The Sinister Silhouette-D2D, page 12
She relaxes back against Theo’s chest, seemingly satisfied with my reply.
“Jules,” Theo begins, “I’d like you to meet my daughter, Aria. Aria, this is Jules.”
“Hi,” she says quietly, her little legs swinging between Theo’s.
It takes me a moment to compose myself enough to answer in kind. I’m still reeling from the shock of Theo having a child, which makes her my stepchild.
“Hello, Aria. That’s such a pretty name.”
She smiles, revealing a missing tooth. “It was my great-gamma’s name.” Her smile turns to a frown. “She died before I was born.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
Her head tilts to the side. “Daddy said you’re married. Does that mean I have a momma now? My other one left and didn’t want me.”
I turn helpless eyes to Theo, who appears to be struggling with how to handle the question as much as I am. Luckily, Helen comes to our rescue, even if her answer scares me. Being a wife is one thing, but being a parent to a child I’ve never met before is something else entirely.
“She’ll be your stepmom, Aria,” she supplies gently. Holding out her hand, she continues, “Why don’t you help me with the sandwiches. I’ll even let you put the honey on yours.”
She hops down from Theo’s lap, clearly already over her curiosity. “Okay!”
I watch, enthralled with Aria, as she helps Helen with the sandwiches. She’s a beautiful girl, and the way she communicates with Helen, she’s obviously very smart and mature for her age, which I put around six or seven.
Something pulls my attention away from them, and I look over to find another woman standing in the kitchen doorway. Just from her looks, I know who she is. It’s amazing how all the siblings in this family can look so much like their father.
The woman’s eyes pin me in place, and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. Her expression is closed off, so I have no idea what she’s thinking. Her gaze leaves mine just long enough to look at everyone else in the room before coming back to me.
“Get in here, Ella, and meet your sister-in-law,” Helen reprimands without stalling in making the sandwiches.
Ella waits a moment longer before coming the rest of the way into the kitchen. She stops by her mom and Aria and leans back against the counter, her gaze still focused on me. Her arms cross over her chest and her eyes narrow.
“Stop it, Ella,” Theo barks.
Ignoring him, she purses her lips together.
“Ella Renee, knock that shit off now.”
Her eyes leave mine to go to Wyatt’s. The minute they do, they lose their displeasure and soften. The small transformation makes Ella look even more pretty.
I press my back against the chair and tense as she leaves the counter and closes the short distance between us. Her expression is impassive as she stands in front of me.
“I’m Ella,” she greets, holding out her hand.
Hesitantly, I grip her hand in mine, then wince when she squeezes a little too tightly. I thought it was only men who did that. Apparently, I was wrong.
“I’m Jules. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Already know who you are,” she states flatly after releasing my hand.
“Be nice,” Theo hisses beside me.
Without looking at him, she holds her hand to her lower stomach, out of view of her mom and dad, and flips up her middle finger to him.
I can’t help the small bubble of laughter that leaves my lips, and I’m surprised when hers twitch with a small smile. I rub my lips together nervously and pick at the bottom on my shirt. “Are these your clothes?”
Her eyes run briefly over my shirt. “Yes.”
“Thank you for letting me borrow them.”
She jerks her head up, the motion resembling a nod, then turns on her heel to help her mom finish the sandwiches.
I blow out a breath and steady my racing heart. This is too much to take in all at once, and now I feel emotionally drained. I look over at Theo when he grabs my hand, and he offers a smile. My eyes move next to Wyatt, and he offers one as well. As I look around the kitchen, my kitchen, I can’t help but wish there was someone else here. Someone who oddly makes me feel safe just by being in the same room.
I STAND IN THE middle of little Aria’s bedroom as she enthusiastically shows me all her toys. The little girl is rambunctious and quite a handful, but she’s amazingly adorable. The last several hours, I’ve been unable to keep my eyes away from her. She’s very talkative, outgoing, and has such a sweet disposition, but she’s also blunt, unafraid to voice what’s going on in her mind. Most kids her age are shy around strangers, but not Aria. Theo informed me she turns seven in a few months. He also told me he explained my memory loss to the little tornado. That didn’t stop her from asking questions though. I felt helpless when some of them were ones I couldn’t answer.
I’m pulled from my thoughts when Aria grabs my hand. “Come look at Molly’s house.”
We stop in front of a big doll house. It’s a beautiful structure that has a finished front with the back open, allowing Aria to move her dolls around. Looking inside, I see it’s filled with every piece of furniture imaginable.
“Wow. This is really neat,” I say, then get on my knees beside her.
She sets Molly down at the tiny kitchen table, then pushes a tiny plate in front of her.
“My uncle Luca made it for me,” she informs me.
“He did?” I ask in surprise. It must have taken him a long time to complete.
“Yep. I got it for my birthday last year. I asked Daddy for one, but he said we couldn’t afford it, so Luca made me one.”
At the mention of his name, my heart skips a beat. I haven’t seen him in over a week, and each night he hasn’t shown up, I’ve woken up scared. I don’t understand why he puts my fears to rest, but I miss the reprieve. I’m curious about his comment that there’re things I don’t know. When he spoke those words, his face was etched in pain. I want to ask Theo, but something tells me I shouldn’t.
Aria shifts beside me on her knees. I look down and see she’s holding Molly again and twisting the doll’s hair with her fingers. She took a bath earlier and water droplets from the ends of her hair soak the back of her gown. It’s a tangled mess, and I know it’ll be worse in the morning.
“Are you going to be nice to me?” Her voice quivers as she asks the question.
I’m momentarily stunned, but I quickly recover, wanting to immediately put her at ease.
“Of course I’ll be nice to you, Aria,” I tell her softly.
When she brings her eyes to me they look angry. The look is shocking coming from a girl her age.
“‘Cause sometimes Daddy brings home girls that aren’t very nice.”
Her words hurt, but not because Theo’s been with other women. I can’t really blame him. He’s been married to a woman who’s been in a coma for seven years. I wouldn’t expect him to stay faithful for that long. No, my discomfort is solely for Aria and the pain she must have endured from the other women. How anyone could be mean to such a sweet little girl is beyond me.
“Have any of them… hurt you?” I ask haltingly. “Have they put their hands on you?”
I hold my breath and wait for her answer.
Water slings from her hair and lands on my hand when she shakes her head. “No. They just say mean things sometimes when my daddy isn’t around.”
“Have you told your daddy?”
She grabs a little brush from the dollhouse and starts running it through Molly’s hair. “Yes, but he just says they don’t mean it.” She leans forward and lowers her voice, her nose wrinkling. “Sometimes I hear them in his bedroom. He thinks I’m asleep, but sometimes I hear the women yelling or crying.”
Revulsion twists my stomach. I want to reach out and pull her into my arms. I have no doubt in my mind the “crying” and “yelling” is Theo and whatever woman having sex. No child should hear that from adults, especially from a parent. How could he be so careless?
Anger at Theo has my hands balling into fists on my lap.
“Are you going to yell or cry when you sleep with Daddy?”
“No.” My answer is immediate. I reach out and smooth away a lock of wet hair from her forehead. I soften my voice and repeat, “No. You don’t have to worry about that anymore, Aria.”
“Good. Because I don’t like it. That’s why I like staying with Gamma, Pa, Uncle Luca, or Aunt Ella.”
She looks back down at Molly and attempts to braid her blonde hair. She only parts the hair into two sections, so it’s more of a twist instead of a braid.
“Want me to brush and braid your hair?”
“Can you do Molly’s hair too, so we look alike?”
I smile at her hopeful look. “Yes.”
She gets to her feet. “I’ll get the brush.”
While she walks away, I get to my feet and walk to the bed, taking a seat on the edge. When she comes back, she has a brush with a couple of bands wrapped around the handle. She walks to me, hands me the brush, and turns her back to face me. I start at the ends, and as I slowly work my way up her hair, a pang hits my chest. I used to do this with Teresa every night after her bath. I wonder what she looks like now, and if she’s forgotten about me.
Once I’m done, I tie off the end. Aria turns and holds out Molly.
“I’ll hold her while you braid her hair.”
I’m just finishing Molly’s braid when I hear a throat clear. I look over to the doorway and see Theo leaning against the frame watching Aria and me. When his eyes meet mine, something flashes in them. Before I can figure out what the look means, he looks to Aria, reminding me of her words a few minutes ago. I force back a scowl.
“You ready for bed, Aria?”
“Yep.”
She skips over to Theo, who scoops her up into his arms. As wrong as it is that Theo’s put Aria in situations she shouldn’t be in, I see the love shining from his eyes for his daughter.
“Guess what?” he asks.
“What?”
“You get to sleep with Daddy tonight in his big bed.”
“Yah!” she chirps, her eyes lighting up. “But why do I have to sleep in your bed?”
Over Aria’s shoulder, his eyes shift to mine for a moment before going back to her.
“Because we’re going to let Jules have your bed for now,” he explains.
She frowns. “But why isn’t she sleeping with you?”
When Theo looks back at me, I drop my eyes away. I hate knowing I’m taking Aria’s bed away from her, but the thought of sharing a bed with Theo has my stomach churning with nerves.
“I can sleep on the couch,” I offer.
“No,” Theo states firmly. “She’ll be fine in my bed for a few days. Won’t you, squirt?” She giggles when he tickles her ribs. The sound has my lips twitching.
“Yep.” Turning her head, she says. “You can even sleep with Mr. Waffles.”
She points to a stuffed giraffe lying on her pillow. I smile and give them both a nod.
Theo puts Aria down. “Go brush your teeth and hop in bed. I’ll grab your blanket and be in there in a few minutes to tuck you in.”
She runs to the door, then stops and turns to look at me with her gorgeous eyes. “Good night, Jules.”
My heart melts at her childlike, sweet voice. “Good night, Aria.”
She turns and skips out of view. Reluctantly, I look back at Theo. He’s standing with his hands shoved in his pockets, a small smile playing on his lips.
“You doin’ okay?”
I get up from the bed and walk over to him, stopping in the doorway several feet away.
“Yes. I hate to take away Aria’s bed. I really don’t mind sleeping on the couch.”
He reaches out, and I lock my knees in place when he tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.
“You’re not sleeping on the couch. It’s either Aria’s bed or mine.”
I swallow and drop my eyes from his intense ones. Theo intimidates the hell out of me, especially when he looks at me with an expression that says he’s holding something back. The look has been getting stronger and stronger over the last couple of weeks.
“I’ll sleep in Aria’s bed,” I mumble.
I lift my eyes when he chuckles. “Okay. We’ll give it a few days and see how you feel then about moving to my bed.”
I nod, but know deep inside it’ll be more than a few days before I feel comfortable enough to share his bed.
He walks past me to Aria’s bed and pulls off her pink Strawberry Shortcake blanket. “I’ll grab you another one from the closet. There’s a bag in the hallway that has some more clothes that Ella brought over. There’s something to sleep in in there. When I get paid this weekend, we can go shopping and get you some clothes.” His hands tighten in the blanket. “Unfortunately, I can’t afford the high-priced clothes you’re used to.”
“It’s okay, Theo. I’m sure whatever we get will be fine.”
He comes to me and stops way too close. The blanket in front of him brushes against my stomach, and the knuckles of the hand holding it touch just below my breasts. I don’t know if it’s intentional, but I still don’t like it.
I take a step back and jump when I run into the doorframe. He sees the move and frowns. “Jules,” he murmurs, closing the short distance between us again. “There’s no reason to be scared of me.”
I clutch the bottom of my shirt and nod. I freeze in fear when he leans toward me, like he’s going to kiss me. I don’t understand this irrational fear he instills in me.
I squeeze my eyes closed when I feel his breath brush against my mouth. My head thumps against the wood behind me and my hands automatically lift to push him away. The blanket is still between us, thankfully, separating his body from touching mine. Even so, I don’t want even his lips touching me.
I know I can simply turn my head away to prevent him from kissing me, but something stops me from doing so. It’s like I’m frozen in place, unable to move. Although I don’t want him to kiss me, I’m scared of what he’ll do if I rebut him.
When his lips finally touch mine, I make sure mine are tightly closed, telling him without words that I’m not comfortable with the kiss. His lips are wet as he feathers them across mine. It leaves me feeling dirty and wrong. When his tongue darts out to run across the seam of my lips, I can’t take it anymore, and I turn my head away. His head lands on the side of mine. Feeling his heavy and hot breath rush across my neck has a wave of nausea forming in my stomach.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he groans into my ear. “I’d never hurt you, Jules. I just wish you’d give me a fucking chance.”
I flinch at his harsh words and try to push back further into the wall. A sob tries to work its way up my chest. That’s the problem, I don’t know if he would hurt me or not, because I don’t know him. But the thought of him doing so scares me more than anything. Not because of the actual pain he would inflict, but because that means my judgement of him was so off seven years ago. I know in my heart I wouldn’t have married him if I didn’t love him, so to find out that love was misguided would be devastating.
I open my eyes and see Aria standing in the doorway leading into Theo’s room. Her eyes are wide and there’s no masking the pain and confusion in their depths.
I press against the blanket, trying to push Theo back, but he doesn’t move.
“Please, Jules,” he whispers. “I’d do anything for you.”
I turn my head slightly and keep my voice low when I say, “Please step back, Theo. Aria’s in the hallway watching.”
I can practically hear his teeth grinding together as his jaw clenches. I’m surprised to see anger come over his face. I’m even more surprised by the tone of his voice.
“Aria,” he says harshly. “I told you to get in bed. I’ll be in there in a few minutes.”
Her already wide eyes turn to saucers. They dart from Theo to me, back to her father, before she turns and runs into the other room, slamming the door behind her.
Anger surges through me at the way he just spoke to Aria. It burns in my stomach because I know she’s already uncertain of me, and Theo has made that uncertainty grow.
When I push him again and he still doesn’t move, I know I’m taking a big chance when I reach for his side and twist the skin. My bravery grows when I hiss, “Move back.”
“Fuck,” he mutters, dropping the blanket and rubbing his side. His eyes narrow, and the look sends shivers across the back of my neck. “What the fuck was that for?”
I shove back the panic coursing through me at my bold move and tell him icily, “Your daughter was in the hallway. She didn’t need to see that. You wouldn’t move, so I made you.”
“Yes, and I told her to go to the room. We weren’t finished.”
“Yes, we were.”
Something dark and ominous enters his eyes for a split second before it’s gone. His face softens, and his gaze turns regretful. “I’m sorry.”
I remain rigid but give him a curt nod. When he takes a step toward me, I stiffen, and this time he stops.
“This is just so hard on me, Jules. I lost you for years, and I didn’t think I would get you back. It’s killing me not touching you.”
Guilt plagues me, because I know this isn’t easy for him. He remembers our time together. He remembers all the touches and looks and softly spoken words. It was him who went through the emotional pain of the accident, I’m sure leaving him feeling helpless because there was nothing he could do.
“I’m sorry,” I croak, tears clogging my throat.
“Don’t apologize. All I ask is for you to give me a chance. I know I can make you love me again.”
“Okay.”
We stand there in silence with several feet separating us for a moment, before he bends to grab the blanket.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Jules,” he states. “If you need anything, you know where I am.”
“Good night, Theo.”
He brushes his hand against my cheek. I hold still and wait for him to walk away before releasing a painful breath.
