REBORN (Metamorphosis Book 1) (13 page)

"We were married for six years.  I was thirty when she passed away."  His voice was distant, as if remembering that day.

"How did she die?" I asked.

"We had a fight," he said in a low, pain-ridden voice.  "She left in the car and a drunk driver crashed into her.  During the autopsy we found out she was pregnant."

"Oh Kayden…" a cry escaped my lips.  I turned and hugged him, wanting to give him some of my heart.

"After she died I went on a spiral downward.  I quit my job and traveled for a while trying to figure out what had happened, how did I lose her.  I didn't want to live and attempted suicide.  My family saved me."

"But it wasn’t your fault," I said softly.

"I felt guilty nevertheless; I couldn't face myself.  After two years of self-destructive behavior a friend from my Northwestern days asked me to go into business with him.  I agreed and that's how Chicago Properties was born.  I eventually bought Michael out and Chicago Properties became Hale Enterprises.  I poured my heart and soul into building my business; in some ways I can say the business saved my life.  Until I met you, work was the only focus of my life."

My heart squeezed at the idea of a young Kayden losing the love of his life, at the baby who never was.  "Oh Kayden, I love you so!" I said to myself.

We walked in silence the rest of the way, afraid to say anything that would interrupt the solemnity of the moment.  I held him tight to my side, feeling his pain until we reached the car.  Once inside I asked, "You said that until me your only focus was work; didn't you have any other girlfriends?"

"I went out with women, more often than not for sex; nothing serious.  But sex was unfulfilling, mostly because I needed more.  Again, it wasn't until I found you that I started feeling again."

"Kayden, I love you." The words escaped my lips. He looked at me and smiled.  "That's what you said last night, right?"

I nodded in affirmation. He grinned widely but did not return the words.

Chapter Twelve

We were back in the city by seven, and had stopped at a deli to picked up a couple of corned beef sandwiches and salads for dinner.  I ate half of a sandwich and salad; Kayden ate his and the rest of mine.  We drank Corona beers and ate cantaloupe for desert.  We were so comfortable with each other, like we'd been together for a lifetime instead of less than a month.

After dinner we sat on the sofa. Kayden had to work so I decided to use his tablet to check my email and send one to Ronald Weinstein, my boss at the Art Institute.  I had intended to go in person to speak to him but the events of the day derailed my plans.  The truth was that I was ready to get started at work; I knew I had to get back to Miami, but that could wait for a couple of weeks.

I quickly typed an email to Ronald explaining the circumstances of my absence and to schedule a meeting. To my surprise he emailed me back immediately asking me to meet him tomorrow at nine a.m.  Excitedly, I told Kayden about Ronald's response. 

He replied, taking his eyes from the computer, "I'll have Aldo drive you after he drops me off at the office."

"Kayden, I don’t need a ride.  Part of the reason I moved here is so that I can walk to work."

"Yes, but I don’t trust Julian, he is unstable and God only knows what he has up his sleeve."

"Julian was out of line, but I refuse to believe that he would purposely hurt me."

"We are not going to argue about this Eleonor.  I have a long day of work tomorrow, I don’t want to have to worry about you."

"You don’t have…"

I didn't finish the sentence; his look told me we were finished with this conversation.  If I was going to build something with this man, I was going to have to compromise.  So I agreed to Aldo driving me.

"It's okay for Aldo to drive me but I want you to know that I prefer to walk."

He put his laptop aside and pointed to his lap for me to move to.  I sat on his lap and cradled into it.  It was so comfortable, I felt right at home in it!

"I am not trying to smother you, but I need to know that you will be safe.  I can't leave the office tomorrow so please let Aldo drive you around tomorrow, if no other reason than for my peace of mind."

"When you put it that way, how can I say no?"

He kissed me and then pulled away saying, "Stop distracting me woman, I have to get back to work."  His voice sounded stern but his face had an expression of amusement.

"Me, what did I do?" The innocence in my voice was not convincing.

"You are tempting me with your lips and your movement, so don't play innocent."  I just shook my head and tried to move away from his lap, but he wouldn’t let me.  Warmth flooded my blood, making me hug him even harder.

"Before you get back to work, do you have any plans for Sunday?"

"I was thinking about driving to Door County for the weekend.  Why?"

"My friends have been planning a spa day Sunday; you know, for female bonding and pampering.  I'd love to join them, we usually get together about once a month and I was out of town the last two months."

"Well, we can go Friday night and get back early Sunday morning, if you think that's sufficient time."

"That will work, I'll join them after lunch."

"Okay then, I'll spend the afternoon with my brother catching the Bears game."

I lay on his lap to read a book, and he opted for the tablet to check his email.  I must have fallen asleep and Kayden taken me to bed because the next morning I woke up on the bed with him wrapped around me.  Lately this had become my favorite way to wake up; Kayden holding me close to him, his legs over my body, his skin so warm I didn’t need a blanket.  I caressed his beautiful face and touched his lips with mine, then tried to get up when I heard him say, "Thinking that you can escape me again?"  He held me tighter, then climbed over me, caging me in place. 

"Where do you think you are going?" he said in a sleepy voice.

"I didn't want to wake you up."

"I'm awake now, so where are you going?" he asked as he began to kiss my neck, my shoulders, my breast, my stomach.

I responded in an incoherent way, "no where," because there was no other place I wanted to be than under him right that moment.

After Kayden went to work I stopped by my apartment to change for my meeting.  I checked the answering machine and noticed it was full of messages, primarily from Julian but a couple from Vickie.  I decided to answer Vickie's from the car.  I had no time or energy to talk to Julian.  I had to get ready and had less than an hour to do so.

For my meeting I chose a flare-bottomed cobalt blue dress with a short black jacket and black ankle boots; pure sophistication!  I picked up my black clutch, my cell and keys and headed downstairs.  Aldo was waiting for me; he opened the door of the limo and off we went.  He must have known where we were heading because he asked no questions.

My cell phone rang; it was Kayden.  "How are you feeling this morning?" I asked. 

"Thanks to you I feel like a million bucks," he responded.

"Did you call to brag or do you have a question?"

"So impatient. I called to ask if you wanted to go running today after work; I'll be home around six."

"I'd love to, just don’t complain when I beat you," I said, laughing.

"Well, bring it on, I like a good challenge, baby."

His endearment made me blush.  "Love you," I responded. 

"See you tonight my love," and he hung up.  I smiled and held the phone to my heart for a few more minutes.

I was in such a good mood that I decided to send a text to Victoria instead of calling her; I did not want to be upset before my meeting.

Is everything okay?  At a work-related meeting, will call after I'm done.  Love, Mom

The meeting with Ronald went on for about an hour. He was very understanding and happy to have me back.  We agreed that I would start on Monday, with the understanding that in a couple of weeks I was going to need a couple of days to settle affairs in Miami.

I texted Kayden from the car:

As of Monday I'll be gainfully employed, I want to celebrate. Love EMM

He responded:

Celebrations r always good, work not necessary; you have money, I have money.  Yours, K

But will ur money or mine keep me occupied and out of trouble during the long hours of waiting for u?  Desperately waiting until u get home, EMM

Good point, we'll talk about it.  Getting hard just thinking of ur desperation K

I asked Aldo to take me to the supermarket.  I wanted to cook for Kayden so we did not have to go out after our run.  I decided on lasagna, garlic bread and a salad.  I picked up some wine and all the ingredients to make a flan.  Aldo was very helpful; it turned out he was new to this position, he used to be part of the security detail for the company.  After he drove me home I dismissed him for the rest of the day.  I wanted to spend the afternoon cooking and perhaps resting a little bit.  I also needed to call Vickie.

"Hi, Mom," she responded in a grave tone.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned by the sound of her voice.

"That's what I was about to ask you; Dad came back to the office yesterday afternoon with a bruise on his face.  He said it was Kayden who hit him over a misunderstanding.  What's wrong with your boyfriend?" I did not like her accusatory tone.

"First, there is nothing wrong with Kayden; second how dare you accuse him without having all the facts?  And third, there was no misunderstanding; your father tried to force himself on me and Kayden found him before he could do any damage," I responded in a stern and angry voice.  "Last, tell your father that I am tired of covering up for him."  I was so incensed that I hung up the phone on my daughter!  How dare Julian accuse Kayden of bullying when he was the one to attack me!

I called Julian and dove right in. "This is the last time I want to see you in my apartment, and if you touch me again I will press charges.  For a minute I thought you were a decent man, but lying to our daughter about what happened is where I draw the line."

I didn't wait for him to answer, just wanted him to understand that I was not playing games.

Kayden came at six as promised.  He found me in the kitchen putting the final touches to the lasagna.  He came behind me and kissed me on the neck; I turned in the circle of his arms seeking his lips.  He did not disappoint.

"If it tastes as good as it smells it's going to be amazing."

"I thought we'd have dinner in tonight; besides, some say I am a pretty good cook.  You'll be the judge."

"Anything you make will be good; beside, this is the way I dream of finding you, barefoot and in the kitchen."

"So funny, ha, ha."

"I'll be ready in a few minutes for our run." Then off he went into the bedroom to change.

While Kayden was changing I placed the lasagna in the oven and set the timer so that it would be ready when we got back.  I sliced and buttered the bread and finished the table.  I was already in my running gear, just needed the shoes.

Kayden came out looking as handsome as ever in anything he wore.  He had navy blue shorts and a plain white T-shirt.

"Are you sure you want to go out? We can stay in for the night," he suggested.

"Oh no, if we are going to eat this huge dinner, we need to exercise first."

"Let's get this over with then; I have plans for tonight," Kayden said in a seductive way.

The evening was perfect for running, a cool seventy-four degrees and a light breeze from the lake.  We headed toward the lakeshore, my favorite route to run because of the beautiful views of the lake and the Chicago skyline.  We could see the sailboats in the distance and the couples walking their dogs on the beach.  Heading south from Oak Street Beach, the vision of Navy Pier and the Museum Campus appeared.  Chicago in all its magnificence spread before us.  What a perfect way to end a day, running outdoors with the man I loved enjoying my favorite city.  It was heaven.

"Don't feel bad if you can't keep up, I know how you high-power executives spend your day sitting down at meetings," I teased, knowing very well how competitive he was.

"Oh baby, I so love a challenge!  Care to make a small wager?"

"I hate to take advantage of your gullibility, but bring it on."

"Me, gullible; that's not a word anyone has ever used to describe me.  But if you think so… then if I can keep up I get one wish, anything I want."

"You already get everything you want, but it's a deal."  I hoped I didn't have to regret my cockiness, I knew he had a definite advantage over me, after all his legs were longer and his stamina was at least ten times that of mine.  However if I was lucky we'd both win.  I bit my lip in anticipation.  His smile told me he knew what was in my mind.