Page 37 of Ensnared By Silence
Shaking my head, I found my way into the study and a picture on the wall drew my attention. Inspecting it closely, I saw a younger Aubrey wearing a black strapless dress standing next to Tucker with his arm slung over her shoulder. She had a smile on her face that didn’t reach her eyes, and Tucker had a cocky grin on his that made him look like the douche he really was.
Footsteps sounded over my shoulder, and I turned to see the little prick sauntering into the room with what appeared to be a whiskey in his hands. He smiled as he joined me at the wall of pictures, and after a minute, he pointed toward the picture of him and Aubrey with the glass of whiskey and uttered, “The one that got away.”
With a snicker, he turned and left me alone, my heart racing and my anger at a level I never experienced. It was going to take everything in my soul to contain the desire to snap his skinny fucking neck like a twig.
Chapter 13
Aubrey
Imissed Hayden terribly, but I loved spending the day with Elise and her family. Her parents, Chuck and Blaire, were so wonderful, and watching them dote over DJ and Elizabeth was heartwarming. They didn’t show favoritism to one over the other and seeing the family this amazing group of people created gave me hope for Hayden and me.
There was something about Chuck and Blaire that comforted me, and when they walked in, they pulled me into a hug. I felt like I was being accepted into a family and I was fortunate to have them in my life.
Mathias was the life of the party, and his new boyfriend, Bobby, was fun. They jumped into the kitchen with Elise and Blaire, helping finish up the food while James, Devlin, and I talked work. It was nice to pick their brains, while Chuck watched on with DJ asleep in his lap as we got lost in tech talk.
“How are you enjoying working for these two knuckleheads?” Chuck inquired as Amaya came in and took DJ from him, disappearing down the hallway.
Devlin watched her walk away before he turned his attention back to the conversation.
“I’m learning so much and am grateful for all their faith in me,” I answered, and they both smiled at me.
“She keeps us on our toes,” James responded and winked at me as he stood and followed his wife down the hallway.
Devlin looked at Chuck and asked, “Do you think you could keep DJ next weekend? I want to take Elise to Atlanta with me for a business meeting.”
“We’d love to,” Chuck replied and there was a look that passed between them before Chuck asked, “Would you like us to stay here so he’s more comfortable?”
Devlin exhaled and nodded. Realizing he was more protective of his wife and son than anyone I ever met, I stood from the chair and found my way into the kitchen. Elise and Mathias were building a trifle in a large glass dish as Bobby watched them argue over the order of the layers.
I grabbed my phone from my back pocket and snapped a picture before sending it to Hayden.
Me: Wish you were here.
I slid my phone back into my pocket and asked, “Can I help with anything?”
“Would you slide the trays of rolls into the bottom oven?” Elise asked with chocolate on her fingers.
