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I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing it.
Chapter Five: There are no secrets between us
Aiden
I’m busy helping Adaline pack her purchases in the car when a woman, late fifties if I were to hazard a guess, approaches us. Her brunette hair is immaculately cut into a severe bob, and it’s not a far fetch to assume she’s had her fair share of Botox. She’s finely dressed in designer clothing — I’m a man, but I know Versace and Dior when I see it — and clutches her Birkin bag. Adaline visibly stiffens, and warily watches the woman. I stop forward, making sure Adaline knows I’m behind her. We’ve had a pleasant morning, and I quite enjoy her wit. She’s sharp, and intelligent, and it’s safe to assume Luna gets her sass from her mother. Luna was right, her dadisthe softy. Adaline is the one, I realized pretty quickly, I needed to not only impress, but win over.
“Michelle,” she greets the woman stiffly, tilting her chin in not necessarily defiance, but rather in warning. She doesn’t like this woman, and that alone is enough to have my hackles up.
“Adaline,” the woman replies, trying for a smile. She only ends up looking awkward. Her gaze flits between me and Adaline, and her gaze narrows almost imperceptibly. But to a trained eye like mine, I notice it. “Who is this?” She asks bluntly. I straighten to my full height, not at all liking the woman’s tone. It’s accusatory, and intrusive, going far beyond what can be considered normal curiosity.
“This is Aiden,” Adaline looks at me, and I catch the forewarning in her shrewd gaze. When she turns back to the woman — Michelle — she adds, “Luna’s fiancé.”
Michelle sucks in a breath, her eyes flicking quickly between me and Adaline. “Well,” she exhales harshly, her expression hardening, “didn’t take her long to move on now did it?”
Adaline’s posture is rigid, which tells me she isn’t particularly fond of this woman. The question iswhy.
“After the absolutehellyour son put her through, she deserves to be happy,” Adaline relies coolly. And then it clicks into the place. This is Brantley’s mother. I feel my hands curl into fists, and it’s a herculean effort on my part not to step forward and tell this woman what a monster her son is. Adaline throws me a glance when I growl, the sound barely audible, and steps back, touching my fists. It’s another warning,tread with caution.
Michelle lets out a lifeless laugh, a brittle but self-righteous sound. “I hardly think that’s fair,” she says. “I’m sure you’ll agree that at least some of the accusations against Brantley were exaggerated and baseless, Adaline. He’s been persecuted enough, while Luna has had the chance to move on.”
“No persecution will ever be enough,” Adaline hisses. When I chance a look at her face, she’s become more and more upset the longer we’ve been in this woman’s company. Before Adaline can say anything else, I step forward and rest my hand on her lower back. “I’d say it’s a please to meet you, Mrs. Cole, but it sure as fuck isn’t.” She sucks in an audible breath, and her eyes widen at my bluntness. “Now if you’ll excuse us.”
I reach for Adaline’s car key, lock the car, and lead Adaline in the opposite direction ofthatwoman.
“Thank you,” she murmurs, easily falling into step beside me. “You saved me from doing something impulsive.”
“Trust me,” I reply. “That little interruption was for both of us.” I look around, and ask, “Coffee shop?”
Adeline walks ahead, and replies, “This way.” I follow her to a Starbucks and pay for our order before we take a seat at a table in the corner, out of earshot of the majority of the other patrons. “What do you know about Brantley?” Adaline asks quietly, her gaze keen and observant.
“More than I’d like,” I admit. “I had a friend of mine do some recon on the guy after Luna told me about what he did to her, how they settled out of court to savehisreputation. He’s friends with all the right people but only because they’re all as corrupt as he is.” I look around, habit more than anything. “He’s a real piece of work,” I add, turning my gaze to Adaline. “I’d kill him if I could get away with it.”
Adaline sips her coffee, far calmer than she was twenty minutes ago. “I’m sure you can understand now why Luna moved to Tallulah Falls,” she says. “Her father and I almost lost her, Aiden, and we couldn’t keep watching her fall apart because of that asshole.” She shakes her head. “Which is why I need to be reassured that your intention is to take care of her, and not hurt her. I’m sure her father gave you a similar speech, but he doesn’t know everything.” She lets out a breath. “He’d be in jail if he did.” She watches me carefully, and there’s an element of calculation in her eyes.
“You want to know what I know,” I surmise.
Adaline sits back, and nods once. “Did Luna tell youeverything,Aiden? Your answer will tell me more than enough about your relationship with Luna, whether she truly trusts you or not.”
I lick my now dry lips, and swallow. This is a test I’m loathed to take, simply because I know I won’t fail. It means Adaline will know what I know, and in a way, discussing it with her feels like a backhanded betrayal to Luna. But sheisLuna’s mother, and she needs her own assurance that I’m not going to hurt Luna in any way. I can’t criticize her need to protect her daughter, nor can I judge her need for peace of mind when it comes to Luna’s safety. I’m also wholly aware that whatever I discuss with Adaline will be later discussed with Leslie, and I’m fine with that.
I sit forward and rest my arms on the table. “I know she was raped,” I say, keeping my voice as low as possible, lest we be heard. “Repeatedly.” I clear my throat and watch Adaline’s disposition shift. “I know she had an abortion the one and only time she fell pregnant by Brantley. I know he beat her within an inch of her life several times, and that she was too ashamed to tell you.” When Adaline’s eyes grew watery, I placed my hand over hers. “She told me absolutely everything, Adaline. Luna and I have no secrets, and I’ve worked hard to prove toherthat I will never harm her, never yell, never lay a hand on her unless it’s associated with love and affection. But I understand that as hermother, you need to knowyoucan trust me to be the man Brantley failed to be. And I assure you, I am that man. A hundred times over.”
Adaline lets out a slow breath and tilts her head. “I’m surprised she told you all that,” she admits softly. “Not even her father knows all that. But if you know, it means Luna trusts you, Aiden.” She leans forward and rests her hand on mine. “Which meansItrust you.” We’re silent a moment, before she adds, “But you’ve had a tail on him, haven’t you?”
My brows furrow, and I resist the urge to pull away and sit back. “How’d you know?”
She shrugs, a seemingly thoughtless action. “Because I’ve had a tail on him too. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him, and dammit, Aiden,” she shakes her head, her blonde hair swaying with the movement, “I can’t shake the feeling that he’s going to try something.”
My frown deepens. “What do you mean?”
Someone passes our table, and Adaline watches them walk past before looking back at me. “It’s the weirdest thing,” she says quietly, “But ever since you and I made the arrangements for you and Luna to spend Christmas with us, I’ve been running into Michelle more and more. Brantley drives a black Lexus SUV, and I’ve been seeing it in the neighborhood more and more, too. I have yet to see it since you and Luna arrived, but I know he’s there, Aiden. And I don’t like it.”
I purse my lips. “When I did my recon, I got his registration details for his car, but I haven’t seen the car yet. What surprised me the most is that he’s gone about life like nothing happened. He was photographed with a few women on separate occasions and looks like he’s just carried on with his life.”
Adaline rolls her eyes and replies, “That doesn’t surprise me. We were ready to fight him in court, the evidence was overwhelming, but he wanted to settle out of court, and Leslie and I decided to let Luna make that decision. We couldn’t tell her what to do. Sometimes I worry we did the wrong thing because that bastard should be behind bars. But I think Luna was scared of him at the time and didn’t want to drag things out.”
“She didn’t,” I reply. “She told me as much, but,” I take her hand in mine and squeeze, “she’s safe with me. Does Leslie know what you’ve been doing?”
