Forever Touched
Forever Touched
Lilly Wilde
Forever Touched
www.lillywilde.com
Cover Design by Lilly Wilde
Photo Credit: 123rf.com/profile_kiuikson
Editing by Sarah Barbour/Adventure.Ink
Ebook Formatting by Lilly Wilde
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
© Copyright 2017 Forever Touched by Lilly Wilde Books, LLC
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher or author, constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from this book (other than for review purposes) prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher or author. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
FBI Anti-Piracy Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Except for the original material written by the author, all songs, song titles, and lyrics mentioned in the novel Touched are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.
ISBN—13: 9781370768813
Contents
Copyright
Praise for Lilly Wilde
Other Books by Lilly Wilde
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Epilogue
Discussion Questions
Connect with Lilly Wilde
About the Author
Praise for Lilly Wilde
“Lilly has a way of sucking you into the story. Her writing is descriptive and captivating. She makes you feel like you know these characters.”
-A Book Lover’s Emporium [Book Blog]
“I think this author’s books should come with warnings that once you start reading one of her books you will be up all night.”
-Amazon Reviewer
“This book ticked off all of the boxes that makes me love a book or series.”
-Garden or REden [Book Blog]
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Lilly Wilde is an amazingly talented author. She wowed us and enthralled us with Books 1 &2 in The Untouched Series and beyond a shadow of a doubt, does the same with Book 3, Touched by Him. From the very first words you’re drawn in and can practically feel Aria’s fear as she sees Aiden. That awareness of feelings and emotions is something you can count on experiencing throughout the entire story.”
-Amazon Reviewer
Other Books By Lilly Wilde
Untouched
Touched
Touched by Him
Only His Touch, Part One
Only His Touch, Part Two
*Before His Touch
*No Longer Broken – The Ragan Wade Story
*No Longer Broken – The Tori Bryant Story
*No Longer Broken – The Caleb Baxter Story
*Blended Lies
*Love After Forty
*Angel
*Not Yet Scheduled For Release
Dedication
This book is dedicated to the women who weren’t looking for love,
the women who didn’t think their prince would ever appear,
and the women who finally let him in when he did.
This book is dedicated to the women whose hearts were ripped apart,
the women who put those pieces back together and held on,
and the women who wore a smile behind the tears.
This book is dedicated to the women who forgave,
the women who stood by their men,
and the women who fought for him when the world said walk away.
This book is dedicated to the women who have the love of a man who completes their world,
the women who have a love that no one else understands,
and the women who have found their forever.
And last, but certainly not least, this book is dedicated to those who believed in me,
those who stood beside me, even on my worst days.
Your support, encouragement and love is what made this happen.
This one is for you!
Chapter One
The darkening clouds cast a foreboding mood over an already bleak day. Quickening my steps, I hoped to reach my car before the heavens opened up, but the sky rumbled and growled and then released its torrent and rain poured down on inner city Boston. I lifted my purse over my head, blocking only a fraction of the waterfall that flowed over me as I ran across the street and darted into a boutique. I was still two blocks away from my car, so this temporary shelter was my only chance of avoiding the downpour.
In barely a minute, my clothes had been completely drenched and my bouncy, carefully styled hair was now a stringy, dripping mop of black. I smothered the urge to scream at how fucked the entire day had been. I’d overslept, nearly had an accident rushing to my 9 o’clock meeting, and had lost thirty additional minutes of my morning consoling my assistant Andrea. She and her boyfriend were having problems—again. To top it all off, I’d had to fire one of my top execs at Raine Publishing House.
And my day wasn’t getting any better.
Tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind my ear, I scanned the store, taking in the busy—and enviably dry—clientele as I shuffled my bags and made my way to the chair closest to the door. I heaved an exasperated sigh as I plopped in the seat and started searching through the baby toys, makeup, hand sanitizers and scraps of paper I carried in the large purse that Aiden referred to as my luggage.
After pulling pretty much everything from my purse, I finally found a hair accessory hidden in a far corner. In a frustrated rush, I tossed everything back into my bag, and pulled the wet heap into a ponytail. Feeling only slightly less frazzled, I looked out the window as the day became darker and wetter. Without an umbrella, I figured I’d wait it out until the rain lessened, but Mother Nature showed no signs of relenting.
But my phone chimed, a reminder of my thirty-minute window to pick up Dianna, my son’s nanny, from the hospital. So much for waiting it out—I had to leave now. I glanced a bit enviously at the boutique’s patrons, and then noticed an umbrella in
the holder near the door. For a brief moment, I considered grabbing it, but why should someone else suffer for my disregard of today’s weather report? I took a deep breath, took a firm hold on my bags, and made a dash for the parking lot.
I was almost there—I could clearly see the car, even through the thick veil of water that had turned the early afternoon as dark as dusk. Without breaking my stride, I reached into the side pocket of my purse and pulled out my keys, only to have them fall from my fingers and land in a puddle a few steps from the car.
“Shit!” What else could go wrong? This had been a day from hell.
As I reached for the keys, one of my shopping bags fell into the puddle right along with the key ring. I wanted to scream to the heavens, but that wouldn’t help a damn bit. I’d only end up wetter and angrier. I fumbled around in the muddy puddle until my fingers grazed something. I grabbed it, then threw it down in disgust—just a dirty twig. A few aggravating seconds later, I’d somehow managed to find my keys. Relieved I was moments away from being seated in the comfort of the amazing wedding gift from my husband, I pressed the button on the key ring and reached for the door handle. Still locked. I tried a second time, and then a third, but it didn’t work.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
How could a car that cost more than a small mansion have a defective key fob? Had it shorted from its immersion in the muddy puddle? That seemed unlikely, but with the day I’d had, it was par for the course. Cursing, I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone. After locating the app that unlocked my car, I tossed the bags in the passenger seat and rushed to close the door, anxious to shut myself off from the weather that seemed to be in just as bad a mood as I was.
*****
Once Dianna was settled in one of the guest rooms, I wanted nothing more than to shed my damp clothing along with the remnants of the wet and miserable day before soaking in a hot, bubbling bath. Before that though, a visit to one of my favorite rooms was in order. Maybe it was Aiden’s and my love of wine, or maybe it was simply another excess, but the house had three spectacular wine cellars. Unique hand-carved designs accentuated the shelves that held a thousand bottles of the finest wines. At the center of each cellar, was an illuminated section that housed the Aria Wines.
After making a selection I had yet to try, I grabbed one of the stemless glasses and strolled back toward my bedroom. I couldn’t help but think of how lonely the house felt with both my guys gone. I stopped by the empty nursery and wandered about the large quiet space, wondering what Lyric and Aiden were doing. Grabbing one of my son’s toys, I left the room and headed for my long-awaited relief from the day’s woes.
*****
I shivered as I stepped out of the water onto the cool marble floor. Partially drying myself, I dropped the towel and hurriedly slid into my thick terrycloth robe. July was typically one of the warmest months in Boston, so I didn’t understand why I was so cold, even after my bath. Since I couldn’t get warm, I decided to start a fire. Grabbing mom’s quilt, I cozied up in front of the fireplace. A short time later, I was lost in the dancing flames, caught up in the twisting blue and white tendrils as they whirled around the small pyramid of logs.
I was fully aware of why the day had toyed so mercilessly with my patience. It was because he was gone. It was because I’d awakened to a day that didn’t include him, and as a result, it felt like part of me was missing. A part I needed to feel complete—to feel whole.
Glancing at the five-carat diamond ring on my left hand, I delved into the memories of my fairytale—Aiden’s proposal under the stars, the beautiful vows, the wedding and our honeymoon in Italy. Aside from the nerves and a slight case of cold feet, it had all been perfect, even surreal. In fact, even now, after having experienced every moment of it, it was almost inconceivable.
I was married to Aiden Raine.
Most of the wedding guests left Italy for their homes in various parts of the world, while a few had kept the celebration going on the four-day cruise, which was intended as somewhat of an extended reception. Aiden and I had spent two blissful weeks in Italy. We’d wanted to stay longer, but fourteen days was about all the time either of us could stand to be without Lyric. After the honeymoon, we’d spent the first week at home reconnecting with our son. Lyric had never been away from both of us before for any length of time, and when we returned, he was as happy to see us as we were to see him. Everything seemed right with the world.
Our whimsical fairytale in Italy had been an oasis of blissful serenity, the most content I’d felt since before Aiden proposed—in contrast to now, where life was slightly crazed. Our lives had skipped into fast motion as soon as we stepped from the jet. And things hadn’t slowed since. Aiden and I tried to steal small moments of normal each day—time with our son, an occasional date night, or just holding each other in bed. It didn’t seem to be enough.
But then again, if I had every minute of every day with him, it still wouldn’t be enough.
“There you are,” came the distinctive voice that always placed a smile on my face and a song in my heart. He was finally home. Before I could turn, Aiden was standing in front of me.
My gaze traveled over him and then lingered on his beautiful face. “I’ve missed you.”
“Have you?” he asked.
Was he kidding? My heart leapt at just the sight of him—even when I was pissed at him, which was quite often. Merely thinking of Aiden had such a strange effect on me. My chest clenched, my throat went dry, and my heart thumped in a crazy, erratic pattern. And then when I looked at him—it was just that much worse—every part of me was hyper aroused. The intensity of my emotions for him was something I would never comprehend. I loved him with everything in me. And he was my husband. All mine—now until forever.
“Why do you always ask that? You know I have, so don’t start,” I said. “And where’s my baby?”
Aiden’s full sensual lips pulled into that lopsided grin that made me weak in the knees. “I’m standing right in front of you.”
Suppressing a smile, I said, “Very funny. Where’s Lyric?”
“The little guy was exhausted,” Aiden said, as he gently tugged me from the sofa. “He fell asleep on the way home.”
“I want to see him,” I said, starting to move past Aiden.
“Eh. I wouldn’t if I were you.”
“Why?” I asked, alarmed. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine, but he’s cranky,” Aiden said, shaking his head. “For a while, I didn’t think he’d ever stop crying. Had it not been for the drive, I don’t think he would have.”
“And you’re sure he’s okay?”
“Yes, sweetheart. He just had a bad day,” he said, taking a seat on the couch. “Babies have those, too, you know.”
I let out a sigh. “As much as I’ve missed him, I think I’ll wait.”
“Smart choice,” Aiden said and pulled me into his lap. “How’s Dianna?”
“She’s resting. The appendectomy went as planned. Since the procedure was done laparoscopically, her recovery will be much faster. The doctor said she should return to normal activities in a few days with a lot of TLC.”
“We’ll make sure she has plenty of that,” Aiden said.
“I’m planning to work from home today and tomorrow, and Lyric will be going to work with me for a few days after.”
“I hate that I wasn’t here for her,” he said, his tone remorseful.
I ran my fingers over the slight stubble of his chiseled jawline. “She understood. I’m just glad one of us could be.”
“Thank you for that,” Aiden said.
“No need to thank me. Dianna is family and I love her.”
Aiden’s palm was on my jaw as he stared into my eyes, his thumb tracing my cheek. “It’s good to be home. With you—my wife.”
“Is it?” I asked.
“Indeed, it is. By the way, where’s my hug?”
“Underneath this robe,” I replied.
A wide grin broac
hed his perfect lips as he reached for the tie at my waist. Freeing me of the terry cloth fabric, he lifted me in his arms and carried me to the bed. “God, I hate being away from you.”
*****
Upon arriving home from our honeymoon, I’d been tossed into the awaiting role of society wife. I’d attended fundraising events, weeded through board invitations for various charities, and endured crash courses from Aiden’s mother, Sienna, on what she termed “Raine etiquette.” I’d been given access to an astonishing amount of Raine assets. It was staggering. Labeling someone as rich and then seeing proof of just how rich were entirely different things. Having glimpsed only a sliver of the vast Raine fortune, I was even more impressed that Aiden was so down to earth. I loved that about him. He was real, and in certain situations—granted not many, because there had always been that something about him that was larger than life—he was as normal as a guy with an average income … and an average life.
Aiden Raine wasn’t an average guy, though. He had been born into a life that afforded him luxuries that most could only dream of. A life that guaranteed him an inconceivable position of power and prestige, which he used to his advantage when necessary. It was also a life burdened with the obligations that accompanied his family’s position in the socioeconomic hierarchy—a hierarchy that now included me.
Aiden astutely observed my reactions to each introduction to yet another facet of his life. The philanthropic efforts, government affiliations, foundation boards, public appearances, and countless other commitments—it was a great deal to take in, but I was convinced I could handle it, that it wouldn’t overwhelm me. And most importantly, I didn’t want to give Aiden cause for worry. I’d be fine—I just needed a period of adjustment.