Chapter 29- A Mother's Wish
Aria held onto the side of her seat and looked out of the small window of Adrian’s private jet as it rolled down the runaway and landed in her home city New Carolina.
“We made it” Raya her younger sister said with a smile as she quickly took off her seatbelt. Aria looked over at her, thinking this was it. Adrian had sent Hunter with her and along with one of his very own bodyguards, as a lot of people knew who she was and what she looked like, and he couldn’t take any risks.
“We did” Aria said with a small smile as she put on her jacket. Hunter got up from his seat and looked at Aria, thinking once again he couldn’t travel with her alone.
Logan the other bodyguard stepped out of the small plane first before he helped both Aria and Raya down and lead the way to the sleek black car that was waiting for them on the tarmac. Aria put on her sunglasses and walked past the small group of reporters and photographers who were standing in the far distance with their cameras ready.
“Is it true you’re dating Mr Adrian Delgado? Can you look here please” one of them shouted at her loudly as he flashed his camera in her face rudely.
Hunter stood in the way and shaded her from all the flashing lights, thinking she looked uncomfortable. Aria quickly climbed into the car that was waiting for them and only felt safe once Logan closed the door after her.
“That was scary” Raya said as she sat down next to her from the other side. Aria leaned back against her seat and looked over at her, thinking this was her new reality.
“I know, I only feel safe travelling with Adrian” she said quietly and that was the first thing Hunter heard when he got in from the front with Logan.
He felt something twitch inside him, thinking he had no idea what she saw in that man as he wasn’t the youngest guy around and didn’t have a very good reputation.
“I don’t blame you, on the bright side we’re one step closer to surprising mom” Raya said as she reached for hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, just as Logan drove away from the plane and towards the main terminal.
Aria leaned back against the seat and enjoyed the view of her city, thinking she couldn’t wait to see her parents and two brothers. Aaron was four years older than her, and Nate was four years younger than Raya.
“You guys can wait outside, I’ll be ok from here” Aria said to Logan and Hunter the moment they reached her parents’ house. Logan looked at her with a serious look,
“I’m sorry but Mr Delgado made it clear that I stay by your side at all times” he said nice and clearly. Aria took her phone out of her pocket and rang Adrian straightaway, thinking he was unbelievable.
Adrian walked out of his apartment and answered his phone quickly, the moment he realised it was Aria ringing.
“Morning, how was your flight? Did you get there ok?” he asked with a serious look, thinking he had an uneasy feeling about this trip, although he knew she was in good hands. Aria listened to him quietly,
“Why did you tell Logan to stay by my side at all times?” she asked as she walked a little away from the rest, not wanting them to hear their conversation. Adrian could sense the annoyance in her soft voice,
“I’m sure you know why beautiful, I don’t trust new cities, anything can happen, and I can’t take that risk” he said with a serious look, thinking was she really questioning his decision.
Aria shook her head lightly and listened to him quietly,
“What you’re trying to say is that you don’t trust my family” she said as she raked a hand through her long curly hair, thinking this was not the way she wanted to start her day. Adrian climbed into his car and listened to her quietly, wondering why she was overreacting.
“I trust no one, especially those I have never met” he said quietly yet very clearly with a hand on his chin. Aria felt a dull ache in her chest as she listened,
“My family were never bad to me Adrian, it was me who did them wrong. Logan will wait outside and that’s my final decision” she said quietly but clearly. Adrian took out a cigarette from his pocket,
“Do as you wish, but if anything happens to you Aria, I won’t let it slide, remember that” he said before he ended the call and dropped his phone on the seat next to him, thinking could she not see that everything he did was for her safety.
He puffed on his cigarette and blew out the smoke slowly, wondering why she was so stubborn. He didn’t believe her family were bad people, but she herself had told him that her father had disowned her at a young age and that was something he couldn’t come in terms with no matter how hard he tried. Whether she was to blame or not, she was still his own blood regardless of everything else.
Aria slipped her phone back into her bag and took a deep breath, thinking she didn’t want to make him angry, but he had left her with no choice. She walked over to Logan and told him that she had spoken to Adrian and to not follow her inside.
“We will wait here” Logan said with a small nod. Hunter watched her walk into her parent’s house, thinking it looked the same as he remembered.
Raya quietly closed the door after her and Aria and lead her upstairs to their parents’ bedroom. Aria looked around the house, thinking it felt awfully quiet and suffocating, although it wasn’t small.
“Mom never used to sleep past eight in the morning and its almost eleven now” she said to Raya, thinking so much had changed since she had left it seemed. Raya looked at her,
“I know, look seeing mom in her vulnerable state might be a little overwhelming for you, but don’t worry she will get better with seeing you. I just know it” she said confidently.
Aria felt her heart hammer against her chest as she listened to her quietly, thinking it almost felt like she was preparing her mentally. She wondered how bad of a state her mom was in and without giving it another thought she quickly turned the handle and walked into her bedroom.
Gabriella turned from her window and looked at Aria as she rushed into her room and over to her bed. She wondered if she was dreaming as there was no way her little princess would have returned.
“Mom it’s me” Aria said and that was all she had to say before Gabriella reached up for her face and touched it lovingly with tears flowing down her gaunt looking face. Aria hugged her weak body tightly with both arms and buried her face in her chest, thinking she looked so different then she remembered but still smelt the same.
Raya made a small video of their bittersweet reunion, thinking it seemed like her mum had a felt Aria coming towards her before she walked in as she was looking towards the door, patiently waiting for her arrival.
“My beautiful girl, how have you been?” Gabriella asked Aria as she caressed her face and kissed both of her cheeks. Aria let her tears flow as she looked deep into her mum’s sunken eyes,
“I’ve been ok mom, but you, you don’t look good” she said as she wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hands.
Gabriella hugged her again and held her face against her chest, thinking her baby had returned home finally. She felt a sudden surge of energy enter her body as she kissed her on the top of her head softly.
“I will be fine, don’t worry about me, tell me about yourself, how have you been dear?” she asked as she gently stroked her hair and held her close. Aria found comfort in her mum’s frail looking arms, thinking she had lost too much weight in the last few years.
“I will tell you everything, for now I just want to hug you tightly” she said before she closed her eyes and listened to her heart beating, thinking she had no idea how much she had missed her, until that very moment.
She wanted to open her heart out to her and tell her everything, from meeting Adrian to becoming pregnant, but knew now wasn’t the best time to say anything.
Both mother and daughter were too lost in each other’s arms to even realise when Aria’s dad Weston walked into the bedroom and watched them both quietly.
“If you’re done, you may leave” he said with a serious look on his face, making Aria’s eyes widen. She moved back from Gabriella and looked over at him, thinking even he looked aged.
“Papa” she said quietly as she felt her heart hammer against her chest, thinking he looked angry. Weston wanted to pull her into his arms and hug her tightly but looked away instead.
“You lost the right to call me that the day you decided to walked out, leave and don’t come back” he said coldly. Aria felt her eyes well up with tears as she listened to him quietly,
“Please give me one chance to explain myself papa, just one” she begged with a pleading look in her eyes as she rushed over to him and looked up at him, hoping he agreed.
Weston took her by her elbow and lead her out of the room and down the stairs, thinking she had ruined his whole reputation and left and now expected him to listen to whatever it was that she wanted to say.
“It’s too late for that, you should have thought about that before you ran off with that fucking waste of space” he said a little loudly about Rylan. Aria felt her vision blur as he quickly dragged her down the stairs,
“Please don’t do this papa, mom needs me, for her sake please let me stay here for a little while longer” she begged as she heard her mother scream in the background and Raya console her or at least try to.
Logan quickly caught Aria before she fell to her knees as he watched Weston throw her out heartlessly and close the door in her face, wondering what the heck had just happened. Aria cried helplessly in his arms as he steadied her and looked over at Hunter who looked lost in his own thoughts.
“Please let me see mom one more time” Aria called out from outside the house, wondering where Aaron was, as he would have definitely got through to their dad. Logan looked at her with a serious look,
“We should leave” he said quietly, hoping she listened. Aria looked at him and shook her head, hoping he let her stay and wait for one of her brothers to arrive, not knowing that one had moved out and one was at school.
Weston leaned back against the closed door and felt his heart shatter to pieces as he listened to her cry. He had always had a very soft spot for her, that was until she started dating Rylan. He hated that guy as he knew more about him then she did, yet she still chose him over her family and that was something he could never forget or forgive her for, no matter how hard he tried. Although he had never admitted it to anyone, everyone definitely knew Aria was his favourite from all his children. He hated himself for treating her this way, and just hoped she walked away before he gave in to her cries.
“Now this was unexpected, but I can’t complain, I just need to get her alone” Hunter thought to himself quietly as he watched Logan try his best to calm Aria down, thinking his little princess was still as feisty as ever it seemed.