Beyond Chance (8 page)

I looked across the street and saw Aaron
through the window. He was laughing and talking in a large group.
I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit I was a little puzzled.
Did he even know I was gone? I let out a deep breath and picked up
my large mug of frothy goodness and took a larger gulp than I
intended, but it was so delicious. I’d never had a latte this
creamy, and then it hit me, I was probably drinking whole milk. I
took another sip, confirming my suspicion, and delighted in the
cavalier attitude the French appeared to have toward fats. I
watched as the crowd slightly dissipated around Aaron. He pulled
his phone out of his suit jacket and began texting. Within seconds,
my phone buzzed, and I couldn’t help but soften slightly as the
text came over asking where I went. So he didn’t forget about
me.

I let out a breath and texted Aaron as the
waiter set my brie sandwich in front of me.

Look out the window.

Aaron slowly turned around, and I gave a
quick wave before pointing to my sandwich. He smiled and texted
back.

Not a fan of the escargot?

I texted quickly.

Not even on my worst day and this just might
qualify.

His text came right over, and I glanced back
down at the phone.

We need to talk. Whatever might be going
through your head is probably not what actually happened. Promise
me that you’ll hear me out.

I looked up into the window and saw Aaron
besieged with more admirers and let out a deep breath as he tucked
his phone back in his pocket. Taking a bite of the sandwich, the
creaminess of the brie melted in my mouth, and I wondered if I’d
ever be able to eat a sandwich in America again. I also wondered
why my feelings were so mixed about Aaron not revealing he’d been
engaged. Wasn’t I supposed to be furious? I didn’t know who or what
to blame, but the numbness wasn’t new. I just hadn’t expected to be
numb in all types of situations.

Taking the last bite of the baguette, I slid
my plate away and sipped down the rest of my latte. Leaving Aaron
wasn’t the right thing to do, but sometimes emotions didn’t always
play fair. Apparently the anger toward Derek I’d managed to hide
from myself also seemed to effect my reactions to most everything
else.

The waiter asked if anything else was needed
and dropped off the check. I glanced at the total and put cash down
before pushing away from the table and crossing the street. Food
helped to put things in perspective. It always did. Making snap
decisions on an empty stomach was always a terrible thing to do.
Sage advice from my mother, who always felt any family crisis could
be averted with a platter of fried chicken.

As I mulled over the Aaron issue, I almost
ran right into a woman who was staring into the window of the home
I was about to reenter. She was dressed in an emerald knit cocktail
dress with a deep-v dipping down her back.

“Oh, sorry.” I cringed when I realized I
hadn’t even attempted French, and I’d probably just perpetuated the
myth that we were all rude. “Je suis désolé.”

A feeble smile tipped the woman’s lips and
she shook her head. “I’m from the states as well.” She barely
turned her head from the window as she spoke.

I laughed and glanced inside. I saw Aaron
using his hands to describe whatever it was he was talking about,
and I knew where I belonged. Right next to him. “Thank goodness. My
French is really rusty.”

She hardly gave me a look as I climbed the
steps and paused. “Are you coming inside?”

Her gaze was fixed on the window when her
voice caught. “No. I just. I thought I knew someone inside.”

I pushed away the feelings of worry that
started to steal my wits. The very wits I’d prided myself on for so
long. The party I’d left was quite lively, and the energy could be
felt by anyone who happened to steal a glance. I was certain that
was all that was going on with the woman next to me.

She looked on intently, almost as if she was
wishing herself inside, and that was when dread filled my entire
body as I realized I was staring at Elizabeth, his ex-fiancée.

I had two options. I could continue on, open
the door and go inside, or I could turn around and introduce
myself. One option allowed me to ignore fate and the chance
encounter standing behind me, and the other option forced me to
face the truth that Aaron had been so good at hiding. As my hand
rested on the door, I took a deep breath and knew which option I
had to choose. I heard laughter from inside the building, and I
almost chickened out. It would be so much easier to pretend this
woman didn’t exist.

But she did.

My heart threatened to break silently as I
turned around slowly and walked down the steps to introduce myself.
The woman looked startled as I stopped in front of her. I debated
what to say, and I realized I had absolutely no idea as my smile
slipped away. Her brown hair was in a pixie cut, and her dainty
features only accentuated how large and beautiful her eyes were.
She was quite pretty. It was hard for me to imagine Aaron being
attracted to me after being with her, and I hated myself for
thinking such a ridiculous thought.

“Is there something I can help you with?”
she asked, finally disconnecting her gaze from the window and
connecting with mine.

“Is your name Elizabeth?” My heart pounded
so loudly in my ears I could barely hear my voice when I spoke.

Her blue eyes widened, and she bit her lip
before speaking.

I glanced behind me and saw a couple walking
up the steps to the party. I returned my attention back to the
woman and drew in a breath.

“I am,” she replied coolly, but her
trembling hand slid down her dress.

A shiver ran through my body as I stared at
Aaron’s ex-fiancée. What had I thought I’d accomplish by
introducing myself to her?

“Thank you for recommending Aaron for this
exhibit. It’s such an amazing opportunity. I’m sorry. I’m his
girlfriend, Brandy.” I stuck out my hand rather robotically and she
politely shook it.

“I didn’t really do anything. His work
speaks for itself,” she assured me. Her body relaxed slightly and
mine tensed. “It’s nice to finally meet the woman who tamed
Aaron.”

“I don’t think there’s ever any taming
Aaron,” I laughed, but my voice was unexpectedly strained.

I glanced through the same window Elizabeth
had been staring at and saw the back of the man we’d both
loved.

“You have a point there,” Elizabeth chuckled
slightly. “But with everything he’s been through, I’m surprised
he’s willing to finally settle down. I honestly didn’t think it was
in his DNA.”

I wriggled my fingers in front of her. “I’m
not sure it is.” The color drained from my face when I realized
what I’d just done. I didn’t feel that way. It had to have been the
champagne. I wasn’t sure what was coming over me. This man had been
by my side during my darkest days, and now I was dismissing the
importance of everything because he didn’t mention the woman
standing in front of me.

“True.” Her lips pressed together, and then
her mouth broke into a smile. “But I can tell you, he’s more in
love with you than life itself.”

Her words immediately warmed me, but it
quickly turned to suspicion. She obviously still had feelings for
Aaron so why was she being so nice?

“Well, thank you for that. I love him more
than I thought possible. He’s been…” my voice trailed off. Why was
I talking to his ex-fiancée about how much I loved the very man
she’d been staring at before I interrupted her?

Elizabeth folded her arms in front of her
and took in a deep breath. “You didn’t know about me, did you?”

I wasn’t sure who I felt worse for,
Elizabeth because Aaron never bothered to mention her, or me
because Aaron never bothered to mention her.

“That’s what I thought,” she replied,
without me replying.

Things had gone from awkward to
uncomfortable, and I began regretting my decision to introduce
myself. A breeze swept down the sidewalk and I shivered.

“Would you like to come inside?” I asked.
“I’m sure Aaron would love to see you.”

Elizabeth’s expression turned to horror and
she shook her head. “No. This is his night. I don’t want to take
away from that.”

I felt lightheaded, but that didn’t stop me
from what I was about to ask. I glanced up and caught Tracy staring
out the window. Aaron was no longer around, and my heart pounded at
the thought of him coming across us. Sense was knocked to the curb,
and I blurted out what had been eating me since I found out Aaron
had been engaged.

“Is there a good reason why he never
mentioned being engaged?”

“I don’t know if it’s a good reason, but
there’s definitely a reason; one that
he
really should tell
you.”

“What if he doesn’t?” I asked.

“I think you already know the answer to
that. Don’t let him get away with dismissing this or—” she stopped
herself.

She knew Aaron well. She understood his
ability to sweep things under the rug or run away, whichever was
easiest for him. I’d hoped we’d broken the latter of the two, but I
honestly didn’t know.

Not realizing I’d been holding my breath, I
exhaled slowly and nodded.

“Aaron was involved in something that
changed him forever. He was a broken man, Brandy. You’ve somehow
changed that. But it’s not fair for you not to truly know the man
he is. It might be easier for him, but it won’t be easier for you.
These things have a way of sneaking up on people, on couples.”

“Tracy mentioned you and Aaron speak every
day…”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and looked
genuinely annoyed. “Of course she did.” She shook her head and her
arms now hung at her side. “She’s a good friend. A little too good.
But to answer your question, we are in touch almost daily whether
it’s a text or a call.”

It felt like I’d been punched in the gut and
I became nauseous.

“I see.” Wasn’t I supposed to be Aaron’s
confidant? These two had some sort of shared history and somehow
that was continuing to shape his future. To say I wasn’t pleased
was being kind, and I was no longer in a kind mood.

“We’ll probably have to be in touch almost
daily for many years.” Her eyes connected with mine.

My heart dropped at the thought of what she
was saying. Did Aaron have a child? Is that why they were in
constant contact? That would be the end. I couldn’t take someone
not telling me something so important. My heart ached, and all I
wanted to do was go back to the apartment and bury myself under the
sheets. Her voice brought me out of my endless spiral of confusion,
and I steadied my gaze on hers again.

“He invested in a business that I started
and has been helping me grow it. The task has been difficult
because I’ve been trying to break into a category that’s pretty
small. If it hadn’t been for his guidance, my business never
would’ve even made it off the ground.”

My body and mind felt like it had been
liberated from the ghostly hollows of my imagination. I was so
happy I wanted to kiss Elizabeth, but I restrained myself. Instead,
I pressed for more answers.

“So how did you meet Aaron?” I asked.

Her expression hardened slightly. “We were
in the military together.”

I nodded, feeling more confused than ever.
Getting just these tiny bits and pieces almost made it worse.

“Before he went into Special Forces, we
started dating,” she continued.

My blood chilled. Aaron was in the Special
Forces?

Elizabeth let out a sigh and shook her head.
“He didn’t tell you that either?”

“No,” my voice barely squeaked. “Aaron and I
apparently have a lot of catching up to do.”

Elizabeth reached for my hand and squeezed
it. “I shouldn’t have come by. I just hadn’t seen him in a while
and debated about stopping by. Listen, he really loves you. He lost
sight of what was important to him. You showed him that again. With
everything you’ve been through, I’m sure he didn’t want to burden
you.”

“It wouldn’t be a burden,” I whispered,
looking into Elizabeth’s eyes.

“You and I both know that, but that’s not
how it works for a certain kind of man. He sees himself as a
protector. That’s how he was wired.”

I nodded.

“Don’t hold it against him. I promise you
have yourself a good man. He might need a little bit of work around
the edges. I shouldn’t be saying this but have you Googled
him?”

My cheeks blushed and I smiled.

She laughed. “Who hasn’t, right?”

“I didn’t find anything though…I mean other
than all the beautiful women he’s dated over the years. It was all
pictures from the social pages and the events he either sponsored
or escorted someone too. Nothing that would give me reason—”