Modern Arrangements: Complete Trilogy (Modern Arrangements #1-3) (54 page)

She approached me, grabbing my hand.
"I’m not done with you tonight."

If I thought my smile couldn’t have
gotten any larger, I was wrong. My smile was from ear to ear and I quickly
wrapped my arm around her waist, walking into the house with her.

She pulled me to the theater where we
curled up on the couch and watched a movie together. About halfway through the
movie, my favorite movie, I could tell by Lilli’s breathing against my chest
that she was asleep. I finished watching the movie, holding her close to my
side.

Once the movie was over, I hesitated on
moving, fearing that I would wake her up. Deciding that I didn’t want her to
sleep on this theater couch, I shifted. My plan was to pick her up and carry
her to the bedroom, but it was spoiled when she woke up from my movement.

She yawned.

"I’m sorry." She pouted.

I lightly kissed her lips. "You
have nothing to be sorry for. Thank you for tonight."

"You don’t have to thank me."
She kissed me quickly before moving to stand. I helped her.

"Lilli?"

"Hmm?"

"I have something I need to discuss
with you." My voice was shakier than I'd intended.

"About?"

"Come to my office with me,
please?"

I took her hand in mine, waiting for her
reply. She nodded. Keeping hold of her hand, we walked to my office. My
briefcase and the large, mahogany box were sitting on my desk.

"What’s that?" She pointed to
the box.

"Devlin came in this afternoon to
go over some paperwork in regards to the inheritance. The box is part of some
of the things my grandfather left for me."

"What’s the matter?" Her eyes
shone with nervousness.

"Nothing's the matter. I got some
information today and it…well, it concerns you." To ease the worried look
on her face, I grabbed the legal documents and handed them to her. "Read these
over."

She sat down and began reading. After ten
minutes, which felt like hours, she looked up from the papers, her eyes wide.

"Aidan, I can’t…I mean…these need
to be changed." She thrust the papers onto my desk.

"There is nothing I can do right
now." I shrugged. "It’s not that big of a deal. I do need you to sign
the papers though." Turning to the page requiring her signature, I pointed
to the open document. "Sign here and here."

Shaking her head, she refused.
"No."

With a sigh, I ran my hand through my
hair. "Lilli, you have to or the document is invalid. You have to sign
acceptance or—"

 Fine." She slid the papers in
front of her and held her hand out for a pen. Once I placed the pen in her
hand, she signed, slapped the pen back onto the desk and stood before me.
"Now, get new papers drawn up and take it all back." She said firmly and
started for the door.

"Wait!" Placing my hand on her
shoulder, I moved to block her exit. "There are other things...I want you
to see them with me."

"You haven’t seen them yet?" Her
brow wrinkled.

"No. I just found out about them
today. There is a safe hidden in the bar." Taking a step away from her, I
stretched my hand toward her, requesting that she to do this with me. "I
know that it is late. But please, come with me?"

Lilli tangled her fingers with mine and
we walked to the bar. Once behind the bar, I unlocked the cabinet and found the
hidden black button. I pressed the button and heard a clicking sound coming
from behind us. Turning around, I noticed the large painting next to the pool
table slide into the ceiling.

"That was so James Bond."
Lilli exclaimed with a laugh. I grinned.

The safe had an alphanumeric pad. As
instructed, I typed in Isobel and hit the large red button. With a click, the
door popped open. I peered inside, noticing a few black, fire-safe boxes. Pulling
them out, I sat them on the pool table. There were five boxes varying in size.

We started with the largest. It
contained a stack of letters, deeds, legal documents and an old photo album.

"Oh, wow." Lilli ran her
fingers over the aged cover. "They don’t make them like this unless you go
to a specialty shop."

She was right. It was brown canvas with
leather binding. You could smell the age of it. I opened the album, revealing a
picture of my great grandmother, Murron, my grandmother, Isobel, and my mother,
Eliza, on the inside cover. Three separate pictures with their names, along
with the day they wed each Aidan Iverson, written next to each picture, from my
great grandfather to father.

Turning pages, we found baby pictures of
my Grandfather leading up to my own baby pictures.

"Is that you?" Lilli slid on
top of the pool table and leaned over my arm.

"Yeah, it is." Smiling, I
turned the album over to her. "You should continue it."

She looked up at me with wide eyes and
put her head back down to go through the pictures. For a moment, I couldn’t take
my eyes off of her. She's just so beautiful.

Finally able to pull eyes off my wife, I
moved on to the next box. This one was thicker than the others. When I opened
it, I found it held multiple compartments. It took me a moment to figure out
how to access each one. Once I did, I was a little taken back.

"I thought all the jewelry was in
safety deposit boxes." I mumbled.

As I went through all of the jewelry, I
remembered seeing some of this on my mother when I was younger.

"It was their jewelry." I whispered.
A tear slip over my cheek as I lifted the gold necklace that had graced my
mother’s long neck. Memories of watching her put the necklace on, or fingering
the chain, flooded me.

Lilli’s placed her hand against my cheek,
wiping away the tears and pulling me away from my thoughts. Her face was so full
of compassion I couldn’t help but wrap my hand around the nape of her neck,
pulling her into my arms. Our foreheads pressed together and she embraced me
without hesitation, rubbing soothing circles against my back.

"My mother wore this frequently. I…I
can remember it."

She hugged me tighter. Pulling back, I
kissed her forehead and ran my fingers over her cheek.  Her warm smile
instantly brightened the sadness surrounding me.

Closing up a box which held about a half
of a million dollars in jewelry, we moved on to the next. Inside were more
photos, letters, notes, dried flowers and a silver brush and comb set. This had
been my mother’s as well. Memories of sitting on her bed as she would brush her
hair at her vanity flooded back to me. I clenched my hand around the small,
silver hair combs as tears welled in my eyes again. Lilli move closer, sitting
against my side and soothingly ran her hand over my shoulder.

"These were my mothers." I
croaked, unable say anything else.

Lilli’s hand slid up the side of my
head, pulling me to lean on her. Holding my head against her chest, she allowed
me to sob over memories from so long ago.

Finally pulling myself together, I moved
on to the next box. It was evident that these were Grandma Isobel’s things.
There was a large, red leather book with her name in gold calligraphy across
the front. Pulling it out, I leafed through the pages of what turned out to be her
journal. Looking back into the box, there were a few more leather books. They
were all journals. I put them aside for the moment and looked into the black box.
Small tokens, lace gloves, a small, silk purse that held a lock of hair, a
small photo frame of a couple, I assumed were Isobel’s parents, and then there
were photos of two different babies. At first, I thought it was my father but
realized the babies were in coffins. A chill ran through me.

Turning the photo over, I discovered two
children my grandparents had lost. Both dated before the birth of my father.
Grandma Isobel and Grandfather had lost two children. Once I processed the new
information, I glanced at my wife’s swollen stomach.

Lilli looked up from the photos she was
still perusing.

"Wh-what?"

Cutting her off with my lips, I put all
of the emotions from tonight into worshiping her mouth. Deciding to forget the
past for tonight, I picked Lilli up bridal style from the pool table.

"Aidan! Put me down!" She
clung to me, fisting the material covering my chest. "I am too heavy for
this."

Laughing loudly, I held her tighter. Even
seven months pregnant, she wasn’t exactly heavy. Hell, she couldn’t have been
more than a hundred and twenty pounds, at most, before she got pregnant and
now, well, hell, she still barely weighed much. My laugh made her huff. Once we
got to the bedroom, I laid her back onto the bed and curled up next to her.

"Are you okay?" She whispered.

"I’m more than okay." I kissed
her lips and moved, hovering over her body. "
You
make me more than
okay."

Brushing away a few strands of hair from
her face, I moved my lips to the crook of her neck, tasting her skin.

Her pulse quickened under my lips.

"Aidan…" She panted.

Pulling my head back, I looked into her
large, hazel eyes. She chewed on her bottom lip, remaining silent. Grabbing the
sides of my face, she pulled my lips to hers. Her arms sliding around my
shoulders, pulling me closer to her body.

Her lips parted and she darted her
tongue out, licking my bottom lip. As I was about to open my mouth to her, she
pulled away. Our foreheads pressed together, her eyes tightly shut, and she
slowed her breathing. After a few moments, her eyes flashed open, looking
directly into mine.

"I love you." She whispered.

Chapter Five
8 Months
Aidan

I laid awake in bed, watching her sleep.
She said she loved me. Those three tiny, yet heartfelt, words pushed me over
the edge. Any resistance I may have had tonight was blown.  Gone. I made love
to her slowly. Agonizingly slow. Every whimper and moan that escaped her lips
served only as confirmation she was
mine
and she loved
me
.

It was extremely early. My mind kept
racing. I was so wired and restless, consumed by my thoughts, that I decided to
get up before I woke her up. Leaning down, I kissed her stomach and then her
forehead before I left the room.

Arriving back in the bar, everything was
still spread out on the pool table. I started to slowly put some of the things
away. When I got to my grandmother’s journals, I decided to collect them up and
head to the library. On my way to the library I passed Jay in the hallway.

"Good morning, sir." He
nodded.

"Good morning, Jay." I smiled.

"Would you like me to get you
anything?"

"Actually, could you get me some
coffee? I’ll be in the library."

"Of course, sir." He nodded before
setting to his task.

"Thank you." Saying the words
over my shoulder, I continued toward the library.

Taking refuge in the large, oversized
leather chair, I glanced through each journal and put them in chronological
order. I opened the first leather bound book, smelling the years it held
inside.

The journals started off with my
grandmother discussing things women in her day were not allowed to discuss. She
was appalled by the actions of her father toward her mother as well as her
brother’s strictness with his new wife. She often heard him shouting at her for
being careless and clumsy. She had intervened a few times, only to be met with the
disapproving eyes of her mother as her father punished her.

Though her prior letters had confirmed that
she was, indeed, being courted during the time she met my grandfather, the
journal put a name to the man. Samuel Patrick McCloud. Apparently, she was
deeply in love with him. There were pages and pages full of his gestures and
declarations of love.

Then the story takes a different turn.
Samuel became more pressing on the physical side of their relationship, though
they were not yet married. Isobel stood her ground firmly but the fear of
losing him, and the future she had planned with him, had won. Months had passed
and the physical aspects of their relationship had grown. However, during this
time, she caught the attention of Aidan Walsh Iverson, an up and coming
businessman.

Isobel was intrigued by him but in love
with Samuel. Grandfather was persistent. Enough so, that she began a secret friendship
with him; keeping it friendly but still inappropriate for a woman at the time.

Toward the end of the first journal it
seemed Samuel began to change, for the worse. Once he discussed marriage to
Isobel with her father, he changed. He became like her father and brother. Her
opinions and voice no longer mattered. He often threw in her questionable
behavior. He even used her willingness to become physical so quickly against
her. Questioning her innocence.

Jay arrived with fresh coffee. I was so
enthralled in the journals, in my grandmother’s past, that I barely noticed his
presence.

The second journal continued in the same
tone. Samuel was becoming harsh and degrading. Isobel tried to stay strong and
even stood up to him a few times. It was during one of those times that her
life came crashing down around her.

During a discussion at a party, Isobel
voiced her opinion. Samuel was appalled and dragged her away from the party. On
the way home in the carriage, he stripped her of clothing, ignoring her cries to
stop. He took her without one interruption from the driver.

‘He took everything. My innocence, my trust,
my love…everything. It’s all gone.’

Her words caused me to pause for a
moment, but I couldn't stop reading.

Samuel then ended the engagement by question
of her virtue, going as far as to call in a doctor to examine her. Her mother
and father were shamed, blaming her for her indiscretions without bothering to
listen to what had actually happened. Months had passed and Isobel was pregnant
with a bastard child. Her family threw her from their home, putting her into
the home of her spinster aunt.

Shamed at the state she was in, she
refused to write my grandfather or accept his letters. The refusals eventually
brought him to her aunt’s doorstep one winter. She tried to politely dismiss
him, and when that failed she flat out told him she was pregnant with a bastard
child. My grandfather proposed on the spot.

Isobel refused the proposal and sent him
on his way but my grandfather, being relentlessly persistent, would not go
away. He sent her tokens and words of praise and love but they all fell on deaf
ears. She had heard it all before.

Then came a day that changed everything.
At barely four months pregnant, Isobel began to have complications. She became
gravely ill and lost the baby. She was unconscious for over a week and woke to
Aidan by her side.

Over time, Isobel had learned that her
parents had done nothing when she fell ill. Aidan had been the one to ensure
the doctors took care of her. Isobel was saddened by the loss of the child but
woke with a new perspective. Aidan didn't run or leave her shamed. He fought
for her well-being and accepted her at her worst. They married two months
later.

The creak of the door pulled my
attention from the journal in my lap.  Lilli stood, cotton pajama pants, a t-shirt
and a long robe, in the doorway.

"What are you doing?"

She waddled toward me.

"Reading my grandmother’s journals."
I moved the journal off of my lap.

Standing next to me, she picked up one
of the journals.

"It’s quite the story." I
spoke as I pulled her into my lap.

"Stop, I’ll crush your legs!"

"You're fine." I sat her down.
"Oh God, my legs. They’re going numb!"

"Asshole." With a light slap
to my chest, she started to move.

"Aw, come on, I was just
kidding." I wrapped my arms around her, stopping her from getting up.

"Nope, you’re an asshole." She
laughed and moved next to me in the oversized chair.

"But you love me." I raised an
eyebrow in question.

"Maybe. I think I may be reconsidering."
She playfully scowled.

"Oh, you know you do." Wrapping
my arm around her, I situated her snugly at my side.

"So, what have you learned?"
She looked up at me. The tilt of her head positioned her lips perfectly. I kissed
her.

After pulling back, we talked about what
I had read of my grandmother’s journals.

"Wow." She heavily sighed.

"I know." Closing my eyes, I
laid my head back on the chair.

"Well, I guess we know the reason
behind the foundation your grandmother started." She settled further into
my side.

"Huh?" Picking my head back
up, I looked at Lilli.

"Aidan, clearly the foundation is
to support battered women and children, as well as those abandoned." She
sat up straight, looking at me. "You didn’t make the connection?"

"Honestly, no, but now I do." I
picked up the journal and continued to read. Lilli stayed by my side, reading
the journals I had already finished.

There were letters speaking of love and
devotion stuffed into the pages of the journal after my grandfather and Isobel
married. He worshipped her.

The journal spoke of the two children
born prior to my father. Both had died early on in their years due to illness.
Isobel was very protective of my father after he was born and also became an
advocate for children.

Lilli was right. The foundation is a
reflection of my grandmother’s life, experience and heart.

It was in the last two journals that my
grandmother discussed her illness. She hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else,
adamant about living her life normally before she was unable to live at all.
The last journal entry was to my father.

My dearest Aidan,

My son, my heart, the love of my life. From
the moment you were born until your first steps and words, you have been your
father's and my greatest joy. I know you will continue to be your father’s joy.
Please know that I love you so much and will miss you dearly.

Please keep an open heart and don’t turn your
back on that one person who intrigues you. Your father was so intriguing from
the moment I laid eyes on him, but life and stupidity stood in the way.

It wasn’t until after much heartache and
heartbreak that your father was able to heal me and convince me that I could
love. However, if I would have gone with my instinct, perhaps things would have
been different.

Don’t let the world interfere. Look for her
and you will find her.

Love always and forever,

Mother

I finally understood some of my
grandfather’s rationalization behind the conditions and him pushing his son’s
toward women. When life became overwhelming, he made sure they took time to
stop and look.

Lilli shifted and move to the edge of
the chair.

"Where are you going?" Putting
the journal down, I helped her to stand.

"Food." She said quickly,
"before I pass out."

"Sit down, I’ll go get—"

She shook her head.

"I am not waiting for you to go and
bring it back. I’m starving right now." She laughed.

"I’ll come with you then." I wrapped
my arm around her waist, guiding her from the room.

As we got close to the kitchen, Lilli
moaned in delight. The smell of bacon was filtering in from the kitchen.

Rachel smiled brightly when we walked
in.

"Good morning." Lilli said,
zoning in on the food.

"Morning. Eat up!" She rubbed
Lilli’s stomach.

"Oh, I plan on it." Lilli
laughed.

I sat at the table next to Alex.

"What’s up?" He asked as I sat
down.

"Me." I chuckled. He rolled
his eyes at my bad joke.

"Lilli, you want some of my
cereal?" Alex turned to Lilli, who was placing bacon into her mouth.

She nodded. "Let me grab a
bowl."

"I can make eggs." Rachel offered.

"Make those, too!" Lilli
grinned around a full mouth of food.

My chuckle got me a scowl from Lilli.

"Leave the fat girl alone."

"You’re pregnant, not fat."

"It’s all the same at this
point." With a bowl in her hand, she sat at the table. Alex started
pouring out some cereal for her. "Thanks, little man." Lilli pulled
her bowl toward her and poured the milk.

"No problemo." Alex responded.

"Sir?" Jay spoke from the
kitchen door. "Your car will be arriving shortly."

"Shit! Work." I'd gotten so
lost in the journals this morning I hadn’t even thought about going to work.

"Ahhh…you said a bad word."
Alex taunted. "Mom, get the soap." He giggled, Lilli joining him.

Ruffling his hair as I walked to Lilli,
I kissed the top of her head.

 "I’m going to go get dressed for
work."

She nodded, chewing on her food.

It was the quickest I'd ever gotten dressed
and I was only a few minutes behind schedule. Halfway to work, my phone rang.

"Good morning, Viola."

"Good morning, Aidan."

"To what do I owe the pleasure of speaking
with you this morning?"

She laughed.

"I wanted to talk to you about
Lilli’s baby shower. I’m planning it with Phoebe but need your help."

"What do you need?"

"I need you to do me a favor with
the party planning company…" She hesitated.

"I’ll help, if you help me with
something in return."

"What do you need help with? I’ll
help you regardless, you know that." This is why Viola was so loved. She
was always there to do anything for anyone.

"I want to do something for Lilli
and I need your help. I would like it completed by the time of the
shower."

"And what is it that needs to be
completed?" She pushed.

"The nursery, I want an elaborate
nursery set up for her and the babies."

"Oh, Aidan, that is so sweet. That
only gives me two weeks! I will get right on it but, first, I need to know what
you want." She paused. "Oh, and how are you going to keep it a secret
from Lilli? She is in the house."

"I already have some ideas for the
nursery and I will tell her that I am having construction done on the room and
she needs to stay away from the paint and hazardous area. Plus, I'm counting on
you to keep her out of the house during the day when they are working."
Then I remembered she had called me for a reason. "What do I need to do
with the party planning company?"