Touched (The Untouched Trilogy #2)(97)

His smiled as he approached it. It was a magnificent car, completely black with gold colored accents. It was sleek and sexy and it screamed of power … a perfect complement for Aiden. He walked me to the passenger side and opened the door. I hopped in, enveloped by the rich leather scent.

“Nice car,” I said, as he got in and grabbed his seat belt.

“It’s alright,” he replied, grinning.

“You love cars don’t you?” I asked.

“Certain cars, yes.”

“Another gift from your father?”

“No, this was a gift to myself when I made my first five million.”

“Oh wow. Nice gift. I thought you weren’t into excessive opulence?”

“I also said that I do partake of some of what my lifestyle affords,” he countered.

“What kind of car is this?”

“It’s a Bugatti.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.” I said.

“That’s not surprising – most women would say the same,” he replied, reaching for his aviators.

“So you really don’t need your family’s money?”

“No, I don’t. I’m no billionaire like Dad but I’m a millionaire in my own right. I think I told you I’ve done very well with investments and I have a few other companies”

“A few? How do you manage all of that?” I asked.

“I delegate. I have some very capable people at the helm.”

We drove out of the garage down the long drive.



*****



“You were amazing with him.” We’d spent most of the morning visiting one of Aiden’s companies. It was a large non-profit that provided children and adolescents with a complete youth music and sports program.

“You sound surprised,” he said.

“Well I guess because you said you didn’t want children … it just seems kind of odd to see that you’re so good with them.”

“Just because I don’t want children doesn’t mean I’m not fond of them. There’re just reasons I don’t choose to have kids.” He was quiet for several moments. I wondered what those reasons were but didn’t want to push.

“I was afraid that I would become my father,” he volunteered.

“It’s hard to imagine you being afraid of anything.”

“I have fears just like everyone else, Aria. I just don’t wear them on my sleeve.”

Was that a jab at me? Did he think I wore my fears on my sleeve?

We drove back to his house in silence. He held my hand and I looked out the window. I suppose we were both lost in our thoughts. Labrinth’s Beneath Your Beautiful was playing in the background. As typical for me, the lyrics touched me and I wondered if they did the same for Aiden. Not with my words, but with my actions I did just as the song stated, I told all the boys no and I built my walls so high that no one could climb them but Aiden was here, asking to see beneath it all. He was certainly sharing parts of him that I didn’t know existed this weekend. Maybe it was time I did the same.

After parking the car, we walked out toward the stables and stopped near a pond. Aiden grabbed a handful of rocks and started skipping them along the water. I watched as one took flight and bounced before plopping to the bottom.

“I wanted to teach music,” he said.

“What?” I asked. Where did that come from?

“When I was younger, I wanted to teach music. You know my passion for music; I can’t imagine a world without it. I was also interested in the medical aspects of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Research indicates that toddlers react to music first before anything else. Studies also suggest that music will have the ability to cure Parkinson’s and speech disorders so as you can imagine, my medical background would have come into play. Music also plays a significant contribution in shaping our personalities and identities.”

“Wow. I never really went any further than listening, wanting to play an instrument and creating playlists. But you, you sound truly inspired. It’s a shame that you aren’t doing that, you’d be great at it,” I said.

“Possibly.”

“So how did you first become interested in music?” I asked.

“Grade school. I first began playing the piano when I was five. The teacher noticed my abilities early on and mentioned it to my mother. She bought a piano for the house and I had private lessons twice a week.”

He tossed another rock. “That went on for a few years and I was really good. I even played publicly at events. One day I played at one of my mother’s charity functions for disadvantaged youth. They were raising money for a music program. I had the opportunity to speak with some of the kids after the performance.”

He looked wistful as he tossed another rock across the pond. “That’s when I first realized how the other half lived and how something that I loved and took for granted was something they longed for.”

“When I graduated high school, I decided I wanted to help under privileged youth with their musical aspirations. I remember being extremely excited about it when I came home. I was thirteen and I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Imagine that. I told my father and he nearly had a coronary.”

“But it’s your life you should get to do what makes you happy.”