Page 44 of Aaron's Patience

“Open.”

My mouth went wide, receiving his come as if it were food for my very soul.

Slowly he withdrew his thumb, watching me as I swallowed what he’d just fed me. I don’t remember much after that, having slipped into a deep slumber not too long afterwards.

Chapter Fourteen

Aaron

“You’re pushing her away.”

My hold tightened around the glass of seltzer water I held, while staring off into the distance. The voice had come from behind me, as I stood inside my home’s office. I’d just left a sleeping Patience up in our bedroom while I came down and locked myself in here to get some work done. I wasn’t going back to Townsend offices that day.

I turned to see the woman who called herself Emma standing by the door. She was dressed as always in a long, flowing white nightgown, her dark brown hair—which was greying at the temples—falling around her shoulders. She’d looked this way ever since I first saw her as a child.

“You’re achieving the opposite of what you want.”

I slowly brought the glass to my lips, taking a sip and swallowing before speaking. “And what is it that you think I want?”

“Your wife.”

“I have her.”

“No, you don’t. Not the way you want.” She smirked, moving closer. Though she had legs, she didn’t walk, she floated.

“You didn’t deny my existence just now. Know what that tells me?”

I grunted.

“You want my help. You’re just as confused about how to proceed with her as you’ve always been. Six years ago you were confused but went with your gut. You pursued her despite being out of your element. You still want her, even more now than before, but the history between you two stops you.”

“I’m not afraid,” I defended.

Emma nodded. “You are.” She smiled and my chest squeezed. She reminded me so much of my mother sometimes. My biological mother. “The man who’s not afraid of anything is afraid of his wife.”

I scoffed. “This is how I know you’re a figment of a child’s imagination. Why on Earth would I be afraid of my wife?”

“Because she has the ability to do what no one else on this planet can do.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What would that be?”

“Reject you.”

“She’s tried and has been unsuccessful thus far,” I reminded her.

“Oh, you can keep her close with your threats…at least until the children are eighteen. You can use your power and influence to make sure no man ever touches her again. But her heart? You’re going to have to win that all over again.” She smirked.

I paused, my top lip moving upwards on a snarl. “What the hell do you mean I can make sure another man never touches heragain? I’m the only man that’s touched–” My statement cut off at the expression on Emma’s face. It was a look of amusement that pissed me off.

“Six years is a long time,” she sing-songed, “and Patience is a beautiful woman.”

I threw the glass across the room, liquid splashing all over my leather couch.

“Don’t get violent,” Emma tutted, folding her arms across her chest. “Listen to me, and you listen good. That high-handed nonsense works in business, and maybe in every other area of your life, but with her it won’t work. You want to win Patience and your children over, you’ve got to do more than bully them into loving you. Your father tried that, remember? See how that turned out?”

“Don’t mention him!” I boiled.

“I’m not mentioning him. I’m just reminding you of where throwing your weight around and bullying those who are weaker than you gets you. Your father tried it and he made you hate him. Not just him, but most other people also. Thank God for Robert and Deborah, they showed you what real love looks like. Anyway,” she waved her hands in the air, “we have time to sort all that out later. For now, you want to rebuild what you had with your wife, start with sleeping next to her at night. She needs it.”