Page 8 of His Aries Heiress (BLP Signs of Love #21)

As an Aries, she carried many scars she refused to show.

The car ride to Marcellus’s house was silent, and she was completely okay with that.

She drove to some part of town called Ellington Heights, while deep in thought about everything that had unfolded that day.

Questions swirled through her mind, and finally, she decided to pull one from her head and ask it out loud.

“Why do you call him Grim?”

Marcellus glanced over at her. She noted that his eyes looked sad and tired. When he finally came out of that room with Gregory earlier, she’d wanted to hug him. He looked like he was way past overdue for a good hug. Hell, so was she.

He chuckled sadly before pushing his head back into the headrest on the seat.

“Just a nickname he gained over the years.”

Cassydie wasn’t buying that. It seemed like there was more to the name and more to the man who helped create her, but she recognized that now may not be the time to get into that. She did, however, want to ask one more question.

“How did you meet him? Are you family?” She held her breath after asking that question. A small voice deep inside her didn’t want Marcellus to be family to her. The attraction she felt for him was deep, and she would feel so icky with herself if he turned out to be a damn cousin or something.

“Yeah, but not by blood. Grim took me in when I was young and raised me as his own.”

Cassydie immediately wanted to know more, but again, she recognized that it might not be the right time to pry. Marcellus acted tough, but she saw through him. She noticed how torn up he was about Gregory’s death, and she didn’t want to be insensitive.

There were many questions that plagued her, but she pushed them aside and focused on getting them to their destination safely.

They finally pulled into a gated community, and Cassydie’s eyes widened. When they pulled into a driveway in front of a large home, she eyed Marcellus wearily. “This is where you live?”

He smirked. “Yeah.”

She couldn’t believe it. She’d only seen houses like these on TV. Never up close and personal.

“Are you sure your girlfriend or wife is okay with me staying here?” she asked as soon as they got out of the car.

She heard his tired laugh as she opened the back door and gathered a few of her things. To her surprise, he appeared beside her and helped her grab one of her suitcases, so she was left with her blanket and a couple of other random items.

“I ain’t got none of that, ma. It’s just me. You living out this mothafucka or somethin’?”

He switched the subject so swiftly she couldn’t catch herself from mumbling, “Something like that.”

Heat radiated off her skin from embarrassment as she closed the car door and locked it before following behind him.

She still felt the heat of embarrassment as she walked into the house, but it evaporated as she took in her surroundings.

The home was extravagant. High ceilings, black marble floors, beautiful artwork .

. . It was not the type of home she would have pictured Marcellus having. She had completely misjudged him.

They made their way to the second floor, and he stopped at the first door on the right. When he pushed it open, she gasped. It was a bedroom with a crystal chandelier, a bed with a deep purple duvet and pillows, and the softest cream carpet she’d ever stepped foot on.

“You can sleep here. There’s a bathroom and a closet through that door. If you need anything to eat and drink, the kitchen is downstairs and fully stocked. I’ll come get you in the morning when it’s time to go get Tato.”

He turned to leave swiftly, but Cassydie stopped him by placing a hand on his forearm. “Wait.” When his eyes met hers, she continued. “Thank you. For letting me stay here, I mean, and giving me the chance to properly meet Tato.”

Marcellus peered down at her, and she swore there was a moment of lust that passed between them, but it evaporated quickly.

“I keep my promises.”

He left her with that short response. As she watched him walk out of a room she could have only dreamed of, her tired mind finally realized that he was referring to the promise he made to Gregory about her before he died.

As she looked around the room, she realized Marcellus was definitely a man of his word because she absolutely felt well taken care of at the moment.

It baffled Cassydie that after the horrendous day she’d had yesterday that she was able to sleep like a damn baby.

It also baffled her that just yesterday she was riding around in her beloved beat up old car, wondering if she would have enough money to feed herself and fill up her tank with gas.

Now, she rode in the back of some expensive ass truck with a damn partition after eating a full breakfast prepared by a chef.

She was in awe as she glanced over at Marcellus, who tapped away on his phone.

He had been doing that all morning, even through breakfast. He hadn’t spoken more than two words to her that day, and for some reason, that bothered her.

She realized yesterday, as heartbreaking as it was, she didn’t think about her parents or Cierra as much because she was surrounded by other people.

They were a great distraction, and she craved more of that.

She did take pleasure in distracting herself by looking at him though.

He had to be the finest man she had ever seen.

Guilt creeped in almost immediately and shut those lustful thoughts down.

What the hell was wrong with her? Her parents were dead, her best friend was dead, and the biological father she never knew was dead.

Now, she was on the way to formally meet the little brother she never even knew she had and break the news to him that she was his big sister and that his father was dead.

Nothing about this situation invited the naughty thoughts she had about Marcellus. Yet . . .

“See something you like, ma?”

His deep voice startled her. She hadn’t realized she was still staring at him. More like drooling over him, Cass. Nice job. He didn’t even look at her when he spoke, and somehow, she even found that attractive.

“Uh, . . . I was just wondering what’s so important about your phone.” She scrambled to come up with that excuse, and by the way he snorted, she could tell he knew it was bullshit.

“Anyone ever told you you’re nosy? What sign are you?”

That threw her for a loop. Not many men asked about zodiac signs. She lifted a brow up. “I’m an Aries.”

His eyes lifted from his phone in shock. “Bullshit.”

“I swear. Why?”

“So am I. That means ya birthday just passed. When was it?”

For a second, she smiled, but then she remembered what her birthday meant now, and tears filled her eyes as she muttered, “April 19th.”

She noticed the small tilt of his head as he watched her. If there was a way to master hiding her emotions, she wished she could learn it. Thankfully, he didn’t question her.

“Mine’s April 15th. You must be one of the last days of Aries.”

She nodded. “The last day.”

“Barely made it,” he joked. He actually joked with her.

That was wild to her. He seemed so intense the day before.

This man sure was hot and cold. She wondered if she would be around him long enough to figure him out.

That thought sent her down another spiral.

She didn’t know what her plan was for that night or going forward in general.

She had to figure something out quickly.

“We’re here,” Goldie said as he let down the partition.

Cassydie snapped out of her thoughts and looked around. They were in a modest neighborhood with cookie cutter homes. This neighborhood reminded her of the one she grew up in, and another bout of sadness hit her.

“Come on,” Marcellus said as he opened the door. She slid out on his side since it was closest to the curb, and he held his hand out to help her, a gesture she hadn’t expected from him.

“You seem like you’re in a good mood today,” she commented as they walked up the steps to a cream-colored home.

He shrugged. “I’m tryin’. I ain’t really the type to be in good moods, but Tato needs me. I’m just doin’ what Grim would want me to do.”

His voice cracked slightly as he said the last part. Without thinking, Cassydie grabbed his hand just as he knocked on the door.

He looked down at their intertwined hands and then into her eyes. They stared at one another for a long moment, something passing between them that made Cassydie’s insides flutter.

The door snatched open, snapping her attention to the woman standing in the doorway.

“Sup, Nicole? Tato ready?” Marcellus asked.

The woman didn’t look happy. She crossed her arms as her eyes dropped down to their hands. Cassydie tried to pull away from him, but he held onto her hand tightly.

“Who this bitch?”

All empathy Cassydie may have felt for this woman went right out the door. “Excuse me?”

“You’re excused, bitch. I was speaking to my man.”

Cassydie’s eyes bugged, and her temper flared. Her free hand balled into a fist, and she was about to reach back and cock it, but Marcellus grabbed her waist and pulled her into him.

“You gotta chill wit’ that shit, shorty. I ain’t ever been ya man.”

The light-skinned beauty propped her hands on her hips and cut her eyes at him. “I been breakin’ you off with this good pussy for years. Now all of a sudden, we don’t go together? That shit don’t matter, Cell?”

He shook his head, and Cassydie glimpsed the tired man with short patience from the night before. “Nah, it don’t, and it never did. You know that. Where Tato at?”

“He’s inside, but I’m tryna figure out who this bit?—”

“Say it again,” Cassydie said nonchalantly.

A major fact about her was she never lost a fight, and she’d been in many.

It came with the territory of going to public school with ugly bitches who felt threatened by her beauty.

Cassydie could be the nicest girl a person had ever met, but she could also be their worst nightmare.

It was up to them to choose the version of her they got.

“What?” Nicole had to be stunned by Cassydie’s calm tone if she was at such a loss for words all she could think was to ask Cassydie to repeat herself—something she never did.

“I won’t say it again,” Cassydie asserted, making direct eye contact with the woman.

“You’re at my house, bi?—”

Not even Marcellus was fast enough to catch Cassydie’s fist. It connected directly with Nicole’s nose.

“Aye, man, go get in the car,” Marcellus said, gently shoving Cassydie toward the car while he held back a wailing Nicole.

Cassydie simply shrugged, as if it didn’t matter to her, before she waltzed back to the car. On the outside, she was calm as a cucumber. On the inside, she boiled with rage. She didn’t do well with disrespect at all.

When she got back to the car, Goldie was there with the door open for her. He had a huge smile on his face as she got in. When he closed the door and got in the driver’s seat, he looked at her in the rearview mirror.

“What?” she asked. She didn’t want to snap at him, so she tried to take some of the ice out of her tone as her foot bounced in irritation.

“You remind me of ya pops is all. He ain’t ever take no bullshit either.”

Her heart melted slightly at that.

“What was he like?” she whispered. The vision of him gripping her hand as he died plagued her. It sucked that was all she would ever know of him.

Goldie was silent for a long time. She almost thought he hadn’t heard her or chose not to answer, and she didn’t have the courage to ask again. It surprised her when he finally spoke.

“Like two sides of one coin. He was the meanest nigga I ever met. It’s where he got the nickname Grim from .

. .” He trailed off as if he’d said too much.

Cassydie wished he hadn’t. “Well, anyway, he was also the nicest nigga I ever met. Would give anyone the shirt off his back, long as they were good to him.”

Cassydie smiled. He sounded an awful lot like her. Granted, she didn’t think she was mean enough to warrant such a dark nickname, but her temper was ruthless. She could be the girl next door or a mean girl depending on who she was talking to.

The back door opened, and her mind immediately shifted gears.

Sweat slicked her hands when she spotted Tato scooting into the back seat right next to her.

When he looked up at her and smiled, her heart melted into two.

He was missing several teeth, but it was so cute, and his jet-black hair was thick with curls just like hers.

She realized now that her parents had thinner hair that was brown.

She never questioned where hers came from.

Now she knew. It came straight from Grim.

His eyes were inquisitive as he peered up at her, and when he opened his mouth and spoke, she felt at a loss for words. “Hey, you were at the hospital yesterday. Do you know my daddy?”