“I guess that makes sense.”
He smiled. “Just be patient, love. And don’t try to rush things.”
I stared into the eyes of my husband. He appeared sincere. He seemed to be telling the truth. It was likely that the dark thoughts I’d had a moment ago could’ve stemmed from the situations he’d explained.
I would choose to believe him for now, mainly because I desperately wanted it to be true. I would choose to trust my husband, mainly because I couldn’t fathom the thought of being such a terrible person.
I would trust my husband because I wanted to trust in our love. I wanted to believe that everything would be alright. That everything was as he said it was. I wanted to believe in him, in me, in us. So, I did.
“Okay,” I whispered. “I believe you.”
His smile widened. “Thank you, sweetie. How are you feeling?”
“Shaken up. But I’ll be alright.”
“You want to go back upstairs and lie down for a bit?”
I shook my head. “I’ve slept enough. Plus, I’m hungry now.”
He chuckled. “Dolores is cooking. She should be done soon. Today, I’ll introduce you to the staff. And we’ll work out a schedule of when they come and go so you’ll always know who’s in the house and on the grounds. No more surprises. How does that sound?”
“It sounds like a plan.”
“Great.” He brought my knuckles to his mouth and kissed them.
I held my smile in place because what else could I do? Cry? Pout? Complain? No. None of those would erase the unease still coursing through me. Aiden’s explanation made sense to me, and I believed him.
However, it would take a minute for me to calm down. Until then, I’d do what he and Dolores were doing. I’d pretend it hadn’t happened. At least, I’d try to. I was just glad he didn’t see me differently. Glad he wasn’t looking at me like I was dangerous.
I was glad there was a reason why I’d reacted the way I had. But now that he’d revealed more about his family to me, I couldn’t help but want to know about my own family. Where were they?
Why did his family treat me like family? And if his grandfather cared so much for me, why hadn’t he called to check on me? I continued smiling at my husband, but my mind was racing with unanswered questions.
Be patient, Noe. This is only day two. Be patient. Trust your husband.
Trust Aiden Park.
CHAPTER TWENTY
NOELLE
AFTER CALMING ME DOWN, Aiden left my side briefly to talk to Dolores. He wanted her to inform the other staffers that he would reintroduce me to them this morning. I felt a bit awkward meeting people who already knew me.
The idea made my stomach twist up in knots. Yet, it was the only way for me to get comfortable having them around. Though I knew he was doing this for my benefit, I still had some reservations about it.
I didn’t feel like the kind of woman who’d be comfortable having a revolving door of people in my home and on my property all the time. Then again, I also didn’t feel like the type of person who’d place a knife to someone’s throat and plot their death.
Sighing, I tried not to let myself overthink things again. Aiden was right, I had to be patient with myself. This was only day two after being discharged from the hospital. I was still healing.
I was still coming to terms with everything. I was still getting to know myself. I wouldn’t get better or more comfortable in my skin overnight. Maybe not even by next month. Patience was the keyword.
The fact that I was even willing to put my trust in Aiden was progress. This was a marathon, not a sprint. If I had to remindmyself of that every single day, I would. I looked up when Aiden returned to the living room.
“Dolores is going to let the others know what’s going on,” he told me as he approached. “They’ll all be ready to greet the lady of the house in a few minutes.”
The lady of the house.Why did that make me smile?
“Okay,” I muttered before staring down at my clothing.Pajamas. “I should head up and get dressed. I don’t want to meet them looking like this.” My gaze roamed over him. “You need to get dressed, too. I can’t have you walking around shirtless all day.”
