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She exhales forcefully. “I won’t say anything this time. But, Jeni, I don’t keep secrets from my brother.”
“I know, neither do I normally, but Aiden needs to think I’m doing okay. I don’t want him to know I’m still struggling with the incident. He has enough to worry about without having to be concerned with the fact that I’m… not coping.”
“Why?” She sighs and tilts her head.
It’s easy to see she’s confused, so I try to explain. “Because then he’ll feel the need to protect me. If he finds out about Niall taunting me, he’ll lose it and resign. God only knows what will happen if that’s the case.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t like this.” Her nose turns up, making her point incredibly clear.
I stand back and check myself over in the mirror. “It’ll be okay,” I say, but I know I’m trying to convince not only Brielle but myself.
“You sure?” Bree asks.
Straightening my shirt out, I exhale loudly. “I’m good now. Thanks, Bree. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I lean in hugging her. “I know it’s a lot to ask of you, and I know that it’s putting you in a shitty position with Aiden, but I do think it’s for the best that we keep this from him for now. You know he’s teetering on the edge of leaving the business as it is, and I can’t… no, I won’t… come between him and his father.” I pause, feeling uncertainty wash over me.
Am I doing the right thing?
“Brielle, he’s mentioned to me more than once he wants to leave the family business because of his father’s issues with me. So, while I do appreciate everything you’re doing for me, and I love you for it, you have to understand what I’m doing is for the greater good. We both know if Aiden knew what was going on, it would only make things so much worse.”
She nods once, then we spin returning to our desks.
“Will someone come in and clean this fucking mess up. Now,” Niall yells loudly, making me jump at his tone.
Brielle turns, rushes in there, saving me from having to go through the torment of seeing that asshole again.
Thank God for Bree, she’s a true lifesaver.
The day continues without another hitch. Thankfully.
At the end of the day, Aiden walks out of his office, pulling his jacket over his arms and steps over to me. “Are you ready to go, baby?”
I nod, and we head straight to the elevator. “See you tomorrow, Bree,” I say.
“See ya, guys,” she calls out with a wave but doesn’t look up.
As the elevator descends, we have a few moments alone, so I snuggle into Aiden. He wraps his arm around me, nuzzling his face into my hair, kissing the top of my head. I know I’m safe in the arms of the man I love. As much as his father is a force to be reckoned with, Aiden is my safe haven.
They are stark contrasts—the heaven and hell of the O’Connell men.
“Let’s take a day off work,” I say out of the blue, trying to find a way out of coming into contact with Niall. I’m over him and his bullshit.
Aiden chuckles. “While that does sound very tempting, I have the Andersons coming in at two for a meeting, and my schedule is full today.” He twirls a piece of my hair around his finger, then leans in for a kiss.
“Oh, yeah… I forgot,” I say sullenly.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure we can take a day off soon when I’m not so busy.” Aiden sits, bringing me with him and kisses me once more, then stands, leaving me in bed.
He walks to the closet and pulls out a gray suit for him, a skirt and pink ruffled top for me.
I raise my brow. “Do you realize every time you pick my clothes, you always choose a skirt?”
“Yes, I do. Easy access,” he replies while insinuatingly raising his eyebrows.
“There’s that inner pervert coming out in you,” I tease.
He chuckles with a dip of his chin. “You love it! Now, get dressed.”
After our usual morning routine, we arrive, and Bree is already working. It makes me wonder what time she actually makes it to work in the morning. She’s always here before us.
