23. Aiden
Islept most of the flight this morning since I tossed and turned throughout the night. Despite my exhaustion yesterday, I kept replaying the conversation I had with my parents over and over again in my head as I tried to go to sleep.
With Penny tucked in bed, the Shining Knight agents used that time to bring my other bodyguards into the fold while my parents and I had a private conversation in the living room. They knew something was bothering me the moment that I asked them to sit down.
“What’s wrong, Aiden?” Mom asked.
“Nothing. Everything. Today has been overwhelming. Between Patricia, the fake engagement with Anna, and the whole fiasco with Amy, I’m emotionally exhausted and spent. Patricia, I can handle. Her threat to hire a lawyer doesn’t scare me since I have the paperwork she signed abdicating her of any rights to see or interact with Penny. I hoped that Patricia had truly changed and wanted to have a relationship with our daughter— and I still do—but not at the expense of Penny’s well-being.”
My dad bobbed his head in agreement. “We have a team of lawyers at Pa’ Shaw. I’ll talk to them tomorrow and find out if there are any loopholes she can exploit. I’d rather us be prepared than blindsided.”
“Thanks, Dad, but I have a favor to ask that doesn’t relate to the situation involving Patricia. I know that we aren’t responsible for Amy’s condition, but we are inadvertently responsible for her inability to get proper medical care. Without her medication, she’s unstable, and I find it difficult to believe that she would be able to get a decent job or live a normal life without it.”
My dad leaned back against the cushion and crossed his arms. “Aiden, are you asking me to rehire her? I guarantee you that’s not possible. The HR department doesn’t fire at will, so there had to be a very good reason for the termination. It mitigates the potential for any lawsuits.”
Waving my hands up and down in a calming gesture, I explained, “Not at all. However, I would like to cover the costs of her prescription until she’s stable and can find another job. Can you make that happen?”
My parents both gave me sympathetic looks, but my dad promised to do what he could. “I can make the offer, Aiden, but there are no guarantees that Amy will accept it.”
“Entice her, Dad. Shining Knight is filing the paperwork for a restraining order, but maybe we can make it conditional or temporary by adding in a clause. If Amy seeks treatment, is on the medication for a set amount of time, and there aren’t any incidents, then it will be lifted. I’m spitballing here, and I’m open to suggestions, but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. Since she’s not currently on the medication, maybe the prospect of getting close to me in three months may be the ticket to getting her to accept the offer. If she doesn’t accept it, then the restraining order remains in effect.”
My mom wasn’t pleased with my suggestion. “That’s a pretty big gamble, Aiden.”
“It is, but it’s the right thing to do. Amy didn’t fixate on me until after she stopped taking her prescription, which is expensive even with insurance. It’s Amy Smith who dreams of a life with me, not Amy Potslawski. Call it a ‘leap of faith,’ but I believe that if she takes her meds regularly, Amy Potslawski will re-emerge and be back in control.”
Mom leaned forward, “At least Anna will be by your side and can help keep you safe, but you’ll still need to watch your back in the meantime, Aiden.”
“Yeah, but how long will Anna be here? Once this job is over, she’ll have to leave, and I’ll have to come up with some story for the break-up that doesn’t put her in a negative light.”
Mom’s impish smile returns, “Why? Anna said you two will have a long engagement to get to know one another. Maybe by the time this is all over, her words will be true. She cares about you and Penny. We all care about her. You’re already a hair’s breadth away from falling in love, and I don’t see any reason why you can’t turn this charade into a reality.”
“Do you really think it’s possible? Her life isn’t here anymore; it’s in New York. I doubt Anna would be willing to stay, even for us.”
Mom stood up and took my hands in hers, “Aiden, the question isn’t whether or not she would stay for you. The real question is whether or not you would go for her. You’re the one at the crossroads in your life, not Anna. You’re about to retire from a life you’ve always known and embark on a new adventure. I don’t see any reason why it can’t be in New York. You just have to ask yourself if Anna is worth it.”
I didn’t have to take time to think about it. Anna was most definitely worth it.
It took me quite a while before I fell asleep, my mom’s words at the forefront of my mind. Was she right? Should I spend what little time Anna and I have left showing her what a life with me would be like if we didn’t have threats looming over us? The answer I came up with was a resounding “Yes!” Now, the only question is how to go about achieving my goal.
I’m riding the adrenaline high from our win this afternoon against the Bangor Barracudas, enjoying my time with the team as a few of them bust out the champagne bottles on our charter. With a 5-2 win, we clinched a spot in the playoffs even if we lose the last eight games. I pray that’s not the case, but since the coach and I agreed that I will play far less for the rest of the regular season, it’s a real possibility.
Roger sits beside me on the plane and hands me a tablet. “Mr. Shaw, you might want to take a look at this.”
I swipe the screen, and the first thing that pops up is an article titled “The King of Hockey is Engaged to the Long-Lost Queen of Georgia.” I scan the first few paragraphs, but it’s enough to get the gist.
Former Miss Georgia, Savannah Jones, has returned to our beloved city and set her sights on none other than our very own King of Hockey—Aiden Shaw. As Georgia’s most eligible bachelor and billionaire, does it truly surprise anyone that Savannah Jones would emerge to sink her claws into his bank account?
Ms. Jones departed 14 years ago with high hopes and dreams of becoming a doctor, only to fade into obscurity after relinquishing her crown to runner-up Bethany Davis. Bethany Davis went on to represent this great state in the Miss America pageant, coming in third place. Although we couldn’t be prouder of Bethany Davis, would Savannah Jones have won if she hadn’t disappeared? Or was there a more nefarious reason behind the last-minute switch?
There was speculation that Ms. Jones stepped down after pictures surfaced of her on the arm of Senator Bruce Maxwell, who was married at the time and a father of three. Three months later, the Senator’s divorce from his wife of 27 years made front-page news, stunning us all. Was Ms. Jones the catalyst for the Senator’s fall from grace?
Since the tender age of 16, the homewrecker has been photographed smiling with elite and wealthy men from all over the country, hoping to hitch a ride on the gravy train. We can now add Aiden Shaw to a long list of suckers that have been caught in her spell. What kind of magic does Ms. Jones weave that allows her to enthrall our most moral and upstanding citizen in a mere four days?
That’s right, folks! Four days is all it took from the time they met to the time Mr. Shaw put a ring on it!...”
I hand Roger back the tablet, having read enough. “This is going to ruin my reputation! Roger, I need to know who leaked the information.”
Roger frowns, “It’s not your reputation that’s in question. It’s Anna’s. Other than being bewitched by her beauty, there is nothing negative about you in the article.”
“You’ve known Anna for years, Roger. Is any of what I read true?”
He shrugs. “I met Anna when she was 22, well after any of this.” He gestures to the pad, which is now dark. “What I can tell you is that the woman I know would never date a married man or even look at him. Heck, she hardly dates at all. She’s as upstanding as they come, Aiden, and I doubt you’ll find a woman with more moral integrity than Anna. But let me ask you this: if it is true, does that change your mind about her? Will you look at her differently?”
“It might.”
Roger seems to appreciate my honest answer, even if he doesn’t care for it. “As I said before, I met Anna when she was 22. It was at her last pageant, and her mother was there. I had actually been to several pageants in the area because my best friend’s daughter often competed and lived in the vicinity. I had seen Anna on more than one occasion and watched her throw knives, twirl nunchucks, and even wield a sword. She was magnificent and a sight to behold. But Anna was also very unhappy despite her beautiful smile. I can recognize when someone puts on a front from a mile away.
“I approached Anna to recruit her for the FBI after she lost to Harper Finnegan, my friend’s daughter. Anna should have won—hands down—and I think she lost on purpose simply because her mother was present.”
“What makes you say that?” I ask. Gretchen had told me how horribly she had treated her daughter, but would Anna lose just for spite?
“Just before I approached Anna, she was engaged in a heated argument with her mother. Gretchen Jones berated Anna for losing and called her ‘ungrateful,’ along with other adjectives that I don’t care to repeat. She slapped Anna across the face and stormed away, mumbling something about going home penniless and her daughter being ‘dead’ to her. When Gretchen turned her back on Anna, Anna smiled. Aiden, it was the first genuine smile I had seen come from Anna. That’s when I knew for sure that the loss was calculated and that Anna would make a great undercover agent.”
I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. “Why would you tell me all of this, Roger?”
“I guess I wanted you to know that Anna is a light that shines even in the darkest of places, Aiden. I’d bet my life that there is much more to the story, so before you jump to conclusions, talk to her and get her side of it. Anna won’t lie to you if you ask her point blank, but please be kind and understanding when she answers. You might not like what you hear.” He waits a beat before continuing. “Can I ask you something?”
I nod.
Roger takes a moment to formulate his words, then lowers the boom. “Why would Anna’s past make you feel any differently about her now? You’ve met her mother and consider her to be a close friend despite the vile and reprehensible things she has done. How is it that you can see past all of Gretchen’s misdeeds but don’t know if you can overlook Anna’s, especially if what you read turns out to be true?”
“What’s that old adage, ‘what you don’t know can’t hurt you?’ Gretchen never shared the details of her ‘misdeeds’ with me, which makes it easier to accept, I guess.”
Roger purses his lips in consternation. “Will you view Gretchen differently if Anna confides in you about her past and you learn what her mother had done?”
I shake my head, “No.”
Roger looks at me quizzically. “Why not? If what you said is true, then knowing will taint the lens through which you view Gretchen.”
“Because I already know who Gretchen is now. I never knew the woman she was,” I say a little defensively.
Roger leans back in his seat, smiling. “And you’ve just made my point.”
Frustrated, I ask, “What point is that?”
He clasps his hands over his stomach and closes his eyes. “You know the woman Anna is today, not the woman she was before. Why would it be different for one over the other?”
“Because I’m falling in love with Anna, and it would hurt more,” I explain. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but now that I did, I don’t want to take it back.
His eyes open, and he glares at me. “That’s all the more reason you should trust Anna and have a little faith in her, Aiden. If you want to turn your charade into something real and everlasting, it starts with trust.”
I have no idea how Roger knows my plan, and I begin to stutter my response. “How, um...what…uh.”
Roger holds up his hand to stop my rambling. “Don’t try to deny it. Not much gets by me, especially the way you look at her.”
I don’t say anything because what is there to say? I’m falling head over heels in love with my fiancée.
It’s three hours later and nearly three o’clock in the morning by the time we arrive at my house. Roger enters the code, likely waking everyone up now that it will ping an alert to their phones.
Scott walks up to me and asks when they’ll be needed next since our practice for later today was canceled.
“Our next practice isn’t until Wednesday at 11:00 am, but can you come back tonight at six? I’d like to take Anna out to dinner.”
Roger leans in, “Mr. Shaw, I don’t think that will be wise.”
Confused, I ask, “And why not?”
Roger points to Anna, who is standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. “I’d expect a disgruntled look like that from Jerry because that’s just who he is. Anna only does that when there’s been a development—and not the good kind.”
Turning back to Scott, “I guess I’ll see you at ten sharp on Wednesday.”
“Yes, Sir. Ten sharp. Have a good night Mr. Shaw,” Scott says as he departs with his team.
Roger and I go inside, leaving the bags in the trunk for later. Anna turns around, and we follow her into the living room, where everyone but Penny is waiting for us.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“That’s what we’d like you to tell us,” Anna retorts. A video of two men I recognize begins to play on the television screen. “I was asked to deliver a message to you, Aiden. Those two goons said, ‘You better do as they demand, or you’ll pay the price.’ Care to explain?”