Touched (The Untouched Trilogy #2)(64)

“A position of authority … a chance.”

“Nicholas, I know you think I favor your brother to you. That simply isn’t the case. I’m doing what’s best for the viability of Raine Industries and you don’t have the foresight or the aptitude to be at the helm of this company son.”

“How the hell do you think Aiden does? Because you’ve groomed him for years while Sloan and I sat on the wayside,” Nicholas responded, indignantly.

“Nicholas, calm down,” Aiden said.

“This is bullshit Aiden and you know it as well as I do,” Nicholas said.

“I practically built an empire from the ground up but it means nothing if I can’t pass this on to someone who can do it justice … to carry on the family name and the family tradition. Both of you … hell this entire family has known for years that Aiden is that someone,” Connor said. He’d started to raise his voice.

“Dad, Nicholas is right. I’ve seen him lately and he has become quite the businessman. I’m very impressed and if you take the time to truly review his contributions, you would be also. You shouldn’t so readily dismiss his abilities,” Aiden stated.

“I’ve received glowing reports on both Nicholas and Sloan from you Aiden, but you … you have responsibilities to the family – to the business. I’ve been more than understanding of the goofing off with these other businesses of yours but I need you here. I need you to stop playing around.”

“Playing around? Those companies are important to me but you wouldn’t know it because I’ve delegated all of my playing around, as you put it, so that I could take the reins of this company. This was to be temporary but you insist on making it permanent.”

“You speak as if this is news to you son. You knew this was coming, yet now you reject it. I can’t help but think that you’re resistant because of the other distractions in your life.”

“Just say it. You’re referring to Aria. She’s off limits to this discussion,” Aiden warned.

“Just as I suspected,” Connor replied.

“I’m not your only offspring. Nicholas is anxious to take over and hell, he’d date and possibly marry someone of whom you would approve. So would Sloan for that matter.”

“Son you’re getting off track here that’s not what I’m saying. I don’t need to approve of who you date but I would prefer it be someone who doesn’t bring about a disruption to your obligations to this family.”

I didn’t want to hear anymore. I walked upstairs to ready myself for bed. I wanted to go home.



*****



I felt a light kiss on my cheek and opened my eyes to see my handsome king. I’d fallen asleep fully dressed. “You did it,” Aiden said, smiling at me.

“Did what?” I asked.

“Survived a night at my family home,” he replied.

I wasn’t so sure that I had. I was exposed to more than I’d expected. Although I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it, I could see how being a member of the Raine family could be a huge undertaking. I had actually started to see why Aiden had made some of the choices that he’d made in regards to skipping out on the family name ever so often.

I had watched how Aiden interacted with his family and their affection for each other was apparent but so were the carefulness and the structure. Months ago when he’d made an attempt to explain his reasons for deceiving me, he’d mentioned that I didn’t understand the misery of what accompanies the Raine name. At the time, I’d had no empathy. I’d felt that his issues with his privileged life were inconsequential but after the few encounters I’d witnessed and especially after today, I was sympathetic to his ordeal. I was damn near close to understanding how he must have looked forward to escaping his identity.

“I cringed when Dad brought up the Aiden Wyatt thing. You know that, right?”

“I figured as much, but it’s okay Aiden. I’m past that. We’re past that.”

“You really mean that don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. Why do you sound so surprised?” I asked.

“Because I know what it cost you. I know what wounds it opened.”

“Yes, it did. It was horrible for me. It took me to a place that I couldn’t share with anyone, not even April, which was odd because I used to tell her everything.” I think I was starting to see that I didn’t have to place everything into one person. April would always be a great friend but I could now see that we had both been crutches for each other and that wasn’t the type of friendship that I wanted anymore; it wasn’t healthy. I wanted a friendship based on the simple desire to be friends, not one in which we were place holders until something or someone came along to make one of us not need the other as much.

“How did you forgive me? How did you get past it?” he asked.

“I realized that what you did is not who you are,” I replied.

He took me into his arms and held me. I sighed and rested my head against his chest. This felt good, it felt right.

“I don’t think your parents want me here,” I said.

“I told you, don’t worry about them.”

“That’s easy for you to say, they actually like you,” I said, jokingly.

“I know you don’t think so, but they do like you Aria. I wouldn’t have brought you here otherwise. They just want what they want but once they see they aren’t getting it, they’ll come around.”