Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I NEED A GLASS OF WINE
Aldrich
“It was so awkward,” she said into Aldrich’s chest, wrapped in his arms after a long, emotionally exhausting day.
After weeks of agonising deliberation, Sorinah had reluctantly agreed to let Albert meet Mars. She’d accompanied her son to the meeting, and afterwards, she’d taken him for something to eat, trying to offer comfort. Aldrich had waited at her home, his concern palpable.
“Hey Uncle Aldrich,” Mars greeted him with lackluster energy, no dap or head nod, before excusing himself to his room. The teenager didn’t look like himself; his smile was hollow, not reaching his eyes, and he moved as though carrying an invisible weight.
His mother watched him walk away with a pensive, worried expression, her hand lifting briefly as if to call him back before she let it fall.
Aldrich opened his arms to her, and she moved into them without hesitation, leaning into his solid frame.
She remained there for a long time, her breath evening out slowly as he held her.
Of course, he wanted her to say more, to unburden herself, but she needed comfort, and that’s what he would give her.
Aldrich felt a deep ache for the kid, and for Sorinah.
However, he stood in the shadows, quietly offering his presence, even as all he wanted to do was step in and shield them both.
Just being Sorinah’s sounding board came at an emotional cost. He didn’t trust Albert, and the anger simmered beneath his calm exterior.
All he wanted to do was tell Albert to fuck off back to where he’d come from.
He knew men like him, men who built their lives on selfishness, trampling over others to protect their own comfort.
Unknown factors gnawed at Aldrich, and he couldn’t stand the uncertainty. Aldrich needed to know everything about the man worming his way back into the life of the woman he loved.
The day after Sorinah told him about Albert approaching her, Aldrich had reached out to a private detective agency with urgency.
Khana Agency had come highly recommended, and though the owner didn’t normally meet clients by conference call, Aldrich had pushed for it with a financial incentive, his determination fuelled by worry and protectiveness.
Aldrich also had to agree to meet the owner, Darsh, in person before the information was released. The firm was quick, efficient, and beyond thorough.
There wasn’t anything about Albert that Aldrich wasn’t aware of.
The file contained the names of every nanny Albert had growing up, his transcripts from Montessori all the way up to his Master’s degree.
The man’s finances were a shit show; he was lucky his wife had managed his funds.
Aldrich guessed that with her out of the picture and the trajectory Albert was on, at some point, money might become an issue for him.
If Aldrich hadn’t trusted Albert before receiving the information, he now knew with certainty that he was justified and then some.
Albert hadn’t been forthcoming with Sorinah about his divorce.
He had spun it as irreconcilable differences, a couple growing apart, when the truth was that his wife had left him after finding out he had cheated again.
It seemed cheating was a habit for Albert.
His wife probably should have left him long ago, like when he’d had an affair with Sorinah while his wife was pregnant.
Mars and his youngest half-sister were born only weeks apart.
Part of Aldrich had wanted to tell Sorinah everything he had found, but he understood her.
She would have felt like he didn’t trust her, when that was the furthest thing from the truth.
So he would give her what she needed: the autonomy to navigate this situation with the man who had hurt her and her son on her own.
Stepping in would drive a wedge between Aldrich and Sorinah, and he’d be damned if he allowed that to happen.
“I need a glass of wine,” she announced, pulling back and giving a stiff smile.
“I’ll get you one. Sit on the couch; I’ll bring it over,” Aldrich offered.
In addition to his own kitchen, he was becoming familiar with hers as well.
Even though they were experiencing a warm May, she curled up on her couch and draped herself in a throw. She looked emotionally drained. Aldrich joined her, and she stretched her legs out on his lap. He massaged her foot, starting with the left, and she closed her eyes, her head falling back.
“Did you eat while you were out?”
Planning for Albert and Mars to meet had been weighing heavily on her. She hadn’t slept well, and her appetite was pretty much nonexistent. The stress was making her feel nauseous. How many times had he heard her say, “That man makes me so mad I could hurl”?
So, Aldrich was surprised when she informed him, “Yeah, I had a chicken salad.”
“Did you finish it?” he probed.
“Yes, Dad.” She stuck her tongue out at him.
“I’m glad the meeting is done, but I don’t know where we go from here. Albert tried to hug Mars when they met, but that didn’t go over well. It was too much. Albert had to settle for a handshake, but you would have thought he’d known better.”
Be constructive, Aldrich reminded himself, even as the thought of Albert made his jaw clench.
It wasn’t an easy task because, clearly, Albert was a complete moron.
Hearing that he had tried to hug Mars didn’t put Aldrich in a good headspace.
Had he tried the same with Sorinah? No, he would probably have to ice his Feral Kitten’s hand.
Aldrich was almost certain that Albert was using the opportunity to meet his son as a way to get close to her. There had been calls and texts, under the flimsy pretence of learning more about Mars, before she’d shut it down in true Sorinah style.
“Where do you all go from here?” he asked her.
She lifted her head and opened her eyes, her expression weary but thoughtful. “Mars didn’t know what he expected from meeting his dad, but he doesn’t regret doing it, even if the experience fell flat, and he’s open to trying again.”
“And are you okay with that?” he asked, switching to her other foot as he massaged it.
“To be honest, I feel I have to be.” She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “There was a small part of me hoping it would be a one-time thing. That Mars would get what he needed from it, and we could put this experience behind us.” She shook her head and sat back, her frown deepening.
Sorinah had done all of this for her son, but it couldn’t be easy for her. The person who had made her distrustful of relationships was back in her life, and she was enduring him for the sake of Mars.
Aldrich didn’t push the conversation. He was there if she wanted to talk things through, but he didn’t like the idea of Albert remaining in the picture. Still, if the man was going to be around, it was time to make his presence known.
There needed to be a plan in place. While it was tempting to go in half-cocked like Dinah, Christ, she was fierce!
Apparently, she’d gone after Albert with a baseball bat just two days ago. Dinah and Aldrich had always been cordial, but he now had a real affection for her. She didn’t play. He smiled as he remembered Vickram recounting the encounter.
“Seeing Albert triggered the fuck out of her. He was in his car after he’d had a meet-up with Sorinah.
Albert couldn’t help egging Dinah on when she told him not to mess with her baby sister or her nephew.
The fucker had the nerve to say, ‘Sorinah is grown,’ like she’s always been.
His tone was so smarmy.” Vickram swirled the amber liquid in his glass.
Aldrich didn’t touch his glass, afraid he might shatter it.
“Before I could stop her, she went into the trunk and grabbed a bat. Admittedly, I probably could have reacted more quickly. Maybe stopped her before she smashed his rear taillight and side mirror, but shit happens.” The man smirked into his whiskey.
“The entire time she is yelling, ‘You think I’m playing with you! Do not fuck with my family!’”
“Didn’t you worry about him retaliating?” Aldrich asked.
All humour vanished from Vickram’s expression.
“Retaliating?
How?
Albert wouldn’t put his hands on my wife; I’d scatter his body parts across a couple of provinces.
Besides, after he called Dinah a crazy bitch, I stepped in and reminded him about the last conversation we had and his subsequent hospital stay.
Albert suddenly remembered he needed to be somewhere.
” Vickram’s jaw ticked, and his fist formed.
While Aldrich was grateful Sorinah was surrounded by people so protective of her, it didn’t quell his desire to be around more, to be the one to protect her.
He and his team were deep in the process of trying to find the right restaurants to occupy their hotel chain, but Aldrich had already started making changes to his schedule.
His home office in Toronto was fully set up, a miniature version of his office at headquarters.
He was thinking of getting a commercial space to work out of in Toronto.
Sorinah’s breathing had changed, and it sounded like she was drifting off.
“Thank you,” she breathed.
“Good massage?”
“Well, yes, for that too.” She covered his hand. “But thank you for being here today and for your quiet support.”
“Of course. Where else would I be?”
She leaned forward, and their lips connected in a brief kiss before she brought her forehead to his.
“Would you like to spend the night?”
Her request took him by surprise. Aldrich knew what a big step that was for her.
“If you’re sure,” he responded cautiously.
She nodded. “I am. You are an important part of my life, and I want you to know you are welcome in my home.”
He cupped her face tenderly, the moment meaning so much to him.
Sorinah rolled her eyes. “Oh my gosh, don’t get all emotional about it, DH.”
He winked at her. “Kitten, you never disappoint.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips.