Page 24 of His Aries Heiress
“I hope you know how much I love you, Cassydie. My actions haven’t shown you that. I’ve allowed fear of more loss to run my life and to ruin any chance of a relationship between us. You deserved so much more. My best advice to you is to make the world bend at its knees to give you everything you desire. You are a queen. You have an entire empire and throne at your feet. I know it may be scary, but I promise I have left you in the best hands. Better hands to care for you than I ever could. It’s too late for amends, so all I can leave with you is my unconditional love. I hope it wraps around you as you move through life and gives you the confidence you need to step into your true purpose.”
The video ended, and Cassydie sat there with her heart completely shattered. Gregory’s kind words were a lot to take in. She wished she could have known him sooner. She couldn’tfind it in her to be mad at him, because she loved the parents she had always known. And then there was Marcellus. He had become like a beacon of hope for her. She clung to him because he had become her happy place. She didn’t know what exactly was budding between them, but she knew it was strong as hell.
She didn’t know if it was strong enough to withstand a blow that strong though.
Tato isn’t my brother . . .
The words kept repeating in her mind. They mocked her mercilessly. She rocked back and forth on the bed as she tried to grasp, yet again, a new reality. Eventually, she lay on her side because exhaustion had won the battle. She’d finally cried herself to sleep, completely uncertain about what her next move would be.
Aries men fall fast and hard, but most times, they won’t admit they’re in love until it’s too late.
Another sleepless nighton the books. After they got back from the lawyer’s office, Cassydie had asked him for some space to watch her video. At the time, it was fine with him because he wanted to watch his, too, which he had done right away.
Grim had done nothing but show him love and get on his ass about stepping up and being the man he raised him to be. He was normally really slow to take that advice from Grim, but there was something about hearing it when his OG was in the grave that made him want to step up.
He waited up all night for Cassydie. He wanted her to come to him so he could tell her the full truth about Tato, but she never came. Marcellus wasn’t the most patient man, so at seven in the morning was when he decided to get out of bed and go find her.
The first place he looked was the guest bedroom. That was where she disappeared to the night before, and he was glad she was still in there. Cassydie was curled up in a ball and still in the same clothes she’d been in the night before.
Quietly, he got into bed beside her and held her in his arms as he kissed her all over her face. Over the past month, he’d found it extremely hard to be out of her presence. Last night taught him that he didn’t like that shit at all. She was his little rider. Anytime he had somewhere to go, she came with him. He showed her things about the business and the council, and nothing was kept in the dark once she became privy to his lifestyle. Aside from Tato being his son . . .
“Baby, wake up,” he whispered between kisses.
Cassydie was a hard sleeper, so it took a few minutes, but when she woke up, she immediately pulled away from him and sat up. He watched as she rubbed her eyes and looked around the room.
“What time is it?” she asked, her voice heavy with sleep.
“Why you pullin’ away from me?” Marcellus asked as he pulled her closer to him by her thigh.
“Stop, Cell. What time is it?” she asked again, looking around the bed. He realized she was looking for her phone when she reached down onto the floor and scooped it up.
“What’s up wit’ you?” he asked as she looked at her phone.
Her puffy eyes finally found his, and his heart sank. The look of betrayal couldn’t be missed, even if he wanted to pretend not to see it.
“I know about Tato,” she said in a clipped tone.
He sighed and shook his head. He should have seen this coming. Marcellus had been hardheaded for years about his truth. Of course Grim saw no other choice but to tell someone else that bit of information to keep Marcellus from hiding it forever. What his OG didn’t know was he was fucking up something Marcellus was extremely scared of losing.
“OG told you?” he asked for confirmation.
She nodded slowly, and he could feel the hurt and anger rolling off her in waves. “I just need you to explain,” she finally said, her shoulders slouching as she rubbed her temples.
Marcellus saw that as a good thing though. If she wanted him to explain, it meant she wasn’t going to run from him. At least not yet.
He sat up slowly and put his back to the headboard while he contemplated his words. Finally, they just kind of tumbled out of him. “I ain’t never want a kid, but I got this around the way girl named Cambria knocked up, and she wanted to keep it, no matter how much I told her I wasn’t daddy material. I finally got used to the idea of being a daddy, but my responsibilities ain’t stop, you know? I think shorty wanted more out of me than I was willing to give, and that made her resent me or some shit.
“By the time Tato was born, I was ready to give fatherhood my best try, but Cambria no longer seemed interested in being a mother. It was like since she couldn’t have me to the fullest, she didn’t want Tato. Something wasn’t quite right in her head, because one day I came home, and she was trying to . . .”
He choked up just thinking about it, and he had to take a moment to breathe through his emotions. It surprised him when he felt Cassydie’s hand on his back. She grounded him, and hewas thankful for that because she didn’t allow her feelings to get in the way of how they naturally comforted each other over the last few weeks.
“What happened, Marcellus?” she finally urged. He knew she needed to hear the story. It just wasn’t an easy one for him to get out.
“Cambria . . . she was trying to kill Tato. He was only a month old. If I hadn’t gotten there . . .”
“Oh my God.” Cassydie took in a sharp breath as she covered her mouth with her hand. Marcellus ignored her reaction and continued. He feared if he stopped now, he might never get this out.
“I killed her, Cassydie. And I won’t sit here and pretend like I’m sorry for it either. That shit fucked me up, and I got scared, man. Like he always did, OG picked up my slack. I always made sure Tato was good. He knows who I am and that I would do anything for him. That was good enough for me, but then Grim died, and I have to step up and be a father, but I don’t know how to do that shit. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. Grim did such a good job with Tato, man. I don’t want to undo all that good.”
