Run, Girl (If You Can)

The tension in the room continued to rise as Alice eyed Aaron skeptically and he gave off even more ice. He wasn't a fan of having to convince stubborn people of things. Keeley learned that the hard way in their first life.

"I know my brother," he said flatly. "This isn't the first time we've crossed paths. His morality is questionable but I believe he would do anything for me. Like killing someone I think poses a threat to my family. You don't have to believe me but I wouldn't recommend getting close to Graydon Meyer."

Alice bit her lip before awkwardly excusing herself. Aaron sighed and buried his face in his wife's neck even though she was so much shorter.

"I really wish he would just disappear too but it's not like I have a second murderous guardian angel watching over me."

Keeley snorted. "Murderous guardian angel is an interesting way to put it. As her friend, you did your duty of warning her. If she still decides to pursue him that's her problem."

That's what she said but the uneasy feeling wouldn't go away. Alice, unlike Keeley back in the day, seemed to want another relationship to replace the one that had died a long time ago. Her loneliness made her want to try again.

She couldn't begrudge her the desire for companionship but Gray was definitely the wrong person to find it in! Even if he wasn't (probably) a murderer, he was nothing but a flirt. Who knows how many women he was involved with?

Rumors always have some sort of basis but even if he wasn't the type to cheat when in a relationship, Keeley didn't peg him as the type to even commit to a relationship at all. Simply put, he wasn't a genuine person. Everything he showed to other people was a façade. She doubted there was a single person alive who knew his true personality.

 "You say that but I know you're still worried," Aaron mumbled into her shoulder. He knew her too well.

"Yeah, but there's nothing I can do about it. Don't you have work to do? What are you standing around hugging me for?" she demanded.

His hold only tightened. "Because I feel like it."

Keeley rolled her eyes. If he didn't get back to work now he would have to wake up at 4 AM to get it done before heading into the office.

"Here's an idea; what if I come sit next to you as you work? Then we can go to bed and wake up at a normal time."

"Okay," Aaron agreed easily enough, finally releasing her.

She ended up scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest leaning against Aaron's arm as he worked for the next hour. She should have realized how often he insisted on working next to her in their first life even if he never said anything.

He just wanted to be near her. What a sap! But he was her sap and that was what mattered. Keeley snuggled closer feeling perfectly content.

===

Aaron was glad Keeley made him do some work before going to bed because it was hard enough waking up at his usual time. He downed two cups of coffee before stumbling out the door.

Thankfully the babies were down to only waking up once in the night to be fed but it always took him forever to fall back asleep. He couldn't complain too much though. He loved his children almost as much as he loved their mother.

One small thing that made him feel better was that Cameron, the new vice president, was just as exhausted as he was from dealing with the mess Alistair left behind. At least Aaron wasn't in this alone.

"Your father deleted a bunch of important files seemingly out of existence before he left but Aiden finally managed to get them back," Cameron said tiredly as he barged into Aaron's new office and flopped down on the couch.

He had moved over to the CEO's office partly because it was bigger and partly because it was where he had worked longer overall throughout his two lifetimes. He was slightly attached to it. Cameron had taken over his old office.

Aaron really wanted Jeremy to take over his business again so his children would be free to pursue their dreams without feeling pressured. The best way to make that happen was to give Simon Peters, the man who would eventually see potential in the kid, Cameron's old job ahead of schedule.

He had proved himself a capable department head already in Aaron's previous life so it wasn't a big deal. Simon was in his late twenties and was both shocked and honored by the promotion. He stammered out a promise that he wouldn't let Aaron down when the offer was made and he was tempted to laugh.

Keeley had rubbed off on him. He never would have had the urge to laugh at work before marrying her the second time. Somehow the whole world seemed a lot brighter and more entertaining when she was around him every day.

"That's the best news I've heard all week," Aaron admitted. "It will cut our workload down by about half."

"What do we still have to do now that the files are back?" Cameron asked hesitantly.

"Fix the mess left by the insider trading and reach out to some more of my father's previous business contacts. We need to see who is worth keeping and who needs to be replaced. I'm willing to bet a lot of them are as shady as Brann Knighton."

"What has he been up to anyway? I would have thought he would fight back to help your father."

He hadn't done it in Aaron's first life; why would he now? Especially since he was still drowning in grief from losing his only child.

Brann Knighton had always been a selfish, practical man. Once someone was of no use to him, he discarded them. It was how people in high society were trained to think. Alistair Hale had fallen so far that nothing could redeem his reputation so why would Brann stick his neck out for him?