Chapter 28

JETT

I’ve been preoccupied for weeks. I know Aria is cautiously optimistic about her father reaching out to her, but I feel nothing but apprehension.

I experienced something similar after my name started appearing in magazines and national publications. Suddenly, high-school friends and long-lost relatives started contacting me.

At first, it started out friendly, but the conversations always eventually turned to money. I learned how easy it is for people to become untrusting once they’re part of the 1%.

To me, Manny Pearson’s sudden change of heart set off the same alarm bells. So, as soon as I learned his name, I called an old acquaintance of mine, who simply goes by Poe.

Poe is one of the best private investigators I’ve ever seen, and I trust him wholly. He’s especially reliable when it comes to keeping things quiet, and he can’t be purchased, which is why I pay him well for each person he reports on for me.

When Poe returned with his report on Manny Pearson, there were a few red flags, but nothing that proved the man’s intentions were nefarious.

He’s in debt due to a nasty gambling addiction, but as far as secrets go, his were pretty standard. So, I decided to just keep a watchful eye and show my support for Aria as she navigates this new relationship.

After her birthday, they went to dinner a few times, and she always came home tired but excited to have a new connection to her past and her mother.

Now, a few weeks later, Aria is spending more and more time with Manny and has even started bringing him groceries and taking him to doctor’s appointments.

This is in addition to working for DYAD, spending time with Louise, coordinating the contractor to renovate Louise’s brownstone, and coming home to me most nights.

While having dinner at my penthouse one night, I can see just how many balls she has in the air, and I wonder for the hundredth time how she’s keeping it all going.

“So, Louise’s house needs more work than I anticipated, and in order to get the bulk of it done, she needs to move out. I can rent her a place, but I feel like the easiest thing will be to have her move in with me,” she says as she takes another bite of sushi.

“Your place? Won’t it be a bit tight?”

“I mean, maybe a little, but it’s only a few months,” she says.

“Well, why don’t you move in here while she lives there?” I suggest. “Then you aren’t renting another place, but you both still have some space?”

“Move in…with you?” she repeats, and I see the shock on her face.

I chuckle. “Yes, I would be here too.”

“That’s really sweet of you to offer, but I can’t put you out like that. I’ll just spend the night on occasion like I do now.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Aria, you wouldn’t be ‘putting me out.’ You’re here all the time anyway. Plus, I rather like the idea of you being a permanent fixture here,” I say as I kiss her hand. “Just think about it?”

She smiles and nods. “Okay.”

She ultimately decides not to move in, but just a week after Louise has gotten settled in Aria’s space, Aria comes into my office and asks if my offer still stands.

Within a few days, her clothes, shoes, and some personal items are moved into my second closet and bathroom.

Normally, I’d be nervous about living with someone—something I’ve only done a few times before—but with Aria, it feels right. My favorite part of the day quickly becomes the moment she arrives in my office at five o’clock and says, “Ready to go home?”

She cooks more at my place now that she’s living there. I’m not sure why she didn’t feel comfortable enough to cook when she was over frequently, but now I find her in the kitchen at least once a day, swaying her hips to music as she makes a quiche to bring to Louise or soup for dinner.

I still haven’t told Aria I love her. I’m struggling to find the right time to do so. But as I watch her settle into my space and fill even more voids that I didn’t know existed, it becomes increasingly clear to me, and the desire to tell her burns hotter every moment that I’m in her presence.

I want to break the ice so I can tell her every day, so I can tell her and know for sure that she feels the same way about me.

“Hey, how would you feel about me inviting my dad over for dinner on Saturday?” Aria asks me at home one evening. “And maybe Louise?”

I look at her, surprised. “Manny and Louise? In the same room?”

“Right. I thought you could be a buffer between them in case things go south,” she says.

I chuckle. “Is that the only reason I’m invited?”

She smiles and gives me a small eye roll.

“Of course not. I also want to use your awesome place,” she says.

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time,” I say.

She opens her mouth in mock offense, then gets up from her side of the couch and approaches me.

She swings a leg over mine and sits on my lap, facing me. My pulse instantly quickens like it does any time she’s in close proximity. Her hands go to my face, and she softly kisses my lips.

“They are my only family, and I want you to get to know them,” she says. Then she sticks her luscious lower lip out and gives me her best puppy-dog eyes. “Please?”

I roll my eyes, resisting the urge to bite that lip. “You know I can’t say no to that.”

She smiles and kisses me again. I stand up with her in my arms and move toward the bedroom.

“Bed already? It’s only nine,” she says.

“I don’t plan on going to sleep.”

***

On Saturday, Aria and I prepare the dining room for her family dinner.

I didn’t realize how nervous she was until I watched her bustle around the room, organizing the caterer and servers she hired for the occasion.

She was going to go pick up Louise, but I offered to do so instead. Manny will be arriving via my driver and town car, so I take my Rolls Royce and head toward Aria’s apartment.

Upon arriving, I get out and open the door for Louise, who comes out in a purple skirt suit and is carrying a small handbag.

“You look beautiful tonight, Louise,” I say.

She beams at me. “Not really my preferred way to spend a Saturday night, but I know it’s important to Aria, so here I am,” she says as she carefully gets in the car.

I close her door, then run around the side and get in the driver’s seat.

“I take it you aren’t looking forward to seeing Manny again?” I say as I start driving toward my penthouse.

She scoffs. “Hell no. The man abandoned his daughter—twice! And now suddenly he wants to be Father of the Year? I ain’t buying it,” she says.

I chuckle. Louise’s bluntness is one of my favorite things about her.

“I’m with you on that,” I say.

“But I love that girl, and I’d do anything for her—even if it means dinner with the ole bag of bones who’s responsible for my daughter’s death,” she says.

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“He may not have put the last of the drugs in Denise’s system, but he certainly helped put many drugs prior in her hands and left her the second she tried to get clean. He’s a user, and I have no doubt he plans on using Aria,” she says.

“Well, then, we’ll both have to be on high alert tonight,” I say. “But believe me when I tell you, if I sense anything awry, I will happily take care of it.”

Louise smiles at me, and I smile back. She looks back at the road in front of us, then pats my arm.

“You’re a good man, Jett,” she says, and I can’t think of any time in my life when I’ve received a higher compliment.

When the elevator doors open to my apartment, we find Aria and Manny chatting on the sofas in the sitting area just off the foyer. Aria immediately gets up and gives Louise a hug.

“Hi, Grandma. How are you?”

“I’m good, sweetheart. How are you?”

“Great!” she says as she turns to me and gives me a small kiss. “Thanks for picking her up. You’ve met my dad, Manny.”

She gestures to a large man in thick glasses and a bowler hat, swirling a glass of brown liquid. He hauls himself up and ambles over to us. He nods at Louise.

“Louise,” he says dryly, then looks at me with a wide smile. “And the man of the hour!”

Manny grabs my hand and shakes it with enthusiasm. My brow wrinkles in confusion.

“Nice to see you again, sir,” I say. “But Aria arranged this dinner. I’m just a guest.”

“This is quite the place you have here; I’ve never seen anything like it!” he says as he drains his glass and shakes it at Aria, who quickly grabs it to give him a refill.

I already feel my annoyance rising when he talks again.

“How much did this place cost you, anyway?” he asks.

“Okay! Why don’t we go sit down?! I’ll let the chef know we’re ready,” Aria interrupts and starts pushing us toward the dining room.

After we all sit down in my dining room—a room I’ve entered maybe twice—Aria attempts to facilitate conversation between her grandmother and father. But the two are noticeably cold to one another and continue to give the shortest answers possible to Aria’s questions.

Aria gives me a pleading look.

“So, Louise, I heard the renovations have started on your brownstone. Are you excited?” I ask.

Louise smiles sweetly at me, then at Aria. “Yes, though I felt bad about putting Aria out of her own apartment,” she says. “I think I just cramp her style too much.”

“I believe it,” Manny says, and Louise glares at him.

“I don’t remember asking ~you~,” Louise says.

“Course not. Though it must be nice getting a whole new house given to ya,” he fires back, draining his glass again. “Didn’t you get that place after your second husband kicked off?”

“Yes, and he was twice the man you are,” Louise spits.

Manny goes to say something else, but a buzzing from his pocket interrupts him. He looks at it, then picks up his glass.

“Mind if I get another glass, son?” he asks.

I shake my head, and he gets up and walks back out the way we came. Aria lets out a sigh.

“I’ll go check on dinner,” she says, but I stop her.

“I’ll do it. You stay here,” I say as I jump up and kiss the top of her head on the way out.

I walk through the kitchen to the back hallway that leads to the other entrance of the sitting room; Manny is there, sloshing more scotch into his glass and talking on the phone.

I make sure to stay quiet and out of sight so I can listen.

“Yes, I’m still interested in giving an interview, but I’m shopping around to make sure I get the best deal… Well, ~People~ ~Magazine~ is offering me twice that, so if that’s the best you can do… Of course, I’m the real thing; I’m in his penthouse right now! I’ll send you a photo later.” Manny hisses into the phone, then pauses. “Good, see that you do. I look forward to hearing from you.”

~I fucking knew it.~

When I hear the pop of the lid as it’s returned to the scotch bottle, I head back into the kitchen and let the chef know we’re ready for the main course.

The rest of dinner is quiet as we all eat and make more small talk. I try to be present, but the conversation I overheard earlier keeps replaying in my head, so I’m mostly trying to control the rage bubbling in my chest.

~Manny is planning to sell his interview about Aria to the highest bidder even after everything she’s done for him.~

If it were my choice, I would have kicked his ass out immediately, but I don’t want to upset Aria. And if she learns of his betrayal, I can’t imagine how devastated she’ll be.

No, I have to be discreet and thorough.

After a painfully long dinner, Aria and her grandmother sit on the couch in the main room to look at the photos she brought, while Manny wanders around, looking at the art and furniture.

I get up and approach him.

“Would you like a tour, Manny?” I wink at Aria, who gives me a sweet smile.

“Well, sure!” he says.

After showing him a few rooms, we come to my office, and Manny begins to show himself around. While his back is turned, I take the opportunity to turn my phone on so it’s recording in my pocket.

“So, Manny, finding out about Aria must’ve been a surprise, huh?” I say as we sit in two leather chairs by the window.

“I mean, I always ~knew~ about her, but yeah, finding out she’s such a big shot now was a surprise!” he says as he laughs.

“I bet you’ve been contacted by the press, huh? They’ve sure been all over her,” I say.

Manny starts to shift in the seat; he averts his eyes and rubs his chin.

“Well, I mean, yeah, but I wasn’t—”

“Like ~People~ ~Magazine~?”

Manny’s eyes go wide. “Well, hey now, I just—”

“You are going to sell your daughter out even after everything she has done for you,” I say matter-of-factly. “Pretty bold, really. How did you expect to keep it from Aria? Or were you going to abandon her again?”

“I didn’t abandon her!” he says, his anger rising.

~Perfect.~

“Sure, you did. I mean, I get it. Her mom gets knocked up then tries to get you to play dad? You deserve to get paid, right?”

“You’re damn right. I want what’s mine!” he snarls, gritting his teeth. “Her junkie mom took every dime that she possibly could from me and went and got herself killed! She’s the reason Aria is damaged, not me!”

~There it is.~

I have to stop myself from throttling the man, but I have to let him hang himself. I need the evidence for insurance.

“How much?” I ask as calmly as I can.

“How much what?”

“For you to disappear,” I say calmly as I take my phone out and show him it’s recording. “I’ll write you a check right now to leave Aria alone until you die, miserable and alone.”

I look at Manny; his jaw is tight, but I can see the desire in his eyes.

“Five million,” he says.

“You’re out of your fucking mind,” I say as I stand up. “I’ll just let her listen to this recording so she knows what a spectacular piece of shit you are.”

Of course, I can pay five million easily, but I don’t want him to ~win.~ I want him to slink back into the dark with enough money to hang himself with so he can never cum back into Aria’s life and manipulate her again.

“Whatever you’ll give me,” he growls.

“How about one hundred thousand dollars? And if I see a single article quoting you or interviewing you, I will let every single loan shark that you owe money to know exactly where they can find you.”

“Fuck you,” he says.

I smirk as I round my desk and write him a check, then I come back and hand it to him.

“Believe me when I tell you that you’re getting the deal of a lifetime, but if you test me, I will not be so generous,” I say. “Now, let’s get you home.”