Run, Girl (If You Can)

Aaron's heart nearly stopped when Keeley came out of the bathroom with a towel turban on her head wearing his pajamas.

They were far too big for her; the pants were cinched as tight as they would go, the legs were rolled up probably six times, and the shirt hung nearly to her knees.

She still looked wan from all the time she spent throwing up but he didn't think he had ever seen such a beautiful sight. She was here, in the home he bought with her in mind, wearing his clothes.

"Can I have some more water?" she asked with a yawn, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Keeley used Unintentional Cuteness. It's super effective!

Aaron nodded with a lump in his throat. It wasn't fair that she looked this adorable and he couldn't do anything about it. He had to go slowly and win her trust, like a scared little animal.

He went downstairs and got her another water bottle. She struggled a bit with the cap, clearly tuckered out, so he twisted it open for her and she smiled gratefully. Keeley hadn't smiled at him like that for a long time.

Once she finished it, Aaron showed her to the bedroom closest to his and told her he was right next door if she needed anything in the middle of the night.

She nodded and shut the door behind her. He could hear the sheets shifting as she climbed into bed and the sound was torturous.

He desperately wished to be in bed with her right now but if he snuck in there she would never speak to him again. Patience. He had waited this long; he could wait longer.

This was a slow game but he had to keep the pace consistent if he wanted to win. Losing was not an option. Keeley was the only thing in this world he could not afford to lose. Not again. She was worth more to him than all the money in the world.

That being said, he wasn't about to give up his spot in the company because he still needed to punish his father and be able to protect Keeley on a permanent basis.

Security was tighter this time—he hired his own driver and the housekeeper only came by a few times a week. Instead of having a full-time cook, he utilized a private caterer that delivered gourmet meals that could be frozen and reheated easily in the oven or ate out.

This place was entirely his own with no prying eyes that could report back to Alistair. Keeley could be safe here.

It was what he should have done the first time around. Then he never would have had to push her away in the hopes that his enemies would leave her alone.

Aaron already had the advantage. He had a fairly comprehensive network of people on his side, including the twenty-year-old genius hacker Anomaly. He had more than half of the shares that weren't explicitly under his father's jurisdiction.

Lacy didn't know a thing about his love life and he only saw her at a select handful of events after purposely distancing himself from her and her family.

He had the ability to keep his love safe; all that mattered now was that she would accept him. Tonight seemed like a decent start.

He knew he hadn't been a good husband even before he pushed Keeley away. He got caught up in work, didn't make enough time for her, and had unfair expectations.

She completely uprooted her life for him and he didn't ever acknowledge, appreciate, or try to make up for that. Now was the time to right his previous wrongs.

It seemed to be working; Keeley was much less prickly toward him after he showed her a bit of tender loving care when she felt so rotten.

She thanked him without being snippy about it. She smiled at him genuinely. That was more than she had done the entire time they were in high school together this time around.

Aaron went to bed early, exhausted from going up and down the stairs so many times and from the emotional upheaval of the day. He slept better than he had in a lifetime because he could hear her rolling around next door.

Keeley had always been prone to moving around in her sleep.

When they were married, half of the time she would go to bed near the edge and wake up sprawled across him on the other side. It annoyed him for the longest time but he would give anything to experience that right now.

Sweet, beautiful, genuine Keeley. At this rate, she would be his again soon. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

When his alarm went off in the morning and he went downstairs to make himself a cappuccino with his very expensive coffee machine, Aaron nearly jumped out of his skin because there was someone sitting at the breakfast bar.

Keeley looked up at him sheepishly as she held up a spoonful of yogurt. "Good morning."

Civility at 6 AM? This was promising.

"Good morning," he said warmly. At least, warmly for him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, your mattresses are amazing." She hesitated a moment. "Um…I hate to ask this but…could I borrow a couple things from you?"

"Like what?"

"A comb? And a button-down shirt?"

He could understand the comb, but why the shirt? Keeley's face turned a bit red under his questioning gaze.

"I can probably get away with wearing the same pants two days in a row but if the whole outfit is the same my classmates are going to get the wrong idea."

Ah. So that's what she was worried about. She could take whatever she wanted, no returning necessary.

"I'll go get those now if you'll make the coffee. I recommend the Brazilian blend."

"Roger that."

She hadn't said anything that goofy in this life either. Keeley was definitely warming up to him! What a wonderful way to start off the day.

He came back down with his comb and a lilac dress shirt to find the coffee already prepared and waiting.

Aaron felt quite sentimental. It had been decades since he saw two coffee mugs side by side like this on his kitchen counter.

"Thanks! The one on the left is yours," she said as she began trying to detangle her bedhead.

It was obvious that she needed an actual hairbrush to do this effectively but he didn't own one. He would have been better prepared if he knew she would stay the night so soon. Honestly, he was lucky he happened to have extra toothbrushes on hand.

"Oh! I think I have an extra hair tie in my bag," Keeley thought aloud.

It was something she had done a thousand times when they were together and it settled into a deep crevice of his heart.

As much as she feared or resented him, she never truly changed at her core. She was still his Keeley. That gave him hope moving forward. He could get her back completely.

They sat in companionable silence sipping their coffee until Keeley finished hers and dashed off to the bathroom to get ready. When she came back, he understood why she wanted the shirt.

She had rolled up the sleeves practically to her shoulders, buttoned most of the top half, and twisted the unbuttoned bottom half into a tight knot in front so she looked like she was going to a rodeo.

It was casual to the extreme but he couldn't deny that the sight of her in his shirt did funny things to him just like the pajamas had.

"Well look at the DIY Queen," he said, impressed.

Keeley scrunched up her face. "How does someone like you even know what DIY is?"

"The internet."

"I thought you said you didn't trust the internet," she said dryly.

"Only on some things. So, when are you going to be able to help me out with the cat thing?" he asked, trying to mask his eagerness.

"I'm free on Saturday. Think you can wait that long O Impatient One?"

If only she knew how patient he actually was. She would be in for quite a surprise.

"That works."

"Cool. Now drop me off at school; I don't know the subway routes from here," she demanded.

"Your wish is my command."

She looked at him like he was nuts. Maybe he was. He was just happy to see her on friendly terms with him again. Love could make people a little weird.