A/N: I know, it's been ages since I've updated this story. I have every intention of finishing it. Free time has just been hard to come by and after not working on it for so long writer's block began to set in. But we are back on track now. I will have to give this chapter a strong rated M for the first part. I hope you all enjoy! Happy Easter! And please review :D
John rolled over in bed to check the clock on his bedside table. He was utterly exhausted, and not in a good way. It was still early, to the point where even Aidan wasn't awake yet, and the boy was usually up with the sun. Phyllis had certainly done her job the night before and wore the boy out. Judging by the way Anna had tossed and turned she slept just as well as he had. The threat of Henry was now looming over them and there was no telling what all that entailed. A thousand questions rolled through his head, and he was certain that Anna had thought much the same. Would Henry think to strike first? Would Henry wait for them to make the first move? Or was Henry hoping to spark a reaction from him by his actions towards Anna at the book launch? Whatever the man's next step might be John came to the conclusion that he couldn't control him. The most John could do was control his own actions and part of that meant he'd have to find some way to speed up the adoption process for Aidan.
He looked over at the miraculous woman lying next to him and felt his heart ache with the amount of love he felt for her; it was almost too much to be contained within a single being. Yet, somehow it felt like it would never be enough. John let his hand run down the length of her back and leaned forward to place a kiss on her temple.
Anna surprised him by rolling over and opening her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," he said.
"It wasn't your fault. I was already awake," she said. "Actually, I'm not sure that I ever really fell asleep last night. I couldn't get my mind to shut down."
"Same here." He tried to offer her some comfort with a weak smile, but it couldn't compare to a promise that things would work out for them without resistance from Henry. And that was one thing John couldn't guarantee right now. "I'm going to contact Matthew today, see where we are with the adoption papers and if there's a way to speed up the process."
Anna nodded in understanding.
"It may not put an end to this matter, but perhaps it can give us a leg to stand on," he added.
She knew he was being careful not to give her false hope. Anna also knew that John was probably feeling as if his role in Aidan's life was being threatened right now. "I just want you to know I don't care about the papers, and I don't care what any judge says. The only thing Aidan and Henry share is blood. Nothing more. You're his father. He is your son. And we are a family."
John reached out to hold her hand, his thumb across her knuckles. His finger stopping as it came in contact with her engagement ring. It dawned on him then. Not in the eyes of the law. Certainly not on paper. John considered taking another route; one that might give him more of a legal claim over Aidan. He looked at the engagement ring again. But a wedding should be romantic, not a hail Mary in an attempt to avoid legal ramifications. He wanted better for Anna. She'd already been denied the opportunity at a wedding once before, he didn't want her one and only chance to be a rushed affair.
"Penny for your thoughts," she said.
"You'd pay more for them than that, but I'd urge you to save your money," he teased.
"I only mean to ease your burden," Anna added.
"You are not a burden and I don't care to share it because I don't believe I have a solution to the problem just yet."
"Perhaps we can arrive at a solution together?"
"There are many things I'd like to do together with you," John said with a raised eyebrow, hoping to change the subject. "But ruminating over my problems is not one of them." His fingers played with the strap of her nightgown that had fallen slightly from her shoulder in the course of the night. He slid it back in place and smiled.
"John?"
"Hmmm."
"I've been thinking…" She stopped to gather her courage as her hands came together in her lap on top of the sheets. Anna eyed him seriously now to ensure she had his full attention. But when she stared back at his hazel eyes, she knew better. A serious tone was not required to garner the attention of John Bates where she was concerned. He had joked once before that he could have sat up all night listening to her read from the dictionary simply to hear the way her Yorkshire lilt took on a life of its own. "And...um...I have to say something that you won't agree with..."
John simply stared back at her in disbelief, unsure of where the course of this conversation was headed, but he didn't like the sound of it. It wasn't that his Anna was incapable of making decisions on her own. Quite the contrary. She was a free thinking woman, and he knew better than most that once she set her mind to something there was very little chance of swaying her.
"We're going to get married," she said, knocking the wind out of his chest. Whatever he had been expecting her to say, that was not it.
"Don't be silly," he said softly. As if the very act of discussing such a thing were forbidden. "We can't. Not now. Not with the mark on my record," he began to argue.
"You're not listening," she said with sure determination. Anna had a fire in her eyes that told him she would not be challenged on this. "You're going to Ripon tomorrow afternoon to take out a wedding license. I don't care how much it costs and fix a day. We'll tell no one, but this you will do," she instructed him calmly.
"I can't," he began to protest once more. "Anna, suppose the court sees this as an attempt to put this matter to bed? Especially, for it to be done so soon after your encounter at the book launch."
"It's not as if we weren't engaged before. Our friends can testify to that," she pointed out. "And you filed the paperwork for Aidan already."
She wasn't wrong. Still, it didn't seem right somehow. "Anna, you deserve to be married in a church with your family and friends present," he reminded her. "You in a white dress...me looking like a fool."
"I'd rather have the right man than the right wedding," she replied. "Aren't I strong? Don't I know my own mind?"
"I don't doubt that," he answered sincerely.
"That's what I've been thinking," she said. Anna let her hand come up to caress his cheek. "You have stood by me through thick and thin."
John shook his head in disagreement. He didn't see it that way. He would have jumped a hundred more hurdles for her if he had to.
"Mr. Bates, if we have to face this, then we will face it as husband and wife," she said simply. "I will not allow you to be moved to the sidelines to watch how we fare from a distance without the right to even be kept informed. You will be our next of kin, and you can't deny me that."
There'd be no arguing with her. She clearly had been up all night and thinking harder than he had apparently. He sat on the bed motionless for a few seconds more before speaking again. "I have one request."
Anna's somber expression softened at the sound of his voice. "Go on."
"We tell our parents. I don't think either of them would forgive us if we didn't include them in this and I don't want it to look like some last ditch effort to avoid...you know who."
It never failed to amaze her how considerate he could be of her feelings and others. She looked at him in absolute awe.
"We won't let him tarnish this for us. We were always going to get married before we were aware of his presence. I won't rob you of an opportunity to have the wedding you want," John stated.
"What would I do without you?" she asked aloud, but the question was directed at herself.
John let the tip of his finger touch the bottom of her chin and directed her to look him in the eye. "You'd survive, just as you always have. You'd be strong, just as you always were."
Anna's lips that had been set in a hard line blossomed into a magnificent smile as she blushed. "Charmer."
"But I'm flattered you think so highly of me."
This time it was Anna that made the move to kiss him. She let her lips settle against his, lingering just a moment longer than usual to savor the flavor and smell of him as she did so. Her fingers raking through his hair on their own accord. "Never doubt," Anna affirmed when she pulled away. "I love you more than words can begin to express. And I'm afraid that despite my efforts, I'll never be able to get enough of you," she added in a sultry voice that sent shivers down his spine. "I'll always be thankful you came into our lives when you did, John Bates."
John could feel his heart speeding up at the sound of her words. He glanced at the clock then back to his blushing bride-to-be. He let his hand settle on a space just between her stomach and ribs, his fingers grazing her skin through the fabric of her nightgown. She remained speechless, but he could sense her breathing was speeding up, her body already responding to his touch. "Shall I let you go back to sleep?"
Anna leaned into his touch; heat emanating from her body. "Sleep is the furthest thing from my mind right now," she quipped. Her eyes were already drinking him in and he noticed the way her tongue licked her lips as she traced the outline of his shirtless chest.
John never knew that it could be this way with someone else. Did not think that he could crave another's love and attention as much as he did with Anna. They might as well make the best out of an early morning. "You know...it's still early...and a certain someone is sleeping soundly down the hall."
"Do you think you can keep it down?" Anna responded with fire in her eyes. Her hand was now reaching to stroke his thighs. Alternating between his bare skin and the area covered by the hem of his boxers. The change in sensation was driving him mad.
"Do you?" He challenged with a raised eyebrow.
Anna smiled eagerly.
He stood at attention and ran to the door once more to listen for Aidan and ensure he wasn't watching his cartoons in the living room. He was met with silence and grinned proudly to himself. John checked that the door was still locked so that Aidan couldn't catch them off guard.
The plus side to morning sex was that there weren't many hurdles in their way. When he turned around Anna was moving to stand from the bed and removing her knickers. He caught a glimpse of her backside and thighs as she did so and it made him yearn for her even more. John only had his boxers to contend with and within seconds he was back at Anna's side, helping to remove her nightgown. He was careful not to discard it haphazardly across the room. They had made that mistake once before and were scrambling like mad to find their clothes the next morning when Aidan came knocking on their door before they had a chance to wake up properly. She smiled at him coyly as he approached her, it always made him feel like a lovestruck teenager, so eager to please, and still so nervous. He swallowed a lump in his throat and reached out tenderly to stroke her nipples as they pebbled in the cold, morning air. Her pleasure, filled moan was unmistakable. She looked like she might melt at his touch as her legs slackened slightly.
Instead she doubled her efforts to focus, Anna could bring him to his knees just as easily if she wanted to. He was always so good to her, ensuring she met her end before taking his own pleasure. So many times he had left her speechless and with his name being the last thing on her lips. This time she wanted to make him beg for more. She wanted to try something different. Anna was fondling him through his boxers, smiling proudly as John's excitement was instantly on display.
John's eyes were nearly rolling into the back of his head as her hand explored him further, stroking his length before taking the time to remove his boxers. Her impossibly soft fingers skimmed the length of his hairy legs as she helped him step out of them. His fingers instinctively went towards her hair to comb his fingers through it. John had to remind himself that she had been prone to flashbacks in the past when he did that and stopped.
Anna's motions came to a halt.
"I...uh...I just didn't want to…"
She immediately understood what he was trying to say and came to the conclusion that she wasn't going to let Henry keep ruining their lives. "Go slow," Anna instructed as she looked up into his eyes, "I want you to be able to touch me like that. Just...just talk to me."
This was not a new concept for him, they still had obstacles that they were navigating when it came to Anna's past and the damage that Henry had done. They were slowly rebuilding bridges that had been torn down. John nodded his head in agreement, his breath still labored from his arousal and the anticipation that had been building within him. Her hand started moving again, slowly, encouraging him that this was what she wanted. He helped her back to her feet, his fingers threading in the hair at the nape of her neck. His lips leaving blazing hot trails along her jawline and collarbone. There was no end to his words of praise and declarations of love.
He was on the same page as her again, the inhibitions were gone. His hands were cupping her face and grasping at her like she was his salvation, and he was trying to hold on for dear life. Anna took this as a sign to move things along before he let go. She wrapped her legs around John's waist, his hands coming to rest below her bottom to prop her up. They were skin to skin now, an impossibly delicious contrast in texture as her silky, smooth body came in contact with his own. Her breasts were pressed against his chest, her lips kissing every inch of skin she could reach, while her hands gripped tightly onto his shoulders for support.
She could feel his length prodding at the apex of her thighs; they had never been in this position before and it was spurring on her desire for him. He was about to set her back down on the bed, but instead he felt her nails dig into him and the nearly incoherent muttering of, "Like this...please…" It was urgent and desperate.
She was begging him to keep her like this as he entered her; it took a moment for John's mind to process her request. "Hold on…" he muttered between groans as he tried to figure out the logistics so that the both of them could reach their end. He was no spring chicken, and supporting her in that position was going to tire him out before they finished. The dresser was too high, the bathroom counter was too low. He finally settled for pushing her up against the wall. For a second, his desire was forgotten about as he made sure this was a suitable solution. He pulled back slightly to look her in the eye, "Will this do?"
Anna grinned and nodded quickly in agreement before resuming her ministrations with her lips. God he smelled amazing. The smell of his aftershave and cologne still lingered from the night before, it combined splendidly with his natural musk. For a moment, her mind ran away with itself and the next thing she knew John was groaning in pain. "Are you alright?"
"Did you just bite my shoulder?"
"I just got caught up in the moment," she admitted sheepishly.
They shared a smile and he leaned his forehead against hers. With her propped up in this position they were on an even playing field; their eyes meeting in the most intimate way. It was typically only in bed that they were at eye level.
"You taste so good," she commented.
"Darling, when you talk like that you make me wonder if you were always this naughty, or if I've somehow corrupted you," John said.
"Maybe it's a little of both; you just bring out that side of me."
"So long as I'm the only one getting to experience it, you can be as naughty as you want. I rather enjoy it."
"I could tell," Anna said.
"It's because I enjoy the taste of you as well," John whispered in her ear before nipping at her earlobe. She responded by arching her hips forward. He took this as an indication she was ready for him to slip inside her. He did so cautiously, one false move and he'd risk injury to both of them. It took a bit of finesse, but he managed it all the same. The both of them let out a sigh of relief and allowed themselves to adjust to the new position. At this angle she was able to take him in deeper than she ever had before. "My god, you feel amazing like this," he muttered. John supposed he would never get over the feeling of being enveloped in her warmth.
She slowly began to roll her hips, encouraging him to move. But he was already so close to meeting his end and releasing inside of her. "Anna, love, slow down," he begged.
"Why should I?" Anna teased.
"Because I'm not a young man anymore," he choked out.
"Mr. Bates," Anna said in that special way that only she could, "I knew what I signed up for when I choose you. I don't want a young man. I want someone with experience."
"Good Lord, Anna. Do you know what it does to me when you say things like that?"
"I have an idea," she responded with a knowing smile. The temptress.
He started to move his thighs. His thrusts were deep and slow. But that wasn't what she wanted. She doubled her efforts to increase the pace. "You are so tight right now. If you go any faster I'll be done before you can finish."
"Mmmm," she hummed deliciously. "Maybe I've already taken my pleasure from you," Anna added with a roll of her hips.
The motion caused a shift in pressure as he remained buried inside of her. John nearly spent himself as the sensation coursed through him; he bit down on his lower lip in an attempt to restrain himself.
"Now I want you to take yours," Anna said in a low voice.
"But that's just it. I don't want to take, I want it to be shared."
"Then share."
"But you said you already…"
"It doesn't mean it can't happen again," she pointed out.
John raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. He knew it was possible. It's just that they had always finished together, and he'd never had the chance to try for more. "Well then, it looks like I have my work cut out for me, Miss Smith." He hitched her up a little higher. "Hold on tight," he instructed.
She did as he asked. Their bodies slick with sweat and nearly spent from exertion. Anna was already going limp in his arms, but her arms wrapped tighter around his shoulders as he teethed and lapped at her breasts. His hips thrusting in tandem. Before long they were lost in the throes of passion. The familiar heat building in the pit of his stomach. He didn't think it would happen so soon for her again, but maybe there was something to this new position that he had underestimated. She let out an incoherent moan, louder than he'd ever heard. He had to put his mouth over here to muffle the sound. John came harder than he'd ever remembered.
The room spinning and their ragged breaths were the only thing filling the silence. John's legs shook like jelly, but his legs locked in place against the wall holding them up.
Anna wanted to take the weight off him, and leaned a hand on the nearby dresser to push herself up.
"Wait, I'm so sensitive right now. Please don't move. Just...stay like this for a little longer," he said in a gravely voice. Exhaustion was setting in, but it didn't stop him from fully appreciating the incredible weight that was resting in his arms. John placed a soft kiss on the slope of her neck. "That was pleasantly unexpected," he commented.
Anna laughed at his statement. "But you initiated it."
"I didn't think it would play out like that," he said. John lifted her slightly to ease her off of him. He carried her to the bed and set her down on the mattress before covering her body with the sheets. "I thought you were tired," he remarked. John knew she'd never been much of a morning person, and she cherished her sleep more than he did. But apparently a tumble in the hay, as it were, was not completely off the table when it came to coaxing her awake.
"I thought the same about you."
"I'm never too tired to make love to you. Even if I'm not a young man anymore."
"That's enough of your self deprecation, Mr. Bates. I love you as you are. And if it were possible to brag about what you just pulled off...well..." she pursed her lips together.
They both giggled. He loved that they could have such openness between them. That there was this other side to them that existed behind closed doors. And he was sure she appreciated it too.
"I should shower. I need to clean up," he said gesturing at his lower half.
Anna smiled thoughtfully. "Would you be opposed to me joining you?"
"Never," he said with a glimmer in his eye. "I'm looking forward to it." Yes, there were certainly benefits to sleepless nights and an early start.
She looked tired. He wouldn't deny it, he was too. But it was more than just exhaustion etched on her face. Anna's face was somehow oddly reminiscent of the mask she wore when he first met her. The one that told the world she was okay on the outside, when something was eating away at her on the inside. To the untrained eye, she was just as happy as ever, but not to him. It had been one thing when Henry was just a shadow of a man that was off in some other town, far, far away from them and the only thing to torment Anna were the memories. As much as they both enjoyed their moment of bliss that morning, the moment John left the room to make breakfast and she was left alone with her thoughts, Henry had taken hold. He was like a dark cloud that had settled over their hearts and home.
"Maybe today isn't the best day to do this," John said as he helped Anna tidy up the living room.
"What? Have lunch with family?" Anna asked.
"Let's not do this," John said.
"Do what?" she asked as Aidan ran by with a toy airplane. The boy was oblivious to their conversation, but both adults were well aware he was very intuitive when it came to tone.
"Pretend everything is alright. If you need the day to yourself to recover, we can do this later," he offered.
"I'm not pretending...at least not for myself. For Aidan," she clarified. "I want to spare him of any of this for as long as possible."
"And what about our guests today?" he inquired.
"We are going to tell them everything. I won't have any secrets, and allow my father and Elsie to be blind sided. I learned that lesson the hard way the last time around."
"And my mother?"
"What about her?"
"Well, I mean she doesn't know everything."
"No. She doesn't. But she's family now. We can't very well keep this from her now can we? If this goes to court she's going to find out. She may as well hear my side of things first, rather than some twisted version of it from a lawyer," Anna said.
John nodded in agreement. She had worked so hard to keep her secrets from getting out, and now she was being forced to expose them because of Henry.
"Besides, they'll want to know why we are pushing up the date for the wedding."
"Are you worried...about telling her that is?" There was some trepidation in his voice. John was concerned that the more she had to share details of her past the more likely she was to have a setback even worse than before.
"It's not a conversation I ever pictured myself having with her, but I trust your Mum. I reckon that she will be understanding of the situation given what she went through with your father."
John nodded his head in understanding. "What about Charlie?"
Anna paused a moment. "I don't know. It's not as if he didn't know about what happened. He just didn't know who," she reasoned, trying to find some sort of flaw in this plan.
"It's just, I know part of the reason you never spoke up before was that you were worried he might go after whoever did it," John said. Quite frankly he was fighting the same temptation, but John knew he couldn't protect Anna if he ended up behind bars by acting impulsively.
"And I still worry...but I have to trust that he'll be able to control himself. My main priority is Aidan. I can't stop to protect everyone else, including myself. If airing out my dirty laundry is the price that must be paid to keep Aidan safe then it is what I will do."
"She'll still love you," John assured. "She couldn't be happier to have you and Aidan joining our family.
"We're just as thrilled. Aidan has more family than ever before. All I've ever wanted for him is to feel loved and know that he belonged and that he was wanted."
"As a child, I don't think you can ask for more than that. He's a very lucky little boy," John added.
"He is," Anna said playing with the collar of John's shirt. She brushed off an invisible piece of lint. They shared a kiss and a hug as they prepared themselves for what was to come.
Charles and Elsie arrived first. The women went to the kitchen to start working on dinner while the boys went outside to play with Jasper. John would be returning any minute now with his mother. Margaret was still perfectly capable of driving herself of course, but still, John worried and prefered to bring her so that she wasn't heading back home on her own later.
" I thought you were going to spend the day with John's mother," Elsie commented.
"We were but...well we had a bit of an announcement we had to make today and it wasn't something we wanted to do over the phone. We wanted to handle this in person," Anna clarified.
Elsie paused as she finished cutting the celery for the salad. Suddenly she stopped and looked over at Anna, "You aren't pregnant are you?"
Anna's eyes widened in surprise. "What? No."
Elsie's face fell a little. "Then what is it?"
"You'll know when John gets here," Anna promised.
"We're here!" John called out from the other room.
"Well, at least we won't have to wait long," the older woman mumbled under her breath.
"Anna, dear. It's so sweet of you and John to have me over," Margaret said as she walked into the kitchen. She handed Anna a gorgeous bouquet of flowers before leaning in to hug her future daughter-in-law. John smiled as he trailed in behind his mother to see the two women embracing. It did his heart good to see the relationship between them blossoming. He knew his mother had always wanted him to settle down with a good girl and have a family. And now he was doing just that. A feeling of pride washed over him whenever he stopped to consider the little trio that he, Anna, and Aidan had formed. He could only venture a guess that his mother felt much the same now when she saw John being the father and husband he was always meant to be. And now she had the added benefit of actually seeing her son more frequently. Not like before when he had been with Vera.
"Of course we would have you over," Anna assured. "You are welcome in this home anytime. And what a wonderful bouquet of roses you have there."
John grinned like a fool as he watched Anna try to wait on his mother, insisting Margaret should take it easy while she and Elsie prepared the meal. But his mother was never one to simply sit and watch. Instead, she rolled up her sleeves and began working alongside the other two women.
Anna stopped to marvel at the way the three most important men in her life interacted as John stepped outside to join them. How odd it was that what should have been a happy moment for them, preparing for a wedding, was now shrouded in turmoil at the possibility of Henry interfering in their lives. As she washed the lettuce, Anna fought back tears. She wasn't prepared to lose the life that she had formed with John.
"I think that's it. The meatloaf looks ready, just needs to cool. Is the salad nearly finished?" Elsie asked.
"Just need to chop the lettuce," Anna replied.
Elsie could sense something was off, but she didn't want to press Anna, especially in front of Margaret.
Lunch went off without a hitch, most everyone had gone back for second helpings. Aidan eventually left the table to go play with his toys in the other room as the conversation between the adults continued.
"So...how are the wedding plans coming along?" Charles asked. "Anything we can help with?"
"Actually," John said as his hand reached out to cover Anna's, "that's why we decided to have you all over together today."
"It's nothing bad is it?" Charles asked looking concerned.
"Well…"
"Oh no. You are calling off the wedding then?" Margaret asked.
"God no," John was quick to respond.
"Perhaps you better just spit it out then before you send us all to an early grave," Elsie blurted out.
Anna stopped to make sure that Aidan was thoroughly occupied so that he wouldn't pick up on the topic of their conversation. "Aidan's father is back," Anna said with regret. She hated having to call him that, but she knew they wouldn't know him by name.
"What?" Charles asked, anger quickly flooding his face.
"When?" Elsie inquired.
"Apparently he's been under our noses for some time. He's a client of my public relations firm. We were promoting his book," John uttered with remorse. If only he hadn't brought Anna to the book launch they could have avoided this whole thing. Mr. Green wouldn't have been the wiser as to the whereabouts of Anna or even the existence of Aidan. "He recognized Anna at the book launch, and while we can't confirm it, we are fairly certain he knows that Aidan is his."
"I don't understand," John's mother said. "I thought Aidan's father was out of the picture."
"Not necessarily," John answered.
"He's out of the picture because I kept him out of the picture," Anna began to speak. "I suppose there's no point keeping it from you. Henry had a violent streak, he was abusive and based on the way he approached me at the book launch I'd say he still is. He didn't make a secret of the fact that he knows about Aidan."
"My God," Elsie exclaimed.
"And where were you while all this was happening?" Charlie directed his question at John.
"Well obviously I wasn't there or I would have done something. If I would have known more I could have prevented this whole thing from happening in the first place," he defended himself.
"Listen, if you want anyone to blame, blame me," Anna nearly shouted. "I had a relationship with him, and because I tried to keep his true nature a secret I ended up protecting him more than myself. I thought that it would be better for everyone involved not to know his identity, instead I have allowed him back into my life. I couldn't protect myself then, and I can't protect myself now."
"Anna, you are not at fault," Elsie stated.
Margaret placed her hand on the young woman's shoulder, "Anna, speaking as woman of experience and having been in similar circumstances, you did what you had to. You survived, and so did your little boy. No one can fault you for that."
"They can't, but I can. If I would have been brave enough to report it when the attack happened, I'd have more of a leg to stand on. Too much time has passed. I don't even know if a restraining order is possible at this point." Even though she was falling apart on the inside, Anna managed to hold it together. Though where her inner strength had come from she could not fathom. Perhaps it was because she knew that Aidan was not far from earshot, and she didn't need him to pick up on the seriousness of the matter.
"Have you spoken to a lawyer yet?" Charles eyes looked towards John.
"Matthew Crawley is seeing what he can do for us," John answered. "He doesn't practice family law, but he has some friends in high places that are coming up with some options. I filed for legal adoption when I proposed to Anna, but the paperwork hasn't gone through yet. Matthew is going to try to speed up the process. For now, the only way I can lay claim to Aidan to keep him safe is for us to move up the wedding date. With Anna as my wife in the legal sense, it would only stand to reason that I'd have just as much right to Aidan as she does," John explained.
"We can only hope," Charles said.
"You think Green will argue his parental rights over Aidan?" Elsie asked.
"He might," Anna replied.
"But if he has been absent from Aidan's life for this long, surely a judge wouldn't give the man a second chance," Margaret said.
"That's just the problem. He never had a first chance. I left Henry before I confirmed I was pregnant. I never told him about Aidan and I left him off of the birth certificate. Henry could argue that he never abandoned Aidan because he didn't know of his existence."
"I see," Margaret said.
John's mother sat back in her chair a little trying to absorb everything that was being said. She knew Anna was a single mother. John had let on that things between Anna and the father of her child had been complicated, but she hadn't expected this. She only wished there were something more she could do to help.
"And what about Anna?" Elsie asked.
"Technically, Mr. Green hasn't done anything that we can report to the police. I'd prefer he were in jail, or at the very least miles away. But for now I'll have to settle for the idea that he will just leave us in peace. I can speak to Robert about letting him go as a client. It would be a financial loss to the company as we just entered into an extended contract with him. Robert would understand, but he'll want to know why," John added.
"Well then do that. What are you waiting for?" Margaret asked.
"Anna didn't want me to tell him about her history with Mr. Green."
Charlie scooted closer to Anna and took her hand in his own. "Perhaps it's time you stop trying to run from your past. If this goes to court, it will be out in the open anyway. At least this way you have a chance at keeping you and Aidan out of harm's way by being open and honest."
Anna nodded her head in understanding. There was no denying it anymore, only the truth could set them all free.
In an effort to lift the mood Elsie asked, "Well, it looks like we have a wedding to plan. When is the date?"