A bit later, when I was just finishing the last of my spaghetti, my phone dinged, informing me I had a message. Knowing it was probably James again, perhaps telling me he wouldn't be coming back at all tonight, I didn't want to pick up right away. Then another ding came, which was followed by another and then another consecutively.
Andy raised his brows in curiosity as he eyed my phone. "Sounds like you've got some messages. Aren't you going to check them?"
I hesitated for a moment, because really, I didn't want to read whatever it was James was messaging me. It'd be a disappointment, and it'd only depress me further. The thought of not seeing his face tonight made my heart ache in loneliness. It would be the fifth night in a row I hadn't seen him.
Since that hot, wild sex we'd had four nights prior, when James had nearly driven me to the brink of insanity with an earth-shattering orgasm, he had been so busy I hadn't been able to get a glimpse of him at all. Routinely, he'd leave even before I could get up to say, "Have a nice day at work." And of course, he wouldn't return until well after I'd fallen asleep. Some nights, I didn't think he'd even come back at all, because the bed still felt cold and untouched when I woke the next morning.
When another ding came, implying there was another message, I grew curious. It wasn't like James to text me so many times at once. The only person who did that was Aria.
Thinking back, she'd always enthusiastically messaged me after we had exchanged phone numbers. Then, of course, there were the pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Mostly they were of her toys, the food she ate, and her friends and dogs, Alfie and Sammy. The two canines I'd met when I first ventured into James's life, thinking he was actually a middle-aged man and Aria his granddaughter.
Now I thought how silly I'd been to assume that. Although, I had to admit I'd always thought rich, powerful men were in their fifties or older. But of course, I'd been wrong. There was James, for example, who was nowhere near middle-aged. And of course, Matt and William.
Another ding shouted at me, urging me to quickly pick up. And I did, snapping the phone into my hands and scanning through the message application.
Flicking through, I found my assumption was spot on, as the messages were all from Aria. A bright smile flashed across my face instantly, and I chuckled.
"Aww... it's Aria," I said in delight. Not to mention relief. Emotion swept through me like the waves of a calming ocean. It wasn't James. I had to repeat that to myself. It isn't James. That meant he might be back early tonight, and I might get to see him after all. I hoped I wouldn't receive his messages within the next couple hours before heading off to bed. Because then it was a given he'd definitely be back before midnight.
In the messages, Aria told me what she was having for dinner in her short, childlike words. It was a beef burger, and it was delicious. Then there were some pictures attached with the messages. I chuckled when I saw the half-eaten homemade burger. It looked delicious indeed. The one below that was of Aria doing a thumbs-up, and she had a big grin on her face as she posed right next to the burger. The next one was of Alfie and Sammy having their pieces of burgers as well.
I laughed. The pictures were so cute. They were so sweet--Aria and the dogs. Gosh, I wondered if I'd get diabetes from the constant exposure to such a cute, sweet child.
"What is it?" Andy asked curiously.
I leaned over and showed him the photos Aria sent.
Andy glanced through them and asked, "Mr. Maxwell's daughter?"
I nodded. "Aria. Isn't she cute?"
Andy laughed. "Yeah. She is. Well?"
"Well, what?" I asked.
"Aren't you going to send her pictures of our dinner, too?"
Gosh, I hadn't thought about that. Suddenly, I was excited by his suggestion. Usually, I'd just reply to tell her the pictures looked awesome, but I'd never sent pictures of my own to her before. Now was as good a time as any, I thought and nodded in enthusiasm.
I typed in some texts, telling her the meal looked mouth-watering and she and the dogs were so cute. Then I attached a few pictures of my spaghetti Bolognese.
Within seconds after the message was sent, I received a reply of a hungry, drooling emoticon. I laughed. Curious, Andy leaned over to sneak a peek. When he saw the emoticon, he laughed, too.
It was then the phone rang, which made both Andy and me jump. On the screen was Aria's name, implying she was the one calling.
I quickly picked up and said, "Hi, Aria, sweetie. Your dinner looks delicious."
On the other end of the line, Aria giggled. "Yours looks delicious, too. When is Daddy bringing you over? I wanna eat spaghetti Bolognese with you. Did you made it yourself?"
I chuckled. "Yes, I did, with my brother's help."
"You have a brother?" she asked.
I nodded as I replied, "Yep. He's right here with me. His name is Andy, and he said you look cute."
At this point, I could imagine Aria blushing and grinning widely. "Really?" she asked, giggling with pleasure.
Seeing I would be taking a while talking with Aria, Andy took away my empty plate and wine glass. He started cleaning up the kitchen in his slow, awkward, injured way while Aria and I conversed, recounting our uneventful day to each other. Actually, it was more like Aria did the talking while I did the listening.
She told me about school, her friends, and what she had learned. Not to mention what she'd had for breakfast and lunch today, too: some cereal with milk and fruit and a sandwich. She found them boring and wished she'd have something more exciting tomorrow. Then she told me about how she, Alfie, and Sammy had played hide-and-seek and that they'd sneaked into James's room and slept in his bed.
I laughed at this point because I could just imagine little Aria and the dogs doing just that, wriggling around and destroying James's perfectly made bed.
Gosh, Aria was indeed an enthusiastic child. Finally, she paused for breath and then asked what I'd done today. Hence, I told her about my afternoon tea with Savanah and that we had some delicious cake with coffee, of which I promised to send her a few pictures once we hung up. Then just before I was about to tell her good night, she said, "Did you know I lost my phone today?"
"You lost your phone?" I asked.
"Uh-huh... I couldn't find it before I went to school. I mean, I'm always good, you know, at not using my phone while we have class 'cause we aren't allowed to play with the phone in class 'cause that's like naughty. But I couldn't find it this morning, my phone Daddy bought for me... So I got so worried... But then just before dinner, me and Sammy and Alfie were playing in Daddy's room, and that's when I found it. I found my phone... It was in Daddy's room...
"Oh, actually, I lied. I didn't find it. Sammy did. He barked
so loud while I was in Daddy's bed 'cause I missed him, and I sleep in his bed on the weekend 'cause I'm allowed to. So I got curious 'cause Sammy was barking so loud, and I followed him and found him in Daddy's closet, and then I found my phone in there... But I don't remember going in there..."
Suddenly, I heard her voice break as if she were very upset about it. She continued. "I didn't get to talk to Daddy... I missed his call... We were supposed to talk after school..."
"Oh, honey, it's all right," I said, trying to soothe her. "He'll call you again tomorrow, and you'll get to talk to him."
At this point, I heard Aria sniffling, and instantly, I felt my heart ache for her. "Aria, sweetheart, are you all right?" I asked. "I'm here for you."
There was a bit of a pause, and I was concerned. A moment later, Aria's voice came through, low and croaking. "I want Daddy to come home..." she said quietly. "I miss him... I want Daddy to bring you home..."
At this point, I felt my heart crush within my chest. Poor Aria. She was so young, and her dad was always so busy with work. I knew in my gut James's jet-setting lifestyle wasn't beneficial for his daughter's growth and well-being. And what about her mother?
So far, I could only surmise James was a single father. Though, I wasn't sure if he was divorced from Aria's mother or the woman had passed on. Because Aria had never mentioned her mother and the fact that she wasn't staying with her while James was away, I assumed it was the latter.
"I'm sure he'll be going home soon, honey."
The moment that statement was uttered, I felt my heart aching in dread. It reminded me to tell James I, too, had to return to Mystic Spring, back to my home and my job. That meant I might not get to see Aria again after all. And James? I felt a twist of pain within my chest, and I wanted to groan out in agony.
"Really?" Aria asked. "He told you that?"
I bit my lip. "I'm sure he's coming home soon, honey," I repeated.
"Who's coming home soon, Aria?" a voice asked from the distance.
I blinked, wondering who was asking.
"Daddy's coming home soon," Aria said to whomever was with her. Then I heard her giggling again. To me, she said, "I'm so excited. I'm so excited."
I chuckled. Really, now I must ask James when he intended to return to L.A.