began to walk back. They found the bike abandoned a few blocks from the lake house. Alex sighed. The only clue they had to find the old man with, and he abandons it. Sighing, he first went back and returned the kid’s bike, handing him a candy bar from the never-ending stash he kept for Aubrey.

Jo began to search the side streets until he joined her, and they slowly made their way, unsure if it was the right direction. Just when Jo was about to give up, they caught sight of something yellow on the side path. There in all its gruesome glory lay the monster head that was part of Pierre’s costume. Happy to be on the right track, they began walking up the road again when Alex exclaimed and ran into one of the backyards. Jo followed him cautiously inside. The sight she saw there was so funny, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Pierre was laying on a hammock, still in his yellow monster suit, with a black kitten curled on his stomach, both fast asleep.

Alex shook Pierre, causing him to tumble off, cursing in French, the cat miraculously safe in his hands. “I zould havez known it wouldz be you, Alex, who dizturb mi zleep.”

“Disturb your sleep? DISTURB YOUR SLEEP?! Old man, you are so lucky you are holding that kitten right now or I would knock you out cold,” Alex ranted in anger.

Pierre saw Jo standing on the side and said to her, “Zee, thiz iz what happenz whenz you don’t marriez a Frenchman.”

Alex looked more annoyed. “She is Aiden’s girlfriend, you old coot! Let’s get you back home before they cancel the wedding because of you.”

Pierre looked startled, “Canzel ze wedzing? Non, thatz will noz do. I have to danze in mi granddauzer’z wedzing and alzo Mizz Fuzzlez iz lozt. I have to givez ’er backz to mi Danielle.”

Jo and Alex stared at him for a second before deciding to ignore his random comments. Alex couldn’t believe that the old man had somehow made his way home all by himself – finding a cat on the way – and had been lying in the hammock that Aiden and he had built in their backyard last summer, while they had been searching for him all over the town.

Sighing, he helped Pierre up, careful not to annoy the cat in the old man’s hands, and dragged him into the house, pulling out his phone to call Aiden.

The next morning wasn’t peaceful as Adele expected. Her fiancé’s bachelor party had been ruined, her brother had had another spasm, her grandpa had gone missing and now she had cold feet.

She stood near the window overlooking the wedding venue. Gabe and her weren’t allowed to see each other before the wedding and not seeing him, today of all days, was getting to her. People were bustling around below her, doing things like setting fresh flowers and straightening out creases in the cloth, completely oblivious to the nervousness coursing through her.

She loved Gabe, she knew that, and she was really happy to be marrying him, but marriage by itself was so final a word. She would be making a vow to spend the rest of her life with him. The thought scared her, and she wished Aiden was there to calm her, but he had to rest after his episode last night and she didn’t know what to do.

She felt calm instantly when she turned around and saw Aiden walking in.

“Aiden, you are supposed to be resting! I can’t have you fainting during my wedding ceremony,” she said, covering her insecurity behind humor.

“As if I can rest today.” He smirked. She smiled at him, but he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

A real smile graced her face. “How do you know anything’s wrong?”

“Because I can feel you, Twin!”

She giggled, her unease already clearing up a bit. Aiden did that to her, he calmed her like nobody else ever could.

At that moment, Abigail knocked the door and walked in with Jo trailing behind her. Adele didn’t miss how her brother’s face lit up as Jo entered the room.

Aiden looked at her, surprised. “Jo! What are you doing here?”

Jo smiled. “You invited me, remember? Do you want me to leave?”

“Of course not!”

Abigail smiled at the two. Jo made an unexpected visit with Alex last night to apologize to her. She wasn’t really accepting Alex as her boyfriend, but she promised to try. She had to be at the wedding location early, so she just took her dress and decided to dress up before the wedding; Jo did the same. Now she was wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. Her and Jo’s dresses were in her hand in protective covers so they could change easily later. She had decided to go in jeans because, however easy it looked – being a wedding planner was hard. Already, she had had to show them how the flowers and place cards were to be placed and satin ribbons tied, all leading to various spots of green smudging her jeans.

Jo stepped out after saying hi to Adele. Aiden decided to introduce her to his parents later. He excused himself and joined her.

“Want a little tour of this place?” he whispered in her ear.

“Absolutely!” She giggled and touched his hand. He grabbed her arm and walked towards his room.

The room he had in the lake house was huge. The walls were a shade of light cream, which contrasted well with the blue and green highlights in the room. The bed was modern and zen-styled, low, leaving a lot of space in the room. One wall was completely made of glass and overlooked the lake, making it seem as though the lake was right outside. A comfortable-looking white couch stood at one wall with a cool desk next to it. Various photos of Aiden with his family covered the wall above the desk. Almost an entire wall opposite to the bed was a bookshelf completely filled with books except for the area in the middle where there was a flat screen TV.