Cole (The Leaves) (8 page)

I kissed her fingertips every day and always told her how much I loved her. For my part of the open and honest deal, I let her touch the scars on my wrists. It was a long time ago, but yeah, I was in a dark place at the time and it was the only way I could see out of it. My dad had a lot to do with it, but now we met with a counselor; someone he had been going to since the day he found me on my bathroom floor and saved my life. Thank Christ he did or I wouldn’t be here, with this beautiful woman. This was our fate. Her ugliness and mine made us fit. It took her a little bit longer to get on board, but that was because she was with someone else at the time. All that mattered was here, now, but nothing, and I mean nothing, scared me more than the idea of losing her again. I knew without a doubt, if I did lose her I wouldn’t use an exacto knife this time… I’d use a gun. I’d make sure I never had to wake up from the nightmare of not having her in my life. But that’s not something I’m going to share with anyone, not the psychologist, not my mom and most certainly not Anika.

That’s why when my mom said she started digging, I was all for it. It was assumed Marla was dead… proof would make everyone feel better.

At first my mom feared that with the family status and Anika being photographed at society events, her mom would ask for money. The money wasn’t a problem, but this woman had to be pretty fucking sick to hurt a child like she had. I could not and would not risk Anika’s safety or her sanity. Joe, he did terrible things to her. No doubt about it. But somehow, when your family, your blood does terrible things, it’s harder to comprehend. I didn’t want to classify Marla Redding’s demise as luck; it was something, maybe her own karma for being an abuser, maybe divine retribution. But whatever it was, I was over the fucking moon about it. I didn’t know I had that in me; that hateful demon of justice that only seems to be satisfied when someone bleeds or dies for their crime.

Now I do.

Her dad was very much alive.

I have a meeting with her dad next week, but I haven’t told her. I will meet him and hear what he has to say first. Maybe he’s just an asshole that didn’t care about his family and walked out. Maybe he had another family, who knows. But if there is another reason, something that can bring her peace, I needed to do it.

We were laying there for a while. I knew she had to have been worn out with my previous ministrations outside, so I slipped from beneath her and went back to the kitchen. I returned with left over Thai and a couple of beers.

“Hey, Anika.”

“Oh, yummy,” She said sleepily. “I need to start working out or something. You have amazing stamina for your age.”

She did that on purpose. “It’s the Viagra.” I smirked.

“If you took Viagra, you’d need a harem. I don’t think I could keep up with you.”

“I think they make something for women now, too.”

“Is that so?” She stated, sitting up and stabbing a fork in some sort of chicken curry dish.

“But you don’t need it.”

“No?”

“No. You’re all the woman I can handle and all the woman I want.” I flashed her a smile and she smiled back.

“Are we gonna talk about whatever it is your mom was pestering you about? And you know I mean that in the nicest possible way.”

“Thanksgiving. Our wedding. Oh, and eventually I need to discuss how I’m going to make a living.”

“I like having you as my personal sex-slave. It
is
a full time job, ya know.”

“I’m a thirty-five year old, college-educated trust fund baby. I have to do something. I no longer have Trinity.”

“Ooo, tell me. I know you have ideas!”

“I’m still working it out in my head. I’ll get there though, and as soon as I do, I’ll tell you.”

“Well, tell me a little bit. Maybe I can help brainstorm.”

“Okay, well, I’d intended on selling my dad’s company when he died. That’s always been a given. I can keep a controlling interest and attend the odd board meeting, so our children and our children’s children never have to worry about money. But I also want to change things; some of the aspects of the mining really bother me. So, eventually I’ll hire a team to look into better mining practices. If I can’t find a solution, I’ll just sell.”

“But the problem is still there, isn’t it? You could be the one company that does things differently. And did I hear you correctly…
our children’s children
?” The way she said it was kind of sexy.

“Keep talking like that and I may not let you finish your food, baby. No, you’re right. That’s the problem. I need to find a way to convince my dad to do it. I hate to admit it… no, hate isn’t even the right word, but it’ll have to do; he did the Drago’s a favor by buying Trinity. He didn’t even know the details of why it was important for him to buy it, but he did. I have to believe that if I go to him and ask him to start restructuring the way he does business, he’ll win back my mom’s affection.”

“Does she want that? I seem to remember a very flirty woman when we went to that party at Olaf’s.”

I put down my food and looked at her, taking a deep breath. “Anika, he broke her heart, it’s as simple as that. He left
his
birthright, and did exactly what I did, but he did it for love. My grandfather was convinced my mother was a gold-digger, but according to her, and my dad it was love. He worked his ass off for five years, she stood by him and he was a great dad then, really. I remember how he was, just barely. Dad’s brother died a year before his dad. My grandfather had never written my dad out of the will or the company, he just had too much pride to make peace with my dad. It broke my dad; the regret, the guilt, he threw himself into the business and shut off his heart. I became the only light in my mom’s world and she was the only light in mine. But she never stopped loving him.

“Wow. I would never have thought that. It’s kinda beautiful, isn’t it?”

“I witnessed… a moment, between them. The night you were abducted. They love each other.” She took a moment to let everything I’d just said sink in.

“Cole, are you telling me at long last, you might want to step into your father’s shoes?” She set down her food and pushed it aside. She also looked scared.

“I’m good at it, Anika. I hate to admit it, but I am. That said, it’s not the life I want. When the time comes, I’ll probably sell. Maybe it’s wrong not to want that, knowing the blood, sweat, and tears that were poured into the family business, but it feels dirty. I don’t want that ugliness in our lives, baby.”

“I don’t care what you do, as long as you’re happy and we’re together. I know it sounds corny and easy even though I’m sure it won’t be, but whatever you decide, I’ll be by your side, Cole.”

Damn I loved this woman.

“Let’s toast” I handed her the beer. “To the future and all the happiness it holds for us.”

“Cheers, baby.” Her eyes smiled at me as she took a drink.

I moved everything to the floor and pulled her to me. “Do you remember the day you had the anxiety attack at Rusty’s?”

“Of course.”

“And you and I toasted our bottles together?”

“Yes, Cole. I remember.”

“That was the day I knew without a doubt I had to have you.” She smiled. A beautiful wide smile that reached her eyes, but didn’t stop there, it made its way to my chest, making me ache for her. “It’s funny, how at the time I was so angry with myself for not seeing Emma for what she was, resenting my family, my wealth, after all those years still feeling trapped. Then the realization that it would be okay, tolerable even, if I just had someone like you by my side. I still didn’t want it, any of it, but then when I needed it to get you back…”

“Okay…” she moved closer to me, wrapping her long fingers around my neck and pulling my forehead to hers. “Are you okay, Cole? I mean it… what’s going on?” She said it softly, which killed me that I was keeping something from her.

“I’m strong, Anika. I really am, but I’m not strong enough to lose you. I’m in no rush to jump into all that bullshit. I feel like I just got you back. I need to take things one day at a time. But I know for sure, I don’t want that life.”

“Okay, Cole. One day at a time.” She agreed.

Anika

“Aimes, really, I promise you I’m fine.” She was eyeing me cautiously as we walked the aisles. “Tell me again how we went from buying Halloween costumes to looking at wedding dresses for me?”

“By the time you’re ready to go shopping, I’m gonna be the size of a house. I love to shop, you know that, and I’m willing to do whatever I can as your M.O.H. but dude, I’m exhausted.”

“M.O.H.?” I asked. She rolled her eyes.

“Maid of honor, duh?” Really, I should’ve been more up to speed on the maid of honor duties since I was hers and her wedding was only a month away. But Aimes wants things the way she wants them… all I had to do was follow her specific instructions.

“Wow, I really don’t know anything about this stuff. I have an idea though.”

“Tell me, please, tell me. But wait here. I’ve got to go pee. Again.” She left me in a sea of white and cream and tulle.

Ever since I scared the hell out of everybody, they all wanted to throw me into life and not give me a moment to dwell on anything that happened. That’s how it felt anyway. I was constantly being asked how I was doing, if I needed to talk to anyone, meaning a shrink. Blah blah blah. Cole was the only exception to this. It was like he sensed what I needed. Honestly, I felt better than I had in my entire life. I couldn’t remember a time when I felt happy, really happy, until now. I knew it was wrong to have your happiness wrapped up and dependent on one person, but Cole
was
the main reason. He wasn’t the only reason though. I was able to paint for a living. I had a family, a real family. My best friend had also found love and was having a baby… my mother was gone and Joe was gone, for good according to Cole.

“They took her from me Annie. They tried to keep us apart. They sent me away. Then I found your mother. She was a beauty, your mother. And she let me have you, you see? I could pretend you were my Serena. And as fate would have it, I will have her back. Who knew you would serve two purposes for me. One, to satisfy my hunger for sweet youth and two, to take back what belongs to my family. I will have my Serena and my family will have their business. But to make sure they understand… this is going to hurt, Annie.”

“Inky?” I jumped about a mile and fell into a rack of dresses.

“Please, Aimes don’t sneak up on me. Ever.” I took a heaving breath.

“I actually didn’t sneak up on you. I’ve been talking to you for a good twenty seconds.”

So maybe I did need to talk to a professional.

“Sorry, I zoned out. What were we talking about before your bladder interrupted?”

“Inky, don’t change the subject, what the fuck?” She was gentle, but she had a potty mouth just as much as I did and when we needed to throw in the F word for emphasis, we did just that.

“I was just remembering that night. The most recent one with Joe. It’s all so surreal. I don’t have to look over my shoulder anymore, you know? But these little memories… I don’t think they’ll ever really go away, Aimes. I think it’s just part of who I am, but I am happy. No one seems to believe me but, I swear to God, I’m okay. I promise I am. Cole and I talk every day. If I remember something, anything, I talk to him… and he talks to me.”

“But neither one of you has talked to a professional.”

“Well, Cole actually does.”

“Really?” We’d begun walking through the racks again, but at that revelation, she stopped.

“Really. He and his dad have been going together. Trying to repair their relationship. In fact, apparently there’s talk of a family Thanksgiving… which I’m told I should ask you and Gus to join us before we all head to Vegas.”

“Hm. What should I bring?” She asked sarcastically, tapping her finger to her lips. “I mean, ya know, when you’re having a meal at a multi-millionaire’s mansion you can’t exactly show up with flowers and a bottle of two buck Chuck.”

I started laughing so hard I thought I might pee my pants. “You should make a pie. Make your famous pumpkin pie.”

“It’s not really mine… it’s Martha’s.” Some people were Paula Dean people, Aimes and I were Martha Stewart people.

“Doesn’t matter. Home-made is home-made. And Gus made that chocolate pie and that was the best pie I’ve ever eaten in my life. Maybe one of each?”

“Okay, so let’s go over this again, because maybe you’re not getting it.
The maid
opens the door, ‘Right this way’ she says and takes my pie and my coat. Do I ask her for my Pyrex baking dish at the end of the day or do I ask Cole’s mom? These are things I need to know.” She was joking, but only kind of.

“I’ll ask Cole.” I chuckled. “Oh, Aimes-” We were just about to walk out the door when I saw it: the dress. “That’s it.” I stated firmly.

“Dude, try it on. Now! Go! I’ll meet you there. I have to pee again.”

She began to rush away, “Seriously?” I teased.

“Seriously. And fuck you.”

I took the dress from the rack when Sally, the aggressive sales-lady, appeared like a specter. Her name wasn’t really Sally; it was She-devil.

“That is a Monique Lhuillier. Lace and embroidery over a fine, silk, A-line gown. When is the big day?” If you had to translate what she was really saying, it would have sounded more like
, Listen, you can’t afford this, don’t touch it
. I was having a
Pretty Woman
moment right now. I was tempted to say, ‘Look lady, I got money to spend in this place’ but I just started to laugh. Aimes appeared and was standing behind her with a smirk and a look I understood to mean
, just say the word my friend. Just say the word.
I also knew she probably needed to pee again or would within the next five minutes, so I gave her a nod as if to say,
it’s cool man; I got this
and went with it.

“Actually, what’s your name?” I asked all smiles.

“Tanya.”

“Is that with a y. a. or an i. a.?”

“Actually it is spelled, T-a-w-n-e-a.”

Right.

Bitch.

“Well, Tawnea, may I please speak with your manager.”