Page 152 of Lovestruck at Sundown
I sighed.
“Speaking of William,” Aaron said, standing up and walking toward the foyer to retrieve the manila envelopes. He returned and placed them in front of me. CJ leaned in with curiosity.
“We need to get going,” David interrupted. “It’s almost 3:00 p.m., and I need to be back at the office on time since I’m taking over the consultation for the rest of the day.”
“But I want to see what’s inside the envelopes,” CJ whined, and I chuckled.
“It’s not anything you’ll be able to see, anyway,” Aaron replied. “Not even her. She just needs to sign the papers.”
“What?” I shrieked, unwilling to touch the envelopes until Aaron gave me more details. “William sent these?”
“He said signing them would be your birthday gift to him.” Aaron shrugged. But I already had his gift ready, and I had told him so when I talked to him earlier to wish him a happy birthday.
“Christopher,” David urged. “Let’s give them some privacy.Let’s go.” He threw on this white coat and leaned down to hug me.
“It’s fine,” I insisted, hugging CJ next as they both thanked me for lunch. “Really.”
“It’ll only take two seconds,” Aaron said.
“But what if I don’t sign them?” I hated contracts, especially if I had to sign them blindly. The last time I did that, it got Caleb killed. Authorizing the order of protection against Thomas provoked him into spiraling even more out of control until it inevitably led to that horrible day where I almost lost William, too.
“If it makes you feel any better,” Aaron said. “I read the paperwork since I needed to make sure it wasn’t anything sketchy. And it all looks good. Great, actually. I’d sign them.” He pulled out a pen from his inner jacket pocket. “And no, your dad doesn’t know anything about this.”
“And I can’t look at any of it?” I asked again, as if my insistence would magically alter the conditions set by William and Aaron would let me take a look at the contents. But this was more than a leap of faith; this was aplungeof faith. And contracts were my kryptonite. It reminded me of all the ones my dad had imposed on me.
“Sign the goddamn papers!” CJ exclaimed. “It’s William. Of course, it’s something amazing. Look around.” He waved at the flowers surrounding us.
Deep down, I knew not signing them wasn’t an option. I trusted William with every fiber of my being. However, dealing with my relentless curiosity was a challenging task. It was more about how it reminded me of previous experiences and wanting to know for the sake of knowing rather than reflecting a lack of trust.
“Give me.” I pressed my elbow on the table and cupped my forehead while I extended my hand to accept the pen. Aaronhanded it to me and pulled out the first document, enough to give me space to sign without revealing anything else. After signing both sets, I slumped back in my chair.
CJ squealed, and David hauled him toward the front door, yelling, “Thanks again, Billie!”, followed by CJ’s, “Let me know what you signed up for once you find out!”
“Will do! Let’s do this more often!”
They shouted something indistinct back and shut the door.
Aaron grabbed the envelopes and stood. “This is for you.” And in true Marry Poppins fashion, he pulled out a smaller envelope from his inner jacket pocket and handed it to me. It hadGuillerminawritten in William’s handwriting. “I’ll mail these back to William’s lawyers.”
I let out a nervous chuckle and crossed my arms at my chest as I followed Aaron out. When I slid the door open, Aaron’s phone vibrated. He stared at the screen, then at me, then at the screen again.
“Mr. Murphy,” he said after taking the call. My eyes widened. I hadn’t heard my dad’s voice in almost 18 months, so it felt weird to know he was on the other side of the line. “Yes, she’s home … Certainly, sir.” Aaron slid his phone back into his pocket. “His car is parked outside. He’s coming up to see you.”
I forced my lungs to expand past my rising panic.What does he want?And today of all days. Maybe he had bad news to share with me, because I couldn’t understand what else would make him show up unannounced like this when we hadn’t been in contact for ages. I wasn’t mentally prepared to see and talk to him, and the three minutes it would take him to come up weren’t enough.
“It’s best if I get going.” Aaron glanced behind his shoulder for a quick second. “But text me when you’re ready to leave. Andthank you for lunch.”
“Of course,” I said. “And I will. Thank you.”
Aaron left through the stairs, and I closed the door and locked all three bolts, as if that would delay my dad’s imminent approach. I leaned against it, my weight pressing into the solid surface, keeping me balanced. William’s small envelope was still in my hand, so I pulled out the note to read it before my dad arrived.
Guille,
Thank you for signing your soul away to me for the entire duration of this life and all the ones that come after it. It’s the only option I had to ensure I’d find you in every single one of them.
W.S.
Letting my head rest back against the door, I looked up at the ceiling and grinned.What did I just sign?This was one of William’s teasing ways of telling me hewouldn’ttell me what I’d gotten myself into. But I would do my best to coax it out of him when he returned.
