“But maybe that’s something she suffered too,” I say what he might not see. “Children imitate what they learn. As adults we do as we were taught.”
“Probably,” he agrees.
He takes a swig of the single malt bottle that’s on top of his desk. I haven’t seen him drink like this since…well, since he learned his father died. His childhood, his past, and his future are the three things that fuck him enough to make him want to lose control.
“A part of me feels bad, but the other part of me needs her the fuck away from my family,” he admits. “And how am I supposed to have a healthy relationship and be a good parent when my upbringing was so fucked up? So maybe you should be running away from me too.”
“You’re drunk,” I state.
He looks at me, his eyes a little lost and sad, “Maybe.”
“This is what we’re going to do,” I say, pulling out my phone and texting the family.
Sophia: Henry is at my house and needs a ride home.
Hayes: On my way. Do I need help?
Sophia: Maybe bring Pierce, and you should head to my parents. He needs his buddies.
Hayes: Got it!
“You’re going to hire a specialist to help you with your own traumas. Maybe Martina’s relationship is a way to help you find a way to relate to other people,” I state. “This thing that you think cracked might’ve been the imaginary box inside your head where you put all the bad things that you want to forget. They are out in the open, and it’s time to deal with them.”
“You’re beautiful,” he says. “I love your heart, your brain, and your body.”
“My brain?”
“Yes. You’re the smartest person I know,” he declares. “You’re so smart, you’re going to find a way to leave me. It’s okay, I understand. Maybe I deserve someone like Martina. I’ve fucked up a lot. I fucked your life, and you don’t even know it. How can you forgive me?”
Hayes and Vance enter the house. I notice through the window that Mills, Pierce, and Beacon wait outside.
I kiss his cheek. “Tomorrow will be a better day. You deserve more than your mother, your grandfather, or anyone who poorly raised you told you. You’ll find love and a family. All the good things that life has to offer, and soon you’re going to realize that there’s no such thing as an Aldridge curse.”
“Do you still love me?”
I nod. “Always.”
“You okay?” Hayes asks.
“Yeah.”
“Blaire is coming with Leyla and Arden. We don’t want you to be alone,” he mentions before he leaves with his brothers.
The next morning, I decide to stay in town, just in case I have to do Henry’s job. I go to the coffee shop and then to the bakery where I find Martina sitting in front of a croissant, staring at it.
“Need some company?” I ask.
She nods and barely smiles.
“What’s happening?”
“I was Martina Edelstein. Everyone in New York respects me. Here…I’m no one. Henry’s brother is always making fun of me just because I thought his friend was the help. That girl dresses like a hobo.”
“Who, Grace?” I ask. “You insulted Grace?”
She shrugs, and I want to tell her who she insulted because I bet this woman is one of those music snobs who idolizes Gracie, the music prodigy, but can’t see past the ripped jeans, tattoos, and colorful hair. She can only picture her with the long black dress and her wig she wears while playing her cello. Well, no one knows that the fancy bun she wears is in fact, just a wig.
“It’s hard to comprehend how they are raising that little boy. He has zero structure. I’m trying my best to please him, but nothing I do pleases Henry Aldridge. He’s not even mean about it. He’s all understanding. Not that it matters, he doesn’t care about me. You know what he told me during our counseling session?”
She doesn’t let me answer and continues with her rampage. I really can’t handle her after having to listen to Henry last night. Yet, it seems like I’m in the middle of their relationship.
“That he’d never want to have a child with me. That his children would have a loving, understanding mother, someone that is nothing like his mother,” she complains. “It hurts because he’s a sweet man, and you know what’s sad, I can see myself married to a guy like him. Or maybe it’s because no one has ever been nice like he has in my life. He’s not going to marry me, and then what am I supposed to do with the rest of my life?”
“There’s always an option. You can go back to school, find your passion, build something from the ground up. A husband is never the answer,” I explain.
“Henry is a lot better than my father was with my mother or any of his ex-wives or the women in turn. I…we’ve been going to a marriage counselor, and when we leave the session I think to myself, what am I doing here?”
Then she repeats, “What am I really doing here? This guy doesn’t want anything to do with me. If I take away his company, he’d be fine living with his brothers and managing this town.”
“He would,” I agree. Old Henry couldn’t wait to get out of here, but now he’s ready to settle down and make this the greatest town in the world. Not only for the tourists, but for his family and all future Aldridges. “How do you convince a man that you’re the right woman for him?” she asks out loud.
“I’m from a different world, Martina. If a guy doesn’t want to be with me, I move on and keep going with my life. There has to be something different for you. Have you ever thought about what you want to do for yourself? Being a wife, a daughter, a mother, a sister…they are important, but what about your identity?”
“I…I wanted—I don’t remember. If I go back home and tell my dad to pay for college because I had a change of heart, he’s going to remind me that this was my last chance. He’s cutting me off from his company which belongs to my brothers once he’s dead.”
My head snaps and I look at her with a smile. “How about if he dies before you’re married?”
“I’m not part of his will,” she mentions. “He did the same with my sister. The guy she married is going out with some model. She refuses to divorce him because the longer she stays in the marriage, the more she gets in alimony once they split.”
Sadly, I know this is something that happens every day, not only in New York, but in many places. Women depending on men because they made us feel like we can’t be anything without them. Martina has a lot of flaws, and she needs to work on herself, but she’s going to take charge of her life.
“No,” I declare. “You’re going to decide your future. You’ll show your misogynistic father that he underestimated you.”
“What are you talking about?” she asks, confused.
“Let’s go to my house. We have a lot to plan.”
Henry
It’s Friday night, and we’re hanging out at Beacon's place. Yes, my baby brother has an underground home. This asshole is a genius. He had contractors from other states coming in to work on it so no one would know.