Chapter 286
Aria’s POV
I gasped when Dad mentioned Nicholas. God, I’d practically forgotten about Liam White’s entire existence.
“Uncle Nick and Aunt Patricia were furious after Liam’s runaway groom stunt,” I said, running my fingers along the edge of the hospital bed. “They wanted to fly back and handle the whole mess themselves p>
The memory made me wince. I’d pulled out every trick in my arsenal-pouty lips, pleading eyes, promises I wasn’t sure I could keep—to convince them to let me handle it myself. “They were in Seattle then, too far away to do anything immediate. I practically begged them to stay put, swore I could handle everything p>
Now they were coming back, and knowing Uncle Nick, he’d be hunting down the White family for some long-overdue retribution. My stomach twisted at the thought.
“They won’t cause trouble, will they?” I asked, cringing.
Dad raised an eyebrow at me. “You know how much they adore you, Aria p>
I did know. All too well. My fingers fidgeted with the hem of my blouse as I pictured Aunt Patricia’s fierce protectiveness. The woman was a lioness when it came to family.
“What happened with Liam is ancient history now,” I said, trying to sound
convincing. The truth was, I’d moved on. My marriage to Aiden had started as a convenience—revenge wrapped in a legal document-but had blossomed into something real, something that made all that pain with Liam seem like a distant nightmare.
Dad cleared his throat. “Don’t forget, Aiden will need to get through Nick’s interrogation gauntlet too p>
Heat rushed to my face. “Oh God, he’ll be fine… right p>
Uncle Nick and Aunt Patricia had always wanted a daughter but ended up with two sons instead. I became their surrogate daughter, their precious niece who could do no wrong. In their eyes, no man would ever be good enough for me.
“Even with Aiden’s fortune and success, they won’t care,” I murmured, chewing my lower lip. “They never did p>
I remembered how Uncle Nick had treated Liam-the cold stares, the pointed questions, the silent disapproval. My pulse quickened as I imagined Aiden facing the same treatment.
Dad’s lips twitched into a smile. “Don’t worry. I have a feeling your uncle won’t find much to criticize about Aiden p>
I caught the teasing tone in his voice and immediately changed the subject. “Dad, you haven’t touched your soup p>
His hands were still unsteady, so I helped feed him a bowl of broth before we chatted a while longer. Around noon, he shooed me home despite my protests.
Since I’d told Nanny Lisa not to prepare lunch, I grabbed a quick bite at a nearby café before heading home. Last night’s poor sleep caught up with me, and I crashed for an hour.
When I woke, I saw Dad’s message telling me not to visit that afternoon-he was fine and didn’t want me missing piano practice. That’s when I realized he’d distracted me completely from discussing the mysterious phone call that had triggered his collapse.
Clever man. I wouldn’t push him for details now, but I wasn’t giving up either.
After standing on the balcony for a few minutes, feeling the cool air against my skin,
I finally retreated to the music room to practice.
Aiden returned at dusk. “How’s your father?” he asked, loosening his tie as he crossed the room toward me.
I explained the doctor’s plan—a few days of rest before scheduling the stent procedure, likely sometime next week.
“Oh, and my uncle and aunt are moving back to the city,” I added, watching his reaction carefully.
Aiden’s eyes met mine. “That’s good news p>
“Yeah, they’ve always been amazing to me,” I agreed, then hesitated. “Just…maybe too amazing? My uncle might put you through some serious vetting p>
The corner of his mouth lifted in that sexy half-smile that still made my heart flutter. “Worried I won’t pass muster p>
“Please,” I scoffed, playing along. “The great Aiden Carter? I’m sure you’ll charm them completely p>
It wasn’t until after my shower that I remembered Thomas Carter’s upcoming birthday celebration.
I reluctantly put down my phone and decided to ask the man himself.
“Aiden,” I called.
He glanced at me, his deep voice sending a familiar shiver down my spine. “Yes p>
“About your father’s birthday celebration… it’s this week, right?” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, watching his expression carefully.
“Friday,” he confirmed, rubbing his hair with a towel. The damp, tousled strands gave him a boyish look that made my heart skip.
I bit my lip. “Will you be going p>
“That depends,” he replied, his eyes fixed on me.
“On what?” I pressed, genuinely curious.
A smile played at the corners of his mouth as he continued toweling his hair. “On what Mrs. Carter wants p>
“Me?” I pointed at myself, surprised. “What do I have to do with it p>
“If you want to go, we’ll go. If you don’t, we won’t.” His answer was so simple, so decisive.
I grimaced I don’t think your father particularly wants me there.” That was putting it mildly. Thomas Carter clearly disliked me. If I showed up, he might be too upset to even enjoy his birthday cake
Yet as Aiden’s legitimate wife, skipp
his father’s birthday celebration seemed
inappropriate. God, this was complicated.
Aiden returned from hanging his towel in the bathroom and studied my face. “Aria, do you want to go p>
I looked up at him, torn. “I should go, shouldn’t I p>
If we didn’t show, the gossip would
าวน!
start again about our marriage falling apart. While I didn’t care much about being talked about, worried about making my already terrible impression with ThamaÅŸ even worse.
Though honestly, could it get any worse? I frowned involuntarily at the thought.
Aiden leaned down and pressed his lips against my furrowed brow. “Don’t overthink
it. Just tell me what you want p>
Of course I didn’t want to go, but I wasn’t a child who couldn’t understand responsibilities. “I’ll go,” I sighed. “Hopefully I won’t give the birthday boy a heart attack p>
“We’ll make a brief appearance and leave,” he promised.
“Okay p>
I let the subject drop. No amount of worrying would change the fact that Thomas Carter disliked me.
My eyes drifted to his damp hair. “Aren’t you going to blow-dry your hair p>
Aiden ran his fingers through the wet strands. “You should get some sleep p>
“I’m not tired yet. I’ll play on my phone for a bit.” I reached for my phone beside me.
“Alright p>
As Aiden disappeared back into the bathroom, I opened W p to find Lillian still hadn’t responded. I was about to call her when I remembered
She
had a celebration dinner tonight. Better not disturb her.